Read 22 October 2026

Confraternities

Album Sodalitatum

Knights, guilds and lay societies

Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary

KPC · KPCLA · Knights of Peter Claver · Claver · Clavers

Founded 1909Catholic lay fraternal order, the largest historically Black Catholic lay organization in the United States, founded by Josephite priests and parishioners in Mobile, Alabama. Incorporated nonprofit with its own chaplains.

A few minutes' work

Online form, paid. $30 quarterly for a Knight, $30 quarterly for a Lady, $24 annually for Junior Knight or Junior Daughter (e-member plans).

Enroll now

Enter your email on the online registration page, pick a membership plan, and pay; you can also use the Find Clavers Near You directory to join an existing council or court directly.

Members have a portal to sign in to.

A family order. Unlike most Catholic knightly groups, the Knights of Peter Claver takes in the whole household: Senior Knights, the Ladies Auxiliary, Junior Knights, and Junior Daughters, with a Fourth Degree for both men and women as the order's highest honor. Local units meet monthly and the work runs from parish support and scholarships to social justice advocacy, youth formation, and programs aimed at engaging young Black Catholic adults. It was founded in 1909 because Black Catholics were being refused membership in other Catholic fraternal orders, and that history is still part of why people join, though membership has never been restricted by race.

What you promise

Be a Catholic in good standing, 18 or older for the adult divisions. Dues are billed on a plan: the online e-member plans list $30 quarterly for a Knight, $30 quarterly for a Lady, and $24 annually for a Junior Knight or Junior Daughter. Local councils and courts have their own meeting schedule and project commitments. Advancement to the Fourth Degree (Sir Knight, or Gracious Lady in the Ladies Auxiliary) is by merit and is conferred at a formal exemplification.

What the Church attaches

Chaplains at unit, district, and national level. The order runs retreats, liturgical celebrations, and faith formation for members and their families, and has its own Claver University formation platform. Devotion to St. Peter Claver, the Jesuit who served enslaved Africans at Cartagena, anchors its spirituality.

Enrollment checked 2026-10-22. Details change without notice and parish practice varies. Confirm before relying on this sheet.

Name
Date
Priest, where one is needed

Your list

The few you are weighing up, kept here so you can carry them with you. Print it to take to your parish, or copy it into a message to whoever you want to ask. Your list stays on this computer and goes nowhere else.