Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 13 | Page 25

July 1 - 15, 2017
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
25
Bro. Romeo Olit Elected Grand
Knight of K of C Council 8809
Bro. Romeo Olit is the new Grand
Knight (GK) of the San Lorenzo Ruiz
Council #8809 of the Knights of
Columbus for the Columbian Year
covering the period July 1, 2017 to
June 30, 2018. He will succeed Rev.
Mr. Bob Rosales -- a Deacon in the
Archdiocese of Toronto, who served
for two consecutive terms, 2015-2016
and 2016-2017.
Elected last May 7 to the post, the
new GK is a multi-awarded member
of Council #8809. He was “Knight of
the Year in 2014”. Assisted by his wife,
Flor, son Marvin, 21, and daughter, Iris,
19, in community and parish work,
together they were recognized by the
Council with a “Family of the Month”
awards in June 2007 and September
2012.
Bro. Olit also contributed to
Drill Competitions where the K of C
Assembly (Infant Jesus #2692) he
was aligned with, participated in and
garnered the 1st place several times.
The dedicated Bro. Knight has served
in other officer’s capacities before his
election as GK, among others, Deputy
Grand Knight and currently as Trustee.
He has been a member of this biggest
Catholic fraternal organization since
December 7, 2004.
The new GK will be assisted
in his functions by the following:
Ace Alvarez, Deputy Grand Knight;
Renato Galvez, Chancellor; Julito
Reyes, Recorder; Ramon Letrondo,
Treasurer; Carmelito Puno, Warden;
Mikhail Navarro, Inside Guard; and
Trustees, Joe Hernandez, Bob Rosales
and Ben Fernandez. The Council has
yet to elect its Advocate and Outside
Guard.
The San Lorenzo Ruiz Council
#8809 is based at the St. John XXIII
Parish in Don Mills, Ontario. (Press
Release, K of C Council 8809, Don
Mills, Ontario)
Pope calls catechists to be
joyful, creative
witnesses of Christ
In a message sent to
catechists from all over the
world, Pope Francis stressed
the need to not only make
Christ the center of their
lives, but to be creative and
adaptable in finding ways
to reach the people in their
area.
“The catechist is creative;
they search for different means
and forms of announcing
Christ,” the Pope said in his
July 12 message.
Believing in Jesus is
“beautiful,” he said, because
Jesus is the way, truth and life
“who fills our existence with
joy and gladness.”
“This quest to make Jesus
known as supreme beauty
leads us to find new signs
and ways of transmitting the
faith,” he said, noting that
while the means might be
different, what’s important is
to imitate “the style of Jesus,
who adapted to the people
he had before him in order to
make them close to the love
of God.”
To change and adapt
oneself in order to make
the message closer to the
people is necessary, he said,
but stressed that at the same
time, the message being
transmitted is “always the
same, because God doesn’t
change, but renews all things
in him.”
Pope Francis said that in
the quest of making Jesus
known to the world, “we must
not be afraid because he
precedes us in this task. He is
already in the man of today,
and there awaits us.”
The Pope sent his message
to participants in the First
International Symposium on
Catechesis, which is taking
place July 11-14 in Buenos
Aires.
The event is being offered
through the Faculty of
Theology of the Pontifical
Catholic
University
of
Argentina (UCA), and is
organized by the Episcopal
Commission for Catechesis
and Biblical Pastoral Care.
Pope Francis opened his
message, sent in Spanish,
by referencing a quote from
his namesake, St. Francis of
Assisi.
He noted that at a certain
point, when one of St.
Francis’ followers asked to
be taught how to preach, the
saint responded by saying:
“Brother, when we visit the
sick, help children and give
to the poor, we are already
preaching.”
“In this beautiful lesson is
enclosed the vocation and
task of the catechist,” he said,
explaining that catechesis
is not simply a job or a task
external to the person of the
catechist.
Rather, “their whole life
revolves around this mission,”
he said, noting that to be a
catechist is “a vocation of
service in the Church, which
is received as a gift on the
part of the Lord and must in
turn be transmitted.”
To do this, one must
return to the first encounter
with Christ that changed their
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
life. This moment, Francis
said, is “the fundamental
announcement that must
resonate again and again in
the life of the Christian, and
even more in the one who is
called to announce and teach
the faith.”(E. Harris , CNA)