The International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) is a non-governmental organization made up of fifteen Roman Catholic fraternal societies from 27 countries on six continents. The IACK was founded in Glasgow on 12 October 1979 at a meeting of the leaders of six fraternal societies, convened on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the Knights of Saint Columba.[1] The organization is headquartered in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.[1]
The IACK is currently an associate member of the Conference of International Catholic Organizations. The CICO is made up of 36 member organizations, four associated organizations and four invited organizations. These international organizations of more than 150 million lay people, through their respective national branches, are present in more than 150 countries.
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| Order | Founded | Joined IACK [2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of Saint Columba | 1919 | 1979 | Great Britain |
| Knights of Columbus | 1882 | 1979 | United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Poland |
| Knights of Saint Columbanus | 1915 | 1979 | Ireland |
| Knights of the Southern Cross | 1919 | 1979 | Australia |
| Knights of the Southern Cross (New Zealand) | 1979 | New Zealand | |
| Knights of Da Gama | 1980 [3] | South Africa | |
| Knights of Marshall | 1926 | 1983 | Ghana, Liberia, and Togo |
| Knights of Saint Mulumba | 1953 | 1986 | Nigeria |
| Knights of Peter Claver | 1909 | 1987 | United States, Colombia |
| Knights of Saint Virgil | 1992 | Austria | |
| Fraternal Order of Saints Peter and Paul | 1992 | The Gambia | |
| Knights of Saint Gabriel | 1997 | United Nations | |
| Knights of Saint Thomas the Apostle | 1998 | Pakistan | |
| The Order of Our Lady Queen of Peace | 2000 | Mauritius | |
| Knights of Saint Thomas More[4] | 2001 | 2001 | Belgium |
During the constitutional meeting, it was 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. Furthermore, the IACK holds its members to:
The IACK was approved as a Catholic international organization by the Holy See in 1981. By a Decree dated 14 April 1992 the International Alliance of Catholic Knights was given official recognition by the Vatican as an International Catholic Association of the Faithful, in accordance with Canons 298-311 and 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law.
It was agreed that the Supreme Knight or National President of each Member Order would form an International Council which would meet annually (now biennially) and be responsible for the organization and development of the new Alliance and would provide a forum in which the leaders of the Orders could discuss matters of common concern. The Leaders present at this historic gathering are recognized as the Founders of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights:
| Year | Location | International Council President |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Glasgow Scotland | Tony Rouse |
| 1980 | East London South Africa | Alan Diesel |
| 1981 | Wellington New Zealand | Patrick Keogh |
| 1982 | Hartford United States | Virgil C. Dechant |
| 1983 | Dublin Ireland | Vincent Gallagher |
| 1984 | Melbourne Australia | Robert Ward |
| 1985 | Glasgow Scotland | Walter Downey |
| 1986 | Sekondi Ghana | George Habib |
| 1987 | New Haven United States | Virgil C. Dechant |
| 1988 | Berg An Daal South Africa | Raymond Allam |
| 1989 | Dublin Ireland and the Vatican | Hugh McLaughlin |
| 1990 | Auckland New Zealand | Kinney Curran |
| 1991 | Rome Italy | Dr. George Akabogu |
| 1993 | New Orleans United States | Paul Condoll |
| 1995 | Morecambe England | W. Roe |
| 1997 | Sekondi Ghana | Owusu Prempeh |
| 1998 | The Vatican | Dr. Edmund Kwaw |
| 1999 | New Haven United States | Dr. Edmund Kwaw |
| 2001 | Melbourne Australia | Eamonn Fleming |
| 2003 | St Martin bei Lofer Salzbergerland Austria | Geoffrey Renner |
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