Knights of
Columbus History
On October 2, 1881, a small group of men met in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. Called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization.
They sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith.
These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882.
The Order has been called “the strong right arm of the Church,” and has been praised by popes, presidents and other world leaders, for support of the Church, programs of evangelization and Catholic education, civic involvement and aid to those in need.
Father McGivney’s founding vision for the Order also included a life insurance program to provide for the widows and orphans of deceased members. The Order’s insurance program has expanded substantially to serve more effectively the Knights’ growing membership.
Year after year, the Knights of Columbus has earned the highest possible quality ratings for financial soundness from A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The Order provides the highest quality insurance, annuity and long-term care products to its members, along with many other fraternal benefits.
The Supreme Council is the governing body of the Knights of Columbus and is responsible for the development of the organization as a whole. Supreme Council duties include establishing the Order in new regions and setting up regional authorities, defining and advancing its values and goals, undertaking organization-wide initiatives, promoting awareness of the Knights’ mission worldwide, and protecting the families of members through its extensive insurance program. Members working in local, or subordinate councils, however, carry on the majority of the Knights’ beneficial work.
The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 14,000 councils and 1.8 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan.
Knights of Columbus
A Canadian History
The first knights of Columbus Council in Canada was formed in Montreal in 1897. For more than a century, the knights of Columbus has thrived in Canada, and today, there are more than 229,500 Canadian members in nearly 1,900 councils throughout Canada 10 Provinces.
As knights, members witness to their Catholic faith by serving the Church and engaging in volunteer service to those in need. Canada was a country that held special significance for Knights of Columbus founder Fr. Michael J. McGivney. Even before the knights existed, Fr. McGivney spent significant time in Canada as a seminarian first at St. Hyacinth College in Quebec, and later at St. Mary s College in Montreal.
Just 15 years after the knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Conn, the knights took root in Canada with the establishment of Montreal Council No. 284 in 1897. Former Mayer of Montreal James Guerin served as the first Grand knight, and within 12 years, the knights had established councils throughout Canada.
In the 108 years since that first council began in Montreal, the knights of Canada have dedicated themselves to charitable works throughout the country. Among the most notable activities of the knights in Canada was their establishment of Army Huts, which served as homes away from home for Canadian troops at training bases and behind the lines during World War II.
Knights of Columbus
An Ontario History
The Knights of Columbus in Ontario can trace their roots back to January 28, 1900, when a class of fifty nine candidates were initiated in Ottawa Ontario, and formed Council 485. While at that time a United States based organization, the growth in Ontario over the next ten years occurred primarily in towns where the railway passed through, with commercial salesmen or transient printers bringing the news of the Order to these towns. In 1903, Kingston, Cornwall and Peterborough added Councils, and in 1904 a State Council was formed in Ontario with M. J. Gorman of Ottawa being elected as the first State Deputy of our Province. By 1910, there were twenty-four Councils and over 3,500 members of the Order in Ontario. The next decade saw continued growth of membership in the Knights, both in Councils and membership, and especially after the war ended in 1918. However, in what was a sign of things to come, there was a laxity of Councils filling in reports and answering letters, and also members dues began to fall behind, with some members paying on a credit instead of cash basis. While this growth in members continued into the early twenties, the advent of outside attractions such as motion pictures, radio, sporting enterprises and service clubs brought challenges to the work of the Knights of Columbus in Ontario. Newer members joined but were not getting involved at the Council officer level, and by 1924 the membership growth started to turn toward losses.
Programs, however, continued to grow, and many Council’s started to have Corporate Communions and breakfasts. With the onset of the depression in the 1930’s, membership began to decline even further, and by 1937 it had reached the level attained by 1918, although there were 57 Councils in existence by 1940. The Text Book and Scholarship Funds, both started in the 1920’s, were continued during the depression, but the Scholarship Fund eventually was discontinued due to lack of interest from students. The State Convention was reduced to a one day meeting (and remained this way until1964,) but Regional meetings were set up in various locations throughout the year as a way to substitute for the reduced Convention time.
Ontario was proud to host the Supreme Convention in 1936, 1944, 1972, 2001 and most recently in 2016, all in Toronto.
The ending of World War II saw the beginning of an increase in membership, and by the end of the decade the membership was projected to reach the total that had been achieved in 1923. The end of the war also saw the first edition of the State Bulletin, edited by William Sheady of Guelph, who was the Executive Secretary and Publicity Director for the Board. In 1950, State Deputy Frank Hyde developed a competition for Councils in Ontario which started the tradition of naming the best Council in Ontario at the annual Convention. In 1962, the trophy was replaced by the lectern which is passed to the winning Council each year.
The 1950’s saw a change in the way elections to the State Council were managed. Up until 1955, no State Officer who had served in the position of Warden had advanced to become State Deputy; James Gaffney of Hamilton became the first. Since that time, the progression system that is in place today, where a State Officer is elected to the position of State Warden for a two year term, and then elected every second year to the next highest position, until they become State Deputy.
In 1963, the first history of the Order in Ontario was published by William Sheady, and this was updated in 1975 by PSD Vincent Kelly. Arthur Peters, current State Deputy is working on a new edition to bring the history up to date. 1964 saw the first ever Ontario State Curling Bonspiel take place in Orillia, where it continues today. By 1975, there were 155 Councils in Ontario, and in 1972 Ontario was recognized as the leading jurisdiction in the Order for membership increases above suspensions
In January of 1973, the Ontario State Council announced that the Canadian Arthritic and Rheumatic Society (later The Arthritis Society,) would be the permanent principal charity project of the Knights of Columbus in Ontario, with one major donation being made by the State Council each year toward this organization. The proceeds for this donation came from the annual Ontario Charities raffle, which had been started in 1950 by PSD Frank Hyde as the Columbian Tours raffle (today, this lives on as the annual CARS Draw.) In 1978, under the direction of PSD Frank Shine, the scope of the raffle was changed to donate to projects only that were provincial in nature; previous to this local projects also received funding.
In 1977, Bishop Smith of Pembroke, the longest serving Ontario State Chaplain (26 years,) retired and was replaced by Bishop Eugene Laroque of Cornwall. He was eventually succeeded by Bishop Plouffe of Sault Ste. Marie, Bishop O’Brien of Pembroke, and our current State Chaplain, Bishop Paul Marchand of Timmins. Under Bishop Larocque, the first meeting of Council Chaplain’s was started at the annual Convention.
In 1980, recognizing the growth of the Order in Ontario, the first office was set up at 3335 Yonge Street in Toronto. Phil Walke was hired as the first Administrative Assistant, to be replaced in 1984 by PSD Fred Bedard, PSD Phil Zakoor in 1990, and Rick McLauchlan in 2001. The office has also changed locations, with the State Council purchasing a building on Warden Avenue in 1989, moving from there to a leased space on Yorklands Boulevard in 1999, and to our current location in Hamilton in 2003.
In 2005, the Knights of Columbus in Ontario have over 510 Councils and close to 57,000 members. The future looks bright, and the success of the Order, both today and in the future, is in strong hands within the membership of Ontario.