Spreading the Word About Cor
- Wed, Nov 20, 2024 6:22 AM
Spreading the Word About Cor
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly updates U.S. bishops on the Cor initiative and asks for their support
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly addressed the annual plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore Nov. 13, offering the Order’s assistance in the bishops’ evangelization efforts and asking for their support of the Cor initiative.
Amid the “modern crisis of isolation that comes from ruptured relationships,” Supreme Knight Kelly said, “Catholics need places to grow in friendship with God and one another — places where they can commit together to answer our Lord’s call to evangelize. This is the insight that led us to create the Cor initiative.”
The Knights of Columbus launched Cor in 2023, first as a pilot program in 16 jurisdictions and later that year across the Order. Cor groups have now formed in more than 3,000 parishes to provide men — including men who are not Knights — with opportunities for prayer, faith formation and fraternity.
“Men of all ages are hungry for spiritual community. And we know many priests want to set up small groups to meet that need, but they can’t quite do it on their own. Cor is the solution,” the supreme knight told the bishops. “It enables priests to draw on the structure and resources of the Knights of Columbus, getting small groups off the ground quickly, and — importantly — sustaining them over time.”
The supreme knight asked the bishops for their help spreading the word about Cor in the dioceses and among their priests, and promised that the Knights will continue to carry out Blessed Michael McGivney’s mission in support of the Church and the family.
He concluded, “To all of you, our bishops, we thank you for your support and recommit ourselves to standing in steadfast solidarity with you. And as always, we pray for you, just as we count on your prayers for us.”
USCCB president Archbishop Timothy Broglio thanked the supreme knight for his remarks, adding that Cor “certainly falls very well in this time of New Evangelization and in this time of synodality.”
In his presidential address to the plenary assembly the previous day, Archbishop Brolio also commended the Knights of Columbus for its humanitarian work in Ukraine. The archbishop, who leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, visited the war-torn country in December 2022.
“With my own eyes I saw what the Knights of Columbus were doing on the ground in Ukraine,” Archbishop Broglio said, adding, “What was born of concrete needs for widows in the 19th century still serves today for formation, charitable action, and authentic patriotism.”
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CECILIA HADLEY is editorial director of the Knights of Columbus communications department.