The Knights of Columbus form the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization, with over 1.9 million members spread over a dozen nations.

We are the Knights of Columbus Barrie Council 1626

This Council belongs to three Parishes:

• St Marys – Barrie
• St Patricks –  Phelpston
• Our Lady of Lourdes – Elmvale

Our Council home is 93 Berczy Street, Barrie, Ontario, L4M 3R2 Canada

You can phone us on +1-705 728 1641 Ext 1002 or Email us at kofc1626@gmail.com

We are rooted in the Pillars of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism 

Degree refers to the levels of membership within the Order. Each degree is designed to exemplify one of the four principles of the Order

We have 4 degrees and the 4th degree is the Patriotic  Arm of the order

1. First Degree – Charity: A First Degree exemplification ceremony, by which a man joins the Order, explicates the virtue of charity. He is then said to be a First Degree Knight of Columbus.
2. Second Degree – Unity: This degree emphasizes the unity of the Knights. United as brother Knights, their efforts in support of the Catholic Church and their fellow men are focused and multiplied.
3. Third Degree – Fraternity: This degree exemplifies fraternity. The Knights watch out for and take care of one another². Upon reaching the Third Degree, a gentleman is a full member.
4. Fourth Degree – Patriotism: After taking their third degree, knights are eligible to receive their fourth degree, the primary purpose of which is to foster the spirit of patriotism and to encourage active Catholic citizenship. Fourth degree members, in addition to being members of their individual councils, are also members of Fourth Degree assemblies which typically comprise members of several councils

Members who wish to live out patriotism together can join “the Fourth Degree.” This degree’s members have the honor of holding the title “Sir Knight,” participating in honor guards and organizing programs that promote Catholic citizenship. They also become part of a Fourth Degree Assembly in their area. There are more than 3,500 Fourth Degree assemblies around the world.

The purpose is two fold. First, to perform charitable acts that benefits the community. Secondly, to encourage each other to pursue the Christian life.

The anchor is the mariner’s symbol for Columbus, patron of the Order, while the short sword symbolizes honor, distinction, bravery and courage; arranged in X (St Andrew’s Cross). The axe overcomes obstacles to objectives.

• Build closer bonds with the men of the Parish
•  Honorary lifetime membership
• Monthly Columbia magazine and other resources
• Support to attend Knights events
• Improved coordination and communication within the Parish

Unlike some other the spiritual fraternities and the associated devotions, the Knights do not impose any special devotions. Knights are only asked to be loyal to the church and the leadership.

Knights of old carried the sword to defend their God, their Church, and their country according to the code of chivalry. Today, Sir Knights carry the sword to honor Christ and His apostles, they are only ceremonial and not a weapon.

A fraternal benefit society is a membership-based nonprofit organization that provides its members with a variety of fraternal advantages, including insurance.

Knights of Columbus members and their families enjoy unique access to our high-quality life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, and annuity options. In addition to our solid, secure products, we have Family Fraternal Benefits that can assist our members with special requirements. Contact us to discover more about our membership advantages.

The Knights of Columbus Insurance program is available to members of the Order and their families. Practical Catholic males, age 18 or older, are eligible to join.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to males 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics. If you are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, please complete our online form and a Knight in your area will contact you.

By purchasing a life insurance policy and paying premiums you ensure that when you die, your beneficiary (or beneficiaries) will receive a lump sum, also known as a death benefit.

Whole life is a permanent life insurance product that provides money to your family when you die, and builds cash value while you live. Permanent life insurance is guaranteed and a great way to provide security for your family. Contact us to learn more about permanent life insurance.

Term insurance provides affordable protection to your loved ones for temporary needs and is designed to expire as your financial obligations expire. Our term insurance rates are guaranteed for the life of your policy, as is the amount of money that would be paid to your family should you pass away. 

A premium is the amount of money you pay for your insurance policy. Premiums can be fixed or flexible, depending on your coverage.

A beneficiary is the person (or persons) who will receive the proceeds of your life insurance policy when you die.

Underwriting is the process through which insurers evaluate the risk of insuring a person and use that information to determine eligibility and set premium pricing for insurance policies.

Keep in mind that even if you already have life insurance coverage with your employer, your coverage may not be enough, your employee benefits are not guaranteed, and if you leave your company, you cannot take your life insurance with you. It’s important to review your insurance policy periodically to make sure it still meets your financial needs.

A rate class is a risk category assigned by the company based on your health and medical records. Your rating class will help determine the premium on your life insurance policy.

Dividends – which are not guaranteed – are a portion of earnings the Order has left over after paying expenses and setting aside the necessary amounts to assure that future benefits are fully funded. Dividends develop from favorable experience, such as people living longer than expected or from interest earnings higher than those guaranteed in their policy

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS DIVIDEND POLICY

This Knights of Columbus dividend policy applies to all participating policies of the company that are expected to pay dividends.  While most policy forms are filed as participating, many do not have an expectation of paying dividends.  The primary category of products that have an expectation for dividends are participating whole life insurance policies.  Dividends are declared at the discretion of the Board of Directors after considering the advice of senior management.  This policy has been established by the Board of Directors and is subject to change over time.

In practice, premiums are collected from policyowners for the insurance coverage purchased.  These premiums are then used to pay current benefits on policies sold, pay expenses for operating the company, and to set up reserves for expected future benefit payments.   Reserves plus the balance of any remaining cash flows are used to purchase prudent investments.  An additional amount is also set aside as surplus, a safety net to provide for unexpected cash needs of the company in the future and to support new business growth.  Earnings from all product lines (which includes gains or losses related to experience results from investment returns, death claim experience, expenses and taxes, policy surrenders, policy loan utilization, etc.) also feed into the surplus account.  Knights of Columbus returns a portion of this surplus to policyowners in the form of dividends.

The Board of Directors determines the amount of surplus that should be retained for future adverse experience and how much should be distributed to policyowners. This amount is known as “divisible surplus.”  Divisible surplus is distributed to eligible policyowners in the form of dividends.  The goal of the Knights of Columbus is to distribute divisible surplus equitably among classes of policies with like characteristics in the form of dividends.  The company’s current and projected surplus position may also be considered when setting the dividend scale.

Currently, factors used by the Order to set dividends for each class of life insurance policies include the difference between actual and expected mortality experience for the class (i.e., the amount of death claims compared to what was expected to be paid), the difference between actual and expected operating costs and taxes for the class, and the difference between the investment returns on the reserves for the policy and the interest rate guaranteed in the policy design.  Reserves for this purpose are those calculated using U.S. Statutory Net Premium Reserve methodology.  The process to allocate dividends strives to achieve reasonable equity among classes of participating policies by distributing divisible surplus in a manner consistent with the contribution a class has made to creating the divisible surplus, subject to practical limits and industry practice.  Policies are grouped into classes based on common attributes related to factors such as mortality, investment returns, expenses and taxes, and persistency.  Classes are also separated by country geography.  No terminal or other special dividends are expected to be paid. 

The Order strives to pay the highest dividends possible while ensuring the overall safety and security of the product and the company.  However, since dividends reflect actual experience, they are not determinable in advance and are not guaranteed in amount nor whether they will be paid at all.  The method of determining dividends can change over time.  The dividend scale is evaluated and voted on by the Board of Directors at least annually. 

Dated: December 6, 2023

With over $100 Billion of life insurance in force, $24 Billion of assets under management, and 42 consecutive years of superior ratings for financial strength from A.M. Best*, you can be confident in the guarantees that you receive from the Knights of Columbus.
*Currently rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best

We have always maintained very high standards for the investments we make, putting our assets only into investment-grade bonds and the highest-quality equities. We do not invest in junk bonds or in risky investment instruments.

Our unwavering commitment to our Catholic faith and to the Catholic families entrusted to our care also means that we must do business the right way. As a matter of principle, we will not invest in companies that deal in abortions, contraception, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, for-profit health care that pays for any of the aforementioned, and pornography.

Your Knights of Columbus field agent would be more than happy to assist you in updating your beneficiaries. 

Contact your Knights of Columbus agent to discuss the details of your current policy or annuity values. If you do not know who your agent is, Contact us to find out.