Emblem of the Order
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Knights of Columbus Council 14754
Charity, Unity and Fraternity
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
  

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Do You?
Wish to become a member of the Knights of Columbus?

Are you already a Knight but wish to transfer to our council?
Desire some information regarding membership in the Knights of Columbus?
Are a former member interested in rejoining the Knights of Columbus?
Click >>HERE<< to email our Council's Membership Director
or
Click >>HERE<< to download a PDF fill in form of our Council's MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Continue reading below to find out more details about membership in the Knights of Columbus.
 
REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN THE KNIGHTS:
          Since 1882, membership in the Knights of Columbus has been open to men 18 years of age or older who are "practical" (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. Since that time, the Knights of Columbus has understood "practical catholic" to mean a Catholic who accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

          The above paragraph is pasted directly from the web page of the supreme council of the Knights of Columbus which is the parent organization for all Knights of Columbus councils. By signing our council’s membership application that you can download from the link provided above you are attesting that you meet these requirements.  

ADMISSION CEREMONY
          Once our council’s admission committee has reviewed and approved your membership application you will be invited to participate in an admission ceremony which is called our exemplification ceremony. This ceremony, which began in 2020 is a major change from the three-degree levels of membership that were conducted by the Knights from its formation in 1882 up until 2020. So, forget about what you thought was involved in Knight admission ceremonies and read this information supplied in Q&A format from the supreme council about the new exemplification ceremony. Our council conducts periodic live parish site exemplifications, or we will invite you to take your exemplification online depending on your preference.

Why have these changes been made?
          The future of our Order depends upon growth, and to grow, we need a way to join that is inviting and accessible. The new combined ceremony removes the barriers of secrecy and commitment of time that inhibited many from joining our ranks. It also eliminates redundancies and presents the lessons of charity, unity and fraternity in a more clear and convincing way.

What is the difference between the new degree exemplification and the old ceremonies?
          Instead of having separate closed-door ceremonies, all three degrees can now be conferred in a single ceremony held in the parish, or in a council chamber.

Who can attend the new degree exemplification?
         The new ceremony (live or online) is open to guests, including the family and friends of current and new Knights

Should First and Second-Degree members participate?
          Encourage First- and Second-Degree members to participate in the Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity. These members should also be invested with a rosary and lapel pin, even though they received them at their First-Degree ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony, they are Third Degree members. (Editorial comment from council 14754 charter member and PGK Jim Patten, our council’s historian: Put another way, upon exemplification all new members become full fledged council members which traditionally were called 3rd degree members. Remember when formed in 1882 the Knights were living in the era of strong masonic lodges, powerful civil war veterans groups like the Grand Army of the Republic), and the KKK that was powerful and anti-Catholic. This also accounts for the ceremonial robes that Knights used to wear until 2020, and the rather pompous officer titles that remain today reflect our founding era. The choice of Knights of Columbus vs Knights of Christ for our order becomes clear considering how revered Columbus was at the time.)

Are online members allowed to participate?
          Online members can participate and then transfer into your council. The transfer details can be handled afterwards. If an online member wishes to remain in the Online Division (Council), his wishes should be respected.

There is no pledge of secrecy in this ceremony. How do members handle the promises they made during the original ceremonials?
          Promises made in previous ceremonies should be honored.

Will knighting be conducted using a sword?
          Knighting with a sword will be reserved for Exemplification of Patriotism, when the member becomes a “Sir Knight.”
            So, you have read above that the Knights of Columbus has streamlined, and we believe improved, the process of having men join our ranks. The Exemplification of Patriotism and “Sir Knight” (a.k.a. The Patriotic Degree) designation is separate from councils. Over 20 Knights in our council are also “Sir Knights” and belong to our local Admiral Callahan 4th degree Assembly #53. Of the over 2 million Knights about 330,000 are also “Sir Knights” as reported at the 2021 supreme Knight’s annual convention. Our membership director can supply you with contact information for Assembly #53 here in Bakersfield.

COUNCIL ADMISSION PROCESS:
1. If you are a seeking a new membership in the Knights or are a member of another council wishing to transfer to our council or an online member wishing to join our council contact our membership director and download and complete our council’s membership application (go to top of this page for links).
2. Once your application is approved by our admission committee you will be contacted to take your exemplification (admission ceremony) either online or in a live ceremony at our parish. Transfer-in members and online members who have already taken their exemplification ceremony do not have to take another exemplification.
3. Once you have taken your exemplification you will receive a temporary membership card and pay your initial council dues. Our $48 annual council dues are billed annually for existing members in November and payable by January 31. In our annual dues billings, we ask members to pay up to $20 or more in additional optional dues. We use these funds to cover membership fees for members who have requested dues waivers. New members will be billed at $4 per month for the remaining full months of the year joined. Transfer-in members begin paying dues to our council based on the dues paid thru date from their previous council. Note you need to present your membership card to the warden or one of the guards to be admitted to a council meeting.

NOTE ABOUT ONLINE vs COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP:
There are two types of memberships available in the Knights of Columbus which is another change made in 2020 along with our new exemplification ceremony.
A council membership is obtained by following the three steps noted above. A council member is entitled to vote on motions at his council’s meetings and serve as a council officer or director or a council committee member or chair. Online members cannot serve in any council positions or vote; however, their online membership cards (issued by the supreme office of the Knights of Columbus) allow them to attend council meetings anywhere in the country. Council members can also attend meetings of other councils anywhere in the country by presenting their council membership card. That is why Knights often refer to their membership cards as traveling cards.

Men wishing to join as online members do so by signing up at the Knights of Columbus supreme office web page (link supplied on our site). Online membership is $30 year and paid directly to the supreme office. The online membership year begins based on the date you join as an online member. Online membership is ideal for men who are part of the “mobile society”, or who live in a location where there are no local councils reasonably close. Online members can always switch to a council membership by following the three steps above. Online members can, but do not need to take the exemplification ceremony. Council members can switch to online membership.

NOTE ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO MOVE OR CHANGE CONTACT INFORMATION:
          Once you have joined as a council member you will be billed your annual dues from your council and receive your council membership card from them. If you change addresses or email and/or phone numbers (i.e., contact information), you need to notify your council’s financial secretary of your new contact information so he can send your annual dues statement there and update your contact information on the supreme database. (Your council financial secretary’s email is shown on the back of your membership card.) This will also ensure that you continue to receive mailings for both your council and supreme, like dues statements and the monthly Columbia magazine. Stated another way, moving out of town does not automatically remove you from your council’s dues roster and both supreme and the state Knight council will continue to charge their head count membership fees to your council (about $20 per member for our council) regardless of whether you continue to pay dues or not pay dues. Remember no one gets compensated for their work as council officer, director, or chairmanship, so keeping track of current member contact information is not a chore councils, unlike, say the IRS, are well equipped for. We are fortunate that our parish allows our council to utilize its Flocknote email and texting system which is helpful in managing contact information. None the less, the inability to track down non-dues paying members results in the major reason for men being suspended from membership. We will never suspend a member who is unable to pay his dues, but we have no choice if he is unwilling to pay or not traceable.

NOTE ABOUT OUT OF STATE COUNCIL MEMBERS
          Currently we have council members living in Arizona, Washington, Idaho, Illinois, and Texas, including a past grand knight, a son of one of our BBQ Pit Master members, and a member with 26+ years of service as a Knight. These members have not made the decision to transfer to a new council but want to retain their Knight memberships and want continuing information about our parish and council activities by receiving our monthly council newsletters and other texts and emails from our Flocknote system. We are delighted that these men continue with our council, as we know they have other options. They can request a local council in their area to allow them to transfer-in there. They can also elect to drop off our roster by switching, as noted above, from being a council member to becoming an online member. (This is often done by members in a Knight college campus council when they graduate.) Although the switch to online membership will end their council membership, their years of service record and rights to KofC insurance coverage's continue as well as receiving the monthly Columbian magazine and email notices from the supreme council.

INFORMATION ON DUES WAIVERS:
          As already stated above we will never suspend a member who is unable to pay his dues. If a member is in tight financial circumstances due to unemployment or medical issues all he must do is request a dues waiver for current-year dues and we will honor his request. A member should simply notify our membership director or request a dues waiver from retention committee members when they follow up with him on delinquent dues. Members with permanent disabilities will be given a complete dues waiver upon submission of a brief physician statement. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to suspend members who we cannot contact us or refuse to respond to follow up attempts to collect delinquent dues.

VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERSHIP:
          We hope that once a man joins the Knights he will become a life-long member. Based on a recent roster here is a percentage breakdown of years of service for our council.
30 years and over 5% of total membership.
20-29 years           3%
10-19                   18%
5-9                       28%
1-4                       46%
TOTAL               100%
We also have several honorary life members who are dues exempt. So, there is recognition for long-term members. We, like many other councils, have current members who are second or third generation Knights.
None the less, membership in the Knights of Columbus is voluntary and a member can end his membership anytime by sending an email or letter to his council’s financial secretary or the KofC supreme membership department. Resigned members can always be readmitted to membership, however the clock is reset to zero on their years of service based on their reentry date.
 
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