The Knights of the Southern Cross (KSC) is a Catholic fraternal order committed to promoting the Christian way of life throughout Australia. The Order was founded in Sydney in 1919 with the approval of the

Catholic Bishops In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Chu ...

of Australia. When it was formed, the purpose of the organisation was correcting discrimination against Catholics, particularly in employment. In 1922 it merged with its Victorian counterpart the Knights of St. Francis Xavier. In 1922, branches were formed in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and in New Zealand. In 1923, a branch was established in Tasmania. Branches operate in many Catholic Parishes throughout Australia and membership is open to Catholic men over the age of 18. St.

Mary MacKillop Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian religious sister who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross. Of Scottish descent, she was born in Melbourne but is best known fo ...

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the Knights of the Southern Cross. The order also established the non-profit aged care organisation, Southern Cross Care.

The objects of the order

* To promote the advancement of Australia * To foster the Christian way of life throughout the nation * To promote the welfare of members of the Order and their families * To encourage spiritual, social and intellectual activities amongst members of the Order * To conduct and support educational, charitable, religious and social welfare work

History

The Order was founded in 1919 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

at a time when Catholics were regarded with suspicion by the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

majority in Australia. The two co-founders were

Patrick Minahan Patrick Joseph Minahan, (27 March 1866 – 3 October 1933) was an Irish-born Australian politician. He was born at Killaloe, County Clare to bootmaker Patrick Minahan and Mary, ''née'' Murphy. He arrived in New South Wales around 1883 and b ...

, a boot manufacturer and member of the

NSW Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...

, and Joseph Lynch, a school inspector. Within a year of its establishment over 1,000 men had joined the order from every state in Australia and a national council was established to oversee the organisation. In the beginning it served to assist Catholic

servicemen The term serviceman, alternatively service member, refers to enlisted members of a nation's armed forces. More generally, the term can be applied to officers as well. For more information see: *Soldier *Sailor *Airman *Marine *Coast guard ...

returned from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in finding employment, and also to defend the rights and interests of the Catholic Church in Australia – a mission which it continues to promote today. In 1968, the organisation established Southern Cross Homes (now Southern Cross Care), building its first retirement village in the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburb of

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

International Alliance of Catholic Knights

Through the

International Alliance of Catholic Knights The International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) is a non-governmental organization made up of fifteen Roman Catholic fraternal orders from 27 countries on six continents. The IACK was founded in Glasgow on 12 October 1979 at a meetin ...

, the Knights of the Southern Cross are associated with the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, the Knights of St Columbanus, the

Knights of Da Gama The Knights of Da Gama are a fraternal, Roman Catholic, lay society based in South Africa, for Catholic men over 18 years of age. The society is named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. They are affiliated to the International Alliance ...

, the

Knights of Peter Claver The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary is an international Catholic fraternal service order. Founded in 1909 by the Josephites and parishioners from Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, it is the largest and o ...

, the

Knights of the Southern Cross (New Zealand) The Knights of the Southern Cross (New Zealand) (“KSCNZ”) is a fraternal order of Catholic men committed to promoting the Christian way of life. It is organised in 18 branches throughout the six dioceses of New Zealand. Objectives * To be ...

and the

Knights of Saint Columba The Knights of St Columba is a fraternal service order affiliated with the Catholic Church in Scotland and in England and Wales. Founded in Glasgow in 1919, the Knights are named in honour of Saint Columba, a 6th-century missionary descended ...

Notes and references

External links

Knights of the Southern Cross
{{Authority control Catholic Church in Australia Religious organisations based in Australia 1919 establishments in Australia Christian organizations established in 1919

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...