The International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

made up of fifteen

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

fraternal orders A fraternal order is a fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cultu ...

from 27 countries on six continents. The IACK was founded in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 12 October 1979 at a meeting of the leaders of six fraternal societies, convened on the occasion of the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

of 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 ...

.''Asociaiones Internacionales de Fieles'' (Spanish)
(2004),

Pontifical Council for the Laity The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the Roman Catholic Curia from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their co ...

, Roman Curia,

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

; url accessed 1 June 2006 The organization is headquartered in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The IACK is currently an associate member of the

Conference of International Catholic Organizations A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

. The CICO is made up of 36 member organizations, four associated organizations and four invited organizations. These international organizations of more than 150 million lay people, through their respective national branches, are present in more than 150 countries.

Member Organizations

Mission statement

During the constitutional meeting, it was resolved that these Fraternal Orders would found an International Alliance for the purpose of working together for the mutual advantage of the individual Member Orders and the extension of Catholic Knighthood throughout the world. Furthermore, the IACK holds its members to: * Bring the message of Christ to all people. * Give loyalty and support in every way possible to our Holy Father The Pope and all Bishops, Priests and Religious throughout the world. * Use their individual and joint influence to eliminate injustice from society. * Cooperate with other Catholic international organizations and the

to advance the Christian way of life. * Extend the vision of The Blessed Reverend Father

Michael J. McGivney Michael Joseph McGivney (August 12, 1852August 14, 1890) was an Irish-American Catholic priest based in New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and fraternal insurance organization, p ...

(founder of the Knights of Columbus) by assisting each Member Order to progress and grow and by promoting the establishment of new Orders of Catholic Knights. * Strengthen the individual and distinct Member Orders by corporate action and to strive to deepen the faith of members of the Alliance and all Catholics in general by encouraging their active and generous participation in the Life and Mission of the Church. * Pursue these aims by uniting all throughout the world in prayer. The IACK was approved as a Catholic international organization by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

in 1981. By a decree dated 14 April 1992 the International Alliance of Catholic Knights was given official recognition by the Vatican as an International Catholic Association of the Faithful, in accordance with Canons 298–311 and 321–329 of the Code of Canon Law.

Leadership

It was agreed that the Supreme Knight or National President of each Member Order would form an International Council which would meet annually (now biennially) and be responsible for the organization and development of the new Alliance and would provide a forum in which the leaders of the Orders could discuss matters of common concern. The Leaders present at this historic gathering are recognized as the Founders of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights.

References

External links

International Alliance of Catholic Knights
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Alliance Of Catholic Knights Organizations established in 1979 Religious organisations based in Ireland