FOUNDING
Michael J. McGivney,
an Irish-American Catholic priest, founded the Knights of Columbus in New
Haven, Connecticut. He gathered a group of men from St. Mary's Parish for an organizational meeting on
October 2, 1881, and the Order was incorporated under the laws of the state of
Connecticut on March 29, 1882.[2]Although
the first councils were all in that state, the Order spread throughout New
England and the United States in subsequent years. By 1889, there were 300
councils comprising 40,000 knights. Twenty years later, in 1909, there were
230,000 knights in 1,300 councils.[11]
The Order was intended
as a mutual benefit society. As a parish priest in an immigrant community,
McGivney saw what could happen to a family when the main income earner died,
and wanted to provide insurance to care for the widows and orphans left behind.
He also had to temporarily leave his seminary studies to care for his family
when his father died.[12] In the late 19th century, Catholics
were regularly excluded from labor unions and other organizations that provided
social services.[13] In addition, Catholics were barred
from many of the popular fraternal organizations, or, as in the case of Freemasonry, forbidden from joining by policy of the Catholic Church.
McGivney wished to provide them an alternative. He also believed that
Catholicism and fraternalism were not incompatible and wanted to found a
society to encourage men to be proud of their American-Catholic heritage.
McGivney traveled to
Boston to examine the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters and to Brooklyn
to learn about the recently established Catholic Benevolent League, both of
which offered insurance benefits. He found the latter to be lacking the
excitement he thought was needed if his organization were to compete with the
secret societies of the day. He expressed an interest in establishing a New
Haven Court of the Foresters, but the charter of Massachusetts Foresters
prevented them from operating outside their Commonwealth. McGivney's committee
of St. Mary's parishioners decided to form a club that was entirely original.
The name of Columbus
was also partially intended as a mild rebuke to Anglo-Saxon Protestant leaders, who upheld the explorer (a
Catholic Genovese Italian
working for Catholic Spain) as an American hero, yet simultaneously sought to
marginalize recent Catholic immigrants. In taking Columbus as their patron,
they were expressing their belief that not only could Catholics be full members
of American society, but were instrumental in its foundation.[16] McGivney had originally conceived of
the name "Sons of Columbus", but James T. Mullen,
who would become the first Supreme Knight,
successfully suggested that "Knights of Columbus" would better
capture the ritualistic nature of the new organization.
By the time of the
first annual convention in 1884, the Order was prospering. The five councils
throughout Connecticut had a total of 459 members. Groups from other states
were requesting information.[18] The Charter of 1899 included four
statements of purpose, including: "To promote such social and intellectual
intercourse among its members as shall be desirable and proper, and by such
lawful means as to them shall seem best."[19] The new charter showed members'
desire to expand the organization beyond a simple mutual benefit insurance society.
The original insurance
system devised by McGivney gave a deceased Knight's widow a $1,000 death
benefit. Each member was assessed $1 upon a death, and when the number of
Knights grew beyond 1,000, the assessment decreased according to the rate of increase. Each member, regardless of age, was
assessed equally. As a result, younger, healthier members could expect to pay
more over the course of their lifetimes than those men who joined when they
were older.There was also a Sick Benefit
Deposit for members who fell ill and could not work. Each sick Knight was
entitled to draw up to $5 a week for 13 weeks (roughly equivalent to $125.75 in
2009 dollarsIf he remained sick after that, the council to which he belonged
regulated the sum of money given to him.
Degrees and principle
The Order is dedicated to the
principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. A First Degree exemplification
ceremony, by which a man joins the Order, explicates the virtue of charity. He
is then said to be a First Degree Knight of Columbus; after participating the
subsequent degrees, each of which focuses on another virtue, he rises to that
status. Upon reaching the Third Degree, a gentleman is a full member. Priests
do not participate directly in Degree exemplifications as laymen do, but rather
take the degree by observation.[citation needed]
The first ritual handbook was
printed in 1885, but contained only sections teaching Unity and Charity.[53] Supreme
Knight Mullen, along with primary ritual author Daniel Colwell, believed that
the initiation ceremony should be held in three sections "in accord with
the 'Trinity of Virtues, Charity, Unity, and Brotherly love'".The
third section, expounding Fraternity, was officially adopted in 1891.
Creation of the Fourth Degree
From the very early days of the Order, members wanted to create
a form of hierarchy and recognition for senior members, this issue was
discussed at the National Meeting of 1899. As early as 1886 Supreme Knight
James T. Mullen had proposed a patriotic degree with its own symbolic dress. The
K of C established the Grand Cross of the Knights of Columbus but awarded it
only to Cristobal Colón y de La Cerda, Duke of Veragua and descendant of Columbus, when he visited
the US in 1893.
About 1,400 members attended the first exemplification of the
Fourth Degree at the Lenox Lyceum in New York on February 22, 1900. The event was infused with Catholic and
patriotic symbols and imagery that "celebrated American Catholic
heritage".The two knights leading the ceremony, for example, were the
Expositor of the Constitution and the Defender of the Faith.[27] The ritual soon spread
to other cities. The new Fourth Degree members returned to their councils,
forming assemblies composed of members from several councils. Those assemblies
chose the new members.
In 1903, the Board of Directors officially approved a new degree
exemplifying patriotism Order-wide, using the New York City model. There was
from early on a "desire to receive within its ranks only the best",
and each candidate was required to produce a certificate from his parish priest
attesting that he had received Holy Communion within the past two weeks.
Recent history
In 1997, the cause for
McGivney's canonization was
opened in the Archdiocese
of Hartford, and then was placed before theCongregation
for the Causes of Saints in
2000. The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild was formed in 1997 to promote his
cause and currently has more than 140,000 members. Membership in the Knights of
Columbus does not automatically make one a member of the guild, nor is
membership restricted to Knights; members must elect to join.
On March 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI approved
a decree recognizing McGivney's "heroic virtue", significantly
advancing the priest's process toward sainthood. McGivney may now be referred
to as the "Venerable Servant of God". If the cause is
successful, he would be the first priest born in the United States to
be canonized as a saint.
Fourth degree
|
Rank
|
Color
|
|
Supreme
Master
|
Dark
Blue Cape and Chapeau
|
|
Vice
Supreme Master
|
Light
Blue Cape and Chapeau
|
|
Master
|
Gold
Cape and Chapeau
|
|
District
Marshal
|
Green
Cape and Chapeau
|
|
Faithful
Navigator
|
White
Cape and Chapeau
|
|
Assembly
Commander
|
Purple
Cape and Chapeau
|
|
Color
Corps Members
|
Red
Cape and White Chapeau
|
After taking their third
degree, knights are eligible to receive their fourth degree, the primary
purpose of which is to foster the spirit of patriotism and
to encourage active Catholic citizenship. Fourth degree members, in addition to
being members of their individual councils, are also members of Fourth Degree
assemblies which typically comprise members of several councils. As of 2013,
there were 3,109 assembilies worldwide.
Fewer than 18% of Knights join
the Fourth Degree, which is optional, and whose members are referred to as
"Sir Knight". Of a total 1,703,307 Knights in 2006, there were
292,289 Fourth Degree Knights. This number increased to 335,132 in 2013. A
waiting period of one year from the time the third degree was taken was
eliminated in 2013, and now any Third Degree Knight is eligible to join the
Fourth Degree.
A new Military Oversees Europe
Special District was established in 2013 to oversee assemblies of military
personnel serving on that continent. Over 100 Department of Defense civilian
employees and active-duty personnel based in Germany, Italy, and Britain took
part in a special Fourth Degree Exemplification Ceremony at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany in 2013, and in that year
exemplifications were also held in Camp Zama, Japan, and Yongsan Garrison in
Seoul, Korea, where there are existing assemblies.
Knights volunteer at 136 of
the 153
Color corps
Fourth Degree Knights may
optionally purchase and wear the full regalia and join an assembly's Color
Corps. The Color Corps is the most visible arm of the Knights, as they are
often seen in parades and other local events wearing their colorful regalia.
Official dress for the Color Corps is a black tuxedo, baldric, white gloves, cape, and naval chapeau. In warm climates and during warm months, a
white dinner jacket may be worn, if done as a unit.
Baldrics are worn from the
right shoulder to left hip and are color specific by nation. In the United
States, Panama, and the Philippines, baldrics are red, white, and blue. Red and
white baldrics are used in Canada and Poland; red, white, and green in Mexico;
and blue and white in Guatemala. Service baldrics include a scabbard for a sword and are worn over the coat while
social baldrics are worn under the coat.
The colors on a Fourth Degree
Knight's cape and chapeau denote the office he holds within the Degree.
Faithful Navigators and Past Faithful Navigators are permitted to carry a white
handled silver sword. Masters and Vice Supreme Masters, as well as Former
Masters and Former Vice Supreme Masters, are also denoted by their gold swords.
Charitable giving
|
Year
|
US dollars donated
|
|
|
2012
|
$167,549,817
|
70,113,207
|
|
2011
|
$158,000,000
|
70,053,000
|
|
2010
|
$155,000,000
|
70,049,000
|
|
2009
|
$151,000,000
|
69,252,000
|
|
2008
|
$150,000,000
|
68,784,000
|
Charity is the foremost principle of the Knights of Columbus. In
2013, the Order gave more than $170.1 million directly to charity and performed
over 70.5 million man hours in volunteer service. According to Independent Sector,
this service has a value of more than $1.6 billion. The total charitable
contributions, from the past decade, ending December 31, 2013 rose to $13.8
Billion. Finally in 2013, Knights of Columbus, on an average per member basis,
donated $91.80 and contributed 38 hours of community service.
More than $1.2 million were donated to Habitat for Humanity in 2012, in addition to 1.4 million
volunteer hours. Over 42,000 winter coats were distributed in 2012 to children
in cold weather areas as well.
The very first ever national blood drive was sponsored by the
Order in 1938. In 2012, council blood drives attracted more than 423,000
donors.
United in Charity, a general, unrestricted endowment fund, was introduced
at the 2004 Supreme Council meeting to support and ensure the overall long-term
charitable and philanthropic goals of the Order. The fund is wholly managed,
maintained, and operated by Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable
organization. Before United in Charity was formed, all requests for funds were
met with the general funds of the Order or in combination with specific
appeals.
Global Catholic donations
The Vicarius Christi Fund has an endowment of
$20 million and has earned more than $35 million since its establishment in
1981 for the Pope's
personal charities. The Knights' Satellite Uplink Program has provided funding
to broadcast a number of papal events, including the annual Easter and Christmas Masses,
as well as the World Day of Peace in Assisi, World Youth Days,
the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica for the Millennial
Jubilee, Pope John Paul
II's visit to Nazareth, and several other events. In missionary territories
the Order also pays for the satellite downlink.
The Order also has eleven separate funds totaling $18 million to
assist men and women who are discerning religious vocations pay tuition and
other expenses. The multimillion-dollar Pacem in Terris Fund aids
the Catholic Church's efforts for peace in the Middle East. In 2012, $1.8
million was given by state and local councils to seminaries, with an additional
$5.9 million in direct assistance to seminarians. A further $20 million went to
church facilities and $7.4 million to Catholic schools from state and local
councils.
The disabled
The Knights have a tradition of supporting those with physical
and developmental disabilities.
More than $382 million has been given over the past three decades to groups and
programs that support the intellectually and physically disabled, with $4.1
million donated in 2012 alone.
One of the largest recipients of funds in this area is the Special Olympics In
2012, there were more than 107,000 Knights who donated 315,000 hours of service
at nearly 20,000 Special Olympics events. Individual councils donated $3.7
million to the Special Olympics in 2013. The Order's support for the Special
Olympics goes back to the very first games in 1968.
In 2012, more than 5,000 wheelchairs were distributed in 10
countries in a partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission.
Disaster relief
Aside from their other
charitable activities, The Knights of Columbus gave significant charitable
contributions to the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in January 2010. The Order also
donated 1,000 wheelchairs to the people of Haiti in partnership with the Global
Wheelchair Mission. Recognizing
that the need was still great in Haiti some seven months after the disaster,
the Knights of Columbus partnered with Project Medishare in August 2010 for an
initiative entitled, "Healing Haiti's Children". The initiative,
backed by a more than $2.5 million commitment from the Knights of Columbus
provides free prosthetic limbs and a minimum of two years of rehab to every
child who suffered an amputation from injuries sustained during the earthquake. As of 2013, more than 800 children had
already been aided by the program.
After the Sandy
Hook Elementary School shooting, a local council in Newtown,
Connecticut, established a program asking people to pray a minimum of three Hail Marys for
the victims and their families. Over 100,000 people pledged to say 3.25 million
prayers.
More than $500,000 was donated
to Hurricane Sandy relief
efforts, and $202,000 to victims of the April
2012 tornadoes in
Oklahoma. After West
Fertilizer Company explosion in
Texas, nearly a quarter of a million dollars were raised. In total, more than
$3.3 million were donated by individual councils for disaster relief in 2012.
Insurance program
|
Year
|
||
|
2012
|
$88.4
|
$19.4
|
|
2011
|
$83.5
|
$18.0
|
|
2010
|
$79.0
|
$16.9
|
|
2009
|
$74.3
|
$15.5
|
|
2008
|
$70.1
|
$14.1
|
The Order offers a modern, professional insurance operation with
more than $90 billion of life insurance policies in force and $19.8 billion in
assets as of June 2013, a figure
more than double the 2000 levels. Nearly 80,000 life certificates were issued
in 2013, almost 30,000 more than the Order's closest competitor, to bring the
total to 1.73 million. The
program has a $1.8 billion surplus.
Over $286 million in death benefits were paid in 2012 and $1.7
billion were paid between 2000 and 2010. This is large enough to rank 49th on
the A. M. Best list of all life insurance companies in North America. Since the founding of the Order, $3.5
billion in death benefits have been paid. Premiums in 2012 were nearly $1.2
billion, and dividends paid out totaled more than $274 million. Over the same
time period, annuity deposits rose 4.2%, compared to an 8% loss for the
industry as a whole.
Every day in 2012 more than $10 million was invested, for a
total of $2.7 billion on the year, and an annual income of $905 billion. The
Order maintains a two prong investment strategy. A company must first be a
sound investment before stock in it is purchased, and secondly the company's
activities must not conflict with Catholic social teaching.
The Order also provides mortgages to churches and Catholic schools at
"very competitive rates" through its ChurchLoan program.
Products include permanent and term life insurance,
as well as annuities, long term care insurance,
and disability insurance.
The insurance program is not a separate business offered by the Order to others
but is exclusively for the benefit of members and their families. According to
the Fortune 1000 list,
the Knights of Columbus ranked 900 in total revenue in 2011and, with 1,504
agents, was 909th in size in 2013. All agents are members of the Order.
The Order's insurance program is the most highly rated program
in North America. For 38 consecutive years, the Order has received A. M. Best's highest rating, A++.Only two other
insurers in North America have received the highest ratings from both A. M.
Best and Standard & Poor's.
Additionally, the Order is certified by the Insurance Marketplace Standards
Association for ethical sales practices. Standard
& Poor's downgraded the insurance program's financial strength/credit
rating from AAA to AA+ in August 2011 not due to the Order's financial
strength, but due to its lowering of the long-term sovereign credit rating of
the United States to AA+. Additionally,
the insurance program has a low 3.5% lapse rate of the 1.7 million members and
their families who are insured.
Organization
|
Year
|
||
|
2013
|
1,843,587
|
14,606
|
|
2012
|
1,830,000
|
14,400
|
|
2011
|
1,820,000
|
14,200
|
|
2010
|
1,810,000
|
14,000
|
|
2009
|
1,790,000
|
13,700
|
As of 2013 there were 1,843,587 knights, and
membership has grown each year for 41 consecutive years. Each member belongs to
one of 14,606 councils around the world. In the 2012 fraternal year, 229 new
councils were established, including two in the Ukraine, eight in Mexico, 10 in
Poland, 13 in Canada, 80 in the Philippines, and 117 in the United States. In
addition, there is a "round table" presence
in Lithuania.
Knights of Columbus councils, Fourth Degree assemblies, and Columbian
Squire circleshave similar
officers. In the councils, officer titles are prefixed with "Worthy",
while in assemblies officer titles are prefixed with "Faithful". In
addition to the Columbian Squires' officers listed below, there is an adult
position of "Chief Counselor" that helps oversee the circle.
Supreme Council
|
Council
|
Assembly
|
Circle
|
|
Grand Knight
|
Navigator
|
Chief Squire
|
|
Chaplain*
|
Friar*
|
Father Prior
|
|
Deputy Grand Knight
|
Captain
|
Deputy Chief Squire
|
|
Chancellor
|
Admiral
|
Marshal Squire
|
|
Recorder
|
Scribe
|
Notary Squire
|
|
Financial Secretary**
|
Comptroller
|
Bursar Squire
|
|
Treasurer
|
Purser
|
Bursar Squire
|
|
Lecturer*
|
nonexistent
|
nonexistent
|
|
Advocate
|
nonexistent
|
nonexistent
|
|
Warden
|
Pilot
|
Marshal Squire
|
|
Inside Guard
|
Inner Sentinel
|
Sentry
|
|
Outside Guard
|
Outer Sentinel
|
Sentry
|
|
Trustee (3 Year)
|
Trustee (3 Year)
|
nonexistent
|
|
Trustee (2 Year)
|
Trustee (2 Year)
|
nonexistent
|
|
Trustee (1 Year)
|
Trustee (1 Year)
|
nonexistent
|
|
nonexistent
|
Color Corp Commander*
|
nonexistent
|
|
Supreme Knight
|
Supreme Chaplain
|
|
Deputy Supreme Knight
|
Logan Ludwig
|
|
Supreme Secretary
|
Charles E. Maurer Jr.
|
|
Supreme Treasurer
|
Michael O'Connor
|
|
Supreme Advocate
|
John Marrella
|
|
Supreme
Warden |
George Hanna
|
|
Supreme
Master |
Dennis Stoddard
|
The Supreme Council is the governing body of the Order and is
composed of elected representatives from each jurisdiction. In a manner similar
to shareholders at
an annual meeting, the Supreme Council elects seven members each year to the
Supreme Board of Directors for three-year terms.
The twenty-one member board then chooses from its own membership the senior
operating officials of the Order, including the Supreme Knight.
Assemblies
Fourth degree members belong to one of 3,109 assemblies,
including 75 created in 2012. The first assembly in Europe was established in
2012, and in 2013 a new assembly for Boston-area college councils was created
at Harvard University. As of 2013 there were 335,132 Fourth Degree
members, including 15,709 who joined the ranks of the Patriotic Degree the year
before.
College councils
In 1898, Keane Council 353 was established at The Catholic University of America,
though in later years it moved off campus. The University of Notre Dame Council 1477
was founded in 1910, and In 1919, Mount St. Mary's College and
Seminary Council 1965 became the first council attached to a college and
seminary, at what is now Mount St. Mary's University.
In each autumn since 1966, the Supreme Council has hosted a
College Council Conference at their
headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. Awards are given for
the greatest increases in membership, the best Youth, Community, Council,
Family, and Church activities, and the overall Outstanding College
Council of the year. The most recent winner of the Outstanding College Council
Award was The Catholic University of America Council.
Evangelization
Since its founding, the
Knights of Columbus has been involved in evangelization. In 1948, the Knights started
the Catholic Information Service (CIS) to provide low-cost Catholic
publications for the general public as well as for parishes, schools, retreat
houses, military installations, correctional facilities, legislatures, the medical
community, and for individuals who request them. Since then, CIS has printed
millions of booklets, and thousands of people have enrolled in CIS
correspondence and on-line courses.
Awards
The Order sponsors a
number of international awards. The first, the Gaudium et Spes Award, is named
after the document from the Second Vatican Council, and
is the highest honor bestowed by the Order. It "is awarded only in special
circumstances and only to individuals of exceptional merit" and comes an honorarium of
$100,000. Since its institution
in 1992, it has only been awarded five times. The award "recognizes
individuals for their exemplary contributions to the realization of the message
of faith and service in the spirit of Christ as articulated in the document for
which it is named".
The second
international award, also only given "when merited", is the Caritas Award. Named for the theological virtuealternatively translated as
either charity or love, it recognizes "extraordinary works of charity and
service". It has been awarded once since its establishment in 2013. The Saint
Michael Award was established
in conjunction with the Caritas Award to recognize members of the Order who
have exemplified a lifetime of service on behalf of the Knights of Columbus.
Additionally, at its
annual convention each year, the Order recognizes other individuals and
councils with awards. These include the Family of the Year award, and prizes
for the best activities in the categories of church, community, council,culture of life, family, and youth.
Additionally, top selling general and field insurance agents are recognized, as
are top recruiting individuals and councils.
Famous Knights
Many famous Catholic men from all over the world have been
Knights of Columbus. In the United States, some of the most notable include John F. Kennedy; Ted Kennedy; Al Smith; Sargent Shriver; Samuel Alito; John Boehner; Ray Flynn; Jeb Bush; and
Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, a
two-time Medal of Honor recipient,
once described by the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps as "the most
outstanding Marine of all time".
Many notable clerics
are also Knights, including Cardinal William Joseph Levada,
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston; and Cardinal Jaime Sin, former Archbishop of Manila. In the world
of sports, Vince Lombardi, the famed former coach of the Green
Bay Packers; wrestler Lou Albano; James
Connolly, the first Olympic gold-medal champion in modern times;[ Floyd Patterson, former heavyweight boxing champion; and
baseball legend Babe Ruthwere all knights.
On October 15, 2006,
Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia (1878–1938) was canonized by Pope
Benedict XVI in Rome. In 2000, six other Knights were declared saints by Pope
John Paul II.
Emblem of the Order
The emblem of the Order
was designed by Past Supreme Knight James T. Mullen and adopted at the second
Supreme Council meeting on May 12, 1883. Shields used by medieval knights
served as the inspiration, and the emblem consists of a shield mounted on a Formée cross, which is an artistic
representation of the cross of Christ. This represents the Catholic identity of
the Order.
Mounted on the shield
are three objects: a fasces; an anchor; and a dagger. In ancient Rome, the fasces was carried before
magistrates as an emblem of authority. The Order uses it as "symbolic of
authority which must exist in any tightly-bonded and efficiently operating
organization".The anchor represents Christopher Columbus, patron of the
Order. The short sword, or dagger, was a weapon used by medieval knights. The
shield as a whole, with the letters "K of C", represents
"Catholic Knighthood in organized merciful action".
Fourth Degree emblem
The Fourth Degree emblem features a dove, a cross, and a globe.
In the tradition of the Knights these symbols "typify the union of the
three Divine Persons in one Godhead, referred to as the most Blessed Trinity".The
red, white, and blue are taken from the American flag and represent patriotism,
the basic principle of the Fourth Degree. Styled with the continents of the
western hemisphere in white, the blue globe represents God the Father. A red Isabella cross, for the queen who
sponsored Columbus, serves as a symbol of God the Son. The white dove is a
symbol of peace and God the Holy Spirit. Columbus' name in Italian (Colombo)
also means "dove".
Colombian Squires emblem
The emblem of the
Squires symbolizes the ideals which identify a squire. On the arms of a Maltese cross are the letters "P", which
represents the physical development necessary to make the body as strong as the
spirit; "I", which stands for the intellectual development needed for
cultural and mental maturity; "S", which represents the spiritual
growth and practice of our faith; and "C", which stands for the
development of citizenship and civic life. The larger letters: "C",
representing Christ and
also Christopher Columbus; "S", the Squires; and "K", the
Knights of Columbus, by whom the Squires program is sponsored, are intertwined
in the center of the cross. They are the three foundations of the program.
The Latin motto,
"Esto Dignus", encircles the emblem. Translated into English, it
means "Be Worthy".
Auxiliary groups
Women's auxiliaries
Many councils also have
women's auxiliaries. At the turn
of the 20th century two were formed by local councils and each took the name
the Daughters of Isabella.
Using the same name, both groups expanded and issued charters to other circles
but never merged. The newer organization renamed itself the Catholic
Daughters of the Americas in
1921 and both have structures independent of the Knights of Columbus.[130] Other
groups are known as the Columbiettes. In the Philippines, the ladies'
auxiliary is known as the Daughters of Mary Immaculate.
Columbian Squires
|
Squire Advancement Program
|
|
Level 1: Page
|
|
Level 2: Shield Bearer
|
|
Level 3: Swordsman
|
|
Level 4: Lancer
|
|
Level 5: Squire of the
Body of Christ
|
The Knights' official junior organization is the Columbian
Squires. Founded in 1925 in Duluth, Minnesota, this international fraternity
for boys 10–18 has grown to over 5,000 circles. According to Brother Barnabas
McDonald, F.S.C., the Squires' founder: "The supreme purpose of
the Columbian Squires is character building."
Squires have fun and share their Catholic faith, help people in
need, and enjoy the company of friends in social, family, athletic, cultural,
civic and spiritual activities. Through their local circle, Squires work and
socialize as a group of friends, elect their own officers, and develop into
Catholic leaders. When Squires process in a color guard, they wear blue
cape, similar to those worn by members of the Fourth Degree, and black berets.
Each circle is supervised by a Knights of Columbus council or
assembly, and has an advisory board made up of either the Grand Knight, the
Deputy Grand Knight and Chaplain, or the Faithful Navigator, the Faithful
Captain, and Faithful Friar. Circles are either council based, parish based, or
school based, depending on the location of the circle and the Knight
counselors.
Squire Roses
The Squire Roses are a youth sorority run by
individual state councils for Catholic girls between the ages of 10 and 19.
Founded by Russell DeRose and the Virginia State Council of the Knights of
Columbus in 1996, the Roses are a sister organization to the Squires.
Squire Roses
The Squire Roses are a youth sorority run by
individual state councils for Catholic girls between the ages of 10 and 19.
Founded by Russell DeRose and the Virginia State Council of the Knights of
Columbus in 1996, the Roses are a sister organization to the Squires.