Untitled Document

apply on line

QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

please review The qualifications for membership in the Knights of Columbus that are set down in Section 101 of the Laws of the Order. They are as follows:

“Only practical Catholics in union with the Holy See shall be eligible to and entitled to continue membership in the Order. An applicant for membership shalt not be less than 18 years of age on his last birthday.”

There are no other requirements. Nothing is said about the candidate's profession, education, national background, the color of his skin, his nationality, his cultural level or his financial status.

PRACTICAL CATHOLIC — Guidelines have been established to assist in judging the practical Catholicity of an applicant or member. These guidelines will help the grand knight perform his duties as an informed and responsible Catholic gentleman when conducting sessions of his council's admission committee. The main components of this requirement may be described as follows:

• A practical Catholic in union with the Holy See is one who, in general, regulates his life according to the teachings of Christ and the Church, and endeavors to observe the commandments of God and of the Church.

• A practical Catholic strives to have a greater knowledge of the teachings of Christ and his Church, and to accept, respect and defend the Church's authority (vested in the Supreme Pontiff, the hierarchy and clergy united with him) to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful.

• A practical Catholic gives material and moral support to the Church and her works on all levels, promoting the programs of the parish and diocese and comes to the aid of the missions, the needy, the underprivileged; espousing and advancing the just causes of minority groups; endeavoring to eliminate unjust discrimination, prejudice, etc.; supporting the Church in her defense of marriage and family life and in her crusades against divorce, abortion, pornography and all the evils of today.

• If a Catholic marries outside the Church, that is, contrary to the laws of the Church, he ceases to be a practical Catholic and hence may not be a member of the Knights of Columbus. A man who, living in a valid marriage, obtains a civil divorce and remarries outside the Church ceases to be a practical Catholic and hence loses his right to join or continue in the Order of the Knights of Columbus. If his former marriage is declared null by the Church and he remarries validly according to the Church's laws, he may be reinstated into the Order.

• A Catholic who is a member of a forbidden, secret society is not a practical Catholic and hence may not become a member of the Knights of Columbus.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS — If a member of the Order is married, he should be a faithful and devoted husband and father. Married or unmarried, the knight should always be an exemplary Catholic gentleman and a dutiful patriotic citizen.

MEMBERSHIP PROCEDURES

NEW MEMBER — It is the First Degree that establishes membership, and the recording of that degree is required to initiate or continue new insurance applications in force.

a knight of columbus form 100 must be filled out and signed to start the enrollment process. a sponsor will take the information from This form and transfer it to a multicopy form which is then present to you for verification of correctness and signing. This starts the enrollment.

All candidates must accept or decline the insurance offer in Section 5 on the front of the Form 100. If the candidate is married, he must do the same for his wife. if the insurance offer is declined for both parties, the original copy of the Form 100 is sent directly to the Supreme Council office and the duplicate is sent to the general insurance agent. The council copy is retained for local council records.

If the candidate accepts the insurance offer, he completes the seven sections on the reverse side of the original copy of the Form 100. If the candidate's wife accepts the insurance offer, she completes the eight sections on the reverse of the duplicate copy. Note that the candidate must sign as applicant for insurance on his wife. For legibility, the duplicate copy of the Form 100 should be detached before the wife completes the reverse side. The financial secretary shall retain all copies of the Form 100 until the candidate receives his First Degree.