Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic fraternal organization, named in honor of Christopher Columbus. more...

Its membership is open to male "practical Catholics in communion with the Holy See," age 18 and over. The principles of the Order are Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. Though not under direct control of the Catholic Church, the Knights support the Church enthusiastically, being called the "strong right arm of the Church." There are more than 1.7 million members worldwide.

History

The Knights of Columbus was founded by a Catholic priest, Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut on February 2, 1882, and incorporated under the laws of Connecticut on March 29, 1882. Though the first councils were all in New England, the Order soon spread throughout the United States in the following years. Today the Order has active councils in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and most recently in Poland.

Fr. McGivney founded the Knights at a time when Catholics were regularly excluded from the unions and men's organizations that provided social support services. The organization was also intended to provide an alternative for Catholics to membership in Freemasonry, membership in which was discouraged by the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy and banned by many Popes, starting with Clemens XII in 1738, because they considered it contrary to Christian teachings.

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