Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, 2021-
The Supreme Council
From the moment of our founding in 1882, charity has been the first principle of the Knights of Columbus. We are Catholic men of faith and men of charitable action.
In 2016, the Knights of Columbus set a record in charitable giving for the 18th consecutive year. Our charitable donations increased from $175 million in 2015 to a new total of $177,500,673 in 2016. In addition, we achieved our highest level of charitable service in 2016, volunteering more than 75 million hours of service. That's up by more than a million over the 2015 total.
Our own unique charities include the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, Disaster Relief, Ultrasound Initiative, and Coats for Kids. We also partner with international charities including Special Olympics, the Global Wheelchair Mission and Habitat for Humanity.
Knights and their families have greater opportunities to participate in a variety of activities that deepen their faith, promote the New Evangelization, and strengthen our parishes. These activities include the Family Fully Alive Devotional Program, Father's Day Affirmation of Wedding Vows, Food for Families and the Keep Christ in Christmas Campaign.
"We are answering Pope Francis’ call to go to the peripheries,” former Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said. “We can reach half way around the globe to help those in need and we can reach to our neighbor next door. And we do that every day. That makes us witnesses to the faith."