My name is Nick, and I am here to tell you about why I am a Knight within the fraternal order of the Knights of Columbus. I joined the Knights eight years ago at the age of 19 and took my Fourth Degree in 2014. My wife, “Lady Elizabeth”, and I have been married for almost three years, and we have been involved with the Saint Gertrude community in various ways for nearly that entire time.
Father Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus to be a source of aid and protection for our neighbors, who, in the words of C.S. Lewis, are “the holiest objects presented to our senses, besides the Blessed Sacrament itself.” Like the worthy Knight protecting the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we protect our neighbors.
We protect the widow and the orphan, the jobless, the hungry, the poor, the oppressed.
We protect the free practice of our Catholic faith by lobbying for legislation that guarantees the rights of conscience.
We protect the lives of the unborn by prayer and action.
We protect the victims of disaster, like the hurricanes and wildfires that have ravaged parts of our country, by sending supplies, money, and volunteers.
On a more personal note, when my wife and I began to open up to people about our struggle with infertility, my brother Knights immediately lifted us up in prayer and support. Half a dozen of them even approached me individually to share their own struggles with infertility or infant loss, and to assure me of their prayers. They united in prayer once again after our first child was hospitalized at just six weeks of age for a serious infection. I know from these experiences that I can turn to my brother Knights during any time of need. That sense of brotherhood is one of the things I value most about the Knights.
No matter how great or how small your involvement, there is something for you in the Knights of Columbus. I challenge every Catholic man who isn’t a Knight, to learn more about the Knights, and to prayerfully consider joining. You won’t regret it. Please contact us – we’d love to meet you!