The Morris family was recognized Oct. 27 at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church after being named the Knights of Columbus’ Family of the Month. From left: Deacon Romeo Ganibe, Kacie Morris, Vivienne Morris, Finn Morris, John Morris, Father Anthony Rapozo, Deacon Mike Browning and Patrick Guzman. (Courtesy photo)
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
A family at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani is getting worldwide recognition by the Knights of Columbus.
The Morris family — Kacie, John and children Finn and Vivienne — was selected as the Knights of Columbus’ Family of the Month for September. The honor recognizes one inspiring family within the worldwide Knights of Columbus organization.
The Morrises arrived in Hawaii in 2022, amid their conversion to the Catholic Church. It was a journey that took a turning point during the pandemic when Kacie Morris was thinking about getting her children baptized.
“In the (nondenominational) church we were attending, baptism was something you did when you were older, but I never felt completely comfortable with this because I really felt like the Bible was saying that you needed to be baptized to be saved. But who was I to interpret the Bible?” said Morris.
Unsettled by this, she felt that their salvation was hanging heavy on her heart. So, she decided to take a deep dive into learning about different Protestant denominations in the hopes of finding the “correct” answer.
This led Morris to the work of Father Mike Schmitz, a popular speaker, author and podcaster; he spoke about the Eucharist like she had never heard before.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew with certainty at that moment that the Eucharist was the body and blood of Jesus, but I still didn’t want to become Catholic. I was looking for a way around it,” she said.
Her spiritual journey took a turn she did not expect. Six months later, she was finally convinced by the Catholic Church.
“But my husband still didn’t know I felt this way,” she said. “We started talking about it and at first, he was adamantly opposed. So, I made him a deal. If he could find just one thing that the Catholics were wrong about and the Protestants were right about, we wouldn’t join the Catholic Church.”
A few months went by, and right before heading to Hawaii they decided to start going to Mass as a family. They received the sacraments of initiation on Easter weekend in 2023. It was a decision that not only impacted their family, but the relationships around them.
“It’s sometimes difficult seeing the disappointment on our friends’ and family’s faces when we tell them we are Catholic. There’s still a lot of anti-Catholic sentiment among some of our Protestant brothers and sisters,” she said.
Within her family, however, they have only gotten closer. Morris said her children enjoy family rosary nights, family activities at church and their dinners with Father Anthony Rapozo, pastor of St. John Apostle and Evangelist, where they can ask him questions about theology.
“In the Protestant church, kids always went in one direction and parents in the other. The kids enjoyed themselves, but it didn’t stress the family component of faith,” said Morris.
Both children are involved in several ministries including the choir, as altar servers and lectors, and more.
Her husband has also found his place within the Knights of Columbus.
“Being a part of the Knights of Columbus seemed like a natural fit in helping him to keep his time and mind focused on godly work and godly things,” Morris said.
According to Patrick Guzman, grand knight in the Knights of Columbus’ Hawaii State Council, “The Morrises are new Catholic converts but are a constant show of inspirational enthusiasm for the faith through selfless service for our church.”
The Morrises’ devotion led the Hawaii State Council to nominate them for the Knights of Columbus’ international Family of the Month honor.
“I received a wonderful surprise email from Knights of Columbus Fraternal Operations that our Parish Council 14663’s Family of the Month submission for September 2024 won at the supreme level. We won over 16,000 other councils, national and international,” Guzman said.
“We were quite humbled and surprised when we heard about the award. We didn’t even know it existed,” said Morris. “To think that people around us were noticing our family and thought positively about us was quite an honor.”
The recognition puts the Morrises into the running for Family of the Year, which is selected by the Knights of Columbus’ supreme council. The winning family will be flown to Washington, D.C., for the annual supreme convention next year.
