KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS RINGS 3

Knights of Columbus Rings by Fox Jewelry. It is with a great deal of pleasure that Fox Jewelry is able to offer Knights of Columbus Rings. Fox Jewelry is fast becoming one of the leading sources for Knights of Columbus rings, Knights of Columbus jewelry, Masonic rings, Masonic jewelry, Shriners rings and Shriners jewelry on the net! The items on these pages represent more than 200 years of the knowledge and experience required to manufacture the finest emblems and fraternal items. The quality of workmanship in these rings is recognized world-wide as the accepted standard of excellence in the creation of all types of emblematic jewelry!

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Knights of Columbus - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal beneficiary society of Roman Catholic men, organized under a charter granted by the state of Connecticut, March 29, 1882. The Knights of Columbus had been organized in February 1882 by a 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, in the basement of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. The Order has been called "the strong right arm of the Church."

The membership is divided into two classes - insurance and associate. Insurance policies are issued to members of the first class between the ages of 18 and 60. Associate class membership was created in 1893 for those who do not make use of the insurance feature, who are of advanced age, or who because of physical disability are unable to pass the physical examination. In addition to the insurance of members, the society is devoted to the promotion of charity and vocational education.

Applicants for membership must subscribe to being opposed to Socialism as an economic system. Subordinate bodies of the order are known as councils; the governing body is the supreme council. The ritualistic work leading to full membership consists of four degrees.

The K of C degrees are less initiatic than educational. Like the first two degrees in American Freemasonry, the first and second degrees of the Knights of Columbus are based on education lectures. The first degree teaches the main lesson of Charity, and also emphasizes the mortality of the body as opposed to the immortality of the soul. Here the candidate is first introduced to the concept of secrecy, and promises not to reveal the ceremonials, except to a priest when necessary. Candidates are taught that secrecy is intended to prevent an impostor from gaining aid from the Order. In the second degree, the candidates are lectured on the importance of Unity to Catholics in general and Knights in particular. The third degree begins by testing the candidates on their knowledge of the tenets of Catholicism; it is not unlike a Sunday-school catechism quiz. Their knightly virtues (Charity, Unity and Fraternity) are then put to a practical test that teaches them that it is the Catholic nature of a man that matters, not the outward trappings of his career, special needs, or ethnic background. The degree also teaches profound respect for priests and American principles of democracy, through dramatic use of role-playing. Reportedly, the third, or Fraternal, degree can be so engrossing and dramatic as occasionally) to result in near-brawls as the candidates defend the Knightly honor of themselves and their Brethren.

The Fourth, or patriotic, degree, was added on February 22, 1900. It is divided into Assemblies and a serve as the uniformed body of the Knights that is usually seen in parades. Requirements for taking the fourth degree are that a man has been a third degree member for at least one year, is in good standing, and shows a high willingness to proclaim his patriotism. The fourth degree consists primarily of lectures designed to impart an appreciation for the contribution of Catholics to American history, and to express the importance of American liberty to Catholics. This is usually followed by celebration of the Mass, and a banquet held in honor of the new Worthy Sir Knights, who wear tuxedos and a red, white and blue baldric (or sword belt) draped from right shoulder to left hip. This is the distinctive uniform of the Assembly.

Emblems associated with the Knights of Columbus are the anchor, sword, and fasces or Mace. The Emblem of the Order dates from the Second Supreme meeting, May 12, 1883, when it was designed by James T. Mullen, who was then the first Supreme Knight. The Emblem consists of a shield mounted upon a cross similar to a Maltese cross, turned sideways. The shield is that associated with a medieval Knight. The cross of Malta is the representation, in a traditionally artistic design, of the Cross of Christ through which all graces of redemption were procured for mankind. This, then, represents the Catholic spirit of the Order.

Mounted on the shield are three objects; a mace standing vertically, and crossed behind it, an anchor and a dagger or short sword. The mace from Roman days of authority, which must exist in any tightly-bonded and efficiently operating organization. The anchor is the mariner's symbol for Columbus, patron of the Order, while the short sword or dagger was the weapon of the Knight when engaged upon an errand of mercy.

Thus the shield expresses Catholic Knighthood in organized merciful action, and with the letters K. of C., it proclaims this specific form of activity. The red, white, and blue in the background of the shield and the foreground of the Cross of Malta are the colors of the United States. As such, red is the color of stouthearted courage, of pulsing activity and a full measure of devotion. Blue is the symbol of hope, of calm tranquility under God, and of confidence in the protection of a country, established under God. White is the symbol of nobility of purpose, of purity of aim, and of crucible-tried ideals to be carried out.

There is an additional symbolism associated with the colors red, white, and blue. This is the ecclesiastical symbolism in which red becomes the reflection of the drops of Christ's redemptive blood, shed upon Calvary, and of the Martyr's bloodshed in defense of the faith. Red, then, is the symbol of Faith, of belief in Christ, in the Redemption, and in the mission of every man to spread the knowledge and love of...Jesus Christ. White is the color of the Eucharistic Host, pledge of God's Eucharistic presence among men, of the infinite love God had for man, and of the overwhelming affection which the God-man had for each individual. White then is the symbol of Christ-like Charity. Blue is the color of Mary's mantle, in which she draped her beloved Son, through Whom salvation came to a sinful world. Blue is then the symbol of Hope.

On some early Knights of Columbus watch fobs, the reverse side to the shield often has on it a skull and cross bones surrounded by the letters "TFMM," which stands for the Latin motto "Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori" or "Time Flies, Remember Death." Often this is overlaid on a representation of a mariner's compass which has a red, white and blue compass rose and on which the direction West relates to the letter "T", North to "F", East to "M", and South to the final "M."

The Fourth Degree emblem consists of three overlaid objects representing the Trinity. The Globe represents God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Crusader's Cross, similar to the cross which knights use to wear into battle during the Holy Crusades, represents God the Son, Jesus Christ. The Dove represents the God the Holy Spirit, Paraclete. The colors, Red, White, and Blue are the colors of the American Flag representative of the principle of the 4th Degree, Patriotism.