Brothers and Sisters,
My name is Jim Larson and I am the 2024-2025 State Deputy to the California Knights of Columbus. Presently the Knights of Columbus have over 2.1 million members and 17,000 active councils worldwide. The State of California has over 65,000 active Knights and 721 active councils. I have been a Catholic for 26 years, a Knight for 24 years, married civilly for 36 years and married in the Catholic Church since July 8, 2018, six years. Life is a journey and married life is a journey as well. Two people are on that journey together yet everyone’s journey is slightly different then the next person.
I was born and raised a Lutheran in North Dakota and my wife was born and raised Catholic in the Philippines. We met in 1986, we were both new to Los Angeles and both living in the mid-Wilshire area of LA. She was on a student visa and I had just graduated from college and was seeking work in my chosen profession as a paralegal.
North Dakota is in the upper mid-west of the country, a cold state in the winter, bordering Canada, and consisting mainly of German, Prussian and Scandinavian immigrant ancestry. It is a rural state with an agricultural economy. The culture is quite different from Los Angeles. But then so is the Philippines to Los Angeles. My wife, Anna, and I gravitated towards each other in that we found a safe haven in our friendship being that we were both far from home.
We dated for two years, I had found work in the legal industry and the job eventually became a permanent job. Anna was going to school and working part time for a doctor she knew from the Philippines. We decided to get married in 1988. We thought it would simplify life. We went to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on North Hill Street and got married by a Justice of the Peace for $25.00. The Justice of the Peace gave us a serious talk about marriage and the responsibilities that come with it. Afterwards we took the elevator upstairs to the courthouse cafeteria and that was our reception. All and all, we got married for less then $40.
We bought a townhouse in Long Beach and approximately 9 months after we were married we had our first born, a baby boy we named Jonathan. Up to that time I was still a Lutheran but I would attend mass with my family. In the first four years of marriage we had two miscarriages after the birth our first son.
In 1996 I walked into the rectory at St. Lucy Church in Long Beach and asked if I could speak to someone concerning spirituality and faith formation. I walked into that sit-down meeting with Sister Rosana not to make my wife happy but because I felt I had drifted from God and wanted to reconnect. I was doing it for myself. Sister Rosana immediately said we have the perfect discussion group for you, I had just joined the RCIA Inquiry Group. Sister Rosana was right, it was the perfect group for me. The difference between the Lutheran confirmation classes I took in 6th and 7th grade and the Catholic RCIA classes I took when I was in my 30’s was me. My maturity, the fact I was there by my choice not my parents.
In 1997 I was confirmed a Catholic and took my first Catholic communion. In 1998 my second son, Anthony, was born. Two years later I became a Knight. We continued like this for a while. Eventually it was my experience as a Knight that led me to the realization that to be a true practical Catholic we needed the sacrament of marriage.
Now remember, my first wedding cost less than $40. My wife Anna assured me, it wasn’t going to be like that this time. We signed up for the marriage classes. We arranged for a nice reception and did everything we were supposed to and we had our Catholic wedding on our 30th civil wedding anniversary at St. Lucy Church in Long Beach.
I can assure you that this journey has been an up and down one with many curves but God knows what is best and he provides what we need. My oldest son Jonathan is 35 years old, my youngest son Anthony is 26. Our union together has never been as strong as it is now. Radiate Love, God is good!