Knights of Columbus opens ceremony to public

LACONIA — Knights of Columbus Council 428 will open one of its formerly private ceremonies to the public on Thursday, Feb. 27, in keeping with a recent update of its requirements for membership degrees.

The Exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity will take place at St. Joseph Church at 7 p.m. During the ceremony, the first three degrees of membership will be conferred upon prospective Knights.

Grand Knight Ronald Keys said that, since its founding in the 1880s, the Knights of Columbus have barred even family members from attending the Exemplification. That changed in January when the Supreme Council of Knights of Columbus in Connecticut, which has oversight of all K of C councils around the globe, did a complete makeover of all degrees.

“They wisely allowed us to open it to the public,” said Keys, saying that ending the secrecy also serves as a wonderful recruiting tool for the council. He said that, during the first Exemplification when families could attend, the father, upon seeing his son become a Knight, decided that he, too, wanted to join the council.

Roots of secrecy

Keys explained the origins of the secrecy surrounding the ceremonies. Before Father Michael J. McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus in the mid-1880s, Catholics in America had to keep their faith hidden if they wanted to climb the ladder to political office, Keys said.

“When the immigrants came over from Europe, particularly Ireland, the Catholic Church was not accepted in this country,” Keys said. “Immigrants were not allowed to hold public office if they were Catholic because people were afraid their loyalty would be to the Pope and not to the country.”

Catholics also had no social network at that time, Keys continued. The father was usually the breadwinner and when he died, the family often became destitute.

Father McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus to fill that gap, creating both a social network and an insurance plan to keep families together in the event of catastrophe. Today, Knights of Columbus Insurance is one of the top-rated insurance companies in the country.

“Every member that joins is eligible for the insurance,” Keys said, “and they have a whole list of benefits, including money management for organizations.”

He said members know that any money invested is done in compliance with the Catholic religion.

The Knights of Columbus originally operated in secrecy so members could avoid being publicly known as Catholics in a society that had a prejudice against them.

“Over the years,” Keys said, “we realized that we’re not still in the 1800s and 1900s any more, and we should be more open to the public.”

The election of John F. Kennedy as president of the United States was a turning point for American Catholics, but even Kennedy faced questions about his allegiance. He had to make it known that his loyalty was first to the country, not to the Pope.

Open ceremony

With the changes enacted the first of this year by the Supreme Council, the Exemplification is open to families and friends for the first time.

The change also consolidated the degree process: In the past, a prospective Knight had to progress one degree at a time, according to Keys. For someone with a job, it was sometimes difficult to attain higher degrees because it may have meant travel to one of the other councils where the next degree ceremony was taking place.

Starting this year, the first degree (Charity), the second degree (Unity), and the third degree (Fraternity) have been consolidated, so someone coming in can advance directly to the third degree to become a full Knight during the Exemplification ceremony.

The fourth degree — the Patriotic — is reserved for a special “step-forward” ceremony that remains private.

“It’s the visible end of the Knights, when you see the uniforms,” Keys said. Attaining the fourth degree is when a Knight earns the right to wear the uniform and special hat and to carry a sword.

The event that visitors will see Thursday evening begins with the Rosary, where the Blessed Mother is an integral part of the ceremony. Members are presented with the Rosary, and then the Crucifix is brought forward — the symbol of the Order and the Lord Jesus Christ — and members will be asked to affirm their acceptance of the Church’s teachings. In addition to the Rosary, they will receive the Pin of the Order.

The Chaplain offers an opening and closing prayer, and there will be special recognition of the evening’s honoree, Knight George Garneau. A member of the local Council, Garneau also has served a state treasurer, district deputy who has charge of five or six councils, and a Founding Grand Knight for having opened a council. Garneau also served as Faithful Navigator, a Knight of the Fourth Degree who takes on oversight of three or four councils. In all, Garneau has been with the Knights of Columbus for more than 25 years.

Ronald Keys became the Grand Knight of Council 428 in Laconia four years ago and serves as the local financial secretary, district deputy for the Manchester area, and state director of memberships.