Knights of Columbus to Establish Councils in Poland
August 2, 2005

The Knights of Columbus will establish councils in Europe for the first time ever, when it begins accepting members in Poland later this year, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced Tuesday, Aug. 2.
The 1.7 million members of the Knights of Columbus are currently established in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam and Saipan.
Speaking to the assembled delegates at the 123rd annual Supreme Council meeting in Chicago, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson noted: "Cardinal [Józef] Glemp, Cardinal [Francizek] Macharski of Krakow and Archbishop [Stanislaw]Dziwisz of Krakow have invited us to bring the Knights of Columbus to Poland. Yesterday, our board of directors voted that we should do so."
The establishment of councils in Poland will be the first for the Knights of Columbus in Europe. It was 100 years ago, in 1905, that councils were first established in Mexico and the Philippines.
Anderson also praised Poland as the most appropriate place for the Knights of Columbus to enter Europe: "It is a country where the Catholic faith is strong, and it stands out in a Europe where religious practice has been in decline," he said.
In June 2005, the Knights of Columbus provided an honor guard for the Eucharistic Congress in Warsaw at the invitation of Cardinal Glemp, the archbishop of Warsaw.