In May, they gathered in Columbia with their ladies for the Knights of Columbus 105th Annual Convention. The weekend consisted of roundtable discussions and inspiring Masses presided over by Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, and Father Robert Higgins, parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Church in Columbia and a fellow Knight.

A higher level of order

The ceremonies kicked off Friday night with the Fourth Degree Exemplification, where 33 men were initiated into the patriotic arm of the Knights, displaying their “love of God and country,” Knight Gus Wilson said.

“It’s a higher level of order,” said Brendan Mulligan, Grand Knight of the Hartsville council. “It’s more of a leadership in the Knights.”

Fourth-Degree Knights make sure that those who serve the nation are not forgotten, honoring soldiers at funerals and on Memorial Day.

“It always comes down to patriotism,” Mulligan said.

The Knights of Columbus, however, do so much more than ceremonial occasions. Their goal has not changed since Father Michael McGivney founded the organization in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882. McGivney’s intent was to make sure Catholic families who faced hardship or economic ruin were not destroyed. Today, the Knights carry on that quest, with each council tackling a concern in its own community.

Caring for communities

Brian Glynn is proud of his Goose Creek council’s efforts to raise funds for Columbus Hope, which supports young men and women with special needs. There are many programs for school-aged children, but “after high school, that support goes away,” Glynn said. Not if the Knights have anything to say about it. They raise funds supporting Special Olympics, Berkeley Citizens and Healing Farms, three organizations that encourage special-needs youths to reach their potential.

“All they want to do is be a part of everyday life,” Glynn said, adding that it is rewarding to see them go beyond their limitations and embrace their passions in life. “It inspires me to be a servant.”

Mike Allen, who leads the Knights’ Columbus Hope efforts statewide, said there is a lot of support for the program in South Carolina. He said it was amazing to watch the kids compete, and funding for Columbus Hope lets youth be part of something and find community.

“They feel like they’re not alone now,” Allen said. “What we’re doing … is making a difference.”

That message echoed Father Higgins’ homily on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker: “You will know me by my work.”

“We’re all brothers under one God,” Father Higgins said. “We should be reaching out … Reach out in your parish. Open your hearts. … Open your arms to everyone. Be that dynamic Catholic.”

This commitment shows up in how Knights support one another and their communities in less visible ways, too, through faith formation, financial security and prolife work.

Chris Ryder has been a Knight for 30 years, and he is immersed in the KofC COR program, which encourages men to strengthen their faith and virtue through prayer, formation and fraternity. The program echoes Christ’s call to make disciples of the whole world, asking Catholic men to come together and take leadership roles.

“There is a perception that the Knights are in their own little world, and we need to change that,” Ryder said. COR is designed to light a fire in men that propels them to evangelize.

Scott Friedman, who led the South Carolina Knights this past year, said his goal has been to strengthen the organization’s foundation and leave it better than he found it. He sees the Knights thriving.

“We are building not only a stronger Church, but a stronger family and a stronger future,” he said.

That security extends beyond spiritual support. Robert Boni said Father McGivney started the KofC so widows and orphans would not suffer when a family’s breadwinner died. 

“We’re an insurance company,” Boni said. “The goal is financial security for our members.”

He noted the Knights rank among the top insurers in Canada and the U.S.

“I’ve been doing this for 24 years,” he said. “Our focus: If you take care of widows and orphans, everything else falls into place.”

Supporting all women

Jeff Crouch, Supreme Knight and the convention’s guest of honor, highlighted the fundraising drive that has placed 36 ultrasound machines in South Carolina pregnancy centers. They cost roughly $50,000 each.

When a mother considering abortion sees her baby on an ultrasound machine, “it changes everything,” Crouch said. Two more machines may soon be headed to South Carolina, he added.

Knights at the convention also raffled two bottles of Kentucky bourbon, with proceeds benefiting St. Clare’s Home. Its two locations help women in crisis pregnancies learn life skills and gain financial independence.

The ladies of the Knights had their moments at the convention also.

Donna Maria Friedman, wife of the state’s outgoing leader, organized a presentation for the wives. They watched “The Spirit-Empowered Life” from Father Erik Arnold before holding their roundtable discussions.

“It’s about knowing how to let the Spirit work through you,” she said, describing it as trusting God “to be open when he prompts you to do something.”

Looking ahead

Bishop Fabre spoke of the apostles choosing presbyters to share their workload as the Church grew. “We are exploding in terms of Catholics in South Carolina,” he said, noting that thousands of young people were confirmed statewide this year.

Then he urged the Knights to support priests and seminarians.

“Laypeople need to be very active in the Church,” he said.

Crouch said young people today are searching for community. “It’s about mission, about trusting Christ where he needs us the most,” he told the Knights, adding that renewal “begins with us. We must be ready when that family walks into our council.”

Friedman handed the leadership baton to Patrick Noone, who said he wants the Knights to work closely with college chaplains, mentor high school students and embrace South Carolina’s Vietnamese community.

Crouch closed the convention with a charge: “Let us leave here with a renewed sense of purpose.”

No shining armor; just humble servants on a mission to do God’s will.