Supreme Knight urges action in a 'moment of promise and hope’

Pointing to signs of Catholic renewal in the U.S., Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said the Church is in “a moment of promise and hope” — one he urged the Knights of Columbus to meet by encouraging more men to join.

In a Nov. 1 column, Kelly cited Pope Leo XIV’s September visit to France as an example of that renewal, noting that roughly 800,000 people attended the Pope’s Mass in Paris and pointing to the more than 13,000 adults baptized in France at Easter.

“This outpouring of faith led many people to wonder: What’s going on? What has changed in this famously secular country?” Kelly wrote.

Kelly quoted a French convert who described the Church in France as moving from “a Christianity that was once inherited to a Christianity that is chosen.”

“Think about that — transitioning from an inherited faith to a chosen faith,” Kelly wrote. “It’s not only happening in France. It’s also happening in the United States, Canada and many other countries the Knights of Columbus calls home.”

Kelly noted a similar shift within the Knights, particularly among young men, who are choosing to join, and highlighted that the order welcomed more than 105,000 new members last year, the most in more than a century. Kelly challenged the Knights to respond to the renewal he sees in both the Church and the order.

“We have a responsibility to meet this moment. Now is not the time to be complacent or to rest on our laurels,” he wrote. “Now is not the time for business as usual. Our duty is to do all we can to inspire more men to join the Knights — and to help them put their faith into action for the sake of their families and the Church. The Church needs our very best — just as it did in generations past.”

Kelly also pointed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a fellow Knight, whose September beatification he attended and described as “deeply moving.” Kelly recalled Sheen’s message during the Knights’ 1970 Supreme Convention in Houston.

“Sheen challenged the Knights to read the “signs of the times” and respond to the social upheaval of the day,” Kelly wrote. “He urged us to embrace a “theology of the laity” grounded in Christ-centered action. We have carried that mission forward for more than half a century — defending human life, caring for those in need, and bearing witness to the Gospel in our communities.” 

Kelly traced that same mission to the order’s founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, who urged Catholic men to strengthen their faith and protect their families. Kelly closed the column by asking for the intercession of McGivney and Blessed Fulton Sheen.