THE 33rd Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall, Ghana, Sir Kt Bro Sir Charles Cobb KSG, has been elected International President of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) with Sir Kt Sir Dr Charles Mbelede of the Knights of Mulumba, Nigeria as Deputy President for the 2025-2027.
The installation of the President-elect and Deputy President-elect, will take place during the International Meeting of IACK in Cape Town from September 13 – 19, 2025.
The Bishop of Konongo-Mampong, Most Rev Dr John Opoku-Agyemang, who is also the Supreme Chaplain of the Noble Order Knights and Ladies of Marshall, will also be inducted as International Chaplain for the 2025-2027 term.
The international online balloting for the position of President and vice president of IACK was closed end of May.
The election of Sir Cobb as President of IACK follows the heels of Sir Knight Brothers George A. Habib, E. S. K. Kwaw, Owusu Prempeh and Sam Barnes are past Presidents of IACK.
Background
The International Alliance of Catholic Knights was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 12th 1979 at a meeting of the leaders of kindred Orders of Catholic Knights.
By a Decree dated 14th. of 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 codes 298 – 311 and 321 – 329 of the Code of Canon Law.
It started with the Knights of Saint Columba; the Knights of Columbus, Knights of Saint Columbanus, Knights of the Southern Cross Australia, Knights of the Southern Cross New Zealand and the Knights of Saint Columba.
It has since expanded to include the, Knights of Da Gama, South Africa; the Knights of Marshall, Ghana; the Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria; the Knights of Peter Claver, United States of America; the Knights of Saint Virgil, Austria; the Fraternal Order of Saints Peter and Paul, The Gambia; the Knights of Saint Gabriel, the International Diplomatic Service; the Knights of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Pakistan; Ordre des Chevaliers de Marie Reine de la Paix, Mauritius and the Knights of Saint Thomas More, Belgium.
WHO IS SIR CHARLES COBB?
Sir Cobb was initiated into the Noble Order on June 6, 1996 by Council 29, Sunyani as part of the founding members of Council 65, Techiman.
His late father, Sir Knight Bro Lawrence Chiir Lieber Cobb was himself a Marshallan, a Past Substantive Regional Grand Knight of the then North West Regional Council. Though many Marshallans visited the family during his youthful days on account of his father and he and his siblings had to serve these gentlemen and became well known to many of them his father never prevailed upon him to join the Order until later when he himself had the edge to do so during his working life which had then taken him to Techiman in the then Brong Ahafo Region. He regrets not having joined the Noble Order much earlier.
In 2002, he became the Grand Knight of Council 65, Techiman, having two years earlier been elected massively as deputy Grand Knight. He became a visiting brother at Council 37, Tema due to work related relocation. Per his hard work and visibility as a visiting Brother of the Council, he was able to attract key officers from Tema to attend meeting sessions with him in Techiman enabling knowledge transfer, a concept he was later to champion at the Supreme Council as TWINING.
In 2006, he was appointed as the Master of Ceremonies for the erstwhile Brong Ahafo Regional Council, and was later elected as Deputy Regional Grand Knight in 2008.
In 2010, he was installed Regional Grand Knight with 10 Adult Councils under his supervision.
He was installed by Sir Knight Bro. Sir Prof Dr. Dr. George Wireko-Brobby, then a Substantive Past Supreme Knight at a colourful Regional Conference held in Kintampo in August 2010. He found his feet very fast in the ranks of Regional Grand Knights of the Order when he had to host the Standing Committee of the supreme Council a few weeks after his Installation and followed that with the hosting of the Grand Knights and Noble Ladies Forum both in Sunyani at the Bishop James Owusu Conference Hall.
By dint of his hard work as Regional Grand Knight on the Standing Committee of the Supreme Council, Sir Knight Bro Charles Cobb caught the eye of the Supreme Cabinet and was appointed Assistant Supreme Propagandist for Ashanti/Brong Ahafo Regions in 2013 and upon further commendations he was later appointed the Substantive Membership Coordinator, a position now renamed Supreme Membership Coordinator, in 2015.
He was elected Deputy Supreme Knight in 2017 at the 91st Supreme Council meeting in Sekondi.
Write up: Sir Kt Bro Albert K. Salia