Knights of Columbus State Chaplains’ Meeting
Address by the Supreme Chaplain
New Haven, CT
June 4, 2026
A Bit of History
A. Let me first say how much I enjoyed today’s pilgrimage – walking in the footsteps of Blessed Michael McGivney. It is a pleasure to be with those of you who, like myself, are ‘veteran chaplains’, and to meet those of you who are new in your role of state chaplain. Together with the Supreme Knight, I am very grateful for your service.
Maybe a little history is in order. Two decades ago, when I was new to my present role, the chaplains’ meetings took place during the Supreme Convention. It was held in a meeting room during the Convention. There was a lot of food and drink but only a few chaplains and a dearth of meaningful conversation . . . It was time for an upgrade.
Over the next years, our meeting was held after the Supreme Convention. It included Mass, dinner, and a well-prepared meeting. But by the end of the Convention, most of us were tired. It was already Thursday afternoon and we were thinking about getting home. A definite improvement, but not yet there.
A next step was to meet during the mid-year State Deputies meeting. The thought behind this was to foster robust cooperation between the state deputies and chaplains, especially as the Order was focusing more and more on faith formation. Again, a step forward, but it was quickly apparent that the meeting came too late in the fraternal year. Finally, we settled on the organizational meeting of the State Deputies, the beginning of the new fraternal year. It has the added advantage of bringing us, not only to the home office, but more importantly to the places where Blessed Michael ministered and to the place where he founded the Knights of Columbus. What began as a meeting became a pilgrimage.
The upshot of this brief history lesson is two-fold: First, our being here reminds us that, as chaplains, we are the successors of Blessed Michael McGivney. His impressive leadership and organizational skills would have been for nought had he lacked intimacy with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a firm faith, a deep familiarity with the Word of God, & the compassionate heart of a pastor. To echo this morning’s homily, this is gift we bring to our State Councils, to our fellow chaplains, and to the Knights and their families in our jurisdictions: a spirituality like that of Blessed Michael, a spirituality that finds expression in our principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
Second is the importance of learning from experience. Our meetings have evolved over time and will continue to evolve, just as many other things continue to evolve in the life of the Order, whether it is the COR initiative, K of C asset advisors – and a host of other changes and initiatives introduced in recent years. Through the years, the changes have been continuous, but the Knights of Columbus is still the Knights of Columbus. There is continuity in the midst of change. That is what Fr. McGivney did so well. He was a priest of unswerving fidelity to the Lord and to the Church, yet he knew how to adapt his ministry to changing needs and situations. He combined faithfulness with creativity and creativity with faithfulness. He was creative because he was faithful and he was faithful because he was creative.
What does this mean for us as his successors? I think it means working closely with your state deputies and fellow chaplains to discern how best to respond to the pastoral needs of knights & their families. It means discerning how to reach a growing population of young men who are seeking something more than what contemporary culture offers, who are seeing a fraternity that cannot be found online, who, whether they know it or not, are looking for Christ and the Church. Responding to such pastoral opportunities requires of us creative fidelity and faithful creativity – and in this, the Order helps us with initiatives like COR, ASAP, its revised degree exemplifications, its many opportunities for fraternity. These are all highly adaptable initiatives, adaptable to the particular circumstances of your jurisdictions.
A Renewal of Faith
Let me now pick up on something I just alluded to: a revival of faith among younger men and women, especially those in the Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012. It is said they characterized by “digital nativity and social awareness.” But thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit, something is happening among many in Gen Z: digital nativity is giving way to a new birth of faith and social awareness is being transformed (not replaced) by an awakening of faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of History, the One who makes all things new.
You’ve seen this in your local churches. A tremendous influx of younger men and women entering the Church at Easter. In Baltimore, for example, nearly 2,000 entered. At the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, some 40 entered the Church at Easter – it was like the River Jordan! We’re seeing the same thing in the Knights of Columbus. Last year, more 100,000 men became Knights, more than at any time since the end of World War I. I believe this is part of the great awakening of faith that the Holy Spirit seems to be accomplishing at this moment in history.
Surely the Holy Spirit is the prime mover in what we are seeing. But the movements of the Spirit call for a response on our part. We are co-workers in the truth and cooperators with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has work for you and me to do. I often think that he assigns me to the demolition crew. My job, it seems, is to demolish obstacles to the faith, and because you’re doing the same kind of “site work”, you know it isn’t easy. Among the biggest boulders to be unearthed and removed is ennui. Yes, it’s true: last night I read the French dictionary! But you and I both know what ennui means: it’s getting in a rut, staying in a rut, and being comfortable in a rut. It means sticking to one’s routine, comfort zone, usual ways of doing things, not noticing, let alone discerning, what the Lord is doing in our midst, not noticing, let alone discerning, the gifts he readily gives us so that we can respond to the movements of the Spirit with energy and vigor.
For the likes of us, ennui, more than outright opposition, is our opponent, surely not everywhere, surely not in most places, but enough to concern us.
The truth is that many are coming to the Church to escape ennui – the same old diatribes and insults hurled on social media, the oft-repeated resentments, weariness from having to choose sides, fatigue induced by being measured by “likes” or bullied by “dislikes”, fatigue brought on by the isolation and loneliness endemic in our culture. No doubt there are many other reasons why young people are turning to religious faith – including the Spirit-induced perception that the faith is real and that much of what our culture serves up is illusion. We need to be ready to respond.
The Holy Spirit, working through Blessed Michael, has given us what we need. In an age of harsh rhetoric, rash judgment, cancellation and rejection, we offer charity – not simply a fleeting emotion – but the true Charity that flows from the Heart of Christ into ours, and is translated into the works of charity, ‘for the needy and the outcast, the widow and the orphan’. It is a charity, practiced not in solitary isolation, but in a spirit of solidarity, fraternity, faith-filled friendship, a unity of spirit based on faith, rooted in “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”. How our principles were lived 20 years ago or 100 years ago will vary. But the hunger of the human spirit for charity, unity, and fraternity is real. It is inscribed and embedded on our souls. As the Spirit awakens faith in many young people, we, the Knights of Columbus need to continue responding, not just at Supreme, or in our State Councils, but in our local councils.
Is the awakening we see today a momentary blip on the radar screen? Or will it prove to be an enduring phenomenon? No one knows for sure but I would offer this: First, it is for us to fan into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit. Second, if we & with us church leadership fails to fan the Spirit’s gift into flame, we might be fairly certain that the movement towards religious faith will fade or will be answered by something less than the fullness of faith.
COR Initiative
And we are striving in God’s grace to fan into flame the spark of the Spirit. One of the principle ways is the COR initiative. You have already heard much about this important initiative and you will hear more about it in the time ahead. For now, let me mention in passing the importance of providing, not just for fellow knights but for men of faith who are searching, an opportunity to meet with other men to pray and discern, to talk about what truly matters, to base their lives on the ‘really real’ of faith, and to discover anew the dignity, purpose, and direction of their lives. We can’t do this on our own. We need support. We need to belong.
There are many other ways to respond to the movement of the Spirit, and some of which have been developed locally, in your jurisdictions. And to repeat, the Knights of Columbus initiatives are adaptable. Yet, programming is never the whole answer. It is necessary, in fact, indispensable. What is needed is what you have to offer as chaplains: a priestly heart like Fr. McGivney’s focused on the spiritual welfare both of your brother knights but also on others who are searching; and a pastoral touch that helps persuade the reluctant and encourage the timorous to take a second look, to open their minds and hearts to Christ, to be infused with a renewed sense of mission, a sense of belonging and contributing to something larger than themselves. You and I have done this a thousand times as we have striven to move parishes from maintenance to mission. We don’t expect to hit a home run every time we’re at bat, but if we hit a single or a double or even if we bunt, God will bring the runners to home plate.
250th Anniversary
Before surrendering the balance of my time to Fr. Jonathan, let me mention something else you’ll be hearing more of this weekend, namely, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In 1876 Fr. McGivney was a seminarian, indeed, a deacon, looking ahead to his priestly ordination the following year. What was the United States like in 1876? For one thing, the industrial revolution was in full swing. Technological innovation was changing how people lived. Immigrants were entering the United States in unprecedented numbers. There was widespread prejudice and discrimination against immigrants and against the Catholic Church. And there was newfound wealth, at least for some. The scars of the Civil War were still fresh. Reconstruction was faltering. Industrial accidents were frequent, claiming the lives of breadwinners, leaving behind destitute widows & orphans. The country remained divided. People were largely dissatisfied with leadership.
The young Michael McGivney was aware of all such things, indeed, they were part of his personal experience. What did he do? Write commentaries decrying the evils of the day? Hurl diatribes from the pulpit? No, he unified his people around the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He formed cohesive, loving parish communities. He brought joy, relief, comfort, and salvific love.And he formed an organization based on charity and unity. It transformed the lives of the men who joined. It also affected the larger society of New Haven. And there’s a lesson here for us, for you and me, from this very relatable priest.
From whatever country we hail, whatever circumstances our people might find themselves in, we, the Knights of Columbus, have something to offer to the larger society: not diatribes from the pulpit, not angry posts on social media, not adding our voices to the partisan fray – no, none of that! What we do have to offer our ailing societies is the charity and unity that flowed from the Sacred Heart into the heart of Blessed Michael McGivney, and now into our hearts, his brother priests, his successors. Through the intercession of our beloved founder, may God bless our ministry to our fellow knights and their families, a ministry of charity, unity, and fraternity, to the glory of God and for the salvation of souls. Brothers, my heartfelt thanks! Vivat Jesus!