Knights eager to boost membership

Special to the WCR
New Haven, Conn.

The Knights currently have more than 1.6 million members in 68 state jurisdictions in Canada, the United States and other countries.

Virgil Dechant, supreme knight, recently announced incentives for grand knights of councils which hold a first degree exemplification before the end of the year.

The average age of new members in the order is 40. There are currently 11,500 active councils and the Knights have more than US$37 billion of insurance in force.

There are currently 12,700 knights in the Alberta-Northwest Territories jurisdiction.

Beginning in September, a Jubilee Year cross will begin travelling among K of C councils as part of the Knights' Holy Hour of Prayer for the New Millennium service.

Councils will be asked to schedule a prayer service and host the Jubilee Year cross.

The order is also celebrating the 100th anniversary of its fourth degree in 2000. It hopes to initiate 20,000 new sir knights into the fourth degree next year, set up 60 new assemblies and hold 250 exemplifications.

The order also announced that last year it contributed nearly $111 million to charity and its members volunteered 55 million hours of personal service to the Church and community and youth programs in 1998.

Of the $111 million, $90 million was raised by local and state councils.

The most generous jurisdiction per capita was British Columbia where the Knights gave away $219.86 per member. B.C. has 8,875 knights.

Ontario donated the largest amount of money - more than $9.1 million. Quebec was second, donating just over $6 million.

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