Worthy Brothers,

First, let me thank you for the trust and confidence you have placed in me to serve as your Grand Knight. It is a true honor and a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our immediate Past Grand Knight, Bryan McKrell, for his leadership and service during the past year. I hope to live up to his example, as he has set the bar high.

As I prepared to write my first message of the new Columbian Year, I came upon the following quote from our Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson: “Whether at home or abroad, charity is our Order’s first principle and the basis for all we do as brother Knights. It is the tangible way that we live out that spirit of fraternity and ‘missionary discipleship’ to which Pope Francis has called us.”

We speak a lot about charity, but sometimes I think we forget that this word has many different meanings. One aspect of charity is the giving of money to charitable causes, which is something our council does quite well. Each year, our fundraising efforts enable us to donate thousands of dollars to scholarships for Cristo Rey High School students, our seminarians, the Sacramento Life Center, Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home, Get on the Bus, and many others. I am exceptionally proud of all that we do to assist these worthy charities. At the same time, I believe we can do even more than we are now.

Which brings me to another definition of charity: the giving of our time and our talents. In other words, simple acts that provide help to our parishes, our community, or even our fellow Brothers in need. For example, you may have seen news reports this week indicating that the homeless population in Sacramento has risen by more than 30 percent. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get a group of Knights together to serve meals at Loaves and Fishes once a month? Opportunities like this are all around us: the elderly Brother who needs help taking care of his yard, the parish school that needs painting, or (God forbid) our neighbors who are suffering after a natural disaster.

A perfect opportunity for us to be of service to one of our parishes is coming up on Sunday, August 20: the St. Mary’s Festival Zippy Bun Booth. We are in need of both a chair and Brothers to work in two-hour shifts that day. Please let me know how you can be of service. In addition, I am exploring how we can be of help to the Middle Eastern Food Festival at St. George Parish, which is being resurrected in September after 20-plus years.

All of these examples I mentioned are opportunities for us not only to fulfill our mission of charity but also to recruit additional members to our order. Imagine the impact on prospective Knights when they see us out in the community performing acts of charity while wearing our Knights of Columbus shirts. They’ll surely want to be a part of our council!

My Brothers, God has given us so many gifts. This year, let us make it our council’s goal to renew our commitment to charitable service by sharing these gifts with those in need.

Thank You,
Adam Struck
Grand Knight, Council 953