Brother Knights,
When our Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly asked us to join him in a day of fasting and prayer, for all those suffering due to the conflicts in the Middle East, in solidarity with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella on October 17, he reminded us that “Together in prayer, we can beg Christ’s mercy and peace upon all who are suffering.”
At the beginning of this Fraternal Year, I introduced a theme: Zeal to Further. I shared that zeal is a strong, action-oriented desire to advance in the spiritual life; that it puts love of Christ, the love of the Eucharist, into action. This was followed by a challenge to spend an extra five minutes a day each week in prayer to symbolize this love of Christ and then see where you will go from there. I encourage you in the next month, to watch the “Into the Breach” series video entitled Prayer. This is a 12-minute video that discusses the need for prayer in the life of every man. If you have watched it before, watch it again. Then try to pray an additional five minutes a day. There is no shortage of reasons why we need to pray now more than ever. Join me!
It is no secret that for Supreme to consider a Council or a State Council as successful, that success is based on membership growth. If last year was the best year we have ever had in SC, we are currently performing at 50% higher than last year at this time. While this is tremendous, the actual success that you and I look for in a Council is based on these new members getting engaged. I believe we have a very dynamic State team this year and all the Knights who have volunteered are eager to help you engage your current and new members. If you are having trouble implementing a program, or need help with a recruiting drive, please reach out to your District Deputy, your Field Agent, or any of the Directors listed in this newsletter. These men have volunteered to support all Councils and help them achieve success by however your Council measures it.
I will be attending the State Deputy Midyear Meeting November 3-5 in Denver, CO. I look forward to sharing any new information from Supreme upon my return. Additionally, there will be a lot of communications in the coming weeks and months, including a call for applications for State Officers and Delegates to the Supreme Convention for next fraternal year. If you are preparing to apply to be a delegate, please note the Supreme Convention is in Quebec, Canada and you will need an up-to-date passport. Note that it is currently taking up to 12 weeks to complete the process.
I pray for continued success in all your programs, activities, and efforts. Please reach out to your District Deputy for any assistance. Remember this weekend, to spend an extra five minutes in prayer, and to ask a man to become a Knight. If done in the right order, there is no stopping us!
Jeffrey Crouch
State Deputy
Semper Fidelis!
