K of C Family Program Overview

There are eight individual programs under the umbrella of the Knights of Columbus Family Program category.  Like our other programs, these are programs that provide our Brother Knights an avenue to live and demonstrate our “Faith in Action.”  Each of these programs have been approved and designed by our Supreme Council.  Our councils are offered free guidelines, pamphlets, marketing materials, training aids, and activity resources; more than ample resources to properly manage and conduct the programs we choose to sponsor.  The eight programs that fall under our “Family” category are listed and described below. 

Consecration of the Holy Family

To help families live out the joy of Christ, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori has composed a prayer through which families will come together to consecrate themselves under the protection of the Holy Family. In this prayer, we ask for the aid or intercession of the perfect son Jesus Christ, Mary the perfect mother, and Joseph who is a model for every father. Councils will guide their parishes and community to understand and offer this prayer.

Preparing for the Consecration to the Holy Family is not a single event. It is choosing a way of life for your family. Through this consecration, each participant is consciously choosing to be a beacon of God’s love through His Church.  We can revitalize our parishes by urging our parish families to devote themselves to the ideal model of familial love set by Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Invite each family in your parish to consecrate themselves to the Holy Family.

Food for Families

Knights of Columbus are committed to helping end hunger through the Food for Families Program which has donated millions of dollars and millions of pounds of food toward this cause. Council and parish families will raise funds to support their local food pantries, food banks and soup kitchens. For every $500 or 1,000 pounds of food donated, the Supreme Council will refund $100 back to the council – up to a maximum of $500 per council per fraternal year. Though in-kind donation of food is valuable, leaders of hunger-relief organizations often comment that financial contributions can be stretched even further and allow nonprofits to procure the exact items needed by the organization and its clients.  Many people in our communities are struggling through hardship and unable to provide food to their families. Food for Families ensures that as few as possible go to bed hungry each night. 

Family Fully Alive

During his visit to the Philippines, Pope Francis cited the need for “holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God’s plan and to be an example for other families” (Pope Francis, Address to Families at the Mall of Asia Arena, 2015). The Family Fully Alive monthly devotions are concrete ways that Knights of Columbus, in solidarity with Pope Francis, can support the growth of holy and loving families in the Church. The Family Fully Alive Program asks families to invite God into their homes and cultivates each family as a miniature domestic church.

To this end, the program provides monthly themes, scripture verses and activities. Through prayer and reflection, each family has the opportunity to grow in holiness together. This is a flexible program that can be started at any time of the year and continues year-round. Councils will order physical booklets to distribute or direct parish families to program resources on kofc.org.

Family of the Month & Year

Each month, the council selects a Family of the Month from its parish family that models Christian family values and visibly lives them every day, and names one of these recipients as its Family of the Year.

Family Prayer Night

Families of council members, and other Catholic families, gather for prayer, dinner and fellowship. Strengthen the bonds within our parishes and build faith-filled families. This is an opportunity for council members, their families, and the whole parish community to come together once a month for an evening of prayer, dinner, and fellowship.  Catholics often struggle with the reality that they do not have the opportunity to socialize and/or pray with other faith-filled Catholic families. It can be quite a challenge to raise our children in the faith when their only exposure comes from Mom and Dad. Put plainly, the majority of our time can easily be spent in secular circles unless we intentionally create ways to live out the domestic church.

Family Prayer Night is an opportunity for children to be exposed to regular people living their faith in a casual setting. Families of council members, as well as other Catholic families within the parish and community, will gather for prayer, dinner and fellowship. Multiple groups can be formed and families are encouraged to rotate between these groups.

Family Week

Knights of Columbus councils will dedicate a special week of the year to recognizing the vital importance of families as the foundation of our domestic church and to promoting Catholic family values. When choosing a week, councils should consider factors affecting parishioner schedules, such as school vacations, holidays, and other local events. Though traditionally celebrated in the summer to commemorate the birth and death of our founder, Blessed Michael J. McGivney, this program can take place anytime during the year.  Activities presented in this program will strengthen the parish community and affirm the central importance of Catholic family life.

Good Friday Family Promotion

This program is about bring families into a more robust practice and better understanding of our Catholic faith and the Triduum. In an effort to increase parish attendance and involvement, councils conduct a promotional campaign to educate their parishes on the vital importance of Good Friday. Despite Good Friday’s central role in the heart of Christianity, attendance at services remains low. In an effort to change this, councils will encourage participation in Good Friday services through a promotional campaign. Setting an example for their community, Knights will attend Good Friday services with their families and work with their pastors to encourage increased parishioner involvement at these liturgies. In conjunction with these efforts, councils will also work to educate their parishes about the plight of Christians in the Holy Land.

Keep Christ in Christmas

The Knights of Columbus offers multiple activities that promote Christmas and the season of Advent in their proper context: Journey to the Inn, Spread the Light of Christ, Crèche or Advent Wreath Blessing, and the Christmas Poster Contest. These programs are centered on the example of the Holy Family and the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The new Keep Christ in Christmas (KCIC) Program brings all KCIC activities together under one umbrella. It encourages councils to prompt their neighbors to shift from a preoccupation with materialism to the light of Christ and the spirit of giving. KCIC activities include whatever efforts best suit the parish and community of a particular council and do not need to originate from the Supreme Council.