Welcome - Mother Cabrini Assembly # 1572

This is the home page of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights of Mother Cabrini Assembly # 1572 of the Knights of Columbus, based in Carmel, New York. On this page you will find information and links to the Knights of Columbus Councils to which our members belong; information about the Fourth Degree and its Color Corps, as well as the emblem of the Fourth Degree; a description of the duties of assembly officers; and membership information.

In the left frame of this and all of our web pages, you will find links to the latest news about our Assembly ("News Alerts"), names and contact information for our officers ("Officers"), a listing of upcoming events ("Calendar"), and sources of additional information ("Links Page"). Please visit our News Alerts and Calendar pages regularly to keep up to date with what's going on with our active Assembly.

Member Councils

About the Fourth Degree - The Patriotic Degree of our Order

On February 22, 1900, the first exemplification of the Fourth Degree was held in the New York City. To the three principles of our Order -- Charity, Unity and Fraternity -- a final lesson was added: the virtue of Patriotism. The focus of the Fourth Degree is on this principle, an abiding love for, and devotion to, one's country. The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism by promoting responsible citizenship and a love of, and loyalty to, the Knights' respective countries through membership in a local Fourth Degree group, called an "assembly."

The structure of the Fourth Degree consists of the Supreme Assembly, provinces and provincial assemblies, districts and district assemblies, and assemblies.

The Supreme Assembly is composed of the Supreme Master, Supreme Knight, Supreme Secretary, and Vice Supreme Masters. Their duties are to give careful consideration to all matters concerning the welfare of the Fourth Degree. Each province and provincial assembly is headed by a Vice Supreme Master, who has general supervision over masters, assemblies, and Fourth Degree Exemplifications in his province. Each province is divided into districts. Each assembly district is composed of the Faithful Navigator and one delegate for each 100 members in each assembly in the district. Each district is headed by a Master who has been appointed by the Supreme Master.

An assembly is established by Fourth Degree members in an area by requesting the Master of the District to petition the Vice Supreme Master to recommend to the Supreme Master and Board of Directors to create an Assembly. Thus, our assembly is Mother Cabrini Assembly # 1572, founded in 1971, and comprised of members from the five councils listed above. Our current Faithful Navigator is Sir Knight Seamus Baker.

The Faithful Navigator presides at all meetings and enforces the rules and regulations of the assembly and the laws of the order. He is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The Faithful Friar is the spiritual leader of the assembly. He is appointed by the Faithful Navigator.

The Faithful Captain performs the duties of the Faithful Navigator in the absence of the Faithful Navigator. The Faithful Captain is also in charge of social activities and those under the Good of the Order.

The Faithful Admiral is responsible for recruiting new members and the assembly’s participation in the Fourth Degree Exemplification.

The Faithful Scribe maintains records of all meetings and conducts all correspondence of the assembly.

The Faithful Comptroller maintains membership records, collects and receives all money for the assembly, and prepares orders to the Purser for bills to be paid.

The Faithful Purser receives money from the Faithful Comptroller and pays orders signed by the Faithful Comptroller and the Faithful Navigator. He also maintains all money accounts.

The Faithful Pilot has charge of all properties of the assembly and is responsible for the assembly chamber. He is also responsible for the Sentinels.

The Faithful Sentinels ensure that all attending an assembly function are in possession of both a 3rd and 4th Degree Membership Card.

The Board of Trustees consists of the Faithful Navigator, who is the chairman, and three members, usually Past Faithful Navigators. They supervise all the financial business of the assembly.

The Color Corps

Certain members of the Fourth Degree are members of the Color Corps and serve as color guards and honor guards at civic and religious functions. All Color Corps members have mastered the "Manual of the Sword." The members of the Color Corps, who once wore colorful regalia, were "the visible arm of the Knights of Columbus." The Color Corps was frequently seen in parades as well as at the wakes and funerals of our deceased brother Knights. This honorable activity had brought worldwide recognition to the Knights of Columbus and to local assemblies. Supreme Council prohibited official use of the regalia after July 1, 2019, and as a result, the Mother Cabrini Color Corps became inactive. Recently, members of the Assembly have purchased the new uniform and have begun to resume performing Honor Guard services.

Mother Cabrini Color Corps leading Knights in the 2012 Northern Westchester/Putnam St. Patrick's Day Parade

Each level within the hierarchy of the Fourth Degree had its own color scheme. The Vice Supreme Master wore a blue cape and chapeau. The Master wore a gold cape and chapeau. The District Marshal wore a green cape and chapeau. The Navigator of an assembly wore a white cape and chapeau, while his Color Corps Commander wore a purple cape and chapeau. All other members of the Color Corps wore a red cape and white chapeau. The current uniform includes a beret with an insignia backing that maintains this color scheme except that regular members have no color-backing to their insignia. In 2023, Supreme Council instituted the additional use of a colored baldric (sash) following the same color scheme.

The uniform of the Fourth Degree was originally styled according to the formal wear of the day, at the turn of the 20th century, consisting of a top hat, Prince Albert coat, etc., with a red, white and blue baldric, on which was pinned an emblem depicting the United States Constitution. Sir Knights wore a sword with a cross-handle grip, signifying Christian Knighthood.

From its beginning, the Fourth Degree provided honor guards for religious and civic ceremonies. In order to fully appreciate this uniformed degree, one must realize that in the early 1900s, civic parades and religious processions played a very important role in America’s public life -- much more so than today. For Catholics, displaying pride in their religion evoked an experience analogous to that of the patriot witnessing the national flag ascending against a clear blue sky as a band played the national anthem.

Our Emblem

The Sir Knights of the Fourth Degree deem it an honor and a great privilege to carry the triad emblem, which features the DOVE, CROSS, and GLOBE.

Our honored Order cherishes Christopher Columbus as its patron. "Christopher" means "Christ Bearer," and "Columbus" (or "Colombo," in Italian) means ‘Dove of Peace,’ symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The Cross of Christ is the sign of our Christian faith and is in the form of an Isabella Cross, for Columbus' patron, Queen Isabella of Spain. The Globe depicts the New World of America, the miraculous discovery by Christopher Columbus.

Spiritually, the sacred symbols fashioned on the cape, sword and lapel pins of the Fourth Degree symbolize the union of the Three Divine Persons in God, The Most Holy Trinity:

Red, white and blue are the colors of the United States flag, the country in which our order originated. They are used to stress the basic principle of the Fourth Degree, Patriotism.

Eligibility for Membership in the Fourth Degree

Any Third Degree member in good standing is eligible for membership in the Fourth Degree. A Fourth Degree member must retain his membership as a Third Degree member in any Knights of Columbus Council to remain in good standing with the Fourth Degree. Fourth Degree members are entitled to be called "Sir Knight."

The Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus is considered to be a soldier of Christ, a model of Christian living. Fourth Degree brothers (and for that matter, all Knights of Columbus) should be dedicated, good Catholic gentlemen, who glory in the saying, "They are the Strong Right Arm of the Catholic Church," for it is to them that people look for example and courage.

If you are interested in becoming a Fourth Degree Sir Knight in Mother Cabrini Assembly # 1572, contact the Grand Knight of any of the member Councils listed above or our Faithful Navigator.

According to the Supreme Knight's Annual Report, there are more than 300,000 Fourth Degree Sir Knights out of 1.8 million members of the Knights of Columbus. The Brother Sir Knights who already celebrate "Faith, Family and Fraternity" stand ready to welcome you as a member in the Fourth Degree.

About Mother Cabrini Assembly

The following is a roster of Charter Members of Mother Cabrini Assembly #1572 (courtesy of Sir Knight George R. Wiegand):

ATTENION MEMBERS! PLEASE MAKE SURE WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS ON FILE! Let FN Seamus Baker, Purser/Webmaster Rob Firriolo, or FC Andrew DeStefano know your address if you have not been receiving Assembly emails or if your address has recently changed. Email and this website are the primary methods of communication with the membership, so current contact information for our members is essential!

Mother Cabrini Assembly # 1572

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Member Councils

About the Fourth Degree - The Patriotic Degree of our Order