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Pope Francis expressed “his profound gratitude” to the members of the Knights of Columbus in a letter (PDF) published on August 8, 2024, on the occasion of their annual meeting held this year in Quebec City from August 6 to 8. In particular, he thanked the members of this Catholic organization for their support of Christians in Ukraine and the Middle East and in developing countries.
The letter, drafted at the pontiff’s request by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, was sent to Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly, the organization’s most senior official. In the letter, the Italian cardinal stresses the importance the Pope gives to their various commitments, particularly that of defending the family.
The cardinal recalls the pontiff’s many warnings to the younger generations “of the danger, in today’s fluid and often frivolous society, of becoming severed from the religious and cultural roots that provide their deepest identity.”
A financially important Catholic association
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Blessed Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney (1852-1890), a Connecticut priest of Irish descent, described as the “American Curé d’Ars” by his biographers Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster.
Fr. McGivney, an advocate of the integration of Catholic migrants into American society, was recognized as blessed in 2020. His feast day is August 13.
With nearly two million members, this community of fraternal service provides educational and humanitarian support to the underprivileged in the 13 countries (including USA, Canada, Philippines, France, Mexico, etc.) where it is now established. It also has a large capacity for financial aid, thanks to its insurance company and its financial investment company, Columbus Asset Advisors.
The Knights of Columbus support numerous Catholic initiatives, such as the restoration of Bernini’s baldachin in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. According to Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, the organization raised $185 million and devoted 49 million hours of volunteer work to charitable and devout causes in 2023. They have many family-based programs and also sponsor documentaries.
The Knights of Columbus are also the trustees of a particularly important shrine for the Catholic Church in the United States, the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, which they purchased in 2011. Recently, they were among the first to decide to cover mosaics by Fr. Marko Rupnik that were in the church and chapel of this shrine, after the artist became the center of an abuse scandal.
While the organization is exclusively male, there is an affiliated women’s organization, the Ladies of Columbus, or the Columbiettes. The Knights of Columbus have also developed two scout-inspired organizations for boys and girls, the Young Ladies of Columbus, and the Squires.
And today we celebrate...