IN GOD WE TRUST: THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Upcoming Exhibit

April 18, 2026 – September 5, 2027

Migneault Gallery

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In the summer of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 representatives of the 13 colonies in North America under the control of the British Empire, changing the course of history. The newly formed United States of America would undergo an eight-year War for Independence and, in 1788, would ratify its Constitution that is still in effect today.

Almost 106 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Knights of Columbus was incorporated in the State of Connecticut. Since 1882, the Order has been dedicated to the promotion and defense of the rights of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” for all Americans, in accordance with its Catholic values.

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition In God We Trust: The Knights of Columbus and the American Experience explores a U.S.-born institution and how the history of the United States helped shape the Order’s founding and its development into the global institution it is today. In addition, the exhibition shares how the Knights have persevered in improving society through its core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.

The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center would like to acknowledge the following lenders for their contribution to the exhibition:

Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Archives
Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut
Thomaston Historical Society
Quinnipiac University, in conjunction with Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield

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