Brother Knights,

St. Augustine in his book Confessions recounts the last moments of his mother’s life on earth. His mother, St. Monica, was a devout woman who prayed for the conversion of Augustine, who throughout his youth lived a Godless, debauched life. He, of course, had a great conversion, and became one of the great leaders in the history of the Church.

St. Monica became ill in the year 387 as she was traveling near Rome. She and her family lived in the Roman Empire, but in North Africa—not Rome. Augustine and his brother were with her on her death bed, and his brother mentioned to her that he was hoping that she might make it back to her homeland before she dies.

Augustine said that upon hearing this, “she reproached him with a glance because he had entertained such earthly thoughts.” She said to them, “bury my body wherever you will, let not care of it cause any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.”

St. Monica, a canonized saint in the Church was asking for nothing else on her deathbed, but prayers. She didn’t focus on pleasures and comforts throughout her life, and she was not about to start at the end.

We just celebrated two important liturgical celebrations in the Church. On the feast of All Saints, we celebrate the life of the Church triumphant—those saints canonized by the Church and those who are not officially canonized, but who, nevertheless, are enjoying eternal bliss with God, and ready to listen to our prayers.

On the feast of all souls, we pray for the Church suffering, those who died in God’s good grace, but await purification so that they can see God face to face. As we think about those who have gone before us, we can’t but help turn our thoughts to our own mortality, our own short time here on earth. We should all strive to reach that noble goal of sanctity, that process of purification and conversion, as Monica did. In doing so we are not just turning towards what is more important but in fact more real.

Father Kipper

Brother Knights,

This month on September 8, we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we celebrate a birthday, it is usually a time when we honor the person who has just reached this milestone.

We honor the Blessed Virgin Mary for many reasons. The Blessed Mother was called by God to give a human nature to Jesus. Mary, of course, did not create God, for she is a creature. But she did give birth to Jesus, and human mothers give birth to persons, and so this title is fitting and appropriate, and that is at the heart of what we celebrate here today.

We honor the Blessed Mother beyond her title as Mother of God. It wasn’t by pure luck that she happened to give birth to the savior of the world. We can look as to why God would have chosen Mary as the fitting womb as the first tabernacle, giving shelter to God made man.
As we celebrate in the feast of the Immaculate Conception, we believe that Mary was conceived without Original Sin and lived her life without personal sin.

Because of her goodness, Mary is also the example of the perfect disciple, the perfect Christian. She is called by the angel Gabriel, “full of grace,” and by her cousin “blessed among women.” Why is she “full of grace,” why is she “blessed among women”? Because she does the will of God without hesitation. That’s what disciples of Jesus do.

As we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, let us look to her in her example of discipleship, and follow in her footsteps.

May God bless you and your families,

Father Kipper

Dear Brother Knights,

In July, over 50,000 Catholics gathered together in Indianapolis for a National Eucharistic Congress. The attendees came together for talks, fellowship, the celebration of Mass, and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

The Eucharistic Congress was, in part, the culmination of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, where Catholics across the country adored Jesus present in the Holy Eucharist in a manner that has never taken place in our nation’s history. The Eucharist, made visible in the monstrance (a metal vessel used to “show” the Eucharist) was processed by foot, van, and boat from the north, south, east, and west, beginning in San Francisco, Lake Itasca, Minn., New Haven Conn., and Brownsville, Tex. and arriving in Indianapolis for the Eucharistic Congress.

What a great witness this was to the faith and a reminder of the presence of Jesus in our midst. The word Mass comes from the Latin word missa meaning, “sent.” If a Mass were to be celebrated in the Latin, the words of dismissal are “Ite, Missa est,” which is translated literally as “Go, it is sent.” In the 13th Century, St. Thomas Aquinas commented on these words of dismissal saying, “And from this the Mass derives its name … the deacon on festival days ‘dismisses’ the people at the end of the Mass, by saying: ‘Ite, missa est,’ that is, the victim [Jesus] has been sent to God through the angel, so that it may be accepted by God.”

St. Thomas describes the heart of what the Mass is all about: the re-presentation Christ’s offering of himself to the Heavenly Father. And then this gift of Christ to the Father pours forth to the Church in the reception of Holy Communion. Christ offers himself as a sacrifice to the Father, and in doing so he also offers himself to the Church in giving us his very body and blood.

Thus, the dismissal at the end of Mass is not an ending but a beginning. Catholics who attend Mass have asked for forgiveness of their sins, listened to the Word of God, reflected upon its impact on their lives through the homily, entered into the redemptive work of Jesus, and received him in the Eucharist. Actively participating in the mystery of the Mass changes the hearts of Catholics. It necessarily moves us into mission. So, the dismissal at Mass is not just a declaration that it’s over and it’s time to go home, but a call to take the fruits of this Mass to be missionary disciples.

As thousands of Catholics processed across the country and took our Lord to the streets, it’s a reminder for all of us as Catholics to bring Jesus wherever we may find ourselves.

May God bless you and your families.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Nicholas Kipper

Dear Brother Knights,

I hope that you have all had a blessed Easter season. This is a time of such joy, even in the world that is a vale of tears with all of its concerns and tribulations. We long for the resurrection of the dead, where we will enjoy the presence and love of God for all eternity. But, of course, we know as Catholics that we can enjoy the presence of God right now. This found in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist.

In his encyclical letter on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de eucharistia, St. Pope John Paul II spoke of the great gift of Eucharist. He wrote: “ The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work.”

What our Lord offers us is his very self. In this time of Eucharistic Revival in the Church of the United States, let us make it a point to have a greater reverence, love and understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. And in doing so, encounter him in his total gift of self.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Nicholas Kipper

Dear Brother Knights,

He is risen! Alleluia!

Easter is the greatest celebration in the Church because it is the greatest event in the history of the world. The fact that Jesus resurrected from the dead changes everything. Our greatest fear, our death, has been put to death by Jesus. Through Jesus’ resurrection, God has power over death, and that’s what gives us so much hope.

Jesus gives hints of his power over death throughout the gospel. We see this, for instance, in the raising of his friend Lazarus from the dead. He tells Lazarus’s sister, Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

In Jesus, these are not mere words. These are not just platitudes to make Martha feel better. They are truth, and he proves that they’re true because he then raises Lazarus from the dead. May we follow Jesus with all our hearts as his faithful disciples, carrying us, too, into eternal life.

May God bless you and your families with a blessed Easter season.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Nicholas Kipper