Dexter Knights of Columbus 2959

10/29/2025

10/29/2025

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday said the key to living in a difficult time, when the Church’s teachings are often challenged, is to embrace the hope that is “not knowing.”

“As pilgrims of hope, we must view our troubled times in the light of the resurrection,” the pope said in an audience with jubilee pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 25.

Leo brought attention to Nicholas of Cusa — a Catholic cardinal and theologian from Germany, who lived in the 15th century — as a model for how to live one’s faith “during a turbulent era that involved serious spiritual divisions.”

The pope described Nicholas of Cusa as “a great thinker and servant of unity” who “can teach us that hoping is also ‘not knowing.’”

“As St. Paul writes, ‘How can one hope for what one already sees?’” Leo said. “Nicholas of Cusa could not see the unity of the Church, shaken by opposing currents and divided between East and West. He could not see peace in the world and among religions, at a time when Christianity felt threatened from outside.”

But instead of living in fear like many of his contemporaries, Nicholas chose to associate with those who had hope, the pontiff explained.

Nicholas, Leo said, “understood that there are opposites to be held together, that God is a mystery in which what is in tension finds unity. Nicholas knew that he did not know, and so he understood reality better and better. What a great gift for the Church! What a call to renewal of the heart! Here are his teachings: make space, hold opposites together, hope for what is not yet seen.”

Pope Leo said the Church is experiencing the same thing today: questions challenging the Church’s teaching, from young people, from the poor, from women, from those without a voice or who are different from the majority.

“We are in a blessed time: so many questions!” he said. “The Church becomes an expert in humanity if it walks with humanity and has the echo of its questions in its heart.”

“To hope is not to know,” Leo underlined. “We do not already have the answers to all the questions. But we have Jesus. We follow Jesus. And so we hope for what we do not yet see.”

Full story: https://ow.ly/zLZa50Xi9cu

10/29/2025

The second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding at Cana

Mary intercedes at Cana, and Jesus works His first miracle. She still says, “Do whatever He tells you.” Knights, too, are men who trust Mary’s words and do what Christ commands.

Pray, entrusting your needs to her. A daily Rosary strengthens your confidence in your prayers when placed in Mary’s hands.

(The fresco of The wedding at Cana in church kostel Svateho Cyrila Metodeje probably by Gustav Miksch and Antonin Krisan 19th cent.)

10/29/2025

Since the First Crusade liberated Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1099, the site of Christ’s Resurrection has been under the care of Christian knights. Their legacy continues today in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which traveled to Rome for the Jubilee of Hope and met with Pope Leo XIV.

Watch more: https://ow.ly/VUBU50XhTBi

10/29/2025

The fourth Glorious Mystery: The Assumption of Mary

Mary is assumed body and soul into heaven, sharing in her Son’s glory. She is our mother and our sign of hope. As Knights, we can entrust our lives to her intercession, knowing she leads us to Christ.

Pray, seeking Mary’s guidance on your journey. A daily Rosary draws you under her mantle, safe on the road to heaven.

(ceiling with fresco of Assumption of Mary by Giuseppe Passeri 18th c.)

10/29/2025

ST. GERTRUDE the GREAT
“The Holy Souls in purgatory are our friends. If everyone had to adopt a holy soul to pray for, purgatory would be emptied in no time.”

St. Gertrude the Great – The Apostle of the Holy Souls

A Saint of Profound Mystical Union

St. Gertrude the Great (1256–1302) was a German Benedictine nun and mystic known for her deep spiritual insights and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She experienced many divine visions and conversations with Christ, which revealed to her the immense mercy of God and the power of intercessory prayer. Her writings, particularly The Herald of Divine Love, continue to inspire souls seeking a closer relationship with God.

Her Love for the Holy Souls

Among her many devotions, St. Gertrude is especially remembered for her compassion toward the Holy Souls in Purgatory. She saw them not as distant or forgotten spirits but as dear friends in need of our love and prayer. She believed that by praying for these souls, we participate in God’s work of mercy, helping them reach the eternal joy of heaven.

Her famous words — “The Holy Souls in purgatory are our friends. If everyone had to adopt a holy soul to pray for, purgatory would be emptied in no time.” — beautifully capture her conviction that collective prayer could transform eternity for countless souls.

The Power of Prayer for Souls

St. Gertrude’s intercessory prayer is believed to release many souls from purgatory each time it is said devoutly. Known as the St. Gertrude Prayer, it expresses both love for Christ and charity for the departed:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.

Through this simple yet profound prayer, she teaches us that love never dies—it transcends life and death, reaching into eternity.

A Legacy of Mercy

St. Gertrude’s life reminds us that holiness is not reserved for the few but is possible for all who open their hearts to God’s grace. Her message of compassion toward the souls in purgatory continues to inspire Catholics around the world to live with mercy, pray with love, and hope in the infinite goodness of God.

Reflection:
Every prayer we say for a soul is an act of love. When we pray for the departed, we become instruments of God’s mercy. Like St. Gertrude, may we adopt a soul today and help bring one step closer to heaven the friends who wait for our prayers.

10/29/2025

10/29/2025

Dominican Father John A. Farren, who served as director of the Order’s Catholic Information Service from 1999 to 2003, died on Oct. 21 at Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, New York. He was 87.

Father Farren was ordained a priest of the Province of St. Joseph of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1964. Before working with the Knights of Columbus, he served in the Dominican mission in Peru, completed two terms as prior of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., and held leadership roles in the general government of the Dominican Order in Rome, where he was also a member of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life.

As director of the Catholic Information Service, Father Farren led the Order’s faith formation efforts, helping to expand the Knights’ use of the internet as a tool for evangelization and overseeing the development of vocations programs. He also updated CIS resources — introducing the Luke E. Hart Series, a 30-booklet compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church — and helped plan liturgies for events such as the annual Supreme Convention.

Upon Father Farren’s reassignment in 2003 to serve as rector of St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, the Order passed a resolution expressing gratitude for his leadership. At the time, Past Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, “Father Farren has played a key role in the spiritual life of the Knights,” adding, “Thanks to his dedication and vision, Catholic Information Service … developed into a powerful instrument of the new evangelization.”

A funeral Mass for Father Farren was celebrated on Oct. 27 at Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville, New York, followed by interment at All Souls Cemetery.

Read the full obituary here: https://dominicanfriars.org/fatherfarrenpost/

Featured: The late Dominican Father John A. Farren, former director of the Order’s Catholic Information Service, is pictured with Past Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and seminarians at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass., on Sept. 25, 2003 — shortly after Father Farren was assigned rector. The seminarians hold copies of a special edition of Pope John Paul II’s book on the priesthood, “Gift and Mystery,” which the Order distributed to seminarians in the United States and Canada.

10/29/2025

The Apostolic Letter Drawing New Maps of Hope, released on 28 October, marks the sixtieth anniversary of the conciliar declaration Gravissimum ...

10/29/2025

10/29/2025

The third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Christ proclaims the Kingdom and calls to conversion. Knights are called to live and spread that Kingdom through faith in action.

Pray, asking for a spirit ready for mission. A daily Rosary trains us to hear Christ’s call and equips us to answer it with boldness.

(The Miracle Fishing 1618 by Peter Paul Rubens)

10/29/2025

THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IS DEDICATED TO THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY

November – The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The Catholic Church dedicates the month of November to remembering and praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory—those faithful departed who have died in God’s grace but still undergo purification before entering the fullness of Heaven. This is a time of deep reflection, gratitude, and intercession for our loved ones who have gone before us, as well as for all souls who await the joy of eternal life.

From the very beginning of the month, the Church invites her faithful to unite in prayer for the deceased. The Feast of All Saints on November 1st celebrates the countless souls who already dwell in the glory of Heaven. On November 2nd, the Commemoration of All Souls’ Day, we remember those still being purified in God’s mercy. These two feasts together remind us that the Church on earth (the Church Militant), the souls in purgatory (the Church Suffering), and the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) are bound together in the Communion of Saints.

Purgatory is not a place of despair but of hope and love. It is where souls experience the cleansing fire of God’s mercy, preparing them to see Him face-to-face. Our prayers, Masses, sacrifices, and acts of charity can assist these souls in their journey toward Heaven. Each act of remembrance becomes a bridge of mercy that connects earth to eternity.

Throughout November, the Church encourages the faithful to visit cemeteries, offer the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and especially the Holy Mass for the departed. Even simple prayers, offered with love, bring great relief to the souls in Purgatory and immense spiritual benefit to those who pray.

As we light candles and lift our hearts in prayer this month, let us remember that death is not the end—it is the doorway to eternal life. In praying for the dead, we affirm our faith in the resurrection and our hope in God’s unfailing mercy. Every prayer we offer becomes a gift of love that helps another soul reach the everlasting light of Heaven.

Short Prayer:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.