Patrick Kelly installed as new Supreme Knight of Knights of Columbus

By | June 12, 2021

Kelly assured that the Knights can inspire fathers with the courage to nourish their families in the faith. 
“They need our witness and example to guide them in embracing their vocation to heroic generosity and self-sacrifice, for the good of their wives and children,” he said. “So let us, like St. Joseph, embrace our role as guardians of the family.”
Speaking about St. Joseph as the “guardian of truth,” Kelly acknowledged “the truth that Joseph protected had a name: Jesus Christ, who is the truth incarnate.” 
Kelly proclaimed that the Knights must also serve Jesus as the truth. Noting the difficulty of serving the truth in the modern era, Kelly called the present a “time of bigotry and intolerance.”

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“Key truths — truths about marriage, about life in the womb, about the nature of the family and the meaning of freedom — are often denied and even vilified,” he said. “Yet, this makes our commitment to truth all the more important.” 
Kelly said the Knights will continue to be a sign of unity by standing for the truth. Referencing the Second Vatican Council, Kelly said that the truth is grounded in the Eucharist.
“We know that Jesus Christ is really, truly present — body, blood, soul and divinity — in the Blessed Sacrament. Committed to our principle of unity, let us strive to serve Christ in the Eucharist,” Kelly said. 
He said the Knights were called to have a special reverence for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. “The more we dedicate ourselves to Christ in the Eucharist,” he said, “the more we will be a sign of unity in an age of division and disbelief.”                               
Kelly concluded by asking for the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights who was beatified last fall and whose tomb was in the back of the church. He also asked for the intercession of St. Joseph so that the Knights may have the courage to lead in these “challenging times.”                                            
Following Kelly’s address, Archbishop Lori blessed the medals of the new supreme officers. The other new supreme officers being installed were Deputy Supreme Knight Paul G. O’Sullivan, Supreme Secretary Patrick T. Mason, Supreme Treasurer Ronald F. Schwarz, Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella, Supreme Warden Michael A. Benson, and Past Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson.
17 supreme directors and 56 state deputies were also installed at the celebrations. Following the installations, the Archbishop led the new officers to McGivney’s tomb in the back of the church and prayed for his canonization. 
(Story continues below)

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