History of the Knights of Columbus and our Regina Coeli Council

On Oct. 2, 1881, a group of men met in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven. Called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. 

They sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith.

These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882.

The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 16,400 councils and over 2 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, France, Lithuania, Ukraine, France, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan, and Korea. 

Regionally, the councils are grouped by State or similar geographic designations. The Regina Coeli Council is part of the Maryland State Council, which consists of over 27,000 members and their families. We have 147 councils in the state. For administrative ease, they are divided into districts – 34 in all.

At the council level, the members elect their leader, called Grand Knight.

At the state level, representatives from the councils at the state convention elect the state leader, called State Deputy.

At the International or Supreme Level, delegates from the states/countries elect a Board of Directors, who in turn elect the Supreme Knight.

Regina Coeli Council received its charter on May 8, 1921 – number 2274, one of the oldest councils in the state, and in 2021 celebrated its 100th anniversary.

We have more than 150 members, most from the three churches of Saints Peter and Paul Parish.

The Regina Coeli Council was one of only 26 councils of the 147 in the state to be awarded the designation of Star Council last year, an honor which recognizes that our council met all of the requirements of Knights of Columbus programs and initiatives, and also met or exceeded its new membership goal.

We meet in the Family Life Center at Saints Peter and Paul at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, although many of our activities and events are on weekends.

We welcome all male Catholics who are 18 years of age or older and in good standing in this or another parish to consider joining our organization to spiritually enrich your life and, in the words of our Lord, to “Love thy neighbor” – through the Knights’ extensive religious, charitable, and patriotic programs for the people of our parish and our community, as well as for worthy causes beyond.