Cherry Hill Council 6173 at 2001 N. Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 US - HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

The Knights of Columbus began in the basement of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven,Conn., in 1882, when Father Michael J. McGivney called together a small group of pioneering Catholic laymen and founded a society designed to provide financial assistance for the widows and orphans of its members. Father McGivney’s original idea grew into an organization of Catholic men and their families dedicated to promoting the concepts of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. Today, their are nearly 1.6 million members in 11,000 local units called councils in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guam, the virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Saipan. Over the years, the Knights of Columbus has become a diverse organization. Our members belong to many races and cultures. As in any large group, our diversity is our strength and an asset in searching for ways to make every day better.

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