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| Abbreviation | KSC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 5 October 1919 |
| Type | Catholic fraternal service Order |
| Headquarters | 196 Clyde St, Glasgow G1 4JY |
Supreme Knight | Harry Welsh |
Key people | The Incorporators |
| Website | www.ksc.org.uk |
The Knights of St Columba is a fraternal service order affiliated with the Catholic Church in Scotland, in England and Wales,[1] and, through their Province of Liverpool, in the Isle of Man.[2] Founded in Glasgow in 1919,[3] the Knights are named in honour of Saint Columba, a 6th-century Celtic Church missionary descended from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland in modern County Donegal, who founded Iona Abbey and successfully evangelized both the Picts and Gaels of modern Scotland. The Knights describes themselves as dedicated to the principles of Charity, Unity and Fraternity.[4] There are around 2400 members of the KSC, in over 200 councils across Great Britain — it features in England, Scotland and Wales. Membership is limited to Catholic men aged 16 and over, and promotes the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.[1]
The organisation is apolitical and essentially democratic, does not admit women, and exists to support the mission of the Catholic Church. The KSC organisation is a member of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights. Founder of the Knights at Glasgow in 1919 and the first Supreme Knight was P. J. O'Callaghan.
Admission ceremonies usually take place in a Catholic parish during the celebration of Mass.
The group organises annual Christian pilgrimages to Aylesford Priory in Kent and Carfin Lourdes Grotto near Motherwell in North Lanarkshire. The 2019 centennial of the Knights' foundation was celebrated with a special pilgrimage to Iona Abbey, which was founded by the Knights' patron saint, followed by a Mass offered on site.
- ^ a b "Membership of the Knights of Saint Columba". KSC.org.uk. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ Knights of St Columba, Liverpool Province, Douglas - Isle of Man, Council 458.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles George (1940). The Catholic Encyclopedia. Appleton.
- ^ "Knights of St Columba: A Fraternal Order of Catholic Men". Diocese of Middlesbrough. Retrieved 2008-10-31.