GAVALIERI DI COLOMBO. – An association of Catholic men in North America, Canada, and the rest of the continent, dedicated to apostolate, assistance, and mutual aid. It is now the most notable Catholic sodality due to the multiplicity of its initiatives, the scope of its action, and the program it proposes in nearly every field of social activity.
Founded in New Haven, Connecticut, by Fr. M. McGivrey on February 2, 1882, with an initial membership of only eleven, it spread rapidly. On May 15 of the same year, it was constituted as a "Supreme Committee," as the first subordinate Council had meanwhile been established in the same city of New Haven. From then on, other Councils were founded in every city and state of the United States, and the Supreme Committee established that a Supreme Council be instituted, composed of the Supreme Committee and delegates from the subordinate Councils. Later, it became necessary to provide for a more complex representation.
The immediate purpose of the association is to foster the practice of Catholic life among its members, provide insurance against illness and accidents, assist the families of deceased members, and in particular, promote the moral and social education of its associates.
As the number of members grew, the association was able to expand its initiatives by promoting the dissemination of Catholic culture and doctrine among the masses of Catholic immigrants. In 1914, it offered $30,000 to The Catholic University of America in Washington to establish a chair of American history, and also contributed a substantial sum for the purchase of books for the university’s library. The Knights of Columbus did not limit themselves to promoting greater education among Catholic immigrants but dedicated a significant portion of their activities to fostering a better understanding of Catholic doctrine among Protestants, thereby contributing substantially to dispelling existing prejudices against Catholicism.
One of their principal merits was the campaign conducted to establish "Columbus Day." Almost every American state adopted the initiative, declaring October 12—the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing in the New World—a public holiday. Among recent initiatives, noteworthy is the program of "Catholic publicity" in widely circulated newspapers and magazines. For this purpose, an initial sum of $350,000 was allocated. The Apostolic Delegate in Washington, commending the initiative, expressed his hope that it would "bring untold good in enlightening non-Catholics and leading them to the one Church of Christ." Archbishop Joseph E. Rummel of New Orleans praised the effort and expressed the desire that the advertising campaign be further extended to high-circulation newspapers in every state.
At the meeting of the Supreme Council of the association held in August 1948, it was resolved to organize conferences and "discussion meetings" in major American centers on current Catholic issues and orientations. Another decision called for the expulsion from the United States of Soviet diplomats guilty of espionage and subversive activities against the American democratic system, in violation of the 1933 treaty recognizing the Soviet government by the United States. The meeting of the Supreme Council recommended to the American government a "prompt and liberal" application of measures regarding the admission of displaced persons into the United States.
Another initiative of the Knights of Columbus, launched at the beginning of 1948 and now continuously expanding, is the dissemination of radio programs titled "Family Theater Radio Program," inspired by the motto "The family that prays together stays together." The program, aimed at strengthening family bonds and Catholic ethics, is curated by Fr. Patrick Peyton and is broadcast by the major radio station "Mutual Broadcasting Corporation" and 352 smaller stations. The Knights of Columbus, through an active press and radio campaign, advocate the adoption of a "code" for comic books to counter the often harmful content of such publications on youth. The "code" has been defined by the Knights as "a great step toward protecting American youth from reading filled with seeds of immorality." At the beginning of 1949, the association had more than 700,000 members and is governed by a "Supreme Council" and a "Supreme Board of Directors" as its executive body. There are 2,540 provincial Councils and 61 "State Councils."
BIBL.:
KLEER, Edward D., *The Story of the Knights of Columbus*, New York 1949.