[ConservativeMind]

Aren't both the KOC and the Freemasons basically just drinking groups for older men?

They may have stood for something at one time, but from what I've heard, both are in great decline and are now largely irrelevant.

[sitetest]

Dear ConservativeMind,

"Aren't both the KOC and the Freemasons basically just drinking groups for older men?

"They may have stood for something at one time, but from what I've heard, both are in great decline and are now largely irrelevant."

I can't speak for the Masons, but I can for the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus has over 1.7 million members world-wide, and continues to grow. Started in the United States, the Order is now spreading through much of the Catholic world, with jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico, the Phillipines, Poland, and other nations.

The Order has over 11,000 active Councils, one of the largest and highest-rated insurance programs in the United States with over $60 billion of insurance in force, contributes millions upon millions of hours of labor annually to charitable purposes, and tens of millions of dollars, as well.

You may want to learn a little bit about this "drinking group" here:

http://www.kofc.org/un/index.cfm


S/K DGK sitetest, PGK

[ArrogantBustard]

Can't speak for Masons ... but to describe the Knights of Columbus as a "drinking group for older men" is so far from reality as to border on either lunacy or slander. Every KofC Council I have been involved with is very active in philanthropy and in supporting the activities of its host Parish. Indeed, my current Pastor, when founding our Parish, as one of his first official acts ensured that a KofC council was formed ... we knights were instrumental in getting the Parish up and running.

[Andyman]

Any thought of the Knights in such a way is very wrong. While individual Knights or councils might be that way, any organization that counts 1.7 million members who contribute over a billion dollars of time and money a year is hardly inconsequential.

Knights membership is growing, with expansion in Europe (Poland).

Andyman, a proud 4th Degree Knight.

[starfish923]

Aren't both the KOC and the Freemasons basically just drinking groups for older men?
They may have stood for something at one time, but from what I've heard, both are in great decline and are now largely irrelevant.

My first impulse was to chuckle because you are correct.

My second impulse is to think....true, but how sad for Christianity and our Christian communities. A strong Christian community NEEDS strong men, fathers, male role models.

[MeanWestTexan]

"Aren't both the KOC and the Freemasons basically just drinking groups for older men?"

To some degree. It is, and always has been a "fraternity." It's a place for men to have fraternal bonding, have fun, and do good works that they could not otherwist do by themselves.

There is no religion invovled at all, except that all the value (and lessons) come from this two commandments: "Love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbor as thyself."

AND yes, the God is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.


I joined the York Rite (the strictly Christian branch of the fraternity) because they raised money to buy a neonatal ventilator --- two weeks before my daughter "happened" to need it when she was born months early.

Saved her life.

The evil people who critize masons are doing Satan's work, whether they know it or not.

[AlaninSA]

They may have stood for something at one time, but from what I've heard, both are in great decline and are now largely irrelevant.

Irrelevant?

I can't speak for the Masons, but I can certainly speak for the Knights. I'm a Fourth Degree Knight here in San Antonio.

Some of the "irrelevant things" we do as Knights include:

Hurricane Katrina

The Knights of Columbus Gulf States Disaster Relief Fund grew to more than $10 million, and that financial aid was supplemented by hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours of service by Knights in the immediate area (hundreds of Knights worked eight-hour shifts at the Houston Astrodome, for example) and by Knights throughout the U.S. and Canada, who collected clothing, food and other staples for storm victims.

The Knights of Columbus also quickly provided badly needed resources to Catholic Charities offices in Baton Rouge, La., and Mobile, Ala., when they were suddenly overwhelmed with thousands of people who escaped the storm with little but the clothes on their backs. The Knights wired $200,000 to Baton Rouge Catholic Charities just a few days after the storm hit, long before resources were available from any other source. Individual Knights of Columbus at dozens of K of C halls in the region served thousands of meals to evacuees, and several halls were made available to police and national guard officials for use as temporary command centers.

The Knights of Columbus also made significant contributions to the restoration of Catholic education in the affected areas, including a $500,000 grant to the New Orleans Catholic school system, which paid tuition expenses for hundreds of low-income students whose parents were suddenly left without jobs or income.

September 11

The Knights of Columbus were one of the first organizations to offer relief to families of fallen police, firefighters and emergency personnel – within two days of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Since 2001, the Knights have also taken the lead in helping the country to remember the day in a prayerful way. Among the highlights of the Knights activities in the aftermath of September 11:

$1.49 million in immediate aid provided to 419 relatives of fallen emergency personnel through the Knights’ Heroes Fund, which began distributing checks to family members – regardless of religious affiliation – within two days of the attacks.

More than $3500 distributed to each recipient for emergency needs. The fund was established September 12, 2001, and the first checks were delivered September 13.

More than 40 members of the Knights of Columbus members were killed on September 11.

Full scholarships to the Catholic college of their choice are available to 29 children of members killed or disabled in the line of duty on September 11 through the Order’s Matthews and Swift Educational Trust Scholarship program.

Irrelevant?

Hardly?

In decline?

NOT A CHANCE!

The Knights are not ones to brag, but we're here, raising money and making a better world. For more and smaller-scope activities, I invite you to look at the Knights in Action section of our website (http://www.kofc.org/un/news/kia/index.cfm).

The Knights ARE relevant and we're not a drinking group (although we do some of that, too!). We're a group of committed Catholic men who serve God through service to our fellow man.

[Rio]

Aren't both the KOC and the Freemasons basically just drinking groups for older men?

You're thinking of the mooses and elks!