– There’s something deeper with Catholic friendships and there’s something deeper that the Knights of Columbus offer college students. Right, we all struggle, we all have our challenges and it’s never gonna go away. But to have that encouragement and to have that band of brothers behind you
To encourage you to grow deeper and to grow through it and work through it is truly a fruitful experience that I wish every college student could experience. – Well, brotherhood is really essential now, just as it was in Father McGivney’s time. Men need one another to grow in faith. They need mentorship, they need brotherhood, they need accountability. We need men to stand shoulder to shoulder with in the breach that exists on college campuses
– Father Michael McGivney had a vision. It was a vision of something unique and unprecedented. He saw Catholic men coming together in common cause and mutual support in a spirit of charity. He saw them protecting their families and protecting their church in a spirit of unity. And he saw a band of brothers
Filled with the spirit of fraternity. That’s what it means to be a Knight. – Well, the Knights have been really good in showing me how important service is and giving me the opportunities to do it. – One initiative that really impacted me was the golf tournament that we were able to raise money for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
– We were gathered to stand and pray in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Even in the midst of intense human tragedy, God’s presence is never diminished. – Something about the ice chapel draws people in. Men are looking to grow deeper in their faith and they see us witness to that
And they want to be part of it. – Every year, we have people that come together and we all want to show to the community and our lawmakers that life is important, life is valued at all stages – As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man.
And when I’m with the other Knights, they sharpen me. And I like to think that I return the favor for them. – The iron sharpens iron mentality is definitely alive and well in our council. We hold each other accountable and make each other the best men that we can be.
– This past year, we held a Blessed Michael McGivney holy hour, we invited all the Knights of the diocese. I’ve never seen so many Knights in one place and it was a beautiful holy hour. – In the midst of the COVID pandemic, the ability to just get together with brother Knights
On a smaller basis and to have that community in the midst of so much isolation really stuck out to me as kind of the enduring power of community of brothers. The Knights of Columbus give us as men authentic models of masculinity in the midst of a world and then a college society
That gives us a lot of false models to follow – You look at somebody like Blessed Michael McGivney, you see a humble parish priest who was committed to the service of his community. He provided for their widows and the orphan. Men can look to him throughout the entire world
And say that’s the type of humility that I wanna chase after. That’s the type of generosity, the kindness. St. Joseph and Blessed Michael McGivney are two major saints for college Knights of Columbus. And that’s because both of them embody what it means to be a true father.
– Much of what we know about Father McGivney is what he did. He brought the heroic to the every day and that’s exactly what our college Knights need to do. We’re asking them to live a life of heroism in the everyday things that they do on campus.
– As a seminarian, I’m very impressed by the work of Blessed Michael McGivney. What it means to be a Knight to me is to share his heroic courage, to be a man of generosity and to be a man of faithfulness. – The Knight of Columbus that I’ve met
On college are some of the best people. And I would tell any young man who’s going into college, who’s already on campus, it’s never too late to join. and these are the people that are going to stand by you for the rest of your life.
– Standing in the breach with my fellow Knights means standing shoulder to shoulder with a lot of guys your age, it makes a whole thing much easier. And you know for a fact that you’re doing the right thing. – I think the importance of having other people
In this battle with you is obviously that you’re not alone. And it reminds you of words like the communion of saints, the knighthood, this is an army. This is a battle that you are fighting with other people who have been redeemed by God.
And so there’s many things that we can do as an army that we can’t really do on our own – To live as authentic men, authentic brothers on campus, it’s an intense challenge, but a really rewarding challenge. Oh, I can better strive for excellence in my everyday commitments
In the way the Father McGivney did. – Pope Benedict said some years ago, “The world will offer you comfort “but you were not made for comfort. “You were made for greatness.” There is greatness in the Knights of Columbus, there is greatness in the Catholic Church,
And each of you were made for that greatness. We need to be the kind of men that other men want to be around. And you’re doing that through your leadership in the Knights of Columbus. (dramatic music swells) – Standing in the breach means not being afraid and understanding that
We live in a fallen world and that we are wounded people, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s the heroic striving to make the world a better place and try to manifest the Lord’s kingdom on earth. – [Narrator] Joining the Knights says to your campus and to the world,
“I am a man of faith and I’m not afraid to take a stand.” You were made for a mission and God is preparing you to fulfill it.
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