The day started with a Mass followed by a number of talks and then elections. This spiritual journal concentrates on talks not the elections while I have to say Sir Knight Timothy Starkeather gave a great acceptance speech. He also writes an introduction to last year's State Chaplain Fr Antony Vazhappily's book on Eucharstic Adoration.
All the comments transcribed from the talks and general narration of events are in the normal colored font. My comments are in blue.
This was a lot of work after a long convention day and I was tempted to procrastinate the effort then these two texts came from our Brother Nick Bezzina:
Procession of all Council Banners was beautiful and inspiring. I said I would bring our Council 6020 banner and am sorry I did not. Numerous Color guards made the entrance of all the priests and bishops also beautiful and inspiring.
The Mass Presider, Bishop Alberto Rojas, gave the final blessing with the relic of Blessed Michael McGivney.
Brother Stephen Bolton gave the annual awards to priests/chaplains for the Northern, Southern, and Central Regions.
“Without our priests we are nothing” Stephen Bolton
Our Council 6020 Brother Bolton's comment was appropriate as one of the things our bishops have asked the Knights of the Orange Council Chapter to do is promote the "Holy Hour Praying for Priests" developed to not only pray for priests but also increase the love of the Eucharistic for those who pray it. This prayer booklet will be available in print at the October Eucharistic Congress in Orange but you can pray it now at www.holyhour.org.
The way to enter the Knigdom of God is through the Cross. Our suffering will to to joy from the resurrection. Find God through sacrificial suffering but remember the suffering is not the end, the resurrection is.
“Remain in my love so my joy is in you and my joy may be complete.” Blessed Michael McGivney new this as a man of charity.
It is more important to be a people of hope than a people of optimism. They who have hope can look beyond what the see in front of them. The issues of today should not bring us down. Our times of separation and suffering are temporary, we will be reunited in the resurrection.
Mother Teresa: “We am not called to be successful we are called to be faithful.”
Sufferings should be offered for the glory of God. We become instruments of our sanctification and we gain wisdom.
As we move forward in our times it is more difficult to remain Christian. We can feel attacked from different directions.
Bishop Rojas know Cardinal George of Chicago well who said
“The Church does not let you do everything but for forgives you everything.
The World allows you to do everything you want but refuses to forgive you anything.”
All our sorrow will be transformed into new life. Sorrow will turn to joy. The Holy Spirit will give us courage.
It is not easy to remain a faithful Catholic. This is our time to show the world who we are.
Bishop Rojas became a priest and bishop during the time when Cardinal George had made an absolute priority in the Archdiocese of Chicago to grow Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.
As I have stated multiple times in the story of my Adoration work which also began under Cardinal George, Chicago grew Perpetual Adoration to tremendous levels and tremendous fruits without asking the Knights to play a leadership role.
In the Diocese of Orang Bishop Vann has given the Knights a mission to become the leaders in growing Perpetual Adoration. Will we ever step up?
Knights make significant impact and are a testament to charity. Knights are men of chivalry who sacrifice for family and Church. The Knights stand up for the Church which is the Bride of Christ
IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH. WE MUST INCREASE FAITH IN OUR LADY.
Patrick Kelly mentioned last year's Five Key Priorities. You can read them in my summary of last year’s convention.
CLICK HERE FIRST AND FOREMOST, strengthen Catholic men in the faith. This will affect the whole world.
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The best way to do that is with a weekly holy hour of adoration. Get Knights in the regularly scheduled presence of Our Lord and Jesus will work wonders
********New Program – COR Meetings. The heart of the matter. Form and strengthen Catholic Men. Open to all men not just Knights. Prayer, fellowship, faith formation. Young Catholics are searching for something like this. 60% of faith formation outside of Mass
The new COR Meetings will be the most important thing to strengthen Catholic men including yourself.
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Many Knights tend to think they can inspire others to piety while thinking they also need it. This is for others not for me. All Knights need an increase in faith formation not just young ones. And faith formation needs a serious personal prayer life. Can’t all be group stuff. Once again, Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hours becoming a part of every Knight’s life will change everything. But is not being asked. It is mostly being danced around.
Also most likely the COR meetings will cover somewhat basic topics like the recommendations in Intro the Breach. How to draw devout Catholic men strong in the faith. Not by making them go to a meeting that explains the basics of the Stations of the Cross
****Young men are not getting their needs met. Over 80% of the Into the Breach audience are under 35. It is a marketing tool. It may be the most important thing you do for yourself as well. The greatest danger of men today is being swept away in a sea of secularism. Men are leaving the faith in droves. This is the greatest long-term threat to the Knights.
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Most Could level activities are basically secular charity. Any charitable organization can cook at charity events, etc. It seems to me the Knights Leadership are scarred to ask men to really step up spiritually. Even the Revival has turned into task oriented with no real push for really increase in personal piety.
There a very simple solution. Very task oriented, requiring team work, visibility at the parish level, and is the ultimate evangelization technique because it absolutely draws souls to Jesus. Then Knights to push for 24/7 Perpetual Adoration. Every knight should take a weekly scheduled holy hour. It will change the world
***Get families involved in Council activities. Get more men insured. These are keys to our success.
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Husband/Wife and entire families can participate in Perpetual Adoration
***The Knights need to be the strong right arm of the Church. Mass attendance is in decline. Belief in the Real Presence is in decline. We need to get back to reverence of the Eucharist and revive belief in the Real Presence.
www.kofc.org/eucharisticThe most personal way for every Knights to get involved from personal and parish levels without getting on our knees is just “faith on the side” as Fr Grace has said for year.
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What is the most important thing for the “strong right arm”? Setting up tables? Cooking at parish festivals? Or establishing Eucharistic Adoration. The above link has been on the 6020 links page as the very top link of a year.
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The Knights are at the forefront of the Fight for Life
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We need to include Eucharistic Adoration as part of that forefront as Bishop Barber said it was the most important weapon in the prolife battle. As did Mother Teresa.
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The Knights of Columbus provide an opportunity to the Catholic man who wants to be serious about the Catholic. NO OTHER ORGANIZATION OFFERS WHAT WE DO. NO. OTHER. ORGANIZATION.
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No other Catholic organization has the manpower to make Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration increase a thousand fold and do so practically overnight.
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We turn to Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Eucharist. We are 2 milion strong. We can be the herald of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Eucharist. It seems we face an impossible situation. I believe our Lady of Guadalupe and the Eucharist are the answer. We must be the vanguard.
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SIGH. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!?!?!?! Let’s make Bishop Vann’ mission and reality. When the Knights of Columbus become the champions of Eucharistic Adoration all heave will rejoice.
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Faith without works is dead. Continue to do Faith in Action.
Promote Eucharistic Processions.
Promote Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hours
Promote the Novena for Life
Help to bring people back to life. Called on Knights to do Holy Hours.
Evangelization and Faith Formation COR Meetings
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Help Councils create COR meetings. Who will do it? Will a Council be interested? Into the Breach was a big disappointment in our Council because nobody wanted to take the lead
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A great Walk for Life video was shown covering multiple Walks. It had a great message that was not at all focused on how great we Knights are but rather a great testimony of the Knights’ deepening understanding of the moral reality of the unborn child. www.kofc.org/life
Knights should all be practicing Catholics, prolife, true supporters of priests and bishops and involved in many charities. An important aspect is our brotherhood.
We need to organize our lives around evangelization. Nothing in our lives is more important.
This does not come from the head but from the heart. It comes from Christ present within us. We must keep Christ with us wherever we go.
We get our support from Christ in the Eucharist. 70% off Catholics do not believe or do not understand the Real Presence of the Eucharist.
Some Knights go to Mass only once a month. THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE.
If you know of any Knight who does not go to Mass on Sunday, you have to evangelize that Knight.
The Knights are becoming more spiritual and better at evangelizing. Young people will be attracted once they witness what the Knights are truly about.
Spirituality is beginning to become more prominent. If this does not continue, then we missed the point. We must be a spiritual people. Our spirituality must be seen by everyone. We must live our spirituality.
I challenge every single one of you to think carefully about where you stand spiritually and answer to yourself and God.
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If you cannot see how important Eucharistic Adoration, being in the presence of God Himself, will make everything Fr Grace said a reality, I don’t know.
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Catholics are leaving the faith in droves. We need to turn the tide and we need to do it now.
COR Program. Meaningful activities that are public are most important. Redouble recruiting
COR will help us better understand our faith and be better prepared to evangelize our faith. Fill the spiritual void felt by so many young men today.
Especially Support the ongoing Eucharistic Revival. DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO THIS TERRIBLE LOSS IN THE CHURCH.
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Sheduled Eucharistic Adoration is evangelization because when our Lord is exposed people are drawn to Him.
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Not a single speaker urged each Knight to work on personal holiness. We were told to go to processions, go to Congresses but no one said to personally go to Eucharistic Adoration. There was mention of Holy Hours but those were mostly a group holy hour, something the Knights can organize and get others to go to, not so much themselves.
The chapel is basically empty the entire day. A few people stop in but nothing like you would expect from the "KNIGHTS OF THE EUCHARIST."
The fact next to no one stopped in the chapel after the main session even though hundreds passed by it shows the talks did not inspire and immediate increased love of the Eucharist.