Knights of Columbus - History

On October 2,1881, a small group of men met in the basement of St Mary's Church in New haven, Connecticut. Called together by their 29 year old parish priest, Father Michael J McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service oganization. They sought strength in solidarity and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith. These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the dicsouverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the new World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882.

The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 12,000 councils and 1.6 million members throught the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan.

The Order has been called the "strong arm of the Church" and has been praised by Popes, Presidents and other world leaders, for support of the Church, programs of evangelization and Catholic education, civic envolvement and aid to those in need.

Father MvGivney's founding vision for the Order also included a life insurance program to provide for the widows and orphans of deceased members. The orders insurance program has expanded substantially to serve more effectively the Knight's growing membership. Year after year, the Knights of Columbus has earned the highest possible quality ratings for financial soundness from A M Best and Standard and Poor's. The Order provides the highest quality insurance, annuity and long term care products to it's members, along with many other fraternal benefits. Purchasing insurance is optional to members but you must be a member to avail yourself of the insurance benefit.

As the order has grown, it's benevolence has multiplied. The Order continues to break previous records for charitable contributions and volunteer service. In the past decade, the Knights have donated more than $1.2 billion to numerous charitable causes and over 500 million hours of volunteer services.

For more information on the Knights of Columbus please visit the Supreme council website at www.kofc.org or the Ontario State website at www.osc-koc.com.