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(Reply sections in bold italics are from Nick Bezzina)
Below are reasons given to Steve Lovison, in one form or another, stating why we should, in effect, ignore Bishop Vann's letter. These reasons have been published here in a raw format after Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly's "Knights of the Eucharist" email went out to all Knights on March 6th, 2023
All replies refer to the Knights, in general.
We are weak in the Faith, but Eucharistic Adoration will change that.
In general, and for decades the Knights admit this. It was strongly communicated to new knights how weak we are in the Catholic Faith. We were officially told, for decades, to learn our learn our faith and make the Eucharistic the source and summit of our lives only to be told immediately after to start “flipping pancakes” or some other stereotypical Knights work.
Before the Bishop’s letter there was very little emphasis on growing our faith in Council 6020. It was Father Jerome’s “Call to be Holy” that caused 6020 to have some emphasis on faith and piety, and that call was a direct result of Fr Jerome’s knowledge of Bishop Vann’s letter.
As to the Knights not being strong enough in the faith to make the bishop’s letter a reality—HOGWASH!
You need not be strong in faith to go to Eucharistic Adoration. You need not be strong in faith to recognize the Knights’ claims to do what our bishops ask. Nothing will get you stronger in the faith than Adoration. PLUS, FOR 16 YEARS that has been an excuse (Ask me what Pope Francis says about excuses).
Sadly, many pastors agree the Knights are weak in their faith and seemed resigned to that fact.
Again, ask me what Pope Francis says about excuses. I have heard that Knights are not yet ready for 16 years. 16 YEARS!!!!! The Knights will never be ready. Each and every Knight has to get himself ready.
For the last 6 years 6020 Knights have been asked just to step foot in the chapel. Just to make quick visits to Our Lord with the hope that some baby step progress to get out of the spiritual kiddy pool would get us at least into the wading pool.
It was hoped baby step progress would make the Knights grow up and grow into taking on this great mission Bishop Vann gave us. Certainly, some of our 6020 Knights did. We are responsible for the Monday Adoration at St Bonaventure starting. We are responsible for 6020 retreats which before the bishop’s letter never took place.
“Always forward! Never back.” St Junipero Serra and State Deputy Rene Trevino.
It is time to grow up. To get out of the spiritual kiddy pool. We all need to make weekly holy hours, preferably scheduled.
Eucharistic Adoration will fuel our charitable works and give them meaning. Adoration and love for Jesus is what drives us to do more for our community. If we do not commit to spending time with Jesus, our works are empty works devoid of devotion and purpose.
Making pancake breakfast, fish fry’s, Special Olympic, Business meeting, and ID Drive a priority over Adoration is an insult to Jesus.
And even worse, making those a priority over Sunday Mass is a mortal sin.
Prayer and fasting is real work. Valuable work.
Adoration is for everyone regardless of the “level” you are currently at. No matter what “level” you are at, adoration will grow your faith, which is the goal of every Christian.
This is certainly true. Some men are fat and happy in the spiritual kiddy pool Some men think all a Knight need do is go to Sunday Mass, with even that being optional for the most frivolous of reasons, like Bingo, Pancake Breakfasts, ID Drives.
Yes, we are at different spiritual levels but if you are content at the level you are at, and you are content at the level your brothers are at, then you are in danger of being lukewarm and Jesus says he will vomit the lukewarm out of his mouth.
Eucharistic Adoration will transform your life for the better. Leading Eucharistic Adoration will transform the lives of your fellow parishioners, your fellow countrymen, your fellow humans worldwide.
AND THAT IS WHAT BISHOP VANN IS ASKING US TO DO.
We can make the platitude a reality.
Believe me! After 16 years, I know it is currently a platitude.
I also know high level Knights know. I think by claiming such a title it is hoped somehow it will come true. Somehow, somewhere, someone, some Council will take this title seriously and try to make the Knights of Columbus truly become the Knights of the Eucharist. That "somehow" is Bishop Vann's letter. That "somewhere" is Huntington Beach. That "someone" is you. That "some Council" is 6020.
Right now, March 9th, 2023, the “Knights of the Eucharist” really is only a platitude.
I ask you, as a Knight, do you find this acceptable?
I have said we should not pass Nick Bezzina’s resolution if we are not going to make it a true priority for our Council.
If we don’t pass it, we should pass a resolution saying we are not the Knights of the Eucharist and demand the Knights worldwide stop claiming the title.
Yes. Indeed. A Knight told me this.
In the 6 years since Bishop Van wrote this letter I have reported a lack of progress at least four times over the years and asked Bishop Vann if I should give up.
Each time he told me not to give up, to keep trying, and thanked me for my efforts.
The Bishops letter is important, and it is the most important task of the KofC in OC.
The KofC claim we help all Bishops and Priests in need. Well, brothers, we have a Bishop asking for our help. This task is of the utmost importance.
Patience and complacency is not the same thing.
The bishop’s letter has been ignored and letting it continue to go on being ignored is not patience, it is dereliction of duty.
Its a misconception that Eucharistic Adoration is not “doing stuff.” It is actually the second most important thing one could do, going to Mass being the first.
Without a priority on Catholic Piety, you may as well join the Lions Club, or the Kiwanas, or Rotary. I have heard our current State Chaplain say this pretty much every time he talks.
He is saying it because he knows it is true. Our priorities are wrong regardless if we like those wrong priorities or not. Either that or Supreme needs to quit claiming false priorities.
That is “The Heresy of Works” spoken of in the book “Soul of the Apostolate.” Prayer is work and it is the most important work one can do.
If you think this objection is true you just prove true what was recently told me by a Knight who reports directly to a well known Cardinal.
He told me "the Knights of Columbus are so weak in the faith they do not even know that are weak in the faith."
It may be true that many Knights only joined to “give back”
but every single Knight, EVERY SINGLE ONE, especially those prior to the new
public exemplification were told differently.
According to State and Supreme Advocates the spiritual lessons
of the old degrees are not secret. Every Knight is supposed to make growing in their
faith a life priority and every Knight was taught to make the Eucharist the
Source and Summit of their lives.
And State Chaplain Father Grace has publicly stated that
saving souls from hell is indeed a main mission of the Knights of Columbus.
Obviously, this is not true. Read the Linda Serna testimony—that one scheduled hour a week with make your whole life better.
Some people, it is said, are afraid the person they are now will not like the person Christ turns them into, but the person Christ turns them into probably will be glad to no longer be the person they were.
“Give me purity Lord, just not yet.” St Augustine
Actually, time spent with the Lord in Adoration will help you have more time to do the will of God in your life, whatever that turns out to be.
Yes, your are! Yes, it is!
Our state chaplain said the Knights have to remember we must save souls from hell. We are too weak in the faith to know that.
The Knights have a problem in this area and very high levels of Supreme know it, and have known it for a very long time.
A good example is organizing a Eucharistic Procession. If we put on an awesome procession like we did at the Cathedral this Columbian Year, and have all the table and chairs set up, have plenty of water, plenty of snacks, and look with satisfaction on all the people who came, and once completed we have no personal increase in love of the Eucharist, then for us personally, according to the official statements from both the U.S. Bishops and from Supreme, we failed.
We have to love and be devoted to the Eucharist first personally before we try and get others closer, for the most part.
When the Supreme Chaplain asks every Knight to make a weekly holy hour of Eucharistic Adoration, he does not mean every Knight except you and the Knights in your Council.
First off, brother who is reading this, did you help organize this event? Did you even go to it? If the answer is "no" to the second qusetion then this giant event bore no fruit for you personally. If the answer is "yes" to the first question or second question, did the "March for Life" transform you? Did it make you want to get closer to the Lord? If not, then this event bore no fruit for you personally.
See the rebuttal of the previous reason. In many ways the great March of Life we did at the Cathedral was an example of Action with faith on the side, that our State Chaplain warns us against.
A different example: A Knight who is super active with all Council activities but chooses not to go to Sunday Mass is in Mortal Sin and is in danger of going to hell, and what may be worse than going to hell for some Knights is being told they are not “practical Catholics.”
Supreme disagrees. The lesson from old degrees disagree, and the new exemplification disagrees.
Sadly, the Church I was at recently, (while I am typing this while I am staying at the rectory of that Church right now), is the home of a recent State Council of the Year agrees with this reason against and operates by this sad statement much to the chagrin of the current pastor.
This is true.
But the Knights won’t ever want to do it if we resign ourselves to a perpetual state of “the Knights are not ready”, “the Knights are too weak in the Faith”, etc.
This is very true. Four holy hours a year is all that can be applied to Star Council points.
All I can say is this is a good argument to prove that “Knight of the Eucharistic” is truly only a platitude.
At the beginning of my term as Grand Knight I did an analysis and subsequent video that showed just how arbitrary Star Council criteria is.
In 10,000 years no one will care that Council 6020 was a Star Council but souls in heaven at that time will bless the Knights of 6020 who grew the Eucharistic Adoration that saved their souls, even the ones still in Purgatory for causing people to feast on Fridays in Lent, instead of fast.
It was a long time ago. The Knights in the Diocese of Orange have ignored Bishop Vann’s letter for a long time.
Well, maybe pray the prayer of the blind man who when Jesus asked him what he wanted told Jesus "Lord, I pray that I may see!"
St Mother Teresa was once asked what was the biggest problem in the world. She answered "I am the biggest problem of the world. Unless I change, the word is not going to get any better." Mother Teresa said daily Mass and daily Eucharistic Adoration was the most important task in her day and gave her the strength to do everything else.
The renewal begins with each of us, in our hearts, and spending time in a personal encounter with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will change your heart, and turn you into another Christ.
There is a real danger this will happen with the Revival. Bishop Vann’s letter came out way before the revival and is meant to go on way after the Revival.
I wish I could do a study of 6020 activities to prove this is not true but at pancake breakfasts, fish fry’s, festivals, boy scout events, Special Olympic we are indeed cooks.
Well, a select few are cooks. The rest of us are bus boys and custodians.
Is that really who we are? COOKS? Cooks, who happen to go to Mass when it fits our schedule?
We should be Catholic Saints who happen to cook. The very first paragraph of the very first document declaring the “Faith in Action” program admits an identity crisis within the Knights and used the statement "the guys who cook pancakes" as the example of the justified stereotype we must break free of.
I did not join the Knights to cook but I was very open why I joined the Knights, ie, because the Knights claimed to be the “Knights of the Eucharist.
How about all the inactive Knights? Why they inactive?
I was too cowardly to say this in a prior meeting but our current State Deputy told me and Nick Bezzina he supports the statement that if you have eight hours a month to do Council work such as pancake breakfasts but not one hour a week for a holy hour of Adoration, stop the Council work and do the holy hour.
“When the Sisters are exhausted, up to their eyes in work; when all seems to go awry, they spend an hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This practice has never failed to bear fruit: they experience peace and strength.” Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
I did Thursday 1AM to 3AM for about 12 years while I was working full time, getting a Masters in Theology, and being quite active in Council 6020 such that I was named “Knight of the Year”.
Make time for Jesus and he will make time for you.
- “ thou shall not bear false witness”
We can. After all, we
say we are the Knights of the Eucharist when we are not.
If your conscience lets you say we do don’t, why not say we
do?