![]() ![]() The fourth-degree ceremony will remain unchanged and will continue to be open to members only. He said the ceremony "stays true to our traditions while addressing the needs of our times." Anderson directed a review of the ceremonies "with an eye toward staying true to our roots while at the same time presenting our principles of charity, unity and fraternity in a more clear and convincing way."Īnderson unveiled the new ceremony in November at the midyear meeting for the order's state deputies, who are the highest official in each jurisdiction. ![]() "When you see dioceses with parishes closing, that has to affect all the Catholic organizations in those dioceses."Īt the Knights' Supreme Convention last summer, a resolution from the Illinois delegation calling for combining the first-, second- and third-degree ceremonies into one and removing the condition of secrecy was approved. Those trends affect us as well," he said. "I think the Catholic Church is growing more quickly in some areas than in other areas. Today, the order has more than 2 million members worldwide who are involved in charitable and service works.Īlthough membership as a whole is growing, not all areas are showing increases, Anderson said. Father McGivney is a candidate for sainthood and has the title "Venerable." The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization of Catholic men that was founded by Father Michael McGivney, a young priest serving at St. "We decided this is a way to let other parishioners know, family members know, what the Knights of Columbus is all about. "There is nothing we do that is secret or needs to be secret," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville. Called the Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity, it combines the initiation for the first three degrees into a single ceremony that will be open to family, friends and fellow parishioners. The fourth degree, dedicated to the principal of patriotism, was added later and this initiation also is secret and for members only.īut starting this year, the Knights have adopted a new ceremony. Since its founding in 1882, the initiation ceremonies for the first three degrees of Knights membership - focused on the principles of charity, unity and fraternity - have been separate and open to members only. (CNS) - After 142 years, the Knights of Columbus is pulling down a veil of secrecy that has surrounded its initiation ceremonies in an effort to better showcase the order's core principles and its drive to help Catholic men become disciples. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |