Joined the KofC - Good or Bad

[Michie]

 

[Michie]

https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-story/index.html

In major change, Knights of Columbus drop secret initiation ceremony

The Knights of Columbus has announced a major revision to its longtime initiation ceremonies and for the first time will open them to the public, saying the changes are needed to become more appealing to prospective members and to respond to a “crisis” in church membership.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/founding-and-early-acts.html

12 Things to Know About the Knights of Columbus

Some facts and statistics on the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization.

www.ncregister.com

 

[chevyontheriver]

I almost joined once. They made you take a pledge to keep everything they did secret - red flag. Instead of taking the pledge I declined in front of the whole group. The group wasn't really spiritual, mostly functional, anyway - Friday fish fry's, a basketball contest, etc.. Not much a secular group couldn't do.

I have no idea what the secret stuff was to this day, but it was weird.

Everything they did secret? Secret fish fries? Right. Or did you almost join the Masons? They have real secrets.

 

[Michie]

Anti-Catholicism is still rampant. When certain posters only come to OBOB to take jabs, it’s apparent. Examples? We have many.

 

[AlexB23]

Anti-Catholicism is still rampant. When certain posters only come to OBOB to take jabs, it’s apparent. Examples? We have many.

I have no idea why people are anti-Catholic in 2024. We are all together in Jesus.

 

[Michie]

I have no idea why people are anti-Catholic in 2024. We are all together in Jesus.

All one needs to do is read posting history to see the outright obsession.

 

[AlexB23]

All one needs to do is read posting history to see the outright obsession.

Agreed 100%.

 

[chevyontheriver]

All one needs to do is read posting history to see the outright obsession.

Some of them insist their Jesus is the real Jesus and that we have a fake one. Some of them were Catholic once and hate that which they once were. And then there are the secular folks, sometimes militantly atheist and sometimes just sexually alienated from Catholic morality. Whatever, they like to get their digs in.

 

[tampasteve]

I was a third degree KoC. I can only speak highly of the parish organization and the good things they do in the community. They did weekly prayer and group rosary with the parish priest as well as before any meetings. The "rites" are fun and nothing concerning in the least, it is not a red flag at all and not weird at all, you can find all of the rites online if you search enough. It is an organization that I wish more denominations would copy, it was nice for men to have somewhere to get together in an official way that was tied to the parish.

Most of the members were really nice men, largely 30-40 years older than I am, but they were still nice enough. I did not make any lasting friendships, however. Nobody bothered to contact me when I left the parish and stopped contributing time or money. The KoC headquarters still sends me the monthly magazine.

Getting there via taxi or uber should not be a problem for Parish events, you can probably even ask another member to pick you up for meetings or events since you are pretty close. Initiation nights could be a problem, mine were all over the metro area - each initiation held at a different place for various reasons, but they were up to 45 minutes away form the parish.

I would advise against their financial programs like the annuities, simply because there are better investments, their life insurance is fine, but again you can find better coverage for less with regular financial companies. I had both life and an annuity but I gave them up recently as I found better coverage from Prudential. They will pressure you to get some sort of coverage through them.

 

[AlexB23]

I was a third degree KoC. I can only speak highly of the parish organization and the good things they do in the community. They did weekly prayer and group rosary with the parish priest as well as before any meetings. The "rites" are fun and nothing concerning in the least, it is not a red flag at all and not weird at all, you can find all of the rites online if you search enough. It is an organization that I wish more denominations would copy, it was nice for men to have somewhere to get together in an official way that was tied to the parish.

Most of the members were really nice men, largely 30-40 years older than I am, but they were still nice enough. I did not make any lasting friendships, however. Nobody bothered to contact me when I left the parish and stopped contributing time or money. The KoC headquarters still sends me the monthly magazine.

Getting there via taxi or uber should not be a problem for Parish events, you can probably even ask another member to pick you up for meetings or events since you are pretty close. Initiation nights could be a problem, mine were all over the metro area - each initiation held at a different place for various reasons, but they were up to 45 minutes away form the parish.

I would advise against their financial programs like the annuities, simply because there are better investments, their life insurance is fine, but again you can find better coverage for less with regular financial companies. I had both life and an annuity but I gave them up recently as I found better coverage from Prudential. They will pressure you to get some sort of coverage through them.

Hey, thank you. I will stay away from their financial programs, and talk to my parents this weekend about the KofC as well.

 

[FaithT]

Hey, thank you. I am starting to like this organization. If worse comes to worse, I'll try it out for 90 days.

I don’t know much about them but I do know that they put on the Fish Frys at my church during Lent.

Agreed 100%. And hey, I might try KofC for a few months. Yes, at least this is not freemasonry. That stuff is off the deep end.

I know nothing at all about the Freemasons.

 

[FaithT]

Haha, I do not want the KofC to follow me in a black RV. I should have done more research, but I do know that they volunteer. I'll try it for a few months. If I don't like it, I'll be okay being followed by a black Winnebago.

View attachment 349457

Nobody is going to follow you if you quit.

 

[AlexB23]

Nobody is going to follow you if you quit.

Just playin' along with the joke.

 

[AlexB23]

I don’t know much about them but I do know that they put on the Fish Frys at my church during Lent.

I know nothing at all about the Freemasons.

Interesting. Fried fish is tasty.

 

[fide]

Hey, can I get any opposing views here, so I can see both sides, and weigh out my options?

I hope it just depends on the local chapter in your parish. In a former parish of mine, an officer in the KOC lobbied me to join. I agreed to have a cup of coffee with him and talk about it. In the discussion he confessed to me that he grieved very deeply and for so long a time over the shallow, thin part that the faith of our Church had in the Legion. It was mostly socializing and money-raising for admittedly good causes, but that was it. And he hoped that if joined, I could help him do something to bring a deeper presence of religion - spirituality - to the men.

As a catechist and teacher I've given many presentations, talks, lectures, etc. and so I offered a few talks to the group, to see how it'd go. It was painful. I don't know how the man could stand it for as long as he had. It was painful. But I have to say, no more painful than many groups, clubs, committees, etc. that form part of the Catholic world, for whom "Catholic" is a word in their vocabulary, a comfortable habit formed many years ago, a very-small small letter "t" tradition. But I pray to God for Him to send Grace - holy transforming Grace - to this Church that is in so many ways starving though many do not realize it - in a famine though they don't know it - for the very spiritual food that overflows in this Catholic Church! It overflows, unrecognized and unwanted. May God awaken us, and forgive us!

 

[AlexB23]

I hope it just depends on the local chapter in your parish. In my former parish, an officer in the KOC lobbied me to join. I agreed to have a cup of coffee with him and talk about it. In the discussion he confessed to me that he grieved very deeply and for so long a time over the shallow, thin part that the faith of our Church had in the Legion. It was mostly socializing and money-raising for admittedly good causes, but that was it. And he hoped that if joined, I could help him do something to bring a deeper presence of religion - spirituality - to the men.

As a catechist and teacher I've given many presentations, talks, lectures, etc. and so I offered a few talks to the group, to see how it'd go. It was painful. I don't know how the man could stand it for as long as he had. It was painful. But I have to say, no more painful than many groups, clubs, committees, etc. that form part of the Catholic world, for whom "Catholic" is a word in their vocabulary, a comfortable habit formed many years ago, a very-small small letter "t" tradition. But I pray to God for Him to send Grace - holy transforming Grace - to this Church that is in so many ways starving though many do not realize it - in a famine though they don't know it - for the very spiritual food that overflows in this Catholic Church! It overflows, unrecognized and unwanted. May God awaken us, and forgive us!

Thank you. I will ask the guy about this.

 

[Michie]

Just playin' along with the joke.

No it’s all wrong. Black helicopters with albino monks. Beware!

 

[AlexB23]

No it’s all wrong. Black helicopters with albino monks. Beware!

Haha, even worse. Black M1 Abram tanks with priests driving down the state highway after me.

 

[FaithT]

No it’s all wrong. Black helicopters with albino monks. Beware!

Hey, it was The DaVinci Code that inspired me to return to Christ and to the RCC the first time.

 

[joymercy]

Haha, even worse. Black M1 Abram tanks with priests driving down the state highway after me.

"Wait! Come back! Just confess, and it will all be over".......(I can see a tongue in cheek thread in a different forum, perhaps, that is a fantasy catholic story of a fictional nature, where we all can add in from scene to scene, post to post....?!)