Author: Tim Kelley (State Advocate)
“To suffer for the Lord”
This was the response of St. Marie Adolphine Dierks when she was asked why she wished to join the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. At that point, she had no idea she was going to become a martyr while serving at an orphanage in China.
Now I’m sure when each of you were recruited into the Knights of Columbus, you gave the same answer when asked why you wanted to be a Knight: “to suffer for the Lord.” In modern First World society, we are fortunate to know that the likelihood of us having to physically suffer or die for our faith is probably fairly low, although if we’re bold enough to proclaim the Truth of Christ and preach the Gospel of Life, we could suffer for it in our personal or professional lives.
But I digress. Let us contemplate this statistic shared on the Aleteia website in February 2023: 94% of self-identified Catholics in Nigeria surveyed said they attend Mass every week and 89% of all Christians killed throughout the world are located in Nigeria. They live with the reality that going to Mass could get them killed – and yet nearly all of them attend Mass without fail. Meanwhile, an April 2024 Pew Research study found that only 28% of American Catholics attend Mass every week…forget risking their lives, most American Catholics won’t even sacrifice an hour of their time.
Statistics like this are part of what led to the current National Eucharistic Revival and the amazing National Eucharistic Congress that took place this past month. Thanks to being able to access all the revival sessions on demand on EWTN’s YouTube page, I was able to witness this amazing event and watch 50,000-60,000 Catholics on fire, singing and chanting Jesus’s name the way you might here a favorite athlete’s name chanted at a sporting event. And it warmed my heart to see that a lot of these Catholics who made this pilgrimage to Indianapolis are youth and young adults.
Today’s young men and women are searching, and to quote Johnny Lee from 1980, they’ve been “looking for love in all the wrong places.” They’re searching in gaming, in social media, in increasingly violent entertainment, in alcohol and drugs, and, yes, in pornography. Society is telling them to live for their own pleasure, but they are learning more and more that this does not satisfy the true longing of their hearts with which they were born. They are told that Catholicism is out of touch with what really matters and that being a faithful Catholic will get them ostracized from popular society. Are they ready to suffer for the Lord by being cast aside by their peers or bullied online? They are afraid because surely Jesus can’t be what their heart is truly searching for, can it be? They’re afraid as being labeled as “religious freaks” or some other such derogatory term. This National Eucharistic Congress was a beautiful opportunity for them to see that they’re not as alone as they think. As Knights, we all know the power of unity and these young people felt it firsthand and I pray they were strengthened by it. I believe that they were. I look forward to seeing the fruits of all the seeds that were planted this past month.
The question is how can we as Knights support these young people as they come to the awakening that what they’re truly longing for is Christ? That is something for us all to brainstorm. A youth COR gathering would be a great start! Also, in the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Martin has planned a Friday track at our upcoming Eucharistic Congress August 30-31, that is aimed at these young Catholics. Maybe your council could foot the bill for a bus to get these young people to Charlotte at the end of the month (and join them while you’re at it)? The Congress itself is free; however, there will be opportunities throughout the weekend to put a donation in a collection basket. When you get back to your parishes, get these young men into your councils, and plan fun faith-based activities for all the youth and young adults.
Our Church is at an exciting crossroads. Can we build on the momentum of last month? Who is better equipped to do so than us, Brother Knights? We are limited only by our imaginations. Let us mentor these young people who are thirsting for the Lord and, in so doing, let us help to build the city of God!
A couple of quick advocate notes...please make sure your Forms 185 & 365 are in as this is the only way for invitations to go out for Safe Environment training. We are shooting for 100% compliance this year. Around mid-month, I will start contacting councils that are not yet compliant to offer my assistance. Also, if your council has chosen to get your own insurance instead of going through the Knights’ insurance, I will need you to send me a Certificate of Insurance from your company by August 30; if we don’t have this, we will bill you for insurance.
“One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.” – Psalm 145:4
Vivat Jesus!
Tim Kelley – State Advocate