Born in the same era of the Knights of Columbus (1882), the Knights of St. Paul (founded in 1884) were founded by men of St. Patrick and St. Mary's Councils (then the only Catholic churches in York) to serve as the fraternal and benevolent order for York. They served as the honor guard for the laying of the cornerstone of  "new" Saint Patrick's Church in 1895. Its Silver Jubilee parade in 1910 boasted 800 Catholic men parading through town with the Mayor of York, Jacob Weaver and representatives of the other York civic organizations.

By 1919, center of Catholic fraternity had shifted to the Knights of Columbus signified by the Knights of St. Paul selling their hall and eventually moving into the new Columbian Home. The Knights of St. Paul continue to serve as a benevolent association, providing scholarships to Catholic School students and maintaining the history of Catholic fratenity in York.

Knights of Columbus came to York, Pennsylvania with the founding of York Council 1530 in December 1910 and Assembly 920 in 1913. The York Daily Record records how 500 Knights came to York to initiative the original 50 members of the council organized by Samuel A. Brueggerman (later Faithful Navigator of our assembly). York's four parishes came together to host the festivities of the historic event which was held in the Knights of St. Paul Hall on East Jackson Street, followed by a luncheon at St. Mary's school hall. State Deputy John T. Brew and District Deputy John A. Coyle conducted the first degree ceremony. At the time of its founding, York Council boasted the youngest membership in the state, averaging 22 years old.

York Daily Record, "Knights of Columbus to Form York Council," 12/8/1910, 10.

The 4th Degree of the Knights of Columbus is the "Patriotic" degree and the United States entry into the Great War (now known was World War I) saw the Knights put our ideals into action supporting the troops on and off the battlefield. The Knights (along with the YMCA, Salvation Army and other civic organizations) served the function of the modern USO, building social halls across Europe to support the young men (many of whom were themselves Knights) in fraternity, charity and patriotism.

"York Council, Knights of Columbus has bee notified by the Supreme Council of the order that the Knights of Columbus have been designated by the war department to look after the moral and social welfare of the soldiers and sailors..." (Read the full York Gazette article)

The Knights participated in the War Council of York, which comprised other civic organizations in York and was in charge of organizing Liberty Loan, War Saving Stamps, Thrift Stamps and other programs to support the war effort distributing ~$275,000, approximately $7.5 million in 2026 (Hall and Lehn, York County And The World War, 400-401).

Symbolic of the growth of the Knights of Columbus after World War I was the construction of the Columbian Home on S. George Street (one block north of St. Mary's) in 1926.

During this period, the Alcazar ballroom hosted some of the biggest names in American music and hosted dinner dances for various occasions including Columbus Day. In 1936, the ballroom hosted a dinner & dance in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Knights of Columbus in Pennsylvania, sponsored by York Council 1530 and the Bishop McDevitt Assembly with 300 in attendence from Hanover to Philadelphia. Fr. George W. Brown of St. Mary's Parish Lancaster said the Knights are "the backbone of the Catholic layman," and stressed that "every layman should be affiliated with the K. of. C." (York Dispatch)

The Catholic population of the York area exploded during the post-World War II boom, numbering over 19,000 in York by 1960 (York Dispatch). Along with this growth came the expansion of the Knights of Columbus via the establishment of additional councils, the first being St. Joseph Council 6353, East York in 1971, then St. Rose of Lima Council 10870 in 1993, St. Patrick's Council 11872 in 1996, Fr. Gerrity Council 10474, Manchester, Sacred Heart Council 14349 and Santa Maria Council 15673.