MISSION STATEMENT
The Knights of Columbus is a Connecticut corporation, with is received it’s corporate charter from the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut in 1882, the year of it’s founding. It has no parent companies and no stock. It is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a fraternal benefit society under Section 501© (8) of the Internal Revenue Code (Title, 26, United States Code.) Pursuant to which it is exempt from federal taxation in the United States. As a fraternal benefit society, the Knights of Columbus offers life insurance and other benefits to its members and their families residing in the United States and Canada.
The Knights of Columbus is also the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, with more then 1.9 million members in 15,342 councils, in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan, Lithuania, Ukraine, and South Korea.
The governing authority of the Knights of Columbus is the Supreme Council, which maintains it’s headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. There are subordinate state or territorial councils in every jurisdiction where the Knights of Columbus is established. As well as local councils, most of which are associated with a Catholic parish. The state, territorial, and local councils are unincorporated associations holding charters from the Supreme Council and are subject to dissolution or merger according to the Laws of the Knights of Columbus.
The Mission of the order is always consistent of Catholic values and doctrine, are the following: (a) through a system of subordinate councils, along with regional, national and international convocations, to raise up, support and encourage a fraternity whose members are practical catholics united by their faith and by the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism; (b) through common worship, charitable works, meetings, and rites of initiation to for it’s members in catholic faith and virtue; (c) to render pecuniary members and their families; (d) to render mutual aid and assistance to its sick, disabled, and needy members and their families; (e) to promote social and intellectual interaction with its members and their families; (f) to promote and conduct educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief, public relief, and other activities; and (g) to unite members in the Catholic identity and the practice of their Catholic faith.
The more effectively carry out it’s purposes said corporation may establish accumulate and maintain an reserve fun or other funds in such manner and in such amounts as it may determine.