The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated HistoryWhat You Don't Know About the Knights of Columbus Could Fill a Bookand It Has! This book tells a uniquely American story of faith in action. From its 1882 founding by a handful of men from a small, predominantly Irish Catholic parish in New Haven, Connecticut, the Knights of Columbus has grown to an international brotherhood of nearly 2 million members across North America and throughout the world. Formed by Father Michael J. McGivney with the men of