On Oct. 2, 1881, a small group of men met in the basement of St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. They were called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney. These men formed a fraternal society that has become become the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. One of the ideals of Fr. McGivney was to provide financial assistance to the widows and orphans of it's members. This original idea grew into an organization of Catholic men dedicated to promoting the concepts of charity, unity, fraternity and Patriotism. Today faith, family, and fraternity is the foundation upon which the Knights of Columbus stands. The Order has been called the "strong right arm of the Church," and has been praised by popes, presidents and world leaders. We have drawn praise for support of our Church, civic involvement and aid to those in need. From that first group of Catholic men we have grown to nearly 1.6 million members in 11,000 councils, in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas. and Saipan. In Michigan we have supported Boysville of Michigan since 1948 and groups such as Right to Life of Michigan, and the St Louis Center. Every year we raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the mentally challenged through the MI Drive. And local councils continue to support their local parishes, and communities.
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