Is the Knights of Columbus a secret society?
Absolutely not. All our members should be proud to let people know that they belong to the Knights of Coumbus. The Fourth Degree Honor Guard wears a black tuxedo-based uniform, but does not otherwise hide their identities. Many Knights wear name tags as part of our dress code at our functions, which are frequently not exclusive to members or even to Catholics. Knights work with other religious organizations in ecumenical ministries, despite the KofC being a fraternity only for Catholic gentlemen. Like most fraternities, our members take a pledge of loyalty to the Order, but our pledge tells us never to allow that loyalty to violate our religious or civic responsibilities. Of course, like many fraternities, SOME traditional ceremonies are secretive, to promote a sense of unity and a sense of self-belonging.