Knights of Columbus Highlight Growth, Record Charity, and Expansion to Spain

From August 4th to the 6th, 2,000 members of the Knights of Columbus gathered in Denver for the 144th Supreme Convention. Every year, members of the largest Catholic global fraternity highlight what took place since the last convention and look to the future of the order.

These men called knights came from all corners of the globe. In addition to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, many brothers and their families travel from such countries as the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, Poland, France, Lithuania, and the first delegates from Spain following the order’s recent expansion in over a decade.

The convention opened with Mass celebrated by Archbishop James Golka. In his homily, he stressed the importance of charity.

“We could be busy about many, many good activities, but if they have not been planted by God, they're going to fail,” the archbishop said in his homily. “We can have good intentions, but if it's not God's plan, it's going to fail, so what must we do before we do anything? Listen to God, beg God for clarity on what is his plan.”

During the opening session, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly highlighted some of the accomplishments of the order in the last year.

“We are not just another charitable organization. We are not a social club,” Kelly said. “We are a global brotherhood of Catholic leaders, and we are united in Jesus Christ. He is the true source of our strength. And as we reflect on our service over the past year, we give all the glory to God.”

The leader highlighted an increase in volunteer hours and contributions.

“Last year, our brother Knights devoted more than 48 million hours to volunteering,” Kelly said. “That's 130,000 hours of volunteer service every day. And around the world, we donated more than $200 million. And that’s a new record.”

In addition to record charity, the order welcomed 105,000 new members to the order. The fastest-growing age group is those under 35. Additionally, college councils saw an increase in membership with 37,000 members on 320 colleges.

Supreme Knight Kelly reminded those gathered to continue recruiting more men who need fellowship and to continue evangelizing by putting faith into action while exemplifying the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.

For Catholic men who want to become something great, there is no other fraternity than the Knights of Columbus. Catholic men should consider joining today by visiting kofc.org/join.

To view the opening session of the convention, visit the video here.