officersduties

Duties and Responsibilities
of Council Officers

GRAND KNIGHT

The grand knight is responsible for the overall welfare of the council. Elected annually by the council membership, the grand knight
must provide thoughtful and inspired leadership to the council officers, the Service Program directors, chairmen and members of the
council. More specifically, his duties include: presiding over council meetings, details of which are outlined in the flyer, “Method of
Conducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937); acting as an ex officio member of all committees; appointing the membership and program
directors and working with them on the selection of Service Program activities chairmen and membership recruitment teams and
retention chairmen; convening officers for a monthly meeting;appointing special committees not mandated by the laws of the council;
overseeing the proper exemplification of the First Degree; and,finally, making sure that all reports and reporting forms
required by the state or Supreme Council offices are submitted on time. Another area of the grand knight’s duties is overseeing the
important work of the council’s admission committee. Immediately after entering upon his term of office, the grand knight must appoint
an admission committee composed of seven members. The grand knight monitors their work and makes sure their results are in line
with the laws governing the actions of the committee. The grand knight also interacts with the financial secretaryand treasurer to
ensure the council is meeting its financial obligations to the Supreme and state councils, and others. The grand knight countersigns
all orders drawn and signed by the financial secretary and all checks drawn and signed by the treasurer. He also reads the vouchers
from the financial secretary of moneys paid to the treasurer and from the treasurer of moneys deposited in the bank. By these
procedures, the grand knight monitors the performance of the financial secretary and treasurer, working with them to help the council
meet its financial obligations. In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter, Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), each financial secretary,
upon appointment by the supreme knight, is bonded automatically in the amount of $5,000.00. Additional bonding may be provided at
a cost of $7.00 per thousand by contacting the office of the supreme secretary. The same will apply to the council treasurer when the
“Report of Officers’’ (#185) is received at the Supreme Council office. The grand knight is a member of the Advisory Board charged
with general supervision of a Columbian Squires circle sponsored by his council. Finally, the grand knight, together with the deputy
grand knight and trustees, is responsible for recommending a chaplain to the ordinary of the diocese for his appointment in
accordance with section 128 of the “Supreme Charter,Constitution and Laws” (#30). He also appoints a lecturer.

DEPUTY GRAND KNIGHT

The deputy grand knight is the second in command in the local council. He is also elected annually, assists the grand knight in the
operation of council affairs and is responsible for any duties assigned to him by the grand knight. In the absence of the grand knight,
the deputy grand knight presides at council meetings and functions as the grand knight would. The deputy grand knight is a member
of the Advisory Board charged with general supervision of a Columbian Squires circle sponsored by his council. It is suggested that
the deputy grand knight and the board of trustees serve on the council’s retention committee.

CHANCELLOR

The chancellor is elected annually to serve the council in a variety of ways. Primarily, he assists the grand knight and deputy grand
knight in the execution of their duties and takes charge of the council during the incapacity or extended absence of both. With the
cooperation and support of the grand knight, the chancellor has the important duty of strengthening the members’ interest in council
activities. It is recommended that the chancellor serve as the chairman of the council’s Admission Committee. The chancellor is also
a member of the council’s Columbian Squires circle ceremonial team.

RECORDER

The recorder is responsible for keeping a true record of all the actions of the council and maintains all correspondence of the council.
He should use the “Recorder’s Minute Book’’ (#1403, available from the Supreme Council Supply Department) to record the minutes
of all council meetings.

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

The financial secretary’s important role is underscored by the fact that he is not elected by the membership but, his appointment –
upon the recommendation of the grand knight and trustees – is approved by the supreme knight for a period of three years. His work
has a direct effect on council members, his fellow officers, the state council and the Supreme Council. Basically, the financial
secretary’s duties revolve around two key areas of council activities: financial records and membership records. The financial
secretary collects and receives all moneys that come into the council from any source. He then turns that money over to the treasurer
for deposit in the council account. In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter, Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), each financial
secretary, upon appointment by the supreme knight, is bonded automatically in the amount of $5,000.00. Additional bonding may be
provided at a cost of $7.00 per thousand by contacting the office of the supreme secretary. One main function of the financial
secretary is to collect money, in the form of dues, from members. He sends out billing notices before the start of the billing period and
initiates retention measures to prevent members from being suspended for nonpayment of dues. The compilation of membership
records is another of the financial secretary’s important roles. He must ensure that new members sign the constitutional roll of
membership at the time of their First Degree. The financial secretary also applies to the Supreme Council office for honorary and
honorary life membership cards for qualified members. Besides these two major responsibilities, the financial secretary has several
others. They include: handling supply orders for members with the Supreme Council Supply Department; filing the “Report of
Officers’’ (#185) with the Supreme Council office; and reporting all membership/insurance transactions to the Supreme Council office
in a timely and correct manner. When a financial secretary wishes to retire from his office, he should send a brief statement of
resignation to the supreme knight. The statement should designate a final date by which the resignation is to be effective according
to the wishes of the financial secretary. It is to be remembered, however, that every financial secretary has been appointed on the
condition that he will remain in the office, if needed, until the supreme knight has been able to appoint the new financial secretary.
Upon receipt of the financial secretary’s letter of resignation at the Supreme Council office, the appropriate forms for the nomination
and appointment of the new financial secretary will be forwarded to the grand knight. Because the duties and responsibilities of the
financial secretary are so varied and complex, a Financial Secretary’s Handbook (#1410) and an audiovisual production, The
Financial Secretary—Our Answer Man, available at no charge, except postage and handling, from the Supreme Council Department
of Fraternal Services, have been created to help him and council members understand his task more completely. The Supreme
Council also makes available personal computer software and associated reports and supplies to assist financial secretaries to
automate record keeping/billing tasks. Information on hardware requirements and ordering information for the software and supplies
may be obtained by contacting the Supply Department or the Department of Membership Records.

TREASURER

The treasurer is the elected official in charge of handling all council funds. He receives money from the financial secretary and issues
a receipt for such. He is also responsible for depositing all money in the proper council accounts and providing a voucher or
certificate of deposit to the grand knight for each transaction. The treasurer is also responsible for issuing payments to the Supreme
Council on all assessments made by it to the council and for all orders of the council. Finally, the treasurer is responsible for keeping
accurate accounts of the monies in the general expense fund of the council and the amount of money in any special funds
established by the council. He must be able to provide up to-date records on these accounts to the grand knight, financial secretary
or board of trustees. In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter, Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), the treasurer is automatically
bonded in the amount of $5,000 upon receipt of the “Report of Officers’’ (#185) at the Supreme Council office. Additional bonding
may be provided at a cost of $7.00 per thousand by contacting the office of the supreme secretary.

LECTURER

The lecturer is appointed by the grand knight to provide suitable educational and entertaining programs under the“Good of the
Order” section of the council meeting. The “Good of the Order” may include such items as speakers, presentations on special topics,
etc. The lecturer is responsible for presenting the “Good of the Order’’ section at council meetings. The lecturer must be
knowledgeable of all aspects of council programming in order to provide members with informative and entertaining programs. If the
meetings have been conducted in accordance with the ceremonials and the agenda, there will be ample time at each meeting for the
lecturer to present a worthwhile program that will help build meeting attendance and provide benefits to the membership that is
present.

ADVOCATE
The advocate is the parliamentarian for the council. He need not be a member of the legal profession; however, he should be
thoroughly familiar with all of the laws of the Order as stated in the “Charter, Constitution and Laws’’ and with the council by-laws.
When a by-law is to be revised, the advocate serves as chairman of the revision committee. The advocate should also have a
working knowledge of “Robert’s Rules of Order,’’ and the Supreme Council flyer, “Methods of Conducting a Council Meeting’’
(#1937). An understanding of both of these will help keep meetings on track. When needed, the advocate shall seek legal assistance
from the state advocate. In matters of trial of council members, the advocate shall prosecute the charges on behalf of the council.

WARDEN

The warden is responsible for supervising and maintaining all council property, except that which belongs to the financial secretary.
He sets up the council chambers for meetings and degrees and appoints and supervises guards for ceremonial exemplifications.
The warden should also oversee the inside and outside guards and make sure they are fulfilling the duties assigned to them.

INSIDE/OUTSIDE GUARDS
The guards attend the doors of the council chamber, checking on current membership cards before allowing entrance.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The board of trustees consists of the grand knight and three members elected by the council. Trustees supervise all financial
business of the council. They serve as auditors for the semiannual audits and oversee the work of the financial secretary and
treasurer. The grand knight is the chairman of the board. It is suggested that the board of trustees and the deputy grand knight serve
on the council’s retention committee. Trustees are elected for terms of three years, two years and one year. At each regular election,
the position of each trustee will be voted upon, and the current three and two year trustees move on to become two and one year
trustees, respectively.

CHAPLAIN

The priest chosen to serve the council as chaplain will primarily act as spiritual advisor to the brother knights and families of that
council. Since he will more than likely have a full time ministry demanding the major part of his time and effort, no specific duties with
regards to running the council have been assigned to him. He is expected, however, to make a report at council meetings. The
chaplain’s report, scheduled in the “Method of Conducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937), consists of any business matters relative
to his office and a brief talk by him on any religious matters. The chaplain should also serve as an advisor to the Church activities
director and members of that committee. Section 128 of the Laws explains that “the grand knight, deputy grand knight and board of
trustees may annually select a priest to act as chaplain, but such selection must be made in accordance with any rules established
by the bishop of the diocese in which the council is located.” It is the responsibility of the grand knight to follow any established
rules of the diocese. If questions arise, the grand knight should contact the state deputy or the chancery’s office of the diocese.
Deacons and religious brothers cannot serve as a council chaplain, but may be designated as the “spiritual director” of the council.
After the selection of the chaplain, the grand knight, the program director and the director of Church activities should conduct a
meeting with the council chaplain to outline the work of the council in the field of Church activity for the fraternal year. In addition, as
early as possible after the election of officers, there should be a meeting of all council officers including the council chaplain to
discuss particular programs in which the chaplain will participate. Since the chaplain is a priest, it is expected that the council
officers will provide him with as many opportunities as possible to exercise the teaching phase of his ministry for the benefit of the
council members themselves, their families and the community. Every opportunity should be provided the chaplain to help train the
members of the council in their rightful positions as Catholic leaders. Through such a program the chaplain can make a great
contribution to the development of a better informed Catholic leadership by clearing up any questions which the members may have
and by interpreting religious information which comes to them through secular newspapers, the radio, television,etc. The chaplain
should also cooperate with the council in conducting public affairs of a Catholic nature — such as lectures, special religious services,
publication of Catholic advertisements and assistance to the clergy in the community through intelligent and trained Catholic
manpower. Occasionally there arise in a community, in a jurisdiction or on a nationwide basis controversial questions in which the
position of the Church or of Catholics is involved. Before any public action is taken with regard to such a matter, the council officers
and the committee chairmen involved should sit down with the chaplain and discuss the matter thoroughly, so that if the council does
take a position, or if it should ask its members to take a position, the question will be thoroughly understood and handled properly.
A copy of the Surge . . . with Service’ program manual (#962), the Chaplain’s Handbook (#945), the Vocations Handbook’ (#1942)
and the Knights of Columbus Memorial Service (#2942) should be given to the council chaplain in order that he may familiarize
himself with the organized programs of the Order and be in a position to assist the council, particularly in the development of Church
activity programs. Following the order of business outlined in the “Method of Conducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937) and to give
greater importance to the role of the chaplain at council meetings, the chaplain will report to members immediately after the grand
knight’s report or whenever he so desires. He is also provided an opportunity for a summation just prior to the closing prayer.
Council chaplains can enhance the interest at council meetings by arranging to conduct special informational programs for a
specified time period during the chaplain’s report section of the council meeting. The advice and counsel of the chaplain are often
needed by the officers and members and, therefore, his presence at as many meetings as possible would be most helpful. The
chaplain is also a member of the Advisory Board charged with general supervision of a Columbian Squires circle sponsored by his
council.

The Grand Knight's jewel is an Anchor which is suspended from a purple ribbon. The Anchor is indicative of
Admiral Christopher Columbus and has also been a variant form of the Cross for centuries. The Grand
Knight's ceremonial officer robe is royal purple. He wears a white cincture with silver fringe and a purple
mantle with white roll collar.

The Deputy Grand Knight's jewel is the Compass, also known as the Compass of Virtue, suspended from a
purple ribbon, with the four main points representing Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. The 32 points
around the outside of the compass represent the 32 virtues which a man can possess. The compass is an
important tool in navigation. The Deputy Grand Knight's ceremonial officer robe is royal purple. He wears a white
cincture with silver fringe.

The Chancellor's jewel is the Skull and Crossed Bones on the Isabella Cross and is suspended from a black over
white ribbon. The Crossed Bones remind us of our immortality. The Chancellor’s ceremonial officer robe is black robe
trimmed with white. He wears a white cincture with silver fringe and a black mantle with white roll collar.

The Recorder's jewel is Crossed Quill Pens suspended from a white over yellow ribbon. The Quill pens are symbolic
of his record keeping functions of the Scribe. The Recorder's ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with black. He
wears a white cincture with silver fringe.

The Financial Secretary's jewel is the Quill Pen (record-keeper) and the Key (money, safe-keeping, and secrecy)
crossed and is suspended from a white over yellow ribbon. This symbolizes his record keeping functions of the
financial matters of the Council. The Financial Secretary's ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with black. He
wears a white cincture with silver fringe.

The Treasurer's jewel is Crossed Keys, which represents responsibility for the safe keeping of the funds,
suspended from a blue ribbon. The Treasurer's ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with black. He wears a
white cincture with silver fringe.

The Lecturer's jewel consists of the Scroll over the Lyre suspended from a white over blue ribbon. The Scroll
and Lyre represent Literature and Music. The Lecturer's ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with national
blue. He wears a blue cincture with silver fringe.

The Advocate's jewel consists of a Scroll and Sword suspended from a yellow ribbon. The Scroll represents the
legal literature and law and the Sword represents his authority to enforce those Laws. The Advocate's ceremonial
officer robe is black, trimmed with golden yellow. He wears a yellow cincture with silver fringe.

The Warden's jewel consists of Axe bound by Fasces and is suspended from a red over black ribbon. Guards or
protectors of Roman Magistrates generally carried the Axe and Fasces as a sign of Authority. The Warden's
ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with scarlet. He wears a scarlet cincture with silver fringe.

The Inside and Outside Guards each have the same symbol for their jewel. The jewel for the Guards consists
of an Crossed Axes and Key, representing their authority as sentries at the door, is suspended from a white
ribbon. The Guard's ceremonial officer robe is grey with a yoke, trimmed with black. He wears a black cincture
with silver fringe.

The Trustees jewel is the Crossed Key and Sword, which represents their financial authority, is suspended from a
green ribbon. The Trustee’s ceremonial officer robe is black, trimmed with green. He wears a green cincture with
silver fringe.

The Chaplain's jewel is the Isabella Cross in silver and blue suspended from a black ribbon. The Chaplain's
Ceremonial Office Robe is black with black trimming and a yoke with white projecting collar. The cincture is black
with silver fringe.