Knights’ long history of supporting children and families

Christmas 1905 saw the beginnings of an Order-wide cause when Baltimore councils sought to brighten the holiday for all 600 children in the city’s Catholic orphanages with presents and entertainment. The Santa Claus Party became a yearly tradition that so impressed future Supreme Knight Flaherty he encouraged other councils to follow suit, which many did for decades.

In 2017, the Knights of Columbus announced that it would rebuild Karamles — a Christian town on the Nineveh Plain devastated by ISIS Working with the Catholic Church in Iraq, the Knights invested $2 million rebuilding houses, helping hundreds of families move back to their homes and preserving the town’s long-standing Christian identity.

Among their initiatives, councils assist families facing hardship. Members gather resources for family support centers, shelters and individual families. Among them are Knights of Michigan’s Ithaca Council 8785 who held a two-week diaper drive in 2018, easing the average $1,000 annual cost of diapers for a newborn.

From The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History. Learn more at knightsgear.com/history.

Originally published in Knightline, a monthly resource for K of C leaders and members. To access Knightline archives, click here.