In the first Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus since the death of Pope Francis, the supreme gentleman Patrick Kelly paid tribute to the legacy of the late Pontiff and celebrated the growth of the organization and its charitable achievements during the last year.
The Knights of Columbus began their 143rd annual convention on August 5 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, where thousands of members of the organization – including Archbishop William Lori, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights for 20 years – met for the occasion.
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Kelly, who has served as a supreme gentleman since 2021, recalled the dedication of Pope Francis for the most vulnerable – a distinctive seal of the global charitable work of the Knights of Columbus – and the close relationship of the late pontiff with the fraternal organization.
“Pope Francis was a powerful witness of charity and, when he called the Church to go to the Periferias, he led with the example, as a good father,” Kelly said during the presentation of the annual report on the charitable work of the Knights.
“His love for the poor and the sick was extraordinary,” he said. “Who can forget the moment, in the first days of his pontificate, when he hugged a severely disfigured man in the Plaza de San Pedro or when he celebrated his 80th birthday sharing breakfast with homeless people? He did what our world so often refuses to do. And the world observed, with admiration.”
Kelly said Francisco was “a great friend of the Knights of Columbus,” that “he encouraged our charity worldwide” and “especially praised our humanitarian work in Ukraine, as well as our efforts to combat human trafficking.” He also attributed to Francisco the inspiration for the organization to expand its scope towards the indigenous peoples of the United States, Canada and the Philippines.
Global Charitable Labor and Growth of the Knights of Colón
During his speech, Kelly also reported on the continuous charitable work of the fraternal organization worldwide and its growth.
The report indicated that the members of the Columbus Knights collectively dedicated more than 48 million hours to the service. The organization also broke its record of charitable donations, reaching about 197 million dollars during the year.
According to the report, the Knights of Columbus exceeded 2.1 million members after more than 96,000 men joined the organization last year. The Knights of Columbus have also grown on the University Campus, now with 8,000 gentlemen in 146 university councils.
Kelly said that the Knights of Columbus are currently responding to the sudden flood in Texas, where “hundreds of families lost their loved ones – and a brother Caballero tragically lost their two parents and their two small daughters.” The gentlemen also responded to floods in various parts of the United States such as Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida, along with forest fires in California.
The report indicated that the Knights of Columbus have continued “carrying emergency supplies to refugees” in Ukraine with the organizations of charity of the organization and serve people in the country through their centers of mercy.
“We pray for the end of the war in Ukraine, but while the war continues, we will be there for those who suffer,” Kelly said.
Kelly reported the growth of the global mission of wheelchairs of the Knights, which has now donated more than 158,000 wheelchairs, including 19,000 last year. This includes 300 to Nigeria, who were delivered to “Christians who have supported violence and persecution for their faith.”
The Knights of Columbus also established a new record of winter coats delivered to children through their children’s coats for children, which has now exceeded 1.6 million coats delivered in total.
According to the report, the gentlemen’s program helps and support after pregnancy (ASAP) provided $ 6 million to pregnancy centers last 17 million in the last three years. The knights also exceeded 2,000 ultrasound donated through their ultrasound initiative aimed at “saving lives showing parents to their unborn children.”
The Knights of Columbus also saw growth in their COR program, which is an “environment of small groups (which) gives men a place to embrace the mission for which they were made, the mission that God himself has given them in a unique way,” according to the report. In August 2024, COR was active in 650 tips, but now it has expanded to more than 5,000 tips.
“As every generation that preceded us, we will advance, in charity, unity and fraternity,” Kelly said.
“We will serve our Lord serving others,” he added. “And we will sacrifice for them, as he did for us.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter of the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in various media, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.