Thanks to the Knights of Columbus’ national online membership program, New Jersey Knights of Columbus councils are growing at an unprecedented rate.
“We are seeing Catholic men who want to make a difference,” said Daniel Murphy, the N.J. State Council’s online membership director. “This program is online, free and easy, and [the Knights] have tremendous brand equity. Catholic men are joining our order at an historically high rate with a renewed desire to live a life with meaning and purpose.”
Murphy shared statistics about the health and projected growth of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men’s fraternal organization founded in 1882 by Connecticut priest Blessed Father Michael McGivney. About 60,000 of its two million members worldwide reside in the Garden State; this fraternal year (ending June 30), the New Jersey Knights of Columbus expect to add more than 2,000 new members, the highest in the nation, besting states such as Virginia, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Murphy, a Knight in Council 6930 of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Whitehouse Station, discussed the advantages of using the Knights’ online application process, created in 2018 and responsible for 75 percent of new members.
“Everyone has a cell phone, and no one still uses documents where you have to press hard to go through three copies,” Murphy said. “When the pandemic hit and there were no in-person meetings or face-to-face recruiting, this was the only way to continue to grow.”
N.J. State Deputy Raymond Sands concurred, adding that this particular recruiting style tends to attract a younger demographic. “The younger crowd sees the world through social media,” he said, “and the strong online presence from Supreme [the Knights’ headquarters in Connecticut] increased the likelihood of men joining.”
The ubiquity of smartphones and computers, which allow links to the online forms, Murphy said, means becoming a Knight is easier than ever. “You can sign up on the spot. Enter in your information and parish, and our team will give you a call within 24 hours and strike up a friendly conversation. We see where your interests lie and invite you to a meeting.”
The system allows for continued contact with those who make initial inquiries but did not fully enroll. Quarterly emails filled with reports of good works and recreational events keep the Knights on the men’s radar. Invitations to the men and the general public serve to remind them to get involved in the Church and community.
Statistics indicate the average age of New Jersey’s online applicants is 48 and includes diverse ethnicities. Sands said the site receives from 1,200 to 1,400 hits per day, with applicants signing up at the rate of three to eight per day.
Men older than 18 are invited to visit the website Kofc.org/joinus to learn more about the Knights of Columbus and contemplate enrollment. The customary $30 in dues will be waived for the first year of membership if applicants use the promo code “BLESSEDMCGIVNEY” to join. The page contains two QR codes, one in English and one in Spanish, to further facilitate becoming a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Murphy is pleased at the encouraging rise in statistics with the online program, but, more importantly, that each new member indicates another set of willing, motivated hands to fulfill the Knights of Columbus’ four pillars. “Every member is a fiber in some huge cable and embodies charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism,” he said. “This [program] put wind in our sails.”
Sands is noticing the applicants start their mission in the Knights as enthusiastic, hard workers. “When I travel the state, I ask priests how we can help them. They say, ‘Get people, families, back in the pews and stay on campus for more than just one hour a week,’” the state deputy said. “They want to be involved, not just sit still and do nothing.”
To learn more about the Knights of Columbus, visit Kofc.org/joinus.
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