At their 144th Supreme Convention, the Knights heard from the Pope by video, from Archbishop Lori in person, and from their own history.
Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to the 144th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, underway August 4-6 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, urging the order’s nearly two million members to cultivate unity and charity as the foundational principles of their mission.
More than 2,100 Knights, family members, and Catholic hierarchy from 13 countries are attending the convention, whose theme this year in In the One We Are One -- Pope Leo's motto. The Pope addressed both the theme and the moment directly. “In an age all too often marked by division and pointed rhetoric, there is a great need for prophets of harmony who seek to build bridges and strive to reconcile opposing positions wherever possible,” he said.
Recalling Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper that his apostles “all be one,” Leo urged the Knights to bear witness to that unity within families, parishes, and wider communities. “The preservation of unity is often not easy and it cannot be taken for granted,” he said. “It must be actively cultivated through honest and humble dialogue.”
On charity, the Pope said that works of service “can often be a way to promote unity,” becoming “not only a response to human suffering but also a powerful means of fostering fraternity and strengthening the communion that is at the heart of the Christian life.” He praised the order’s record of service across more than a century: “The Knights of Columbus have worked together to show Christ’s love to the unborn, expectant mothers, persecuted Christians, victims of war and human trafficking, the poor and vulnerable, and those who live in the margins of society.”
First principle
Leo also highlighted the legacy of Blessed Michael McGivney, the Connecticut parish priest who founded the Knights in 1882 as a mutual aid society for Catholic immigrant workers, beatified by Pope Francis in 2020. “Through the initiatives undertaken by your local councils, as well as at the national and international levels, countless people have benefited from your kindness,” he said, closing by entrusting the gathering to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.
The convention opened on August 1 with Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, celebrated by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Chaplain of the order. Archbishop Lori also returned to McGivney in his homily.
“McGivney made charity the first principle of his ministry as a parish priest and charity the first principle of the Knights of Columbus,” he said. “For he knew and ardently believed that in all things the love of Christ conquers. It is this vision, this charism, that he breathed into the Knights of Columbus.” He described McGivney as having “set in motion a fraternal organization rooted in the charity of Christ” whose contemporary scale of giving “Father McGivney could not have imagined.”
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly delivered his annual report during the opening business session. The Arlinghaus Family of Clarksville, Maryland was named International Family of the Year for their service to their council, parish, and dedication to the sanctity of human life. Father Bob Higgins of South Carolina received recognition for his service to veterans, the incarcerated, and the poor.
As Columbia Magazine noted, Denver has particular resonance for the order: the city hosted Supreme Conventions in 1961, 1984, and 2011, and its Catholic history is deeply intertwined with the Knights’ own growth in the American West.
