The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization.  Founded by Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882, it was named in honor of the explorer Christopher Columbus.

As of 2018, there were 1,967,585 members around the world. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men aged 18 or older.  The order consists of four different degrees, each exemplifying a different principle of the order.  The nearly 15,000 councils, including over 300 on college campuses, are chartered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines and more around the world. The Knights' official junior organization, the Columbian Squires, has more than 5,000 circles, and the order's patriotic arm, the Fourth Degree, has more than 2,500 assemblies.

Pope John Paul II referred to the order as the "strong right arm of the Church" for their support of the Church, as well as, for their philanthropic and charitable efforts.  In 2018, the Knights gave $ 185,682,989 million directly to charity and performed over 75,640,244 million man-hours of voluntary service.

If you are the type of person who wants to do community and Church good works, this is an ideal organization for you to exercise your faithful talents.  Contact Larry Stebbins (815-273-4156) for information on becoming a Knight.