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 nearly 12,500 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 over 1.68 million dues-paying members plus their families - approximately 5 million 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 $130 million to charitable efforts and volunteered more than 61 million hours of personal service to the Catholic Church, community projects and youth programs in 2003. 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.
From 1994 to 2004, the Knights gave more than $1.1 billion and volunteered 545 million hours. Independent Sector estimates that the dollar value of a volunteer hour in 2003 was $17.19. Using that figure, 545 million hours of volunteer service was worth $9.3 billion!
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 support 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.
Join Us!
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”
Charity is the first principle of the Knights of Columbus. Knights are men who get things done. We volunteer our time to serve our parishes and our communities. And by working together, we were able to donate more than $1.4 billion and 664 million volunteer hours to worthy causes in the past decade.
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
Unity and Fraternity are the second and third principles of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus was founded so that men could work together to serve their parishes and communities, protect the well being of their Catholic families, and support each other in faith and in many other ways along life’s journey. The Knights of Columbus offers its members the opportunity to grow in their faith through living the example of a charity that evangelizes and personifying what it means to be a Catholic gentleman through the practicing of good works.
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
As a Knight, you and your family have exclusive access to our top quality insurance products. In fact, no insurer in North America is more highly rated than the Knights of Columbus. As an organization founded to protect the well being of Catholic families, we have continued to take that mission seriously for more than 130 years. Generations of Catholics have counted on the Knights of Columbus, and in an increasingly turbulent world, you can trust the Knights of Columbus to affordably and securely protect the future of your loved ones and to be there when you need us most.
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.
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 nearly 12,500 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 over 1.68 million dues-paying members plus their families - approximately 5 million 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 $130 million to charitable efforts and volunteered more than 61 million hours of personal service to the Catholic Church, community projects and youth programs in 2003. 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.
From 1994 to 2004, the Knights gave more than $1.1 billion and volunteered 545 million hours. Independent Sector estimates that the dollar value of a volunteer hour in 2003 was $17.19. Using that figure, 545 million hours of volunteer service was worth $9.3 billion!
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 support 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.
Join Us!
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”
Charity is the first principle of the Knights of Columbus. Knights are men who get things done. We volunteer our time to serve our parishes and our communities. And by working together, we were able to donate more than $1.4 billion and 664 million volunteer hours to worthy causes in the past decade.
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
Unity and Fraternity are the second and third principles of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus was founded so that men could work together to serve their parishes and communities, protect the well being of their Catholic families, and support each other in faith and in many other ways along life’s journey. The Knights of Columbus offers its members the opportunity to grow in their faith through living the example of a charity that evangelizes and personifying what it means to be a Catholic gentleman through the practicing of good works.
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
As a Knight, you and your family have exclusive access to our top quality insurance products. In fact, no insurer in North America is more highly rated than the Knights of Columbus. As an organization founded to protect the well being of Catholic families, we have continued to take that mission seriously for more than 130 years. Generations of Catholics have counted on the Knights of Columbus, and in an increasingly turbulent world, you can trust the Knights of Columbus to affordably and securely protect the future of your loved ones and to be there when you need us most.
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.
About Knights of Columbus
