Founded on the principles of charity, unity and fraternity, the Knights of Columbus was established in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, assistant pastor of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Conn., and a group of parishioners. Their intent? To bring financial aid and assistance to the sick, disabled and needy members and their families.

The August 2011 issue of the Knights’ Columbia magazine explains our founder and priest, Blessed Michael McGivney “never lost the ability to trust in others as he formed an association of faithful men of action in a world often lost in its search for meaning.”

The cause for his canonization started in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1996, and in March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared McGivney "Venerable" in recognition of his "heroic virtue". On May 27, 2020, Pope Francis announced that McGivney had been approved for beatification, which officially occurred on October 31, 2020.

The Knights of Columbus has grown to be the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization spanning across the world including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guatamala, Lithuania, Poland, Panama, Saint Lucia, South Korea, Ukraine, and the military overseas.