Our Mission

The Michigan Knights of Columbus will foster the legacy of Fr. Michael J. McGivney to Serve the Church, build the Order and enrich our community.

Who We Are

On Oct. 2, 1881, a small group of men met in the basement of St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. They were called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney. These men formed a fraternal society that has become become the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. One of the ideals of Fr. McGivney was to provide financial assistance to the widows and orphans of it's members. This original idea grew into an organization of Catholic men dedicated to promoting the concepts of charity, unity, fraternity and Patriotism. on to Today faith, family, and fraternity is the foundation upon which the Knights of Columbus stands. The Order has been called the "strong right arm of the Church," and has been praised by popes, presidents and world leaders. We have drawn praise for support of our Church, civic involvement and aid to those in need.
From that first group of Catholic men we have grown to nearly 1.6 million members in 11,000 councils, in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas. Saipan and our newest country Poland.

In Michigan we have supported Boysville of Michigan since 1948 and groups such as Right to Life of Michigan, and the St Louis Center. Every year we raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the mentally challenged through the MR Drive. And local councils continue to support their local parishes, and communities. 

New Web Site Devoted to FR Michael J McGivney

NEW HAVEN, CT — A new Web site — www.fathermcgivney.org — devoted to the
life and legacy of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of
Columbus, has been launched to promote his cause for canonization and
spread the message of his spiritual genius. An assistant parish priest at
St. Mary’s Church in New Haven when he founded the Knights with a handful
of laymen in 1882, Father McGivney was given the title Servant of God by
the Vatican after his cause was opened in 1997. His remains are entombed at
St. Mary’s Church.
Pope John Paul II recently praised Father McGivney’s “prophetic
vision,” and the Vatican is investigating a possible medical miracle
performed through the intercession of Father McGivney, a step toward
beatification.
The new Web site is hosted by the Father McGivney Guild, the official
organization promoting his cause for sainthood, and by the Knights of
Columbus. It is offered in three languages: English, Spanish and French.
The Guild, with 85,000 members worldwide, is responsible for gathering
information about Father McGivney’s life and work, as well as personal
testimony regarding miracles and other favors attributed to his
intercession. An interactive section of the site allows users to post
prayer intentions and favors received, and to read the postings of other
users.
Father McGivney was a deeply spiritual man who experienced the
hardships common to urban families of the mid-19th century. The eldest
child of a large family in Waterbury, Conn., he went to work at age 13 in a
brass factory before beginning studies for the priesthood. His father died
while he was in the seminary, leaving his mother to care for the family.
These experiences were among the reasons Father McGivney was determined to
found a Catholic fraternal benefit society that would provide for widows
and children when a breadwinner died. The story of his priesthood is told
under sections headed “Servant of Charity,” “Joyful Celebrant,” “Confessor
of Souls,” “Apostle to the Young,” “Protector of Christian Family Life” and
“Man of Pastoral Action.”
His greatest legacy is the growth and vitality of the Knights of
Columbus, which today has some 1.7 million members in 13,000 councils
throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries. In 2003
Knights raised and donated $130 million to charity and giving 61 million
hours of service to the Catholic Church and their communities. The Order’s
insurance program has more then $50 billion in force covering members and
their families.
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