About the Knights of Columbus
Councils
have been chartered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the
Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Japan, Cuba,
and most recently in Poland. The Knights' official junior organization,
the Columbian Squires, has over 5,000 Circles. All the Order's
ceremonials and business meetings are restricted to members though all
other events are open to the public. A promise not to reveal any
details of the ceremonials except to an equally qualified Knight is
required to ensure their impact and meaning for new members; an
additional clause subordinates the promise to that Knight's civil and
religious duties.
In the 2006 fraternal year, the Order gave $143.8 million directly to
charity (1.1 Billion in charitable contributions in the last 10 years)
and performed over 68 million man hours of voluntary service. For their
support for the Church and local communities, as well as for their
philanthropic efforts, the Order is often referred to as the "strong
right arm of the Church". The Order's insurance program has more than
$60 billion of life insurance policies in force and holds the highest
insurance ratings given by A. M. Best, Standard & Poor's, and
the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association.