Reclaiming the World for Christ

September 18, 2026

Knights of Columbus faith formation leaders are encouraged to undertake a spiritual battle for souls by promoting the reach of Cor

By Columbia staff

September 18, 2026

Faith formation leaders after Mass at St. Joseph Church in New Haven, Conn. — Center aisle, from left: Father Kevin Lorsung, assistant state chaplain of North Dakota; Father Jamin David, Louisiana state chaplain; and Father Charles Huck, faithful friar of Bishop Kenneth Povish Assembly 3561 in Detroit Lakes, Minn., join faith formation leaders after Mass at St. Joseph Church in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 12. (Photo by Paul Haring)

More than 160 Knights of Columbus faith formation leaders and McGivney Fellows from around the world gathered in New Haven, Connecticut, Sept. 10-13 for a weekend of collaboration, training and strategic planning focused on Christ-centered leadership.

Evangelization and Faith Formation (EFF) state directors are appointed by state deputies to implement, advance and integrate Cor and other EFF initiatives into state council initiatives and strategic planning.

Kicking off the leadership training on Sept. 10, Robert Nayden, vice president of evangelization and faith formation, reminded the faith leaders of their role in supporting the saving mission of the Church.

“Why are we here? Why are we Knights?” he asked. “Ultimately, it’s to bring men to Christ and to bring Christ to men.”

Delivering a welcome address on Sept. 10, Supreme Secretary John Marrella outlined the course of salvation history, urging faith formation leaders to reclaim the world for Christ by undertaking a battle for souls.

“Our challenge is to show that underneath the events of history is a story written by God and guided by divine providence,” Marrella said. “It’s not just any story, it’s the most exciting story you can imagine.”

Supreme Secretary John Marrella delivers a welcome address to a gathering of faith formation leaders and McGivney Fellows at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 10. (Photo by Paul Haring)

Cor, he explained, is one of the most effective ways for men to take up this challenge. An Orderwide initiative whose name is Latin for “heart,” Cor offers a flexible framework of prayer, formation and fraternity that helps men grow in faith through Christ-centered brotherhood. Rooted in Blessed Michael McGivney’s pastoral heart, Cor is open to all men and seeks to strengthen their relationship with Christ.

“If our men don’t understand that the story of salvation is a battle, a fight, a contest of life and death, then the Gospels are reduced to sentimentality,” Marrella said. “God wants his world back. … He’s entered history for this purpose, and he’s gathering his army. Once our men get that, they have the interpretive key for understanding all of salvation history, and even more important, a way to understand their own life story and their own role in salvation history.”

Quoting St. Paul, Marrella encouraged the leaders to become “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor 5:20) by forming their lives around prayer, sacrifice and the Eucharist.

“As Catholics and as Knights, we have an opportunity — and more than an opportunity, an obligation and a privilege — to engage in the spiritual battle by joining the true king,” Marrella said. “But as our Lord taught, and as the apostles illustrated by their lives, even a small number of motivated men can change the world by the choices that they make.”

Throughout the training event, faith formation leaders prayed together and attended Mass each day, including a memorial Mass at St. Mary’s Church on Sept. 11 to pray for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In his homily, Father Michael Dolan, pastor of Blessed Michael McGivney Parish in New Haven, said it is important to view the tragic events of 25 years ago through the eyes of faith.

“Our bond with those who perished is strengthened through the communion of the saints,” Father Dolan said. “Our presence at this holy sacrifice, where heaven touches earth … gives us the consolation we desire.”

Knights of Columbus faith formation leaders attend a training session at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 11. (Photo by Paul Haring)

This year, the leadership training event also included more than 40 McGivney Fellows, who are part of a selective leadership formation experience named in honor of Father McGivney. The two-year program, which graduated its first cohort in May, is designed for faithful, engaged Knights of Columbus who demonstrate spiritual depth and leadership potential.

Similar to Cor, the McGivney Fellowship is developed around the constitutive elements of prayer, formation and fraternity, inviting men to grow in virtue-based leadership. Throughout the weekend, the new cohort of McGivney Fellows had the opportunity to meet EFF leaders and join them for social gatherings, presentations and prayer, while also meeting among themselves for specialized training sessions and small-group discussions.

“The first habit of every Christian man has to be the habit of prayer,” said Joseph McInerney, vice president of leadership and ethics training. “And so that’s the foundation of our relationship with Christ. … In order for us to be the leaders that people will entrust themselves to, we have to be well formed. We have to be virtuous. We have to be men of excellent moral character.”

Like Cor, the McGivney Fellowship program provides men with an opportunity to develop authentic and life-giving friendships, explained McInerney.

“The reality is that we have a foundation for those relationships because of our common bonds as brother Knights, our common experiences, our common values, our common leadership challenges,” he said.

Continuing this same theme the next day, Mike Phelan, director of fraternal leadership development, spoke on the importance of friendships of virtue, which he described as the highest form of friendship.

Knights of Columbus leaders play cornhole during a barbecue outside St. Joseph Church in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 12. The fraternal event was part of the training focused on Christ-centered leadership. (Photo by Paul Haring)

“The difference with a Christ-centered, virtuous friendship is that you have power,” Phelan explained. “You’re baptized. … The Holy Spirit is operative in that friendship.”

Phelan continued by noting that about 15% of men report having no close friends.

“This is the sign of something sick in the culture, and it’s an emergency call for a response from the Church,” Phelan said. “Sometimes men who live a lonely life will say, ‘I’m a lone wolf,’ but what he is is a lone sheep. There’s no lone wolf. A lone sheep is Jesus’ hope, and so Jesus will come after that lone sheep. But that lonely sheep has no power.”

Phelan said the power of friendship can change the world, and it all starts with small, strong groups of men, such as Cor.

“Our magnanimous and humble Order began that way,” Phelan concluded. “Together, you can become leaders … willing to share the good news of Jesus Christ and take back the territory of faith and fraternity that men desperately need. Pray for openness to that friendship and that it will be revealed to you.”

Pope Leo XIV receives Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly in a private audience at the Vatican.

Reclaiming the World for Christ

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