Write up by Sir Kt Bro Albert K. Salia, Supreme IT Officer.
THE International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK), an international Catholic Association of Knighthood Orders, has elected two new leaders to run the affairs of IACK.
The two are the President-elect, Brother Brendan McCann, SK Knights of St. Columbanus, Ireland and the Deputy President-elect, Brother Bertie Grogan KSG, Immediate Past Supreme Knight of the Knights of St. Columba UK.
A statement issued by the Secretary-General of IACK, Bro Frank Stanley, the two would officially take the reign of authority at the end of the forthcoming 29th meeting of the International Council of IACK, scheduled for September 10 to 15, 2023 in Rome, Italy.
It said Bro Grogan is the Immediate Past Supreme Knight of the Knights of St Columba, United Kingdom.
The biennial conference brings all the Knighthood Orders within the Catholic World to share their
experiences and best practices that would move the Orders forward.
The conference venue rotates from country to country.
The 28th meeting was held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021. At the end of that meeting, Ghana was chosen to host the 29th meeting but COVID-19 scuttled it and would now take place in Rome, Italy.
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, convened on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the Knights of Saint Columba.
The Orders represented were the Knights of Columbus, Knights of Saint Columbanus, Knights of the Southern Cross Australia, Knights of the Southern Cross New Zealand and the Knight s of Saint Columba.
The meeting 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. It was agreed the Supreme Knight or National President of each Member Order would form an International Council which would meet annually and be responsible for the organisation and development of the new Alliance.
Members of Catholic Knights who are part of the Alliance
Since its foundation, nine other Orders of Catholic Knights have been admitted to the Alliance:-
- 1983 – The Knights of Marshall, Ghana
- 1986 – The Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria
- 1987 – The Knights of Peter Claver, United States of America
- 1992 – The Knights of Saint Virgil, Austria
- 1992 – The Fraternal Order of Saints Peter and Paul, The Gambia
- 1997 – The Knights of Saint Gabriel, the International Diplomatic Service
- 1998 – The Knights of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Pakistan
- 2000 – Ordre des Chevaliers de Marie Reine de la Paix, Mauritius
- 2001 – The Knights of Saint Thomas More, Belgium.