History:

On Oct. 2, 1881, a group of men met in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on  Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven. Called together by their 29-year-old parish  priest, Father  Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. They sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and  devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their  families and their faith.

These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the  discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New  World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of  Columbus on March 29, 1882. They were Knights of Columbus.