Your Eminences, Your Excellencies,
My Most Worthy Predecessor, Most Esteemed Supreme Lady, Worthy Past Supreme
Knights, Esteemed Past Supreme Ladies, Members of the National Council Board of
Directors and National Court Board, My Venerable Brothers and Ladies,
[Let me begin by greeting first my wife,
Gracious Lady Kanobia Russell-Blackmon, until now, the First Lady of the
Gulf Coast. Thank you for your love, your support, and your patience with
me.]
Dear friends, I am a humble coworker in the
vineyard of the Lord. As Catholics, even while we exist in a society in
which secularism competes with our holiness, we all sit around the
Eucharistic table without regard to distinction-nationality, ethnicity, age,
or gender. We are social people. After all, as illustrated by our Lord's
words and deeds in the gospels and the early Church's reflection on the
mission, our faith in Jesus Christ is not as much about us as individuals as
it is about us as a loving family.
In order to become a member of the Knights of Peter
Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, one must first be baptized and have received the
Holy Eucharist. These sacraments are catalysts of unity. It is through our
participation in Christian life, through this union of Sacramental life, we are
united to Christ. My dear friends, let us be as Christ expects us to be for one
another. Let us illustrate and ex-press more evidently the familial bond we
share in Faith and Claverism. There can be no true Claver-ism without love.
I bring to you a vision that moves beyond the go
along to get along politics that we have experienced in our Order, and the
rhetoric that divides us. I will utilize the National Council Board of Directors
to all intents and purposes. I come before you as an emerging leader, striving
to do every-thing I can to build a better and stronger Knights of Peter Claver
and Ladies Auxiliary.
We gathered enthusiastically in Saint Louis and
reconnected with each other. We were asked not to lose sight of the fact that we
have work to do. I will endeavor to bring people to the table, regardless of
former notions of status and personal agendas. This administration is about
providing better opportunities for collaboration and respect for everyone, even
though we may disagree sometimes ideologically.
These times demand more than making each other
feel comfortable with the status quo. I will not be satisfied until
insurance is within reach of every member of this organization. I won't be
satisfied until every knight has a place at the table and is respected for
the talents he can bring to the table. I won't be satisfied until a
concerted effort has been employed to effectively grow this organization
through recruitment, reclamation, and retention. I won't be satisfied until
we start treating each other as sacred scripture says we should treat each
other-as we would want to be treated-even if you do not agree with their
opinions or stances on issues.
These times demand that we face the hard choices
before us with candor and courage because doing so today will make us
stronger tomorrow. You see, I am not motivated by ambition for higher or
other office, some sense of entitlement, or by powerful and influential
friends that seek to preserve power or influence. What motivates me is
appreciation, thankfulness, and a profound sense of gratitude. My election
as the sixteenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Peter Claver has
everything to do with making a positive difference in the lives of the whole
family of Claverism. I am trying to build a better Claver life in Christ for
everyone. Please let us stand for that.
Beginning this term of office, I ask you, "Do
not allow the rhetoric of those who opposed me to cover up the truth of who
I am and that for which I stand." I am everyone's Supreme Knight. I ask you
to continue to hope and pray for the best, remain steadfast and pray that
God's will is done. Our work must continue unceasingly in spite of the
obstacles we may encounter. Together, we can make a difference because we
believe in the great work God has begun in us.
Brothers, ladies, "I will put the board to work!
I will put the people you have elected to work. This is not a one man show."
At the dawn of a new century of Claverism, as I have said time and again,
"All is not lost, I know our best is yet to come!"
Sincerely in Christ and Claverism
F. DeKarlos Blackmon, Obl.S.B., M.B.A.
Supreme Knight and Chief Executive Officer
