Past Grand Knight's Farewell Missive

On the importance of intentionality in prayer

Worthy gentlemen:

I am consoled by the many messages coming from Chapter asking Grand Knights to pray for the repose of the souls of fallen Knights throughout the State. It has been my objective as Grand Knight these past two years to encourage, as far as I am able, the specific and intentional prayers that I ask our Council members to participate in on divers occasions. My desire was for our Council to focus on supporting those liturgical and cultural activities that center around the Faith for the edification of our members and for the salvation of souls. 

While God knows the desires of our hearts and is happy to grant us our requests, offering specific prayer intentions helps us to focus our prayer life, and intentional prayer, especially when we keep track of our progress, motivates us to pray more than we would otherwise. In this manner—while God’s mercy abounds infinitely—those who benefit the most from frequent and specific prayer intentions are not only those for whom we offer our prayers, but we ourselves, as we are the first to reap the graces and benefits that we ask for others. 

While private devotional prayer is as important, and indeed, in some ways almost more important than liturgical prayer in the life of the Christian, the public prayer of the Church is the principal manner in which we express our Faith corporately. Therefore, when each of us exercises our faith privately, our voices are amplified, as it were, when we do come to pray together. Public prayer without a well-developed interior life is hollow, and private devotions without the sacramental life of the church is lacking in those graces that sanctify our lives, and leaves much to be desired. 

It is my sincere desire that our Council members will continue to offer frequent prayers for specific intentions, that we continue supporting the richness and splendor of the liturgical life of our parish and of our holy Church at large, and continue to grow in the spirit of Truth and Love. And so I rest,

In all love and affection to you most addicted,

Three-Year Trustee