Dear Mr. Nadziejko and my entire English 102 class,
The group I have decided to study this semester is the Knights of Columbus. This is the largest catholic fraternal group that raises millions of dollars a year for charity. The Knights of Columbus have many branches all around the world, and several I’ve found in Southern Illinois. (Including one in Belleville). Although, the Knights of Columbus is a male organization, they also have a ladies auxiliary. (Which is the group I will study). I have not received confirmation back of the group I plan to study, but have learned through their web site that all events are open to the public. Meeting and observing members should be fairly easy. This group is legal and when receive the okay back from one of the divisions, observation can begin at any time. Information on the Knights is widely available, being that this group is so large and been around since the late 1800’s. Each division has their own web site on upcoming events and charities they participate in.
I know of The Knights of Columbus being a Catholic charity group, but am not familiar with their rituals, behavior, or language of this group. Knowing that this is a charitable group will make it easy to keep an open mind and avoid creating biases. In this ethnographic study I plan to learn everything I can about being a member including;
· the type of charities they provide
· what it is like being a member
· if there are guidelines to being a member
· how much time must be devoted to the group
· how they officer election works and what the officers do compared to regular members
· and anything and everything between
Studying of the group shall begin soon as I receive the approval. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Jessica Shadrick
I, myself, am a Catholic so I'll be very interested in reading this when you're done.
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
1) When do they meet?
2) Where do they meet?
3) How often do they meet?
Do members have to be Catholic to be members?
ReplyDeleteMy dad is a member, but he is Catholic, so I'm just wondering if those who aren't can be members.
Please tell us ASAP when you get permission from this group. Folks have done this group before, and to some success, but they usually have a family member in the group. Perhaps some of your classmates, or their parents, could help you sit in on a meeting or two. Also there are plently of websites out there.
ReplyDeleteI also want to say that they have their own magazine. My dad is a member, but never goes to any meetings.
What happens if you dont recieve approval? What kind of charities do they support? Why is it an all male group? I think this could be a very interesting project.
ReplyDelete