Frequently Asked Questions

   As a Knight, you can choose the projects in which you wish to be involved within your own community. What is more, the Order is dedicated to family life and the many benefits it offers. From insurance to scholarships to service and social activities and programs, all are open to the whole family.

  Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. 

  A practical Catholic accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

   Formerly, there had been four degrees within the Knights of Columbus (Admission, Formation, Knighthood, and Patriotic). Each degree ceremony imparted a lesson on the Order’s core virtues of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. In 2020, this system was simplified. New Knights of Columbus members experience a single degree ceremony that covers Charity, Unity and Fraternity and confers full Knighthood. The only optional degree is the 4th Degree which is still available for men who lead efforts to reach out to veterans and active military and to embody the fact that one can be a faithful Catholic and also be a faithful citizen. A practical Catholic accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

   No; unlike many fraternal organizations one does not become a member by purchasing insurance. In the Knights of Columbus, a man has to be a member before he may avail himself of the insurance benefit. Purchasing insurance is optional, however; the life insurance and long-term care insurance products offered by the Order are not only competitively priced, they are among the most solid and highly rated products available anywhere. Standard & Poor’s and A.M. Best, the leading independent agencies that rate insurance companies, give K of C insurance their highest ratings.