November 2023 | VOLUME 15, NUMBER 11 | KOFC.ORG/CHAPLAINS

Into the Breach: The Mission of the Family is the new Knights of Columbus video series illuminating the Church’s teachings on marriage and family and illustrating them with personal stories and testimonies. It follows the model of Into the Breach, the Order’s 2020 video series about the spiritual calling of men, and like that series, it is an ideal resource for a K of C Cor gathering. The five video episodes are accompanied by a free study guide that can also be purchased in booklet form.

All episodes, as well as a promotional poster, prayer card, FAQ and other resources, can also be found at kofc.org/missionofthefamily.

Here is a closer look at Episode 1: The Catholic Family in a Post-Christian World:

• Summary: This episode examines the Catholic understanding of the nature of the family and its relationship to society, focusing on the challenges to living God’s plan for marriage and family in the modern world. It emphasizes how parents today are now raising children in a post-Christian society and that raising faithful Catholic children in this new environment requires a different, more intentional, and more deliberate approach than in the past.
• Witness Couple: Taylor and Brittany Kemp tell their story of their conversion and how they came to realize Christ must be the highest priority in their lives and family.
• God has a plan for marriage and the family. By understanding God’s goal for family life and its relationship to the world, families will be better prepared for the challenges of living this vision in a modern, post-Christian society.
• Marriage is created by God. It is a natural reality found in nearly every culture throughout history. The strength of the institution of marriage is fundamental to the health of any society.
• The age of Christendom has now past — we are living in a post-Christian society, an apostolic age. The reality that we no longer live in a culture that is broadly supportive of a Christian worldview means that being intentional in marriage and family life is vital. Just “going with the flow” will almost inevitably lead to failure. You need a firm and true vision of what marriage and family life should look like and actively/purposefully make choices to support that vision every day.
• To deepen your knowledge of God’s vision of how to live marriage and family life, look to the teachings of the Church, Scripture, the example of the Holy Family and the saints, and seek the guidance of faithful Catholic mentors in your life. Also, find community with fellow faithful Catholic families.

This month, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori challenges Knights to increase our awareness of those in need by learning more about efforts to help the poor in our communities. He also encourages Knights to support the Food for Families or Coats for Kids Faith in Action program.

November, traditionally a time to pray in a particular way for the holy souls in purgatory, is also a good time to teach the Knights in your council about indulgences and encourage them in this oft-misunderstood practice. From Nov. 1 to 8, the Church grants a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the holy souls in purgatory, for devoutly visiting a graveyard and praying for the departed, in addition to the ordinary conditions. A plenary indulgence is also granted to anyone for devoutly visiting a church or oratory Nov. 2 and praying the creed and an Our Father, in addition to the ordinary conditions. The USCCB provides a succinct explanation of indulgences in the appendix of this Q&A, which might be helpful for explaining them to anyone unfamiliar with these opportunities to receive God’s mercy. 

In 2023, more than 200 U.S. service members, veterans, companions and caregivers took part in Warriors to Lourdes, the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. This year, the Knights also sponsored the participation of several dozen Ukrainian soldiers, and the pilgrims prepared packages containing a small bottle of water from Lourdes, a rosary and a book of prayers for their Ukrainian counterparts fighting on the frontlines. The Order is now accepting applications for its 2024 Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage. Though priority is given to wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, other U.S. military veterans are also eligible to participate; you might consider encouraging veterans in your council to apply. Complete information about the 2024 pilgrimage, including details about eligibility, can be found here. Click here to watch highlights of this year’s pilgrimage, or here to make a donation.

More than 700,000 copies of Armed with the Faith, the Catholic handbook for military personnel developed by the Knights in partnership with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, have been distributed since it was published 20 years ago. The story of how this resource came into being and continues to be used by service members stationed around the world is told in the upcoming issue of Columbia. A “civilian” version of Armed with the Faith (#364) can be downloaded or purchased from the Catholic Information Service. Now in its 6th edition with a foreword by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, it contains a rich variety of prayers, devotions, hymns and Catholic moral and sacramental teachings. 

The November issue of Columbia also shares an interview with Walter Joseph Marm Jr., a Knight of Columbus who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam in 1965.

In 2017, Pope Francis celebrated the first World Day of the Poor: “We are called … to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude.” This year, on Nov. 19, Pope Francis has asked us to remember in a particular way “peoples caught up in situations of war, and especially children deprived of the serene present and a dignified future.” Read the entire papal message for the 2023 World Day of the Poor here.

Another great advocate of the poor was St. Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life reaching out to those most overlooked by society. We encourage all Knights to learn more about her service to the destitute by watching Mother Theresa: No Greater Love. Premiering now in Europe, the K of C documentary can also be streamed in the United States on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. More information is at www.motherteresamovie.com.

Diocesan Celebration of World Youth Day - November 26

On Nov. 26, we celebrate the solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. Pope Francis transferred the annual diocesan celebration of World Youth Day from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday to accentuate that “the center of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as St. John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized.” The celebration of World Youth Day at a local level is important to give young people who couldn’t attend the international WYD the possibility to take part in a “festival of faith.”

Read the Pastoral Guidelines for the Celebration of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, issued by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. For more information about WYD, click here.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - December 12

Dec. 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the middle of the Advent season. Getting closer to the Mother of God, who first carried Jesus Christ into the world, is an excellent way to prepare for the celebration of Christmas, and the Knights of Columbus has a long history of devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Learn more about the story of St. Juan Diego and the Virgin of Guadalupe at kofc.org/guadalupe, where you can watch Our Lady of Guadalupe: Woman of the Eucharist and read the oldest surviving account of the 1531 apparitions.

In November 1884, Blessed Michael McGivney was appointed pastor of St. Thomas Parish in Thomaston, Connecticut, about 50 miles north of New Haven. He quickly immersed himself in the parish, showing the same energy and interest in the lives of his flock that he had shown at St. Mary’s Church. Over the next few years, he founded Atlantic Council 18, resuscitated the parish’s Holy Name Society and Sunday school, organized church fairs, acted as third-base coach for the baseball team, and directed theater productions at the Thomaston Opera House. Learn more about Father McGivney’s last six years of service and the legacy he left in Thomaston here.

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