Knights of Columbus activities fall under five main categories: church, family, council, youth and community.

Many times an activity may fall into more than one of the above listed categories. The easiest way to determine the category of a program is to ask, “Who benefits from the program? The Church, the Community, the Council, Families or Youth?” Each council should strive to be well rounded and conduct activities in all of the program areas.

1. Church activities focus on the life of the local Catholic parish or the universal Church. Members are expected to be active as individuals in their parish life. Similarly, Councils are expected to be active as councils in the parish or parishes they serve.
2. Community activities support or benefit the local community served by the Council or the community’s citizens. A Council can directly benefit the community by serving the needy, disabled or elderly. Some community activities, however, may well reach out beyond the local area to aid those in need.
3. Council activities benefit the local Council, its members, or the order at large. Council activities encourage the members to work together in a spirit of unity and fraternity and to enjoy a common fellowship. Each Council is encouraged to publish a monthly or quarterly newsletter, to maintain a council website, to compile a council scrapbook and to organize and maintain certified degree teams. Recruitment and retention activities also come under this category.
4. Our Family activities celebrate our families and reach out to other Catholic families, encouraging them to join our ranks. The family is the core of our Church, community, and Order; thus, all our activities should be geared toward enhancement of family life.
5. Our Youth activities aim to promote responsible behaviour and solid Catholic values among our youth. Young people are God’s gift to us. We should nurture this gift so that our young people may grow up to benefit God’s Kingdom on Earth. Also remember that young people are potential members of the Knights of Columbus or their families.