Since its inception, the Knights of Columbus has promoted a culture of life. The Order’s very founding reflected a need to protect the widows and orphans of New Haven’s Catholic community, while its charter members and their families regularly came to the aid of their neighbors.
Today, the Knights of Columbus supports and promotes international programs like Special Olympics, as well as our own Coats for Kids and Food for Families initiatives, which are built on recognizing the dignity of the poor, the disadvantaged, and those with special needs. Additionally, our Ultrasound Initiative and support of marches for life recognize and promote the dignity of unborn human life.
Our call to be Knights of charity also informs our belief that laws should reflect this God-given dignity. To that end, the Knights of Columbus seeks to promote a culture of life in our nations’ laws as well as in the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens. This includes the Order’s decades of support for laws prohibiting the practices of abortion and euthanasia as well as its ongoing efforts to promote civility and unity in our culture. In this way we can answer the call of St. John Paul II who reminded us, “Society as a whole must respect, defend, and promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every condition of that person's life. To be truly a people at the service of life we must propose these truths constantly and courageously…” (Evanglium Vitae, Nos. 81, 82).
Resources:
Evangelium Vitae
KofC/Marist Polling
Resolution: Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Resolution: Building of Culture of Life
Resolution: In Support of the Hyde Amendment
Resolution: Abortion and the Eugenics Movement
Resolution: In Support of an Equitable Immigration Policy
Resolution: Commemorating Knights of Columbus History of Racial Equality
Program: Special Olympics
Program: Food for Families
Program: Coats for Kids
Program: Marches for Life
Program: Ultrasound Initiative
Faith in Action: Life Programs
News: Novena for National Unity
News: Work in Native American Communities
News: Disaster response
“Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2258)