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"Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be men of cour age, be strong." ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13
In 1881, Father McGivne y began to explore the idea of a Catholic, fraternal benefit society. In a era when parish clubs and fraternal societies had wide popular appeal, th e young priest felt there should be some way to strengthen religious faith and at the same time provide for the financial needs of families overwhelme d by illness or death of the breadwinner. Father McGiveny had suggested "So ns of Columbus" as a name for the Order. This would bind Catholicism and Am ericanism together through the faith and bold vision of the New World's exp lorer (see October 12th entry). The word "knights" replaced "sons" b ecause Irish-born Civil War veterans wanted to apply a noble ritual in supp ort of the emerging cause of Catholic civil liberty. The Order's principles in 1882 were UNITY and CHARITY. The concepts of FRATERNITY and PATRIOTISM were added later. These Columbus-linked themes ... |