Because Catholics believe that all people are created in the image and likeness of God, the faithful need to extend care to people beyond our national borders and help migrants within our national borders, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told a Catholic fraternal organization gathered in Rockville, Maryland, for its annual convention.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who also leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, was the principal celebrant and homilist at a July 20 Mass opening the Knights of Peter Claver’s 109th annual Senior National Convention.
The Mass and convention were held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
Speaking before a congregation of about 1,000 people, Archbishop Broglio reflected on Jesus’s visit with sisters Mary and Martha as recounted in Luke 8:15. Archbishop Broglio recounted visiting military installations all over the world, and the different ways that hospitality is practiced, since in many cultures, there are people like Martha who worry about the comfort of their guests and the details of hospitality. Her sister Mary, however, knew that Jesus was no ordinary guest.
“Choosing the best part – letting Him speak,” Archbishop Broglio said of Mary’s decision to be closer to Jesus during his visit to their home.
“Like Abraham, we cannot ever know the mystery of God,” he said. “Some elements of mystery will only be revealed in Heaven.”
Archbishop Broglio later said in his homily that Catholics are not free to “pick and choose” which parts of Catholic teaching they favor, while discarding others. He referred to strong dissension that some American Catholics have expressed in recent months about the U.S. bishops’ advocacy for migrants living in the U.S.
The Knights of Peter Claver was founded in 1909 by four Josephite priests and three laypeople in Mobile, Alabama, at a time when Black men were not permitted to join other Catholic fraternal organizations. It was incorporated in 1911. The Junior Knights were authorized in 1917 and recognized as a Division of the National Council in 1935. The Ladies Auxiliary was authorized in 1922 and recognized as a Division of the National Council in 1926. The Junior Daughters were established in 1930
Today, there are nearly 14,000 active Knights of Peter Claver, as well as Ladies Auxiliary members, and Junior Division members, who can join when they are 7 years old.
One of the unique aspects of the Knights of Peter Claver, in addition to being a predominantly Black Catholic organization, is that an entire family may join the organization.
“This is the future of who we are, the entire family,” Supreme Knight Christopher Pichon said to the gathered assembly at the end of Mass. He expressed his hope that religious and priestly vocations could come from the Knights of Peter Claver.
“I love the community,” said DeMia Pressley, a parishioner of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. She attended the Mass accompanied by her son and daughter, who are active in the Junior Division while attending Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria.
She converted to Catholicism in 2007, and her husband Shawn is also a Knight of Peter Claver. The family has attended Knights of Peter Claver conventions in Norfolk, Virginia, and New Orleans. She said appreciates how her children can get to know other Catholic boys and girls through the fraternal organization, and noted that it’s good to see “people of all ages and people coming from all over” the country, since the Knights of Peter Claver have councils in 36 states.
Gabrielle St. Andrea, a junior division member from Lafayette, Louisiana, said she enjoyed visiting the national monuments during her visit to the nation’s capital.
Ella Hardy, a member of the Ladies Auxiliary for 28 years, also from Lafayette, said that the Knights of Peter Claver have helped in disaster recovery in Louisiana, and they also visit and pray with the elderly and help the needy.
In the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, there are Knights of Peter Claver Councils at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Seat Pleasant, Maryland; St. Peter Claver Parish in St. Inigoes, Maryland; and St. Joseph Seminary in Northeast Washington, D.C.
