End-of-Life Support

Knights and their families are encouraged to plan for anticipated as well as unanticipated end-of-life (EOL) events.  There are spiritual needs as well as material needs that should be considered.

Several guides are available in the links below to address the spiritual aspect of one's life.

How to prepare for a death – a checklist | Written for 2024

PRINT-EndOfLifeDocument-LetterSize-FINAL-3.pdf

a-planning-guide-for-eol-care-071720.pdf

VERITAS pamphlet from Knights of Columbus: Do No Harm: A Guide to Human Dignity and Morally Sound End-of-Life Care Father Christopher M. Saliga, O.P.

There are other forms which contain checklists for a material aid to our survivors in their times of stress, duress and despair during the immediate time of our passing.

1. Prearranged Funeral Form

2. Patriotic Degree Memorial Service and Chalice Distribution Form 

Please print both of these forms and fill them out.  Keep the prearranged funeral form with your "final" papers at home and return the Patriotic Degree Memorial Service and Chalice Distribution Form to your assembly Faithful Navigator for safekeeping.

Sir Knights and their families are entitled to several actions upon the death of a Sir Knight:

1.  Five Masses will be dedicated at the local parish by the Assembly for the repose the the soul of the Sir Knight.

2.  A Letter of Condolence from the Faithful Navigator will be provided to the family next of kin.

3.  A Resolution of Condolence certificate from the assembly will be printed and provided to the family next of kin.

4.  A chalice will be engraved with the name of the Sir Knight and will be presented in accordance with the wishes of the Sir Knight expressed on the chalice distribution form, or in accordance with the wishes of the family next of kin.  The chalice will not be kept be kept by the family, but will be presented to them only momentarily during a chalice ceremony at a funeral or memorial service.  The chalice will then be donated to a Priest in need, whether local or in a foreign nation, so that the name of that Sir Knight will be elevated in the sacifice of the Holy Mass each day.

There are other considerations expressed in the guides above that pertain to property, assets and other material possessions that require some thought and diligence.  These actions on the part of the Sir Knight will aid their loved ones at the time of his passing.

FINALLY, this website has a plethura of planning resources from the Knights of Columbus: https://kofc.planmygift.org/planning-toolkit.  Share this link with your family.  There are many pages in their menu to help with wills, estate planning, living trusts, and other things we want to ignore until it is too late.  This was built for the Knights - take advantage!