Message from Grand Knight, Rick Kuertz

Greetings Brother’s,

Welcome to the August edition of the Cross and Compass.  I hope this newsletter finds you and your family doing well.  I’m having a hard time believing it is August already but I guess time goes by quickly when you're gone for 6 weeks walking the Camino de Santiago.  I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for all of the prayers and messages of encouragement. 

Walking the 480 mile Camino Frances was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I can honestly say I came home a different person.  I got to spend 35 days walking the way of St. James.  A route that has been walked by fellow Pilgrims for over 1,000 years.  I was literally walking our Catholic history as I went into churches built back in the 900’s to 1000’s.  It was truly amazing to drop to my knees and pray to God in these magnificent cathedrals and churches and realize that the people of those times were doing the same thing that we are still doing today. This realization just brought everything together for me.  Seeing the sanctuary lamp glowing in each church reminded me of God’s presence and that he was there with me and I with him.  

I carried my back pack for the entire Camino (except for one day), it weighed about 26 pounds.  Many people asked me why I was doing this (as they thought I was crazy) and not just sending it forward.  I shared with them that part of the Camino for me was penance for my life and the mistakes/sins I committed in the past.  As Father Jay said in one of his texts to me, “Keep offering pains for us. We need it”.  This simple text from Father made me realize what the suffering is all about and how it can be offered to God for others.  The pains were real from the backpack to all of the blisters on my feet, but prayers and God's help got me through each day.  It was an honor and privilege to pray for everyone who sent me over with requests.  Please know I prayed each one in every church.

One evening along the way, I went to a Pilgrim Mass in Leon Spain and the Priest said something that really moved me. He said while our pilgrimage is taking us to Compestela de Santiago, our true destination is heaven, so true!  He also said that Our Lady is watching over us on the Camino and that we should always turn to her.  I must say I did this frequently as I was saying the Rosary daily, and many times when the pain got too great I was literally screaming Hail Mary in order to take the pain away.  I also came up with several different versions of the St. Michael prayer as I asked him to defend my feet, mind, spirit, and body in battle.  It was simply amazing walking on many days with no one else in sight.  These quiet times really gave me a chance to reflect on my life and to listen to God in the silence of my heart.  I left a lot of anxiety, worry, and other baggage I was carrying on the Camino and I turned it all over to God. 

At the end of the Camino, let’s put it this way, there is no doubt in my mind that God exists and any doubts that I might have had are officially gone.  Not that I wasn’t a true believer, but the Camino changed me and helped deepen my religion to a new level.  I truly felt like I was walking with Jesus in the places I saw, the people I met, and the encounters that happened along the way.  Sometimes I heard footsteps next to me and I would turn around to look to see who was walking next to me, no one, but the Lord.  I saw the magnificent beauty of the mountains, the meseta, and then finally the Cathedral in Santiago.  The greatest part of all was seeing my wife at the finish line!  That was one of the toughest parts of the Camino was being away from her for that long, but it actually deepened our relationship and has made us even stronger.

Lastly I learned that once you walk the Camino you are always considered a pilgrim.  The only ask from the Camino is that you take it home with you to help make the world a better place.  That’s my goal and I hope to honor it.  It’s kind of bizarre to say, but the Camino talks to you, and it provides in ways that are unbelievable.  I look forward to sharing more and showing you the pictures I took.  Peter put together a video of my Camino and it truly captured my experience.

Back to our Council….  I like to thank Peter Spagnuolo for handling things for me while I was away and keeping the council moving forward.  I’d also like to thank those that helped last weekend with our Monthly food drive.  Great job as always brothers.  I also wanted to give a quick update on dues, we are still a little behind on dues for this year, because of this our budget is looking extremely tight.  If you have not paid your dues, you can go to our website https://kofc9924.org/ and pay.  If you need help, please let us know.  You can also bring a check into the Parrish Office.  Again we appreciate everyone’s understanding as we transition the Financial Secretary responsibilities over to Bill Szyper.  Thanks again Bill for taking this on for us.

Let’s all remember August is a very important month for us as we will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on August 15th.  This feast commemorates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.  It is a powerful reminder of our faith and the hope of eternal life that we share.  Let us honor Our Lady and seek her intercession in our lives and in our work as Knights. 

In closing, I want to thank each of you for your unwavering dedication and brotherhood.  Let us continue to work together in the spirit of Unity, Charity, and Fraternity to make our Church and Community a better place for all.

I look forward to seeing everyone at mass or at our next meeting on August 13th.

Vivat Jesus!     

    Your fraternal brother,                                                                

Rick Kuertz, GK