2000 Knights and their family members and more than 90 members of the hierarchy to attend

Contact: Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; Joseph Cullen, 203-800-4923, joseph.cullen@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus  

SAN ANTONIO, July 31, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus will open its 131st annual international convention on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at the JW Marriott Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven, Conn. The organization has now grown to 1.8 million members worldwide, who are heavily committed to charity. During the past year, Knights donated more than $167.5 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.

Texas Knights were very active during the year, helping with needs in communities throughout the region and especially in the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornado and the explosion in West, Texas, where the Knights helped significantly with financial and volunteer resources in support of relief efforts there. The Knights convention on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 6-8, will be the sixth to take place in Texas, including two earlier meetings in San Antonio in 1937 and 1990.

"The nearly 300-year history of San Antonio is a testament to the ways in which evangelization, immigration and the quest for freedom can shape a community," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, whose annual report will be given Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 6. "We are pleased to be meeting in so historic a city, where our own roots run so deep."

The convention will be the largest gathering of Catholic hierarchy in America outside of the annual U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' meetings. More than 90 archbishops and bishops -- including 11 cardinals -- and scores of clergy will join approximately 2,000 Knights and their family members for the convention. Members and hierarchy will come from throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The meeting is a mixture of business, recognition and fellowship, highlighted by the annual report of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on Tuesday afternoon. The Knights' many activities of the past year are reviewed and plans are made for the future.

Activities begin Tuesday with a 9:30 a.m. concelebrated Mass at the hotel led by Archbishop Gustavo García‐Siller, M.Sp.S. of San Antonio. Later that day, the attendees will hear a keynote address from Cardinal Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. of Boston, at a formal dinner.

More than 500 delegates will participate in business sessions Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and many service and achievement awards will be presented Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday's events -- Mass, opening session and dinner with Cardinal O'Malley's address -- will be broadcast live by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), CatholicTV, Canada's Salt and Light Television and EWTN Radio. Sirius/XM's The Catholic Channel will broadcast its popular Busted Halo program live from the convention site on Monday, Aug. 5, a day before the start of the convention, and on Tuesday.

Contact: Andrew Walther, andrew.walther@kofc.org or 203-824-5412, or Joseph Cullen, joseph.cullen@kofc.org or 203-800-4923

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Media must be credentialed and are invited on Aug. 6 to cover the opening Mass (9:30 a.m.), the supreme knight's report (1:30 p.m.) and the formal states dinner (7:30 p.m.). Please RSVP to Andrew Walther (andrew.walther@kofc.org or 203-824-5412). Clean satellite feed for Tuesday's Mass (9:30-11 AM), the Opening Business Session, including the Supreme Knight's report (1:30-4 PM) and the states dinner (7:30-10 PM), including Cardinal O'Malley's address, will be available from Galaxy 17, Transponder 18 (Ku Digital; Slot A; Downlink Freq: 12046.5 Vertical; FEC: ¾, Symbol Rate: 6.1113).