Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. The organization is named after the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

The organization was founded in March 1882 as a mutual benefit society for working-class and immigrant Catholics in the United States.