K-of-C: Memorial Mass and Resolutions

Matthew Harrison

August 7, 2008
bishoplori.jpgThe Knights of Columbus 126th Supreme Convention has come to a close.
The final event, the Memorial Mass, was held Thursday morning. The main celebrant and homilist was the Knights' Supreme Chaplain Bishop William Lori, of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Bishop Lori spoke on the theme of the conference -- “Building a Civilization of Love through Charity, Unity, & Fraternity” – and tied it in with the deceased members of the Knights community – deceased members he considered ‘co-workers’ in the Knights’ mission:
These unseen members we remember today at this celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They include our founder, the Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney, and all the saints and blessed of our Order.
Many were martyrs, witnesses to the faith, in Mexico; another, a Catholic intellectual of extraordinary virtue; and all of them exemplars for leading a life of genuine love.
Our team of co-workers extends indeed to all the saints whom we invoked in the Litany of the Saints as Mass began. It further extends to our brother Knights and family members who have gone before us in faith during these past 126 years.
They, even more than, we under the direct gaze of Christ, Christ the Good Shepherd, Christ our Hope, …who leads them and us to the fullness of life and love. Moreover, these co-workers are not a mere memory but rather, these deceased brothers and sisters are present to us through the love of Christ, ‘stronger than sin and more powerful than death.’ The Lord, therefore, gives us a cloud of witnesses, myriads of unseen co-cooperators in truth and love with whom we are to construct a civilization of love.
The Lord also gives us the magnificent gift of his love, “love to the very end” as the shape, the means, and the substance for the civilization he wants us to construct. This takes the form of the created work, natural law, faith and reason, the family, and above all, the breathtaking love of God revealed in Christ who laid down his life for life for us as a gift to His Father and to ourselves. Let us not try to build a better world without the help of these important co-workers and without the essential building materials the Lord supplies.
You can find the full text of Bishop Lori's homily HERE.
The Knights also released their 2008 Resolutions -- the result of business sessions held over the last few days. The adopted resolutions deal with the defense of marriage, religious liberty, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, decency on the Internet and the media, Catholic education, and building a culture of life. Noteworthy in their resolutions on building the culture of life is their call to Catholic politicians to defend life -- quoting Pope Benedict XVI who has said "there can be no room for purely private religion." (Supreme Knight Carl Anderson's report provides some excellent thoughts on building the culture of life, including comments in which he encourages Catholic voters to "stop accommodating pro-abortion politicians" and to "say 'no' to every candidate of every political party who supports abortion.")
To read the resolutions, visit the Convention webpage HERE, the resolutions are listed on the right side of the page.
Next year's convention will be held in Phoenix, Arizona and will feature an additional special event. At the conclusion of that convention, the Knights will host an international Marian Congress, devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe!
For more on information on this year's convention, visit the Knights' website at kofc.org.
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Photo courtesy of Knights of Columbus