Pictures courtesy of
kofc.org
whitehouse.gov
Knights of Colombus
is a Catholic men's fraternal society. It offers mutual aid and assistance to sick, disabled and needy members and their families as well as working and volunteering in local parishes. The Knights of
Colombus were begun on Oct. 2, 1881, when 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 sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause. They worked tirelessly to this goal, and their efforts came to fruition with the creation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882.
With 1.7 million members in more than 12 countries, the Knights of Colombus are the largest Catholic Fraternal organization in the World. They are active in over 12000 parish councils and during the past decade have donated more than $1.208 billion to charity, and provided in excess of 574 million hours of volunteer service in support of charitable causes. I chose the Knights of Colombus as an Organization of faith because I not only know of them, but I also have had direct interaction with them and their charitable works in my community. They done pancake breakfast's to raise money for the church, worked at a soup kitchen, sponsored innumerable parish events, and are a consistantly positive force in the community. They have also funded worldwide projectts from the restoration of Saint Peter's Basilica (found this out while in Rome) to the support of seminaries and missions. No matter where you find them, the Knights of Colombus are a positive and faithful influence on the community.