An interview with Miguel Flores, a K of C field agent, about his participation in the McGivney Leader Fellowship

10/24/2024

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Three years ago, Miguel Flores had only a vague idea of who the Knights of Columbus were. Today, the 32-year-old husband and father in Winston Salem, North Carolina, is a Knights of Columbus field agent who has held officer roles in both his local and state council.

Flores is also taking part in the McGivney Leader Fellowship, a new K of C program that launched this fall. More than 50 Knights, most of them nominated by their state deputy, met Sept. 21-22 in Washington, D.C., to begin the fellowship with an intensive two-day workshop at the Saint John Paul II Shrine. As they continue through a practice-based curriculum over the next year, they will meet virtually in small groups on a regular basis to pray together and discuss their struggles and successes.

“The goal is to help Knights grow into excellent leaders by taking Christ as the ultimate exemplar of leadership,” explained Joe McInerney, vice president of leadership and ethics training at the Knights. The curriculum looks to the Gospels for wisdom, as well as the Order’s own history — including the example of its founder, Blessed Michael McGivney. As McInerney noted, “It’s not a coincidence that the founder of the Knights was a very talented leader.”

Flores, a member of Our Lady of Mercy Council 10504 in Winston Salem, spoke with Knightline about his leadership experiences in the Knights and how the McGivney Leader Fellowship is helping him grow in those roles.

How did you decide to become a Knight? Were you familiar with the Knights before you joined?

MIGUEL FLORES: I joined the Knights in December 2021. I did not know what the Knights were about before joining — frankly, I had a few misconceptions about them. However, I was invited by a respected member of our parish, and through his invitation, I felt that it was Christ who was calling me to join and to serve.

Did you foresee getting involved in leadership at the time, or did that come later?

MIGUEL FLORES: Throughout my life, I’ve exercised some form of leadership, whether that was in school, at work or in my parish. So I had an idea that it would come, but the brother who invited me told me specifically, as I was signing up, that the Knights needed my leadership. So I felt that tug early on.

What leadership roles have you taken on since joining the Knights? Why did you decide to step up as you did?

MIGUEL FLORES: I became the warden of Council 10504 a few months after becoming a Knight. I went to a state convention within my first year, and after that, I became the first-ever North Carolina young adult outreach chairman. In that role, I visited different parishes, specifically talking to young men and letting them know what the Knights are about. I’d tell them the practical ways the Knights’ principles were going to help them in their spiritual life. Following that, I was invited to become a field agent, which I am now. I also became the Hispanic membership coordinator for western North Carolina.

The reason I decided to step up is that I know I have to live out my baptismal mission to be priest, prophet and king. I believe that, and I believe that every Catholic man should strive to serve our Lord intensely. I made promises on the day of my exemplification, and I knew that the Knights were going to provide me with the means to serve our Lord, not out of obligation, but out of love.

I’m so thankful to be in a state where Catholic men care deeply about our Lord. The greatest evidence that the Holy Spirit dwells in North Carolina is the fruit that we bear. Our Lord said in Matthew 7:20, “So by their fruits, you will know them.” Here in North Carolina, I see the fruit that the Knights give to families, to communities, to men. I know that we’re aligning our words with our actions and, together, we’re building the city of God. The Knights here love Our Lord, and we’re intentional about our involvement with the Knights. That’s why I felt compelled to join and serve at the leadership level.

How did you get involved in the McGivney Leader Fellowship?

MIGUEL FLORES: I was recommended by our past state deputy, Chris Losack. He saw in me the disposition to grow with the Knights and to give to the Knights. I participated in a pilot training last year in New Haven, Connecticut, and came to Washington for the training workshop in September.

Essentially, the program consists in bringing together leaders from all across Knights of Columbus jurisdictions to learn about Christ-centered virtues and leadership and how to implement them in our daily life. In talks and breakout sessions, for example, we would discuss what it means to a charitable leader and then we’d talk about how we would implement that virtue in various scenarios — what would we do in this or that situation?

What are some of the key ideas or goals you’ve taken from the program so far?

MIGUEL FLORES: When I started the McGivney Leader Fellowship, I had a plan, I had an agenda. I thought since I was called here, I had an idea of where I wanted to go. But I learned that that was my will, not God’s will. It was important for me to learn that all of our leadership roles have to be aligned with God; every single leader that God calls is successful when they rely on him. At the training, we spent a lot of time in prayer, asking God where he wants us to lead.

Another key takeaway I’ve learned is that all leadership virtues can be implemented in my role as a husband and as a father. My leadership starts at home with my family, and if I can be faithful in this, in the small confines of my marriage, by virtue of Christ, I can be faithful with larger things.

Going forward, what do you hope to bring to the Knights and to the Church as a leader?

MIGUEL FLORES: I hope to bring the message of the Knights to thousands of men who feel lost and lonely; that’s very, very important to me. I want men to know that there is joy and beauty in Father McGivney’s mission and in his legacy. I hope that through my example as a leader, I can help other men discover holiness through charity, unity and fraternity. I believe our principles are relevant and necessary, and I hope that my leadership can exemplify those virtues.

Ultimately, what I hope to do is to be a faithful witness of Christ’s love, a faithful witness of his works, and a faithful witness of Blessed Michael McGivney’s mission, which Christ gave specifically to me.

If you follow the timeline, my Knights journey has been pretty intense. But that’s what happens when you say “yes” to God. When you trust that he’s going to take you where he wants you to go, he’ll put you on the right path. And that’s my message: to say “yes” to the invitation of the Knights of Columbus, because you never know where your yes is going to lead you. When I joined, I had no idea that I would work for the organization as a leader in these ways, but it started with a simple act of trust. Now I’m all in.