Radicalism for Our Culture: The Beatitudes
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Service and Charity is at the Heart of the Knights
Knights of Columbus Speech
The speech below was given to St. Therese de Lisieux Parish, Wellington, Florida on behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council 12738. Its purpose was for recruitment and was supplied to me by Brother Stan Lee Fatt, Grand Knight. This was my edited version.
Hi my name is ____________ and I am a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Our Mission of the Knights of Columbus, Our Faith and Our History is one of empowering Catholic men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their community.
Our goal is to help men, their families and their parishes grow closer to Christ. Through our programs and resources, we provide opportunities to live and spread the Catholic faith.
It is service and charity that is at the heart of the Knights. The Knights of Columbus was founded as a small service organization to meet the needs of immigrants, refugees and families suffering from the death of the family breadwinner. Since its foundation, it has grown into a worldwide financial and charitable organization.
Founded by Fr. Michael J. McGivney in New Haven Connecticut in 1882, at that time Catholics were being discriminated against in this country, and it was difficult for a Catholic man to find a job or to get insurance for his family. Also many jobs at the time were very dangerous, and many men of many families were killed on their jobs, leaving behind widows and orphaned children. Fr McGivney wanted to help Catholic men & their families to remain steadfast in their faith through mutual encouragement, to promote closer ties of fraternity among them, and to set up a basic insurance system so that the widows and children of members who might die, would be properly cared for. The Knights of Columbus was the realization of this dream. From these humble beginnings, The Knights of Columbus has grown to more than 2 million members.
Through a fund which we call K of C Charities, our local council supports Birthline/Lifeline, Wounded Warriors Project, The Hope Rural Catholic School of Indiantown, and churches in the poorer communities of Belle Glade and Pahokee. We also hold an annual golf outing, the Dr. Robert McKeen Memorial to raise money for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
In the past, you may have seen the Knights take donations for tootsie rolls. 100% of the funds collected from this drive go to help blinded and wounded veterans.
After 9/11 – The K of C was one of the first organizations that came forward donating over $ 1 Million to help the families directly impacted by this tragedy.
At St. Therese, you see us running pancake breakfasts, fish fry’s, the Parish picnic, running blood drives, and being actively involved in supporting other parish ministries. I could go on all day about what the Knights of Columbus do but I think you get the picture.
If you feel God is calling you to a new challenge and you want to serve others or to make a difference in our parish or the community, then the Knights of Columbus is for you.
If you say: well I don’t know how to serve others or to make a difference in the parish or the community, we can show you how.
If you say: I don’t have the time, then know that probably most of our current members could tell you that that was their concern as well. But the time commitment is very small (usually one meeting per month), yet the difference you can make is very large.
We are having a membership drive this weekend & would like to invite & challenge all practicing Catholic men, their family members and friends, to join and participate in our council. Please see our brother Knights at the table in back after mass for further details.
And, one last thing as a reminder, our Lenten Fish Fry starts this Friday at 5:30 pm and we invite you to purchase your discounted tickets after mass. Thank you and God Bless.
Dr. Michael J. Baglino, Ed. D. is a retired college professor, most recently an adjunct prof. in behavioral science at Palm Beach State College, Florida. He is a graduate of both Winona State University, MN and Florida International University, Miami. Michael is also a retired entertainer [singer/actor], performing primarily as a Frank Sinatra tribute artist under the name ‘Michael Matone’. A parishioner of St. Therese de Lisieux Catholic Church in Wellington, FL, Michael serves as a lector, EM, and 4th degree Knights of Columbus. He is a professional member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. The Baglino family, wife, children and grandchildren all live in South Florida.
He is the author of 5 books, most notably ‘From Gramsci to Freud’ and ‘The Dr. B. Reader on the Ologies’. In his books, Dr. Baglino presents a series of articles and vignettes on religion, psychology, politics and culture. He shows us that God is with us in our daily lives interweaving trials, travels, and decisions with Catholicism. Definitely not without humor, Michael presents a down to earth and Catholic perspective to so many of our contemporary issues. See www.michaelbaglino.com/speaker.
