These men they call knights


I

The Vision of Father McGivney
'k Catholic Advertising Program

Support of Education

lAr Charity and Christian Action on Every Front
^ For God and Country—a Distinguished

War Record
The Councils at Work

The Bogus Oath

No. 9



VATICAN CITY. September 16, 1959

(j?

Mr. Luke E. Hart, Supreme Knight

Knights of Columbus

Columbus Plaza

New Haven 7, Connecticut
My dear Mr. Hart:

I have read with interest your kind

letter of the 1st instant, and the copy of

your address during the Knights of

Columbus Supreme Council meeting,

held in Saint Louis on August 18th last.

I am happy to know that the meeting
was a successful one. and I thank you warmly for the information concern-
ing the activities of your Order which you have so thoughtfully provided.

Especially noteworthy and deserving of all commendation is the out-

standing effort made by the Knights of Columbus in the erection of the
bell tower of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, to be

known as the Knights' Tower. The generosity with which your Order re-
sponded to the appeal of the Hierarchy in this instance is but the latest in

a long series of benefactions in the cause of the Church, notable among

which are the Pope Pius XII Memorial Library and your effective Adver-

tising Campaign. The report of these praiseworthy achievements has

brought much comfort and consolation to the paternal heart of the Sove-

reign Pontiff, Who would have me give expression to His heartfelt
appreciation and warm gratitude.

His Holiness is moved by the sentiments of pious filial devotion and at-

tachment which prompted you to suggest the possibility that He visit the

United States of America on the occasion of the dedication of the National

Shrine in Washington. While of course you realize that it not possible for

the Holy Father to accept your thoughtful invitation, I am directed to assure
you of His high appreciation of the affectionate loyalty to His Person and

and Office which inspired it.

In testimony of His benevolent thankfulness, and as a pledge of copious

heavenly graces and divine favors. His Holiness willingly imparts to you,

to all the officers and members of the Knights of Columbus and their fami-

lies, His particular paternal Apostolic Blessing.

With sentiments of high consideration and cordial esteem, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Domenico Cardinal Tardini

Secretary of State to His Holiness



I

The Vision of Fr. McGivney

March 29, 1882, was a
significant date in the an-

nals of North American
fraternal societies.

It was the day on which
the General Assembly of
the State of Connecticut

granted the charter to the

Knights of Columbus, “for 1
the purpose of rendering 1

mutual aid and assistance
*

to its members and their families.”
It was also a glorious day in

the life of a young Catholic
priest, the Reverend Michael J.
McGivney, curate of St. Mary’s
Parish in New Haven, for it
marked the fulfillment of his
dream to unite Catholic men in
a society through which they
might advance the ideals of their
Faith.

The Founders

For four years Father McGivney
had worked closely with the men
of his parish. Out of this ministry
came the vision and the ambi-
tion to organize them into a
great and helpful fraternal society.
Others had attempted to do this
but failed.

Father McGivney called to-
gether in the parish rectory on
January 9, 1882, a small group of
young men in whom he had confi-
dence. They listened to him as
he described the need for Catho-
lic men to organize and the many

possibilities such organi-
zation offered. And they
agreed with him that the
time had come to launch
a fraternal society founded
upon the ideals and hav-
ing the objectives sug-

gested by the young priest^.

In general, the objectives

were to provide a system of
fraternal insurance to care

for the widows and orphans of
members; to provide fellowship
among the members, to aid the
cause of religion, and to perform

charitable, educational and patri-

otic works for the benefit of their
fellow men and their nation.

On February 6, 1882, the name
Knights of Columbus was chosen
and the decision made to apply
for a charter.

The early officers and founders
of the Order felt, in the prelim-

inary meetings, that the name of
the new organization should re-
late to the Catholic Discoverer of

America—to emphasize the fact
that Catholics discovered, ex-

plored and colonized the North
American continent and that it

should embody Knightly ideals of
service to Church, Country and

fellow-man. Consequently, after

an original proposal of “Sons of

Columbus”, the title, Knights of

Columbus, was adopted.

— ( 1 )-



The following excerpts from the
charter set forth briefly the pur-

poses of the Order:

“RESOLVED, By this Assem-
bly that Reverend Michael J. Mc-
Givney, Matthew C. O’Connor,
Cornelius T. Driscoll, James T.
Mullen, John T. Kerrigan, Daniel
Colwell and William M. Geary
and all other persons in the society
with them under the name of the
Knights of Columbus, together
with all such persons as may here-
after become associated with them,
and their successors, are consti-
tuted a body corporate and politic
by the name of the Knights of Co-
lumbus for the following purposes

:

“(a) of rendering pecuniary aid
to its members and beneficiaries
of members;

“(b) of rendering mutual aid
and assistance to its sick and
disabled members;

“(c) of promoting such social
and cultural intercourse among
its members as shall be desir-
able and proper;

“(d) of promoting and con-
ducting educational, charitable,

religious, social welfare, war
relief and welfare and public
relief work.”

That these purposes have been
fulfilled and the ambition of
Father McGivney realized is abun-
dantly proven by the society’s
record of accomplishments.

Father McGivney and his asso-
ciates laid the foundations well.

They fixed high standards for
membership and established sound
principles for the guidance of the

members. They formulated rules

and incorporated into them stand-
ards of conduct they regarded as
vital to the achievement of the
Order’s ideals.

It took 15 years to get the
Order thoroughly established in
New England and along the upper
Atlantic seaboard. Then it began
to spread outward and, within
eight years, it was firmly estab-
lished from Quebec to California
and from Florida to Washington.

The Order Grows
Within another two years the

Order had been organized in every
jurisdiction in North America,
and its piinciples of Charity,
Unity, Brotherly Love and Patri-
otism had been adopted as the
personal principles of hundreds
of thousands of Catholic men.

Today the Knights of Columbus
is an organized, functioning soci-
ety in every state of the United
States, in the ten provinces of

Canada, the Canal Zone, Puerto
Rico, Mexico, Cuba and the
Philippines. Its membership of
more than 1,000*000 men—repre-
senting every walk of life—is in
affiliation with the Supreme Coun-
cil of the Order through member-
ship in sixty-one state councils

and over 4,500 subordinate coun-
cils.

Ideals mean little unless trans-
lated into constructive, dynamic
action, and the Knights of Colum-
bus combines its lofty principles

with positive and practical action.
From its beginning the Order
maintained a plan of systematic

saving by its members to provide
immediate aid for dependents and

-( 2 )-



loved ones upon the death of a
member.

Upon the foundation stones of
charity and fraternity, there has

been built a magnificent structure

having over one billion dollars

of insurance in force upon the lives
of the members of the Knights of
Columbus, and, more recently,
upon the lives of families of mem-
bers of the Order.

More than $150,000,000 in ben-
efits has been paid to members,
widows, children and other de-
pendents of insured members since
the founding of the Order—thus
helping to hold together many
homes that might have been
broken up by the loss of the
family breadwinner.

Charity and Fraternity

The Knights of Columbus takes
pride in this, not as a statistical

achievement, but because it repre-

sents children saved from orphan-

ages—juvenile delinquency rec-
ords that were to remain un-
written—mothers who were able
to maintain their homes and raise
their children under the proper

family influence. This is Charity

and Fraternity in action.

By means of its Automatic
Loan Plan, the Order has made
it possible for members in finan-
cial difficulty to keep th«ir insur-

ance in force without premium
payments over a period of time.
And through its Old Age Benefit
Concessions the Order has paid
more than $15,000,000 to living
Knights to lighten the burdens

of their twilight years.

Good Management

With the adoption of the step
rate plan in 1901, the Knights of
Columbus became the first fra-
ternal benefit society to be placed

upon a sound actuarial basis. As
a result, the Order’s insurance

program has been constantly ex-
panded and developed until today
it provides modern, attractive and
inexpensive plans to meet all pos-
sible needs of the member and to
provide security for the member’s
family upon his death.

The Knights of Columbus is rec-
ognized throughout North Amer-
ica as one of the strongest and
most efficiently-managed fraternal
societies. Its books, like those of
all other insurance organizations,

are examined every third year by
the agents of various state in-

surance commissioners.

During the year ended Dec. 31,
1959 the volume of Knights of
Columbus insurance recorded was
over $145,000,000—a new record
amount of insurance recorded in
any one year. Over six million
dollars of insurance benefits were
paid during that same year.

The Knights of Columbus offers
to its members the opportunity
for participating in an insurance
program designed to meet the
needs of members and their entire
families at low cost. Special at-
tention is paid to Family Income
Benefit features in keeping with
the objective of the Order to
protect the families of its mem-
bers.

—( 3 )—



Catholic Advertising Program

No Institution in the
Western world has been
so widely misunderstood,
and so continuously mis-
represented, as the Catholic

Church.

Anti-Catholic propa-

ganda, carried on consis-
tently and often cunningly
through generation after
generation, has distorted

the apostolic teachings of the
Church and caused non-Catholics
to view it with fear and sus-
picion of its motives.

The Church, with all its facili-
ties for the propagation of the
Faith, was not in a position to put
the truth into the millions of

minds poisoned by such propa-
ganda. The Knights of Columbus
found the logical answer through
its Catholic Advertising Program.

By paying for advertising space
in national magazines and news-
papers, the Order was able to
reach into homes inaccessible to
the Priests. It was able to convey
to millions of minds simulta-
neously, authentic information

as to Catholic beliefs, history

and practices. It , was able to
contradict and refute misrepre-
sentations of Catholicism which
previously had gone unchallenged.

Backing up the Church’s claim
to be the one and true Church
founded by Christ, the Order has
published such advertisements as:

“This Was The Faith of
Our Fathers’’

“What Do You Mean
—Only One True Church?’ ’

“There Shall be ONE
Fold and ONE Shep-
herd’’

“Why Millions Call
Him Holy Father’’
“To Thee I Will Give

The Keys of the Kingdom’’

In answer to the propaganda
that Catholics oppose the Bible,
the Order publishes such ads as:

‘

‘The Bible Is a Catholic Book’’

“But Can It Be Found In The
Bible?’’

‘

‘Does The Bible Contradict
Itself?’’

“What Does God’s Law Say
Between The Lines?’’

‘

‘All Right . . . Let Us Judge
Catholics By The Bible’’

Refuting the allegation that

Catholics adore images and
statues was the purpose of an ad
entitled: “But Why the Holy
Water, Candles and Beads?’’
Criticisms of the Sacraments were
answered in such advertisements

as: Confession?—Ask The Man
Who Goes There’’ . . . “Yes,
Christ Gave Us the Catholic
Mass’’ . . . and “The Real Secret
of Successful Marriage.”

The loyalty of Catholic citi-
zens often has been Questioned

—( 4 )—



on the premise that their first
allegiance is to the Pope

—
“a

foreign potentate.” The truth
about Catholics in this regard is

effectively explained in such ad-

vertisements as: ‘‘Is The Catholic
Church a Menace to Democracy?”
. . . “All Right, Let’s Test
Catholic Loyalty” . . . and “Is
The Catholic Church Out of
Place in America?”

Only the ignorant, some critics
have said, could be Catholics.
This was answered by the ad-
vertisement: “But How Can
Educated People Be Catholics?”
Our reasons for being Catholics
are explained in such ads as:
“All Right . . . I’ll Tell You
Why I Am a Catholic” ... “A
Letter to Our Non-Catholic
Neighbors” . . . “Why So Many
Decide to Become Catholics.”
The Priesthood was explained

in an ad entitled: “I Was Marked
With the Sign of the Cross.”
The glory of the Catholic nun
was pictured in: “What Makes
a Woman Choose Such a Life?”.
Other messages covered such
topics as miracles, prayer, paro-

chial schools, the Eucharist, the

Blessed Virgin, science and re-
ligion, tolerance and others con-
cerning which great confusion
has been caused by the subtle
work of bigots.
The Missouri State Council

began publication of advertise-
ments of this type in 1944. This
project clearly revealed a wide-
spread interest in and curiosity
about Catholicism among non-
Catholics. Many were found to
be actively interested and needing

only such an invitation as that
extended through the advertise-
ments.

In 1948, the Supreme Council
decided to conduct a similar

campaign on an international
scale, using mass-circulation mag-
azines to tell the Catholic story

to millions of readers in the

United States and Canada. The
result has been the receipt of
approximately 8,000 inquiries per
week, year in and year out. And
slightly more than one of each
ten inquirers has enrolled sub-

sequently for a course of Catholic

instruction by mail.

Coupons resulting from the ad-
vertisements are received at the

Order’s Religious Information

Bureau in St. Louis. Four Priests
and a staff of 35 clerical employes
handle the mail and correspon-
dence courses. Two large resi-
dential buildings have been con-
verted to headquarters for the

Bureau, and more than 20 auto-
matic electric typewriters are
required for the effective handling
of the large volume of mail.

Pope Pius XII commended the
Knights of Columbus repeatedly
for promoting what he termed a
“special form of Catholic Ac-
tion.” The Apostolic Delegate
to the United States, Archbishop
A. G. Cicognani, has termed it
”an almost unbelievable sue-

» t

cess.

A British Catholic clergyman,
visiting the United States, said
he was tremendously impressed
by two unique manifestations of
Catholic vitality in America. One
was the strength of the Catholic

—( 5 )—



diocesan press . . . the other

—

The Catholic Advertising Pro-
gram. The international impact
of the advertising project is
further attested by the fact that
a similar program is now being
carried on by a small group of
Catholic priests in London.

The Supreme Council’s adver-
tising project is the first of its

kind on such a scale in all the
history of religion. It constitutes

a form of religious education
which even the Church itself
had never attempted, and is the
first example of a strictly lay
society performing what amounts
to an official teaching mission
of the Catholic Church.

A program of such magnitude
is possible, of course, only to an
organization of great numerical

strength such as the Knights of
Columbus, with its membership
of more than one million men.
The program, while costly in
total, involves an expense of
only 80c per year to each mem-
ber, which pays for advertising
space, advertising production,

postage, printing, pamphlets and
all the costs of personnel and

equipment of the Religious In-
formation Bureau.

Observing the effectiveness of
this Catholic advertising, a num-
ber of other denominations have
attempted to follow its example.
It appears, however, that none
has been able to maintain a con-
tinuing program of positive ex-
planation of Christian doctrine
and practices because the true
story of Christianity is the

Catholic story.

For the Knights of Columbus
advertising, there is never a dearth

of positive, interesting and in-
formative things to write about.
Indeed, since the beginning of
the Advertising Program, more
than 300 advertisements explain-
ing Catholic teachings, practices

and beliefs have been written
and published.

The Church itself . . . with its
apostolic origin and continuing
adherence to Christ’s teachings

. .
.
provides an unending source

of religious truths. It gives us a

wonderful message to tell, and
the Knights of Columbus Adver-
tising Program is wondrously
fulfilling the opportunity to tell it.

“Down through the years, the Knights of Columbus has rendered many fine services
to the Church. We may rightfully be proud of our contributions to education, to
youth work, to the welfare of our sons in the several wars. . . . Yet it may be truth-
fully said that no enterprise of ours has been more far reaching and long-lasting in
its benefits than the Catholic Advertising Program which tells the world what we
believe and why we believe it.”

Excerpt from report of Supreme Council Catholic Advertising Committee, August 1952.

—( 6 )—



Support of Education

Another activity which
has commanded much in-
terest and support on the
part of the Knights of Co-
lumbus is the care and edu-
cation of youth. From its
beginning the Order has
given a practical recogni-

tion to its belief that “as

the twig is bent so the tree
is inclined.”

While still a young organiza-
tion, just beginning to expand
across the continent, the Knights
of Columbus presented a gift of
$50,000 to endow a Chair of
American History at the Catholic
University of America, Washing-
ton, D. C.

In 1907, when a great need con-
fronted the University, the Order

raised among its own members the
then stupendous sum of $500,000
to endow scholarships there. Be-
sides helping the University out

of a difficult situation, this gift has

enabled over 900 young men to
receive the benefits of higher

education and over 250 have
received degrees.

Aid to Veterans
Following the close of the first

World War, the Order expended
more than $8,000,000 in support
of schools in various cities where
313,916 veterans received free

training in academic, commercial,
trade and technical fields. This

fund also maintained at 41
colleges and universities,
scholarships leading to the
degrees of Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Science and
their equivalent for 403
veterans, of whom 284
were graduated.

For five years after the
first World War, the Order
provided home study

courses without charge for veter-
ans who were unable to attend
evening schools and more than
125,000 were enrolled.

A Notable Victory
The Knights of Columbus won

a notable victory for the Ameri-
can people, and especially for the
children of generations to come,
by its successful fight against the
so-called Oregon School Law. It
began in 1922, when a law pro-
posed by initiative petition was
enacted in Oregon which would
prevent children from attending
private and parochial schools.

Responding to an appeal from
Archbishop Christie of Portland,
the Knights of Columbus provided
$25,000 with which to carry a
test of the constitutionality of the
law through the higher courts and
eventually to the Supreme Court.
To the credit of the Knights of
Columbus, the Supreme Court
ruled that the law violated the

—( 7 )—



rights of American citizens to
educate their children in accord-
ance with the dictates of their
own conscience.
That is why the people today

are not interfered with in the op-
eration of their private and paro-
chial schools and in the rearing of
their children in the manner in
which they wish them to be raised.

Many Benefactions
In 1920 the Knights of Colum-

bus contributed $60,000 toward
the erection of a gymnasium at
the Catholic' University of Amer-
ica. In the same year a gift of
$35,000 was made to the Cardinal
Mercier Fund for the restoration
of Louvain University.

The Order raised $1,500,000 in
1922 to provide for the spiritual
and recreational welfare of the
children of Rome, Italy.

The following year a gift of
$38,000 was made to the Cardinal
Gibbons Institute for the care and
education of Negro children in
Maryland.

For more than 30 years, a cor-
respondence school was main-
tained by the Order providing
instruction in 108 subjects for its

wide-spread membership and their
families. More than 45,000 took
advantage of these benefits.

The Knights of Columbus in
1924, established at Notre Dame
University a course in Boy Guid-
ance to develop trained leaders

interested in the counseling of

boys as a life work. And at its
own expense the Order provided
12 annual scholarships of two
years each for students.

The Boy Guidance Course was
maintained for 15 years, during
which the Order expended more
than $400,000 in its support. It
was discontinued only when this
type of training and instruction
was made available in schools
throughout the country. More
than 200 benefited from scholar-
ships during this period.

When the Catholic Encyclo-
pedia was published, a special
Knights of Columbus edition of
30,000 was sold.

Defending U. S.

In 1921 the Knights ofColumbus
organized an Historical Commis-
sion composed of widely-known
educators to investigate and pro-
tect the United States from propa-
ganda designed to undermine the
spirit of American nationality. As
a result of this investigation, cer-

tain widely used history and other
text books used in schools were
eliminated or rewritten to remove
matter misrepresenting historical

facts or subverting American
ideals.

The Knights of Columbus His-
torical Commission conducted a
prize competition for studies in

American History. Many notable
books on the subject were written
as a result, including “Jay’s
Treaty,” by Samuel Flagg Bemis;
“The Monroe Doctrine,” by
Thomas H. Mahoney, and “The
American States,

’
’ by Allan Nevin

.

More than $60,000 was ex-
pended by the Order in carrying
out the work of the Historical
Commission.

—( 8 )—



In 1939 the Knights of Colum-
bus contribute.! $10,000 to the

Golden Jubilee Fund of the Catho-
lic University. Over $100,000
has been contributed to the main-

tenance of the Catholic Radio
Hour broadcasts from Washing-
ton and Toronto.

Educational Trust Fund

Climaxing the Order’s support
of education has been the estab-

lishment of the Educational Trust

Fund. This project was undertaken
in 1944. Its objective was the es-
tablishment of a $1,000,000 trust

fund to provide a higher educa-

tion for the sons and daughters of
Knights killed or disabled in the

war. These scholarships consist

of four years at a Catholic college

or university, leading to the de-

gree of Bachelor of Arts or its

equivalent. They include tuition,
board and room (or an allowance
for this item if the student does

not reside on the campus), books,
laboratory fees and other in-
cidental college charges that may
be levied upon the student in the
pursuit of his studies.

In less than four years the fund

was complete. The children of four
hundred and fifty-four of these val-
iant Knights have been declared
eligible for the scholarships, 33 arc

enrolled at various colleges and
universities and thus far 49 have
completed their studies and have
attained their Bachelors’ degree.

The 1956 Supreme Council meet-
ing voted to extend the benefits to
children of members killed or
permanently disabled in the Ko-
rean War.

In the years to come, as these
young people grow into manhood
and womanhood, fortified by the
advantages of a college education,
their broadened horizon and their
enlarged talents and abilities will
mean a great deal to them per-
sonally and to the perpetuation of
the ideals for which their fathers
suffered and died.

Vatican Library Foundation

The Supreme Board of Directors,
in July 1951, adopted a resolution:
“That there be established the
‘Knights of Columbus Foundation
for the Preservation of Historic

Documents at the Vatican Library’
and that a fund be set aside for the
microfilming of important docu-
ments at the Vatican Library for
the purpose of insuring the preser-
vation of their contents and mak-
ing them available for research
and study in this country. . . .’’

A depository for the microfilms
of these historic documents has
been established at St. Louis Uni-
versity, St. Louis, Mo., where
they will be available for research
by scholars from the North Amer-
ican continent. This latest cultural
contribution, which is in keeping
with the tradition of the Order, is
described in a brochure which has
been distributed to colleges, li-
braries and universities. In com-
menting on the project, as an ex-
pression of personal praise and
approbation of His Holiness for
the establishment of the Founda-
tion, Monsignor Montini said:

“In undertaking the financing
of this vast project, your Order
has made a worthwhile contribu-

—( 9 )—



tion to that Christian learning

which the Church has ever fos-
tered as part of its mission of peace
and its educative function in the
cause of truth and universal under-
standing among peoples.”

The microfilming project was
completed in 1957 with the total
number of manuscript codices in
microfilm copies approximating

30,500. This is the equivalent of
some eleven million handwritten
pages. The 30,500 volumes, or
codices, represent about three-
quarters of the Vatican Library’s

total holdings in Latin, Greek
and various modern languages.
At the 1957 national meeting of
the American Historical Associa-
tion an entire general session was
devoted to ‘‘The Knights of Co-
lumbus Vatican Film Library at
Saint Louis University.” The five
speakers representing Saint Louis

University, Catholic University,

Columbia University and Iowa
State found the large audience of

professional historians very en-
thusiastic over the research pos-
sibilities in the Vatican Film
Library.

In keeping with its basic prin-
ciples and its constant endeavor as
exemplified by its war work, its
Historical Commission, its oppo-
sition to the Oregon School Bill
and the nation-wide lecture pro-
gram conducted by Peter Collins,
David Goldstein, Prof. James C.
Monahan, Dr. James J. Walsh,
Paul McGuire and Dr. George
Herman Derry, the Knights of Co-
lumbus inaugurated in 1946 a plan
for the preservation and promo-
tion of American ideals, by means
of the distribution of handbooks
and other literature and the organ-
ization of discussion groups.

The objective of this program is
to acquaint American citizens
with their rights and duties and to
develop intelligent, trained leader-
ship for democracy and in defense
of American ideals.

‘‘The Knights of Columbus take their place this day in the fore-

most rank of the benefactors of humanity. What was formerly
done by the great ones of this earth, the creation and endowment

of the highest institutions of learning, and what in our own times
has been the privilege of wealthy individuals, has, through the

Knights of Columbus, been accomplished for the first time by

the corporate efforts and sacrifices of Catholics associated for

the highest interests, religious and civil.”

. . . Cardinal Gibbons on occasion of presentation of $500,000

endowment to the Catholic University of America.

—( 10 )—



Charity and Christian
Action on Every Front

That the Knights of Columbus
takes full advantage of its oppor-
tunities to practice charity and
promote religion is manifest in
its entire field of activities. A few
specific examples of these projects
will be of interest.

The Order contributed $100,000
to the relief of victims of the

San Francisco disaster in 1906.

$23,000 was contributed in 1920
to the Irish Relief Fund.

In 1923, a gift of $23,000 was
contributed to the fund for the

relief of the stricken people of

Japan, following the destructive

earthquake.

Flood victims in the lower
Mississippi Valley were assisted to
the extent of $50,000 in 1927.

Prompt Relie!
In 1925, a contribution of $2,500

was made to aid the victims of a
hurricane in Puerto Rico.

Contributions ranging from
$1,000 to $5,000 in each case were
made for the assistance of flood
victims in Louisiana, Texas, Col-

orado, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ver-
mont, Cuba, Florida, Newfound-
land, Maryland, Missouri, Cali-
fornia and Santo Domingo. Suffer-
ers from drought in Kentucky, Sas-
katchewan and Nebraska were
similarly aided.

Wherever there has been a great
public calamity, the Knights of
Columbus has been among the first
to offer practical, substantial, ma-
terial relief—not merely to its
own members, but to all sufferers,
regardless of religious faith or

social affiliation.

Aid to Veterans
For eight years following the

close of the first World War, the
Knights of Columbus conducted
a welfare program among sick and
disabled veterans in 450 hospitals.
Knights of Columbus Secretaries
helped to make life more bearable
and pleasant for thousands of these
veterans by personal services, by
supplying individual needs for
many items, by furnishing athletic
equipment and arranging enter-
tainment. More than 500,000 vet-
erans shared in this welfare pro-
gram, including 40,000 in hospitals
during a period of eight years.

In Defense of Conscience
In 1926 and again in 1934 the

defenseless Catholics of Mexico
were undergoing cruel persecution
at the hands of their government.
Priests, nuns, men, women and
children were the victims of atroc-
ities committed in the name and
under the sanction of their govern-

,

ment for no reason other than the
desire to worship God according

—( 11 )—



to the dictates of their own con-
science.

The Knights of Columbus raised
a fund of $1,000,000 for a vigorous
campaign in protest against these
persecutions. It had a widespread
effect. Public opinion was aroused,
a sympathetic interest was awak-
ened in the hearts of the American
people, the Mexican people were
themselves encouraged and dem-
onstrated a steadfastness and de-
termination that won for them
the respect and admiration of the
people of other lands.

Commenting on the part played
by the Knights of Columbus, His
Holiness Pope Pius XI described
it as “a magnificent example of
fraternal assistance and support.”

Many Generous Gifts
In 1927 the Order contributed

$5,000 to assist Catholic immi-
grants in Canada and Newfound-
land. And in the same year $5,000
was contributed to the Mexican
Seminary at Las Vegas, New
Mexico.

From 1937 to 1944, gifts total-
ing $12,000 were made to the
Reverend Richard Felix, O.S.B.,
for the work of the Defenders of
the Faith.

In 1940 the Order contributed

$2,500 to the Paderewski Fund for

Polish Relief . . . and in 1945-46,
gave $10,000 for relief of the vic-
tims of war in the Philippines.

In 1946, a gift of $5,000 was
made to the Catholic Church Ex-
tension Society . . . and the Order
has made contributions to Rev-
erend Patrick J. Peyton, C.S.C.,
for the Family Radio Theatre.

These gifts, it will be seen,
are notable not merely for their
amount, but for the charitable and
spiritually constructive purposes

for which they were made.

The Order's Youth Program
In addition to its Boy Guidance

program, the Knights of Colum-
bus in 1922 launched a youth organ-
ization under the name, Columbian
Squires,for boys ofhigh school age.
A unit of the Columbian Squires
is known as a Circle and is under
the supervision and sponsorship
of a Council and a committee of
Knights called Counsellors.

For many years the Order
conducted a series of summer
schools in boy leadership at
various Catholic colleges and
universities, and the effect of
this training upon thousands of
men has been to qualify them to
combat juvenile delinquency by
means of constructive guidance
and recreational programs.

‘‘Your Order is in every sense a patriotic Order ... it has ever

shown its steadfast devotion to American principles and Amer-

ican ideals. You are Knights of Columbus, a name of great sig-
nificance.”

—Calvin Coolidge

—( 12 )—



For God and Country
— Distinguished War Record—

It is with special pride and
satisfaction that members
of the Knights of Colum-
bus look upon the Order’s
many contributions to the
welfare of their country in

times of peace and times
of peril.

All of the Order’s educa-

tional, charitable and re-
ligious activities described

in this book represent substantial
contributions to the national in-
terests. There are certain achieve-
ments, however, which particu-
larly reflect the patriotic nature of
the Order and which are worthy
of special note here.

The record of the Order’s pa-
triotic contributions in time of
national peril is, in fact, unpar-
alelled in the history of fraternal
groups. It has earned the Knights
of Columbus world-wide fame and
the glowing praise of civil and
religious leaders everywhere.

Work on Mexican Border
In 1916, when American troops

were stationed on the Mexican
border, there was serious need for
recreational and religious work
among these fighting men. The
Knights of Columbus set up 16
clubhouses from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Gulf of California,
where clean amusement and

healthful recreation were
provided under the direc-
tion of secretaries for men
of all faiths. Catholic

Chaplains were maintained
to provide religious ser-

vices to the Catholic troops.

This work brought to the
Order the most flattering
praise from civil and mili-
tary leaders.

The First World War
No brighter chapter can be

found in the annals of any or-
ganization than that which re-
cords the history of the Knights

of Columbus war work.

When America entered the first
World War, in April, 1917, a
great crisis confronted the people

of the Nation and the Catholic
Church. Young men and tender
youths who never had been away
from home were being drawn into
camps and cantonments for train-
ing and combat duty amid tempta-
tions and hardships which have
been age-long incidents of army
life.

These young men were without
the counsel and solace of relatives
and friends and the number of
Chaplains was wholly inadequate
to minister to their spiritual needs.

In this hour of need the Knights
of Columbus tendered its services.

—( 13 )

—



Knowing the Order’s reputation
for disinterested service and honor-
able practices, citizens of all creeds

welcomed the service which the
Order proposed to render to their
loved ones and which they them-
selves were unable to provide.

Helping Hand Everywhere

Knights of Columbus Secretaries
and Chaplains became instantly
popular. Soon they were to be
found everywhere—in training
camps and cantonments, on shell-
torn battlefields, in base hospitals,

at embarkation ports, aboard trans-
ports and at points of debarkation.

Clubhouses were erected at all
these places. Five were maintained
in London, and 45 in France.
Wherever there was a Knights of
Columbus clubhouse, hut or tent,
men of all races, creeds and color
knew they were welcome. Every
man in the armed forces gave
praise to the Knights of Columbus.
They liked its slogan and its pol-
icy of “Everybody Welcome and
Everything Free.” It was a chal-
lenging slogan and veterans of the
first World War still talk about the
hospitality they always found in
Knights of Columbus clubhouses
wherever military duty led them.

Public Approval

The press and public alike ac-
claimed the Order for its great
service. The newspapers published
column upon column in its praise
and artists and poets tried to outdo
one another in its honor. Edgar
Guest expressed the Nation’s grat-
itude in the following poem:

‘

‘They do not ask the faith or
creed

Of him that comes into their
hut;

True Knighthood’s door is
never shut

Against a pilgrim warrior’s
need.

They question only: ‘Would
you rest

And are you weary and op-
pressed?

Then, brother, lay aside your
care,

And come, this sheltering roof
to share’.”

The Highest Praise
Words of commendation came

from President Woodrow Wilson,
Secretary of the Navy Daniel,
Secretary of War Baker, General
Pershing, Marshal Foch, Premier
Clemenceau and many others.
Bishop Russell, of the Bishop’s
Administrative Board, speaking in
the name of the Catholic Hier-
archy, said that no one aware of the
problem confronting the Church
at the beginning of the war

—

and knowing how it had been
solved by the Knights of Colum-
bus—could fail to believe that
the Order was divinely instituted.

When Selective Service was in-
stituted in the fall of 1940, in
preparation for the second World
War, the Knights of Columbus
again offered its service to perform
the same work it had rendered in
the first conflict.

The decision rested with the
Hierarchy. They decided to create
a new agency called the National
Catholic Community Serv-
ice, which would function under

—( 14 )—



their direct guidance and control

and be affiliated with the United
Service Organizations, and that no
Catholic work of this character
should be done under any other
name. The effect of this decision
was to exclude the Knights of Co-
lumbus as an organization from
performing a service for the armed
forces of the United States in the

second World War such as had
brought it world-wide fame in

connection with the first World
War. However, the officers and
members of the Order gave their
active individual support and made
their building facilities available

in assisting the other organi-

zations wherever and whenever
possible.

With Canadian Troops Too

Coincident with the war work
of the Knights of Columbus in the
United States in the first World
War, the Knights of Columbus in
Canada carried on a similar pro-
gram among Canadian forces under
the name Catholic Army Huts.

Centers were established at train-
ing camps throughout Canada, at
points of embarkation, in London
and at rest camps throughout Eng-
land. These were staffed by Chap-
lains and Secretaries who minis-
tered to every need of the men in
the service and the slogan, “All
Soldiers Welcome,” was conscien-
tiously lived up to.

This brought to the portals of
the Catholic Army Huts men of all
religions and nationalities. Com-
plete harmony prevailed and Co-
lonial fraternized with Imperial
and Protestant with Catholic.

Catholic soldiers appreciated the

spiritual opportunities offered and
non-Catholics appreciated the fact

that there was no attempt to at-
tach religious propaganda to
meals, recreation and social en-
tertainments.

Chaplain Gives Life

Fifteen chapel tents were erected
behind the lines in France and the
Chaplain who occupied one of
these was killed in the trenches
while ministering to his men.

Hospital service was given, com-
forts were furnished and there was
entertainment for the sick and the
wounded, a service which was con-
tinued long after overseas troops

had returned to their homes.

The three factors requisite to the
success of any organized Catholic
endeavor—guidance of the Hier-
archy, cooperation of the clergy

and support of the people—were
present in generous measure and
the Knights of Columbus per-
formed a service for Canada and
for its armed forces which brought
sincerest thanks and appreciation
from a grateful nation and which
will live in the memories of
its hundreds of thousands of
soldiers and sailors as long as
life shall last.

Thanks From Soldier

An expression that typified the
attitude of the men is the follow-
ing excerpt from a letter written
by one of them:

“God bless you all, dear Cath-
olic workers, for this work of
mercy so well fulfilled. Jew and
Gentile, Protestant and Catho-

— ( 15 )—



lie, we all remember with
grateful pleasure happy hours
spent within your ‘well run’
hut.”

A General Officer Command-
ing at one of the rest centers
wrote

:

“I can assure you that many
homes in Canada will thank you
for your kindness to their sons.”

Second World War
Upon the outbreak of World

War II in 1939, the Knights of
Columbus in Canada, with the ap-
proval of His Eminence, Cardinal
Villeneuve, and other members of
the Hierarchy, again offered their
services to the government. This
offer was accepted and the work
was organized under the name
Knights of Columbus Canadian
Army Huts.
From a very humble beginning,

the work developed into a service
extending from Victoria to Hali-
fax, to Hong Kong, the Aleutians,
Labrador, Iceland, England,
France, Sicily, Italy, North Af-
rica, Tripoli and Egypt.

Huts were established wherever
Canadian service men were assem-
bled, whether for training or recre-
ation in Canada, or for combat
duty in the war areas, and hotels
were maintained at ports of em-
barkation. Three large hotels were
also maintained in London, and
Town Centers were established at
eight places in England where
Canadian troops were quartered
for training or rest.

At all of these places lounging
facilities were provided by the
Knights of Columbus supervisors.

Canteens were operated, items for
the personal comfort of the troops
were supplied, dances were organ-
ized, books and magazines were
made available. There were radios
and printed news bulletins, shows
were organized and movies were
exhibited wherever possible, and
sports programs were regular and
popular features.

Every facility of the organiza-
tion was open to all service-men,
regardless of race or creed, and
this fact was known to and ac-
cepted by all.

Dies in Service

In May, 1940, one of the Cana-
dian members of the Supreme
Board of Directors, Lieutenant
Colonel Dr. Claude Brown, Presi-
dent of the Knights of Columbus
Canadian Army Huts

,
went to Eng-

land to take personal charge of the
work overseas. His splendid or-
ganizational ability was responsi-
ble for the efficient manner in
which the work was carried on,
and his influence manifested itself
long after his untimely death in
the midst of the work he loved, in
April, 1941.

By sheer initiative and the will
to do the job, supervisors who
landed with assault troops in Italy
carried on what amounted to an
auxiliary service, despite limited

supplies and lack of transport.

When the Canadian Army of Oc-
cupation took its position in the
Wilhelmshaven, Germany, area in
the summer of 1943, it was ac-
companied by Knights of Colum-
bus supervisors who carried on
there the same service that had

— C 16 )—



been furnished previously in other

areas.

Tributes to Knights

Canadian Government officials,
army officers and men, and mem-
bers of the press and clergy paid
warm tributes to the Knights of
Columbus for their work. A typi-
cal commendation was from a
Commanding Officer, who said

:

“The contribution to the
morale of the Canadian soldier
is quite beyond measurement.
Whether during battle, or in
the difficult months preparing
for operations, that work has
gone on without ceasing and
without stint.”

From the beginning of the war
a particular effort was made to as-
sist the Chaplain Services. Funds
were provided, religious papers
and religious articles supplied.
Whenever needed, the Huts were
made available for religious serv-
ices. In many of the Huts, chapels
were outfitted and several of them
also served as living quarters for

Chaplains.

“A Golden Chain"
“In Canada,” said Archbishop

Nelligan, “the Knights of Colum-
bus Canadian Army Huts stretch
like a golden chain from coast to
coast. ... It is indeed a consoling

fact that these Huts are made to
serve a manifold utility—a place
of divine worship on Sunday, a
theatre of entertainment on dif-
ferent nights of the week and at
all times a center where the men
are provided with canteen and
other facilities.”

And Cardinal Villeneuve added:

“The Knights of Columbus have
had great success in this work. . . .
My best wishes and my blessing
and also my congratulations.”

Distinguished War Record
The war record of the Knights

ofColumbus is a distinguished one,
not only for the services rendered
the troops, but for the number of
its members who themselves were
in the ranks of the fighting men
of the United States and Canada.
More than 73,000 Knights served
in the armed forces—many with
distinction, and all with credit to
themselves, or their branch of the
service and to the Order.

A large bronze tablet at the
home office building of the Order,
at New Haven, Connecticut, was
dedicated on June 21, 1947, to the
memory of 1,683 Knights who
gave their lives in World War II
in defense of their respective

countries. It bears the name of
each of this legion of men who
made the supreme sacrifice for
God and country.

A Program for Peace
In the midst of the recent

World War, the Knights of Co-
lumbus . . . seeking a formula for
lasting peace among the nations
. . . adopted and made public in
August, 1943, a Peace Proposal as
a basis for international amity.

The program declared that a
just and lasting peace could be
achieved only by acceptance of the
principle of precedence for the

rights of God over the rights of
man, and in men themselves the
precedence of duty over rights. It

—( 17 )—



urged that as a first step toward
world peace, the law of moral
right be substituted for the bar-

baric rule of material right—in
short, bringing God into world
government. This program was
widely endorsed by educators and
churchmen. Many copies of it
were distributed.

War on Communism
In keeping with its policy of

militantly opposing the encroach-
ment of atheistic doctrines which
would destroy religion and under-
mine the ideals upon which our
democratic form of government is
founded, the Knights of Columbus
maintained for years, a corps of
lecturers who preached against
Communist philosophy which de-
prives men of soul, faith, con-
science and morality, which would
destroy our free institutions and
undermine our principles of civil
and religious liberty.

Early in 1946, when it appeared
that the United States Govern-
ment and people were adopting a
policy of conciliation and ap-
peasement toward Communism
and the Soviet philosophy, a vig-
orous campaign was launched to
arouse American public opinion
to the dangers involved.

Twenty-four transcribed radio
programs exposing the dangers of
atheistic Communism and ex-
plaining the foundation and ideals
of our democratic nations have
been on the air on more than 700
radio stations. Over a million
copies of the Papal Encyclical on
Atheistic Communism were dis-
tributed by the Order as part of its

program of exposing the dangers
of this nefarious philosophy.

Against Appeasement
Supreme Officers and Directors

delivered many addresses before
large audiences, warning of the
menace, and the Missouri State
Council of the Knights of Colum-
bus published large advertisements
in newspapers throughout the
country to call attention to the
situation and asking that letters
and postcards of protest be sent to
the President and members of
Congress.

Many hundreds of thousands of
such communications were sent
and a large number of resolutions
were adopted and sent to the Pres-
ident and the State Department.
The effects of this campaign were
obvious. Officials opposed to such
appeasement were strengthened in
their position and the rapid trend
toward conciliation was stopped.

Blood Donor Program
No more humanitarian activity

was ever undertaken by the Order
than its Blood Donor Program.

Since 1938, more than 150,000
pints of blood have been donated
by members of the Order to pro-
vide transfusions for their fellow-

Knights, relatives of Knights and
indigent patients.

On the basis of customary
charges for blood transfusions,
these donations in the first 20
years of the program represented a
saving of over $3,000,000 to sick
and afflicted people. More impor-
tant, it also represented an untold
number of lives saved and many
periods of hospitalization short-

— ( 18 )—



ened for those aided. In this, as in
its many other activities, the
Knights demonstrated the spirit of
charity and fraternity at its best.

Pilgrimage to Rome
In the summer of 1920 three

hundred and seventy three Knights,
headed by the Supreme Knight and
a Committee of Supreme Officers
and Directors, made a pilgrimage
to Rome.

First they visited France to dedi-

cate a statue of Lafayette at the

military academy at Metz, where
Lafayette was stationed at the
time he resigned his French Army
commission to come to the aid of
the American colonists in the
War for Independence. They were
accorded a wonderful reception by
the Hierarchy and the French
government and the highest offi-
cials of Church and State partici-
pated in the dedication service.

A warm welcome also awaited
the pilgrims on their arrival in
Rome, the Eternal City. They were
guests of His Holiness Pope Bene-
dict XV in private audience and

on Sunday, August 25, the Holy
Father celebrated a private Mass
for the visitors in the Vatican Gar-
dens, personally distributing the

Holy Eucharist to each of them.

Columbia

The official publication of the
Knights of Columbus is a care-
fully-edited, well-managed na-
tional magazine called Columbia.
With its distribution to the Order’s
more than 1,000,000 members, it
has the largest circulation of

any Catholic magazine.

Articles on a wide variety of
subjects of interest to Catholics

as well as Knights are published
regularly. Happenings of interest
within the Order’s far-flung mem-
bership are described and illus-
trated in reports and pictures. The
editorial page carries interesting
and informed opinions on matters
of current concern. Columbia is an
influential force not only for the
Knights of Columbus, but for the
cause of religion and the welfare
of the nation.

“Of all the organizations that took part in the winning of the
war, with the exception of the military itself, there was none so
efficiently and ably administered as the Knights of Columbus.”

From address of General John J. Pershing, U.S.A. Commander

of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War /.

—( 19 )—



I

I

The Councils at Work

It would be impossible in
the limited space available

here to describe even briefly
the many fields of patriotic,
civic and humanitarian ac-
tivity in which the State
and subordinate Councils
of the Knights of Columbus
engage.

They are, to begin with,
supporters of, and partici-
pants in, all of the national and
international achievements of the
Order which are described in these
pages. In addition, they are active
at the local level in too many ways
to attempt to report here. Some
typical examples of this work at
the local and State level are the
following

:

Varied Charities

The Indi ana State Council
,
about

1923, founded the Gibault Home
for Boys near Terre Haute, with
accommodations for 125 boys.
More than $600,000 has been con-
tributed for the establishment and
maintenance of this homeland the
State Council has made annual
gifts of $25,000 to the home in re-
cent years. South Bend Council
contributed $25,000 to a fund for
construction of a Catholic High
School. Notre Dame Council con-
tributed $6,000 to Holy Cross
Mission at Dacca, Indiana. Saint
Thomas Council at Gary gave
$4,000 to Saint Monica’s Mission.

i

Jasper Council donated
$25,000 to the cost of a
Memorial Hospital in Du-
bois County.

Students Home Erected
In 1919 the Missouri

State Council erected at
Columbia, Mo., a Knights
of Columbus Students’
Home at a cost of $125,000,

to serve as a center for Catholic

students attending the State Uni-

versity. Later it contributed

$25,000 to its maintenance fund.
In 1922 it contributed $200,000
to the Endowment Fund of
St. Louis University. In 1944 it

inaugurated the plan of explain-

ing Catholic beliefs and practices
in paid advertisements in the

public press. More than $100,000
has been expended for this pro-
gram, and the current advertising
program of the Supreme Council
is an outgrowth of the Missouri
plan.

The Delaware State Council has
sponsored a Radio Rosary Crusade
every October for over ten years.

Utah State Council provided
$1,000 for the Bishop to assist in
the education of priests. The Coun-
cil also assists in the maintenance

of three Newman Clubs. Salt Lake
Council furnished a guest room at
the Trappist Monastery at Hunts-
ville and Ogden Council assists in

—( 20 )—



the maintenance of the Newman
Club at Weber College.

The New York Knights
The New York State Council

began in 1924 the erection of a
sanatorium for tubercular mem-
bers at Gabriel’s in the Adiron-

dack Mountains. The first patients
were admitted in July, 1927, and
380 members of the Order have
been hospitalized there since then

at a cost of more than $350,000.
This is in addition to $200,000
originally invested in the property.

It awards scholarships to boys
and girls at an annual cost of

$60,000, more than $300,000 hav-
ing been spent in this way. Also
among the many achievements of
the New York State Council are
the following:

Establishment of a burse for stu-
dents for the priesthood at Wad-
hams Hall Seminary, at a cost of
$5,000 . . . appropriation of

$25,000 for the erection of a
chapel, mission house and rectory
at the place where Columbus landed
on the Island of San Salvador . . .
a leisure-time program for boys
and girls which has cost upward
of $42,000 ... a contribution of
$75,000 during World War II for
the purchase of Mass kits and
clerical supplies for Chaplains.

Works of an outstanding char-
acter by Councils and Chapters in
New York State include a gift of
$300,000 to Canisius College by
the New York Chapter; $10,000
for two burses for the education of
seminarians by the Utica Council;
$7,000 to the Saint Francis Orphan
Home by the Oswego Council,

and $2,500 to Memorial Field by
Poughkeepsie Council.

Among contributions to chari-
table, religious and public welfare
projects by the Wisconsin State
Council are $25,000 toward the
cost of a chapel at the University

of Wisconsin; $15,000 for a Chap-
lain at the Waukesha Industrial
School; $10,000 for a Chaplain
at the Green Bay Reformatory;
$50,000 for scholarships at Mar-
quette University; $7,500 to main-
tain teaching Sisters at the Mar-
quette University Summer School;
$6,000 for scholarships for young
men in the Boy Guidance Coutse
at Notre Dame University; $3,000
for the education of Indian chil-

dren; $20,000 to the Bishops to
assist in the education of candi-

dates for the priesthood.

Feeding Orphans

Outstanding among the Penn-
sylvania activities are movements
directed by the Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh Chapters. Each year the
Philadelphia Chapter sponsors a
summer outing and at Thanksgiv-
ing a turkey dinner for 3,000 or-
phan children at a cost of $25,000.
It also established a burse for the

education of candidates for the

priesthood and sponsors a non-
sectarian committee to promote
religious observance of Good Fri-
day. The Pittsburgh Chapter spon-
sors the Catholic Youth Bureau
which, for 25 years, has provided
and supervised recreation and com-
munity activity for thousands of
children.

Councils in Quebec have ex-
pended more than $1,500,000 in

— ( 21 >—



assistance to orphans, widows,
the poor, for Catholic education

and for religious work.

The Ohio State Council con-
tributes to the maintenance of
Chaplains at six state institutions

at a cost of $2,700 per year. It con-

tributed over $100,000 to the pro-
motion of Newman Clubs at State
Colleges and Universities and con-
tributes $60,000 or more annually
to the Archbishops and Bishops
for the promotion of the Youth
Programs in their dioceses.

The New Brunswick State Coun-
cil has, since 1923, awarded schol-
arships to 82 young men at Cath-
olic Universities at a cost of

$37,800. Fourteen have been or-
dained to the priesthood, and five
others will be ordained in the near

future. The Council’s Home Find-
ing Committee has placed 360
orphans in good Catholic homes.

The Ontario State Council has
been active in the preservation of
shrines of martyrs and in the de-
velopment of youth and educa-
tional activities.

A Council in Newfoundland do-
nated a fully equipped school for
four hundred and eighty pupils to
the Archdiocese.

In Southern States

The Florida State Council has
established a burse for the educa-

tion of candidates for the priest-

hood, it has published a digest of
approved Catholic books which it
distributed to libraries throughout
the country, and it conducts an
essay contest on the early history
of Florida which is open to all
parochial school students and all

Catholic students in the public
schools.

The North Carolina State Coun-
cil annually contributes $1,000 to
the Orphanage at Nazareth, and
a like amount to the Bishop for
the education of candidates for
the priesthood.

The Texas State Council,
through a Historical Commission,
formed by it, has expended $100,000
in the writing of a seven-volume
history known as “Our Catholic
Heritage in Texas” which is rec-
ognized as authentic and authori-
tative. It has accumulated many
priceless relics and documents
which have been donated to The
Texas Catholic Historical Society.
It built St. Mary’s Chapel at the
Texas A. & M. College at a cost of
$60,000.

It established a loan fund of

$12,000 to assist deserving Catho-
lic students attending Catholic

Colleges. It donated $3,500 each
to Saint Edward’s University at
Austin and Saint Mary’s Univer-
sity in San Antonio. It contributes
to the maintenance of a Chaplain
at the State Tubercular Sanatori-

um. It is now developing plans for a
home for under-privileged boys.
The Virginia State Council has

contributed $3,000 to a fund for
the education of candidates for the

priesthood and makes an annual
contribution for that purpose.

"Boysville"

The Michigan State Council ac-
cepted the invitation of the Cardi-

nal and the Bishops to cooperate
in the establishment and main-
tenance of “Boysville,” near Ma-

—( 22 )—



con, Michigan, for the care and

training of boys of high school

age, preference being given to

homeless boys.

The British Columbia State
Council contributes annually to a

fund for the education of priests,

its contributions for this purpose

having amounted in the aggregate
to $4,000.

The New Jersey State Council
maintains two summer camps for
boys with accommodations for 330
boys. It provides two scholarships
for candidates for the priesthood

at an annual cost of $1,500.

A New Orphanage
The Saskatchewan State Coun-

cil raised $110,000 for the rebuild-

ing of the Orphanage at Prince
Albert, which had been destroyed
by a disastrous fire. It contributed

$3,500 to purchase fire safety

equipment for the orphanage at

Ituna and it contributes $1,000
annually to each of the Prince

Albert and Ituna Orphanages. It

raised $4,500 for the Old Folks
Home at Gravelbourg, $3,500 to
provide equipment for the girls’
camp at Lebret, $2,600 for Saint
Patrick’s Orphanage, $2,500 for
girls’ Welfare Work in Saskatoon
and $6,500 for the Cardinal Fringe
European Relief Fund. It has
pledged $50,000 toward the con-
struction of a new Old Folks
Home at Gravelbourg.

Street Preaching

The Colorado State Council has
contributed to the street preaching
and public speaking funds of the
two dioceses and the maintenance
of Newman Clubs at various col-

leges and universities. The Denver
General Assembly is sponsoring
the erection of a shrine to Mother
Francis Xavier Cabrini on the top
of Lookout Mountain. Each year
it provides a four-year scholarship

at Regis College for a deserving

graduate of the Catholic High
Schools. It contributed $5,000 to

the Loretto Heights BuildingFund,

$1,000 to the Infant of Prague
Nursery and $500 to a Seminary
burse. Walsenburg Council spon-
sored the erection of the Saint

Mary’s Athletic Field at a cost of
$2,000. Pueblo Council contributed

$500 to the New Catholic High
School.

Recreation Aided

The Idaho State Council has
established a fund to be used for

the construction of a gymnasium
and recreation building at St.

Joseph’s Children’s Home at Cul
de Sac, which is operated for
orphans and under-privileged chil-
dren. The building is a memorial
to members who were killed in
World War II. It contributes an-
nually to a fund for the education

of candidates for the priesthood.

It contributed the money required
to install a new heating system.
Wallace Council has for more than
ten years maintained bus service
for children attending the paro-

chial school.

In Arkansas, the activities of

two councils are outstanding.
Little Rock Council established a
burse of $5,000 for the education

of candidates for the priesthood.

Each year it raises $5,000 for St.
Joseph’s Orphanage and $2,506 for

— ( 23 )—



St. Mary’s Academy and it pro-
vides an annual Christmas dinner
for the children in St. Joseph’s
Orphanage. Pine Bluff Council
raises $4,000 each year for the
Annunciation Academy.

A Retreat House
The State Council at Maryland

raised $90,000 for the Manresa-
on-the-Severn Retreat House. Each
year it provides a Christmas Din-
ner for the 1200 children in Cath-
olic Orphanages. One year it
contributed $2,500 to the Home
for the Aged. It installed an ele-
vator for the Little Sisters of the

Poor at a cost of $10,000.

Support of Education

The Georgia State Council con-
tributes annually to the support

of the Saint Thomas Vocational
School for Boys and to the fund
for the maintenance of schools and
churches. The Augusta and At-
lanta Councils provide entertain-

ment for the children in St.
Joseph’s Home. The Columbus
Council assisted in the erection of

the Catholic Hospital at that place.

The Kansas State Council is en-
gaged in the erection of a me-
morial to Father Juan Padilla at
the spot where he first raised the
cross as he accompanied Coronado
into Kansas in the early part of the
sixteenth century, the cost of

which will be $8,000. Wichita
Council has established a $10,000

burse for the education of candi-

dates for the priesthood.

The Oklahoma State Council
has established a $15,000 burse for

the education of candidates for the

priesthood and has $3,600 on hand
for another.

Hospital Beds
The Rhode Island State Council

maintains two hospital beds for
free use by members. It contributed
$5,000 for an altar for the sem-
inary. It established a fund of
$10,000 to provide scholarships
for deserving Catholic young men
and $1,200 for scholarships in
Catholic High Schools. It contrib-
utes $10,000 annually for charities
and the care of ill and dependent
members. The Assembly at New-
port has contributed $80,000
toward the maintenance of schol-
arships for worthy Catholic young
men.

The Connecticut State Council
has contributed $100,000 for edu-

cation of seminarians, $5,500 to

Saint Agnes Home, $2,000 to
Saint Francis Orphan Home,
$25,000 to Saint Thomas Semi-
nary. $10,000 to Saint Joseph’s
College, $5,000 to Highland
Heights Orphanage, $25,000 to
Saint John’s School for Boys,

$2,500 each to the new Retreat
Houses of the Passionist Fathers
and the Holy Ghost Fathers and
$5,000 to the Bishop of Hartford

.

Youth Camp
The South Dakota State Council

has established a burse of $5,000
to assist in the education of candi-

dates for the priesthood. It main-

tains a Youth Camp in the Black
Hills.

The Montana State Council pro-
vided a fund of $50,000 for scholar-

ships at Carroll College. Great
Falls and Helena Councils provide

— ( 24 )—



a special dinner for persons who
have just been admitted as citizens.

The Vermont State Council main-
tains a scholarship for young men
studying for the priesthood. It

contributes $1,500 annually to

the Don Bosco School for under-
privileged boys. It assists in pro-

viding transportation for Sisters to

the State School for Mentally De-
ficient. It maintains a center in

Burlington where Catholic litera-
ture and reference work is avail-
able for students at the State

University and Saint Michael’s
College.

Homes for Children
The Illinois State Council has

maintained a Home Finding Serv-
ice for children at a cost of $7,000
per year for many years. It con-
tributes $5,000 each year to the
Newman Foundation at the Uni-
versity of Illinois. It maintains
annual scholarships at the Catho-
lic Boys Schools and the Councils
in the Chicago Archdiocese annu-
ally raise funds for the Bishop
Sheil Underprivileged Youth Fund,
the amount now aggregating over
$800,000.

The Arizona State Council co-
operates in the maintenance of
the Newman Club Program and
it contributes $500 each year for
that purpose.

The Oregon State Council co-
operated actively in the movement
to defeat the Oregon School Bill
and in having it presented to the
Supreme Court, which held it to
be unconstitutional. It established

a burse of $5,000 for the education
of candidates for the priesthood

and has contributed an additional
$3,500 for the same purpose. It
has fostered beneficial legislation
for students attending parochial
schools.

Each year the California State
Council contributes $1,000 to pro-
vide scholarships in the four

Catholic Colleges and $3,000 to
the Bishops for the education of
candidates for the priesthood.

The councils affiliated with the
Southern California Chapter raised
$12,000 to build a chapel at the

Rancho San Antonio Boys Home
and contributes $2,500 annually
for its maintenance. Pasadena
Council contributes $1,000 each

year to Saint Luke’s Hospital.
Glendale Council provides Christ-
mas cheer each year at the Vet-
erans Hospital. The Northern
California councils are engaged in
raising funds for an addition to
the Archbishop Hanna Home.

The Tennessee State Council
makes an annual contribution to
the Bishop for the education of
candidates for the priesthood. Lo-
retta Council raised $5,000 for the
Father Ryan School.

The Louisiana State Council
contributed $21,500 toward the
operation of Catholic Student
Centers at the State Universities.

It has raised a fund for a state
sponsored youth project. The
councils in the Alexandria Dio-
cese are assisting in raising funds

for a Seminary, Retreat House
and Boy’s Camp.

The Iowa State Council contrib-
uted $55,000 to the Bishops of
the State to assist in educating

-( 25 )-



candidates for the priesthood;

$50,000 for the maintenance of

Student Pastors at the State edu-

cational institutions and it is now
raising funds to support Catholic

Student Centers at those institu-

tions; it assisted in the mainte-

nance of Catholic Chaplains at the

Veterans Hospital at Knoxville.

The Minnesota State Council
has for many years maintained a
bureau at the Mayo Clinic at
Rochester with a secretary in
charge who visits sick patients,
assists them with their correspond-
ence, provides them with litera-

ture and does everything possible
to make the lot of the sick ana
convalescent more cheerful. It
sponsors a Catechetical Contest

and awards an annual scholarship
to the winning boy or girl in each

of the five dioceses. It is engaged
in raising $150,000 to erect a

Catholic Student Center at the

University of Minnesota.

The Washington State Council
has for several years sponsored the
publication of Narberth articles in
thirteen newspapers throughout
the State at an annual cost of

$10, 000 .

“The Knights of Columbus represent the American expression of

Catholic Action. The Knights are organized for a purpose which

has meaning only insofar as they are in perfect accord with the

mind of the Church. In the spirit of this accord they are the real

warriors of our time, whose armor is Christian fraternity, whose

sword is the truth, and whose banner proclaims peace through

sacrifice. They are showing in our day a deep understanding of

their purpose and are set upon an enlightened program of action.

Decent men cannot help but be attracted to an Order so zealously
professing the rich truths of the faith. This is the spirit that makes

Columbian action Catholic Action.”

Excerpt from address by the Most Reverend John King Mussio ,
Bishop of Steubenville at the 50th Anniversary State Council

Meeting of Ohio.

—( 26 )—



I
Help for Worthy Causes |

ilium mu

Typical of the year in and year

out assistance provided by the
Knights of Columbus is the report
of a survey which showed that in
one year, 1958, 3382 units of the

Knights of Columbus including
State and local Councils, Chapters

and Fourth Degree Assemblies,

contributed $5,670,190.21 to

parishes, dioceses, seminaries,

scholarships. Youth Activity,
Newman Clubs, hospitals, homes
for orphans, dependent or crippled

children, homes for aged, com-
munity charities, colleges, uni-
versities etc. These were con-
tributions from organized units

of the Order and do not include
contributions made to such causes
by individual members of the
Knights of Columbus. This is a
record unsurpassed in the history

of fraternal organizations.

An annual appeal to the mem-
bership in the State has resulted

in hundreds of thousands of dol-
lars being raised for work with
retarded children by the Massa-
chusetts State Council which also
conducts a fine program for youth
work including camping, scholar-
ships and Columbian Squires.

An annual Invitational Scho-
lastic Basketball Tournament for
the benefit of the Archdiocesan
Scholarship Fund is sponsored by

the State Council of the District

of Columbia.

The Alabama State Council has
been active in the promotion of a
Decent Literature campaign and
the sponsorship of Circles of

Columbian Squires.

Another jurisdiction active in
the promotion of scholarship pro-
grams is Nova Scotia.

The distribution of folders
showing the time and place of
Sunday Masses throughout the
state and the promotion of youth
work are just some of the features
of the Maine State Council’s
work.

The number of Columbian
Squires Circles in Cuba averages
better than one to a Council.
Translation of the Catholic Ad-
vertisements and pamphlets into
Spanish and active promotion of
this program is another Cuban
activity.

Training programs for health,
social welfare, education, youth,
agriculture feature the many fine
projects sponsored throughout the
Philippines.

Leadership groups, youth pro-
grams, major spiritual activities
and community assistance are
among the programs conducted
throughout Mexico.

-( 27 )_



Spreading Democracy
“Magazines for Friendship”

—

a project to acquaint people in

other countries with the customs
and life in America, assistance to
seminaries, Catholic Rural Life
projects, scholarships and other
programs are constantly promoted
by Nebraska Councils.

Schools, hospitals, homes for
the aged, orphanages, youth edu-
cation, assistance to retarded

children, forums for non-Catho-
lics, a state-wide vocational pro-

gram, a Junior Mock Parliament
are samples of the extensive work
conducted by Manitoba Councils.
A Catholic Youth Center was
built at the University of Man-
itoba through the efforts of the
Knights of Columbus.

Providing leadership and funds
the California State Councils made
an outstanding contribution in

defeating a proposal to tax par-

ochial schools. In New Jersey a
recent program is providing many
scholarships and financial assis-
tance to Catholic colleges.

A varied program of youth
work, assistance to parishes, aid
to the National Catholic Rural
Life Conference, family projects

are a few of the programs featured
hroughout North Dakota.

In addition to their regular

programs Panama and Puerto Rico
sponsor programs for servicemen
and government workers.

The South Carolina jurisdiction
has been active in promoting
participation in leadership pro-

grams for work in the community
and for the Church.

Playgrounds in Rome
In 1920 Pope Benedict appealed

to the Knights of Columbus to
provide playgrounds for the needy

children of Rome. Since that time
the Order has established and
maintained seven such play-

grounds. On May 10, 1959 Pope
John XXIII visited the play-
ground known as St. Peter’s
Oratory and after expressing gra-

titude to all who bestow kind-
nesses upon youth noted par-
ticularly the “praiseworthy so-

ciety of the Knights of Colum-
bus” who made these playgrounds
possible. The visitors to Rome
have no difficulty in identifying
these playgrounds marked by
attractive modern signs showing
they were founded by the Knights

of Columbus.

— ( 28 )—



The Structure ofthe Order

Fundamentally the Knights of Columbus operates in

accordance with the laws relating to fraternal benefit

societies, which require a representative form of govern-

ment with a supreme governing or legislative body and

subordinate branches into which members shall be

elected, initiated and admitted in accordance with its

constitution, laws and rules. Accordingly, the Knights

of Columbus has for its governing body the Supreme

Council, State Councils in each of the 61 jurisdictions in

North America and more than 4,500 subordinate Councils

comprising a membership of more than 1,000,000.

The Supreme Council is composed of the Past Supreme

Knights, the Supreme Officers and Supreme Directors, the

State Deputy and the last living Past State Deputy of the

various State Councils, and such Delegates as may be
chosen by the various State Councils.

The Supreme Council elects the Supreme Directors who
appoint the Supreme Officers. All executive authority of

the Order is vested in this body.

The State Councils consist of the State Officers, the

last past State Deputy, the Grand Knight and Past

Grand Knight from each subordinate Council.

Charters for subordinate Councils are granted upon

application of a specified number of members or appli-

cants for membership. The presiding officer of a sub-

ordinate Council is the Grand Knight.

—( 29 )—



The Bogus Oath

The record of the Knights
of Columbus has elicited
the most favorable com-
ment by persons high in
civic and religious affairs.
Because of it, the late

Cardinal Gibbons said of
its members:

“They are our joy and our
crown

They are the glory of

Jerusalem

They are the joy of Israel

They are the honor of our
people.”

But, as might be expected, the
Crder’s noteworthy record has not
protected it from vicious, mean
and unjustifiable attacks. There
are those who would destroy this
great society and who would
malign the men who compose it.
The means adopted for this pur-
pose is the circulation of an un-
godly and un-Christian bogus
“oath” that is alleged to be taken
by the Knights of Columbus.

Wanton Slander
Its purpose is to breed hatred

and intolerance
,
regardless oftruth

.

Many of those who circulate it
claim to be actuated by religious
motives, but this is a mere cloak
for their wicked purpose to arouse
hatred and ill will among their
fellow men. Their protestations
of religious fervor are the “sheep’s

clothing” to mask their
vicious purpose to destroy
the harmony that should
exist among men and to
deprive their fellow-citi-

zens of their sacred heritage

—the right to worship
God in accordance with
their own convictions.
No man is a true fol-

lower of the Savior who
ignores His injunction, “Thou
shalt not bear false witness,” and
that is what every man who
circulates the bogus “oath” is
guilty of doing. Do those who are
guilty of this terrible offense

against their fellow men ever
stop to consider the warning of
Scripture: “The man that in
private detracted his neighbor,

hkn did I persecute” (Ps. 100:5)?

How It Started
No proof that Knights of Cor

lumbus take this alleged “oath”
has been offered and none can be
produced, but to give it the ap-

pearance of genuineness, the nota-

tion “Copied from the Congres-
sional Record, Feb. 15, 1913” is

placed upon many of the pam-
phlets containing it. However,
they fail to state that this co-called

“oath” was printed in the Con-
gressional Record merely as an
exhibit in the report of the Com-
mittee on Elections in the con-
tested Congressional election case

— ( 30 )—



of Bonniwell against Butler who
were opposing candidates for Con-

gress from a Pennsylvania district,

and for the purpose of proving its

falsity, Bonniwell, a Knight of

Columbus, claimed that his defeat

was brought about by the circu-

lation of this false “oath’ . His

opponent, Butler, repudiated the

document and in presenting his

defense said:

“I apprehend with alarm the

use of such a document in a po-

litical campaign, or at any other

time. I did not believe in its

truthfulness and so stated my
judgment concerning it on No-
vember 4, 1912, as soon as com-

plaint was made to me of its
general circulation.” (See Con-

gressional Record, Vol. 49, Feb.

15, 1913, P. 3219.)

In its report the Congression-

al Committee of Elections said:

‘‘The Committee cannot con-

demn too strongly the publica-
tion of the false and libelous

article referred to in the paper

to Mr. Bonniwell and which
was the spurious Knights of Co-
lumbus Oath, a copy which is
appended to the paper.” (See

Congressional Record, Vol. 49,
Feb. 15, 1913, P. 3221.)

Bigots have read this foul libel

and gloated over its expected de-
struction of the Knights of Colum-
bus and the injury it would do to
individual members; they passed
it on to others, circulated it, ap-
proved it.

Some honest men have read it
and have been sorely troubled in
consequence. It seemed unlike the

Knights of Columbus they knew
as honest men—yet would men
dare publish such a thing if it was
untrue? if untrue, would not the
Knights of Columbus prosecute
their defamers?

What, then, was the duty of the
Society to itself, to its members,

to the host of men who were in
doubt?

In many cases criminal prosecu-
tions were instituted. In other

cases, publishers discontinued

publication of the bogus “oath”
upon demand. Some of these ex-
pressed regret at having been mis-

led. Protestant and Masonic com-
mittees have studied the whole
matter and have issued reports

exposing this libel.

Masonic Committee's Report

A complete set of the work,
ceremonials and pledges of the
Knights of Columbus was sub-
mitted to a committee of prom-

inent members of the Masonic
Order. After carefully examining

them, the committee made a re-
port in which it was certified that
the Knights of Columbus is not an
oath-bound organization, that its

ceremonials inculcate principles

. that lie at the foundation of every

great religion and that

—

‘‘Neither the alleged oath nor

any oath or pledge bearing the
remotest resemblance thereto in

matter, manner, spirit or pur-

pose is used or forms a part of

the ceremonies of any degree of
the Knights of Columbus. The
alleged oath is scurrilous, wicked
and libelous and must be the
invention of an impious and

—( 31 )—



venomous mind. We find that
the order of Knights of Colum-
bus, as shown by its rituals, is
dedicated to the Catholic reli-

gion, charity and patriotism.
There is no propaganda proposed
or taught against Protestants

or Masons or persons not of the
Catholic faith. Indeed, Protes-

tants and Masons are not re-
ferred to directly or indirectly

in the ceremonials and pledges.
The ceremonial of the Order
teaches a high and noble patrio-
tism, instills a love of country,

inculcates a reverence for law
and order, urges the conscien-
tious and unselfish performance
of civic duty, and holds up the
Constitution of our country as
the richest and most precious
possession of a knight of the
Order. We can find nothing in
the entire ceremonials of the

Order that to our minds could
be objected to by any person.’

*

$25,000 Reward
For twenty-five years the

Knights of Columbus has main-
tained a standing offer of $25,000
to any person or persons who will
furnish proof:

1. That the alleged “oath” is
taken or subscribed to, or ever
was taken or subscribed to, by the
Knights of Columbus, or

2. That Protestants or Masons
are or ever were referred to di-
rectly or indirectly in the Cere-

monials of the Knights of Colum-
bus, or

3. That the following is not the
true obligation taken by Fourth
Degree members of the Knights of
Columbus in the United States:

*T swear to support the Con-
stitution of the United States.
I pledge myself, as a Catholic
citizen and a Knight of Colum-
bus, fully to enlighten myself
upon my duties as a citizen and
conscientiously perform them
entirely in the interest of my
country, regardless of personal

consequences. I pledge myself to
do all in my power to preserve
the integrity and purity of the
ballot and to promote respect
for law and order. I promise to
practice my religion consistently
and faithfully, and to so con-
duct myself in public affairs and
in the exercise of public virtue
as to reflect nothing but credit
upon our Holy Church, to the
end that she may flourish and
our country prosper to the great-
er honor and glory of God.”

Decision of the Courts

In People vs. Gordan, 63 Cal.
App. 627. in which the defendant
was convicted of criminal libel
for having circulated the bogus
“oath”, the California Court of
Appeals, in affirming the convic-

tion of the defendant, said:

“The evidence conclusively
shows that defendant published
the article knowing it to be un-
true and without justifiable ends
and for the sole purpose of in-
juring the members of the so-
ciety by discrediting their hon-
esty, integrity and reputation,
and with a desire to expose them
to public hatred, contempt, or
ridicule, and that the so-called
oath was false and that no mem-
ber of the fourth or any degree

—( 32 )



of the Order ever took such

an oath.”

In Crane v. State, 14 Okla. Cr.

30, the Oklahoma Supreme Court
in affirming a conviction of crimi-

nal libel for circulating the bogus

“oath”, said:

“It is to be regretted that

the state does not prescribe im-

prisonment in the penitentiary

as the punishment for this class

of crime in order that such

characters as this record dis-

closes plaintiff in error to be,

should receive the judgment

which the author in this book
says would be proper if his
statements are untrue. That

they are untrue and false in toto

the proof offered in this case

overwhelmingly establishes. . . .

It is remarkable that in this

country where freedom of con-
science in religious matters was
one of the chief basic doctrines

upon which the government
was founded, people who hold
themselves forth as possessing

even ordinary intelligence would
indulge in this character of

criminal conduct. . . . The
charge that members of an
honorable organization, secret

religious, or otherwise, sub-

scribe to such an oath as that
complained of or the doctrines

alleged is not tolerable and is

not permitted by law. . . . The
plaintiff in error was properly
convicted by the jury.”

In sentencing J. Harold Hunter,
who had pleaded guilty to circu-
lating the bogus “oath” at Flint,
Michigan, the Court said:

”The founders of this nation
and of every state have taken

into consideration religion as

one of the basic things in the

nation and in the state and in

a desire to accord to every man
their right the law should take
exception to the fanatic who in
the night time under an assumed

name will strike against any
recognized religion or organi-

zation or who foments race or
religious prejudice. It is un-

American; it is unconstitutional,

and it is unlawful. This docu-

ment is libelous per se.”

In affirming a conviction in

Alumbaugh v. State, 40 Ga. App.

15, the Court of Appeals of

Georgia said:
‘

‘The State proved to the sat-

isfaction of the jury that the

purported oath was false, that
it was maliciously circulated by
the defendant and that its circu-

lation tended to blacken the

honesty, virtue, integrity and

reputation of the parties alleged

to have been defamed and ex-

posed them to public hatred,
contempt and ridicule. The de-
fendant did not deny that she

circulated the oath and did not

deny that it was false. . . . The
evidence abundantly authorized

the defendant’s conviction.”

In sentencing Reverend E. L.

Bateman, whom a jury at Newark,
New Jersey, found guilty of circu-
lating the bogus “oath” the
Court said:

‘‘You have been convicted of

a libel. You have borne false
witness against your neighbor.

You have told an untruth.”

— ( 33 )—



The New Orleans Daily States
said:

“If the Jersey Judge before
whom the Reverend Mr. Bate-
man was tried should take it
into his mind to put him in
stripes it would go a long way
toward stopping the circulation
of an outrageous forgery.

There have been similar convic-
tions in Pennsylvania, Minnesota,
Colorado and in other states.
None of the defendants in any of
these cases ever attempted to
prove that the alleged oath was
true. The simple reason is that it
could not be done, because it is
utterly false and fraudulent.

Press Cites Lie

The bogus “oath” has been de-
nounced from press and pulpit.
Great newspapers, such as the
Saint Paul Pioneer-Press, the
Montgomery Advertiser, the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, the New
York World, the New Orleans
Daily States, the Cleveland News,
the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette,
the Raleigh (N. C.) News and
Observer and many others as-
sailed it. Two Masonic periodi-
cals, The New Age and the Ma-
sonic Inspiration, denounced it.
The Baptist News Service and the
Council of Churches of Pittsburgh
(Protestant) through its news
service warned its members of its
falsity and urged them to con-
demn it.

And still the bogus “oath” is
circulated from time to time

—

usually in connection with a po-
litical campaign. But at no time
can the Knights of Columbus re-

main passive and suffer to go
unanswered the circulation of this
so-called “oath,” which consti-
tutes an open, flagrant, unjusti-
fiable attack on the members as
citizens and Catholics, on their
families and their faith.

Convictions on the charge of
criminal libel against persons
printing and distributing the
bogus “oath” have been obtained
in the criminal courts, and this
positive and constructive action
to meet the situation will be con-
tained. The co-operation of every
citizen and public officer is re-
quested in bringing into court any
person who publishes or distrib-
utes the so-called |Knights of

Columbus bogus “oath.”

The Knights of Columbus has
published a booklet setting forth

the complete facts retarding this
“oath” and if any of our readers
are interested, they may obtain a
copy of it by writing to Supreme
Secretary, Knights of Columbus,
New Haven, Connecticut.
On September 16, 1960, Judge

John T. Duff, Court of Common
Pleas, Allegheny County, Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, issued a
preliminary injunction against

W. L. King, Finleyville, Pennsyl-
vania, editor and publisher of The
Voice of the Nazarene, restraining
him from printing, typing or writ-
ing, mailing or otherwise distrib-

uting the bogus “oath”. This
action followed the previous ar-
rest of King on August 5, I960 on
charges of criminal libel for dis-

trubition of the “oath” and for
his continuing the distribution

following the arrest.

— ( 34 )—



Message From His Holiness POPE PIUS XII

Following is the text of message sent by His Holiness to Supreme
Knight Luke

E. Hart on the occasion of the 74th annual Supreme
Council meeting:—

"It is my honored charge, at the august direction of His Holiness, to communi-

cate the sincere good wishes of the Supreme Pontiff to
you and your associates

of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus,
on the occasion of your

annual meeting, to be held in Detroit beginning on August 21st.

The Holy Father has been pleased to learn that the "Catholic
Advertising Pro-

gram”, sponsored by you already for many years with such notable success,
has

been extended beyond the boundaries of the United States
to Canada, Mexico and

Cuba, and is reaching with its information concerning the Church and
catechetical

instructions, through the press and individual correspondence,
an ever wider

and more numerous public.

His Holiness would not fail, moreover, to take special note of the
felicitous

conclusion of the microfilming of the Vatican Library manuscripts,
and their

actual availability and deposit at the "Knights of Columbus Vatican
Film Library

of the University of St. Louis. This priceless contribution to
American scholarship,

made possible, as it was, by the munificent generosity of your Order, will be
a

perennial monument to the honor of the Knights of Columbus.

Nor would the Common Father pass over without a word of gratitude the play-

grounds and sports fields for youth which you have continued to
maintain in

Rome and which are ever more frequented by the parish groups and Catholic

institutions of the Eternal City. These initiatives, singled out among your many

valued activiti®s of Catholic Action, illustrate the vitality of
your Order and

explain the happy result, attained for the first time during the present
year, of

a membership registration of over one million Catholic men.

In expressing the augury that the Order will continue to push on to ever
further

accomplishments in its collaboration, under the Hierarchy, with the
divine

mission of the Church, His Holiness would have me convey, as a pledge of His

particular benevolence, to you and to the assembled Delegates, as also to all

the membership of the Knights of Columbus and their families, His
paternal

Apostolic Blessing.”

(signed) MONSIGNOR A. DELL'ACQUA
Undersecretary of State

—( 35 )



|
Who Can Be A Knight?

j

Membership in the Knights of
Columbus is open to practical
Catholic men over the age of
eighteen. Application blanks are
available from any member of
the Knights of Columbus. Every
Knight is happy to propose eligi-
ble Catholic men for consideration
as members.

Acceptance of an applicant de-
pends upon a vote of the members
of the subordinate Council in
which he is making application.

Application for member-
ship must be made through the
Council in the community nearest
the applicant’s place of residence.

Interested prospects, such as men
temporarily away from home
through duty in the armed forces,
must make application through
their home-town Council. If fav-
orably voted upon, the applicant
becomes a member by initiation
in what is known as the First
Degree. He is subsequently ad-
vanced to the point in membership
where he is entitled to wear
the emblem of the Knights of
Columbus by initiation in the
Second and Third Degrees. The
Fourth, or Patriotic, Degree of the
Knights of Columbus is available
to Third Degree members follow-
ing a period of membership in the
Order and the meeting of special
qualifications for that degree.

There are nominal initiation

fees and dues set by subordinate
councils under regulations estab-
lished by the Supreme Council.
The insurance privileges of mem-
bership are available to all men
who can qualify and they repre-
sent an important advantage of
membership. For men in every
walk of life the name of the
Knights of Columbus brings the
thought of a united organization,
efficiently going about its tasks of
Charity, Unity, Fraternity and
Patriotism, composed of men who
are giving unselfishly of their
time and talents in the service
of their God and their country.

This pamphlet shows how the
Knights of Columbus has grown
from a small but purposeful group
into a great and powerful Catholic
fraternity whose patriotic and re-
ligious services have won for it a
high place in the esteem of the
world and whose good deeds have
smoothed the pathways of count-
less thousands.

Membership in the Knights of
Columbus provides the oppor-
tunity for wholesome association
with congenial companions who
are, first of all, practical Catholic

gentlemen. It offers the oppor-

tunity for association with those
who are of the same belief, who
recognize the same duty to God,
to family and to neighbor and
who stand side by side in defense

— ( 36 )—



of those beliefs. Programs are so

organized as to appeal to the

individual interests of the mem-
bers. Through many practical
programs of Christian fraternity,

members are enabled to render

service to their church, their

country and their fellow-man.

Through membership they de-

velop a consciousness of their

ability to be of assistance.

OrganizedColumbianism,united

behind the individual Knight of

Columbus, provides the full force

of an intelligent, alert body of

Catholic men—a strength which
the individual by himself cannot

achieve.

Knights of Columbus have a

proud heritage. The qualified Cath-

olic man can share in that heritage
and build for an even greater

future by affiliating himself with

this strong, militant body.

In 1952 the Knights of Colum-

bus established at the Supreme

Office a New Council Develop-
ment Department designed to ex-

plore the possibilities of estab-

lishing new Councils in the fringe,
or suburban areas, of cities in

order to make more conveniently
available membership in a Council

in the area or neighborhood in

which qualified prospects lived.

If you and your Catholic friends

live in such neighborhoods where

Councils are not now in existence,
you can secure information on the
possibilities of establishing a

Council by writing the Supreme

Office.

Persons desiring to become mem-
bers should contact a member of
the nearest council, or address

their inquiry to Supreme Secre-

tary, Knights of Columbus, New
Haven, Connecticut.

“The community of interests afforded by membership in this fine

Catholic order, the assistance coming from close association with

others who share Catholic culture and Catholic traditions, are

bound to mean benefits to us and to the city in which we live.

“As Columbus was a faithful and devoted son of the Church, so

every Knight of Columbus will find in his fraternal affiliation

a powerful means to grow in the spirit of Catholicism and in

the ability to affect his fellowmen by that spirit.”

—Rochester, N. Y. Catholic Courier.

—( 37 )—



Vatican City,
May 12, 1953w

ci Sva Santita.

Dear Mr, Hart:
At the gracious direction of the Holy Father,

I have pleasure in acknowledging receipt of the
report, which you enclosed in your letter of
May 1st, 1953.

His Holiness has followed with paternal
interest the steady progress of the Catholic
Advertising Program undertaken by the Knights of
Columbus, and notes with particular satisfaction
how it continues to produce encouraging results
in making the Catholic Faith better known among
peoples and bringing many within the fold of the
Church.

Today this is a very necessary form of the
apostolate. Everywhere men are becoming dissatis-
fied with the present disorder they see in the
world and are beginning to look elsewhere for a
spiritual solution to the numerous problems that
confront them, a solution which can only be found
in the Christian teaching of the Catholic Church.

The Holy Father is very pleased, therefore,
with the fruitful results of your apostolic work
and in order to give further encouragement to your
labours. He cordially imparts to you and to your
faithful collaborators in this campaign of truth.
His special paternal Apostolic Blessing.

With assurance of my personal esteem and
cordial regard, I remain.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

St. Louis 1, Mo. — ( 38 )—



Membership and

Opportunity For Service

The previous pages have engaged. We have been
given you an opportunity mK of C able to give you but a
tobecome acquaintedwith
the historical background
and accomplishments of
the Knights of Columbus.
Qualified Catholic men
who become members of our
society personally participate in

these and many other commend-
able projects through the councils
in the communities in which they
live. Alone a Catholic man is defi-
nitely limited in the extension of
his services to Church, to com-
munity and to fellow-man. United
in an organization of more than
1,000,000 other Catholic men who
think and act the way he does,
his influence and his opportunities
for service are greatly magnified.

Membership in the Knights
of Columbus is available, upon
invitation, to practical Catholics
over the age of eighteen years.
Qualified Catholic men should
seriously consider any such in-
vitation to become members of
our great organization.

It has not been possible in
this small pamphlet to outline in
any detail the hundreds of mag-
nificent projects in which our
councils in local communities are

brief review of some of
the major programs of
the Order. The activities
which are conducted at
the local level are of sig-

nificant importance in the whole
program of the Order. The success
of these projects locally depends
upon the active participation of
every possible qualified Catholic
man. Through our plan of com-
mittee organization, through our
council meetings and activities,
the Catholic man is given the
opportunity to use his particular
talents in the program area in
which he is most interested.
Through his membership in the
council in his community the
Knights of Columbus also play a
particular part in the continua-
tion of the present programs of
the Order and will play an
important part in the extension
of these programs and in the
development of new activities.
Your friends and relatives who
are presently members of the
Knights of Columbus will be
very glad to discuss your possible
membership in the Order with
you.

( 39 )—



|
A Social Responsibility

J

The Founders of the Knights of
Columbus realized that the first
duty of a Catholic husband and
father was to his family—to care
for their needs while alive and,
to his best ability, to provide for

their care at the time of his death.

Lack of adequate financial re-
sources is a great destroyer of

family life. Np matter what his
income, the true Catholic father

does everything in his power to
maintain a true Catholic home
during his life-time. What hap-
pens to that family upon the
death of the father depends largely
upon the protection he provided
through a planned insurance pro-
gram during his income earning
days.

Children too often are the

innocent victims of an inadequate
protection plan. The mother may
be forced to go to work and the
children “farmed out” to rela-
tives, or, in severe cases, placed

in institutions or foster homes

—

none of which can take the place
of the mother in the raising of
the child. The physical home
itself—clothing, medicine, educa-
tion—all these may be lost if the
funds to maintain them were not
provided through an insurance
program.

Dependence upon the charity of
relatives or social organizations

is no substitute for a Catholic
home in which the mother and
children may remain together.
Institutions are no substitute for
love and home security for
children.

The Catholic father should ask
himself if he has provided for his
family to maintain the minimum
necessities of a Catholic home.

Today, Catholic families of our
members in the United States and
Canada are protected by more than
one billion dollars of Knights of
Columbus Insurance. Translated
into social responsibility it means
that thousands of Catholic fami-
lies can be kept together—that
thousands of Catholic mothers
can remain in the home to raise
the children. That thousands of
Catholic boys and girls may be
educated—that clothing, food and
shelter can be provided to keep
their homes intact and the families
healthy. It means that tens of
thousands can maintain a Cath-
olic home life without becoming
dependent upon charity groups.

Thus, in the fulfillment of our
social responsibilities, the Knights
of Columbus, in cooperation with
other Catholic men, can greatly
contribute to the future dignity,

sanctity, stability and security
of the Catholic home.

— ( 40 )—



The Power of
Organized Effort

The History of the Knights of
Columbus has been replete with
many outstanding examples of
the accomplishments made pos-
sible through organized effort.
Many of these have been listed in
this booklet. There are hundreds

of others to which all members
of the Knights of Columbus and
all future members of the Order
can point with pride. Some of
these include

—

Through the initiative of the
Knights of Columbus, the words
“under God” were added to the
Pledge of Allegiance to the flag

of the United States.

As a result of the protest of the
Supreme Board of Directors,
various State Deputies, hundreds

of individual councils and Fourth
Degree Assemblies and thousands

of members, the proposed visit of
Dictator Tito of Yugoslavia was
cancelled.

Catholic families are protected

by over one billion dollars of
Knights of Columbus insurance.

Our insurance program is estab-
lishing new records every year.
The Knights of Columbus insur-
ance plans, to meet the needs of
every member and his family, are
available as a result of Knights
of Columbus membership.

The efforts of an individual

Catholic layman are necessarily
limited in making known the
teachings of the Catholic religion.

The Knights of Columbus,banded
together with more than one
million members, make possible
the advertisements in secular mag-
azines and newspapers—which
have resulted in over four hundred
thousand people enrolling for
religious instruction and in over
four million inquiries about the
Catholic Churchy

The development of construc-
tive leisure-time activities for

youth through the Supreme Coun-
cil, state and individual councils
is achieved through the organized
efforts of the man-power of the
Order. Tens of thousands of
Catholic boys and girls receive
training and leadership and are
able to participate in worthwhile
programs through this coopera-
tive effort of the members of the
Knights of Columbus.

The Order has pioneered many
movements which have since be-
come national or international in
scope, including the Blood Donor
Program and the training of pro-
fessional leaders in the field of

Youth Guidance.

The micro-filming of the pre-
vious documents at the Vatican
Library and the establishment of a

—( 41 )—



depository at St. Louis University

to make these documents available
to scholars on the North American
Continent is another achievement

made possible through the organ-
ized man-power of the Order. This
project has been endorsed as one

of the greatest contributions to

culture ever made.

Whether it is at the Supreme
Council, the State Council or the

local Council level, the story is

repeated again and again as proj-
ects of real benefit to the Church
and the Community are initiated,
supported and developed through
the organized efforts of the

Knights of Columbus.

As one writer remarked
—

“The
Knights of Columbus is provi-
dentially endowed with an essen-
tial and priceless asset—Catholic
men of all professions, trades and
states of life who willingly put
in countless hours of mental and

manual labor to help along what-
ever their society is undertaking

to do, the inexhaustible enthu-

siasm of Catholic men working
together under the principles of

the society—Charity, Unity, Fra-
ternity and Patriotism.”

The Knights of Columbus
constructed a CAMPANILE, or

Bell Tower, which is 329 feet
in height, at the Shrine of
the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D. C. This tower,
erected at a cost of more than
$1,000,000 is known as “The
Knight’s Tower” and is one
of the highest Bell Towers in
the world. The offer from the
Cardinals, Archbishops and
Bishops of the United States to
the Knights of Columbus to con-
struct this tower was made in
recognition of the many works
done by the Knights of Columbus
for the advancement of the
interest of the Church.

Hundreds of young men have
been enabled to continue their

training for the priesthood as Semi-
narians as a result of special schol-

arship funds that were established
by State and local Councils.

One of the more recent projects
undertaken by a State Council has
been the providing of scholarships

to help train lay teachers for the
expanding parochial school sys-
tem.

Early in 1960 a new record
amount of over one billion dollars
insurance in force featured the

growth of the Knights of Co-
lumbus insurance system.

( 42 )_



How a Typical Knights of Columbus
Certificate

With a Family Income Benefit R ider
Can Work

If you had a $10,000 basic face value certificate with a 20-year

$20 per month F.I.B. rider and death occurs in the second year

of its issue;

Your family will receive

$2,500.00 immediate payment,

plus

$43,200.00 in monthly payments of $200.00 over an 18 year

period, plus any balance due for second year

plus

$10,000.00 cash at the end of the 20-year period or, under

Settlement Option A, monthly income of $96.10 for 120

months.

OVER

$55,700.00—on a face value certificate of $10,000.00.

Your family needs this kind of protection. Don't wait—see

—

or write—your local K of C insurance advisor today.
Or Write To

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
P. O. Box 1670, New Haven, Conn.



333SJ25

Ask many non-Catholics to finish this sentence
in 25 words or less, and their answers might
surprise you.
Some of them, no doubt, would attribute

their opposition to doctrinal differences. They
might be critical of some or all of the Seven
Sacraments accepted by Catholics. Others
might not like the Church's ritual and devo-
tions, or even the Catholic attitude on social
questions.

But none of these is the dominant reason for
the opposition of spme people . . . and the
unwillingness of others to inquire into the
truths of Catholicism.

The great stumbling-block is the unwilling-
ness of many people to believe that Priests
and Bishops and a Pope ... all men like them-
selves . . . are vested with divine authority to
speak for God.

They refuse to believe that another human
being has the authority to forgive sin, even
though Christ told the Apostles: "Whose sins
you shall forgive, they are forgiven them;
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
They reject the idea that God delegated any
of His powers to mere men, even though Christ
gave Peter the power "to bind or loose on
earth," and promised the disciples: "He that
heareth you, heareth me."

Those who reject the discipline of the Church
will contend, at times, that God would not have
delegated His powers to any but the spiritually
perfect . . . and there are no such people. In
con tradiction of this, Christ clearly DID ap-
point deputies to teach His gospel and . . .
though He did not make them personally im-
mune to temptation and sin . . . He guaranteed
them against error in the teaching of His
gospel.

It is quite possible that a perfectly sincere

person . . . after fully investigating the Cath-
olic religion . . . might not in good conscience
be convinced that he should become a Cath-
olic. But if it is true ... as claimed since the
time of Peter . . . that the Catholic Church is
Christ's true church, those seeking religious
truth should not be deterred by personal objec-
tions to some aspect of Catholicism which may
become acceptable to them upon investigation.
"What Do You Find Wrong With The Cath-

olic Church" is the title of a frank and highly
interesting pamphlet just published. It dis-
cusses freely why more than 400 million peo-
ple throughout the world gladly accept the
discipline of the Church, and why many others
reject it upon request we will mail you a copy
free ... in a plain wrapper. Nobody will call
on you. Just ask for Pamphlet No. A-54.

RELIGIOUS INFORMATION BUREAU
4422 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis 8, Mo.

Please send me your Free Pamphlet entitled
"What do you find wrong WITH THE CATH-
OLIC CHURCH?" A-54

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE

SUPREME COUNCIL
KKICHTS OF COLUmBUS
RELIGIOUS INFORMATION BUREAU
4422 UNDELL MISSOURI

If

One of the series of strikingly effective advertisements published by our Order
in periodicals of large general circulations.



Dedication Day, November 20, 1959. as hundreds of dignitaries move in procession

to the entrance of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington. D. C.

through a corridor formed by more than 1,000 uniformed members of the Fourth

Degree. The Campanile, left of entrance, is the KNIGHTS' TOWER, erected at

a cost of $1,000,000 by the Order as a result of the invitation of the Hierarchy of

the United States in recognition of the many contributions and programs in behalf

of the Church by the Knights of Columbus.



LEGAL RESERVE NON-PROFIT
FAMILY SECURITY LIFE INSURANCE

PERSONALIZED FOR THE CATHOLIC FAMILY

ADULT CERTIFICATES—From the 18th to 60th Birthdays
From $1,000 to $100,000

Whole Life Special (min. $10,000)
Ordinary Life (min. $1,000)

*Life Paid Up at Age 65 — *20 Year and 30 Year Payment Life
*20 Year Payment Endowment at Age 65

*Endowments at Age 55 and at Age 65 — *20 Year Endowment
Elective Income Endowment at Age 65—*Double Benefit to Age 65 (min. $2,000)

Modified 5-Year Whole Life (min. $5,000)

10 Year, *15 Year Term and *Term to Age 60 (Convertible) (min. $2,500)
Mortgage Redemption Reducing Term

*Available to wives of members and female children to 21st birthdays.

FAMILY INCOME BENEFITS—Riders
for periods of 10-15-20 Years and to Age 65

$10 or $20 per month per basic $1,000

Premium payable 3 yrs. less than period of rider

Provides monthly income for "Living Insurance" and "Mortgage Redemption."

JUVENILE CERTIFICATES—Male and Female
From birth to 18th birthday.

Full Face Amount Death Benefit for ages 6 months and over.

20 Year and 30 Year Payment Life

20 Year Endowment — Endowment at Age 65
Endowment at Age 18—Junior Estate Builder
SPECIAL FEATURES—LOW RATES

Cash Loans

Double Indemnity

Dividends

Extended Insurance

Cash Surrender Values

Disability Waiver

Optional Settlements

Paid-Up Insurance

FAMILY PLAN. ONE PREMIUM—ONE CERTIFICATE
Protects Member, Wife, Minor Age Children

Available to Members, Ages 18 to 50.

9-60

Write today to:

t&nfgftts of Colum&us
P. O. Box 1670, New Haven, Conn.

a*.*-