At the mid year meeting we emphasized that one of the key responsibilities that a council and its leadership has is to ensure that each member has a positive “membership experience”.  We approached that from two key perspectives that can be summarized in one statement: “A Knight’s primary mission is to protect”.  This statement describes everything we do as Knights of Columbus.

As we have progressed through the year we began strengthening our parish home, working more closely with our priests, embracing our common priesthood and reaching out to those around us and anchoring ourselves in the sacraments, now we are taking the next step, securing ourselves to our sacramental graces by developing a strong relationship with our Lord through prayer, not just those prayers that we memorized over the years, but that daily conversation with our Lord, asking Him what HE wants of us, and then listening for the response.  All of these things fall into our primary mission of protection:  To protect our soul!

As Knights and fathers we are also charged with protecting our families.  We do this in many way, through the example we set as prayerful men, through the outward expression of our love for God’s creation through our charitable works, which is part of our requirement for salvation, and thus the protection of our souls, and finally by providing for our families financially through all eventualities.

But this mission of protection does not stop with our families, as Christians we are charged with spreading the good news of the gospel, and thus help to bring our brothers and sisters who have fallen away or who have never heard the good news into the body of Christ.  We also must provide for the needs of the church, both through support and defense of the church’s mission as well as providing for the material needs of the church.

Brothers our order has a compelling “WHY”, it is time that we all become “those men whom other men wish to be like”.  When we do so not only our order, but our church and our world benefit.