Archives and Records - Catholic Northwest History Curriculum
Lesson Plan: Knights of Culumbus
 

Knights of Columbus
Lesson Plan IX.B

(Printer-friendly version)

Laity: Lay Organizations

Grades: 6-12
Suggested time frame: 1 50-minute period

Introduction | Important Learnings | Student Activities/Assessments
Teacher Activities | Related Topics | Word Study | Materials and Resources
Sources  | Assessing the Reliability of Resource Materials

Introduction

The purpose of this lesson plan is to enable students to understand the impact of lay organizations—in particular, the Knights of Columbus—on the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1882 by Michael McGivney, the Knights of Columbus created a new Catholic social fraternal movement with the desire to serve the larger Catholic community. The first council of the Knights of Columbus in the Archdiocese of Seattle was organized in Seattle in 1902. The first state convention was held in 1904. In 1920 the Knights of Columbus established a free evening school for war veterans in the Garrand Building on what is now Seattle University's campus. The women's auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus was originally called the Daughters of Isabella. They are now known as the Catholic Daughters of America. The Knights of Columbus is an organization that encompasses a unique blend of Catholic idealism and American patriotism, and focuses on community service, education and the support of religious vocations.  

Important Learnings

• The role lay men played in church society
• The mission of the Knights of Columbus
• The leadership role of lay men in the Archdiocese

Student Activities/Assessments
(independent or group)

• Attend a Knights of Columbus event 
• Draw the symbol of the Knights of Columbus
• Write an essay on the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Michael J. McGivney
• Interview a member of the local Knights of Columbus chapter
• Hold a panel discussion about the Knights of Columbus and how the symbol of Christopher Columbus might create debate within the Catholic Church
• Discuss the relationship between the Catholic Daughters of America, the Daughters of Isabella, and the Knights of Columbus
• Invite a member of the Knights of Columbus to discuss his organization

Teacher Activities

• Locate the mission statement of the Knights of Columbus

Related Topics

• Role of lay men in the church
• Vocations

Word Study

• Fraternal Order
• Laity
• Lay Organizations

Materials and Resources

• Archives of the Archdiocese of Seattle, (206) 382-4352
• The Catholic Northwest Progress
• Schoenberg, Wilfred P., S.J., A History of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest 1743-1983, Pastoral Press, 1987, p. 505
• Kauffman, Christopher J., Columbianism and the Knights of Columbus: A Quincentanary History, Simon and Schuster, 1992
• any Catholic encyclopedia
• any Catholic dictionary

Sources
Electronic versions of primary sources can be downloaded in Portable Document Format (.PDF). You will need Acrobat Reader to view the files. If you do not have it installed on your computer, you can download the software from the Adobe website.

Archives of the Archdiocese of Seattle

RG11,00 Knights of Columbus: Correspondence, Letter to Bishop 
Shaughnessy, January 12, 1935

RG 1100, Knights of Columbus, Seattle: Memorabilia 
"Catholic Men Attention" flyer, 1963

RG 1100, Knights of Columbus, Seattle: Memorabilia
     "By-Laws for the Knights of Columbus Club of Seattle," April 2, 1970
                    Page 1          Page 2          Page 3

Assessing the Reliability of Resource Materials

• By whom was it created?
• For whom or what was it created for?
• Does the creator have first hand knowledge of the subject? How does this affect the data recorded?
• Did the creator of the document have an interest in recording accurate information?
• Is this a primary source? Secondary source?