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McGivney founded the Knights at a time when Catholics were regularly excluded from the unions and men's organizations that provided social support services. The Knights of Columbus today is a multi-million dollar non-profit charitable organization. Knights may be seen distributing Tootsie Rolls to raise funds to fight mental illness, volunteering for the Special Olympics and other charitable organizations, erecting pro-life billboards and "Keep Christ in Christmas" signs, conducting blood drives and raising funds for disaster victims, or parading at patriotic events with their bright capes, feathered chapeaux, and ceremonial swords. The Knights of Columbus also provide annual funding for the satellite uplink of Pope John Paul IIJohn Paul II ne Karol Jozef Wojtyla (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland), is the incumbent pope ( 1978 present), the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first ever from a Slavic country. His crusades against political oppression have been widel's worldwide Christmas address. In many countries that cannot afford satellite downlink, the Knights often pay for this as well.
One of the main reasons Fr. McGivney founded the Knights was to provide life insuranceLife insurance policies, including pensions and life annuity policies, provide payments depending on the life or the death of a particular person or persons. Life insurance policies are issued in two basic types: term life and permanent life. Term life in to its members. Today, members of the Knights of Columbus are still encouraged to purchase life insurance for themselves and their families, but they are not required to do so.
The governing body of the Knights of Columbus is the "Supreme Council," a body composed of elected representatives from each jurisdiction of the Order. This body acts in similar manner to the shareholders at an annual meeting, and elects each year eight directors to the board for a three year term. The twenty-four member Board of Directors then chooses from its own membership the senior operating officials of the Order, including the Supreme Knight. The current Supreme Knight is Carl Anderson.
Hierarchy descending from the Supreme Knight include State Deputies leading State Councils in each geographical state in the United States, each province in Canada and other jurisdictions carved out of member countries and territories; Territorial Deputies leading areas not yet incorporated into State Councils; District Deputies overseeing several Councils; and a Grand Knight heading each local Council in a specific geographic area. Councils are numbered in the order in which they chartered into the organization and are named by the local membership. San Salvador Council #1, in New Haven, Connecticut, still exists today. The Knights have ceremonial uniforms, and a variety of closed-door rituals and traditions.
A similar organisation exists in IrelandThe island of Ireland ire in Irish, Airlann in Ulster Scots) is the third-largest island in Europe. It lies on the west side of the Irish Sea, close to the island of Great Britain. It is composed of the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Irelan, known as the Knights of Columbanus after the Irish saint Columbanus, also known as Columban.