It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, their communities, families and young people. As a member of the Knights of Columbus you and your family enjoy many benefits, including 12 free issues annually of Columbia magazine, the world's largest Catholic family magazine, eligibility to join the Knights of Columbus top-ranked life insurance
program, and many more family and personal benefits. McGivney, curate at St. Mary's parish in New Haven, CT, the Knights of Columbus was chartered on March 29, 1882 in the State of Connecticut. As the priest explained to a small group of men at a meeting in the basement of St. Mary's Church in October 1881, his purpose in calling them together was manifold: to help Catholic men remain steadfast in their faith through mutual encouragement; to promote closer ties of fraternity among them; and to set up an elementary system of insurance so that the widows and children of members in the group who might die would not find themselves in dire financial straits. The founder and first officers of the fledgling organization chose the name "Knights of Columbus" because they felt that, as a Catholic group, it should relate to Christopher Columbus, the Catholic discoverer of America. This would emphasize that it was Catholics who discovered, explored, and colonized the North American continent. At the same time "Knights" would signify that the membership embodied the knightly ideals of spirituality and service to the church, country, and fellowman. From such promising beginnings Father McGivney's original group blossomed into an international society of nearly 1.6 million Catholic men plus their families, in 13,000 councils who have dedicated themselves to the ideals of Columbianism: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. These are the underlying principles that guide our council to perform works of charity and service to our members, our parish, and our surrounding community. Join with us TODAY! visit our web site http://stmonicakofc.org
