Knights of Columbus are called to be Knights of the Eucharist

ORLANDO, Fla. (OSV News) – With more than two million members, the Knights of Columbus are more intentionally becoming a spiritual vanguard of the Catholic Church, deepening their faith in Jesus Christ and evangelizing through charity.

In an interview with OSV News, held Aug. 2 at the Knights’ Supreme Convention in Orlando, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly discussed how he sees discipleship of Christ at the heart of the Knights’ faith, charity and identity – and the personal difference he believes Knights can make on the Church and society.

“As Knights, our charity is grounded in our faith. It’s grounded in the vision of Blessed Michael McGivney to serve the widow and the orphan and those who are vulnerable,” he said. “So that relationship with Jesus Christ is the thing that will change everything.”

Kelly said he saw a great opportunity for the Knights to engage the “tens of thousands” of parishes they are involved in and deepen the faith formation of men which in turn motivates their charity that evangelizes and personally makes a difference in people’s lives.

“I think men need to know that they have this God-given vocation and that being a Catholic man requires a lot,” Kelly said. “But if we live that vocation, it’d be tremendously fulfilling – to live for others.”

Kelly recalled, “On the day I was installed, I spoke of our calling to be Knights of the Eucharist … The more we devote ourselves to the Eucharist, the more we will understand what it means to be a Knight — to live a life of service and sacrifice for others and to live a life of true unity, centered on the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life.”

Reflecting on the power of the Eucharist, Kelly said, “I think that turning toward the Eucharist helps us get in touch with who we are, and we understand better that we have the heart of a father. That God the Father gives us his Son, and it is through our relationship with him, through living in union with Jesus, that we develop this Eucharistic heart, a heart of the Father – that to me kind of ties it all together: what we’re called to do with our individual families, what we’re called to do as husbands and as fathers to our children.”

The Knights of Columbus has a long history of promoting Eucharistic Devotion, beginning in 1910 when two thousand Canadian Knights attended the first International Eucharist Congress. Later International Eucharistic Congresses, which included large delegations from the K of C, were held in Chicago in 1926, Philadelphia in 1976, Guadalajara, Mexico in 2004 and Cebu City, Philippines in 2016.

In the United States, the K of C organized back-to-back Eucharistic Congresses in 2002 and 2003 in Washington, D.C., followed by a third congress in Chicago during the Year of the Eucharist in 2005. These events drew thousands of Knights and their families together for a wide array of events centered on the Blessed Sacrament.

Story compiled from sources by Peter Jesserer Smith, national news and features editor for OSV News.

Photo: Nationally and around the world, Knights of Columbus play a role in strengthening Eucharistic faith in their parishes: regularly participating in Mass, organizing Holy Hours, leading Eucharistic Processions, and adding reverence to special liturgies as part of Fourth Degree honor guards. Knights, pictured above, lead the procession for the June 24 Ordination of Father Jose Manuel Lim in St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen.  —Mike Ehrmann photo