Greetings Brother Knights,

 “A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing. And we all know this, that’s why we continue to live with our dreams. We correct our mistakes and every day we ought to review our purpose.”

 Being a man we are required to lead with clarity and purpose and as a Knight, we need to align ourselves with reasons. We lived with a purpose that’s why we joined the Order. Our intentions clarify why we do what we do, this intention moves us to our vision to make the world a better place. This purpose gives us meaning and context and our vision gives us clarity and direction.

 We always need time to clarify our intention and to contemplate our purpose, we need to give our heart and not only our mind, after doing this we will open the door to passion because we align ourselves to our purpose. We the leaders know that a keen sense of purpose is very empowering. It opens the doors to this extraordinary energy of intuition, it opens to amazing light and great inspiration. And remember one lit of match can light many candles.

Once you sense this feeling from a shared sense of purpose and passion you can literally move mountains. “It means you can bond people for life.”

I have here two common questions that always stir my heart.

• How about those people who didn’t know our vision and they receive only negative comment of negative feedback about us, can you imagine how you might feel?
• How you will face them and how you will encourage them to become knights?

Common questions often times we ignored because of how many times we already hear this since we become a knight. But have you ever been in a situation where you are load up with content but have no context?

“Many people in leadership positions are far better at complicating things than simplifying them. Why is that a leader tends to add more complexity rather than subtract what isn’t needed?”

Well, it’s not enough to know the content of the work but it needs to understand the circumstances on how it works. What we need is to experience our purpose not just doing it because we’ve been told to do. We need to be upfront and lead the people and this is our task to God. But we need to make it simple so people will understand and this is our duty we the knights to lead and to become a mentor helping our priest.

It is very simple, we cannot encourage people if we don’t know what we are saying.

LEAD with PASSION

Greetings Brother Knights,

Being a knight we need to show leadership at all times as an individual person and as a group of men. Leading with passion is about our courage to cast off all the fears, all the doubts, and limiting beliefs and then it gives people a sense of hope, optimism and later accomplishment. We the knights bring the light into this world of uncertainty and we inspire others to do the same. This is what we call passion, the fire within us.

“Passion is a heartfelt energy that flows through us, not from us.”

Passion fills our hearts when we allow it to and will inspire other men when we share it. It is like sunshine that will flow to our doorways when we open it and it always there. We only need to accept and embrace it under the right conditions, this flow is easy and graceful. It is doing what is meant to do, to remind us that we are meant to be purposeful and to become positive. And we will only feel this when we listen to and accept our calling in life. We will feel this as an inspiration when we open the door of resistance and let it in. And after this we will feel motivated to do whatever it takes without fear and without doubt. Our vision will turn to reality and we will grow with confidence because we will become committed from our heart and soul.

We are leaders and we need to open the door to facilitate the flow.

Being a Knight we already clarify our purpose, but we still need to:

• Continue creating a compelling vision to focus intention and attention.
• Gain commitment from the heart, not just an agreement from the head.
• Continued set priorities and focus efforts on what matters most.
• Always recognize and accept the power of grace.
• Foster more creativity and innovation.
• We need to demonstrate integrity and build trust.
• Lead in passionate example.
• Generate growth in ourselves first then to others.
• And awaken the spirit in work.

Please try this example at home

Light a match in a dark room and watch as the light instantly overcomes the darkness. Observe the power and grace of that single, solitary flame dancing with life.

Next light several candles and experience the added warmth and comfort extending from that first, vulnerable flame through others.

The result – This is our heart and soul of leadership, this is our essence to inspire others. This is we being a Knights, and this is our calling.

Greetings Brother Knights,

About the Title:  This expression references the power of diversity.

If you have ever belonged to a group of people all from the same age group, similar income levels, same ethnic background all living in the same community, you notice that their views and ideas are basically very similar. The suite of potential solutions to each unanticipated challenge they can come up with is naturally smaller.

The advantages a more diverse group has is that each individual member can contribute ideas and suggestions from their past lives that seem obvious to them but completely new and surprising to the others. Who knows what solutions could come from that group?

Here in Saskatchewan, most of the Councils are more diverse now having a lot of members from different Catholic immigrants from different countries. And any council now can build an executive team with the goal to engage participants with differences.

What do we need to do?

We just need to encourage them to show the individual uniqueness or we can say the unusual character of a person and this quality will bring creativity and harmony to the group because we can find some quality that will make them stand out from all the rest. Different ideas will give different results; different results will give greater influence and therefore strength!

According to a study, “a team of people with diverse ways of thinking has a much better chance of solving a problem than a team of like-minded people.”

Our Order of Knights of Columbus promoted equality even at the time of war where different races of people fought together and became allied. And for our generations today, we still need to become one against the evil around us and temptations that make other people weak because they are alone. They are weak because of fear to blend with other people and we need to save them.

Let’s start to build a team with the goal of engaging participants with differences. Practice acceptance instead of viewing differences as negative. Let diversity be seen as a strength and allowing all of us to contribute in unique ways. When you go to school you will see different children playing and they learn the differences that exist between them, but they learn to respect and enjoy each other, rather than be feared and disliked.

Here are seven strategies we can use to promote acceptance in Diversity.

• Acknowledge differences…
• Offer Implicit Bias training for everyone…
• Provide Mentors
• Let people learn by doing…
• Encourage personal evaluation…
• Ask questions…
• And value all diversity

Let us encourage all Catholic immigrants to join in our Order. (Actually, we are all immigrants, but many became first immigrants before us.) Let us use the quickest way of recruiting by using the Online Membership tool for those men who are always busy but soon will find time to go to the Degree and join the council and for them, we need to become a teacher or guide. This is our role as a Knights as they will become our strength in the future.

Our jurisdiction needs more strength and being a member of Saskatchewan Knights we are not an ordinary individual in this province. We are the men who find the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles, and our ability to handle life’s challenges is a measure of our strength of character being a knight.

Greetings Brother Knights,

“Unlike the drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives.”

Knights live to make a difference in this world. The value of being a man makes us leaders in our family, in society and in the church.

Catholic men of this world are made up of ethnically, racially, culturally, nationally and socially diverse groups of people that are universal in confession and particular in expression. This particular expression is apparent in their worship practices and liturgical celebrations. Especially from catholic immigrant people. For example:

from advent novena masses or “Simbang Gabi” (night masses) celebrated by the Filipinos, to the liturgical and devotional activities that occur during the Asian Lunar year celebrated by Chinese (Xin or Chun Jie), Korean (Seollal), Laotian (Pi Mai) and Vietnamese (Tet) communities, many have incorporated cultural elements into their Catholic worship.

 Other practices that communities incorporate are the inclusion of Asian saints during the chanting of the Litany of Saints as well as the display of a statue or image of the Blessed Virgin Mary adorned with the local native dress. By doing this, many Asian and Island communities are able to incorporate Mary into their particular ethnic identity. In art, she has taken on Asian characteristics and other immigrant features. Through prayers, she is called upon to intercede on behalf of the people. She is the nurturing caretaker of a people whose identity is grounded deeply in their faith and culture. A myriad of liturgical and devotional practices can stress the deep encounter of faith in a loving God who is glorified in diversity.

All people are immigrants since the beginning, and people migrate seeking for greener pastures up to this very day and their identity as catholic continues to be shaped by their colonial and missionary history, as well as by their encounter with the diversity present in today’s culture.

For many catholic immigrants, whether they are born here or are immigrants, their religious identity is intricately woven into their cultural upbringing and for them, their religious identity is best expressed through their native tongues. Home country language is a vital part of who they are. It is not only a way to communicate, but it also gives expression to the depth of their being just as religion is essential to their lives.

Language is an identity marker that accentuates the character and personality of most immigrants. It is distinctive, especially when cultural expressions are not translatable into English and must remain expressed in their original language.

These are some facts about catholic immigrants (still many to mention)

As St. Paul advocates, “ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is no male nor female; for you are all in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28),

In addition, all are part of God’s family, “ So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19)

Here in Saskatchewan, We in the State Council of the Knights of Columbus, promote Cultural Diversity. Our faith encouraged us to recognize all catholic immigrants in all local parishes and across dioceses to become Knights. Last fraternal year catholic immigrants who joined the Order made a big impact in our membership intake and all of them want to grow their faith with the knights, to live in the principle of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. And not only do their lives change but also the society they live in.

Again we welcome you all to join us and bring your intrinsic quality of Catholicism into our jurisdiction.

• JOIN TODAY
•  Visit: www.kofc.org/joinus
• Jurisdiction – Saskatchewan
• “The men who stand with us never stand alone.”

Greetings Brother Knights,

The 2018 – 2019 Columbian Year for the Cultural Diversity Committee was a success by reaching other Parishes and small towns. Doing Church drives became the best way to reach Ethnic Catholic Immigrants. I can say it’s not easy but by talking and interacting with them in their parishes enabled us to reach their ears and touch their hearts and soul. It is not a quick process but now they can begin to think of their own value and how they are important to the church. They can begin to think about how they can participate in their own way.

Doing the pulpit announcement and by mingling with them after the Mass sends messages to their subconscious mind and touches their hearts by asking questions to themselves about what is their purpose in life. People are very busy in their daily lives but somehow their belief of going to church for the blessing never failed and they think it’s already enough. Yes, their faith is still there but some went further gradually to the real mission in life to the most persistent and urgent question of “ What are you doing for others?”

“Remember that our perception of the world is a reflection of our state of consciousness.”

 By doing church drives and visiting parishes we awaken them up gradually and it works mentally to change their hearts and souls.

It is very simple to understand that culture is the result of languages, values, shared experiences and meanings; do not forget the bonds of identity and again by continued pulpit announcements and talking to them personally, we’re building bridges between us and between people and church.

Building bridges to the cultural divide is an important concept to discipleship and brotherhood. And in this, positive experiences are the best way to share and to start relationships. By sharing positive experiences through purposeful “encounters” helps to bridge the language gap and creates liminal spaces for new discoveries. And although most of them are busy, there is no obstacle for them to join our Order through online membership because their minds are now open to serve others in different ways. And upon receiving the news or updates they will believe in what the Knights of Columbus have already done in the society and will look forward to joining the degree.

To my Co-Chairman Bro. Agnel George and to our coordinators, it is a great work indeed, and to all brother knights, thanks to all of you. I pray for the continued success of this committee every year and there is only one thing we need to do, “reach all men, wherever they are at and no matter how far they are”.

And a special thanks to all Brother Knights. Let’s help one another to continue bridging the gap in every second, every minute, and every hour in every day at every opportunity we get.

And last, Congratulations to our Worthy State Deputy Chris Bencharski for his leadership by achieving our goals and our dreams in our jurisdiction.

He lifts up the profile of the province of Saskatchewan in Canada.

A big pride for all of us Knights in Saskatchewan for winning the Canada Cup and landing in a good spot in the whole Order of the Knights of Columbus.

Congratulations to all Brother Knights and thanks for the great job you have done.