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Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly Joins U.S. Delegation at Annual International Military Pilgrimage to Marian Shrine at Lourdes

Posted on May 25, 2026 in: General News

Knights of Columbus-sponsored “Warriors to Lourdes” Pilgrimage Provides Opportunities for Prayer and Healing from Physical and Moral Injury

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Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly Delivers Keynote Address at Conference on Mensuram Bonam

Posted on May 20, 2026 in: General News

The Conference, hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, focuses on the alignment of assets and investments with the Gospel and Catholic social teaching

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Statement from Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly

Posted on May 07, 2026 in: General News

In recent days, many Catholics and other people of goodwill have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV by the President of the United States. The Successor of Saint Peter is not a politician — he is the Vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gos...

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Poll: A Majority of Americans Continue to Support Legal Limits on Abortion

Posted on February 25, 2026 in: General News

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The 2026 Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll results, released today, show that 64% of Americans support placing legal limits on abortion, and that 57% support limiting abortions to at most the first three months of pregnancy. This survey, conducted by the Marist Poll and commis...

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Pope Leo XIV Receives K of C Board of Directors on Pilgrimage

Posted on February 25, 2026 in: General News

Pope Leo XIV received in private audience the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors Oct. 6 and commended the Order’s charitable work, including “efforts to uphold the sanctity of human life in all of its stages.” The audience took place in the Sala del Concistoro...

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Papal Video Greeting to Knights’ Annual Convention

Posted on February 25, 2026 in: General News

Dear friends, I am pleased to greet all of you gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 143rd Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus. I also greet those who are participating virtually in these opening ceremonies. You are meeting during the Jubilee Year of Hope, which encourages the Univer...

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‘Hardwired for Mission’

Posted on February 25, 2026 in: General News

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly delivered opening remarks and participated in a panel discussion at the inaugural Symposium on Young American Men, held Nov. 3 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The daylong symposium, organized by the Lafayette Company, was a bipartisan gathering of lawmaker...

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When the Need is 'Everything'

Posted on February 10, 2026 in: General News

Amid the salt-tinged air of the Port of Newark, New Jersey, a massive steel container is hoisted into the sky. It settles onto a cargo ship with a heavy thud, destined for Ukraine via Poland. One might think this is the work of a multinational logistics corporation or a government agency. In real...

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Stronger Than a Scoreboard

Posted on December 19, 2025 in: General News

During the 126th annual Army-Navy Game on Dec. 13, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori led college Knights from the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy in praying a rosary at halftime. With the Black Knights holding a 13-7 lead at the break, cade...

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A Kingdom Without Borders

Posted on December 19, 2025 in: General News

Knights from the United States and Mexico met at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, to pass on Knights of Columbus Silver Roses Dec. 10. Two days later, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexican Knights brought the roses to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe i...

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No Greater Love

Posted on December 04, 2025 in: General News

On a crisp Friday morning in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a crowd of people — including numerous Knights of Columbus and their families — gathered at Civic Green Park to witness the unveiling of a newly installed memorial. It stands as a lasting tribute to Kendrick Castillo, the 18-year-ol...

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Holiday Heroes

Posted on December 04, 2025 in: General News

Amid the flurry of holiday bargain hunting that marks Black Friday, Knights from Woonsocket (Rhode Island) Council 113 focused on a more meaningful mission: hosting their annual Christmas toy drive. Joined by officers from the Woonsocket Police Department and other community volunteers, the Knigh...

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Hardwired for Mission

Posted on November 25, 2025 in: General News

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Building Mission-Driven Momentum

Posted on November 20, 2025 in: General News

As the Knights of Columbus approaches historic levels of growth, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly urged state deputies to maintain the momentum amid new challenges. Fraternal leaders representing nearly 70 jurisdictions gathered in Denver Nov. 14-16 for the annual Midyear Membership Meeting of State Dep...

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One Priest, Many Nations

Posted on November 07, 2025 in: General News

In his 13 years of priestly ministry, until his untimely death in 1890, Father Michael McGivney left a lasting impact on the Connecticut parishes where he served. Since he founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882, the spiritual legacy of this humble parish priest has expanded across the globe —...

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Standing With Military Chaplains

Posted on November 07, 2025 in: General News

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly was named 2025 Honorary Patron by the Saint John XXIII Foundation, which contributes to the pastoral support of Catholics in the armed services, during its Patrons Reception in Charleston, South Carolina, on Oct. 23. In the award proclamation, the foundation’s b...

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Charity and Truth in the Public Square

Posted on November 01, 2025 in: General News

While the prophet Jeremiah did not have the United States — or any modern nation — in mind, his description of calls for “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jer 6:14) aptly illustrates our current political and cultural discourse. Many decry the rancor and p...

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On a Crusade for Life

Posted on October 27, 2025 in: General News

In the late 1980s, Past Grand Knight Robert Mendoza and his wife, Vera, of John F. Kennedy Council 5729 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, established a Crusade for Life prayer program in their parish to ask the Blessed Virgin’s intercession for an end to abortion. Based on a Supreme Council initiati...

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Strength in the Face of Persecution

Posted on October 20, 2025 in: General News

With more than 230 million people, Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and by far the most populous in Africa. It is home to as many as 100 million Christians, including 35 million Catholics. But ethnic and religious tensions, primarily between Muslims and Christians, have made t...

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Visible Signs of Devotion

Posted on October 08, 2025 in: General News

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Visible Signs of Devotion

Posted on October 08, 2025 in: General News

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A Pioneer of American Sainthood

Posted on October 06, 2025 in: General News

Nearly 2,000 people, including Knights and their families, packed the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on Sept. 14 for a Mass celebrating the 50th anniversary of the canonization of the shrine’s patroness — who, in 1975, became the United States’ ...

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Ambassadors for Christ on Campus

Posted on October 03, 2025 in: General News

Nearly 200 representatives from 70 college councils across North America gathered in New Haven, Connecticut, Sept. 26-28 for the 60th annual Knights of Columbus College Councils Conference. This year’s theme, “Ambassadors for Christ,” encouraged college Knights to share the hope of...

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All Aboard for Charity

Posted on September 17, 2025 in: General News

Frank Kotnik’s enthusiasm for toy trains began when he received his first Lionel train set as a child in the 1960s. In 2015, while visiting the Railroad Museum of Long Island with his son, Kotnik was impressed by the museum’s boxcar fundraiser featuring commemorative cars for various com...

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Mission of Hope and Solidarity

Posted on September 11, 2025 in: General News

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore were part of a delegation of Catholic leaders who traveled to Jerusalem, the Palestinian West Bank and Israel from Sept. 2-6, in an expression of solidarity with Catholics and all those suffering from the effects ...

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Healing the Unseen Wounds

Posted on September 11, 2025 in: General News

Growing up in Ukraine today means facing the daily threat of drone attacks, and more than 19,000 children in Russian-occupied areas have been forcibly deported since the war began — an act the United Nations has recognized as a war crime. The statistics paint a grim picture of lost innocence: ...

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Seeds of Hope in the Eternal City

Posted on September 02, 2025 in: General News

Thousands of U.S. pilgrims, including college Knights, gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth as half a million people flocked to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, held July 29 to Aug. 3, more than 4,000 young adults from the United States gathered at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on July...

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On Mission With Blessed Carlo

Posted on September 02, 2025 in: General News

Michigan’s newest college council, named for Blessed Carlo Acutis, will witness his canonization of a dozen members of Michigan’s newest college council — St. Carlo Acutis Council 18672 in Detroit — will travel to Rome to witness the historic canonization of their council&rsq...

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Brotherhood at Bat

Posted on September 02, 2025 in: General News

An Ohio council hosts an annual softball game to build community among Knights and parishioners from two local parishes taking his lead off first base, Scott Deering turned on the jets when his teammate slugged an extra-base hit into the outfield. Nearing third base with sights set on home, Deeri...

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Martyrs Without Borders

Posted on September 01, 2025 in: General News

Faced with the choice between death and denouncing the Vatican, the United States, and the United Nations, Bishop Patrick J. Byrne was resolute as he answered the North Korean judge: “There remains only one course — that I die.” Captured in Seoul in the summer of 1950, having refus...

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Forward in His Presence

Posted on September 01, 2025 in: General News

During the blazing summer of 2024, four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes set out from opposite ends of the United States, traversing vast swaths of the country. Tens of thousands of Catholics knelt in prayer and adoration as Eucharistic processions passed through cities and towns, often led by...

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America’s Parish Priest in America’s Parish Church

Posted on August 27, 2025 in: General News

Source Standing in the St. Joseph Chapel of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, a new bronze statue graces the revered neo-Gothic masterpiece beloved as “America’s Parish Church.” The slightly larger-than-life sculpture, crafted by artist Chas Fagan, depicts Bless...

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A Brotherhood That Rises in the Storm

Posted on August 26, 2025 in: General News

Heavy rain beginning July 3 caused flooding of several major river systems in Texas, with the Guadalupe River in Kerr County causing the most devastation. At least 135 people died, including more than 35 children, and thousands of buildings were affected. One Knight tragically lost his two daughters...

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A Gift From St. Albert

Posted on August 26, 2025 in: General News

In Zaporizhzhia, a city on the banks of the Dnieper River near Ukraine’s active front lines, fear is a constant presence. Air raid alarms call people to take shelter up to 10 times a day, and explosions rock the city almost every week. Yet amid the devastation, signs of compassion and courage ...

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United in Charity

Posted on July 25, 2025 in: General News

The tragic losses caused by flooding earlier this month in Texas are heartbreaking, and it may be weeks before these communities can fully assess the destructive impact of this disaster. Knights of Columbus is always prepared to respond when support is requested, providing $30,000 to date to financi...

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Pope Leo Meets with Supreme Knight, Supreme Chaplain

Posted on July 07, 2025 in: General News

As the United States celebrated Independence Day last week, Pope Leo XIV received Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore in a private audience at the Vatican. The July 4 audience was the first meeting of the U.S.-born pope with the leader of the Knight...

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Scarred but Standing

Posted on July 01, 2025 in: General News

Viktor Openko was helping civilians board evacuation trains as rockets rained around Khutir-Mykhailivskyi train station in northeastern Ukraine. It was May 14, 2024, six miles from the Russian border. “People started running in every direction,” Openko recalled. “With shells exp...

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Board Appoints Anthony Picarello as New Supreme Advocate

Posted on July 01, 2025 in: General News

On June 20, 2025, the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors appointed Anthony R. Picarello Jr. as supreme advocate. He succeeds John A. Marrella, who served as supreme advocate since 2009 and was appointed supreme secretary in 2024. Picarello has served as the executive director of the Saint Joh...

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Witnesses to Divine Mercy

Posted on June 26, 2025 in: General News

Father Eric Sternberg, a member of University of Wisconsin-Madison Council 6568, had envisioned organizing a Eucharistic procession with university students through the state’s capital since becoming pastor of St. Paul’s Catholic Student Center in 2023. “Why not have a public ma...

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America’s Story of Religious Freedom

Posted on June 25, 2025 in: General News

A recent documentary highlights the Order’s role in the development of religious liberty in the United States The Knights of Columbus and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly are featured in a new documentary that chronicles the inspiring, often contentious and sometimes violent evolution of religi...

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Christ at the Center

Posted on June 14, 2025 in: General News

Fraternal leaders representing more than 70 Knights of Columbus jurisdictions worldwide gathered in New Haven, Connecticut, for the annual Organizational Meeting of State Deputies, held June 4-8, to unite in prayer and prepare for the upcoming fraternal year. Throughout the week, state deputies f...

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Novena to the Sacred Heart for Pope Leo XIV

Posted on June 04, 2025 in: General News

Lifting up our Holy Father to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 350 years ago this June, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received the last of several private revelations from Jesus, in which he reminded her repeatedly of his boundless love for all. Following her visions, devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart ...

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Sowing Seeds in Fertile Ground

Posted on June 04, 2025 in: General News

Despite harsh economic realities, immense spiritual needs and a general decline in priestly vocations across Ukraine, the Knights of Columbus is helping chart a path forward for the country’s future priests. In recent years, the Order has fostered a dynamic expansion of seminary councils ar...

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Let Religious Freedom Ring

Posted on June 01, 2025 in: General News

It’s recess at Cathedral School in Portland, Oregon. Amid the clamor, a first grader with messy black hair climbs haltingly up the slide. At the top, he lifts his hands in jubilation. But his joy is cut short by a ringing bell. The boy plunges down the chute, lands on his feet, and dashes to j...

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Habemus Papam!

Posted on May 13, 2025 in: General News

Knights of Columbus join the universal Church in celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV From his very first public appearance May 8, Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pontiff in history — has articulated a vision for his pontificate and the Catholic Church: one of peace a...

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Food For the Forgotten

Posted on May 06, 2025 in: General News

Every day, Bill Graham, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 12706 in Mississauga, Ontario, can be found distributing food to the hungry in his community, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Toronto. Accompanied by his wife, Shirley, and often brother Knights and other volunteers, Graham ...

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Who Am I Not to Trust Our Lady

Posted on May 05, 2025 in: General News

Father Oleksandr “Sashko” Bohomaz, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and Knights of Columbus chaplain, made a courageous decision to remain with his parishioners in Melitopol, Ukraine, in February 2022 despite the onset of war from Russia’s invasion. For nine months, he provid...

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You Visited Me

Posted on May 01, 2025 in: General News

Five days before the execution of James “Chip” Smith on Sept. 1, 1882, Father Michael J. McGivney celebrated a high Mass at the jailhouse in New Haven, Connecticut, where Smith was held. Thanks to countless hours that Father McGivney, the young curate at St. Mary’s Church, had s...

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A Fraternity of Arms

Posted on May 01, 2025 in: General News

On Sept. 1, 1919, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, supreme commander of the Allied Forces, extended his hand in farewell to Gen. John J. Pershing as they stood aboard the USS Leviathan — a former German passenger liner turned U.S. battleship — in the harbor of Brest, France. Collabor...

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A Powerful Witness to Charity and Fraternity

Posted on May 01, 2025 in: General News

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore joined over 250,000 pilgrims in Rome to honor and pray for Pope Francis, whose funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Peter’s Square on April 26. Pope Francis died on April 21 at age 88 in his Vatican residen...

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Strength in the Face of Persecution

Posted on May 01, 2025 in: General News

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A Journey of Fraternity

Posted on April 29, 2025 in: General News

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from the original version that appeared in the April 2023 issue of Columbia. The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI — the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years — was followed by a historic first. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, arc...

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In Unity With Peter

Posted on April 29, 2025 in: General News

Pope Francis greeted members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors and their families Feb. 10 in the Vatican, and commended the Order’s “generous commitment … to serve all in need.” The audience took place during the board’s pilgrimage to Rome Feb. 7-13 in comm...

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A Celebration of Catholic Patriotism

Posted on April 29, 2025 in: General News

Amid much fanfare, Knights of Columbus and family members from across the United States and beyond assembled in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 22 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Fourth Degree. Many of them, including the board of directors and other K of C leaders, proud...

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They Joined the Knights to Serve

Posted on April 29, 2025 in: General News

Father Ihor Makar, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, was traveling through the Kherson region in eastern Ukraine to celebrate Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in early January when his car was struck by a drone attack. Shrapnel from the explosion not only pierced the vehicle,...

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Co-Workers in Christ’s Vineyard

Posted on April 13, 2025 in: General News

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in the April 2014 issue of Columbia. Over the course of his 26-year pontificate, Pope John Paul II addressed more than two-dozen messages of appreciation for and encouragement to the Knights of Columbus. In many ways, his speeches to...

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Charity Blooms in the City of Roses

Posted on April 13, 2025 in: General News

Box of food in hand, Hector Nuñez arrives at apartment doorsteps during his council’s monthly food delivery not knowing where the person answering the door is emotionally or what trials they might be going through. What is clear, however, is the encounter is always a moment of grace and mercy....

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The Raised Man of the Shroud

Posted on April 01, 2025 in: General News

A mysterious linen cloth, approximately 14 feet by 3.5 feet, bearing the front-and-back image of a scourged and crucified man, has been an object of veneration and debate for centuries. The first documented appearance of the Shroud of Turin, as it would come to be known, took place in a small villag...

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America’s Parish Priest in America’s Parish Church

Posted on April 01, 2025 in: General News

Standing in the St. Joseph Chapel of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, a new bronze statue graces the revered neo-Gothic masterpiece beloved as “America’s Parish Church.” The slightly larger-than-life sculpture, crafted by artist Chas Fagan, depicts Blessed Michael...

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It Starts With You and With Me

Posted on March 28, 2025 in: General News

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly joins Connecticut Knights, their families and others to rally for life in the state’s capital Several thousand pro-life advocates, including a Supreme Council delegation led by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and hundreds more Knights and their families, participat...

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God Will Bring Us Through This

Posted on March 28, 2025 in: General News

As Pete Matus surveyed the damage, he still couldn’t quite believe he’d never step foot in his family home in Altadena, California, again. “Our entire neighborhood was just completely gone,” said Matus, a member of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Council 12452 in Altadena, reflec...

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Broadcasting from the Heart of the Church

Posted on March 17, 2025 in: General News

The Knights of Columbus recently donated a state-of-the-art mobile broadcasting unit to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, unveiling the vehicle in Rome just days before Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025. The new broadcasting van was blessed by Cardinal Marcello Semerar...

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In the Founder’s Footsteps

Posted on March 01, 2025 in: General News

A new house of priestly formation opens where Blessed Michael McGivney completed his studies In June 1873, Michael J. McGivney returned home to Waterbury, Connecticut, following the sudden death of his father. His seminary studies at Collège Sainte-Marie in Montréal were abruptly cut short, and h...

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Bound in Brotherhood and Charity

Posted on March 01, 2025 in: General News

“One of the great things about being a Knight,” reflected Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori during his pastoral visit to Ukraine in October 2024, “is that you know a Knight on the other side of the world is supporting you by his prayers [and] in a common sense of mission.&rd...

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The Resurrection of Notre-Dame

Posted on March 01, 2025 in: General News

Engulfed in flames five years ago, the newly restored cathedral of Paris rekindles religious fervor in France The iconic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral officially reopened its doors to the public following a ceremony on the evening of Dec. 7, 2024, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception...

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Our Lady's Carpenter

Posted on March 01, 2025 in: General News

On Dec. 8, 2024, the eyes of the world were riveted on Notre-Dame de Paris, restored to its full splendor after five years of painstaking labor. Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, a member of Blessed Noël Pinot Council 18406 in Béhuard, France, was present at the inauguration in his capacity as president of At...

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One Step Closer to Sainthood

Posted on February 28, 2025 in: General News

On Feb. 25, Pope Francis officially declared Father Emil Kapaun, a U.S. Army chaplain who gave his life serving fellow soldiers in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War, “Venerable” — thereby advancing his cause for canonization. For more than half a century, Father Kapaun&r...

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Your Lenten Mission

Posted on February 28, 2025 in: General News

As we enter the holy season of Lent, we invite you to join us on a Lenten mission led by Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, K of C director of chaplains and spiritual development. A weekly discussion videos will be released and made available on official K of C social media channels and at kofc.org/...

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Broadcasting from the Heart of the Church

Posted on February 10, 2025 in: General News

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Serving the Sick and Wounded

Posted on February 06, 2025 in: General News

Knights in Ukraine support injured soldiers in Lviv hospitals with regular visits By Solomiia Karpiv As Ukraine’s hospitals remain overwhelmed with injured soldiers and veterans, members of St. John Bosco Parish Council 16846 in Lviv, Ukraine, have become a crucial source of support for th...

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Faith Amid Flames

Posted on January 30, 2025 in: General News

Knights from several local councils participated in a large-scale food distribution in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 18 to assist people affected by the wildfires. Knights also helped distribute water, clothing, toiletries and other essential supplies. Through the Knights of Columbus Disaster Relief...

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Hope in the Heartland

Posted on January 30, 2025 in: General News

A 1-year-old bundle of energy named Wrenlee was the center of attention at New Creation Pregnancy Resource Center in Carroll, Iowa, when she and her mother, Karlee Jones, visited the familiar facility this past December. “Being a mom is the best thing in the world,” Jones said with a ...

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For the Joy of Life

Posted on January 30, 2025 in: General News

Thousands of young people celebrate their love for life at the pre-March rally Life Fest By Cecilia Engbert It was a cold morning and barely past sunrise, but that didn’t deter the thousands of young people from across the country streaming into EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia —...

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