Knights of Columbus Pledges Loyalty and Solidarity to Pope on First Anniversary

Catholic Online ^ | 4/19/06 | Catholic PR Wire

[AlaninSA]

NEW HAVEN, CONN.) — On behalf of the 1.7 million Knights around the world, the Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution April 9 expressing esteem and renewed support of Pope Benedict XVI. The declaration was issued to mark the first anniversary of the Pope’s election.

The resolution lauded Pope Benedict’s devoted pastoral leadership and commitment to evangelization. It also praised the promulgation of his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, which defined charity as the hallmark of Christian life. The resolution stated that the encyclical “provided a source of wisdom and inspiration to the entire Church, and especially to the Knights of Columbus, which counts charity as its first principle.” In closing, Knights pledged “loyalty, prayerful solidarity and continued cooperation with [the Pope’s] pastoral programs to renew and grow the Church.”

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “With more than 135 million hours and $63 million donated to charity last year by its members, the Knights of Columbus has and will continue to answer the Pope’s call for ‘charitable activity [that] can and should embrace all people and all needs.’”

Following the death of Pope John Paul II, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected April 19, 2005 as the chief shepherd of 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide. Taking the name Benedict XVI, he was installed April 24 as the 264th successor to St. Peter.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization, with more than 1.7 million members in North America, Asia and Europe.

The full text of the resolution may be viewed on the Knights of Columbus website, www.kofc.org.

[AlaninSA]

Please FReepmail me if you'd like to be added to or removed from the KofC ping list.

[sitetest]

Thanks for the ping.

[ArrogantBustard]

Has it been a year, already?
Time's fun when you're having flies.

[RKBA Democrat]

"In closing, Knights pledged “loyalty, prayerful solidarity and continued cooperation with [the Pope’s] pastoral programs to renew and grow the Church.”

I'm not a Knight. Perhaps a Knight could clue me in; what is K of C doing with regards to evangelization?

[ArrogantBustard]

Take a look here.

[sitetest]

Dear RKBA Democrat,

ArrogantBustard pointed out something that the Knights of Columbus corporately.

However, the Knights of Columbus is a pretty decentralized organization, and so really, the question about activities can also be asked at the local Council level. Different Councils do different things, some emphasize one thing, others, another.

The founding purpose of the Knights wasn't to go out and convert lots of folks to Catholicism, but to provide a fraternal organization for Catholic men to support them and their families, especially in times of trouble. Initially, a lot of what the Knights did was taking care of the widows and orphans of deceased Catholic men. Even today, the Knights of Columbus runs one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States, to provide some security for Catholic families.

Thus, you'll find that many Council activities will revolve around fraternal and family activities, and most activities aren't explicitly about evangelization.

However, in that many men find their Catholicism strengthened through the Knights, and many families are drawn closer to the Church through the Knights, the Knights do have the effect of evangelizing within the parish community, taking folks who might have previously been lukewarm Catholics and often making them better Catholics. That, too, is a form of evangelization, I think.

As well, I know men who converted to Catholicism in part as a result of involvement with the Knights of Columbus. I've seen men whose wives were Catholic, and who participated in a lot of parish activities, but who never became Catholic until their desire to join the local K of C Council forced the issue (you must be a practicing Catholic to be a Knight).

Many Councils also run or participate in community events. My own Council over the years has run basketball free throw contests for local youth - Catholic and non-Catholic - soccer kickoffs, and similar activities. We've hosted exhibitions of a local martial arts school, fried funnel cakes and served up Italian ices at local community events, etc.

None of these requires us to break out a Bible and read from the Gospels to strangers, yet I believe that we have given witness to the Gospel of Jesus through these activities.

However, although evangelization of non-Catholics isn't a primary purpose of the Knights, nonetheless, every year, many Councils have Keep Christ in Christmas poster contests for children, and I've seen local Councils use this event to publicly, directly, and explicitly evangelize the local community.

Hope that helps.


sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear RKBA Democrat,

Oh, and bowling.

Lots of Knights of Columbus Councils sponsor bowling leagues.

Isn't there something irresistible about seeing a bunch of middle-aged men, most with large beer bellies, having a great time bowling with each other every week, drinking beer?

You can't tell me that this spectacle doesn't make the other non-Catholic bowlers at the alley just about run to the nearest Catholic Church in order to sign up for RCIA.


;-)


sitetest

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1618161/replies?c=216

You'll be happy to know that we are just a Catholic version of the Masons! I answered this allegation in a post and pinged this KC list but nobody came running. Interesting....

V/J
Frank

[RKBA Democrat]

Good point. I remember reading the Veritas book on eastern Catholic churches, which is probably the best short introduction to the eastern Catholic churches that I've read.

Thanks for the link. It's been bookmarked.

[RKBA Democrat]

I guess it's all in your definition of "evangelization." Some times living the Truth is all the evangelization that's needed.

I think that in this day and age, evangelization does mean actively engaging people. It doesn't necessarily mean banging on doors, but it could (and perhaps should). I think Marian processions are one way to evangelize. Another way is through public prayer. Writing letters is yet another. Posting on FR could be considered one form of evangelization.

We're only limited by our creativity and motivation.

Unfortunately, Catholics in general don't seem to evangelize as much. And eastern Catholics are about the least evangelical of the lot.

[B Knotts]

One of the things our K of C roundtable does is run a pro-life booth at the county fair. We also do a Eucharistic procession on the feast of Corpus Christi.

[sitetest]

Dear RKBA Democrat,

I've never heard of a Council going door-to-door to drum up conversions. ;-)

However, just about every other activity you named, and more, I've seen individual Councils do.

"We're only limited by our creativity and motivation."

That's the beautiful think about the Knights of Columbus. As long as Councils operate within the general boundaries, individual Councils can do pretty much whatever they want that will serve the community and give glory to God. It's very decentralized.

One local Council here paid to build, and helped build with their own labor, a home for the local Gabriel Project folks to care for unwed mothers. They actually won the Order-wide award for pro-life activities that year.

"Unfortunately, Catholics in general don't seem to evangelize as much."

From my perspective (as an admittedly heavily biased Fourth Degree Sir Knight, Past Grand Knight, past Assembly officer, and son of an Honorary Lifetime Fourth Degree Sir Knight), the Knights of Columbus is a way for Catholic men and their families to be evangelical by living the Truth of the Gospel in ordinary, but often public ways, and it's a way that fits Catholics. It feels comfortable, it feels right.


S/K sitetest, PGK

[Ronaldus Magnus]

I've never heard of a Council going door-to-door to drum up conversions. ;-)

Legio Mariae (The Legion of Mary), the world's largest Catholic lay apostolic organization, specializes in exactly that kind of evangelization.

[RKBA Democrat]

"One of the things our K of C roundtable does is run a pro-life booth at the county fair. We also do a Eucharistic procession on the feast of Corpus Christi."

That's cool. I wish we did *any* sort of public procession in this area.

I guess I'll have to talk it up with my Priest and parish. Perhaps our icons could use some fresh air and sunshine.

[RKBA Democrat]

"That's the beautiful think about the Knights of Columbus. As long as Councils operate within the general boundaries, individual Councils can do pretty much whatever they want that will serve the community and give glory to God. It's very decentralized."

Decentralization is a good thing.

Thanks for the note. When I get the chance, I'm going to have to go visit a council or two. (The eastern Catholic churches in this area are far too small to support a council).

[RKBA Democrat]

Thanks for the link.

I wonder if they have a "Legion of Theotokos" auxiliary?

:-)

[AlaninSA]

Brother, I'm sorry I did not come to that thread. I was out of town on business (on Long Island - one place in NY I actually have begun to like) and unable to get to the computer.