‘Fraternity Gives Flesh to the Mission’

July 7, 2026

Living the principle of fraternity is key to drawing men to the Knights’ mission of service

By Bishop James Ruggieri

July 7, 2026

College Knights gather at the conclusion of the 60th annual Knights of Columbus College Councils Conference in New Haven, Conn. — Participants gather at the conclusion of the 60th College Councils Conference in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Photo by Paul Haring)

Editor’s note: The following text has been abridged from Bishop James Ruggieri’s address to the 130th Maine State Council Convention on April 25. As July 1 marked the beginning of a new fraternal year, it is published here with permission.

The Knights of Columbus are known for four great principles: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. Each is important. Each is noble. Each has shaped the identity of this Order from its beginning. I would like to reflect in a particular way on fraternity.

Fraternity is not merely a pleasant addition to the work of the Knights. It is not simply social time after a meeting. It is not only friendship — though friendship is certainly part of it. Fraternity is a deeply Christian reality. It is a bond of brotherhood rooted in Christ. It is the conviction that we do not walk alone, that we do not serve alone, that we do not carry our burdens alone, and that we do not grow in holiness alone.

I believe fraternity is essential not only for the life of the Knights, but also for evangelization, for the renewal of our parishes, and for inviting new men — especially younger men — to share in this noble mission.

On the night before he died, Jesus prayed for his disciples. The Gospel of John, Chapter 17 contains what is often called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. Jesus is preparing to go to the Cross. He knows what is before him. And yet he prays not only for himself, but for his disciples and for all who will come to believe through them.

He prays, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are” (Jn 17:11). Later, he prays even more explicitly: “so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you ….” Then he adds something very important: “that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:21).

Jesus connects the unity of his disciples with the credibility of the Gospel. The world will come to believe not only through what his disciples preach, but also through how they live together. Their communion, their unity, their mutual love, their fraternity, will become a sign. It will become a witness. It will become a form of evangelization.

A BROTHERHOOD OF FAITH

Sometimes, when we think of evangelization, we first think of programs, initiatives, events or strategies. Those things can be good. But before any program bears fruit, there must be a credible witness. There must be a way of life that makes the Gospel visible.

The early Church understood this. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that the first Christians “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). They shared their goods. They cared for one another. They lived with a remarkable sense of communion. And their life together attracted others.

Bishop James T. Ruggieri delivers the homily during Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine. — Bishop James T. Ruggieri delivers the homily during Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine, during the 130th Maine State Convention in April. (Photo by Dan LaLonde)

The early Christian community was not perfect. No community is. But there was something visible in the way they lived. People could see that something new had happened among them. They could see that faith in Jesus Christ had created a new kind of brotherhood, a new kind of family, a new way of belonging.

That is fraternity. And that is evangelizing.

This is also very close to the heart of Blessed Michael McGivney. Father McGivney was not thinking in abstract terms when he founded the Knights of Columbus. He was a parish priest. He knew the real struggles of his people. He knew the pressures faced by Catholic men, many of them immigrants, many of them poor, many of them trying to provide for their families in a culture that did not always welcome them.

If a Catholic man died, his wife and children should not be abandoned. His brother Knights should stand with them. They should provide support. They should offer security. They should embody the love of Christ in concrete ways.

But Father McGivney was doing more than creating practical mutual support for Catholic families. He was also forming Catholic men in a brotherhood of faith, responsibility and charity. He was creating a structure in which men could strengthen one another in faith, encourage one another in responsibility, and support one another in the vocation to be husbands, fathers, parishioners, citizens and disciples.

A SEARCH FOR MISSION

We live in a time when many people are isolated. Many men are isolated. Many young men are searching for identity, purpose, belonging and a mission worthy of their lives. They may not always describe it in those words, but the hunger is there.

A young man is not usually drawn first by a committee structure. He is not usually drawn first by an agenda or a meeting schedule. He is drawn by men who know one another, respect one another, pray together, serve together and clearly enjoy being together. He is drawn by a brotherhood that is alive.

Leadership needs new generations. Councils need men who will carry the mission forward. But the deeper question is not simply, “How do we get more men to join?” The deeper question is, “What kind of brotherhood are we inviting them into?”

If a young man comes to a council, what will he find? Will he find men who are joyful? Will he find men who know why they are there? Will he find prayer? Will he find service? Will he find a place where his faith can grow? Will he find older men willing to mentor him, not criticize him? Will he find patience? Will he find encouragement? Will he find a mission?

Fraternity forms men. It helps them become better husbands, better fathers, better priests, better parishioners, better citizens, better disciples. None of us becomes holy in isolation. We become who we are called to be through grace, through prayer, through the sacraments, and also through relationships that call forth the best in us.

A brother can encourage us when we are tired. A brother can correct us when we are drifting. A brother can stand beside us when we are grieving. A brother can remind us who we are when we have forgotten. A brother can help us carry responsibilities that would be too heavy alone.

That is what the Knights are meant to be.

The fraternity of the Knights should never turn inward on itself. It should always radiate outward. It should bless wives, children, widows, parishes, priests, the poor, the vulnerable, the elderly, the unborn, the immigrant, the lonely, and those who are struggling.

True fraternity does not become a closed circle. It becomes a source of charity.

The need that Father McGivney saw has not disappeared. Families still need support. Widows still need accompaniment. Parishes still need strong men of faith. Priests still need collaborators. Young men still need mentors. Communities still need charity. The Church still needs witnesses. And the world still needs to see disciples who are one, so that the world may believe.

That is the word of Jesus: “That they may all be one … that the world may believe.”

*****

BISHOP JAMES RUGGIERI was ordained and installed as the 13th bishop of Portland, Maine, in May 2024. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, he has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1994.