“If a tree falls in the wilderness, will anyone hear it fall?”  You have heard this question many, many times.  You may have even pondered the answer.

“But what does that have to do with the Knights?” you ask.  A lot.  It describes a perception of our ministry and others of the church.  We do a lot for our parish, our community of Chapel Hill, veterans, handicapped, the poor, IFC Pantry, our members in need, the hospitalized, religious orders, and countless others.  True, we should not put signs on our back to announce our latest act of mercy, but we do need to share our deeds with others.

• “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

What we do is not for ourselves.  We raise money to give it away.  We don’t use it to party or to serve ourselves.  Our fish fries, annual raffle, pancake breakfasts, and Operation Lamb projects benefit our church, seminarians, and mentally handicapped children.

We do a lot more than raise money.  We give of ourselves.  We give our time, our talents, and our personal wealth.  Knights donate thousands of dollars quietly to support a local crisis.  They give furniture, food, and other things to help a homeless family in our midst.  They help the widow.  They sponsor children in our area and overseas.  They serve on boards, committees, in clubs, and charities to give even more.

We work with our youth–our future–and have just completed the formation of a Columbian Squires Circle in our parish.  Our project went so well and showed what could be done, that another neighboring parish followed our lead.  They, too, started a Circle.

Lighting yet another another candle of hope

We are about 120 strong, but there are hundreds of other men in our parish who are welcome to join us.  What we need to do now is to show our candles of hope for the poor and suffering in our midst.  We need to share our stories with everyone we meet.  Let them know what the Catholic community of men in our town are doing and how they can help us do even more.

So, wear your Knights of Columbus jacket, shirt, cap or badge.  Wear your regalia on all special masses and funerals.  Be proud of your brotherhood and brothers.  Let your light shine bright for you do His works for His children.