A lot of people make fun of the Knights of Columbus. I used to be one of them.
For most of us, the Knights of Columbus are the guys running the pancake breakfast or the parish fish fry during Lent. It’s usually a group of retirees, and the meetings are a bunch of guys sitting around, going through procedure and talking. But that perspective is largely because of how it looks from the outside.
These councils provide a great service to the parish, and unfortunately, a lot of the councils are getting older, and their members will die off. And many priests are worried about what’s going to happen when these men, who provide critical service to the parish, are gone.
It’s easy to say, well, just let it go, let it die.
Chesterton’s Fence
However, there’s a principle from G.K. Chesterton: don’t tear down a fence until you know why it was put up. And the Knights of Columbus is a fence that was put up to care for the needs of the parish, especially widows and orphans, to raise funds and provide necessary labor for the churches that they otherwise wouldn’t get.
A lot of traditionalists sneer at the Knights of Columbus, or look down on them as a relic or as a useless appendage of the parish. But I don’t think this is a traditional attitude.
A traditional attitude would be, even if you see something broken, to take something that serves a purpose in the Church and restore it to its proper place and its proper purpose.
Which brings us to the original purpose of the Knights. It was started by a group of young men. Father McGivney was 29 when he started it. He and a group of young lay men wanted to provide for the needs of the Church.
In my parish, some young men took it on themselves to be more active in our council, and to provide for the church. For example, our thrift store, which very few of our parishioners think about, actually provides all of the funding for our social concerns ministry. It provides meals for hungry families in our city.
The world is run by the people who show up
When I was in high school, I lost my bid for class president. Another student who ran for president and I were allowed to join the student council as student representatives, a new position they made for us.
I saw it as a consolation prize position, and I was originally insulted. I didn’t want to deal with it. I was talking to one of my teachers about it, and he said, “Aren’t you late for the student government meeting?” I said I wasn’t going, and he said, “Patrick, the world is run by the people who show up. So why don’t you show up and see what change you can actually do?”
That year, I showed up, and I actually was able to do some real good for the student body.
So I do think it’s important for young men to invest in their Knights council. And if you don’t think the Knights of Columbus are fulfilling their mission well, then I invite you to join, become more active, and see if you’re right. And if you are, get a group of guys to join and start moving it in the right direction. You can actually run it simply by your presence.
If you’re wrong...great!
How to take over your council
I put together a guide for how to take over your council.
Obviously, I’m using the term “take over” a bit tongue-in-cheek. I’m not suggesting you stage a coup or oust anyone who’s given their time for decades to the council. I’m really suggesting that if you think you have the right idea of how your council should be run, join, follow the principles of how organizations change, show up, and start moving it in the right direction.
This guide is for paid subscribers. Upgrade, and you’ll get it, along with resources like this on how to save your parish, each of which I believe is worth the price of the subscription by itself.
