By Andre Escaleira Jr.
Denver Catholic / OSV News
DENVER — In a moving display of the Catholic Church’s unity, thousands of Knights of Columbus from around the world gathered in Denver for their 144th Supreme Convention Aug. 4-6.
With some members and their families traveling from the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain, the convention sought to focus on Pope Leo XIV’s unifying episcopal motto: “In the One, we are one.”
Coming together in the order’s principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, the gathering represented the Knights’ commitment to spreading the Gospel and building up Christ’s Church, even to the ends of the earth.
The convention opened Aug. 4 with a special Mass celebrated by Denver Archbishop James R. Golka, along with dozens of bishops and hundreds of priests concelebrating and deacons assisting.
For the archbishop, the liturgy was personal: He is a fourth-degree Knight; his six brothers are Knights; and his late father, Robert, was a Knight, too. In fact, in 2021, the year Archbishop Golka was named bishop of Colorado Springs, his family was named Family of the Year by the Knights of Columbus Nebraska State Council.
Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, the papal nuncio to the United States, opened an afternoon session with a reflection on the Knights of Columbus’ mission in this apostolic age.
He also introduced a special video message from Pope Leo, who urged the Knights to be living witnesses of unity and charity in a world often marked by division. Reflecting on the convention theme, he said Christian unity must be actively nurtured through humble dialogue and bridge-building in families, parishes and communities.
Pope Leo also praised the order’s longstanding charitable work, highlighting its support for unborn children, expectant mothers, persecuted Christians, trafficking victims and others in need. The pope thanked the Knights for their service and imparted his apostolic blessing to members and their families.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus then took to the dais to deliver his annual report, a comprehensive summary of the worldwide activity of the Knights of Columbus over the past year.
More than 48 million hours of volunteer service have been logged and more than $200 million given to charity worldwide, a record for the organization. That charity was made possible, in part, due to a near record-high number of new Knights, with 105,000 men being welcomed into the order worldwide — many of them men under 35.
The number of new Knights, Kelly said, is rivaled only by the post-World War II boom of new membership.
“Just as Christ came to serve, we devote our lives to serving others, especially the vulnerable,” he said. “All of our charity reflects the love of God. It’s a charity that evangelizes.”
Emphasizing that God already has a plan for the Knights of Columbus, for individuals, families and marriages, Archbishop Golka exhorted those gathered to become experts in listening to God.
“My brothers and sisters, whenever I look at Jesus to find out his plan, he is never anxious. He is never afraid. He’s excited to show us who he is,” the archbishop said. “So let us open our ears and our hearts and our eyes so we can know better his plan for you, for our life, for the Knights of Columbus, for the entire world, so that God can get his world back through our humble service.”