Who are the Knights of Columbus and Bishop Evans Council 10122

Who are the Knights of Columbus?

Fr. Michael J. McGivney, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, founded the Knights of Columbus during the latter part of the19th century. As a statement that the Catholic faith and loyalty to one's country are in harmony, the organization took as its patron Christopher Columbus.

The Knights of Columbus is a Connecticut corporation, which received its corporate charter from the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut in 1882, the year of its founding. It has no parent company and no stock. It is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a fraternal benefit society under Section 501(c)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26, United States Code), pursuant to which it is exempt from federal taxation in the United States. As a fraternal benefit society, the Knights of Columbus offers life insurance and other benefits to its members and their families residing in the United States and Canada.

The Knights of Columbus is also the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, with more than 1.9 million members in countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, the Bahamas, and South Korea. The Knights of Columbus operates through and maintains an active system of local and state councils that conduct extensive charitable and volunteer programs.

The governing authority of the Knights of Columbus is the Supreme Council, which maintains its headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. There are subordinate state or territorial councils in every jurisdiction where the Knights of Columbus is established, as well as local councils, most of which are associated with a Catholic parish. The state, territorial, and local councils are unincorporated associations holding charters from the Supreme Council and are subject to dissolution or merger according to the Laws of the Knights of Columbus.

What is our mission?

To know, love, and serve God is the mission of the Catholic faithful. That mission is reflected in Section 2 of the Charter of the Knights of Columbus:

The purposes for which said corporation is formed, always consistent with Catholic values and doctrine, are the following: (a) through a system of subordinate councils, along with regional, national, and international convocations, to raise up, support and encourage a fraternity whose members are practical Catholics united by their faith and by the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism; (b) through common worship, charitable works, meetings, and rites of initiation, to form its members in Catholic faith and virtue; (c) to render pecuniary aid to its members, their families, and beneficiaries of members and their families; (d) to render mutual aid and assistance to its sick, disabled, and needy members and their families; (e) to promote social and intellectual interaction among its members and their families; (f) to promote and conduct educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief, public relief, and other activities; and (g) to unite members in their Catholic identity and the practice of their Catholic faith.

Who are the Knights of Columbus and Bishop Evans Council 10122

Who are the Knights of Columbus?

What is our mission?

Knights of Columbus Council 10122