How to join the Knights

he Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Fr. Michael J. McGivney (1852 - 1890) in New Haven, Connecticut at a time when Catholic families were discriminated against: men were turned down by fraternal organizations and couldn't get insurance for their families, and widows were often left penniless. The Knights sought to improve this situation by taking care of widows and orphans, and provide a means for Catholic men to get insurance. Today, the Knights of Columbus donate over $100,000,000 world-wide to various causes every year and volunteer millions of hours of labor through over 13,000 councils around the globe. The insurance arm of the Knights have over $85 Billion worth of insurance in force and continue to garner some of the highest ratings in the industry.

We strongly recommend that you visit the Supreme Council's site which goes into great detail about our Order.

Fr. Michael J. McGivney

QUALIFICATIONS

To join the Knights you must meet three qualifications: be a "practical" Catholic man (go to Mass on Sundays, practice the Sacraments), be in communion with the Holy See (be in agreement and good standing with the Church), and be 18 years or older.

OUR TERRITORY

Council 971's territory covers several churches in Santa Cruz County: Holy Cross, Star of the Sea, St. Joseph's in Capitola, The Shrine of St. Joseph (Oblates), San Agustin in Scotts Valley, St. John's in Felton, St. Michael's in Boulder Creek. (Resurrection Church in Aptos has its very own council, #9580.)

MEMBERSHIP FEES

Annual dues are $40. The initiation fee is $15. Annual dues are prorated for new members. If you cannot pay your fees due to financial hardship yet want to be an active knight, the council will make special arrangements. If you happen to be disabled in some way, you may qualify for a dues waiver. Priests are exempt from dues.

"I WANT TO HELP, BUT I DON'T WANT THE INSURANCE."

No problem. Some knights buy the additional life insurance, some don't. The insurance program is absolutely optional. As a member of the Knights, you do get an accidental death benefit simply for being a member. The accidental death benefit starts at $1,000 and increases $500 per year until it reaches $2,500. At about age 65 it decreases $500 per year until it settles back to $1,000 again. The insurance field agent is at your disposal. If you want to investigate the program, great. If you don't, that's fine too. (Though for the benefit of your family, you should try to get some life insurance from somewhere. You know not when the master is coming, right?)

"I WANT TO JOIN NOW!"

Call council member Rudy Quijance ("key-hawn-see") at 458-9169. Or e-mail us: knights@kofc971.org. First Degree "exemplifications"—initiation ceremonies—take place monthly at various councils in the area. Our council hosts a First Degree as often as needed. You could be a member in within weeks.

Later on, if you wish to progress in the order (officers are required to be Third or Fourth Degree members), Second and Third Degree exemplifications are offered in the Central Coast a few times a year. Fourth Degree exemplification ceremonies are generally offered twice a year, once in Southern California and once in Northern California—these are gala events, literally hundreds of people show up.

To qualify for the Fourth Degree (the Patriotic Degree of the Order), you have to be a U.S. citizen; have served in the First Degree for at least 12 months; and be a Third Degree member in good standing with your council. This means that it does not matter if you just became a Third Degree just recently, as long as you have been a First Degree member for over a year.

"I WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION"

Well, just send us e-mail or call us. We'll be very happy to answer any questions. We love to make new friends at the council! Truly!