Knights of Columbanus
Knights of St. Columbanus Logo
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| Abbreviation | KSC |
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| Motto |
Instaurare omnia in Christo (To restore all things in Christ) |
| Formation | April 10, 1915 |
| Type | Catholic fraternal organisation |
| Headquarters | Ely House, Ely Place, Dublin |
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Founder
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Canon James Kearney O'Neill |
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Supreme Knight
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Barry C. MacMahon |
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Supreme Chaplain
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Rgt Rev. Mgr. Gerard Dolan PP. VG. |
| Affiliations | International Alliance of Catholic Knights |
| Website | knightsofcolumbanus.ie |
The Order of the Knights of Saint Columbanus (Irish: Ridirí Naomh Cholumba) is an Irish national Catholic fraternal organisation. Founded by Canon James K. O'Neill in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1915, it was named in honour of the Irish saint, Saint Columbanus. Initially established as a mutual benefit society to working class Catholics, it has developed into a fraternal benefit society dedicated to providing charitable services to all areas of the Irish community.
There are 68 councils across all 32 counties on the island of Ireland. Membership of the order is open to all practicing Catholic men and their families aged 21 and over. There is a youth division of the order open to young men aged between 16 and 21 called the Associate Knights of St. Columbanus. The Order is a founding member of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights.
The Pope John Paul II Awards have been chosen by the Knights of St. Columbanus as its National Project and have been financially supporting the Awards throughout Ireland. The Award, established in 2006 in the Diocese of Derry, recognises and encourages active involvement of 16-18 year olds in the life of their parish and community.
Fr. James Kearney O'Neill, of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, founded the Order of the Knights of St. Columbanus in 1915 "to cherish fraternal charity and to develop practical Catholicity among it's members, to promote and foster the cause of the Catholic faith and Catholic education".
O'Neill was influenced heavily by social teachings of the Church, in particular the encyclical Rerum Novarum. This key encyclical, issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, addressed the unjust condition of the working classes at that time and promoted membership of labour unions, while rejecting aspects of both socialism and capitalism. O'Neill witnessed such injustices first-hand in his role as parish priest of Sacred Heart Parish in industrial, turn of the century, Belfast.Sectarianism was rife at this time across, what is now Northern Ireland, but at its worst in crowded, urban spaces such as Belfast.
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