Financial Secretary Handbook - Knights of Columbus, Supreme ...

assembly by supplying a form letter for the member to
sign. The most common acceptable request for withdrawal
is an email or the return of a billing statement
with a note requesting separation from the Order. An
attempt to remove a member by withdrawal without
submission of a request from the member clearly initiated
by him will be denied. Any member who does not
specifically request separation from the Knights of
Columbus but is in arrears should be processed as a
suspension for non-payment.
In good standing financially is not a consideration
for withdrawal. A member can resign whether he is
current in his dues or in arrears. The only stipulation is
that he must be eligible for re-entry as of the date he
files his letter of withdrawal with the council or assembly.
Withdrawal is not an option for a member who is
to be suspended/expelled for felony conviction, a violation
of Section 162 of the Order’s Laws or non-practical
Catholicity. Those members who apply for and are
granted a withdrawal do not maintain continuous
membership. The membership record will reflect a
break in service.
If the applicant for withdrawal is an insurance
member, he remains on the council rolls in an inactive
status. The council is responsible for Supreme and
state-levied assessments and also receives the annual
$9.00 credit, as explained under suspension.
This transaction is charged as a loss against
Supreme Council Award quotas.
SUSPENSION—LACK OF PRACTICAL CATHOLICITY
One of the requirements for membership in the
Knights of Columbus is… “practical Catholic in union
with the Holy See.” In order to remain on the active
rolls, a current member must maintain his practical
Catholicity. On occasion, however, members leave the
faith, marry outside of the Church or otherwise lose
that status. In such cases, they forfeit their membership
“ipso facto” — by virtue of the fact.
Before the suspension can be processed, however,
tangible evidence to support a suspension under Section
168.1 of the Order’s Laws is required. A statement must
be on file in the Supreme Council office from the council
chaplain or the member’s parish priest to the effect
that the man in question is no longer a practical or practicing
Catholic. Also acceptable is a statement signed by
the member, admitting to the infraction giving rise to the
attempted suspension. One of these statements, along
with a completed Form 100, must be submitted before
suspension processing can be initiated.
This transaction is not counted against Supreme
Council Award quotas.
SUSPENSION—FELONY CONVICTION
Section 168.6 of the Order’s Laws stipulates forfeiture
of membership for felony conviction. A felony is
generally one where the potential penalty is greater
than one year incarceration. To substantiate conviction,
you must submit: a newspaper account of the
conviction, written confirmation from the prosecutor
or a certi fied copy of the court documentation.
Proof of conviction should include a description
of the crime as a felony. Any one of the aforementioned
proofs of conviction, certification that the individual
con victed is known by you to be the member to
have his membership forfeited and, of course, a completed
Form 100 are sufficient for suspension under
Section 168.6.
This transaction is not counted against Supreme
Council Award quotas.
SUSPENSION—MISCONDUCT
Detailed instructions on filing complaints against a
member, his rights to plead and trial are found in
Chapter XIX of the Order’s Laws. Charges against a
member must be filed in writing with the grand
knight—Section 171. The grand knight must give the
accused a copy of the charges within five days—
Section 172. The accused has ten days to notify the
grand knight whether he pleads guilty or not guilty—
Section 173.
If a not-guilty plea is presented to the grand knight,
the district deputy must examine the charges to determine
if they present a prima facie case—Section 174. If
the district deputy finds a prima facie case, he appoints
a trial committee—Section 175. The trial committee
then proceeds to trial pursuant to the provisions of
Sections 176, 177 and 178 of the Order’s Laws.
A completed Form 100 Membership Document and
all paperwork resulting from compliance with Section
XIX of the Laws of the Order must be forwarded to the
Department of Membership Records before suspension
processing can be initiated.
This transaction is not counted against Supreme
Council Award quotas.
DEATH
The death of a council member should be reported to
the Supreme Council office as soon as possible. The
Form 100 Membership Document can be used to report
the death as well as survivor information (see page 75).
Deaths can also be reported most efficiently by using the
Member Management application, located in the secure
Officers Online area of kofc.org. If Member Management
is used to report this transaction, there is no need to
submit additional documentation.
The death transaction cannot be processed without
the full date of death — month/day/year. Under no
circumstances should a financial secretary or any
other member of a council declare or report someone
as being deceased without sufficient proof that the
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