It goes back to our founding and the original vision
of Fr. McGivney. Essentially his goal to take care of
the widow and orphan stemmed from his thoughts
on the welfare of his parishioner’s. So he gathered
men of like-minded values to look after the welfare
of their brothers.
I’m as proud of our outreach to our church, the
larger community and society in general as any
member. But it comes at a cost which cannot be
measured only in dollars. In many respects,
the Knights of Columbus has become more of a
charitable organization than a fraternal one.
It is only after we feel certain everything is okay with
our members, their families and our parish family,
that we venture out into the world.
That is the true nature of fraternity.
The point of this is not simply to make a statement.
If you agree with and appreciate what I have said,
I thank you.
But one thing remains for you and I to accomplish.
And that is to translate these words into action.
Kevin Daudlin
State Deputy
In the rightness of our inherent need to do good,
we have too often diverted our attention beyond the
needs of the families in our own council and parish.
In too many cases, we hardly know them. We have
expressed our charity out in the world; yet we do not
know of the condition of those we have promised
ourselves to care for the most.
This is a sad thing, and it is not anyone’s fault.
It is just easier to do what we are used to seeing
other people do; easier to demonstrate what it
means to be a Knight than explain it; easier to
throw a little money at a problem than to be directly
engaged with our sleeves rolled up.
Unfortunately, as good as this feels, it is not what we
stand for. It is not what makes the Knights of Columbus.
Our promises are promises we have taken on behalf
of each other. Our moral and social responsibilities
are first and foremost to our brothers, their families
and the members of our parish. When we took our
3rd Degree we all made a vow of Fraternity.
We are reminded of this again in the installation
of officers: “Do you promise to keep the welfare and
the Good of the Order uppermost in your mind and
to promote it to the best of your ability? You see,
our attention is supposed to be focused on the
welfare and happiness of our brothers, as they
are an expression of our own families.
W h e r e
C h a r i t y
R u n s
i n t o
F r a t e r n i t y
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