On the occasion of the annual Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, held in Texas in August 2013, in the Year of Faith, on the theme: “Be Protectors of God’s Gifts”, the Holy See sent a Message. On behalf of the Holy Father, the Secretary of State, H. E. Card. Tarcisio Bertone, expressed esteem for the «ideals of faith and brotherhood embodied in the Order», which founded in the Nineteenth century and, today, has nearly two million members.

 

Recalling that the theme of the meeting is taken from the Homily pronounced by Pope Francis during the Eucharistic celebration that inaugurated his papal ministry, on the feast of St. Joseph, in this Message reference is made to Jesus’ foster father and the «protector of the Holy Family» and a «a model of the manly virtues of quiet strength, integrity and fidelity» that the Knights of Columbus seek to «preserve, cultivate and pass on to new generations».

 

The Pope—the message reads—is «conscious of the specific responsibility which the lay faithful have for the Church’s mission» and among other things «invites each Knight, and every Council, to bear witness to the authentic nature of marriage and the family, the sanctity and inviolable dignity of human life, and the beauty and truth of human sexuality». In a time of rapid social and cultural change, «the protection of God’s gifts cannot fail to include the affirmation and defense of the great patrimony of moral truths taught by the Gospel and confirmed by right reason, which serve as the bedrock of a just and well-ordered society».