Details will be
forwarded to all Grand Knights and OPN HOPE Chairmen
A special
surprise (gift) will be given to all council Operation HOPE Chairmen who attend
the workshop. You must be present to receive it!!!
Results of Operation HOPE
For 2007-2008
Over The Top
Gross Receipts for 2007-2008
$368,545
The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882
in the basement of St
The Knights
of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882 in the basement of
St. Mary's Catholic Church by Father Michael J. McGivney and a handful of
Catholic laymen. The aim of the founder and those first members was to set up a
parish-based lay organization that offered insurance benefits. In an era when
parish and fraternal societies were popular, Father McGivney felt there should
be some way to strengthen the religious faith of his flock and provide
financial support for families overwhelmed by illness or the death of the
breadwinner.
Today we have grown from that one local unit, or council, to nearly 13,000
councils in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico,
Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands,
Guatemala, Guam, Poland and Saipan.
Membership is nearly 1.7 million dues-paying members plus their families -
approximately 4.5 million people total - many of whom are actively involved in
volunteer service programs for the Catholic Church, their communities, their
families, young people and one another.
In 2005, members reported volunteering 64,039,706 hours of service and Knights
at all levels donated a record a record $139.7 million to charity, including
$33,638,426 in contributions by the Supreme Council and its charitable
foundations;
$12,685,401 from state councils; and $93,387,792 in donations from councils,
assemblies and Squires circles. The monies raised at
the state and local levels are expended exclusively for state and local programs.
The early system of fraternal benefits has grown into a top-quality life
insurance society, offering a variety of policy plans to members and their
families. Both A. M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor's rate K of C insurance
"Superior" - A++ and AAA, respectively - their highest designations.
The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest organization of Catholic men and
their families, has been called "the strong right arm of the Church,"
and has been cited by popes, presidents and other world leaders for support of
the Church, for programs of evangelization and Catholic education, for civic
involvement and aid to those in need.
"Protecting Families for Generations" is a motto that captures the
Knights' adherence to the legacy of its founder and fidelity to his vision.
Please Help Us Thank Our Past State Deputies . . .
