Dear Brother Knights, Family Members, and Honored Clergy,
First and foremost I would like to say that I am honored to be chosen to lead our council in this fraternal year 2012 – 2013. I look forward to serving and supporting this fine circle of catholic gentlemen in the coming months. I am very proud just to be associated with such a great group of guys. I consider myself blessed to be able to participate in many worthwhile activities with all of you.
This council has a strong history of community service, support of our clergy and our church, and raising funds for charitable causes. We stand on the shoulders of many of our Previous Grand Knights who, with the help of our generous council members, have laid the ground work and have built up the council to what it is today. For this I salute all of you for your efforts and I hope, with your assistance, continue this great tradition of fraternity and service. I would also like to thank our PGK’s who continue to stay active in our council and assist greatly in our success: Kevin O’Connor, Carl Haaser, Gary Koonce, Rocky Lomano, and Don Coffey.
Just as an example, last year’s Grand Knight – Bruce Jackson – supported and assisted in establishing additional spiritual activities in our last fraternal year: we now do a rosary right before every council meeting and we recite three mysteries every first Saturday of the month at the Samuelson Abortion Clinic on Cleveland Avenue. Thanks Bruce, for your support and faithful participation in both of these events.
We will be introducing additional activities/resources in support of our council’s spiritual and faith growth this year. Stay tuned.
I would also like to publicly thank our council chaplin, Father Dan, for all of his faithful support to all our activities this year. It was awesome to have him with us during our prayers at the abortion clinic. Please know Father Dan that our prayers are with you as you begin this new chapter in your ministry. We are going to miss you!
Religious Freedom – is a topic that is foremost in our mind today. Allow me to begin this short discussion with a quote that I think is quite pertinent to current events:
“The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.”
This quote, often attributed to one of our nation’s most stalwart protector and advocate of the United States Constitutional Republic, Thomas Jefferson, in fact comes from much earlier unknown sources. Nevertheless, applies to the state in which our nation, specifically all catholics, find ourselves in today.
There is an assumption from this quote where the source of our rights are – it comes from God himself. This is quite clear when we read the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, the State does not grant us these rights, it comes from the Lord himself. Secondly, in order for us to maintain our rights, it will require constant diligence on our part to make sure these rights continue to be in place and to be honored. Otherwise, there will be consequences of servitude to a State that continues to increasingly whittle away at our personal liberties and rights.
Our Constitution follows very closely the precepts of Natural Law – a law written into our hearts by our Creator to enable us to know and abide by what is just and right and to charitably reach out to those in the fringes of our society: the unborn, the elderly, the mentally challenged and physically handicapped. We are first Catholic and secondly American citizens, and we need not chose between the two. We are proudly both!
It is sad to say that the State has not been following our Constitution for some time and today, in my opinion, only paying it lip service. Constitutional abuse has come from both political parties and from all branches of government. It has certainly come to light with the proposed HHS mandate.
What can we do? I think the first step is awareness. Do we know of what the Constitution actually says, and what exactly our rights and liberties are that are being trampled upon? It is not a difficult document to understand. If folks in 1770’s understood it, why can’t we?
One of the things I would like to do with this council this year, is to assist our members in being more educated about this valuable document. I am confident, that with this knowledge, the good men of this council will do the right thing for our church and for our country. It will not be easy, it will be fighting the goliath that is the State. But with
perserverance, sacrifice, and much prayer there is hope.
Viva Cristo Rey!
Sebastian Mauricio