Dear Claire:

The Knights of Columbus are certainly NOT an off-shoot of the Freemasons. Anyone who makes that claim is sorely ignorant.

The Knights of Columbus were created by a priest in the late 19th Century as a pastoral response to help widows and orphans by providing insurance to the working class.

There were many Fraternal organizations in those days that provided insurance and other benefits, but these fraternities tended to exclude the working class (and Catholics). The Knights were not the only Catholic Fraternity to respond to this pastoral need among Catholic populations; another fraternal insurance benefit group of the time was the Order of Catholic Forestors. All these Fraternal organizations, Protestant, Catholic, or secular share a common element of secret initiation ceremonies.

When Father McGivney founded the Fraternal Order of the Knights of Columbus he did so in the style that was common place with fraternal organizations at the time. There was nothing more sinister to it.

A description of the Knights of Columbus is found on their website:

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men's fraternal benefit society that was formed to render financial aid to members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick, disabled and needy members and their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works.

The history of the Order shows how the foresight of Father Michael J. McGivney, whose cause for sainthood is being investigated by the Vatican, brought about what has become the world's foremost Catholic fraternal benefit society. The Order has helped families obtain economic security and stability through its life insurance, annuity and long-term care programs, and has contributed time and energy worldwide to service in communities.

This typical style of Fraternal groups that includes "secret initiation rites" is not practiced by the Knights of Columbus to hide anything sinister from the public or from the Church. In fact, the Knights of Columbus is completely open to Church authorities who may know anything and everything about the Knights, including the content of any "secret" ceremonies. In addition, Knights are relieved of their promise of secrecy if their religious or civil duty requires them to reveal the details of the those "secrets."

I am not a Knight, but I am told that the reason for the secret initiation is motivated by

1) providing a bigger impact for initiates of the lessons taught in the ceremonies. If the initiates knew what happens in the ceremony in advance it would be like learning what presents one receives before Christmas morning.

2) The ceremony, from what I understand, also serves to provide a bond between the men from a shared experience that is unique to them. Such bonding is common place in other areas of life, such as comrades in arms during war, those who share a traumatic experience of a plane crash, those who share a common positive experience such as marriage.

The Knights of Columbus has been given great respect by every Pope since the Knights began. The Knights give a large amount of money not only to help members, but to evangelize the world with their famous booklets and home study courses, and are the ones responsible for allowing the world to see our Holy Father on T.V. The Knights pay for the Satellite link.

I think one of the reasons why many look suspiciously at the Knights and their secret initiation is that in today's dysfunctional society there has developed an idea of a completely open book, no closed doors, total inclusiveness. This idea is nonsense and is destructive and prejudicial.

Nevertheless, because of this idea private men's clubs, for example, get sued and are often forced to accept women into membership, groups designed for religious purposes are forced to accept people not of their faith, and anyone who wants to start a support group for Christians is accused of exclusivity and prejudice.

The fundamental reason to force this false "inclusiveness" is to undermine the good purposes of these groups. I have seen anti-Catholics get mad when I create a Discussion Group that allows only Catholic members. Why should they get mad? Well, because I dare to not allow them to come into our discussion group to bash the Church in order to allow a safe place for fellowship among Catholics. How dare me!

At the time the Knights of Columbus was founded, this nonsensical and stupid idea of "total inclusiveness" was not an idea in the societal consciousness. it was a common and accepted practice to have Fraternal organizations and secret initiation ceremonies.

While today we have a dysfunctional and even demonic fetish with "openness" there is still nothing wrong with private clubs and private ceremonies not open to the public. We need to remember that the motivation to destroy fraternal fellowship (which is taught in the Bible, by the way) does not come from the Church or from God; thus it must come from elsewhere.

Do not fear. The Knights of Columbus is thoroughly Catholic and a fine organization.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary