Who We Are
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A Brief History
Father Michael J. McGiveny was a Catholic priest born and raised in Connecticut in the 1800s. During his ministry in the post-Civil War United States, he saw the impact on families when the father, then the primary breadwinner, died. He also saw the anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant bigotry rampant in the country at the time.
In 1882, Fr. McGiveny founded the Knights of Columbus as a way for Catholics men to work together, caring for their families if one of them died. He envisioned a lay-lead organization that espoused both the Catholic Faith and American ideals. The first Knights named their organization after Christopher Columbus, the most popular Catholic figure in American history at that time.
What started as a few men in a church basement in New Haven has grown to a brotherhood of over two million faithful Catholic men around the world, including the United States, Canada, the Phillipines, Poland and Ukraine, performing millons of hours of charity work each year.
We support the Special Olympics, wheelchair programs, pro-life initiatives and many other social causes consistent with our Catholic faith.
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Who can join?
To join the Knights of Columbus, you must be:
- You must be a practical Catholic man in union with the Holy See, which means that you accept the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, that you aspire to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and that you are in good standing in the Catholic Church.
- You must be at least 18 years of age.
- You must agree to abide by the Laws and Rules of the Knights of Columbus.
- You must sign the Constitutional Roll of Membership.
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