copied from Knight Line, June 14, 2001, Vol 18, No 8 published by Knights of Columbus Supreme council
Writing in the April 27 edition of The Observer, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., Bishop Thomas G. Doran says membership in the Knights of Columbus is the best way for a Catholic man to grow in the faith, protect his family, and help the Church and society.
Bishop Doran, a Fourth Degree Knight and member of Bishop Peter J. Muldoon Council 470, used his weekly column in The Observer to highlight some of the Order's accomplishments both internationally and in Illinois. He also said he heartily recommends membership to all eligible Catholic men.
Touting the great good the Knights does, he said, is not entirely original or necessary. "I'm not praising the Knights because they need a plug. ... I'm praising the Knights because they are an organization that Catholic men and families need like they have never needed such an organization before,"
Sometimes, Bishop Doran wrote, we can't accomplish alone what God has called us to do. "That's why we need the Church. And that's why we, as faithful members of the Church, need the Knights of Columbus."
Knights who are active at the parish level, Bishop Doran said, are helping Catholic families develop "as healthy, whole, spiritually and physically nurturing 'domestic churches.' Membership in the Knights, he says, can "bring out the best in all of us, young and old alike."
Bishop Doran concluded his column with his own recruitment pitch: "If you're a man and you're not a member, consider joining - for your sake, for your family's sake and for all our sakes as Church."
Reacting to Bishop Doran's column, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said such unsolicited testimonies from Church leaders are always welcome. "Our bishops and priests are among some of the best recruiters we have," Anderson said. "I know Bishop Doran's appeal will help the Knights in Illinois and thus the Order as a whole grow stronger."