While service is not one of the four listed principles of the Knights of Columbus, it certainly is at the foundation of what we strive toward. Service is an integral part of who the Knights of Columbus are because, rooted in the Catholic tradition, the Knights strive to be “Men for Others.” It is about leaving our “comfort zone” and relying upon our faith and each other, to help us serve the local and global communities of which we are a part. Whether it is going on a Diaper Drive in conjunction with Right to Life for Hurricane Katrina relief, painting the rooms of a newly bought halfway house for the developmentally disabled members of the Kennedy Institute, ushering at a campus-wide Mass, or holding a 24 hour Adoration, the Knights seek to nourish a culture of selflessness through action.
Charles P Costello, S.J., a Jesuit priest, once said, “The thirst for the ‘more’, or the MAGIS, refers not only to academics, but also to action.” In the world of academia, sometimes we can concentrate too much on classroom learning; but education does not stop outside of the Front Gates. As much as we give of ourselves to others, we also face new challenges and discover that there is more to know than can be read in a textbook. Being Knights, we realize that we can make a difference by devoting our attention to how best we can serve those in need.
It’s not too often that you feel like you accomplished something great. However, after having been a part of various Knight’s service projects, there is a certain satisfaction I can take out of seeing the slightest change. To know that you, together with fellow Knights, brought about something that was not there before, be it collecting over 20,000 diapers for disaster relief or brining a smile to someone’s face, can truly be inspiring. There is no doubting the bond that is formed on our service projects; we become brothers facing daunting and seemingly impossible tasks, yet we successfully complete them and the results tend to be surprisingly beyond our own expectations. Christ works in so many ways and it is fascinating to see how we are instruments through which change can occur for the better.
As Saint Ignatius would close his letters to fellow Jesuits, he would always leave them with this challenging, yet inspiring message, “Go, and set the world on fire.” While serving others may seem like an endless challenge, we are each given unique abilities that can collectively create a positive impact. We have and will continue to test our own limits and, in the process, discover some things about ourselves that we never knew existed.
Joe Brennan is a double major in Mathematics and Theology and will graduate this spring 2007. He is a Mass Coordinator for the 8 o’clock student Mass and, in his free time, actively involves himself in H.O.P.E., GU Jazz Band, and GU Pep Band.