New letter

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, that I plan to find out more about. The Knights of Columbus have a website that details a lot of the work the Knights do. I plan to study these knights at their meetings at their Casey Hall in Belleville. Also all their charity events are open to the public. Meeting and observing members should be fairly easy. This group is legal and 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