By Gretchen Keiser

The Knights of Columbus, the fraternal organization of Catholic men, which has flourished across the country and internationally over the last 100 years, is actively seeking new members in the archdiocese.

“We do a lot of good work,” said Joe Stretch, a parishioner of St. Matthew’s parish in Fairburn who is in charge of a K. of C. district made up of several smaller councils in the archdiocese. After many years of working in the background, he said, “I think it’s time for us to blow our own horn a little bit.”

Stretch estimated that about 2,500 Catholic men are members of the Knights in the archdiocese throughout North Georgia, belonging to one of 18 councils, which are located everywhere from Decatur to Athens and Atlanta to Thomson, Georgia. Statewide, there are about 4,000 to 5,000 Knights in Georgia, Stretch said, and the state has proved to be a fertile ground for the organization.

“When I moved here in 1961, there were 14 councils in the state,” he recalled. “Now there are 32.” The councils can be as small as 30 men, but some are made up of 500 or more members.

More difficult to itemize are the varied projects and works of the Knights of Columbus. Most people associate the Knights with “the hats and capes” worn by fourth-degree Knights who serve as an honor guard at various archdiocesan functions, Stretch said.

But the majority of members are not fourth-degree Knights and most of their work, which is critical to the Catholic Church nationally and internationally, is less well-known.

Formed in the 1880s in New Haven, Conn., the Knights is a fraternal benefit organization, which has at its heart a multi-billion dollar insurance program available to members and their families. Its original hope was to aid widows and children of Catholic families who were left destitute when the family wage earner died. Now the program of health, life and accident insurance is a massive, modern system of insurance, which, Stretch said, is available to members at less than commercial insurance rates.

In turn, money paid to the insurance program is invested and interest from that fund is either donated or lent in low-interest loans to the Catholic Church, its programs and dioceses nationally and internationally.

For example, a $10 million fund has been created whose annual earnings are given to the pope for his personal charitable purposes. The annual televising of the papal Christmas Mass, Holy Week services and other special events from Rome are underwritten by the Knights of Columbus. The Knights are also major supporters nationally of the U.S. bishops’ programs both in pro-life efforts and in natural family planning programs.

The archdiocese of Atlanta and most dioceses across the country are building new churches using, in part, low-interest loans from the Knights of Columbus, Stretch said.

Locally, Stretch said, metropolitan Atlanta councils have raised funds annually at Thanksgiving to provide toys and entertainment for the children cared for at the Village of St. Joseph. The Knights also raised funds for a swimming pool at the Village. Several councils raise funds for the Council for Battered and Abused Women, he said, and others support local pro-life activities. All councils take part in the annual “Tootsie Roll Drive,” which raises funds for retarded and handicapped; in 1984, more than $72,000 was distributed in Georgia by the Knights. Councils also work closely with parishes in providing ideas, leadership and volunteers for parish programs, he said.

The Knights are one of the original co-sponsors of the annual archdiocesan Rosary Rally and encourage a variety of spiritual activities and vocations work. Family and sports events and social activities are also a part of Knights’ councils.

The K. of C. is open to any man over the age of 18 who is a practicing Catholic and those who are interested in joining or learning more are encourage to contact the secretary of the council nearest their home. A list of councils and secretaries appears on the back page of this issue of the Georgia Bulletin.