Our Principles 

Subsidiarity

Knights for Neighbors is grounded in the Catholic understanding of subsidiarity. This quote from Pope John Paul II encapsulates the principle of solidarity:

“A community of a higher order should not interfere with the life of a community of a lower order, taking over its functions.” Centesimus Annus (“The Hundredth Year,” Donders translation), 1991, #48.

And this quote from Pope Leo XIII who in turn quotes Pope Gregory I is the basis for the work of Knights for Neighbors:

"He that hath a talent, let him see that he hide it not; he that hath abundance, let him quicken himself to mercy and generosity; he that hath art and skill, let him do his best to share the use and the utility hereof with his neighbor."  Rerum Novarum.22

We believe the governmental and economic powers exist to allow persons created in the image of God to flourish.

Individuals, families, parishes, free associations, neighborhoods and villages are often the most competent to perform tasks and look after themselves, rather than depending upon larger, more powerful organizations.

Community Flourishing

We believe that economic localism—supporting the businesses and people in our own faith communities—promotes unity, accountability, friendship, chivalry, self-reliance, and craftsmanship in communities.

This model respects a consistent ethics of life from conception to natural death, private property, free-enterprise, volunteerism, consent of the governed, and the U.S. Bill of Rights—itself an expression of natural law and Magna Carta.

culture

We believe culture is a vehicle for truth. We believe that culture can be uplifting, edifying, inspiring, humorous, and beautiful. We take our motto, Lambs Become Lions, from the moving Ridley Scott film Robin Hood. The film vividly represents the principles of solidarity and community flourishing in an art form that has become a part of American culture.

At the bottom of our homepage are blocks called The Good, The True, and The Beautiful. Click these blocks to refresh and fortify your spirit with photos, videos, and articles from the web. Also click the link to our Humor page for lighter clips to brighten your day. It is above the footer menu for each page on our site.

Mission

Our principles are reflected in our mission statement:

Knights for Neighbors provides Knights of Columbus Council members, their spouses, children, widows, and friends a community marketplace and networking hub. We showcase local businesses and services available from our midst. If you need to find work, enhance your family business, need a job done, or have a talent to share, why not see what we have to offer? We encourage local self-reliance and strengthen bonds of friendship by getting to know who we are and what we do.

We work in the spirit of Pope Leo XIII quoting Pope Gregory I in Rerum Novarum 22: "He that hath a talent, let him see that he hide it not; he that hath abundance, let him quicken himself to mercy and generosity; he that hath art and skill, let him do his best to share the use and the utility hereof with his neighbor." 

Click the word Emblem to learn more about our logo.

Click Words of Wisdom for more insights on subsidiarity.