About

On October 2, 1881, Father Michael J. McGivney, brought together a group of laymen from his parish, St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut. He proposed the establishment of a lay program to unite Catholic men, to prevent them from entering antithetical secret societies that would support the families of deceased members. The Knights of Columbus was founded on February 1882 and chose the Christopher Columbus as their patron. to celebrate their loyalty to both their country and their faith.The word knights was also chosen to demonstrate the knights values of virtue and service to others.   The Order has evolved into a service organization with a strong family orientation. The Knights of Columbus remains headquartered in New Haven, but is now present with nearly 12,000 Councils worldwide. 

The core values of the Knights of Columbus are Charity, faith, and fraternity. These values drive our mission to support our parishes, families and communities through charity in living our faith and doing it through fellowship with our brother Knights. We support many charitable efforts, including bringing families togethers and supporting the families of deceased knights. One way the Knights supports families is by providing financial security to members and their families.

Local Council #10863

At the local level, councils function as a strong right arm for priests by serving families, parishes, and communities; St. Brigid Of Kildare Council #10863 was founded in 1992 for this purpose. The council has over 225 members, and is one of the largest councils in the state. Our council has won many awards over the years, including Star Council several times , placed in the top 10 councils in Ohio four times (awarded First Place twice). The council also provides many opportunities for our membership to take part in fraternal outings as well as charitable activities for the benefit of our parish and community. 

St. Brigid is a large parish; joining the Knights is a great way to get to know other men in the parish, work together for the good of the parish, and grow spiritually too. Membership in the Knights can bring out the best in all of us, young and old alike.

Fourth Degree Knights

The Fourth Degree is the Patriotic Degree of the Knights of Columbus and represents the most visible face of the Knights. Fourth Degree Honor Guards serve events as those attended by the Bishop, for example, the Annual Council Memorial Mass, the Blue Mass in Honor of Law Enforcement, parades and events to honor our Veterans are key activities of the Fourth Degree. We also have an active women’s group for the wives or girlfriends of Fourth Degree Knights. They support Fourth Degree functions as well as their own projects supporting a unified mission. Other activities include social family events such as picnics and museum trips. St. Brigid of Kildare is only one of nine councils that are part of Bishop Edward J. Herrmann Assembly #2727.  Becoming a Fourth Degree Knight is a great way to meet Knights from other Councils – talk to a Fourth Degree member to find out more.