The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882, when Father Michael McGivney and a small group of pioneering Catholics founded a society designed to provide much needed security for widows and orphans of Catholic parishioners. The original idea grew quickly, becoming an order of Catholic men and their families, dedicated to promoting the concepts of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism.

Today, the Knights of Columbus has grown to more than 15,000 councils and 2 million members throughout the United States, the Philippines, Mexico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan, Germany, Poland and Lithuania.

Over the years the Knights of Columbus has become a diverse organization. Its members belong to many ethnicities and speak many languages. They are various ages and come from all walks of life. But, like in any large family, their common bonds provide strength. Their diversity is an asset in searching for ways to make every day better, and they work hard to make it happen.

St. Paul Cathedral Council 14474 was founded in 2008, after several years of dedicated effort by many men. The Council is named after our host parish of Saint Paul Cathedral, the Mother Church for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Council is a part of District 201, the Pittsburgh Chapter and the Western Pennsylvania Section of the Pennsylvania State Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Council meetings are held on the third Monday of each month in the Cathedral Social Hall, directly beneath the Cathedral. Meetings begin with the Holy Rosary at 7:15 p.m., followed by the business meeting at 7:30 p.m., and are open to all Brother Knights in good standing with the order.

Please see the document to the left for the meeting schedule for the 2024-2025 fraternal year.

If you are a practical Catholic man, age 18 or older, we welcome you to join the leading organization of Catholic laymen.

Become an online member for FREE! Simply visit: www.kofc.org/joinus. As we continue to celebrate the beatification of our founder, Blessed Michael J. McGivney, please enter the Promo Code BLESSEDMCGIVNEY for 12 months of free online membership. Make sure to also enter “14474” as your “Preferred Council”, and we will reach out to you regarding transferring your “online membership” to our parish council.

If you have any questions, or more information, please email us at: [email protected].  
Being a Knight is more than camaraderie; it is being involved with your community; it is supporting your local Catholic Church, while enhancing your own faith; it is about protecting and enhancing your family life.

As a member of the Knights of Columbus you and your family enjoy many benefits, including 12 free issues annually of the Columbia magazine, the world’s largest Catholic family magazine, eligibility to join the Knights of Columbus top-ranked life insurance program, and many more family and personal benefits.

SERVICE

• Support the parish with its needs
• Help meet the needs of those in the local community
• Provide “Coats for Kids” and “Food for Families”
• Support programs that benefit people with intellectual disabilities
• Aid victims of natural disasters and other catastrophic events, local and worldwide
• Save lives through initiatives such as the “Ultrasound Program”

Charity is the first principle of the Knights of Columbus. Knights are men who get things done. We volunteer our time to serve our parishes and our communities. And by working together, we were able to donate more than 75+ million hours of volunteer service to worthy causes as a global organization.

SUPPORT

• A unique “band of brothers”
• Shared values and the support to live out our Catholic faith more fully
• The ability for our network to accomplish things together that we could not accomplish alone

Unity and Fraternity are the second and third principles of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus was founded so that men could work together to serve their parishes and communities, protect the well being of their Catholic families, and support each other in faith and in many other ways along life’s journey. The Knights of Columbus offers its members the opportunity to grow in their faith through living the example of a charity that evangelizes and personifying what it means to be a Catholic gentleman through the practicing of good works.

STABILITY

• Exclusive access to our top-rated life insurance products, available only to members and their families
• Your insurance agent is a Knight dedicated to helping his brother Knights protect their families

As a Knight, you and your family have exclusive access to our top quality insurance products. In fact, no insurer in North America is more highly rated than the Knights of Columbus. As an organization founded to protect the well being of Catholic families, we have continued to take that mission seriously for more than 130 years. Generations of Catholics have counted on the Knights of Columbus, and in an increasingly turbulent world, you can trust the Knights of Columbus to affordably and securely protect the future of your loved ones and to be there when you need us most.

The Knights of Columbus is not just a fraternity in name. It is a brotherhood of Catholic men who each play a part in improving the world around them, one community at a time. They stand together in faith, dedicated to uphold the principles they cherish while lending their support and strength to parish, home and fellow Knight.

From charity for worldwide causes, to helping closer to home with volunteer activities, to a top-rated insurance program that protects those closest to you, the Knights makes the most of its brotherhood.

Any Third Degree member in good standing is eligible for membership in the Fourth Degree. The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism by promoting responsible citizenship and a love of and loyalty to the Knights’ respective countries through active membership in local Fourth Degree groups (called “Assemblies”). Certain members of the Fourth Degree serve as honor guards at civic and religious functions, an activity that has brought worldwide recognition to the Knights of Columbus.