This Week on Knight Life

This week on Knight Life…. the Silver Rose comes to Iowa as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day. We we hear from a number of extraordinary Iowa Knights as they share their experience of the Knight Life.

Hello, I’m Mike Gaspers back with you for a half hour of information, inspiration and invitation around the activities of this band of brothers the Iowa Knights of Columbus.

This is Knight Life…our Mission is Be Men of Courage and to do everything with LOVE for our fellow man, woman, child and unborn child.

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Overview of the Podcast – Silver Rose

We begin with Pope John Paul II’s prayer for life from Evangelium Vitae which is part of the act of consecration contained in the Silver Rose prayer program as led by Fr Dan Greving.

The Guadalupan Silver Rose has reached Iowa. This Knights of Columbus tradition was begun in 1960 when groups of Columbian Squires in Mexico, Canada and the United States decided to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe by carrying a rose across North America from Canada to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2001 Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, at the 119th Supreme Council Meeting in Toronto, addressed the effort in culture of life terms, referring to the Our Lady of Guadalupe – One Life, One Rose Program. He urged that it be expanded to every North American jurisdiction.

In recent years the program has expanded from three to six silver roses traveling the western, central, and eastern corridors of North America, with Knights of Columbus from Canada to Mexico carrying the roses from destination to destination, and finally to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Mexico.

Every stop along the route of the Silver Rose Pilgrimage is an occasion for prayer and spiritual renewal centered on the rosary with scripture readings, a litany and act of consecration.

I had the privilege to participate at Immaculate Conception parish in Sioux City this past week end and am grateful Fr Armand Bertrand involved the entire congregation in the act of consecration to the cause of life.

Afterwards I met Phil Morrow in the parking lot of the Sergeant Bluff Fareway to transfer the Silver Rose and continue its journey to Monterrey by way of Onawa.

I followed up with him after the prayer service on how it had gone for them.

 

Last November we heard from our Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on the need for Knights to refocus our activities on Building up the Domestic Church – the spirituality and health of catholic families. This Silver Rose program is one way we can touch one life at a time and in doing so build up a culture of life in our own families.

Many thanks go out to Phil Morrow, Marty Pasker and other Knights who spend the effort to bring these opportunities to their parishes. I’m sure Fr Mark Stoll will be attuned to watch for the next opportunity of the Silver Rose or other spiritually enriching programs offered by the Knights.

This is Mike Gaspers for the Knight Life. We have been following the running the Silver Rose as it moves down the western side of Iowa passing through Sioux City and Onawa on its way to Council Bluffs. I encourage you to learn more about the Silver Rose program and its call to consecration for the cause for life by visiting www.kofc.org and searching on Silver Rose. You can also listen again to this week’s interview and others previously aired as easy to play podcasts at http://iowaknightlife.org/. You can share the podcast link on Facebook or email it to your friends. All of you can be inspired by the story of Iowa Knights as you listen online.

This week we continue hearing from Knights who are asked to answer “why are you a Knight” by Orland Gil. Our first interview is from the Grand Knight of Atlantic – Phil Hascall.

Phil’s connection to the corporal works of mercy seems most appropriate in this year of Mercy and so very much fits the Knights.

Orlando turns next to a brother Jesus Toquinto Councils 14131 at St Mary’s in Davenport.

It sounds like this council is really building up the domestic church while strengthening their parish. I love that Jesus saw something in the Knights that he wanted to be part of and took the initiative to ask. That doesn’t always happen.

An Iowa Knight who has been featured in the Columbian Magazine our Knights of Columbus monthly publication is Pablo Martinez. Pablo was recognized last year as one of the order’s top recruiters. Orlando talks with Pablo about his life in the Knights.

I think Orlando does a nice job to help Pablo convey his ideas on the importance of family, the Knights and his project to help children effected by cancer.

This is Mike Gaspers and you are listening to the Knight Life show where each week we strive to tell the story of the Iowa Knights from an insider’s point of view. This week we’ve shared a program strengthening our commitment to the cause of life as well as hearing from not so ordinary Knights on the impact membership has in their lives.

Steve Hesprich offers us a Knights to Christ reflection on the true nature of patriotism going into the upcoming 4th of July weekend.

Self-evident truths it seems to me are rarely recognized as such; so often there are conflicting truths or none at all as we pick our own truth.

As Knights and faithful citizens, let us strive to keep before us that we are one nation under God and in His light truth will be revealed – not created, not chosen – but revealed.

We are story people. We want to share our story; we want to hear your story; your story as told by yourself. To find out more on the Iowa Knights visit our website www.iowakofc.org. You can follow Iowa Knights of Columbus on Facebook or on Twitter @IAKnights for the latest news and updates. Consider posting a comment about your experience with the Knights of Columbus.

I’m Mike Gaspers, thank you for listening. Feeling inspired? Then act courageously and with love to put your faith into action by word and by deeds starting in your own family.

Interested in this Band of Brothers? Contact a Knight or your parish priest and we will bring you into this fraternity of Catholic men.

Knight Life is a production of the Iowa Knights of Columbus.