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Supreme Master
Michael McCusker
suprememaster@kofc.org
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Supporting our Country, Community, and Church
With Respect and Honor
Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree
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I recently gave a speech about the Liberty Bell where I discussed how most people look at the gap in the bell and assume that what they are seeing is the infamous crack. Instead, they are actually looking at the1846 fix used to correct a hairline fracture that is barely visible to the human eye.
By expanding the crack down the bell and then reinforcing the gap with steel bolts, metal workers hoped to halt the fracture from spreading further down the bell, and this fix worked. Well, sort of.
As hoped, the crack did not spread further down the bell. Instead, upon ringing the bell, the crack simply decided to spread in the opposite direction to such a point that all hopes of further repair were finally abandoned, creating the irony that the very symbol of American liberty is a broken bell that can no longer be rung as intended.
As goes the bell, so often goes life itself.
In our personal lives, we often view problems just like we view the Liberty Bell. In doing so, we run the risk of simply passing judgment on brokenness without understanding. The far greater challenge is for us to get up close to the problem to look for the less apparent hairline fractures, seeking to understand what happened, how it happened, and what can be done about it.
This truth is often reflected in how we approach problems in our parishes, councils, assemblies, and even society itself.
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As we begin this new year, let’s commit ourselves as Sir Knights to look beyond the obvious and in doing so, set aside our biases that make it so easy to pass judgment without understanding. Like the Liberty Bell, we are all, one way or another, broken, and yet God still has a purpose for us, especially as Sir Knights where, as the visible arm of the Order, He needs us to be symbols of strength, hope, compassion, and courage to this broken world.
Long has the Liberty Bell been broken and silent, and yet, like its very inscription, it continues to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” (Leviticus 25:10)
Let us endeavor to do the same as Catholics, patriots, and Sir Knights.
Vivat Jesus!
Michael McCusker
Supreme Master
| | Announcing the new KofC.org! | | |
Exciting update! We have just released a brand new KofC.org in English, with Spanish, French and Polish sites to follow at a later date.
This site is an important early step in our digital modernization efforts that will culminate in a totally revamped Officers Online, Member Management and Member and Client Portal.
The new site features a section for Officers Resources, with significantly improved navigation and a search feature that will make it easier and faster for you to find what you need.
Resources for assembly leaders can be accessed by visiting the Officers Resources page and clicking to assembly resources in the accordion navigation or by directly going to this page (link to be provided once site live)
Please also review these Frequently Asked Questions and walk through video for information about the new website and how to navigate it.
| | Message from Fourth Degree Director of Programs | | |
Color Guard Competition Winners
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the District Masters who submitted videos for the second competition of this fraternal year. The dedication shown by your teams is a testament to the pride we take in the Fourth Degree.
Please join me in congratulating the following District Masters for their outstanding submissions:
- District Master Geoffrey Bacon – New Mexico District (John H. Reddin Province)
- District Master Giovani Hyppolite – Texas Fifth District (Our Lady of Guadalupe Province)
- District Master Javier Martinez – Texas Second District (Our Lady of Guadalupe Province)
The next competition will be announced soon. I encourage you to continue training your teams so they are prepared to demonstrate their skills and precision! Please stay tuned for more information in the upcoming newsletter.
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Training Reminder: Updated Drill Manual
I also want to remind all Vice Supreme Masters, District Masters, and Faithful Navigators that the training session regarding the updated Drill Manual, conducted by Michael Porter and Michael Thumm in September 2025, is still available.
If you or your teams missed it, you can view the training On Demand on the Knights of Columbus website under the Assembly Officer Training section.
Vivat Jesus,
Ron Boyce, PSD
Fourth Degree Director of Programs
| | Message From Fourth Degree Director of Membership | | |
Membership Musings
Worthy Brother Knights, I am not certain how I want to open this article as both topics have qualities encompassing good and not so good details. So I flipped a coin. Heads was the winner so the good news is first.
A new year is upon us and calls for optimism abound. New goals for most individuals and some entities are firm in their sights. Determination surrounds us. Those that have held an Exemplification in the first half of the Fraternal year have gained membership towards their goal or have met it entirely.
The new year also signifies the Fraternal year is half over and if you haven’t had an Exemplification then you could be sweating whether you will make membership goal this year. This could become quite stressful if there is no plan.
Are you a Vice Supreme Master, District Master or Faithful Navigator that can use this new year to wrap up a small membership drive or even start planning for next year? If you are, then you probably are looking at this time of the year as good. If you have plans in place then you may be stressed enough to keep you motivated to get everything done.
One last note to wrap this up, and it is a positive note. I want to shout out to 3 Districts that have reached their membership quotas already.
- Luzon North No. 27
- Guam
- Military overseas - Europe
There are also 310 Assemblies that have met their quotas. Too many to list, but there are 2 standouts having a whopping 1,100% gain: Assembly 962 and Assembly 3976.
Congratulations to the Districts and Assemblies that have met their membership goals at the half way point. Keep up the good work.
Vivat Jesus.
Bret Ladenburger, PSD Wyoming
Fourth Degree Director of Membership
| | Message From Fourth Degree Director of Training | | |
Training Videos for the Fourth Degree
I want to thank everyone who attended the January 12, 2026, training: “Programs that activate and motivate your members”
We had a lot of Sir Knights in attendance, and I’ve had a steady stream of emails since then with a lot of great questions and suggestions.
If you missed it, here is the link to go back and watch that training video: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1746988&tp_key=65b2d81c86
The biggest request from that training was for individual training videos that a Faithful Navigator can show at Assembly meetings.
Currently we don’t have that content available, but our Supreme Master has approved the production of training videos that will be ready by the end of this calendar year. As soon as we have them ready to go, the Fourth-Degree members will be the first to know.
In the meantime, I have shared copies of all the training PowerPoint presentations with the Vice Supreme Masters, and they can honor your request for any of those training PowerPoints that we have done over the last 3 years at any time.
Click here for a list of what is available from your Vice Supreme Masters and District Masters, please make your requests via the chain of command.
If you have any other questions on training your members, please email me at MJPKNIGHT9282@aol.com.
Fraternally,
Michael J. Porter, PSD,FM,FVSM
Fourth Degree Director of Training
| | Message from the Director of Ceremonials | | |
As the Fourth Degree Ceremonial Director, I am here to serve you. First, I am here to assist the Vice Supreme Masters in any ceremonial area, primarily to help you schedule, plan, and conduct ceremonials. The use of the spread sheet to track Exemplifications is a great tool in getting us all to move forward in this area. If you haven’t yet scheduled exemplifications throughout your province, then it’s time to get that effort well underway! Remember to send me the information when Exemplifications are scheduled.
So far, we have scheduled 200 Exemplifications for this Fraternal Year and brought in 2,450 new sir knights that I am aware of. This number is quite short of the number reflected by Supreme records, so please review with your district masters to make sure that all information on completed Exemplifications is sent to me. If you haven’t told me the results of your exemplifications, then please do so.
Additionally, I continue to work on updating the Drill Manual to make it more simple, clear, and specific, and in line with the Marine Corps Drill Manual where appropriate, per the Supreme Master’s guidance. We just updated for a new printing, so look for that before too long. Also, I assisted with the rollout of the updated Fourth Degree Ceremonial, but if you have any outstanding issues, please let me know. For answers to questions on Name Badge and the Exemplification Fee update, see the Supreme Master’s MEMO recently released. Please remember, I’m here to help with all things ceremonial! Thanks for all that you do!
Fraternally and Patriotically,
Mike Thumm, FVSM
Fourth Degree Director of Ceremonials
| | Message from the Director of New Assembly Development | | |
My brother Sir Knights,
Last Saturday, January 17th, I attended a Patriotic degree in Vancouver, BC in which 74 brother Knights became Sir Knights. What an incredible sight to see and participate in. The exemplification team did a great job with the ceremony. It certainly reminded me of my patriotic duty and our Catholic influence in my country.
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The reason I am mentioning this is that the next day I was at a membership drive with the newly sworn in District Master, and he asked me how to start a new assembly. This was music to my ears. I subsequently sent him all the document required along with some guidelines to start a new assembly. With all these new Sir Knights, most of them from one area, the potential for a new assembly increased dramatically.
This is a model we should be following; recruit more Fourth Degree knights, then form new assemblies. Let us begin this new calendar year by asking more men to become sir knights, thus allowing the potential of more assemblies.
God Bless,
Dale Hofer, PSD
Director of New Assembly Development
| | Message from the Director of Communications | | |
Content of our Characters
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his momentous speech challenging America to become a nation where men are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. As Catholic men, as Knights of Columbus, this call should resonate deeply within our hearts.
When Blessed Michael McGivney founded our great Order, one of his noble motivations was the sanctification of its members: encouraging men to live fully the call of the Gospel. That mission remains just as vital today.
As members of the Fourth Degree, we possess a unique visibility within the Order. We are often the most recognizable representatives of the Knights of Columbus, and through us, many outside the Order form their judgment of who we are. Blessed McGivney deliberately chose the title “Knights” to recall the men of great character in the Middle Ages who defended and upheld Christendom.
We think of figures such as Blessed Karl of Austria, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Martin of Tours, St. Ferdinand, and St. Louis IX of France—men whose greatness was evident even in their own time because of the strength of their character and faith. Our task today is to emulate them and to become men of great character in our own age.
One powerful way we can inspire our brother Knights is by sharing the successes of our Assemblies and Districts. Perhaps your Assembly has implemented a program or carried out an activity that could inspire others to make a meaningful difference in their own communities. I encourage you to share these stories and help inspire Knights everywhere by submitting them to The Catholic Patriot.
By God’s grace, may the content of our own character increasingly reflect His Son, and may we spread the Gospel more fully in our world today. Vivat Jesus!
Sterling C. Roatch
Director of Fourth Degree Communications
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Fr. Michael J. McGivney Province
Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade
| | Knights of the Father Michael J. McGivney Province participated in a memorial parade on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks. In 1941, Ensign William I. Halloran was killed at Pearl Harbor, becoming the first Knight of Columbus to die in World War II. | | |
Archbishop Francis N. Blanchet Province
Coats for Kids Program Supports Military Families
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This year was a resounding success for the Coats for Kids Campaign in the East Lake, Washington Area. The focus was on supplying Santa’s Castle at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in partnership with local councils. Santa’s Castle at JBLM is an entirely volunteer-run organization established in 1998 to serve military families in need of help, providing them with a Christmas. Service members are referred by their commands, and Santa’s Castle supplies toys, games, and other gifts—including warm coats provided by the Knights—so their children don’t miss out on a joyful Christmas.
District Deputies were asked to distribute a flyer requesting that councils donate one or two cases from their orders. Participating councils and the assembly conducted fundraising efforts before placing their orders. Assembly 2621 - Charles F. McLean PSD donated their entire order to Santa’s Castle. Council 7642 - Obadiah donated coats to the New Bethlehem Family Shelter and the Migrant Worker Camp, with most of their order going to JBLM, where they supplied the U-Haul rental to pick up and transport all councils’ and the assembly’s orders at the collection point. Council 8102 - St. Jude donated their entire order, Council 11906 - Holy Innocents donated theirs, Council 9833 - Mary Queen of Peace donated half of theirs, Council 7908 - St. Teresa of Calcutta donated 6 cases, and Council 7907 - St. Joseph donated 2 cases.
As a result of this fraternal effort by the assembly and the councils, they were able to deliver over 816 coats to Santa’s Castle for families in need, and the volunteer elves were ecstatic. This was a record for the number of coats donated. As a result, they were able to supply a portion of these coats to Naval Station Everett, helping families there. This is an excellent example of what the Knights can accomplish when they come together, fulfilling our dedication to the principles of charity and patriotism.
| | Supporting Washington State Soldiers Home Christmas Party | | Knights and their families supported the Soldiers Home in Orting, Washington. Volunteers brought Veterans from their rooms to the Activity Center, where they met Santa and received gifts. | | If you would like to see your Assembly or Province’s activities featured here, please submit them to CatholicPatriot@kofc.org! | | | | |
