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The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic family fraternal service organization with nearly 1.7 million members in more than 12,000 local councils. Last year, Knights donated 61 million volunteer hours and more than $130 million to charitable and benevolent causes, sponsoring projects to benefit their church, councils, communities, families and youth. In many Catholic parishes, a good number of the men who are active and involved are Knights.

Our order was founded on March 29, 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney to provide financial assistance for widows and orphans of deceased parishioners. It has grown to an international order which provides support for our Church and charities, and meets its original objective through its highly rated insurance company.

The Knights of Columbus are dedicated to four principles:

Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism.

Today members of the Order are found in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. They belong to many races and speak many different languages. They are diverse, yet they are one. Their diversity spells creativity; their unity spells strength.

The Knights' creativity is manifested in numerous programs and projects directed to the benefit of their fellowman. Their strength assures that these programs are operated effectively and brought to positive conclusions.

Upon receipt of notice that a member has died, the Supreme Knight sends a letter of condolence to the widow or next of kin, informing them first of all that their loved one has been enrolled in a Mass offered at St. Mary's Church, birthplace of the Order, one every day throughout the year. Upon request, the widow's name is added to the list for COLUMBIA magazine. State and local councils are encouraged to do the same for their publications. They are also called on to extend to widows and their families any scholarship or loan programs they may conduct.

An emphasis on family life seeks to involve the member's wife and children in his commitment to the life of Catholic knighthood. Their support for his promise to be a staunch Catholic layman is essential if it is to be effective and long-lasting. The Order's Service Program encourages participation by the wives and children of members and also enables greater identification on their part with the Order. The wives can wear the Order's emblem in the form of jewelry and children can wear it in badge form.

A major sign of the Order's active concern for the future of the Church and the spread of the Gospel is the Supreme Council Vocations Program, now operating in all jurisdictions and already showing promise of success in helping turn around the decline in the number of candidates to the priestly and religious life.

One of Father McGivney's initial objectives in founding the Order, that of providing security for the widows and children of deceased members, has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The Knights of Columbus insurance program offers its certificate holders a versatile portfolio of protection - all done “for Brother Knights by Brother Knights."

The Knights of Columbus have a long and enviable tradition of aid to Catholic education. As early as 1904 the Order endowed a chair in American history at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and later provided an endowment of $500,000 for graduate fellowships there, which still reaps benefits today. A $2 million endowment established at the 1989 Supreme Council meeting to mark the bicentennial of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States also benefits The Catholic University through its annual earnings - to date, some $675,000. The million-dollar” Father Michael J. McGivney Memorial Fund for New Initiatives in Catholic Education” established in 1980 is devoted to fostering improvements through research and development.

"Don't keep the Faith--spread it!” long has been a guiding principle of the Knights of Columbus. More than $1 million is budgeted annually by the Order for various projects of the Catholic Advertising Program.

The Knights of Columbus funded the construction of the campanile or Knights' Tower at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The bells for the tower were donated by the Order as well. In keeping with the commitment to Our Lady's Shrine, the Order established the "Luke E. Hart Memorial Fund" in 1979 in the amount of $500,000. Earnings are used to promote Marian devotion and to preserve the beauty of the basilica in perpetuity.

And it was the leadership of the Knights which finally succeeded in having the words “under God" inserted in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.