The Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus emblem symbolizing faith, unity, and authority at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Portsmouth, OH, Author Nheyob (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

The Knights of Columbus are a global service order for Catholic men [1]. The group was founded in 1882 by Fr. Michael McGivney with the mission of charity, fraternity (brotherhood), and defense of the Christian faith.

The work of the Knights is outstanding. In 2025 alone, the Knights of Columbus donated over $200 million to charities worldwide, and over 48 million volunteer hours [2A].

These donations by the Knights of Columbus included over 300,000 coats for needy children through the organization’s “Coats for Kids” Program; mental health care for the children traumatized by a school shooting during mass in Minnesota; leading sponsorship of Special Olympics; the purchase of over 2000 ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers; relief to flood victims in Hawaii and earthquake victims in Venezuela; support for the Catholic University of America, Christ in the City urban missionaries, migrant families without a primary breadwinner, remote indigenous communities, an orphanage in Israel, a girls’ vocational training center in Benin, and persecuted Christians throughout the Middle East [2B][3].

From Colorado to the Philippines, the Knights partner with the Arise Foundation to protect women and girls against sex trafficking [2C][4]. They train priests to serve in Nigeria, and provide food and supplies to those on the front lines in Ukraine [2D]. They partner with the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) to feed, educate, and treat the children of Gaza and the region [2E][5].

The Knights host an annual Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for wounded, injured, and ill veterans [6].

In addition, the Knights of Columbus play an active role in public policy issues. They participate regularly in the March for Life in Washington, DC, lobby against abortion at the state level, and stand with the United States and Canadian Catholic Bishops Conferences opposing assisted suicide [2F][7][8][9].

These men strive to live out their faith, to serve others in the Name of Christ. They are an example to us all.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1: 27).

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[1] Wikipedia, “Knights of Columbus”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus.

[2A through 2F] Knights of Columbus, 144th Supreme Convention, “Supreme Knight’s Report”, https://www.kofc.org/get-involved/events/supreme-conventions/2026/.

[3] Christ in the City, https://christinthecity.org/.

[4] Arise Foundation, https://foundation-arise.com/.

[5] Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA)/100, https://cnewa.org/ .

[6] Warriors to Lourdes, https://www.warriorstolourdes.com/about/.

[7] Knights of Columbus, “Our Pro-Life Efforts”, https://www2.kofc.org/en/our-pro-life-efforts/index.html.

[8] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://www.usccb.org/ .

[9] Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://www.cccb.ca/.

[10] Wikipedia, “Charitable activities of the Knights of Columbus”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitable_activities_of_the_Knights_of_Columbus.

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