OUR RELATIONS WITH THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
This Short Talk is an address given by Worshipful Brother C. C. (Buddy)
Faulkner to more than a thousand Masons assembled in Murat Temple, Indianapolis,
Indiana, for the January 12, 1974 Founders' Day Communication of the Grand Lodge
of Indiana. Brother Faulkner is a Past Master of Mystic Tie Lodge No. 398,
Indianapolis, and is well known as the former Executive Secretary of the Indiana
DeMolay Foundation and former Assistant Grand Secretary of Indiana. His gracious
permission to publish his address in this form is sincerely appreciated.
The subject of my remarks today--"Our Relations with the Knights of
Columbus"-- was assigned to me some months ago by Right Worshipful Brother Frank
J. Krug, Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. Although his letter
of invitation to me to accept the responsibility for presenting this subject to
you contained no guidelines, the fact that the topic is being discussed during
this mid-year meeting of the members of the Grand Lodge is significant.
Significant in that it means to us that the former relationship that existed
for many years --nearly a century--now is evolving into one that is new and
different and exciting, and that the leadership of our Fraternity in Indiana
considers that new relationship to be not only note-worthy, but important.
By comparison with Freemasonry, the Knights of Columbus as an organization
is, relatively speaking, a "youngster," only 92 years of age. When it was
founded in 1882 by Michael J. McGivney, a Roman Catholic Priest, one of its
principal purposes was that of providing insurance benefits to Catholic
families. The organization has enjoyed an increasing membership through the
years, and today the Knights of Columbus is international in scope, numerically
about 1,200,000 members strong, with local groups called "Councils" in the
United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Panama Canal Zone,
Guam and Guatemala. To my knowledge, the organization is not in existence on the
European continent, nor in Asia, Africa, Australia or Greenland.
The mission and purposes of the Knights of Columbus are to provide financial
aid to members and their beneficiaries; to help its disabled and sick members;
and to foster participation by its members in religious, social welfare, and
charitable projects.
Membership in the Order is limited strictly to practicing Roman Catholics 18
years of age and older. Solicitation of new members among the eligible not only
is permissible, but is encouraged. A unanimous ballot is not required.
Displaying an awareness of the importance of training young people, the
Knights of Columbus sponsors and operates, as a part of its permanent and
on-going program, the "Columbian Squires," an organization for Roman Catholic
boys between the ages of 13 and 18 years.
Each local K. of C. Council is governed by its chosen officers. The presiding
officer is known as the Grand Knight, who is assisted and supported by a corps
of officers in a progressive line. This state organization is known as a State
Council, presided over by a State Deputy. Internationally, the Knights of
Columbus is governed by a Supreme Council, presided over by the Supreme Knight.
Through the years since the Knights of Columbus was formed in New Haven,
Connecticut (the International Headquarters is located there), its relationship
with Freemasonry has paralleled the Roman Catholic Church's relationship with
Freemasonry, for reasons that are obvious.
Therein lies at least a part of the background against which we view the
contrasting and refreshing changes that began recently to occur. And so, for the
purposes of better understanding where we are now, and why the changing
relationship between the Knights of Columbus and Freemasonry is something to
talk about, let us consider the following facts on a purely historical basis and
for no other purpose.
The Roman Catholic Church many, many centuries ago patterned its form of
Church government after the form of government of the Roman Empire. For nearly a
thousand years before its first pronouncement against Freemasonry, the Church
had disapproved of the various trades and professions and guilds that were
organized outside the framework of the Roman Church. Such groups (and among them
were the operative Masons) were organized for their own purposes and without
control from the outside, but their members were members of the Roman Church.
In April, 1738, Pope Clement XII issued a prohibition against Freemasonry. He
placed on the document the customary seal composed of a blob of lead, called a
"bulla," which explains the origin of the term "Bull," by which the prohibitions
have been called. From 1738 until several years ago, the Roman Church prohibited
its members from belonging to organizations considered by the Church to be
secret societies or free associations. That prohibition extended to include a
number of organizations, and specifically included Freemasonry. Indeed, there
have been no less than eight Papal "Bulls" issued against Freemasonry, together
with nine Papal Encyclicals on the same subject. The most recent "Bull" was
proclaimed in 1884, two years after the founding of the Knights of Columbus in
the United States. Four of the Encyclicals were issued during and after 1882,
the most recent being in 1890. Those pronouncements from the seat of power in
the Roman Church had a long-term influence over relationships between the
Knights of Columbus and Freemasonry. lt is significant--and every Mason ought to
know this--that in spite of the outright tension that existed during those years
of separation, there has never been, and there is not now, in the philosophy and
attitude, or in the ritual of Symbolic Freemasonry, even the slightest hostility
toward the Catholic Church or to any of its members, or to any of its
organizations, including the Knights of Columbus. From its beginnings in the
Middle Ages, it has been a landmark of Ancient Craft Masonry to forbid Lodges
and Masons from interfering with churches, governments, and other organizations
and societies, to discuss their affairs, or to act officially concerning them.
Freemasonry for that reason never has been in controversy with the Roman Church,
nor has the Craft taken official recognition of any of the pronouncements
against it by any Church or anyone else.
Up to the time of the Protestant Reformation, which had its beginnings in
1517, Operative Masons in Europe were under the patronage of the Church and
State, and were of the Roman Catholic religion. And so, prominent in the mosaic
of our fraternity's beginnings, the Craft has had many ancient ties with the
Roman Church. In our Ancient Charges, under the first general heading,
"Concerning God and Religion," we read: ". . . in ancient times Masons were
charged in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation,
whatever it was...."
Notwithstanding the events that I have just recalled for you from the pages
of history, there are now, and there have been through the years, members of the
Roman Church who have been raised to Freemasonry's Sublime Degree, both in
Indiana and in other jurisdictions in this nation and around the world. The late
Rudyard Kipling, Freemason, reminiscing about the brotherhood and fellowship in
his Mother Lodge in India, poetized one such reference:
"We'd Bola Nath, accountant An' Saul the Aden Jew, An Din Mahammed,
draughtsman of the Survey Office, too: There was Babu Chuckerbutty, An' Arnir
Singh the Sikh,
An' Castro from the fittin'-sheds, The Roman Catholik."
Freemasonry never brands or compliments (and never will) a man for his
sectarian religious views. It has insisted that a man have a firm belief and
trust in a Supreme Being; and it has established certain criteria for membership
in the Fraternity, including age, residence, being freeborn, and of good
character. And that is all. Coming thus "well qualified," any man, including
members of the Knights of Columbus, have been free to seek a relationship with
us, within our fraternity.
Does it not logically follow, then, that if we can be friends with a man once
he has become a part of our mystic circle, we should be able to become friends
with him outside our fellowship?
In recent years, both in Indiana and in other parts of the nation, we have
been pleased to see a relaxing of the Roman Church's restraint, and a ripening
friendship between our Craft and the Knights of Columbus. Lodges have
entertained Knights and their ladies; Knights and their ladies have
reciprocated, and in many instances have been the ones to make the first gesture
of friendship. The resulting gatherings have been aimed toward having pleasant
associations socially, concentrating on the similarities between the two
organizations, forgetting about matters on which we do not agree.
And there are indeed many similarities: in our system of three degrees; in
our efforts to help, aid, and assist our less fortunate members; in our aims to
improve the community through the improvement of the individual member; in our
active sponsorship of well-rounded and wholesome activities for the youth who
come under the sphere of our influence. All those things are points of agreement
on which we place emphasis during our social gatherings with our K. of C.
friends.
Even the official publication of our Grand Lodge, The Indiana Freemason, has,
on occasion, published articles written by leaders and spokesmen of the Roman
Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Always, those articles have been
not only complimentary to Freemasonry, but have expressed pleasure at the bridge
of friendship that is being built so carefully between our two organizations.
Several times each year, officers and leaders of our Grand Lodge meet
together with leaders and representatives of the Indiana State Council of the
Knights of Columbus, for an evening of social fellowship, and to explore new
avenues of cooperation in our mutual interests and pursuits. As a token of
friendship, each organization has contributed modestly to the other's foremost
charity, they to our Indiana Masonic Home at Franklin, and we to their Gibault
Home for Boys near Terre Haute.
Across the length and breadth of our state, and at many intermediate points
in between, Lodges and Councils have extended to each other the arm of
friendship in many ways. Hopefully, this new friendship and relationship will
grow deeper and more meaningful to all of us in the months and years to come.
Let it be said emphatically that our joint meetings contain no effort or
attempt, overt or otherwise, to solicit members or to have any joint venture but
those of purely social intent, whereby we become better acquainted with each
other's philosophies and views, aims, and purposes.
And so I am pleased to report to you that the status of our relations with
the Knights of Columbus is good. Notwithstanding the events of history, there is
no reason for our relationship to be other than good, or less than good. If you
and your Lodge have not experienced the pleasure that comes from making new
friends in your community, then perhaps you will want to give that ecumenical
spirit a try, provided the members of your respective Lodges will give you their
unqualified and enthusiastic support. I caution you that the support of your
Lodge is important. If, after discreet exploration you find that kind of
support, extend the invitation for a friendly relationship, or respond favorably
to an invitation if it is extended to you and your Lodge.
In closing, let me say that as a man and a Freemason, I claim no credit for
the achievements of my forebears, nor any blame for their failures and defeats.
I claim them all as a part of my heritage, and accept my obligation and
responsibility to meet, as best I know how, the challenges that are mine today.
The victories and failures of past generations give me insight and inspiration,
and help me to chart my course. I believe that ought to be the dominating
philosophy of all well-intentioned Knights and Masons as they seek to foster a
friendship with each other.
I want to leave with you these thoughts about the refreshing but gentle
ecumenical breezes that move about us today. One thought is about the value of
our Craft's firm stand not to become embroiled in controversy. You will recall
an admonition in our ceremonies, "Neither are you to suffer your zeal for the
Institution to lead you into argument with those who may ridicule it." The blows
of many sledge hammers have beat upon the anvil of Freemasonry in the centuries
that have gone. The anvil is unharmed. The hammers have worn. Our ancient
charges, like gold, have withstood the acid of time.
I believe too that the new friendship that we find among our brethren of the
Knights of Columbus is a culmination or fruition of Freemasonry's firm and
time-tested belief in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man--the
brotherhood of ALL men.
During the last decade, man has extended his reach and has touched the very
surface of the Moon. If men can do that, then I believe that men ought to be
able and willing to extend the arm of brotherhood to a neighbor. If men cannot
do that, then we might well be parties to the greatest tragedy in the history of
the human race.
So, if Freemasonry is something that you and I are serious about, if it is
inextricably a part of our personal character and life-style, and not merely
words on our lips, then these new changes and friendships bode well for the
cause of peace and brotherhood among men of good will.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity!
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