Stratford 4th Degree Assembly 1866 was formed through the efforts of the late Sir Knight Cec Tufts and Sir Knight Joe Tobin, who felt we should now have our own Assembly in Stratford.

Until then the members were affiliated with the Dean Egan Assembly in Seaforth. The new assembly was so named in honour of our late and highly esteemed member the Honourable Justice J. Maurice King, Supreme Court Judge, former mayor and alderman of Stratford, former Grand Knight and Past State Deputy of Ontario.

The Justice J. M. King Assembly is what is known as the patriotic wing of the order. Its first Faithful navigator was P.G.K. Al Grant.

The Assembly sponsors a euchre party, usually on the last Friday 4of the month.

Fourth Degree Knights

On February 22, 1900, the first Fourth Degree exemplification or degree ceremony was held in New York City. The Fourth Degree imparts a lesson on the virtue of patriotism. The primary purpose of this degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism in members and the community at large and encourage active Catholic citizenship. Today there are some 300,000 Fourth Degree Knights out of the total 1.6 million member Knights of Columbus.
Local units, called assemblies, draw their members from Knights of Columbus councils. The qualifications for membership in the Fourth Degree are: membership in the Knights for at least one year and being a Third Degree Knight.
A Fourth Degree Knight may become part of the assembly’s color corps. These members are recognized widely by their distinctive attire of tuxedo, feathered hat (chapeau), cape and sword. These members regularly take part in civic events such as parades and wreath-laying ceremonies, and at ecclesial functions at Catholic churches. The various colored capes and chapeau feathers denote different officer positions within the Fourth Degree.

Assembly Information

Stratford Assembly 1866 is part of Cardinal McGuigan Province, Fifth Ontario District.

A Comparison of Assembly and Council Officers

The Assembly is structured in much the same manner as a Council. Below is a chart that shows the 4th Degree Assembly Officer’s title and the 3rd Degree Council equivalent.