IWKnights Corner for December 25, 2022

Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus? 

For the third time we pull quotes from Pope St John Paul II.  “From his election in 1978 until his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II addressed more than two dozen messages to the Knights of Columbus.  From speaking to the K of C Board of Directors to sending letters to the annual Supreme Convention, the pope’s words were often characterized by appreciation and admiration for the Order’s work, as well as by reflections about its mission in the Church and the world today today."  Because the Church acknowledges her Savior as the Lord of history, from the very beginning she saw the discovery of the New World as a fresh and urgent call to carry out the mission he entrusted to his Apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). …

"Today, five hundred years after the beginning of that first evangelization of the Americas, a new proclamation of the salvific message of the Gospel is needed.  I know that the Knights of Columbus are deeply conscious of this challenge.
— Message to 110th Supreme Convention, July 27, 1992"

"Today more than ever, the Church’s apostolate to families needs to be supported by each of her members and, above all, by families themselves. I am deeply grateful for the outstanding support which over the years the Knights of Columbus have given to the Church’s mission of promoting Catholic family life. During this Year of the Family, I encourage you to renew your efforts to confirm Christian families in their witness of faith and love, and thus enable them to play their part in the building of a just and morally sound social order. I urge you to continue to give voice to the Gospel of Christian married love in requiring 'from all, beginning with public authorities, respect for those rights which, in saving the family, will save society itself' (Christifideles Laici, 40). — Message to 112th Supreme Convention, June 1, 1994"

"The wide variety of good works undertaken by the Knights of Columbus in service to Christ and his Church demonstrates your Order’s spiritual vitality as it strives to carry on the vision of its founder, Father Michael McGivney. It is my hope that the Knights will always be in the forefront of the Church’s efforts to prepare for the coming Third Christian Millennium by bringing the light of faith to bear upon the urgent social issues and problems of our time.
— Address of John Paul II to Board of Directors, Nov. 6, 1995"

        "Inspired by their Catholic faith, the Knights of Columbus have been in the forefront of the movement to affirm the sanctity of all human life and to call attention to the urgent need for responsible public debate on important ethical issues which directly affect the future of society. As the reality of the threats against human life, especially the life of the unborn, becomes increasingly evident, I encourage you to continue your efforts to work for a general awakening of consciences at every level of society.  These efforts, especially when they are combined with charitable initiatives on behalf of women and children in need, represent a singular affirmation of the 'Gospel of Life' which the whole Church is called to proclaim and celebrate. …
As the domestic church where God is present to his children in love, the Christian family teaches its members to see, in the light of faith, the true meaning of our human vocation, the requirements of a sound and enduring social order and the need for generous cooperation in the service of truth and the building of a society truly worthy of man.  I commend your efforts to help families to understand their decisive role in the life of society and in the growth of the civilization of love.
—  Message to 114th Supreme Convention, Boston, July 1, 1996"

  The above article can be found in the  K of C’s Columbia On-Line magazine at KofC.org – or on IWKnights9981.com/bulletin, on facebook.com/IWknights9981, and on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights or by contacting Rob Schultz at (314) 973-2373.

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