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Learn more About Us
Who we are
The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882 in the basement of St. Mary's Catholic Church by Fr. Michael J. McGivney and a handful of Catholic laymen. The aim of the founder and those first members was to set up a parish-based lay organization that offered insurance benefits. In an era when parish and fraternal societies were popular, Father McGivney felt there should be some way to strengthen the religious faith of his flock and provide financial support for families overwhelmed by illness or the death of the breadwinner.
Today we have grown from that one local unit, or council, to over 11,100 councils in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. Membership is nearly 1.6 million dues-paying members plus their families - approximately 4.5 people total - many of whom are actively involved in volunteer service programs for the Catholic Church, their communities, their families, young people and one another.
The Knights of Columbus, at all levels of the organization, contributed a record high aggregate $110.7 million to charitable efforts and volunteered more than 55 million hours of personal service to the Catholic Church, community projects and youth programs in 1998. The figures are based on reports of activity received from 73 percent of Knights of Columbus councils, Fourth Degree assemblies, Columbian Squires circles and other jurisdictional entities responding to the Knights' annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. Of the approximate $111 million, $90 million was raised by local councils and state councils, which donated directly to charitable causes of their own choosing. (The monies raised at the state and local levels are expended exclusively for state and local program.) The remaining $21 million was given by the Supreme Council and Knights of Columbus-designated funds. Church Support Assistance to Church groups such as parishes, schools, religious-education programs, seminaries/seminarians, vocations, promotional efforts and miscellaneous Church projects totaled $33.3 million in 1998 and $289 million in aggregate over the past ten years. The early system of fraternal benefits has grown into a top-quality life insurance society, offering a variety of policy plans to members and their families. Both A. M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor's rate K of C insurance "Superior" - A++ and AAA, respectively - their highest designations.
The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest organization of Catholic men and their families, has been called "the strong right arm of the Church," and has been cited by popes, presidents and other world leaders for supports of the Church, for programs of evangelization and Catholic education, for civic involvement and aid to those in need. "Protecting Families for Generations" is a motto that captures the Knights' adherence to the legacy of its founder and fidelity to his vision.
Why Join the Knights of Columbus?
Why you should become a Knight:
If you’re interested in helping those in need, serving your parish, growing in your faith or having exclusive access to top-rated insurance protection for your family, then the Knights of Columbus is the organization for you.
Becoming a Knight of Columbus can transform your life. As a Knight, you have the opportunity to support your parish, give back to your community, grow in your faith and gain exclusive access to our top-rated insurance program to protect your family.
These are just some of the reasons to become a Knight.
We are a band of brothers, a network of men in communities around the world dedicated to doing good in the service of God and our neighbor.
What we provide:
SERVICE
SUPPORT
STABILITY
For 130 years the Knights of Columbus has provided all of the opportunities in this brochure and more for its members.
The Knights of Columbus is not just a fraternity in name. It is a brotherhood of Catholic men who each play a part in improving the world around them, one community at a time. They stand together in faith, dedicated to uphold the principles they cherish while lending their support and strength to parish, home and fellow Knight.
From charity for worldwide causes, to helping closer to home with volunteer activities, to a top-rated insurance program that protects those closest to you, the Knights makes the most of its brotherhood.
Make a stand among them, and you can discover how easy it is to make a difference in your life and that of others.
Click on the button below to find out about K of C Insurance opportunities offered to members to protect their growing families.
Who we are
The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882 in the basement of St. Mary's Catholic Church by Fr. Michael J. McGivney and a handful of Catholic laymen. The aim of the founder and those first members was to set up a parish-based lay organization that offered insurance benefits. In an era when parish and fraternal societies were popular, Father McGivney felt there should be some way to strengthen the religious faith of his flock and provide financial support for families overwhelmed by illness or the death of the breadwinner.
Today we have grown from that one local unit, or council, to over 11,100 councils in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. Membership is nearly 1.6 million dues-paying members plus their families - approximately 4.5 people total - many of whom are actively involved in volunteer service programs for the Catholic Church, their communities, their families, young people and one another.
The Knights of Columbus, at all levels of the organization, contributed a record high aggregate $110.7 million to charitable efforts and volunteered more than 55 million hours of personal service to the Catholic Church, community projects and youth programs in 1998. The figures are based on reports of activity received from 73 percent of Knights of Columbus councils, Fourth Degree assemblies, Columbian Squires circles and other jurisdictional entities responding to the Knights' annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. Of the approximate $111 million, $90 million was raised by local councils and state councils, which donated directly to charitable causes of their own choosing. (The monies raised at the state and local levels are expended exclusively for state and local program.) The remaining $21 million was given by the Supreme Council and Knights of Columbus-designated funds. Church Support Assistance to Church groups such as parishes, schools, religious-education programs, seminaries/seminarians, vocations, promotional efforts and miscellaneous Church projects totaled $33.3 million in 1998 and $289 million in aggregate over the past ten years. The early system of fraternal benefits has grown into a top-quality life insurance society, offering a variety of policy plans to members and their families. Both A. M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor's rate K of C insurance "Superior" - A++ and AAA, respectively - their highest designations.
The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest organization of Catholic men and their families, has been called "the strong right arm of the Church," and has been cited by popes, presidents and other world leaders for supports of the Church, for programs of evangelization and Catholic education, for civic involvement and aid to those in need. "Protecting Families for Generations" is a motto that captures the Knights' adherence to the legacy of its founder and fidelity to his vision.
Why Join the Knights of Columbus?
Why you should become a Knight:
If you’re interested in helping those in need, serving your parish, growing in your faith or having exclusive access to top-rated insurance protection for your family, then the Knights of Columbus is the organization for you.
Becoming a Knight of Columbus can transform your life. As a Knight, you have the opportunity to support your parish, give back to your community, grow in your faith and gain exclusive access to our top-rated insurance program to protect your family.
These are just some of the reasons to become a Knight.
We are a band of brothers, a network of men in communities around the world dedicated to doing good in the service of God and our neighbor.
What we provide:
SERVICE
- Support the parish with its needs
- Help meet the needs of those in the local community
- Provide “Coats for Kids” and “Food for Families”
- Support programs that benefit people with intellectual disabilities
- Aid victims of natural disasters and other catastrophic events, local and worldwide
- Donate wheelchairs to people without mobility at home and abroad
- Save lives through initiatives such as the “Ultrasound Program”
SUPPORT
- A unique “band of brothers”
- Shared values and the support to live out our Catholic faith more fully
- The ability for our network to accomplish things together that we could not accomplish alone
STABILITY
- Exclusive access to our top-rated life insurance products, available only to members and their families
- Your insurance agent is a Knight dedicated to helping his brother Knights protect their families
For 130 years the Knights of Columbus has provided all of the opportunities in this brochure and more for its members.
The Knights of Columbus is not just a fraternity in name. It is a brotherhood of Catholic men who each play a part in improving the world around them, one community at a time. They stand together in faith, dedicated to uphold the principles they cherish while lending their support and strength to parish, home and fellow Knight.
From charity for worldwide causes, to helping closer to home with volunteer activities, to a top-rated insurance program that protects those closest to you, the Knights makes the most of its brotherhood.
Make a stand among them, and you can discover how easy it is to make a difference in your life and that of others.
Click on the button below to find out about K of C Insurance opportunities offered to members to protect their growing families.
