The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal benefit society
dedicated to charity, unity, and fraternity. The group helps families to achieve
economic security and life insurance by supplying life insurance and care
programs. The group contains about 1.7 million members in the U.S.
The Knights of Columbus
started on October 2, 1881, in New Haven, Connecticut. The founder was Father Michael J. McGivney , who is now being considered for becoming a saint. The inspiration
for this group is Christopher Columbus, the man who brought Christianity to
America. This organization has been praised worldwide by popes, world leaders,
and other significant figures. This group has even been described as “the
strong right arm of the Church.” The Knights of Columbus are governed by the
Supreme Council, which is responsible for the development of the group as well.
Some responsibilities of the Supreme Council include setting up the Order in
new locations, advancing the group's goals, promoting the group, etc.
The purpose of the
Knights of Columbus is to supply financial aid to members of the Knights as
well as their families. Another goal is to provide quality life insurance for
the members and their families as well. The Knights of Columbus also supports
giving to charities, and contributes huge amounts of money for charities each
year. According to the Knights of Columbus homepage, they raised $143,816,004 in 2006 alone.They also stress community service to be performed by their members. This service can be seen through their response to Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005. In addition to a large number of service hours to help the city and people recover, they also donated $10 million dollars to releif efforts.
In conclusion, the Knights of Columbus work every year to create better lives for its members as well as other people in need. They support their brothers and stress charity and service for the community.