I attended my first-ever Knights of Columbus Texas State Council Organizational Meeting this past weekend. It was held in a Marriott hotel in the Westchase area of Houston. It was a lot of fun to spend the weekend with our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey (Diocese of Corpus Christi), State Deputy Ron Alonzo and wife and First Lady, Margo, and the rest of the State Officers and District Deputies (DD) from all over the great State of Texas. (Click here for the State Officers: https://www.tkofc.org/about/state-officers.)
The weekend kicked off with the State Deputy's Reception Dinner and DD Training Session, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas Council 7382, at Christ the Incarnate Word Catholic Church. I really enjoyed the meal and, as a paralegal by profession, I could the State Advocate's presentation very interesting. After dinner, we saw this beautiful sunset and I had to take a picture of it with the statue of our Lord Jesus Christ. God's Creation is so beautiful!.
Throughout the weekend, I enjoyed wonderful presentations by the various State Officers and Directors. I learned a lot from them and have a new appreciation for what the State Officers and District Deputies do for the Order and the various councils that they are responsible for. Particularly, I have a newfound appreciation not only for the commitment of the Officers and DDs but, more than that, the commitment of their wives and families. For without the support of their wives and families, they would not be able to dedicate the time necessary to help further the mission and goals for the "good of the Order and for the greater glory of God" and the Church, as State Deputy Ron Alonzo reminded us throughout the weekend.
Some takeaways for me included State Charities, membership recruitment and growth, the Cor initiative from Supreme (to help Knights and men grow in prayer, faith formation, and fraternity), the various deadlines, and all the wonderful resources that are available from Supreme and the State Council to help the Councils throughout the State of Texas succeed in reaching their goals to be Star Council. It was quite amazing to learn all these things and more trainings and webinars that will available for the Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries, and council members to take advantage of throughout the fraternal year.
Two of the presentations that really stood out to me were (1) engaging Hispanic men at the parish and inviting them to join the Knights of Columbus and (2) the baseball metaphor during the presentation of Evangelization and Faith Formation. As the presenter asked us to provide them with the name of a Knight in our Council who can become a leader in engaging Hispanic men and inviting them to join the KofC, I had a brother Knight in mind right away. [Hint: He and his wife were named Family of the Year for Council #10333.] Moreover, during the Hospitality Hour, I also spoke with our Diocesan Deputy and another brother Knight about starting a Council at a Vietnamese Catholic Church. Then, as another presenter was using the baseball metaphor, I thought of my nephew, who is into baseball, and how I can use a baseball metaphor to help him understand and love the Sacraments that he received and will receive. Well done, brother Knights!
As the Assistant to the State Chaplain, I was asked to lead us in the Benediction after the Men's and Women's Luncheon and the Invocation for the State Banquet on Saturday. I also served at Mass with Bishop Mulvey and assisted him with Exposition, Holy Hour (10 minutes), Benediction, and Reposition. Our family team of Liturgists (Ed, Carmen, Eddie and Liam) did an amazing job setting up for Mass and Adoration. Eddie and Liam were also the altar servers and they did fantastic! I love it that we always have Mass at a Catholic event! We even had a relic of Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney in our presence for Mass, Holy Hour, and the Installation Ceremony for the State Officers and the District Deputies. (Thank you, Fr. Mark (Diocese of El Paso), for bringing the relic to the Organizational Meeting!)
And, if the weekend could not get any better, Msgr. Bill Brooks (pictured below with me, Bishop Mulvey, and my wife) joined us for Mass, the luncheon and State Banquet. It was so good to see him and visit with him. He was pastor at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church when Theresa and I started to attend Mass there regularly.
It was an incredible Organizational Meeting. In his speech, State Deputy Ron Alonzo shared that it was a brother Knight who made a difference in his life as a young man. For me, it was a brother Knight who invited me to join KofC Council 10333 & Assembly 3533 during the Mystagogy section of R.C.I.A. Again, it was a brother Knight who invited me to be the Spiritual Director for the KofC Austin Chapter. Once again, it was a brother Knight who invited me to be the Assistant to the State Chaplain.
Brother Knights have made a difference in my life. As a Knight, I will continue to invite men to follow our Lord Jesus Christ and join the Knights of Columbus for the good of the Order and for the greater glory of God. As the State Deputy encouraged us, let us make a difference in a man's life. I just love the theme for the fraternal year: "Follow Me" (from the Gospel of Matthew). Please keep all the State Officers, DDs, KofC members, their wives and families in your prayers for a successful fraternal year.
Resources
Supreme Council: https://www.kofc.org/
Texas State Council: https://www.tkofc.org/
. . .
Below is my Benediction and Invocation that I shared:
Benediction
Merciful and loving Father, we give you praise and thanks for this blessed time together in fellowship with one another and for the food that nourish us. As we go forth from here to continue with this Organizational Meeting weekend, send your Spirit to guide us so that all we do, we do in the spirit of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.
We ask all this through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary as we pray. . .
Hail Mary. . .
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.
May Almighty God bless you. . . + the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace.
Invocation
Lord God, Heavenly Father, we humbly invoke Your blessings over the Knights of Columbus Texas State Council, its officers and members.
We are grateful to you for our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey, Associate State Chaplain, Fr. Chen, and the shepherd of this Archdiocese, Cardinal DiNardo, for their servant’s hearts, leadership, and pastoral care.
Lord, we give you thanks for our State Deputy, Ron Alonzo, and his wife, Margo, and ask for your blessing upon them and all the officers, their families, their staff, and those who collaborate with them.
Guide the officers and members in Your wisdom that may they dedicate themselves to the virtues of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism in the leadership roles that you have called them to serve Your people.
Lord, bless our time together this evening, our conversations, and the food that we are about to receive and the hands that prepared them, as we pray. . .
Bless us, O Lord, and + these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
VIVAT JESUS!
No comments:
Post a Comment