Lito Alvarez has held leadership roles in the Knights of Columbus for many years and will now serve as state deputy. (Courtesy Robert Camilleri)
By Robert Camilleri
Special to the Herald
On May 3, delegates to the 46th annual Knights of Columbus Hawaii State Council Convention held at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani elected state secretary Angelito “Lito” Alvarez to serve as state deputy.
Beginning July 1, Alvarez will be the chief executive officer and highest-ranking member of the Knights of Columbus in Hawaii.
He is a member of St. Jude Council 12733 in Kapolei where his roles have included grand knight, trustee and program director. He is also a member of the fourth (patriotic) degree in Our Lady of Guadalupe Assembly 3844 where he serves as faithful navigator or presiding officer.
Before moving to Hawaii, Alvarez served as an award-winning grand knight for Msgr. Thomas P. Healy Council 6979 in San Marcos, California, and as district deputy of districts 130 and 133 in the San Diego area. He also served as faithful navigator of the fourth (patriotic) degree Fr. Peyri Assembly 74 in Vista, California.
In Hawaii, Alvarez has served as district master of the district of Hawaii fourth (patriotic) degree while continuing as an honor guard and member of the color corps for church liturgies and civic and patriotic events.
Among the many awards Alvarez has received are grand knight of the year, district deputy of the year and the highly coveted star council and star district awards.
Alvarez and his wife Amy are devoted and active parishioners at St. Jude Church in Kapolei, where he is an OCIA volunteer teacher and a mentor to a catechist.
In a recent interview, Alvarez discussed his vision and mission for the Hawaii Knights of Columbus and his perspective concerning a variety of issues facing the Knights and their families. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Robert Camilleri: What are your priorities for the Knights of Columbus in Hawaii?
Lito Alvarez: My goal is to emphasize our root core of being catholic (universal) and Catholic (religious). We need to hold our values to be “practical” Catholics to set our standards so that we can live the pillars of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. … I want to make sure the Knights are viewed as a family organization — that our works, prayers, our lives include our families. We need to emphasize the sacrament of marriage so that we have balance in our lives for both the Knights’ works and our family priorities.
RC: How will the Knights continue to help with the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires?
LA: As the wildfires were two years ago, we will never forget. I have a disaster preparedness chairman who is developing emergency response plans for the state and how we can provide for victims of disasters. However, after touring Maui and Sacred Hearts School, I (also) want to continue supporting the school to help make sure we stand with Catholic education. I think the best way we can help Maui at this point is to make sure we, the Knights of Columbus, have a well-prepared business and response plan on how to help future natural disasters.
RC: How can the Knights continue to help their priests and parish communities?
LA: One of my positions in the Knights of Columbus was a third-degree conferring officer, who exemplified the lesson of taking care of our priests. It is fundamental that our grand knights develop a relationship with their pastors and understand how we, through our programs of faith and action, can support the pastoral council and his vision. Our prayer services such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus icon with adoration, are offered to the entire parish and we Knights should execute this with other ministries in our parish — let’s not work alone. There should be no competition, we are one.
RC: How will the Knights of Columbus in Hawaii continue to exemplify their four core principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism?
LA: We will continue to stress these pillars by our Faith in Action programs under faith, family, life and community. Over the convention weekend, we raised more than $6,000 for the Knights’ ASAP (Aid and Support After Pregnancy) program. What we do together is always stronger than what we do alone — we must continue to work as one. I believe the fraternity part starts with the golden rule — treat others the way we want to be treated — and continues by giving your brothers preference of your support. As a fraternal organization, we must be inclusive rather than exclusive. Patriotism is love of country — I will entrust the district master to execute our programs of patriotism.
RC: What are the Knights doing to support the canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton?
LA: As we kick off the new Columbian year, there will be two approaches to how we can support the canonization efforts. My first approach would be to appoint the program director and faith director to work together to understand how this effort is being executed and what assistance we can offer. My second approach would be to ask the district master to communicate this to assemblies and investigate how this might be a patriotic program the patriotic order can get behind.
RC: Please tell us about the Ladies Auxiliary and their role in the Knights of Columbus.
LA: My wife, Amy, is excited to journey with me and she’s my biggest cheerleader. Ultimately, the Ladies Auxiliary will play a supportive role to help us get families engaged in our programs, and build the Catholic community by sharing their talents and time with each other.
