Columbia December 2019

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K N IG H T S O F C O LU M BU S

D ECEMBER 2019

COLUMBIA

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S ♌ ♌

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

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Our Mother Church An urgent restoration project is underway to preserve St. Mary’s Church, the Order’s birthplace.

BY JOHN BURGER

14 Jimmy Murray’s ‘McMiracle’ How a Knight and former NFL manager helped create a charity that serves sick children around the world.

BY JIMMY MURRAY, WITH COLUMBIA STAFF

18 ‘Love Your Neighbor’ K of C outreach in South Dakota brings warmth and wheelchairs to Native Americans in need.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

22 Shelter from the Storm Canadian councils provide support and safety to Christian refugee families from Syria.

BY MARIO TONEGUZZI, DEBORAH GYAPONG,

The Star of Bethlehem is depicted in stained glass above the Nativity window at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn.

AND MIKE MASTROMATTEO

D E PA RT M E N T S

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Building a better world Our Lady of Guadalupe illuminates the Church’s mission in the modern world.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith We are reminded this season that true and lasting joy comes only from God and the hope we have in him.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

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Knights of Columbus News Knights in Mexico and Texas Bring Aid to Migrants at Border • Pilgrimage Honors St. John Paul II • “Everyday Heroesâ€? Witness to Faith, Charity and Courage • French Knights Help Middle East Christians Rebuild Livelihoods • K of C Coats Given to First Nation Kids

27 Knights in Action

DECEMBER 2019

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‘Rebuild My Church’ THE YEAR WAS 1205. Francis was a handsome young man, a son of wealth who seemed to have it all — but worldly riches no longer satisfied him, and he questioned his purpose in life. One day while praying in an abandoned chapel outside of the city of Assisi, he had a mystical experience: The icon of Christ on the crucifix there said to him, “Francis, go and repair my house, which you can see is falling in ruins.� Renouncing his inheritance, Francis set out to restore the dilapidated San Damiano chapel with his own hands. In time, however, he came to understand the deeper meaning of Christ’s words.

Pope Francis recounted the famous story of his namesake in an address to young people at the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. He explained: “Slowly but surely, Francis came to realize that it was not a question of repairing a stone building, but about doing his part for the life of the Church. It was a matter of being at the service of the Church, loving her and working to make the countenance of Christ shine ever more brightly in her.�

St. Francis of Assisi committed himself to a life of poverty and preaching the Gospel, and he soon founded religious orders that grew rapidly. He became instrumental in the renewal of the faith in the 13th century and had an enduring impact on the Church. He is even credited with creating the first Nativity scene — staged with live actors and animals in a cave in 1223 — to help the faithful contemplate the birth of Christ.

More than eight centuries later, St. Francis’ experience in the San Damiano chapel takes on a special significance for Knights of Columbus today. The birthplace of the Order, St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., continues to be an active parish with many young families and Knights — as it was in Father McGivney’s day. But plaster on the walls and ceiling of the 145year-old building has fallen into disrepair, and a critical restoration project is now underway (see page 8).

While assistance is needed to fund the restoration, Knights everywhere are also called to an even more urgent project — working for renewal of the Church. In the face of scandals, indifference and hostility toward the faith, authentic Christian witness is needed today more than ever. This requires, in part, that we faithfully live the principles of charity, unity and fraternity in all we do.

The rate of church attendance in many parts of the Western world is at record lows, while the stock market reaches record highs. But as St. Francis learned as a young man, the search for fulfillment in the things of this world always comes up short. It is an important lesson to remember, especially as we seek to grow in faith and share the Good News with those around us: In the end, it is only Jesus Christ, born in a manger, who can fulfill the human heart.♌ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History A new book titled The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History tells fascinating and largely unknown stories through archival photos and detailed research. Written by Andrew and Maureen Walther, with a foreword by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, the book highlights notable Knights throughout the Order’s history and visionary council initiatives that led to life-changing K of C programs. To pre-order a copy, visit: knightsgear.com/history.

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DECEMBER 2019

COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Patrick E. Kelly DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME SECRETARY Ronald F. Schwarz SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Cecilia Hadley SENIOR EDITOR Margaret B. Kelly ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us.

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HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 EMAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

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Copyright Š 2019 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER The Nativity is depicted in stained glass at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn. The window, attributed to the studio of Franz Mayer in Munich, was installed in the late 19th century.

E D I TO R I A L

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BU I L D I N G A B E T T E R WO R L D

The Future of Evangelization Our Lady of Guadalupe illuminates the Church’s mission in the modern world

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson EACH DECEMBER, as we contemplate the birth of Our Lord, we naturally also turn our gaze toward his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. And since the Knights of Columbus is dedicated to Mary under her title Our Lady of Guadalupe, we have special reason to honor her Dec. 12.

In 2001, I chose to be installed as supreme knight in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and to place our Order under her protection.

Nearly a decade earlier, Pope John Paul II had traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of the New World.

He returned in 1997 for a Special Assembly of Bishops on the theme “The Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ.”

These two historic meetings, followed by John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, marked a dramatic shift in our understanding of the Church’s mission throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Pope John Paul II and the synod fathers called for a new communion and solidarity. And in Ecclesia in America, the Holy Father entrusted this mission to the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom he described as the image of “a perfectly inculturated evangelization” and as “the Star of the first and new evangelization.”

He wrote: “It is my heartfelt hope that she, whose intercession was responsible for strengthening the faith of the first disciples, will by her maternal

intercession guide the Church in America, obtaining the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as she once did for the early Church, so that the new evangelization may yield a splendid flowering of Christian life” (11).

Such was my hope for the Knights of Columbus as we prayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2001. It was also my hope that, through Our Lady’s intercession, the Order would make a unique contribution to communion and solidarity among Catholics throughout our hemisphere.

Then, in 2009, the postulator of the cause for canonization of St. Juan Diego, Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, and I wrote a book titled Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love. We did so, in part, to help our readers understand the truly radical extent to which this “perfectly inculturated evangelization” was able to communicate directly to the indigenous people of our hemisphere. But there was another equally important reason for writing the book.

In its introduction, we explained that “although we believe the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be a historical fact, we do not think that it should be consigned only to the pages of history books. In fact, in a unique way, the full radicalness of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparition can only be understood fully now, when Catholicism’s most expressed model for society is a Civilization of Love.”

Since then, I have become even more impressed with the impact of

Our Lady of Guadalupe during our age of rapid globalization. Long regarded as Patroness of the Philippines, she increasingly inspires interest and devotion in other parts of Asia, as well as Africa, North America and Europe. For example, one can even see an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the encolpion medallion worn by a Ukrainian Catholic bishop.

Historian Philip Jenkins made a stunning observation in his landmark study of global Christianity, The Next Christendom. He wrote that in 1900, 83% of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and North America. By 2050, he said, an estimated 72% of the world’s Christians will live in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The future of Christianity may depend in more ways than we can imagine on the non-European example of “a perfectly inculturated evangelization.” Such evangelization affirms the dignity of all those indigenous peoples living in what Jenkins describes as the next Christendom.

Since 1905, when the Knights of Columbus was established in Mexico and the Philippines, we have helped establish communion and solidarity among Catholics across the globe. I am confident that in the years ahead we will continue to make an extraordinary contribution to this mission.

Vivat Jesus!

DECEMBER 2019

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L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H

Christmas Joy We are reminded this season that true and lasting joy comes only from God and the hope we have in him

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori CHRISTMAS AND JOY go together. ring hollow — unless true joy dwells We send and receive greeting cards that in our hearts. proclaim Christmas joy. We take part Those who possess true joy are not in Christmas parties, dinners and fam- deterred by problems or distress — ily gatherings. We sing the time-hon- their own or those of others. I know ored hymn “Joy to the World” and and admire many priests, deacons, re- reach. It is meant for everyone and look forward to Mass at Christmas. ligious and members of the laity who dwells most intensely in the humble Yes, Christmas is a season of rejoicing. work in some of the most challenged of heart. It is the joy of the children But not everyone shares in this spirit urban neighborhoods anywhere. They who were blessed by Jesus. It is the joy of joy. A youth minister I spoke with encounter heartbreaking human need of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, who recently reminded me of the struggles and suffering every day, yet they never welcomed Jesus into their home. It is that so many young people are facing. fail to bring a supernatural joy to their the joy of the publican who was forSome measure their self-worth given, the shepherd who found by the number of “likes” they his lost sheep, the woman who receive on social media, and found her coin, the thief who To believe, to hope, to receive when they are “dis-liked” or found forgiveness at the mobullied online or in person, ment of death. that divine gift is to have joy their self-worth plummets.

At Christmas, we celebrate which endures through earth’s More than a few live on the this supreme joy which does edge of despair, and some even not originate in this world. It is travails and into eternity. harbor thoughts of suicide. It the joyful news that the Angel seems that these young people Gabriel first revealed to the have yet to experience true joy. ministry. They also have a way of dis- Blessed Virgin Mary: “Behold, you The absence of joy manifests itself covering among those living in dire sit- shall conceive in your womb and bear in other, less drastic ways, as well. uations a joy and hope that do not a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

When I walk my dog around Balti- have their origin in this world.

He will be great and called the Son of more, I meet people who are friendly Joy is neither mere pleasure nor a the Most High” (Lk 1:31-32). and happy but also people who are fleeting emotion, but a conviction, When she visited her cousin Elizapositively glum — walking with their wrought in our hearts by the Holy beth and celebrated with her the Good heads down, frowns on their faces, ear- Spirit. We rejoice in the love of God News of salvation, Mary joyfully sang buds in place, disengaged from the the Father, who sent his Son to draw the praises of God: “The Mighty One world around them. near to us and to share our humanity has done great things for me, and holy I am reminded of an insightful com- with its burden of sin — precisely to is his name” (Lk 1:49). So, too, on ment of St. Paul VI. In his 1975 apos- redeem us of sin, to forgive us, and to that first Christmas night, the sky was tolic exhortation Gaudete in Domino, transfigure our lives after the pattern lit with God’s glory and the angels he wrote: “Technological society has of his own glory. To believe, to hope, brought tidings of joy to all the earth: succeeded in multiplying opportuni- to receive that divine gift is to have joy “Glory to God in the highest and on ties for pleasure, but it has great diffi- which endures through earth’s travails earth peace to those on whom his culty in generating joy.” and into eternity. favor rests” (Lk 2:14).

Songs and greetings of joy, festive Let us not imagine that this joy, May you and yours have a most joyoccasions and even beautiful liturgies which has its origin in God, is out of ful Christmas!♦ 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2019

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SUPREME CHAPLAIN’S CHALLENGE

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A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!� It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’�

(Gospel for Dec. 8, Mt 3:1-3) We are all familiar with the sense of panic that sets in when guests are due to arrive at our home. With people coming

H O LY FAT H E R ’ S P R AY E R I N T E N T I O N

any minute, we rush to finish the cleaning and make the final preparations. My brother Knights, in this Gospel passage we find John the Baptist racing through the house, calling on everyone to prepare for the guest of a lifetime: Jesus Christ.

This is our common task every day of Advent: to inspect every corner of our spiritual house and clean out the clutter, for Christ’s arrival is at hand. Let us pray for the grace to repent and prepare our souls for the coming of our Lord.

Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: This month, I challenge you to fast or abstain from meat one day a week to prepare for Christ’s coming. Second, I challenge you to help prepare for Christ’s coming through the Faith in Action Keep Christ in Christmas program or by simply wishing others a “Merry Christmas.â€?♌

C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H

Blessed JĂĄnos (AnasztĂĄz) Brenner (1931-1957)

That every country take the measures necessary to prioritize the future of the very young, especially those who are suffering.

L I T U RG I C A L C A L E N DA R Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, Priest Dec. 7 St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Dec. 9 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 13 St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church Dec. 25 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Dec. 26 St. Stephen, The First Martyr Dec. 27 St. John, Apostle and Evangelist Dec. 28 The Holy Innocents, Martyrs Dec. 29 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

THE HUNGARIAN PRIEST did not hesitate when he was called at midnight to the bedside of a dying man.

For years he had prayed to God, “May I always fulfill most precisely what you give to me as my vocation,� and now he cut through the woods to administer the last sacraments. His body was found the next morning, his hand still protecting the Eucharist he carried.

JĂĄnos Brenner pursued his vocation at a dangerous time in Hungary. Until the Communist regime took over Catholic schools, he was deeply influenced by his studies at a Cistercian academy. He entered a Cistercian abbey at age 19, taking the name AnasztĂĄz.

When the government suppressed religious houses, the novices continued their formation in secret.

Brother Anasztåz took simple vows in 1951, completed his studies at a diocesan seminary, and was ordained a Cistercian priest in 1955. His two brothers also became priests — the older as a Cistercian, the younger as a diocesan priest.

Assigned to a rural parish, Father AnasztĂĄz lived the Cistercian motto he had adopted: “Burn and give light.â€?

His faith and joy had a magnetic effect upon young people that drew the ire of Communist officials, especially after an anti-Soviet uprising in 1956. Following an attempt on his life, he was offered a safer assignment, but Father AnasztĂĄz replied, “I’m not afraid; I’d rather stay.â€?

The call to give last rites on Dec. 14, 1957, was a ruse. Unidentified men attacked Father AnasztĂĄz in the woods, stabbing him more than 30 times.

Government efforts to cover up the murder utterly failed as devotion to the priest grew.

A chapel was built on the site of his death in 1989, and in May 2018, Brenner was beatified as a martyr, killed in odium fidei.♌

DECEMBER 2019

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

Knights in Mexico and Texas Bring Aid to Migrants at Border

Pilgrimage Honors St. John Paul II Pilgrims complete a 12-mile trek to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., four days after the feast day of the shrine’s namesake. More than 500 participants, including Knights and their families, joined the Oct. 26 walking pilgrimage, which began at Our Lady Queen of Poland Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Md., and concluded at the shrine with Mass and a picnic lunch.

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DECEMBER 2019

Knights unload supplies at the Casa del Migrante in Ciudad JuĂĄrez, Mexico, Oct. 5. “The situation in my country is uncertain and we have suffered much to get here,â€? said Joselyn. “But God bless the people who have been willing to help us.â€?

Alfredo Daniel GarcĂ­a Cano, a member of San Pablo de Tarso Council 15581 in Ciudad JuĂĄrez, was among the Knights who helped unload the supplies and spent time with the migrants. “It’s important to me to put my faith into action, to know that my faith has an effect on my community and on the people who are most in need,â€? he said.

A few weeks later, Knights made a similar delivery to a migrant shelter in Piedras Negras. Bishop Alonso Gerardo Garza Trevino of Piedras Negras and Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, Texas, blessed the blankets, clothes and other items before local members delivered them to the Casa del Migrante Frontera Digna.♌

LAST SUMMER, the efforts of Knights in El Paso, Texas, to assist families at a migrant shelter near the U.S.-Mexico border led to an Orderwide humanitarian initiative.

The Knights had been providing supplies, cooking meals and paying for a rented shower. It made more sense to buy a shower, but funds had become depleted, said Supreme Director Terry Simonton, a past state deputy of Texas.

Simonton turned to the Supreme Council for help making the $9,000 purchase. “The response we got back from New Haven,� he said, “was ‘Yes, but that’s not enough. We must do more.’�

A few days later, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson described a new initiative in his annual report at the Supreme Convention — a commitment to provide aid to migrant families in cooperation with local dioceses and councils.

This support has included deliveries of supplies valued at about $120,000 to migrant centers in Ciudad JuĂĄrez and Piedras Negras, Mexico, in October.

More than 40 Knight volunteers from Texas and Mexico were joined by Bishop JosĂŠ Guadalupe Torres-Campos of Ciudad JuĂĄrez and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso in making a delivery to Casa del Migrante in Ciudad JuĂĄrez Oct. 5. “When Carl Anderson announced this initiative, he was very clear — and I thought his point was extremely important — this is not about politics,â€? said Bishop Seitz. “This is about what Christians do. Let the politicians figure out how they want to manage the border. It is for Christians to see their brother, their sister, their children in need and to respond.â€?

Bishop Torres-Campos of Ciudad JuĂĄrez agreed. “The example that the Knights of Columbus has given us,â€? he said, “is a gesture of charity, of fraternity, of generosity.â€?

Joselyn Ceron, a migrant from Guatemala, smiled with her young son as Knights unloaded pallets of food, water, diapers, shoes and medicine.

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

“Everyday Heroes� Witness to Faith, Charity and Courage THE SUPREME COUNCIL released the second season of the Everyday Heroes video series in late October, showcasing 11 Knights making a difference by their actions and example.

Each episode, averaging about five minutes in length, features an inspiring story of a man living his faith with courage, strengthened by the fraternity of the Knights. Stories from around the world — a military base in South Korea, an island in the Philippines, a village in Guatemala — highlight each Knight’s witness of self-sacrifice, generosity and trust in God. Columbia readers can learn more about these Knights previously featured in the magazine, among others: • Kendrick Castillo, who charged a school shooter just days before his high school graduation, giving his life to shield others (July/August 2019) • Harrison Butker and Grant Aasen, brother Knights on the Georgia Tech football team who took different paths after college: one to the NFL, one to seminary (December 2017) • John Moore, a Knight from Gallup, N.M., who walked 2,800 miles from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to witness to the sanctity of life (January 2019) • Ted van der Zalm, a Canadian Knight who digs wells to provide clean drinking water in Guatemala (August 2010)

• Trever Miller, a former MLB pitcher whose greatest challenges and blessings have come as a result of caring for a daughter with a rare genetic disorder (April 2011) • Green Beret medic Gary Rose, who saved the lives of 60 men during the Vietnam War and received the Medal of Honor (May 2018) • Dan Beaudrie, a high school wrestler in Wyoming whose faith inspired his remarkable recovery from a devastating car crash (July/August 2018) Watch all 11 episodes at kofc.org/heroes.♌

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French Knights Help Middle East Christians Rebuild Livelihoods

DOZENS OF CHRISTIAN families in Iraq and Syria will benefit from new farm machinery, tools, vehicles and other resources thanks to the fundraising efforts of Knights of Columbus in France.

On Sept. 24, Knights in Paris hosted an auction event that raised 215,000 euros for Oeuvre d’Orient and FraternitÊ en Irak, nongovernmental organizations that support Christian communities in the Middle East. The founder and president of FraternitÊ en Irak, Faraj BenoÎt, is a member of Charles de Foucauld Council 16502 in Paris.

The funds will go toward eight economic projects designed to help Christian families rebuild sustainable livelihoods by revitalizing agriculture, crafts and trade.♌

K of C Coats Given to First Nation Kids

Supreme Warden Graydon Nicholas helps a student try on a new coat at Mah-Sos School, located on the Tobique First Nation Reserve in New Brunswick. Nicholas and Father Curtis Sappier of nearby St. Ann Church, both members of the Tobique First Nation, helped to organize the Oct. 29 Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution, at which approximately 100 students received new coats in preparation for the Canadian winter.

New Brunswick K of C state officers, as well as Father Maurice Henry Sands, executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office, were also on hand to help students pick out and zip up the new coats.

DECEMBER 2019

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Our Mother Church An urgent restoration project is underway to preserve St. Mary’s Church, the Order’s birthplace

by John Burger t started like any other 12 p.m. Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Church.

Then, a basketball-sized chunk of plaster came crashing down from a pillar near the front of the church. “Thank God no one was in that front row,� said Dominican Father John Paul Walker, pastor of St. Mary’s, recalling the Feb. 10 incident. “At the 10 o’clock Mass, there’s always a big family there.�

An engineering firm was quickly called to examine the 145-yearold church in New Haven, Conn., where Venerable Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. The firm concluded that the church was structurally sound, but the plaster lining the interior walls and ceiling — original material dating from 1874 — was completely deteriorated. “We touched one wall, and a big section — like 10 by 10 feet — just fell to the floor,� said Ray Tiedemann, owner-operator of a New Jersey-based restoration firm. “The plaster is just at the end of its lifespan.�

The parish is now preparing to launch a capital campaign to raise funds for a two-part restoration project already underway. Since the history of the Knights of Columbus has always been inseparable from the history of St. Mary’s, the Supreme Council will also conduct a campaign in early 2020 on behalf of Knights worldwide. The hope is that the two campaigns will cover the total cost, estimated at $2.5 million, and the historic church will soon reopen its doors to parishioners, pilgrims and other visitors. “With St. Mary’s parishioners, we are committed to supporting the preservation of our Order’s historic home,� Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said. “By amplifying the fundraising efforts of the parish, Knights of Columbus everywhere will help ensure that this venerable church will remain a vibrant center of faith and worship for generations to come.�

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DECEMBER 2019

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The façade of St. Mary’s Church soars over Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Conn. The 180foot steeple, a gift from the Order, was completed in 1984.

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FOUNDER AND FUNDRAISER This is not the first time St. Mary’s Church has been in financial need. Father McGivney arrived as assistant pastor in 1878, just four years after the beautiful Gothic structure was built. Located on famous Hillhouse Avenue, next to Yale University, the church’s only drawback was its colossal debt of $200,000 — the equivalent of more than $5 million today.

Father McGivney’s primary mission was pastoral, but he was also tasked with reducing the debt. This concern gained urgency when The New York Times ran a front-page story about the church in 1879, calling it “an eye-sore on the avenue, a source of annoyance, and a complete failure as a business enterprise� that had “invaded the most exclusive home of wealth and culture.�

Such overt anti-Catholic sentiment was not uncommon at the time. Nevertheless, the bad press about the debt brought complaints from other Catholic parishes in the city. In response, Father McGivney enlisted the young men and women of the parish in several fundraising ventures. A series of theatrical productions and evening “coffee festivals� featuring music and dancing helped to replenish St. Mary’s coffers.

Some of the men assisting these fundraising efforts became founding members of the Knights of Columbus a few years later. By the time Father McGivney was transferred to St. Thomas Church in Thomaston in 1884, St. Mary’s debt had 10 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

DECEMBER 2019

been reduced by 25%. Soon after, responsibility for the parish was turned over to the Dominican Fathers, who have administered the parish ever since.

Appreciation for St. Mary’s place in the history of the Knights of Columbus grew in the 20th century, and the church received enthusiastic Orderwide support for two restoration projects.

In 1958, after a devastating fire destroyed the altar, donations from individual Knights and councils poured in to help.

A new high altar was dedicated to Father McGivney, and the entire sanctuary was repainted and adorned with carved wood paneling.

The second, larger project was initiated by the Supreme Council for the 1982 centennial of the Knights of Columbus.

That year, Father McGivney’s remains were transferred from a cemetery in Waterbury, Conn., where he was buried in 1890, to a granite sarcophagus in St. Mary’s Church — giving Knights an additional reason to make pilgrimages to the Order’s birthplace (see sidebar, page 12).

The centennial renovations also included the installation of a new pipe organ, a rosewood floor and a 400-pound bronze Carolingian crucifix over a new altar. Each state council was invited to fund the reconditioning of one pew and the flooring beneath it. The Order also raised money to purchase an elevator, making the church more accessible.

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Left: A graduation Mass is celebrated at St. Mary’s in 1957. After the high altar seen here was destroyed by a fire in 1958, thousands of Knights made contributions to a new altar. • Above: St. Mary’s Church stands in New Haven in the 1880s. A steeple was planned for the church, but it was not added until a century later.

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Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore leads the Supreme Officers in prayer at Father McGivney’s sarcophagus following the opening Mass of the June 2018 organizational meeting of state deputies in New Haven. Father McGivney’s remains have been at St. Mary’s Church since 1982. • Right: Archbishop Lori celebrates the annual Founder’s Day Mass at St. Mary’s on March 29, 2017.

Overseeing those renovations was renowned architect Kevin Roche, a St. Mary’s parishioner who had designed the Knights of Columbus headquarters building just blocks away from the church. A few years later, then-Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant turned to Roche again to design a 180-foot steeple that was installed in 1984. The steeple holds three bells, named Mary, Dominic and Michael — the latter for Father McGivney.

UNCOVERING HISTORY For 35 years, St. Mary’s steeple bells sounded the Angelus three times daily, but they have been temporarily silenced, for fear that the vibrations would cause more plaster to fall. A sign on the church’s front door now directs all visitors a mile north to St. Joseph’s Church, which was incorporated into St. Mary Parish in 2017.

The current restoration project at St. Mary’s began in July, as scaffolding was raised in the church’s interior. A team from the Tiedemann firm is now working to infuse acrylic resin into the ceiling and walls. “It strengthens the plaster and makes it like new again,�

Tiedemann explained, noting that they are using a product DECEMBER 2019

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PILGRIM KNIGHTS St. Mary’s Church is a pilgrimage destination for Knights of Columbus near and far, especially since Father Michael McGivney’s remains were reinterred there in 1982. Pilgrims come in petition, in thanksgiving, and in unity with their fellow Knights. “My brother hadn’t received the sacraments in many years, and he was dying. As I was traveling to New Hampshire to visit him before he died, I stopped at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven to pray for him at Father McGivney’s tomb. I had the great privilege of being there, alone, for the better part of an hour, after which I resumed my journey. “I arrived just as the hospital chaplain was hearing my brother’s confession and administering the last rites! I thanked the chaplain after he was done, and he asked me to join him for Mass, which he offered on behalf of my brother. When I left a day or two later, I never saw my brother alive again. “I firmly believe that it was through Father McGivney’s intercession — aided by the prayers of our deceased father and mother — that my brother returned to a state of grace.â€? — abridged testimony submitted to the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild in 2012 by Col. William J. McCarthy (†2015), a past state deputy of Virginia and member of Battlefield Council 10246 in Fredericksburg “In 2015, I was unable to work, causing distress to me and my family. I implored the help of our founder, Venerable Father McGivney, praying the (prayer for his canonization) every day for recovery and for an amicable settlement with my employers. I also promised to visit his tomb at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. “By November 2016, I was on my way to a full recovery, and I drove 1,700 kilometers alone from Toronto to New Haven and back to fulfill my promise to visit his tomb. I have since received several more important favors through the direct intercession of our founder. As a way of saying thank you, I made pilgrimages in 2017 and again last year.â€? — Edwin D’Cruz, a past grand knight of St. Francis Xavier Council 12067 in Mississauga, Ontario “Our state council started to organize pilgrimages to St. Mary’s in 2003. It started with one busload, and then grew to two busloads a year; we were bringing, on average, 75-100 people. “It was always exciting to be there at the birthplace of our Order, and Knights and their family members really enjoyed praying at the sarcophagus of Father McGivney, asking for his intercession on their behalf. The Dominicans loved having us because we’d bring them a cooler-full of lobster! “I had been a member for about 25 years before I went to New Haven. Knowing the history and everything is good, but finally seeing the birthplace of the Order was a gift.â€? — Dale Voisine, a past state deputy of Maine and a member of Fort Kent Council 1934 12 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

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developed by conservationists in Ottawa, Ontario. “You can get a couple of hundred years out of it after we’re done.�

At the recommendation of an engineering firm, steel strapping is also being installed to allow the roof, which is very strong, to support the arches of the inner ceiling.

Decorative elements that were damaged will be repaired, and flourishes that are missing, like the one that fell in February (technically called a corbel), will be newly cast, modeled after an intact one. Tiedemann expects the plaster work to be completed in early 2020, so that phase two of the project — including the interior painting — can begin.

Father Walker is working with David Riccio of the John Canning firm in Cheshire, Conn., on a design plan, based on early photos and newspaper descriptions. Input from parishioners, the Knights of Columbus and the Dominicans will be solicited as well. “It’s a very historic moment,� Father Walker said. “The idea of restoring St. Mary’s to be closer to what it was in Father McGivney’s time is very exciting.�

Workers have already begun to remove layers of paint, revealing intriguing designs from decades past. “We discovered different decorative schemes, some including metallic leaf,� said Riccio, a New Haven native who was baptized at St. Mary’s. “The campaign we are currently targeting is an elaborate decorative scheme replete with Catholic symbolism and floral motifs.�

Riccio said St. Mary’s has always been a beautiful church, but it will be even more beautiful when restored to her former glory. “I am humbled to be part of such an incredible project, in a church so prominent in my own life,� he added.

It is a project that Father Walker believes is guided by Father McGivney, in whose footsteps he feels honored to follow. “To be here and celebrate Mass in the space that Father McGivney celebrated, there is always a sense of history, and an incredible sense of holiness as well,â€? he said. “Whenever we have a bunch of families here or the church is full, I picture Father McGivney looking down and smiling, and very happy with what he sees.â€?♌ JOHN BURGER writes for Aleteia.org and is a member of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Council 16253 in New Haven, Conn.

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From top: Dominican Father John Paul Walker, pastor of St. Mary’s, shows Supreme Knight Carl Anderson some of the historic designs uncovered by the restoration team. • Father Walker and Supreme Knight Anderson inspect the deteriorated area from which plaster fell to the floor last February. • A worker from the restoration team walks along scaffolding between stained glass windows depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Dominic.

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JIMMY MURRAY’S

‘McMIRACLE’ How a Knight and former NFL manager helped create a charity that serves sick children around the world

by Jimmy Murray, with Columbia staff

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sports connections to create the organization’s first house in Philadelphia in 1974. He’s been promoting the work of Ronald McDonald House Charities ever since.

Murray, who is featured in season two of Everyday Heroes (see page 7), spoke recently with Columbia about his storied life and how God has used him to help children and their families when they need it most.

NEIGHBORS AND BROTHERS I was born and raised on Brooklyn Street, Philadelphia, in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish.

We were poorer than poor, but we were richer than rich. My Pop-Pop lived on the next step, and my aunts and uncles lived on the same block. We walked to school, where we had the Sisters of St. Joseph. I’m still in love with Sister St. Therese — she had 90 kids in that class. It formed my life to be a part of a good parish.

He has a thousand and one stories: That time he met Dr. Martin Luther King. That time he got chewed out by legendary football coach and fellow Knight Vince Lombardi. That time he had breakfast with baseball great Stan Musial and St. John Paul II. Perhaps the most unlikely story of all is how Jimmy Murray, raised in a Philadelphia row house, became general manager of that city’s football team when he was only 36 — the youngest GM in NFL history without a family connection.

Murray, a 53-year member of De La Salle Council 590 in Aldan, Pa., sees God’s hand in all the stories. “In everything that I’ve ever done, I see His purpose,� he wrote in his memoir, Life Is an Audible (Harrowood Books, 2019).

This is especially true of his work co-founding Ronald McDonald House, a home-awayfrom-home for sick children receiving hospital treatment. Inspired by a physician’s request, Murray leveraged his marketing skills and

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My father was the most humble, hardworking man. He got up early in the morning for the long walk to the University of Pennsylvania, where he ran the dining service. He really had very little social life because he was so busy. But when we moved out to the suburbs, to Holy Cross Parish, my dad joined the Knights and it changed his life. He built a community of friends. When many people think of the Knights of Columbus, they just think the Fourth Degree — but you know what the Knights are? A bunch of neighbors, coming together, extending their friendship. They are brothers.

Holy Cross was a new parish, and before the church was built, Masses were held in the K of C building. The Knights were the rock upon which a lot of Catholic foundations were formed. My dad was very proud to be a part of that. Some of the great times in my life were at their family activities. I looked up to those guys — they were role models.

All my life has been in team sports, and what I saw with the Knights was a great team. That’s why I followed in my dad’s footsteps and joined too. ‘GET US A HOUSE’ In 1974, the year I was named general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, we had a player named Fred Hill who got a punch in the heart: his child was diagnosed with leukemia. So he and his buddy started a charity called Eagles Fly for Leukemia.

At their first fundraising event, the Eagles owner, Leonard Tose, called me over and said, “Find out what this charity is 16 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

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about — it’s got our name, maybe we can help them even more.�

I thought, if you’re going to ask people for money, you’d better find out about the disease. So I went to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and met with Dr. Audrey Evans, the head oncologist. I didn’t even know what an oncologist was! I go in and say, “Dr. Evans, Jim Murray of the Philadelphia Eagles.�

No smile. “What are they?� “What are they?� I said. “We’re the NFL team.� “I don’t know anything about that.�

All right, strike one.

I said, “Well, we’re on TV every week.� “I don’t watch TV.� Strike two.

So then I said the magic word. “We have cash.� “Oh, come right in.�

Long story short — which is hard for me — the Eagles raised a bundle for Children’s Hospital with a promotion at Veterans Stadium.

I told her, “Dr. Evans, we raised $140,000.�

What she said next changed my life and a lot of others. “You know what else we need?� Dr. Evans said. “When I tell a family their child has leukemia, I’ve changed their family’s life forever. So I’d like to get a room in a YMCA where they could stay while their child’s being treated.�

I said, “You know, you need a house.�

And she replied, “Good, get us a house.�

The order had come down. Dr. Evans spoke in similar tones to the Almighty.

Above: Murray stands with Ronald McDonald himself and Dr. Audrey Evans, the oncologist who gave him the fateful order to find a house for families with sick children. • Right: Murray is interviewed during the opening of the first Ronald McDonald House in 1974. He is joined by a crowd of dignitaries and well-wishers, including Eagles legends Bill Bergey (linebacker, #66) and Harold Carmichael (wide receiver, #17).

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During a recent visit to the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, Murray shows his Super Bowl ring to a young Eagles fan, whose mom and sister look on.

Finding a house for Dr. Evans? How would I do that? I reacted the way I always do when I have no direction. I prayed!

The entire ride home, I prayed, “God, don’t let me disappoint Dr. Evans.�

I called a guy named Don Tuckerman who worked for the ad agency for McDonald’s. We had done some things together. I said, “So what’s your next promotion?� “You know what it is — St. Patrick’s Day. Shamrock Shakes.�

Green milkshakes, green money!

I said, “Can I get 25 cents from each Shamrock Shake for this house?�

He told me to talk to McDonald’s head guy for the region, Ed Renzi, who said, “If we give you the money from the Shamrock Shakes, can we call it the Ronald McDonald House?�

I said, “If you give me all the money, I don’t care if you call it the Hamburglar House.�

We opened the first Ronald McDonald House on Oct. 15, 1974, not far from where I was born.

I knew from the first day we opened the house in Philly that this should be duplicated. The McMiracle, as I call it, happened from there. A couple of years later, there was a second house in Chicago. Today there are 368 houses all over the globe.

A WORLD OF GOOD I’m the most unlikely guy to be telling this story. The Miraculous Medal Novena has a line about how Jesus has “chosen the weak things of the world that no flesh may glory.� I

could never pass biology at Villanova University. And here I am dealing with deans in medical schools. God has a sense of humor.

When I was a kid, we didn’t even have a car. We rode on the bus. Just going down to the Jersey Shore was like Exodus.

But the Ronald McDonald House has put me in places all over the world. And as different as each culture is, families face the exact same problems that Dr. Evans explained to me the first time.

On the wall of the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House is a map with little pins showing where families have come from to try to save their child’s life. And you can’t even see the wall because there are so many different countries represented.

But it’s not about statistics. It comes down to each kid.

And it also comes down to the doctors and volunteers who work at these houses. They are the real heroes. They work 24/7 for those kids. You never get used to it. Dr. Evans is still my hero. Just to be around her has been one of the great gifts in my life.

When a child gets sick, everybody rallies around. That’s what family is. It’s the ultimate huddle! You all get together and say, “What’s our next play?�

You know, when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, they scored a touchdown by throwing the ball to the quarterback. Sometimes that’s what you have to do! You have to invent a play. Well, the Ronald McDonald House was my play; it was my Super Bowl.♌ DECEMBER 2019

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‘Love Your Neighbor’ K of C outreach in South Dakota brings warmth and wheelchairs to Native Americans in need

by Columbia staff

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he group of Lakota children seated on a rug made the sign of the cross and prayed the Glory Be in their native language: “Ateyapi kin na Cinca kin na Woniya Wakan kin wowitan yuha ni …”

Jennifer Black Bear, director of religious education at the Catholic mission on Rosebud Indian Reservation, led the prayer in a classroom decorated with brightly colored posters, an image of Our Lady of Gaudalupe and a banner reading “Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids.”

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a trip to Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, where they met with the community and handed out hundreds of coats at Catholic schools in anticipation of the South Dakota winter. The following month, Supreme Advocate John Marrella joined Supreme Director Paul Lambert at Rosebud to deliver 280 wheelchairs to residents in need. The two visits, together with financial assistance to the Jesuit missions on the reservations, were part of the Order’s ongoing initiative to reach out to underserved Native American communities.

Since the 19th century, Jesuit missionaries have brought the Gospel message to Lakota communities on the Pine Ridge

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Students of Sapa Un Catholic Academy on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota show off their new coats, which they received through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program. K of C leaders visited the academy and several other schools Sept. 16.

and Rosebud reservations, which together cover an area larger than Connecticut on South Dakota’s southern border. The region is among the poorest in the country; the reservations’ combined population of approximately 50,000 has one of the lowest life expectancies in the Western Hemisphere. “Pope Francis has said repeatedly, ‘Go to the peripheries to help those in need,’ and the Knights of Columbus have been doing that around the world,� Supreme Knight Anderson explained. “But Native Americans have been too often overlooked in our own country. They have had a very hard history and continue to struggle with great challenges, and many of them are brothers and sisters in the faith. So we should look at home and help those right next to us.�

WORKS OF MERCY Many Catholic Native American communities in the Great Plains trace their faith to Jesuit Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, a widely esteemed missionary who traveled throughout the United States and Canada from 1840 until his death in 1873.

When the U.S. government began assigning reservations to different religious groups in the 1870s, a group of Lakota chiefs made a specific request to President Rutherford B. Hayes — that he send them priests, whom they knew as “black robes.�

The request was granted, and the Jesuits founded St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation in 1886 and Holy Rosary Mission on the Pine Ridge Reservation four years later.

Today, Holy Rosary Mission supports three Catholic schools; St. Francis Mission supports a Catholic school, a dental clinic, addiction recovery programs and a crisis hotline. “Our job as missionaries is to witness to the love of Jesus.

And I think we do that more and more through the corporal works of mercy,� said Jesuit Father Jim Kubicki, director of the St. Francis Mission and also a Fourth Degree Knight.

The reservations continue to be affected by systemic problems resulting from a long history of injustice and discrimination. Jobs and resources are scarce; housing, health care and education are substandard; and rates of substance abuse and suicide are high.

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Above: A Lakota girl is pictured with Supreme Knight Carl Anderson during a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution at Rosebud Elementary School. • Left: Supreme Knight Anderson and Father Maurice Henry Sands (right), executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office, pray with Deacon Bill White at the Wounded Knee Massacre Monument during their visit to South Dakota. Deacon White, a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, is the diocesan vicepostulator for the cause to canonize Lakota catechist Nicholas Black Elk.

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“The Knights of Columbus has distributed wheelchairs all over the world, but for this milestone, we wanted it to be here at home, in the United States,� Marrella said. “Building bridges to these underserved communities is very much a priority.�

Wheelchairs are in demand on the reservation, said Rodney Bordeaux, president of the Rosebud Sioux tribe, noting there is a high rate of amputations related to diabetes and a lack of medical resources. “The vast majority of people who need wheelchairs do not have the resources to buy them,� Bordeaux said. “The Knights of Columbus are meeting a great need. You could see the smiles on the faces today.�

CHARITY THAT BRINGS HOPE The recent visits to Pine Ridge and Rosebud were not the first Knights of Columbus efforts on South Dakota reservations.

For more than 25 years, the state council has organized an exchange program in which students at Native American schools trade visits with other schools to encourage cultural understanding and reconciliation. Deacon Alfred “Bud� Jetty, a member of the Spirit Lakes Tribe, began the program in 1992, during his tenure as state deputy.

“People don’t realize that the living situation on some of these reservations is worse than in many developing nations,� said Supreme Director Patrick Mason, who accompanied the supreme knight to South Dakota. A member of the Osage Nation, Mason grew up in New Mexico near several reservations. “Something that seems so basic, like being able to put a coat on your child, can actually be a huge sacrifice for some of these families,� he said.

And coats are not optional on the rural wind-swept plains of Pine Ridge and Rosebud. “The winters are very cold here, so it’s a very appropriate program for the Knights to bring to this community,� said Father Maurice Henry Sands, who helped organize the visit. Father Sands is executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office, which includes the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.

South Dakota Knights — including Supreme Director Paul Lambert, State Deputy Gerald Dvorak and State Chaplain Father DeWayne Kayser — also attended, helping to give out warm gear to more than 300 students.

Supreme Advocate John Marrella’s visit to Rosebud in late October marked a milestone in the Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission — bringing the total number of donated wheelchairs to 75,000.

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Supreme Advocate John Marrella (right) and Supreme Director Paul Lambert of South Dakota present a wheelchair to a Lakota woman at the St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation. It was one of nearly 300 wheelchairs delivered to the reservation in October, bringing the total number donated through the Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission to 75,000.

More recently, St. Clare of Assisi Council 9708 in Houston, Texas, began helping residents at Pine Ridge three years ago under the leadership of outreach coordinator Richard May. May visited the reservation in 2017 while in Rapid City, S.D., to attend the national Tekakwitha Conference. “I was just absolutely appalled at the conditions I saw there,� he said. “It was a supernatural tap on the shoulder, so to speak.�

May turned to his council and his parish for help. Donations from members of Council 9708 and other parishioners have helped repair a family’s trailer home and provided 10 families with propane for the winter. May drives to Pine Ridge several times a year, bringing donated shoes, clothes and blankets in his truck, meeting with reservation officials and getting to know the community.

He hopes other councils will be inspired to action by the Order’s Native American initiative. He suggests that councils, especially those near reservations, reach out to tribal leaders or Catholic parishes to see what they can do, perhaps “adopting� families in need. He also urges Knights, especially those in states with significant Native American populations, to

contact lawmakers about addressing issues that hinder economic development on reservations. “One of the most important things the Knights can do is build public awareness,� May said. “The only way you can stimulate Capitol Hill is when the American people start saying, ‘Hey, this is terrible. What are you going to do about it?’�

Though the challenges sometimes seem overwhelming, there is reason for hope, said Jesuit Father Brad Held, pastor at Holy Rosary Mission. “There is great need, but there is great strength and perseverance in the people as well,� Father Held said. “It can be really hard for Lakota people when the only part of the story is the negative — the poverty, the addiction rates. These things are true. But there’s also great perseverance, there’s great hope.�

This hope is strengthened by the Order’s outreach to Native American communities. “The Church is here to try to be a source of hope,â€? said Father Kubicki. “To have people from other parts of the country, brother Knights and also the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions supporting us tells us we’re not alone.â€?♌ DECEMBER 2019

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Left: Fouad Yacoub leads a candlelit procession during a special liturgy for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at St. Stephen Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church in Calgary Sept. 13.

The Yacoub family is among more than 100 Syrian refugee families that have been welcomed by parishioners and Knights at St. Stephen’s.

SHELTER FROM THE STORM Canadian councils provide support and safety to Christian refugee families from Syria

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hristians in Syria have confronted civil war and the threat of genocide for more than eight years, leaving families torn between perilous survival and painful flight from their ancestral homeland.

Collaborating with the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo, the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate and others, the Knights of Columbus has provided aid to families who have stayed — as well as to those who have sought safety in neighboring Lebanon.

Some of the refugee families have been granted asylum in Canada, where local councils have helped them to resettle. As conflicts continue in Syria, resulting in uncertainty and danger for many, the following pages tell the stories of three of the councils that have worked tirelessly to help Syrian families begin new lives.

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A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Representing three rites (Roman, Melkite and Ukrainian Catholic, respectively), Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary (center), Father Ephrem Kardouh (with cross), and Father Gregory Faryna (with wreath) lead the faithful during a vigil celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. At far right, Bill Lewchuk and Fadi Yacoub, subdeacons and brother Knights, assist in the liturgy.

H

ymns in both Ukrainian and Arabic rose with the incense at St. Stephen Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church in Calgary. On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, two parishes with different languages and cultures came together to celebrate their common faith.

Eastern Catholics traditionally describe the Divine Liturgy as “heaven on earth.� For Fadi Yacoub and other Syrian refugees, the church has also been a haven on earth.

Yacoub fled battle-ravaged Damascus with his wife and two children five years ago, and arrived in Canada seeking security and hope. “Before coming to St. Stephen, I was searching for a place to call home,� said Yacoub, 46. “This church is like home.�

Members of St. Nicholas Byzantine Ukrainian Council 7659 and other parishioners offered welcome and help, and St. Stephen’s familiar Byzantine liturgy and icons made the transition to a new country easier for the family, who are Melkite Greek Catholics.

More than 100 other Syrian refugee families have had a similar experience, and Yacoub and dozens of other Syrian men have joined Council 7659.

In 2015, Father Ephrem Kardouh, a Melkite Catholic priest, was sent to Calgary by his bishop to gather together the rapidly growing Syrian community into a new parish. All

that St. Basil’s Melkite Greek Catholic Parish lacked was four walls and a roof.

Thanks to a friendship between Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, who oversees the Melkite Catholic Church in Canada, and Bishop David Motiuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, St. Stephen opened its doors, and both parishes started sharing the space for liturgical and social events.

Ukrainian parishioners and council members have assisted refugee families in a variety of ways.

Bill Lewchuk, a K of C field agent and Council 7659’s membership director, was among a group of volunteers who renovated a townhouse for the Yacoubs and two other Syrian families. “Since then, dozens of our council members have helped families get settled here,� Lewchuk said. Knights have helped to acquire and move furniture, conduct food drives at Christmas and Easter, and provide assistance finding jobs and placing children in schools. “Members have also welcomed Syrian families into their homes for barbecues and invited them out to experience football games and tailgate parties,� Lewchuk said.

The influx of young Syrian families, who use St. Stephen as a cultural center, has added vibrancy and energy to the community, he added.

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Fadi Yacoub (left) joins fellow Syrian parishioners at a festive meal that followed the Sept. 13 liturgy.

Today, the Yacoubs have their own home and Fadi is working to become an electrician. He and his wife, Ralda, and their teenage children, Perla and Fouad, received Canadian citizenship last year.

Yacoub credits Father Kardouh and Lewchuk for encouraging him and other Syrian parishioners to join the Order. “Of course we urged them to be part of the council,� affirmed

Father Kardouh, a Syrian-born U.S. citizen who joined the Order in 2002. “The Knights are the backbone of the Church in the sense of service, and their charism is about building faith and encouraging each other to pray. �

The council’s current grand knight, Ghazi “Gus� Alkhouri, has also been pivotal in attracting Syrian members to the Order. Alkhouri, 56, was born in Syria but has lived in Calgary for more than half his life. In his first six months as a Knight, he recruited more than 30 Syrian men. “I joined because I believe we all should be one family of Christ, serving our small family at home first, then our big family the Church and our community.� Alkhouri said. “And the Knights is the greatest organization in the world that cares about Catholics and the family.�

Father Kardouh, who has recently begun a new assignment as spiritual director of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Edmonton, sees the harmony between the two parishes as a sign of the Church’s unity. “The Ukrainian community here provided us Syrians with a home — an island of peace,â€? he said. “In spite of all the losses and burdens the families have experienced, being in the Church has given them a powerful sense of belonging and, in turn, courage to move forward.â€?♌ MARIO TONEGUZZI, a veteran journalist based in Calgary, is a member of St. Nicholas Byzantine Ukrainian Council 7659.

A FAMILY TREE GROWS NEW ROOTS elcome signs greeted Shadi Al Dakhil, his pregnant wife, Kholoud, and their three children as they stepped off a plane in Ottawa in March 2015. Nearly two years after being forced to flee their home in the ancient Syrian city of Daraa, the Melkite Greek Catholic family resettled in Canada thanks to sponsorship

by Holy Redeemer Parish in Kanata, Ontario, with support from the local K of C council.

Since their story was featured in Columbia in June 2016, an expanding circle of generosity — including local parishes and faraway councils — has facilitated several more joyful airport scenes. The Al Dakhils have been able to reunite with 19 members of their extended family over the last five years, welcoming sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews to Canada.

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Extended family of Shadi Al Dakhil and his wife, Kholoud, far right, stand with a cross presented in gratitude to Holy Redeemer Parish in Kanata and its K of C council in September. Nearly two dozen family members have found asylum in Canada since 2015.

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“They have more relatives here than I do,� said Cathy Deogrades, co-chair of Holy Redeemer’s refugee committee.

Bob Near, chancellor of Holy Redeemer Council 9544 and a member of the refugee committee, marvels at how well the families have fared. They arrived in Canada as homeless refugees, he said, but they now own homes, drive their own cars and help new arrivals adapt. “They’re self-starters,� said Near, noting the families have brought with them a strong work ethic. “One of the most gratifying aspects of our parish’s sponsorship and support,� Near wrote in his council’s newsletter, “is their success in integrating into the Canadian fabric, including Holy Redeemer Parish and our own Knights of Columbus council.�

Shadi’s 25-year-old nephew, Bahaa, became the first member of the family to join the Order last year. “To be a member of the Knights of Columbus is just giving back,� Bahaa said. “Also, my brother Knights are helping me to find a good job and to get engaged with Canadian society.�

Council 9544 contributed about $5,000 to help Holy Redeemer sponsor Bahaa’s resettlement in 2016. After studying English, he obtained a diploma in business management and now works for an accounting agency.

Shadi, who has volunteered with local K of C activities for several years, also recently joined Council 9544 with his brother Wael.

The Al Dakhils have grown to love their new life, and many members of the family have applied for Canadian citizenship.

Not long after the Al Dakhil family first arrived in 2015, Eddie Deogrades, Cathy’s husband and a member of Council 9544, took Shadi fishing. Now, he and several relatives pile into a car nearly every weekend, setting out to fish for salmon, trout or pike. “I love Canada! I love fishing even more than Canada,�

Shadi joked, his eyes beaming.

Council 9544’s support for Syrian refugees has also inspired Knights more than 1,000 miles to the south. After reading the 2016 Columbia article, Reg duDomaine of Archbishop James Lyke Council 11458 in Tyrone, Ga., asked his brother Knights how they might help.

Shadi Al Dakhil and his son, Yasar, assist with Holy Redeemer Council 9544’s Christmas tree sale in 2016. “I thought it was a good cause and we should do something,� recalled duDomaine, the council’s deputy grand knight.

He also got in touch with two nearby councils, Mother Teresa Council 8972 in Tyrone and Sharpsburg Council 12862, and together they raised more than $5,600.

This donation helped St. Columbkille Parish in Pembroke, Ontario, sponsor the most recent family arrivals in June: Kholoud’s sister and brother, and her mother, whom she had not seen in six years.

On Sept. 29, the Al Dakhil family thanked the parish and the council for their help with a present: a 3-foot cross made of walnut and lemon wood and handcrafted in the Arab Christian style.

Not that the council is looking for thanks. “This Syrian refugee sponsorship project demonstrates that the Lord’s command to love our neighbor is fully operative in Holy Redeemer council and parish,â€? said Near. “It is a fine example of putting our faith into action.â€?♌ DEBORAH GYAPONG is a freelance journalist based in Ottawa, Canada.

ESCAPE FROM ALEPPO

G

eorge Andlian watched and prayed with his pregnant wife and young son as Islamist insurgents and Syrian government forces battled on the streets near their apartment.

Blocks away, Abraham Joljii huddled with his wife and two daughters behind shuddering walls while bombs and gunfire ravaged their neighborhood.

It was 2012, and the Syrian Civil War had erupted in Aleppo. “So many times we were exposed to snipers and gunshots coming from everywhere,� Andlian recalled. “People were dying right before our eyes.�

Both families’ apartments were eventually bombed, forcing them to seek refuge with other family members. And on his wife’s birthday in 2013, Joljii was shot in the leg by insurgents and robbed. “After my recovery, I saw ISIS fighters grab a man in the street and cut his head off,� Joljii recounted. “It was the worst day of my life; I decided to escape with my family to Lebanon.�

In 2014, the two Christian families managed to board buses and endured harrowing 24-hour rides through ISIS-occupied territory before reaching refugee settlements in Beirut.

Andlian believes their survival was a miracle. A second DECEMBER 2019

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miracle, he said, came in January 2018, as they waited in Lebanon, hoping for Canadian visas. “It was a miracle when we got the email from the Canadian embassy that the Knights of Columbus wanted to sponsor us,� he said. “When we heard from the Canadian embassy, ‘Do you want to come to Canada now?’ I said, ‘Yes, we want to come.’�

Immaculate Conception Council 8951 in Port Perry, Ontario, had been working for two years to sponsor a refugee family through Project Hope, a program of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The council raised $28,000 to resettle a family — or, as it turned out, two families. “We were presented the profiles of two families of four, and the mothers of each were sisters,� explained John Peco, the council’s Project Hope chairman. “It seemed like God was asking us to welcome both families to our community, and so we did.�

The Andlian and Jojii families arrived in February 2018.

Members of Council 8951 left nothing to chance, volunteering thousands of hours to ensure the families’ transition to small-town Ontario life. In addition to securing a lease on a four-bedroom home (which the two families shared for the first several months), the council’s Project Hope committee organized furniture collections, English-language lessons, school registration, medical and dental check-ups, driving lessons, and a host of related services.

The council and parish then turned to securing employment for the two fathers, and both men eventually found work in their chosen fields: Andlian has been working for almost two years as a graphic designer at a local sign-making company, while Joljii is thriving as a welder with a local company.

26 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

DECEMBER 2019

“Our chief objective was to make the families as self-sufficient as soon as possible,� Peco said. “Seeing them now doing so well and making new friends along the way has been a blessing.�

With a troubled history behind them, the Andlian and Joljii families look to the future with a measure of confidence and stability. “We thank our Lord Jesus, who gave us the strength and protection to get us here,â€? said Andlian. “And we are so thankful for the Knights of Columbus and all our sponsors because they saved us from death,â€? Joljii added. “To us, they are heroes.â€?♌ MIKE MASTROMATTEO writes from Toronto where he is a member of Bishop Francis Marrocco Council 16233.

The Joljii family (above) and Andlian family (right) are pictured in Port Perry, Ontario, where they have lived since early 2018. Refugees from Syria, they were sponsored by Immaculate Conception Council 8951 in Port Perry.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

KN IGHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

FAITH CHAPEL REQUEST

Members of San Fabian (Pangasinan) Council 5739 in Luzon North built a chapel at the request of Father Reynaldo V. Romero, a member of the council and pastor of St. Fabian Church.

Approximately 50 council members contributed labor or funds to the chapel, which is dedicated to Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help.

10'-2.6%/3&6 0.-3(6 )+5.6 "6 541&4/,6 3)1*0+6 6016 /54) 6 /0,'5#6 4"#6 5+*3&564 5)*-4/0.20*6!3426(/3*5..0316,)/01'62-56 25 05)6,)6 5*-5#646,4$+31'6*5+5!/4203163%62-5 54.26 3%6 2-56 ..)&(20316 41,6 2-56 2-6 4110 5/.4/$6 3%6 2-56 4//0 4+6 3%6 /51*- 414,041 42-3+0*.60162-564/54"6 -56,4$6!5'416016 531 0++56 02-646 4..6*5+5!/425,6016 /51*-6!$ 0.-3(6 "6 3)'+4.6 5.-325+63%6 4%4$5225"6 -56&31.2/41*562-5162/4 5+5,6 6&0+5.6!$6!342 ,3 162-56 4$3)6 5*-5#6&4 01'6%3)/6.23(.6%3/6 515,0*2031641,6(/4$01'63%62-56/3.4/$631 2-56!4$3)6.-3/5"6 -56%+320++46,0.5&!4/ 5,6016 2"6 4/201 0++5#641,6(4/20*0(412.6(/3*5..5,623 2-/556&3/56*-)/*-5.6%3/6 515,0*2031641,#64262-56+4.26.23(#6.3+5&16 5.(5/."

BIBLE STAND

Members of Shepherd (Mich.) Council 8554 constructed and installed an outdoor Bible stand for a “meditation garden� at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The stand, designed to resemble a country church with a stained glass window, allows parishioners to read and reflect on Scripture in the garden.

DAY OF REFLECTION

Msgr. Louis Joseph Arthur Melanson Assembly 1994 in Moncton, New Brunswick, hosted Archbishop ValĂŠry Vienneau of Moncton for a

day of reflection, organized by assembly chaplain Father Gaston Ouellet. Approximately 70 Knights and their wives listened to the archbishop speak on the call to holiness in today’s world and the Church’s teachings on medical assistance for the dying.

HEARTY GREETINGS

Members of Cardinal Stritch Council 616 in Memphis and Incarnation Council 8826 in Collierville welcomed their new bishop in proper Tennessee style — with barbecue. The evening before Bishop David Talley’s

installation, the Knights cooked and served a barbecue dinner for more than 100 bishops, priests and deacons at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

SERVING AT THE ALTAR

When Father Greg Labus, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church and a member of Msgr. Robert E. Maher Jr. Council 15262 in Edinburg, Texas, requested volunteer altar servers at funerals, a group of Knights from Council 15262 quickly formed a team ready to assist at Mass at a moment’s notice.

/14),6 3)2-5316 *5125/ #64 &5&!5/63%6 -4/+5.6,56 3) *4)+,6 3)1*0+6 6016 4/0.# .241,.6 02-6!/32-5/6 10'-2. ,)/01'646.23(631646(0+'/0&4'5 %/3&6 3)'05/.62362-56 -/015 3%6 )/6 4,$6 3%6 /4*5.6 01 320'14*"6 3)2-5316 3/'41 0 5,6 2-56 2-/55 ,4$#6 &0+5 (0+'/0&4'56 %3/6 .3&56 # (53(+5#601*+),01'6&3/562-41 6 /51*-6 10'-2."6 4/20*0 (412.6 42251,5,6 ,40+$6 4..

41,6 (/4$5,6 426 4((4/02031 .025.6 3%6 2"6 3.5(-6 41,6 2-5 +5..5,6 32-5/"

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

FAMILY HISPANIC FAMILY RETREAT

,10+6 02 .36 -5 10+5,6 4(5 )50464&6 3#6 4/5(.6 10%10536!4)0*2-6 6206 .51340$6 +#$ 10+6.2/6+1) .35,$6 )/101$6+2/(-1%6/4'564&63.56 4 5/64&6 4% 63.5%61//5'"-5+613616*4)0*25 503#6 .2/62/63.56/5*40+6%51,6'5'"5,/6.1 56,5*,)235+6&1'2-%$6&,250+/610+6-4*1-6/3)+503/634 ()3634 53.5,63.56!.,2/3'1/6(1* 1 5/$6 .2*.61,56+5-2 5,5+6346*.2-+,506206+5 5-4(20 6*4)0 3,25/6"%63.562035,0132401-6040(,4&236!,4//6!13.4-2*6 )3,51*.#6

FAMILY HOLY HOUR

SHELTER IMPROVEMENTS

St. Joseph’s Council 8113 in Whittaker, Mich., organized St. Joseph Church’s inaugural Family Holy Hour. More than 60 people attended the event, which included eucharistic adoration and lessons on the meaning of the Eucharist, followed by lunch.

Members of Precious Blood Council 4454 in Fulton, Mo., donated material and labor to install a fence in the backyard of Haven House, a transitional shelter for families experiencing homelessness.

ILLUMINATED ROSARY

Mason Dixon Council 10100 in Pylesville, Md., brought a “living rosary� to Faith Fest 2019, an outdoor celebration of family and faith in Fallston featuring music, games, eucharistic adoration and Mass. The giant rosary is held by a group of people praying together, and each bead lights up as the volunteer holding it begins his or her appointed prayer.

28 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

CELEBRATING MARRIAGE

Holy Family Council 15573 in Poland, Ohio, hosted a marriage anniversary Mass for parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY

Pope John Paul I Council 7245 in Lake Placid, Fla., teamed up with St. James Catholic Church and the St. Vincent de Paul Society to deliver Thanksgiving dinners — a total of 675

DECEMBER 2019

Knights and their wives attended a Hispanic Family Retreat, a two-day event hosted by Father Patrick Power Council 4588 in Livermore, Calif. Speakers focused on the theme of the family as the domestic church, leading participants in prayer and discussions about building Christ-centered relationships and teaching children the faith.

The retreat concluded with Mass and a picnic.

pounds of food, including 18 turkeys — to families in need in the community.

FAMILY PICNIC

Members of HoffmanSchaumburg Council 6964 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., enjoyed a barbecue lunch at the council family picnic.

The day’s festivities also included family games, a bounce house, bingo and a fire truck visit.

HONORING THEIR ELDERS

Members of Bagong Buhay Council 11953 in Las Piùas, Luzon South, together with their wives and Catholic Women’s League members, visited the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Marikina. During the visit, the group sang songs and assisted with elderly residents’ basic needs.

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DEC 19 E KIA 11_19 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 11/19/19 12:54 PM Page 29

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N BRIGHTENED WALLS

COMMUNITY FRENCH TOAST FUNDRAISING

Blessed Virgin Mary Council 4381 in Columbia Heights, Minn., hosted a pay-what-you-wish French toast breakfast at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Members supplemented the proceeds with council funds to donate a total of $5,000 to Jesucristo Resucitado Parish in Venezuela. Jesucristo Resucitado is a mission parish of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Knights from all five councils in Pennsylvania District #63 painted seven classrooms at Kolbe Academy, a new Catholic high school for students in recovery from addiction. The Academy opened in August in Bethlehem, Pa., on the grounds of a retreat center operated by the School Sisters of St. Francis.

SUSTAINING SISTERS

Fitzgerald Council 459 in Alexandria, Va., presented a check for $1,000 to the Oblate Sisters of Providence, an order of religious sisters who taught school at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Alexandria for many years.

The council also donated medical equipment worth more than $5,700 to the order for the care of its elderly sisters.

CHRISTIAN RELIEF

Father Frederick H. Suggs Council 6892 in Columbia, S.C., donated approximately $1,000 to the K of C Christian Refugee Relief Fund by collecting empty aluminum cans from parishioners at Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church and redeeming them.

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KNIGHTS OF THE GAZEBO

HELPFUL BACKPACKS

SHAVING IS CARING

Members of St. Joseph Council 12941 in Biddeford, Maine, built a gazebo in the garden of St. AndrĂŠ Health Care, a local nursing home.

Councils from throughout the region contributed $24,000 to the project, which was completed at the request of Norm Herbert, a member of Rev. William J. Kelly Council 9782 in Wells, whose wife had been admitted to the facility.

Members of De Goesbriand Council 279 in Burlington, Vt., helped distribute dozens of backpacks filled with personal items to homeless people as part of a ministry called Boxes of Love.

Michelle LaCroix, wife of William LaCroix, district deputy of Vermont District #3, initiated the program, which provides warm clothes and toiletries for people living on the streets.

St. Michael the Archangel Council 12630 in Charleston, W.Va., helped member Bill Coyle raise funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit that funds pediatric cancer research. For the last four years, Coyle, whose son survived childhood cancer, has participated in one of the foundation’s headshaving fundraisers with fellow Knights. This year, the council raised $11,000.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

LIFE EAGLE MOUNT

Billings Heights Council 8345 in Billings, Mont., donated more than $1,100 raised by a fund drive to Eagle Mount Billings, an outdoor recreational center for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. )*# ' +*)+ "(%'&+ *!& +*)! " *)#+ '$'(+ ( "' + & + + "( + $ * $+ !()'(% +$) + %& * ( %&#%$ + *%(!'&%+ )#( + "* + "* + )! ( + (!&) + %& +%*# ' + $%'*!* $'(+*)

$%! + &%+ &+ * ( + %& &'*)#+ %& * (+ (#* $'*&)+$) +' (+ *#)*' +& +' (+") &%)+$'+' (+ $ *'& +*)+ $)+ "$) ++

CENTER OF LOVE

St. Mary’s Council 13313 in Tulsa, Okla., raised $5,000 from local parishioners for the Center of Family Love in Okarche. Established by the Oklahoma State Council, the center is a Christian residential, vocational and nursing facility for adults with intellectual disabilities.

FAIRGROUND FIELD OF MINISTRY

Members of Bishop Salpointe Council 4584 in Sierra Vista, Ariz., ran a prolife information booth at the Cochise County Fair for four days, engaging fairgoers and handing out brochures, tokens, Miraculous Medals and more than 500 rosaries.

crucial step toward its conversion to a medical clinic.

The donation was made possible by a matching donation from the K of C Ultrasound Initiative.

STOP THE BLEED

Members of St. Thomas More Council 11439 in Oceanside, Calif., took a “Stop the Bleed� class sponsored by the American College of Surgeons, learning lifesaving techniques to stanch bleeding in emergency situations. The council also donated $100 toward medical supplies, and a member assembled four bleeding-control kits to place in buildings at St. Thomas More Parish.

BIRTHING A CLINIC

BRAILLE READER

St. Francis Xavier Council 3640 in Brookings, S.D., provided an ultrasound machine to Option 1, a pregnancy resource center, as a

Our Lady of Divine Providence Council 9347 in Kenner, La., contributed $200 on top of an anonymous donation of $300 to purchase

30 ♌ C O L U M B I A ♌

an Orbit Reader 20, a braille reading and writing device, for a new parishioner. The parishioner, who was baptized earlier this year, is also a member of the council.

VISITING THE SICK

Members Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 5907, Carmen Council 14343 and Father Isaias X. Edralin Assembly 2547 in Misamis Oriental, Mindanao, visited patients in a residential care program.

The program at J.R. Borja General Hospital serves more than 20 people with epilepsy, schizophrenia and intellectual disabilities.

DECEMBER 2019

Carlos Catalan Jr., grand knight of Estancia (Iloilo) Council 5123 in Visayas, donates blood at a council-sponsored drive with Barbaza Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a Christian missionary and social service nonprofit, in partnership with the Red Cross.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

PATRIOTISM COUPON BONANZA

& "#"& & ! $"& %#% $ % & & & "#"& & " $& %& % $%##% & % & ##! & "$ !#%& %$% ! &" & !$ %& $& % & %!$

Members of St. Mary’s Council 4196 in Spokane Valley, Wash., regularly sort coupons for military families at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the YMCA. In one month, they mailed active-duty service members and veterans coupons worth nearly $150,000.

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FLAGS FLY FOR CHARITY

40; 89*:9; 3:.6 ,;8;0:0(:9 4.;61:; 57*162;4.;$43+0(+2 489-;4.; 79:/6492,;8//:'62 61:; 9:5/1; :*745;4.; 4549 0:-83;45;(:183.;4.;172;.861:9, $3)-:; 89*:9,; 8; 0:0(:9; 4.

43);%'7976;$4+5/73; ;75;!5# 585-83:,; 8&; 75/:56; %/7808, 61:;/452+3;*:5:983;4.; 985/:;75 : ; 93:852,; '9:2:56:-; 61: 8 89-;75;9:/4*576745;4.;61:;:3-:9 89*:9 2;2:9"7/:;-+975*; 493 89; ;82;8;0:0(:9;4.;61: 61; 5.8569); :*70:56, 1:; 1:3':-; 37(:986:; $43089, 75;54961:826:95; 985/:,;-+9# 75*; 61:; (9+683; 756:9; 4. # &

For the past five years, members of Etowah Council 12826 in Canton, Ga., have raised money for charity by offering a patriotic service. Local residents pay the council $40 a year to plant standard-size U.S. flags in front of their homes on seven patriotic holidays throughout the year. The initiative has raised more $18,000 each year, and its proceeds have been donated to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, Special Olympics and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, among other charities.

YOUNG PATRIOTS

Boy Scouts respectfully disposed of more than 50 worn and tattered U.S. flags as part of a flag retirement ceremony hosted by Bishop Joseph C. Willging

Assembly 90 in Pueblo, Colo. The flags were collected at area parishes.

PAYING IT FORWARD

Joseph J. Gorman Council 5091 in Syosset, N.Y., presented an award to young student Katherine Giglio for embodying the Order’s principles of charity and patriotism. Giglio in turn donated her cash prize of $50 to Bugles Across America, a nonprofit that arranges for live bugle performances of taps at veteran funerals.

BOULDER CITY SOLDIERS

Volunteers from several Nevada councils and two assemblies planted approximately 30,000 U.S. flags at the graves of fallen soldiers at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

MEMORIAL DRIVE

Holy Family Assembly 3250 in Chattanooga, Tenn., organized its seventh annual Roland Lee Memorial Clothing Drive, named for a late military veteran and charter member of the assembly.

Over several weekends at St. Stephen Catholic Church, Knights collected new and used clothes and personal care and hygiene products for veterans in need at the Chattanooga Vet Center.

kofc.org exclusive See more “Knights in Action� reports and photos at www.kofc.org/ knightsinaction

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Act of August 1, 1970: Section 3685, title 39, U.S. code) 1. Publication Title: Columbia 2. Publication No.: 12-3740 3. Date of filing: October 2019 4. Frequency of issue: Monthly 5. No. of issues published annually: 11 6. Annual subscription price: $6 7. Location of office of publication: 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 8. Location of publisher’s headquarters: 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 9. Names and address of publisher and editor: Publisher: Carl A. Anderson 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 Editor: Alton J. Pelowski 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 10. Owner: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 11. Known bond holders: None.

12. For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at special rates. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes (check one): (x) Has not changed during the preceding 12 months.

( ) Has changed during the preceding 12 months.

(If changed, publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement.)

13. Publication name: Columbia.

14. Issue date for circulation data below: OCTOBER 2019 15. Extent and nature of circulation: Av. # copies each issue during preceding 12 months

# copies of single issue published nearest to filing date

A. Total no. copies (net press run): 1,694,211 1,689,138 B. Paid and/or requested circulation 1. Outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 354,792 358,290 2. Paid in-county subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 0 0 3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other non-USPS distribution: 0 0 4. Other classes mailed through the USPS. 1,332,093 1,327,688 C. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 1,686,885 1,685,978 D. Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary and other): 1. Outside-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 0 2. In-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 0 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS: 2,500 2,500 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution outside the mail (carriers or other): 0 0 E. Total Free or Nominal Rate distribution (Sum of (15d, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 2,500 2,50 0 F. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 1,689,385 1,689,478 G. Copies not distributed: 300 300 H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g): 1,689,685 1,688,778 I. Percent paid and/or requested circulation (15c / 15f x 100): 99.8% 99.8% 16. Paid electronic copies 0 0 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

ALTON J. PELOWSKI, Editor 11/01/2019

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2019

A Supreme Opportunity Students gain valuable work experience in K of C internship program

T

he Knights of Columbus Supreme Council is searching for a few good interns.

As a Fortune 1000 company with a Catholic mission, the Knights of Columbus offers college students meaningful, professional work integrated with opportunities for service and evangelization.

“Compared to other jobs I have held, this was the closest to a reallife career setting, working with other adults in a manner where I was their equal,” said Ryan Donegan, one of 16 interns last summer.

Donegan, an economics student at the University of Connecticut, worked in the investments department and was impressed by the emphasis on ethical investing.

The organization’s values likewise attracted Jessica Rutkowski, a senior at the University of Ohio who worked with the corporate communications department.

“I appreciated that everyone was on the same page in terms of morality and the faith,” she said.

Nicholas Holmes, a junior at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and an aspiring law student, dove into hands-on work in the legal department.

“My projects included communicating with members about the usage of the trademarks of the Order,” explained Holmes, who serves as deputy grand knight and program director of Notre Dame Council 1477.

Applications to the Order’s summer 2020 internship program will be accepted through Feb. 1.

Opportunities are available in many departments, including accounting, human resources, information technology and project management. Internships, which are paid and include travel to New Haven, Conn., and housing stipends, are open to students currently enrolled in four-year bachelor’s degree or master’s degree programs. Applicants need not be members.

Interested candidates should email a résumé and cover letter to internships@kofc.org.

— adapted from an article by William Deatherage, a student at The Catholic University of America and member of Council 9542 who interned with the fraternal mission department. The article was originally published in the Catholic Sentinel, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore.

Summer interns are pictured at the Order’s headquarters in New Haven, Conn., in June 2019.

DEC 19 E COVERS 11_19 FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 11/19/19 5:15 PM Page 33

K N IG H T S O F C O LU M BU S

Knights of Charity

Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.

Members of Msgr. Sherman Council 5103 in Glendale, N.Y., display several of the K of Cthemed model train cars they have designed and sold to raise funds for charity. The 2019 boxcars bear reminders to “Keep Christ in Christmas.� Proceeds from train sales have benefited various causes, including the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund. Pictured left to right are: Frank A. Kotnik Jr., the project leader; Financial Secretary Richard Speidel; Treasurer Ken Engesser; Grand Knight John Baer; and Past Grand Knight Joe Falce.

TO BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S “K NIGHTS IN A CTION � PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR EMAIL : KNIGHTSINACTION @ KOFC . ORG .

DECEMBER 2019

♌ COLUMBIA ♌ 33

DEC 19 E COVERS 11_19 FINAL nu.qxp_Layout 1 1/23/20 1:13 PM Page 34

PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

K EEP T H E FA IT H A LIV E

‘THE LORD WAS INVITING ME TO BE HIS OWN.’

SISTER JOHN-MARK MARIA OF ST. PETER THE APOSTLE Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration Tonopah, Ariz.

When I was 8, I penned a rhyme that listed 12 things I liked. Reading it as an adult, I was delighted that “people� had made the list — and dumbfounded that “ice cream� had not. The verse ended, “I like God the best.� Even then, the Lord was inviting me to be exclusively his own.

I am grateful to my family for giving me the gift of faith. After graduating from college, I served the Church full time for 11 years. I thought I had found my mission in active ministry, sharing the joy of Jesus Christ and bringing people to the Lord.

But gradually, in the quiet intimacy of adoring Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, he revealed the difference between doing God’s work and fulfilling his will.

Gently, he invited me to embrace a contemplative vocation.

At Our Lady of Solitude Monastery, we are free to remain at Jesus’ feet in eucharistic adoration, in a spirit of reparative thanksgiving. As simply as a child’s musings our very lives proclaim: “We love God the best!�