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The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, Family, Fraternal, Service, Organization. We are guided by 4 basic principles: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. These principles bring us together to provide service and support in 5 main areas of activity: Church, Family, Youth, Community, and Council. The Knights of Columbus was founded in March of 1882, in New Haven, Conn., by a young Irish-American Catholic parish priest, Fr. Michael J. McGivney. At that time in the history of our country, there was great prejudice against many Irish Catholics who had recently immigrated. They could not find jobs, if they did, the jobs were low paying and dangerous. They could not obtain insurance. Many began to give up their faith just to be able to get jobs and provide for their families. As Fr. McGivney explained to a small group of men at a meeting in the basement of St. Mary's Church in October of 1881, his purpose for calling them together was: 1. To help Catholic men remain steadfast in their faith through mutual encouragement; 2. To promote closer ties of fraternity among them; and 3. To set up an elementary system of insurance so that the widows and children of members in the group who might die would not find themselves in dire financial straits. This dream of Fr. McGivney is still very much alive today, as we continue to uphold the principles upon which the order was founded. From this humble beginning, the Knights of Columbus have grown to over 1.6 million members in a dozen countries, and we are still growing. There are nearly 12,000 active local councils. Our membership continues to climb while other fraternal organizations are seeing their memberships fall. Here in Virginia, there are about 20,000 members in 123 local councils. The vision of Fr. McGivney and the goal of the KofC is to have a Council in every parish. Every year, local Knights of Columbus councils donate $110 million to charity and expend over 55 million hours in charitable work, and these go up every year. At the international level, the Knights have contributed millions of dollars to the Vatican to microfilm the Vatican's archives and to clean and restore the frade statues at St. Peter's Basilica. The Knights fund the Holy Father's special appearances via satellite such as the Christmas and Easter Masses. The Pope has referred to us as “my knights”. On the national level, the Knights funded the bell tower at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We endow academic chairs at Catholic University, and provide scholarships and loans to students at Catholic colleges and universities.


	Father Edward W. Johnston Council # 9488 \| home Mssion \| Officers \| Council History \| Member List \| Ladies Auxiliary \| Pictures \| Calendar \| News Letter \| Contact Us \| The Bulletin Board \| Related Links Contact Us Who are the Knights of Columbus? Father Edward W. Johnston Council 9488 The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, Family, Fraternal, Service, Organization. We are guided by 4 basic principles: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. These principles bring us together to provide service and support in 5 main areas of activity: Church, Family, Youth, Community, and Council. The Knights of Columbus was founded in March of 1882, in New Haven, Conn., by a young Irish-American Catholic parish priest, Fr. Michael J. McGivney. At that time in the history of our country, there was great prejudice against many Irish Catholics who had recently immigrated. They could not find jobs, if they did, the jobs were low paying and dangerous. They could not obtain insurance. Many began to give up their faith just to be able to get jobs and provide for their families. As Fr. McGivney explained to a small group of men at a meeting in the basement of St. Mary's Church in October of 1881, his purpose for calling them together was: 1. To help Catholic men remain steadfast in their faith through mutual encouragement; 2. To promote closer ties of fraternity among them; and 3. To set up an elementary system of insurance so that the widows and children of members in the group who might die would not find themselves in dire financial straits. This dream of Fr. McGivney is still very much alive today, as we continue to uphold the principles upon which the order was founded. From this humble beginning, the Knights of Columbus have grown to over 1.6 million members in a dozen countries, and we are still growing. There are nearly 12,000 active local councils. Our membership continues to climb while other fraternal organizations are seeing their memberships fall. Here in Virginia, there are about 20,000 members in 123 local councils. The vision of Fr. McGivney and the goal of the KofC is to have a Council in every parish. Every year, local Knights of Columbus councils donate $110 million to charity and expend over 55 million hours in charitable work, and these go up every year. At the international level, the Knights have contributed millions of dollars to the Vatican to microfilm the Vatican's archives and to clean and restore the frade statues at St. Peter's Basilica. The Knights fund the Holy Father's special appearances via satellite such as the Christmas and Easter Masses. The Pope has referred to us as “my knights”. On the national level, the Knights funded the bell tower at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We endow academic chairs at Catholic University, and provide scholarships and loans to students at Catholic colleges and universities. How to Join Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to practicing Catholic men in union with the Holy See, who are at least 18 years old. A practicing Catholic is one who lives up to the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Church. Application blanks are available from any member of the Knights of Columbus. For information regarding membership, please contact Richard Pariseault at (540) 8284343 or by email richard.pariseault@comcast.net