“The capacity of a woman’s body is the capacity for life. Whether you have conceived or not, you have the capacity to conceive life,” she went on. “Your ability to recognize life in your husband and allow that to be called out into service of the Knights of Columbus is a gift.”
Bulman called to mind a scene from the biblical TV series “The Chosen” in which Jesus tells Peter’s wife that she was the first to recognize her husband Peter’s potential for greatness.
She then asked the women to close their eyes and picture their husbands.
“You were the first one to see your spouse as God sees him,” she said. “You saw something that was greater than what he thought his capacity was to be. All his sacrifices to become who he is are your sacrifices too. Because you are sacramentally one.”
“A woman of influence,” Bulman said, “is a woman that recognizes the wounds that she has and allows God to redeem them for his good.”
The need for strong marriages
The purpose of the program, said Michele Nuzzo-Naglieri, a representative for the Knights of Columbus, is to recognize the central role that wives of the Knights, in addition to their husbands, play in building up the Church through strong families.
“With the many families that attend the convention, there was a real opportunity for us to set some time aside for the women only and create a program that seeks to nurture them spiritually and emphasize what a gift they are to the Church,” Nuzzo-Naglieri told CNA. “We want to make sure they know how appreciated they are for all that they do, the seen and unseen, to help advance the mission of the Knights of Columbus.”
“A strong family can only begin with a strong marriage in which both husband and wife put God at the center of their lives,” Kelly said in her address to the wives of the order.
(Story continues below)
Kelly highlighted the Knights’ new Bible study for men and a video series on marriage, family, and fatherhood.
“The reason for these projects is simple and profound,” she said. “A relationship with Christ is the greatest gift we can offer the next generation. The Knights of Columbus has a duty to help parents grow in their faith and pass it on to their children.”
Besides playing a core role in passing on the faith to the next generation, Kelly said that the wives of the Knights of Columbus are central to its mission of building up the Church around the world.
“By supporting the order, you’re helping strengthen marriage and family across the world,” Kelly told the women at the program.
Peter Pinedo is a DC Correspondent for CNA. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.