Knights of Columbus and the Year of Mercy

On April 10 of last year Pope Francis announced an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. After hearing that announcement, the first thing that ran though my head was “What does a Year of Mercy mean and what do we do as Knights of Columbus to participate in it.” After talking about it with other members of the Parish, I heard the best definition of Mercy. “Mercy is when Love meets Misery”.

How do the Knights implement Mercy? Thinking about this subject, a couple of thoughts came. This has been the role of Knights of Columbus since our creation by Father Michael McGivney. Their financial support for families who lost Father and husbands is a primary reason for the early Knights importance in society and growth.
Currently our Council participates with Habitat for Humanity, our Handyman ministry, our work with the Parish with food collection for the Food Pantry, collection of water for Flint, MI. These activities put us in unique position to help Love meet Misery. Give these as a start, how do we build on them.

One thing we have seen recently in our closer involvement with the Parish Needs Assessment ministry is that need (misery) isn’t something happening in other places, it’s happening locally. My eyes have been opened to the fact that we have opportunities for Mercy right here in Crown Point. Habitat, Food Pantries, and Handyman activities are things that we can continue to participate in and expand upon in the future.

Other opportunities in the future include our involvement with the KOCS Emergency Response Team. Short Term Response activities include going into a disaster area in Indiana and dealing with immediate issues. This includes shelter, water, protection against new damage by covering and boarding up buildings. Long term response acts to repair and restore homes so that families can get back to normal. These teams are the combined efforts of the Indiana State Knights, Indiana Emergency Management Agencies and Catholic Services.

By combining our efforts with our parishes’ Mercy efforts, we as Knights can and do play an important role in ensuring that Love meets Misery and results in Mercy.