Knights, guilds and lay societies
The Catenian Association
Catenians · Catenian Circles · The Catenian Association (Chain)
Founded 1908Private lay association of Catholic laymen, founded in Manchester, operating as a UK association and charity with provinces and circles in several English-speaking countries. No canonical erection is claimed.
A letter or two
Free online form. Unclear; annual subscriptions are set by each Circle and province.
Enroll nowUse the Find A Circle tool or the enquiry form on the membership page, and a representative from your local Circle will phone or email you; note that some individual circles still describe membership as being by invitation, so your experience will depend on the Circle.
Members have a portal to sign in to.
The Catenians are closer to a brotherhood of friends than a service organization, and they say so plainly: easier to experience than to explain. Local groups are called Circles, they meet monthly, usually over a meal, and partners and families are folded into the social side. The pitch is friendship and a support network for Catholic men juggling work, marriage, and children, with a benevolent fund if a member hits hard times and a bursary fund for members' children. There is charitable giving, but the primary good on offer is belonging, including in a new town when you move.
What you promise
Catholic laymen (the national page welcomes all who profess the Catholic faith or a faith in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, and local circles commonly set a minimum age of 21). Attend your Circle's monthly meeting and pay the annual subscription set by the Circle and province. Some circles also expect support of the Benevolent and Bursary Funds. Entry involves a conversation with a Circle representative, an invitation to a meeting or social event as their guest, a pause to think it over, and then a formal application, taking roughly a month from decision to enrollment.
What the Church attaches
Catenian Circles are explicitly social and fraternal rather than devotional, and the association describes itself as an association of Catholics rather than a Catholic association, saying it will not judge a member's personal religious beliefs. There is a Rosary special interest group, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols has publicly commended the association, but there is no chaplaincy requirement or attached indulgence.
Enrollment checked 2026-10-22. Details change without notice and parish practice varies. Confirm before relying on this sheet.