The Strong Right Arm of the Church

The Strong Right Arm of the Church. . , Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven., It all started here. In the basement of this church. Father McGivney understood first the need. "Sodalities were at that period the reigning fad in ecclesiastical circles. All very good, he reasoned; but still these were exclusively for women, there should be also some such society also to reach men." Having "studied and prayed and meditated and took counsel: then he went straight to work.", "With hearts full of joy and thanksgiving" the founding members recognized "that without his optimism, his will to succeed, his counsel and advice, they would have failed." This is how the Knights of Columbus was born., "The effect of the Knights of Columbus has since been extraordinary; the Catholic layman had been brought to realize the preciousness of his birthright as a son of the church; and Catholic citizenship, so long decried, so long pointed out as a menace to the country's institutions, has become indeed synonymous now with uprightness, piety, intelligence, and social strength. The Knights of Columbus, by attracting to their ranks such integrity of moral principle, such elevation of mind and such loftiness of character, have dissipated the olden prejudices and caused the Catholic name to be everywhere honored." , Father Joseph Daley, (timeline), Oct. 2, 1881 , Father McGivney gathers about 80 of New Haven's accomplished Catholic men to begin plans for a mutual benefit society that would provide a death payment to support widows and orphans. A formation committee is chosen., Feb. 2, 1882 , Father McGivney chairs the formation committee that resolves to form "a purely original organization" to be called the Knights of Columbus., Mar. 29, 1882 , The charter for the Knights of Columbus is approved by Connecticut legislature, a date celebrated annually as Founder's Day., Jun. 7, 1882 , "Our beginning is extremely slow" - writes Michael McGivney in a letter. "The Order I was endeavoring to establish fell back almost lifeless but not dead.", Feb. 12, 1883 , "We only number a hundred yet. [...] Anything new is always a hard thing to maintain." - Father McGivney to Martin I.J. Griffin., Aug. 25 1883 , "We are advancing slowly, but surely" - Father McGivney to the editor of "The Connecticut Catholic.", 1884 , With 11 councils, "the Knights of Columbus are prospering finely," comments the New Haven Morning Journal and Courier., 1885 , McGivney rides in a carriage at the head of a line of 1,500 Knights who parade through downtown New Haven., 1890 , At the moment of Father McGivney's death, the movement attracted over 6,000 members and had an unlimited potential for growth., (map) , Today the Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world. It operates in more than a dozen countries and counts 2 million members in their ranks.