How is the financial protection of families related to the mission of the Knights?

March 1, 2024

By Rick Gaskell

March 1, 2024

Founding Vision (2003), painting by Antonella Cappuccio / Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center

Protecting Catholic families through insurance and other financial services is not merely a benefit the Knights of Columbus provides its members — it’s a primary reason the Order exists.

When the Knights was founded in 1882, the early death of a breadwinner was all too common, especially among working-class immigrants. When his own father died at 48, Michael McGivney was in seminary and his youngest sibling was just 3 years old. Later, as a young priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, Father McGivney saw the plight of widows and orphans in his parish. His goal in forming the Knights, he wrote, was to “unite the men of our Faith … that we may thereby gain strength to aid each other in time of sickness; to provide for decent burial, and to render pecuniary assistance to the families of deceased members.”

Knights of Columbus field agents further this mission today by helping brother Knights and their families plan for challenges, from a sudden disability to an untimely death, as well as for retirement and other financial needs. They help to prepare for “what-ifs,” providing peace of mind, and assist families in the difficult days following the death of a loved one.

Forbes magazine recently named the Knights of Columbus to its 2024 list of “America’s Best Insurance Companies” in the permanent life insurance category. But Catholic families might take more pride and comfort in the Knights’ legacy of charity, knowing that surplus funds support the charitable work of the Order and help to build up the Church.

For more information, visit kofc.org/familyfinance.

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RICK GASKELL is vice president of agent compliance & special advisor of Knights of Columbus. A veteran of the life insurance industry, he has served the Order for more than 20 years.

How is the financial protection of families related to the mission of the Knights?

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