IWKnights Corner for December 17, 2023

Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus? 

“Knights of Columbus leaders representing nearly 70 jurisdictions gathered in Denver Nov. 3-5 for the Midyear Membership Meeting of State Deputies.  The meeting featured keynote remarks by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore in addition to various workshops, Mass and other opportunities for fraternity and prayer.

In his remarks to the state deputies Nov. 4, Supreme Knight Kelly affirmed that Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights 141 years ago to ‘carry out the mission of Jesus himself — to help men love God and serve their neighbors’.

Citing various global and societal challenges, including wars in the Holy Land and Ukraine, the spread of secular ideologies and persistent scandals within the Church, the supreme knight said, ‘Our mission is a mission of hope — and it’s a mission perfectly suited for these challenging times’.

‘The Knights bear a special responsibility in this moment,’ he added. ‘We have to grow the Order so we can make a bigger difference.  We grow the Order so we can serve more families and pass on our beautiful faith to the next generation’.

The continued growth of the Knights, he emphasized, depends on members extending a personal invitation to other Catholic men.

‘Growth is not the result of a big campaign.  It’s the result of small, individual actions,’ Supreme Knight Kelly said.  ‘Nothing is stronger than a brother Knight calling another man to something greater, and doing so face to face, in the context of friendship’.

The supreme knight also underscored various efforts to reinforce the Order’s mission of serving the vulnerable, helping men to grow in faith and strengthening the family.  These include new resources such as the Men of the Word Bible study and the K of C-produced video series Into the Breach: The Mission of the Family.  Chief among these efforts, however, is Cor, a major initiative launched earlier this year.  Adopted by more than 600 councils so far, Cor brings Catholic men to together to grow in prayer, formation and fraternity.

‘We all need like-minded men to help us answer our calling as husband and fathers. This truth is at the heart of the Knights of Columbus,’ Supreme Knight Kelly explained. ‘Cor doesn’t replace anything we do.  But it will enhance everything we do.  Cor will strength our witness to charity, our witness to unity and our witness to fraternity — and it will do all that precisely because it strengthens our faith, which is the very foundation of our principles’.

Archbishop Lori, [also made] his remarks Nov. 4, similarly emphasized the importance of strengthening the faith of Knights and families, as well as the role that chaplains play in the Order.”

You can find the link to the entire article at: the Friday Flocknotes, IWKnights9981.com/bulletin, facebook.com/IWknights9981 or twitter.com/IWknights.