STATE DEPUTY MESSAGE for JULY

Worthy Brothers,

As we commence with Columbian Year 2024-2025, allow me a moment to congratulate and thank last year’s team for all the hard work and accomplishments. What a great job changing lives and saving lives. Under the leadership of our 2023-2024 State Deputy Brother Greg Marracq our local council members throughout California have made a difference in our Parishes, communities and families. God bless you all.

As we transition into the 2024-2025 Columbian year, I intend to keep Worthy IPSD Greg’s words close to my heart, “there is no finish line, we just keep moving forward doing God’s work.” It’s not a new start, it’s a continuation of what is time tested and is working. 

Staying close to our roots, we are reminded that Blessed Michael McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus as a fraternal benefit society to help Catholic families stay together in the event of untimely death, and our insurance agents are still doing just that! Blessed McGivney also saw a “higher calling,” of bringing Catholic men back to the Church with the Order’s three main principles of Charity, Unity and Fraternity. His goal was to enhance our faith formation while supporting our personal, civic and social needs. The needs for proper faith formation and societal needs continues its upward climb. There simply is no substitute for the Knights of Columbus to rise to the occasion to help people in need, to protect our families, to help families save for retirement, and to work side by side with our Pastors and our Parishes.

This year, the State Council will continue to prioritize wide participation in all existing Faith in Action programs such as Wheelchair Sundays, fundraising drives supporting people with intellectual disabilities, Coats for Kids, Food for Families, Free Throw contest, etc. as well as some new ones. Also, I am excited to launch a new faith activity program this year, Motorcycle Ministries, which will be an outreach evangelization ministry to those in the motorcycle community. 

The State Council is committed to supporting the Evangelization and Faith Formation (EFF) and Cor initiatives. These initiatives exist to form and strengthen Catholic men in faith and virtue as missionary disciples by drawing them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, formation, and fraternity. Stay-tuned as we continue to engage our councils. 

Let’s never forget and continue to visibly demonstrate that we Knights are men of Charity and Faith. We are also Knights of the Eucharist. As Catholics, we know where we get our superpowers! It is through the real presence of Jesus Christ in our lives that we can avoid common pitfalls of apathy and burnout and live out the life Blessed Michael McGivney envisioned for us. By Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, he fulfils his promise to be with us “always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). Our Councils must do their part in supporting the Eucharist Revival. In so doing, we are sure to strengthen our interior lives by: (a) increasing our faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, (b) attending Sunday Mass, as well as daily Mass when possible, and (c) participating in eucharistic adorations and processions.

Many hands make light work. So, the last thing I want to add is we need to continue inviting new members to the Order. Use the online membership link at KofC.org/join as this is the new Form 100. Enter the promo code BLESSEDMCGIVNEY to have them join online for free. After bringing them in with online membership, have your council vote to approve them as new members of the council and then accompany them to an exemplification ceremony. Regardless of how much time one has available to commit, all Catholic men over the age of 18 are welcome.

I have a great team surrounding me this year and I look forward to working with all of you as we do God’s work.   

Mama Mary Pray for us!

Fraternally,

JIM LARSON
State Deputy 2024-2025

STATE CHAPLAIN MESSAGE FOR JULY

Dear Worthy Knights,

Thank you Worthy Former State Chaplain Fr. Raymund Reyes and all the State Officers for all the success of the past year. I am grateful to God and all of you for the opportunity to serve in this new Columbian year.

I was born and grew up in Indonesia (one of the biggest Muslim countries in the world). In 1998, I came to study for an MBA at Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio. Then, I felt a call to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. When I was an intern seminarian working at St Lucy parish Long Beach, Brother Jim Larson who now is our State Deputy recruited me to be a Knight.

The council also sponsored me spiritually, morally and financially in the RSVP (Refund Support Vocations Program) for three years until I was ordained in 2009. So, brothers, our RSVP program works well. It brings seminarians to know and love the Knights of Columbus. Hopefully, they can be future council chaplains for the Knights when they become Catholic priests, just as I have been doing for all these years for a few different parishes, including St Lucy Long Beach where I am a pastor now.

Now, as the State Chaplain, I follow the guidelines of our Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly who plans to improve our spirituality through our EEF and Cor initiatives. We plan to have a combined Walk for Life at Christ Cathedral in the Diocese of Orange, a family fun retreat on the weekend of October 4-6 at Santiago Retreat Center in Irvine, and the Lenten Retreats in March at three different sites around California.

Let us pray for the success of the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis later this month. Brother Knights, the Eucharist should be the center of our spiritual life. We are the Knights of Faith, the Knights of Prayer and the Knights of the Eucharist. I challenge you to go to a weekday Mass or stop by for 30 minutes of Eucharistic adoration on a weekly basis. Blessed Carlo Acutis, whom Pope Francis is planning to canonize this summer or fall said, “Every time we go to adoration we are transformed to be a saint bit by bit.”

Have a blessed and restful summer with your family!

Vivat Jesus!

REV. BUDI WARDHANA
State Chaplain 2024-2025

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