Knights of Columbus
Commodore Barry Assembly 1561

Fourth Degree Information

On February 22, 1900, the first Fourth Degree exemplification or degree ceremony was held in New York City. The Fourth Degree imparts a lesson on the virtue of patriotism. The primary purpose of this degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism in members and the community at large and encourage active Catholic citizenship. Today there are some 300,000 Fourth Degree Knights out of the total 1.6 million member Knights of Columbus.

Local units, called Assemblies, draw their members from Knights of Columbus Councils. The qualifications for membership in the Fourth Degree are: membership in the Knights for at least six months and being a Third Degree Knight.

Fourth Degree Knights are referred to as "Sir Knights" and may become part of the Assembly's Color Corps. These members are recognized widely by their distinctive attire of tuxedo, feathered chapeau (a naval style hat), cape and sword. These members regularly take part in civic events such as parades and wreath-laying ceremonies, and at ecclesial functions at Catholic churches. Color corps appearances on Church property (such as confirmations and statue dedications) must be with the consent of the pastor. The various colored capes and chapeau feathers denote different officer positions within the Fourth Degree:

The Fourth Degree has its own organizational structure which is independent of local Councils. The local unit is the Assembly which is headed by its Faithful Navigator (parallel to the Grand Knight of a council). Each Assembly has its own Officers and a company of Color Corps members headed by the Assembly Commander. Each Assembly has a number of affiliated Councils, but a Fourth Degree member need not belong to the Assembly affiliated with his local Council.

After the Assembly, the next level of organization is the District. The Commodore Barry Assembly is part of the First New Jersey District, geographically corresponding to the area north of the Raritan River. The head of a District is an appointed officer with the title of Master. The current master of the First New Jersey District is Joseph A. Olivo

Above the District is the Province. The Districts of New Jersey and New York constitute the St. Isaac Jogues Province. The head of the province is the Vice Supreme Master, presently S.K. Robert F Mate, K.H.S. The highest officer is the Supreme Master, chosen by the Order’s Board of Directors. The current Supreme Master is S.K. Joseph P. Schultz.

For more information on the Fourth Degree see the Supreme Website or the NJ State Website

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