BUILDING A BETTER WORLD BY CARL A. ANDERSON, SUPREME KNIGHT
Reasons to Celebrate Father McGivney has guided our Order for 125 years and will continue to do so for years to come
THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE the 125th anniversary of the founding of our beloved Order. This is a time to reflect upon the great accomplishments of our past and show our gratitude to the countless brother Knights who have volunteered time and treasure to bring us to this day. Above all, we are grateful for the gift of our founder, the Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney, whose vision and determination made everything possible. It is also an appropriate occasion to look forward to where the Order is headed in the years to come. As we celebrate our founding by a young and energetic parish priest, we must continue with even greater effort to develop our parishbased councils. It is now a realistic goal to have every parish linked to a council, and every parish should see a Knights of Columbus council as one of the most active and dynamic examples of support for parish life. Pope Benedict XVI has stressed the need for renewal in our parishes, and our parish-based councils are perfectly positioned to assume a leadership role in this important effort. This means also that we must encourage greater solidarity with our priests. Thousands of priests are enthusiastic brother Knights, but thousands more are ready to become members. Every parish
Philippines and Mexico. In the days priest should be welcomed into the ahead, we will continue to forge Order, and every parish priest greater cooperation among should see his local Knights of Catholics in Canada, Mexico Columbus council as a strong partand the United States. ner in building up his parish comAnd because of our success in munity. the Philippines and Poland, we are No fraternal insurance program positioned for even in the world today equals greater growth in the financial strength of the Asia and Europe as Knights of Columbus. Only It is our duty a handful of commercial to share Father globalization continues in the companies can match our McGivney’s decades ahead. record. With more than Charity, unity $61 billion of insurance in great gifts with and fraternal force, we offer the highest millions of brotherhood — quality financial Father McGivney security for thousands of Catholic men knew these were Catholic families. In the the keys to years to come, we will seek and their promote an to provide thousands more authentic Catholic families with the protection families. way of life among of our top-rated insurance Catholic men and their families program. when strongly united with the In his first encyclical, Deus sacramental life of their parish. He Caritas Est, Pope Benedict called has left us a great legacy. It is now the universal Church to a greater our duty to share this great gift commitment to the life of charity. with — dare I say — millions more. Here too, our Order will seek to No doubt we will face many build upon our steadfast commitchallenges in the future, much as ment to the first principle of our we have in the past. If we remain Order. As millions who are in need faithful to the mind and heart of have come to realize, the letters the Church, and in solidarity with “K of C” stand not only for Knights our bishops and priests, I have of Columbus, but also for “Knights every confidence that future of Charity.” brother Knights will have even As we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Order’s more to celebrate on the Order’s founding in New Haven, we also next major anniversary. remember that we celebrate our Vivat Jesus! 110th anniversary in Canada and more than a century in both the columbia /march 2007 3