Supreme Council information on Cor

Dear Brother Knights:

By now, I’m sure that you have heard of the new faith formation initiative for men from the Knights of Columbus under the title of “Cor”. I’d like to take this opportunity as the State Director of Evangelization and Faith Formation to address this new opportunity.

In June of 1900, a group of the faithful made their first pilgrimage to the grave of our founder, Blessed Michael McGivney. Among the pilgrims, was a longtime friend of Father McGivney, Father James O’Donnell, also the chaplain of Hendricken Council 36, in Waterbury. In his remarks, he reflected that “It was Father McGivney’s purpose in instituting the Knights of Columbus, to keep the young men of his parish within the household of the faith, to preserve them from the taint of infidelity…. It was his aim to surround his proteges with an atmosphere of religion and to bring them into even closer relationship to Mother Church.”

Every Catholic man needs an active, growing relationship with God. We need to continue our formation in the faith and to have a life rooted in prayer. Formation never ends. And through the new Cor initiative, our goal is to build a brotherhood with each other that strengthens and sharpens us as men. This is our mission of “Heart speaks to Heart.”

Cor is an additional time – separate from our council meetings – that is an opportunity to invest in that formation. With the permission of our pastors, it is held at least monthly, and open to all men of the parish, not just knights. It is not a “Faith In Action” program. It is also not meant to compete with other men’s ministries in the parish, and is 100% optional. There are three key elements to Cor: Prayer, Formation, and Fraternity. Through prayer, we strengthen our relationship with God as disciples of Jesus, and grow in our knowledge of Him. The aim of Catholic formation is to grow in faith and become like Christ, taking on his character and virtue, life of prayer, and his mission. And lastly, Cor brings men together as a band of brothers to strengthen and sharpen each other in friendship and fraternity.

We are in the process of adding information directly to the State Website. In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to visit www.kofc.org/cor, where you will find abundant information and resources to learn more about Cor and how to plan for possible implementation in your parish. In the coming weeks, we will also be setting up virtual informational sessions that will be an opportunity to hear a short presentation on Cor from the state team. Should you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Brothers, each of us are called by the virtue of our baptism to be missionary disciples. This is an opportunity to open wide the doors of our councils, and bring the message of the Gospel to the world. Cor will help us be more intentional about who we are as knights, and in doing so, we will make our spiritual works of mercy more meaningful. Together, we can change the church and eventually the world. I am humbled to serve in this position, and I look forward to working with you and seeing what we can accomplish together in this great jurisdiction.

God Bless you, and Vivat Jesus!
Fraternally,
Nathan