Theta Kappa Phi

Template:Short description Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Theta Kappa Phi () was an American social fraternity for Catholics founded on Template:Dts, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. On Template:Dts, it merged with a similar Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa, to form Phi Kappa Theta.

History

The idea for the organization developed from a group of men who were a part of the university’s Newman Club, who had met in 1914. Plans for the official establishment of the fraternity fell through upon the entry of the United States into the First World War in 1917, with several members subsequently joining the armed forces. Of the original group, three returned to Lehigh at the end of hostilities to resume their studies, including Raymond J. Bobbin, Peter J. Carr, and August Concilio.

Following the conclusion of the war in November 1918 and the return of members to college, Carr led efforts to restart the process of establishing a social fraternity at Lehigh. Ultimately thirty men, including Concilio, Carr, and Bobbin, agreed to the establishment of the X Club, the original name of Theta Kappa Phi.

During the first few months of the new fraternity’s existence, several important actions were undertaken. In a meeting on November 12, 1919, the X Club would select Theta Kappa Phi as its new name. At the time of its adoption, the letters simply stood in place for ‘The Catholic Fraternity’ before they were given a secret meaning later upon merger into Phi Kappa Theta in 1959. The founding group would elect Concilio as the fraternity’s first President. Carr successfully began the infant fraternity’s nationalization by unifying with Kappa Theta fraternity at Pennsylvania State University, establishing the group there as its Beta chapter on Template:Dts.

Meanwhile, the fraternity would receive valuable help and inspiring leadership from local Bethlehem pastor, Rev. William I. McGarvey. Since none of the existing members had fraternity experience, McGarvey was a valuable asset in developing the fledgling group into a true fraternity in its early days. McGarvey would additionally secure the help of Rev. Michael Andrew Chapman in writing Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual, who was an Episcopal priest as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Bard College. The basics of Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual are still used in Phi Kappa Theta’s ritual today, while McGarvey’s effort for Theta Kappa Phi gained him recognition as the fraternity’s fourth founder.

Theta Kappa Phi continued to expand to other colleges and universities in the surrounding region. On Template:Dts, Theta Kappa Phi merged with a similar Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa, to form Phi Kappa Theta. At the time the merger, Theta Kappa Phi had 24 active chapters across the United States. It had 4,000 members in 1957.

Symbols

The Greek letters Theta Kappa Phi were selected to stand for "The Catholic Fraternity".

The badge of Theta Kappa Phi was a gold shield with a black enamel center that featured the Greek letters , over a golden heart. The badge was bordered with crown-set pearls, and four rubies in the form of a cross. Its pledge pin was a white shield, bordered with a gold chain that enclosed a golden sun.

The fraternity's colors were red, silver, and gold. Its flower was the Columbine. Its publications was The Sun of Theta Kappa Phi.

Chapters

Following are the chapters of Theta Kappa Phi, with inactive chapters in italics.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status	References
Alpha	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Lehigh University	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Beta	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Pennsylvania State University	University Park, Pennsylvania	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Gamma	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Delta	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Illinois	Champaign and Urbana, Illinois	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Epsilon	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of New Hampshire	Durham, New Hampshire	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Zeta	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Ohio Northern University	Ada, Ohio	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Eta	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	City College of New York	New York City, New York	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Theta	Template:Dts – 1931	Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Inactive	Template:Efn
Iota	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Temple University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Kappa	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Oklahoma	Norman, Oklahoma	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Lambda	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Worcester, Massachusetts	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Mu	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy	Worcester, Massachusetts	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Nu	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Oklahoma State University	Stillwater, Oklahoma	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Xi	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Omicron	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	Lafayette, Louisiana	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Pi	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	St. Louis University	St. Louis, Missouri	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Rho	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Mississippi State University	Starkville, Mississippi	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Sigma	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Boston University	Boston, Massachusetts	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Tau	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Saint Francis University	Loretto, Pennsylvania	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Upsilon	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Missouri	Columbia, Missouri	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Phi	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Kent State University	Kent, Ohio	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Chi	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Mississippi	Oxford, Mississippi	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Psi	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Northern Illinois University	DeKalb, Illinois	Merged ()	Template:Efn
Omega	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, Michigan	Merged ()	Template:Efn
UW Colony		University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin	Merged ()	Template:Efn

See also

• List of social fraternities
• Christian fraternities