Columbia February 2010

KNIGHT S O F C O LUM BUS

F EBRUARY 2010

COLUMBIA

Knights of Columbus Insurance Your shield for life

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

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February 2010 ♦ Volume 90 ♦ Number 2

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

8 The Gift of Mobility The Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission provides hope and independence for thousands in need.

BY PETER FEUERHERD

14 Coats for Kids Knights of Columbus initiative aids families in cold winter months.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

16 Confession’s Comeback Dioceses work to make the sacrament readily available during the reflective days of Lent.

BY TIM DRAKE

20 Learning the Faith The Order’s Catholic Information Service (CIS) provides resources to effectively evangelize and learn about one’s faith.

BY MARY ZUROLO WALSH

24 A Daily Devotion With the book Knights to Christ, Colorado Knights are promoting daily meditation inspired

PAINTING: Giuseppe Maria Crespi, St. John of Nepomuk Confessing, Scala/Art Resource, NY

by the principles of the Order.

BY PATRICK SCALISI

An oil painting by Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665-1747), depicting the sacrament of penance. It is located in the Galleria Sabauda, Turin, Italy.

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world

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Knights of Columbus Insurance continues to protect the financial future of families.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith We must grow in understanding of the gift of the holy Eucharist.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

Knights of Columbus News Vicarius Christi Fund earnings given to pope • Supreme Knight’s book ‘providential’ • The 50th ‘Running of the Silver Rose’

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Knights in Action

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Year for Priests How one priest communicates Christ’s presence through preaching, writing and theater.

BY KIM LUISI

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Fathers for Good Spouses can rekindle the romance and strengthen the bond of their marriage.

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Columbianism by Degrees

BY MARY DETURRIS POUST AND DENNIS POUST

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E D I TO R I A L

The Works of Mercy AS A CATHOLIC, charitable, fraternal and family organization, the Knights of Columbus is comprised of many facets.

Explaining the Order to those unfamiliar with its work can be challenging, since one may cite the Knights’ innumerable charitable activities, its top-rated life insurance business (see page 3), its emphasis on growing in one’s faith, its support of the Church, and so on. Yet, each component is part of the integral vision of both the Gospel and Father Michael J. McGivney.

In many ways, the work of the Knights of Columbus can be summarized by what Catholic tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy: “the charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447). After all, the Christian vocation, like human nature itself, pertains to both this world and the next, to the visible and the invisible. The mission of the Knights, therefore, recognizes the need to care for the whole person. As the Second Vatican Council observed, “Though made of body and soul, man is one” (Gaudium et Spes, 14).

Among the Order’s many charitable initiatives is its partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission, through which Knights have coordinated the distribution of thousands of wheelchairs to adults and children with disabilities, both in North America and abroad (see page 8). This winter, the Order’s financial and volunteer support has also been evidenced in programs such as the “Coats for Kids” initiative, which has provided thousands of new

coats to children in need (see page 14).

At the same time, there has always been an emphasis on the spiritual health and holiness of Knights and their families, as well as on the call to witness to one’s Catholic faith in society. For example, the Supreme Council’s Catholic Information Service (CIS) makes available numerous resources and booklets that enable Catholics to grow in understanding of their faith and share this faith with others (see page 20). Likewise, Knights are encouraged to reflect on Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori’s monthly faith formation column (see page 4) and, most importantly, to avail themselves to the healing power of the sacraments (see page 16).

Indeed, the Order’s evangelization efforts are interconnected with its charitable activities, just as the great commandments to love God and love one’s neighbor are inseparable (see Mt 22:37-40, 1 Jn 4:20). On the one hand, Christian charity is rooted in the love of God: Action flows from contemplation, and we are able to understand human dignity and love others only because God loved us first (see 1 Jn 4:19). At the same time, as Pope Benedict XVI noted in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, “love of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God, and closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God” (16).

As Knights, then, let us strive to love both God and neighbor, growing in faith and caring for body and soul.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI MANAGING EDITOR

Supreme Knight’s Book Club – Feb. 26 In his new book, The Difference God Makes: A Catholic Vision of Faith, Communion, and Culture (Herder and Herder), Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, addresses fundamental questions about how we envision God and how we understand our relationships with others. Join the cardinal and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson online at www.kofc.org for a discussion of the book Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. (ET). For more information, or to submit your questions, visit www.kofc.org/bookclub.

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Dennis A. Savoie DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Donald R. Kehoe SUPREME SECRETARY Emilio B. Moure SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brian Dowling brian.dowling@kofc.org CREATIVE & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ________ GRAPHICS Lee Rader DESIGN

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 PHONE 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET www.kofc.org/columbia CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 ________ 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.

________ Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER A girl poses with her new coat at a Knights of Columbus ‘Coats for Kids’ distribution in New Haven, Conn., Dec. 2.

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

A Strong Shield Inspired by Catholic values, Knights of Columbus Insurance continues to protect the financial future of families

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson AS OUR GLOBAL ECONOMY con- clients’ finances in jeopardy. With a tinued to limp along in 2009, and as the business model based on Catholic prinlife insurance industry saw lower sales and ciples, however, we weathered the storm experienced significant investment losses of the past year, and it was another firesulting from the prolonged recession, nancially strong year for the Knights of the Knights of Columbus avoided the Columbus.

Consider this: Despite the turbulent cent, or $180 million — a new record. In worst effects while recording record sales.

The reason is simple: We continue to economy, we ended the year in the black 2009, the Order’s overall assets grew by build upon more than a century of com- with investment returns in line with mar- nearly 10 percent. Many insurance commitment to putting faith and families first. ket indices. And we did it by investing panies are cutting dividend rates in 2010; Speaking with people unfamiliar with ethically. We believe it is morally wrong the Knights of Columbus is not.

People sometimes ask why we mainthe Knights of Columbus, I am some- to pay another man to do what we contimes asked, “Why insurance?” The short sider immoral. Thus, we will not invest a tain such a large surplus. In times like answer is that our insurance business fol- brother Knight’s money in companies these, they have stopped asking.

The Knights ended 2009 with nearly lows the same philosophy as our Catholic that engage in things such as abortion or pornography, things that go against the $75 billion of insurance in force. Once charitable outreach: “Love of neighbor.” again we earned the top ratings When Father Michael J. for financial strength from A.M. McGivney came to New Best and Standard and Poor’s, as Haven as a young priest, his We will stay the course and well as certification from the Inparishioners worked in dancontinue to build upon the surance Marketplace Standards gerous factories. If a father Association for our commitment died or was seriously injured, ethical and financial strength to ethical business practices. his family would suffer — While many in the insurance often terribly. Father Mcof the Knights of Columbus. industry struggled, we saw a flight Givney wanted to protect to the kind of quality that comes these Catholic families, and he from our philosophy: a mission to put his principles to work in fundamental moral values of our protect the financial security of Catholic founding the Knights. men and their families based on Venerable True to his vision, the Knights of Catholic faith.

Columbus has continued its high ethical What holds true for us at home should Michael McGivney’s vision 128 years ago.

People can see the difference. In 2009, standards because we view our brother also hold true for our business decisions, Knights as family. As a result, our fine and at the Knights of Columbus, it does. we had our best year ever with more than $7 billion in sales. team of insurance, financial and invest- This hasn’t hurt business, either.

As we begin 2010, my pledge to every ment professionals cares for the money Our rules bar us from investing in of our members as if it were their own. companies and industries with immoral brother Knight and his family is this: We When it comes to shielding his family products, research or services, yet year will stay the course that has proven so from financial uncertainty, every family after year — and again in 2009 — we successful in the current financial crisis. man looks for safety, prudence, protec- have made money without compromis- We will continue to build upon the ethical and financial strength of the Knights tion, quality and sustainable growth of in- ing our principles. vestments. Such thinking isn’t just “smart.”

We have been successful for our mem- of Columbus, and that strength will conIt is the right and moral course of action. bers in other ways, too. During a year in tinue to be a strong shield to protect the Many companies were lured by the which 140 banks failed, annuity sales at financial future of our families.

Vivat Jesus! promise of quick profits that put their the Knights of Columbus were up 60 per-

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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

Loving the Eucharist We must grow in understanding of and reverence for the gift of the holy Eucharist

by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori

NOT LONG AGO, a parishioner said the Last Supper. At every Mass, the to me that she just didn’t see the need to priest repeats and reenacts the words by go to Mass every Sunday. “I go to Mass which the Lord instituted the Eucharist: speaks to our mission to bring Christ once in a while, when I think it will help “Take this and eat it, all of you; this is into our daily lives. The Scriptures refer me,” she said. Unfortunately, many peo- my Body which will be given for you. … to the Eucharist as the “Breaking of ple who consider themselves faithful Take this and drink of this, all of you. Bread” — a sharing in the Body of the Catholics share this attitude, an attitude This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood Lord that makes us one. Lastly, “Holy that is not proportionate to the gift and of the new and everlasting covenant. It Communion” tells us that the Eucharist will be shed for you and for all so that unites us to the Trinity, to the saints and mystery of the Eucharist.

The Compendium of the Catechism of sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory angels in heaven, and to one another in the Church here on earth (275). the Catholic Church offers a brief sum- of me” (273). mary of this great mystery of faith: “The We hear these words so often, but do In this Year for Priests, let us rememEucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body we realize their significance? ber that the Eucharist is at the very heart and Blood of the Lord Jesus….” It is not Since the Eucharist re-presents (makes of the priesthood. Only a validly ormerely a reminder that Christ offered his present again) the death and resurrection dained priest or bishop who acts in the Body and Blood for our sake; rather, it is of Christ, it contains the entire spiritual person of Christ and in the name of the that offering. Jesus himself instituted the wealth of the Church. It brings us into Church can offer the Eucharist (278).

Eucharist “to perpetuate the sacriThrough ordination, the priest fice of the cross throughout the is conformed to Christ — the Jesus makes his sacrifice of love great high priest — so that he ages until his return in glory” (271).

The Eucharist, the heart of the can reenact Christ’s words and available to us so we can offer Church’s life, is the banquet and deeds. living memorial of Christ’s sacrifice.

We also should not forget that our lives in union with him to When we worthily partake of the the Eucharist was prefigured in the Father as an acceptable Eucharist, we participate even now the Passover. When Jesus gathin God’s own life. ered with his Apostles in the sacrifice of praise.

Upper Room, they celebrated a THANKSGIVING Passover meal that commemoAND COMMUNION union (communion) with the Trinity rated the deliverance of the people of IsGathered with his Apostles, Jesus en- and with one another. It puts us in touch rael from the slavery of Egypt to the trusted the Eucharist to the Church at with the great liturgy of heaven, that ut- freedom of the Promised Land. This deterly joyous and eternal worship of God liverance foreshadowed the great deliverfor which we were made and for which ance we experience at the Eucharist: from The 23rd installment of Supreme our hearts long (274, 287). the slavery of sin to the freedom of the Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori’s The more we think about what the new life of grace that Christ won for us. faith formation program addresses Eucharist actually is, the less “optional” questions 271-294 of the Comit seems! The very names used to de- THE REAL PRESENCE pendium of the Catechism of the scribe the Eucharist remind us of its cen- Each time the Eucharist is celebrated, Catholic Church. Archived articles are trality. For example, the word Jesus’ sacrifice is truly made present: at www.kofc.org.

“Eucharist” refers to the thanksgiving we “The sacrifice of the cross and the sacriowe to God. The phrase “Holy Mass” fice of the Eucharist are one and the 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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HH TE S O O,LU L E A R NKI N IGG T FAFI TCH L IM VBU I N SG N TE HW E SFA I T H

same sacrifice” (280). Christ is both the priest and the victim. While his sacrifice on the cross occurred in a bloody manner, the Eucharist is offered in an unbloody manner, through the signs of bread and wine (279).

Jesus makes his sacrifice of love available to us so we can offer our lives — our joys, sorrows and daily work — in union with him to the Father as an acceptable sacrifice of praise. It is the most perfect prayer that we can offer for our loved ones and for all the living and the dead.

We can understand our need for the Eucharist by focusing on how Christ is present “in a true, real, and substantial way, with his Body and his Blood, his Soul and his Divinity” (282). Indeed,

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

Offered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI GENERAL: For all scholars and intellectuals, that by means of sincere search for the truth they may arrive at an understanding of the one true God.

PHOTOGRAPH OF POPE: CNS photo/Paul Haring

MISSION: That the Church, aware of its own missionary identity, may strive to follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim His Gospel to all peoples.

the Church has coined a word to describe the complete transformation of bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood: “transubstantiation” (283).

This leads us to reflect on the respect we owe the eucharistic species, the bread and wine transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood. Christ is present whole and entire in each particle of the host and in each drop of the Precious Blood. The eucharistic species should therefore be treated with reverence and great care.

Since Christ is truly and substantially present, we worship the Eucharist both during Mass and outside of Mass.

Given the beauty and centrality of this sublime gift, the Church rightly obliges us to take part in Mass each Sun-

day. While we are obliged to receive Communion at least once a year, during the Easter season, the Church encourages frequent reception (289, 290). To receive worthily, we must be members of the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace. If we are aware of any mortal sins we have committed, we should first receive the sacrament of penance. We should also prepare our hearts to receive our Lord in the Eucharist by prayerful recollection and by fasting one hour before Mass. Finally, we should show respect for the Eucharist by our prayerful demeanor and appropriate dress when attending Mass.

In each of these ways, let us embrace in love this great mystery of faith.♦

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

Blessed Stefan Frelichowski (1913-1945) Memorial: Feb. 22 BORN JAN. 22, 1913, in the town of Chelzma, Poland, Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski participated in the Polish Scouts from a young age. He frequently served at Mass and, according to his diaries, often requested of the Sacred Heart of Jesus “a clear and ardent vocation.”

Ordained March 14, 1937, after studying to be a priest for the Pelplin Diocese in northern Poland, Father Frelichowski served as a secretary to Bishop Stanislaus Adalbert Okoniewski and was later sent to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Toruń. Father Frelichowski continued his work with the Scouts as a chaplain and was known for his fervent faith.

After Toruń was taken during the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Gestapo took Father Frelichowski into custody Oct. 18. He was sent through Stuthoff, Sachsenhausen and finally to the Dachau concentration camp.

At Dachau, Father Frelichowski secretly ministered to sick and elderly prisoners by bringing them food and whatever medicine he could attain. He also heard con-

fessions in Polish, French and German. At great risk to himself, he continued to attend to the sick amid a typhus epidemic in 1944. After eventually contracting both typhus and pneumonia himself, he died at Dachau on Feb. 23, 1945 — just weeks before the camp was liberated.

During Father Frelichowski’s beatification ceremony June 7, 1999, Pope John Paul II noted that the young priest generously shared peace with others because of Christ’s strength, which “not even death as a martyr was able to crush.”

Blessed Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski sought to be a “priest after the heart of Christ,” and his example of courageous and faithful service to others in the most dismal of circumstances is an enduring example of the love to which we are called.

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

Vicarius Christi Fund earnings given to pope

Pope: Supreme Knight’s book ‘providential’

Knights celebrate the 50th ‘Running of the Silver Rose’

AT A PANEL discussion hosted by Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, the Italian language version of Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson’s best-selling book A Civilization of Love (Una Civiltà Dell’Amore) was officially released in Rome Dec. 9.

In a note sent through Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, Pope Benedict XVI called the book “a providential editorial initiative.” The full text of Cardinal Bertone’s message read: “On the occasion of the presentation of the book A Civilization of Love by Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, the Supreme Pontiff directs his auspicious well wishes and hopes that this providential editorial initiative arouses a renewed fidelity in Christ and a generous evangelical witness.

The pope willingly imparts to all present at this significant occasion his implored apostolic blessings. I send his personal greetings and good wishes.”

In the book’s introduction, Anderson notes that the Second Vatican Council “challenged cultures on a global basis by a set of values inspired by its understanding of each person’s true vocation.” The book is intended to “explore the implications of this call to build a civilization of love.”

The English language edition of A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World remains available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

THREE SILVER ROSES were exchanged Dec. 10 on the International Bridge at the border between the United States and Mexico. It was the first in a series of events sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to commemorate the 50th “Running of the Silver Rose” and the 478th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12.

The roses, which are symbols of unity among the peoples in the Americas and also of the pro-life movement, began their journey in Canada last May and traveled throughout North America. The journey concluded in Mexico City at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The “Running of the Silver Rose” began in 1960 as an initiative of the Columbian Squires. For more information, visit www.runningoftherose.org.

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TOP: L’Osservatore Romano

On Dec. 10, 2009, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI met privately with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, accompanied by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. During the course of their meeting, the Supreme Knight presented the Holy Father with a check for $1.6 million, representing the earnings from the Order’s Vicarius Christi Fund, the annual proceeds from which are given for the Holy Father’s personal charities and causes.

FAT H E R S F O R G O O D

Making Marriage Better Spouses can rekindle the romance and strengthen the bond of their marriage

PHOTO: Jupit er Images

by Mary DeTurris Poust and Dennis Poust WE’VE NEVER BEEN a Valentine’s Day kind of couple, not because we’re not romantic or deeply in love — we are both of those things — but because we recognize the hyped-up romance of Valentine’s Day is more about selling cards and flowers than about strengthening a relationship or demonstrating true love.

That being said, when we started dating almost two decades ago, our first Valentine’s Day was as romantic as they come. It started with both of us buying each other the exact same card. It was, to us, just one more example of the fact that we were, and remain, a couple truly in sync.

A visit to The Cloisters museum in upper Manhattan and an Italian dinner in the Bronx were the proverbial icing on the Valentine’s Day cake that year.

But, as often happens to even the closest couples in the best of marriages, life can take its toll. After 15 years of marriage, three children, one miscarriage and two cross-country moves, we began to get bogged down in the daily details that can rob married love of its passion, its romance, its soul.

The blissful feelings of those early days, when we recognized each other as soul mates, best friends and lifelong loves, started to get buried under the obligations and stress that come with parenting and professional lives, volunteer service and homeownership. It was becoming harder and harder for us to see the couple we had once been.

We talked about how to reignite the fire of love and considered attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter (www.wwme.org) weekend, but neither of us was committed enough to make it happen. Our marriage was good. Did we really need to spend a whole weekend working on it? What if the Marriage Encounter brought up old hurts or tensions that would pull us apart?

Finally, after several people told us that Marriage Encounter would be the best weekend of our married lives, we mailed the registration form, sent the kids to a relative and headed out.

Marriage Encounter is a Catholic program that offers to “turn a good marriage into a great marriage.” Over a period of two days, we explored ideas and feelings we hadn’t thought about in a while — or ever, in some cases. But the weekend didn’t dredge up problems or dwell on the negatives. In a gentle and life-affirming way, it gave us an opportunity to stand side-byside, looking out at the future as one. Through the powerful witness of our presenting couples and priest, we learned that we could create a married life of joy, passion and excitement, even in the midst of our daily challenges and struggles.

Marriage Encounter didn’t force us to share our deepest feelings with strangers, as we feared. Its focus was on listening to the presenters and spending time alone as a couple, where we could give each other some much-deserved attention — something that had been sorely lacking in our lives.

We expected our marriage to return to business as usual after we left our Marriage Encounter cocoon, but that was not the case. We still have our fights and struggles, but we manage those setbacks better and bring real healing to any divisions.

When we look back on our past 15 years of marriage, on all the anniversaries and birthdays and Valentine’s Days, there is no question that the best gift we ever gave our family was our Marriage Encounter weekend. We look toward the future now and see a life where the intense feelings of love and joy in being a couple do not have to diminish with age or time or struggles.

This is because we have made a decision to love; because we have been reminded of our great gift and have been given the tools to keep that gift alive and flourishing; and because we have put God back into his rightful place in our marriage. Now, nothing seems impossible.♦ DENNIS POUST is director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference. MARY DETURRIS POUST is author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism and blogs at www.notstrictlyspiritual.blogspot.com.

FIND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES AT WWW. FATHERSFORGOOD. ORG .

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the

GIFT of

MOBILITY

The Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission provides hope and independence for thousands in need

by Peter Feuerherd

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All photos are courtesy of the American Wheelchair Mission

K

night Sam Szalwinski of San Antonio did not speak much Spanish. And the woman from the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, who received a wheelchair from Szalwinski, did not speak any English.

“We didn’t need language to understand what was transpiring,” said Szalwinski, a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Council 7613 in San Antonio and the Texas state wheelchair mission chairman.

“I had tears in my eyes,” he added, recalling an emotion-filled presentation of wheelchairs to the needy in Nuevo Laredo. “The lady was so gracious and so joyful.”

Such is a snapshot of one of the Order’s most successful charitable endeavors: its partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission, an alliance of the American Wheelchair Mission and the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation (Fondation Chaise Roulante Canada). For relatively little cost, the initiative transforms thousands of lives around the world. From veterans in Florida and seniors in Saskatchewan to villagers in Afghanistan, Knights are making a difference — one wheelchair at a time.

TRANSFORMING LIVES In developing countries, delivering a wheelchair improves the lives of about 10 people, said Christopher Lewis, a member of Alhambra (Calif.) Council 2431 and president of the American Wheelchair Mission.

Life improves not only for those in need of wheelchairs — some of whom move about literally by crawling along the concrete of city streets or the dirt of rural villages — but also for their families and neighbors. As immobile children receive wheelchairs, this pathway to independence allows them to attend school, often for the first time.

Their parents can then go to work to provide for their families instead of being full-time caretakers.

Wheelchair distributions transcend political and language barriers as well, and can be the cause of great celebration. Lewis recalled the reaction of one Chilean neighborhood: “When we delivered a wheelchair, it was like a block party. The wheelchair had an impact on an entire city block.”

According to Lewis, approximately 3 percent of people in developing countries require wheelchairs. In countries dotted with landmines from long-forgotten wars, such as Angola, as many as 20 percent suffer some disability. All together, it is estimated that approximately 100 million people around the world are in need of wheelchairs, but cannot afford them.

The Knights’ involvement with the distributions began in 2003

Facing page: A World War II vet uses his new wheelchair at a distribution event in at the VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, Fla., Aug. 25, 2009.

Above: A young boy happily receives his new wheelchair.

when the Supreme Council sponsored the delivery of 2,000 wheelchairs to Afghanistan, and then to Jordan, the Philippines, Poland and Mexico the following year. California Knights picked up the mission in 2003 and have set the pace for the rest of the country.

Since then, Knights have sponsored the delivery of more than 20,000 wheelchairs.

Wheelchairs similar to those distributed by the Global Wheelchair Mission typically sell for more than $500 in a medical supply store.

Yet, because the wheelchairs are purchased in bulk and containers of 100-280 wheelchairs are shipped from the factory to the country of destination, the Global Wheelchair Mission is able to provide the wheelchairs for just $150 each.

In many cases, donors receive a personalized photo of the person who is given a wheelchair, connecting a modest donation with a human face filled with gratitude. Also, the emblem of the Order is stitched on the back of each wheelchair.

The Knights’ current partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission grew out of its previous collaboration with the Wheelchair Foundation, an organization Lewis helped create in 2000.

Lewis said his own involvement in the cause has its roots in his lifelong participation with the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Labor Day Telethon led by his famous father, comedian and actor Jerry Lewis. Since he began working on the telethon in 1972 at the age of 14, Chris has always been dedicated to helping people with physical disabilities. The wheelchair mission was a natural progression.

BEYOND BORDERS The need for basic mobility wheelchairs is not confined to developing countries; there is also a need being met by Knights across North America.

Although wheelchair efforts in Texas have focused on the needy across the nearby Mexican border, they have also benefited retired priests and bishops at the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s Padua Place, a local retirement residence.

Elsewhere, the impact of donated wheelchairs on the lives of veterans living on limited budgets has been substantial. The Wheelchairs for Veterans program launched on Veterans Day in 2007 when the Supreme Council donated 2,000 wheelchairs to veterans in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Additional wheelchairs for veterans have recently been distributed in California, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and New Jersey.

Past State Deputy Bob Read of Marion Council 5960 in Ocala, Fla., who now serves as state chairman of the wheelchair mission, said the Knights in Florida have focused their efforts on U.S. veterans from World War II to the present. The reaction is palpable.

“Some have gone through 15 years of struggling,” he said. “They are just overwhelmed that there are people who really care. They didn’t realize there were people like this out there for them.”

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Read’s pitch at Florida parishes and K of C councils is simple. at a wheelchair distribution Mass there: “People come here like “We let people know that the reason for the campaign is to bring eagles with only one wing. The Knights gave them the other one; hope and mobility for those who need it,” he said. In addition to now they can fly.” veterans, the Florida Knights also reach out to needy members in their local communities.

THE NEED IS GREAT “Outside developed countries, it is very dramatic,” said Lewis. In late 2008, Past State Deputy Marvin DeSchryver of In many cases, by giving someone a wheelchair, “You are making Saskatchewan and his wife, Pat, escaped the Canadian winter to the difference between a person wanting to live and wanting to die.” the Dominican Republic to deliver wheelchairs in and around One recipient in Mexico City had spent two decades moving Santo Domingo. A province large in size and small in population, around solely by using a metal skateboard before he received a Saskatchewan has the most per capita donations of wheelchairs wheelchair with the help of the Order. Last November, when among all the Order’s jurisdictions.

Knights distributed wheelchairs in Los Reyes, Mexico, many recipOne of the wheelchairs donated by Saskatchewan Knights ients were able to attend Mass that day for the first time in years. gave mobility and freedom to a 34-year-old man who was physIn Mexico alone, Lewis has been part of the effort to distribute ically disabled by an accident as a child. In another case, a 92approximately 120,000 wheelchairs — and the need continues. year-old woman had been bedridden and in need of a wheelchair K of C councils in Mexico and other parts of Latin America act for eight years. as official distribution partners for the wheelchairs, identifying reThe small group of Saskatchewan Knights who traveled to the cipients with help from social workers and local organizations. Dominican Republic also came prepared with an abundance of neThey also host visiting Knights from the cessities and other goods for distribution United States and Canada. to the poor.

U.S. and Canadian councils, mean“It seemed wherever we went, the while, have been conducting “Wheelchildren would gather around,” recalled “Our simple, straightchair Sunday” parish drives to raise DeSchryver. “We gave out school supforward and impactful funds for and awareness of the humaniplies, toothbrushes, small toys, Canatarian mission. Thousands of wheeldian flag pins and more than 100 program allows chairs have been sponsored in response handmade rosaries.” to a brief video presentation, and hunIn the town of Samana, Knights were even the smallest dreds of men have decided to join the met by a mother, her sister and an eightcommunities to Knights as a result. year-old child.

Indeed, Knights involved in the “What was unique is that they heard connect to far-away Global Wheelchair Mission find that of the distribution and just showed up, this practical and effective outreach to taking a chance that they might get a places and peoples.” the needy is a strong recruiting tool. wheelchair,” noted DeSchryver. Their When men hear about it, they want to hopes were met, as there was an extra join and get involved. In fact, a council wheelchair available, and they received was formed at the Basilica of Our Lady the gift with tears of joy. of Guadalupe in Mexico City as a direct result of men inspired by Still, Knights are not content to rest on memories of grateful the wheelchair distributions there. people receiving assistance. There is a strong sense that the effort Christiana Flessner, executive director of the Canadian Wheel- should continue because the need is great. chair Foundation, explained, “Our simple, straight-forward and During the long van ride back from one of their trips to Mexico, impactful program allows even the smallest communities in Texas Knights recounted the emotions connected to wheelchair Canada to connect to far-away places and peoples, connecting distributions. “It is very emotional to present a wheelchair to a perKnights to Knights and hearts to hearts.” son in need,” explained Szalwinski. He added that one of the Larry Kustra, past state deputy of Manitoba and a member of Knights’ wives expressed concern that they continue the momenSt. Emile Council 8221 in Winnipeg, said the effort generates in- tum from their journey and not become complacent. “She said, terest among young and old alike. “The program has given ‘The time for emotion is over. We need to get into action.’”

[Knights in Manitoba] a broader perspective than just local charity And so, through the Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelneeds,” he said. A distribution in Cuba sponsored by the Manitoba chair Mission, the Knights from San Antonio, as well as scores of Knights is planned for this year. other councils across North America, continue to expand this huDan Heffernan, Ontario state advocate and state wheelchair manitarian outreach, answering prayers and changing lives. program director, traveled a second time to Mexico in 2008 with For more information about the Global Wheelchair a K of C delegation. Once there, Knights distributed wheelchairs Mission, including video clips and support materials, visit along with Toronto Blue Jays baseball caps as gifts. www.kofc.org/wheelchair.♦ According to Heffernan, a wheelchair is a valuable asset in Mexico, where many people subsist on an average annual wage of just $1,500. He was very touched by the remarks of a priest PETER FEUERHERD writes from Rego Park, N.Y. 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Photos clockwise: Supreme Treasurer Emilio Moure talks with a wheelchair recipient. • California Knight Joe Salaiz and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson give a boy his new wheelchair in Mexico City. • California Knights Chris Lewis and Larry Franco make new friends distributing wheelchairs in Mexico City. • Wheelchair recipients explore their new mobility at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Coats for Kids T

he jackets were almost as warm as the smiles. Mixed in, too, were expressions of disbelief. “Is this coat really for me?” many children seemed to ask. The resounding answer was always, “Yes!” As January wound to a close, the Knights of Columbus “Coats for Kids” initiative surged ahead at full steam: 14 major distributions had been completed in the United States and Canada, with thousands of winter jackets distributed to needy families in urban centers of Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Wisconsin and elsewhere. Several more events are planned for this month, with an

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ultimate goal of handing out 10,000 coats in 20 cold-weather cities.

For more information and additional photos, visit www.kofc.org/coatsforkids.♦

Facing page: Greg Finnila, grand knight of Queen City Council 575 in Battle Creek, Mich., helps a girl try on her new coat at a ‘Coats for Kids’ distribution Nov. 21.

Below: A boy holds his new coat at the distribution in New Haven Dec. 2.

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CONFESSION’S COMEBACK Dioceses work to make the sacrament readily available during the reflective days of Lent

by Tim Drake

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CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier

“R

econciliation is essential for the future of humanity,” said into disuse. According to a 2008 survey conducted by the Center Archbishop José H. Gómez of San Antonio, one of many for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown bishops who have written pastoral letters on the sacrament of rec- University, only 61 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly onciliation in recent years. The archbishop, who is a member of go to confession once a year or more. For Catholics who attend Denver Council 539, added, “It’s a concept that has been forgotten Mass less than once a week but at least monthly, the figure is even or misunderstood in modern society.” lower (37 percent). Only 8 percent of Catholics who go to Mass For decades, the sacrament of reconciliation — known variously infrequently have been to confession in the past year. as the sacrament of conversion, penance, confession and forgive“Over the years, confession hasn’t been emphasized by many of ness — has undergone a steady decline. The past few years, how- the clergy,” said Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni, pastor at the Basilica ever, have seen the beginnings of a resurgence, due largely to of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, Conn. “The 1970s and diocesan efforts to make the sacrament more readily available to 1980s gave rise to things such as general absolution, and some emthose seeking its healing power. braced more of a Protestant notion that God will just forgive us The Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., for instance, is recreating its and that there are other ways to receive forgiveness.” successful “Lenten Confessional Campaign” this year. In 2009, for the Msgr. DiGiovanni points out that this type of de-emphasis first time, all 87 parishes in the diocese offered the sacrament of rec- misses an important aspect of the priestly ministry: a sacrament onciliation every Tuesday night during Lent from 7-9 p.m. instituted by Christ. As a result, the basilica began offering the With assistance from the Knights of Columbus, the diocese was sacrament more frequently — before every weekday and weekend able to purchase a variety of advertising to Mass — about five years ago. build awareness of the campaign, centered “We try to make it convenient for on the theme “Be Reconciled to God” (2 people,” added Msgr. DiGiovanni, who Cor 5:20). is a member of St. Augustine Council “The beauty of the “The beauty of the program was that 41 in Stamford. program was that wherever you were or happened to be, you knew that on Tuesday night, the CONFESSION CAMPAIGNS wherever you were or Catholic church was open,” said Joe Bridgeport’s program, instituted by McAleer, former communications diSupreme Chaplain Bishop William E. happened to be, you rector for the Diocese of Bridgeport. “It Lori, was modeled on reconciliation knew that on Tuesday was convenient and often encouraged a campaigns in Washington, D.C., and spontaneous gesture toward the sacraelsewhere. night, the Catholic ment. It proved the old saying of ‘offer In Washington’s “The Light is On it, and people will come.’” for You” campaign, which first church was open,” And come they did. From data relaunched in 2007, the archdiocese proceived through a survey of parishes, duced user-friendly guides to confesMcAleer estimates that approximately sion, a wallet-sized card with the Act of 10,000 people took advantage of the Contrition in English and Spanish, and sacrament during Bridgeport’s campaign. advertisements on buses and subway cars. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, who is a member of The Catholic University of America REDISCOVERING PENANCE Council 9542, asked all parishes to make the sacrament available Msgr. Christopher J. Walsh serves as the pastor of St. Joseph between certain times each Wednesday during Lent.

Church in Shelton, Conn., and is the author of The Untapped Similar programs to re-emphasize the sacrament have also been Power of the Sacrament of Penance: A Priest’s View (Servant, 2005). implemented by other dioceses, including Baltimore, Boston, A member of Bernardo Council 1350, Msgr. Walsh often explains Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Orlando. As these initiatives the significance of Christ’s institution of the sacrament. have borne fruit, more dioceses have made efforts to adopt such “It can’t be accidental that the risen Christ’s first words conveyed programs each year. the sacrament,” he said. “It was the first important power the risen “We have received calls and inquiries from dozens of dioceses,” Lord wanted to give to his disciples” (see Jn 20:19-23). said Susan Gibbs, director of communications for the Archdiocese According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Those who of Washington. approach the sacrament of penance obtain pardon from God’s Before embarking on its own campaign last year, the Diocese of mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same Bridgeport contacted each of the other dioceses to find out what time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by worked best. their sins” (CCC, 1422).

“Most said that having it on one evening at the same time Yet, despite its importance, the sacrament has undeniably fallen seemed the best way to do it,” said Damien O’Connor, director of pastoral services for the diocese. “Those dioceses that tried various times and dates found it to be less successful.”

A priest hears a confession during a reconciliation service at Our Lady of PerIn addition to assisting with advertising, the Supreme Council petual Help Church in Rochester, N.Y., in April 2009. also donated 100,000 copies of the pamphlet, “A Guide to FEBRUARY 2010

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Photo by Don Hamerman

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Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1668-1669, Art Resource, Scala / Art Resource, NY.

Confession.” The pamphlet, which was written by Bishop Lori and is distributed through the Order’s Catholic Information Service (CIS), offers an overview of the sacrament and includes an examination of conscience that can be used in preparation.

In 2006, St. Mary’s Church in Lake Forest, Ill., offered “24 Hours of Grace,” during which more than 70 priests heard confessions. The following year, the Archdiocese of Chicago repeated the effort, offering the sacrament at seven different parishes over a 24-hour period. More than 2,500 people received the sacrament.

Dioceses such as Colorado Springs, Colo., and Syracuse, N.Y., have gone a step further. There, the sacrament is made available even in shopping malls.

At Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, for instance, Capuchin Franciscans offer confession at the mall’s Catholic Center. They have been hearing confessions there since 2001, averaging about 20 visitors per day.

“People come because they know that a priest is always going to be there,” said Father Gene Emrisek. A member of St. Fidelis Council 1867 in Victoria, Kan., Father Emrisek is one of several priests, known as “mall monks,” who serve the center.

A LASTING IMPACT Several factors have been effective in reintroducing Catholics to the saving power of the sacrament of penance.

“The time is very important,” said Msgr. Martin Ryan, pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Church and a member of St. Edward Council 12968 in New Fairfield, Conn. “No longer is Saturday the best time for reconciliation. If I’m coming in just 20 minutes before Saturday evening Mass, that’s probably not the best time and place.”

Strong diocesan leadership is particularly essential. Many bishops have written pastoral letters on the sacrament in recent years, and the leadership and suggestions of diocesan presbyteral councils are invaluable.

Those involved in organizing confession campaigns have noted the importance of a prominent Web site to let people know when confessions are being heard. They have also remarked about the lasting impact of a successful program.

“The response from Catholics was great, as was the response of our priests, many of whom said it renewed their priesthood,” said Gibbs. “They were really touched by the people who came in and had been away from the sacrament or the Church for 30 or 40 years.”

The Archdiocese of Washington is repeating its campaign this Lent, making confession available in more languages and partnering with the Diocese of Arlington to make the sacrament available throughout the entire Washington metropolitan area. Additionally, many parishes will incorporate eucharistic adoration into the initiative, and new prayer resources will be made available.

After the success of last year’s efforts in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Msgr. Ryan said that his parish council and liturgy committee

For more information about the sacrament of reconciliation, and to obtain guides on how to receive the sacrament, visit www.kofc.org/cis or write CIS, P.O. Box 1971, New Haven, CT 06521-1971 or cis@kofc.org.

Above: Rembrandt van Rijn’s The Return of the Prodigal Son, depicting the Gospel parable, has become a popular illustration of the sacrament of reconciliation.

Facing page: Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni, pastor of the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, Conn., made confession more available by setting time for it before every weekday and weekend Mass. came up with some ideas for making the sacrament more available, including additional confession times each month. “We also decided to have our faith-formation staff work to ensure that every class throughout our religious education program would have the opportunity to participate in the sacrament some time during the year,” he added.

Meanwhile, many priests have expressed their desire to help out fellow clergy who may be serving a parish alone.

Ultimately, Lenten reconciliation campaigns are about reintroducing Catholics to the Church and the sacraments. The hope is that people will not only avail themselves of the sacrament during the season of Lent, but that they will make it a regular part of their spiritual life.♦ TIM DRAKE serves as senior writer with the National Catholic Register. He resides in St. Joseph, Minn.

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Learning the Faith The Catholic Information Service provides resources to evangelize effectively and learn about one’s faith

By Mary Zurolo Walsh

P

eggy Olds compares The Luke E. Hart Series of booklets on Catholic Christianity, published by the Knights of Columbus Catholic Information Service (CIS), to pure gold.

“There are no words to describe how well-done this series is,” said Olds, who has taught religious education for more than 30 years.

“The books are invaluable.”

Olds, whose husband, Roger, is a member of Father John Joseph Dussman Council 3731 in Glenview, Ill., is the author of a series of catechetical books for children. She first requested the 30-part series of CIS booklets to increase her own knowledge of the faith. Once she read the booklets, most of which are just 20-30 pages each, she contacted the parents of each of her religious education students and urged them to consider having the booklets in their homes.

In addition to The Hart Series, written by Boston College philosophy professor and popular author Peter Kreeft, the Order’s Catholic Information Service publishes 42 other easy-to-read booklets in its Veritas Series. CIS also facilitates a Catholic home study course and offers other free or low-cost faith resources on a wide range of topics.

One of the Knights’ best-kept secrets, CIS has worked to further the Church’s mission of evangelization through advertising, instruction and counseling for more than 60 years.

A NEED FULFILLED Originally founded in 1948 by a small group of Missouri Knights in response to the dissemination of anti-Catholic information in the Bible Belt, CIS is the oldest Catholic print-media program of evangelization in the United States and Canada.

The program began when advertising executive Charles Kelly of Marquette Council 606 in St. Louis and his brother, Virgil, developed print ads introducing Catholic teachings and practices to readers of popular secular publications. Included with the ads was a coupon offering a free booklet.

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With the help of Vincentian priests, the effort became an Orderwide program almost immediately. Originally headquartered in St. Louis and known as the Religious Information Bureau, the program eventually moved in 1971 to the Supreme Council headquarters in New Haven, Conn., where it was renamed the Catholic Information Service.

Since its beginnings, CIS has reached millions of people worldwide; Catholics and non-Catholics alike request the materials that are offered through the program.

CIS booklets are categorized into two series. The Luke E. Hart Series, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is divided into 10 books each on what Catholics believe, how Catholics pray and how Catholics live. It is named after the past supreme knight who served from 1953 to 1964 and directed the Supreme Council to assume responsibility for the Missouri Knights’ program.

The Veritas Series, which offers Catholic perspectives on a variety of issues pertaining to faith and life, currently consists of 42 booklets — and counting. More recent titles include Understanding Stem Cell Research; Cohabitation; Saint Benedict for Busy Parents; and Men and Abortion. Additional titles continue to be added as new topics arise. Soon-to-be-released booklets will be on the Holy Eucharist and the teaching of the popes on ecology (Care for Creation).

“When a need is perceived, we try to fill it,” said Dominican Father Juan-Diego Brunetta, director of Catholic Information Service.

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The most popular titles are Prayer Time, Questions and Answers on the Catholic Faith and Armed with the Faith, a prayer book for Catholic military personnel. Michele Martindale, CIS administrator, said that 5,000 to 7,500 copies of each booklet are reprinted each year.

In addition, nearly 200,000 people have enrolled in the CIS home study course since it first began. The 10-part faith formation program is offered by mail and online. Lessons, mailed in five installments of two lessons each, cover such topics as the Apostles’ Creed, the sacraments, the Mass, grace, sin and the precepts of the Church.

Enrollees answer multiple-choice questions and submit their answers to the CIS staff, who correct and return the answers. Those who complete the course receive a certificate.

GETTING THE WORD OUT While the CIS booklets and home study course have been around for decades, the Order has expanded its audience in recent years with French and Spanish translations of many of its resources. The CIS staff is working to translate the Hart series into Polish as well.

CIS has also made strides to appeal to a modern audience by providing free digital copies and high-quality audio recordings of the booklets online. All the booklets are now available free as downloadable PDF files and many are in MP3 audio format as well.

Father Juan-Diego notes that although CIS was originally founded to counter anti-Catholic rhetoric, its focus shifted to one of catechizing Catholics so that they can in turn evangelize others.

Facing page, left to right: Father Vincent G. Kaiser, C.M., former director of the Religious Information Bureau in St. Louis, Father James E. Cahill, C.M., and Father Carlton A Prindeville, C.M., discuss and respond to inquiries, ca. 1963.

Above: Michele Martindale and Dominican Father Juan-Diego Brunetta oversee the Catholic Information Service’s day-to-day operations.

“What we are realizing in the last 15 years is that it’s not just nonCatholics who have no idea what the Catholic Church teaches,” said Father Juan-Diego. “Catholics, themselves, are unchurched, so the mission of the Knights is making a turn to first make members and families stronger in their own faith so they can do evangelical work.”

He added, “The phone rings off the hook. Every format that we put out, they’re using.”

Many people have become aware of the CIS materials after seeing them on display or receiving a flyer from their diocese.

Marty Ronstadt, a member of Deacon Raphael Ray Longpre Council 10441 in Tucson, Ariz., said he first noticed the booklets at a local parish a few years ago. When he inquired about getting them, his pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish insisted that they be offered for free.

Ever since, the council has hosted fundraisers to cover the cost.

“We’re supplying information on some very good and timely subjects that help people to better understand their Catholic faith,” said Ronstadt.

His council uses the booklets during a discussion group called the “Knights’ Round Table” that is held once a month after Mass.

Members have found Veritas booklets such as What Catholics Should Know About Islam and Eastern Christians and their Churches especially helpful in their discussions. Ronstadt also recommended the booklet Lord, Teach Us to Pray to the chaplain of his local hospital, who often encounters patients who haven’t prayed in years and who request a priest’s help in doing so.

“One of the main missions of the Knights of Columbus is to provide religious instruction to Catholics, and that’s what the Catholic

Information Service is all about,” said Frank Cheney of St. Philip the Apostle Council 9530 in Bakersfield, Calif., who has been stocking various booklets at his parish for the past four years. “The Veritas and Hart booklets provide a very wide range of information on such subjects as God’s commandments, prayer, Church history, marriage, morality and many others.”

Cheney said that his council subsidizes about 67 percent of the cost of the booklets, and council members see this as a good use of their funds. He even built a rack in the foyer of his church to accommodate the booklets, thousands of which are snatched up by parishioners each year.

MCGIVNEY’S MISSION Knights who work in prison ministry find the CIS booklets particularly useful.

“For a short read, they are just profound,” said Gary Kramis, a member of Father Billy Council 5921 in Willis, Texas, who volunteers as a prison chaplain.

Kramis uses the CIS materials with all types of prisoners — from those who can barely read to those who once worked as college professors. Not only do the booklets help answer prisoners’ questions about the Catholic faith, but they also help them ask better questions, Kramis said.

One of the more popular booklets among prisoners, according to Kramis, is A Scriptural Rosary for Peace, which offers a way to meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life in addition to prayers of supplication.

The Hart and Veritas series are not the only CIS materials being used to evangelize in prison. According to Martindale, half of all those enrolled in the home study course are prisoners.

Father Juan-Diego believes this is no coincidence. He recalls how the Order’s founder, Father Michael J. McGivney, was influential in bringing convicted murderer Chip Smith back to the Catholic faith before Smith’s execution in 1882.

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“It’s providential that [the home study course] continues to be used by those who are incarcerated,” Father Juan-Diego said. “It’s a continuation of Father McGivney’s impulse to go out and bring prisoners back to Christ.”

CIS materials are offered free to prison ministries, military and college councils, and educational institutions. Others are charged $1 per booklet to cover the cost of printing. Devotees, however, consider this a small price to pay for knowledge they consider to be not only extremely accessible but also priceless.

“The Hart Series surpasses all other materials on the market,” said Olds, who explained that use of the booklets among her religious education students has “sparked incredible discourse about [certain] passages in the Bible.”

A DAILY DEVOTION

♦

FEBRUARY 2010

MARY ZUROLO WALSH writes for the Catholic press from her home in Hamden, Conn.

With the book Knights to Christ, Colorado Knights are promoting daily meditation inspired by the principles of the Order

HOW OFTEN is one able to sit and pray, to take time out of a busy day to reflect on faith and God? For many people, even 10 minutes seems to be an impossible sum, precious time that could be spent doing any number of routine activities.

The mission behind Knights to Christ, a project of the Colorado Knights of Columbus, is to change this outlook.

Conceived in 2001 by then-State Deputy Robert G. O’Connor, Knights to Christ contains short daily devotions that are based on the work of Jesuit Father Mark Link. The reflections have a two-fold purpose: to assist Knights in finding a spiritual aspect to their membership in the Order and to tie daily Gospel passages to the Columbian virtues.

“Simplicity was important because we want people to be able to read it quickly and have it be meaningful to them,” said Christopher Smith, Knights to Christ international chairman for the Colorado State Council.

Instead of repetition or familiar prayers, the book’s meditations are focused around the four principles of the Order: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

The inspiration for the project began when O’Connor was serving as district deputy of Colorado District #9, and he approached his friend, a priest, about serving as chaplain of an area council. The priest consented, but only after a promise from O’Connor that the Knights do more to integrate spirituality into their lives.

From there, O’Connor was introduced to Father Link’s Vision 2000 series of daily meditation books. O’Connor was stunned by the beauty of the books’ content and began promoting them first throughout his district, and then throughout the state when he assumed the role of state treasurer in 1995.

O’Connor explained, “During that period, the Holy Spirit was certainly at work, and the thought occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this work of Father Link and have it geared toward the Knights of Columbus?’”

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Yet, CIS is not resting on its laurels; the service continues to produce formation resources that are faithful to Church teaching, high quality, understandable and inexpensive. In this way, CIS is giving Knights and their families the opportunity to both grow in their faith and share it with others.

“The average layman would be very surprised about what is available at their fingertips,” Kramis said.

For more information, and to download CIS booklets, visit www.kofc.org/cis.♦

With assistance from several Knights, including Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, O’Connor and his staff began assembling meditations that related directly to the principles of the Order. Father Link granted permission to reprint some of his previous material and even contributed a good deal of new writing to fill the book’s nearly 400 pages.

“The reason the book is so valuable is because so many of the lessons that it teaches are very real lessons; they fit what happens in our daily lives,” said Smith. “And when you tie it to the principles of the Knights of Columbus, it’s more meaningful for everyone.”

O’Connor has personally witnessed the results time and again.

Not only has Knights to Christ help breathe new life into struggling councils, but he also believes that the book is a great tool for recruiting new members.

“We’ve heard of people who had something going on in their life, and when they opened the book, there was some story that touched them and there was a complete turnaround,” said O’Connor. “It’s not so much what happened, but how it changed their attitude toward the adversity that was going on,” he added.

Since its initial publication, Knights to Christ has returned to press several times and has sold approximately 45,000 copies. The book sells for $9.95 (less if purchased in bulk), and proceeds are donated to Colorado State Charities Corporation, a subsidiary of the state council.

In the book’s introduction, former State Chaplain of Colorado Archbishop Chaput writes, “Knights to Christ is a wonderful resource of spiritual nourishment and a great way for every Knight to anchor himself in the roots of his apostolate.”

For more information or to order copies of Knights to Christ, visit www.coloradokofc.org (click on “Knights to Christ”) or call 1-866-610-8402.♦ PATRICK SCALISI is the associate editor of Columbia magazine.

­

KNIGHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

Tyrrell Assembly, both in Tampa, Fla., co-hosted the Veterans Memorial Road Race to benefit the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

The event raised $3,250, which was split among three VA programs and facilities.

NEIGHBORS IN HAITI

Dick Koegle, George Gagnon, Howard Schulz and Ron Daskevich of New Braunfels (Texas) Council 4183 prepare to distribute “Mark your Door for Mary” (MYDFM) plaques at St. Peter and Paul Church. Knights distributed the pro-life plaques at three area churches and raised more than $12,300 for Project Gabriel.

HELP FOR SISTERS

El Dorado Council 10 in Branford, Conn., assisted in paving the wheelchair-accessible walkway at the Monastery of the Glorious Cross and helped complete the monastery’s Shrine to Our Blessed Mother. Knights regularly provide landscaping and grocery delivery services for the sisters who live and work at the monastery.

READING FOR THE TROOPS

St. Anthony Council 9770 in Frankfort, Ill., held its annual golf tournament to benefit Father John Hannigan, a U.S. Marine Corps chaplain who ships Christian reading materials to U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. Over the years, Council 9770 has contributed approximately $4,000 to Father Hannigan, who is a member of Harry G. Johansing Council 4482 in Twenty Nine Palms, Calif.

from diabetes, council members decided to build a wheelchair ramp at his home. Knights volunteered 45 hours to build the ramp.

A PLACE TO SIT

Msgr. Kennedy Council 1986 in Modesto, Calif., donated $27,000 to Our Lady of Fatima School. The funds are earmarked to purchase new tables and chairs.

FEEDING THE MASSES

Lapeer (Mich.) Council 1987 held a country breakfast fundraiser that raised $600 for the Eastern Food Bank of Michigan.

STUDENT MISSIONARIES

Mother Marianne Cope Council 14260 at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y., helped sponsor a group of student missionaries from the Alibrandi Catholic Center on

FINGER ROSARIES

John M. Yencha Assembly in Parkersburg, W. Va., raised money to send 1,000 finger rosaries to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Each package contains one of the miniature rosaries, a leaflet on how to pray the rosary and a note thanking the soldiers for their service.

PEW FUND

St. Genevieve Council 13969 in Las Cruces, N.M., raised more than $3,400 to purchase new pews for its parish.

RAMP BUILT

When a member of Father Francis Finnegan Council 10976 in Sussex, Wis., lost his right leg to complications

Father Maurice J. Wolfe Council 11372 in Abingdon, Md., donated $800 to Our Lady, Our Queen Church in Haiti.

MEMORIAL ROAD RACE

Christ the King Council 12165 and Father William

Father James L. Loughnane of St. Denis Council 11260 in Diamond Bar, Calif., blesses a wheelchair recipient while Supreme Treasurer Emilio B. Moure looks on. After an appeal from the Global Wheelchair Mission and the Knights of Columbus San Gabriel Valley Chapter, parishioners at St. Denis Church raised $34,000 to purchase wheelchairs for people with disabilities in Mexico.

a service trip to New Orleans.

Knights and Council Chaplain Father Linus DeSantis were also among those who undertook the trip to aid the ongoing relief efforts in the Gulf Coast.

TELETHON HELP

Participants at a CPR seminar sponsored by St. Regis Council 6299 in Trafford, Pa., learn how to perform the lifesaving technique on automated dummies. Knights sponsored the event to teach parishioners how to properly perform CPR and how to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Father Leo Anctil Circle 5211 in Coventry, R.I., volunteered at a telethon to raise funds for Meeting Street School. The event raised $737,000, of which the Squires were responsible for $800. Meeting Street School serves children with special needs.

PORTABLE CONFESSIONAL

At the request of Notre Dame High School, Holy Family Council 6099 in Chattanooga, Tenn., built a portable confessional screen for use in the school’s chapel.

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♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 25

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

the local art league to benefit a family whose daughter has cancer. The event raised $3,000 to help offset the family’s medical expenses.

HELPING WOUNDED WARRIORS

Father Ericson Orozco, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church, blesses a new Marian prayer garden built by Msgr. Patrick J. McGivney Council 12615 in Bridgeport, Conn. At the dedication, the Knights sponsored a living rosary for council members and parishioners.

Bishop Denis J. O’Connell Council 12366 in Fort Mill, S.C., hosted a charity dinner and theater show to benefit an area wounded warrior fund. The event raised $3,600 for the organization, which helps wounded veterans transition back into civilian life.

Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and Past State Deputy Kelly J. Mortensen.

At the event, Mortensen presented Bishop Estabrook with a check for $10,000 in support of archdiocesan vocations.

NEW ALBS

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council 13047 in Port St. Lucie, Fla., purchased new albs for the altar servers at its parish.

CHEER FOR INMATES ATV AUCTION

CONTAINER OF GOODS

Wilbert B. Buxkemper-St. Louis Council 8135 in Waco, Texas, auctioned an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to benefit St. Louis Church.

San Juan Bosco Council 10087 in Miami held a weeklong drive to benefit Father Ramiro de Jesus Avendaño of Sañta Teresa del Niño Jesus Church in Nicaragua. Knights filled a 45-foot shipping container with donated clothes, school supplies, building materials and electronics for the burgeoning parish.

WILD HORSES

Father James A. Hyland Council 10991 in Hemet, Calif., raffled a 1972 Ford Mustang at its parish that was donated by a local family. Knights sold $10,500 worth of raffle tickets and raised an additional $400 by hosting a potato bake before the drawing.

SPAGHETTI BENEFIT

Father Henry A. Huppert Council 10011 in Point Pleasant, W. Va., co-sponsored a spaghetti dinner with

Sir Knight Pedro Gaunan Council 9329 in Lindaville Subdivision, Visayas, assembled and delivered care packages to inmates at the Tagbilaran Rehabilitation Center.

MEDICAL MISSION

St. Stephen Council 9282 in Hermitage, Tenn., donated $5,500 to its parish’s Haitian medical mission. Parishioners traveled to Notre Dame de l’Assomption Church in Petit Goâve, Haiti, with a team of 20 medical professionals to help distribute medication to needy members of the community.

CATHEDRAL DONATION

Houston (Texas) Council 803 donated $150,000 to CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart to assist with the building of a new parish center. The funds were raised when Knights sold their council hall.

MILITARY VOCATIONS Tim Weldon (far left) and Mike O’Neill (far right) of St. Theodore Guerin Council 14057 in Palos Heights, Ill., stand with Todd and Kathryn Lense at the baptism of their son, Owen. Holy Family Assembly in Oak Lawn typically provides an honor guard at the baptism of local infants. Also pictured is Father Edward J. Cronin of St. Alexander Church.

26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

FEBRUARY 2010

Fort Belvoir (Va.) Council 11170 organized a parish dinner in honor of all clergy and religious who support the military and the Fort Belvoir Catholic community.

Special guests included

U.S. Air Force Maj. Alphonse Veerkamp (center) and Col. David Reeson of the Baghdad International Zone Round Table speak with Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan. The round table presented Archbishop Chullikatt with $3,500 to support three groups of religious sisters who work in and around Baghdad. The round table is sponsored by Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle Council 11302 in Washington, D.C.

TEACHING IN INDIA

Grand Knight Bill Flynn of Ocean City (N.J.) Council 2560 traveled to Orissa, India, for five weeks to teach English and computer science to seminarians at the Shanti Bhavan Seminary. The seminary receives ongoing support from the Knights of Columbus Father Francis P. Araneo Chapter and from local parishioners.

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

pews at Holy Cross Mission in Cross City. After the used pews were purchased from a church in Ohio, Knights cut the pews to size, stained them to blend with the existing pews and repaired damaged kneelers. Prior to the Knights’ work, the mission used folding chairs almost exclusively to seat parishioners.

TWO-WHEEL PATROL

Religious sisters enjoy a meal of corned beef and cabbage during an appreciation dinner hosted by Msgr. Houlihan Council 2983 in Portland, Maine. Knights hosted the dinner in honor of area sisters, each of whom received dinner and a gift.

BY A HAIR

Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 12845 in Gardnerville, Nev., donated $1,000 to the breast cancer research center at the Carson Valley Medical Center. The funds will help create wigs for breast cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.

SEMINARIAN CARE PACKAGES

St. Mary’s Council 9124 in Gautier, Miss., mailed care packages to 22 seminarians in the Biloxi Diocese. Originally, the council planned to send a package only to its parish’s “adopted” seminarian. But Knights received so many donations that they were able to ship care packages to all of the men studying for the priesthood within the diocese.

YOUTH DONATION

St. Isaac Jogues Council 11312 in Lincoln, Neb., donated $4,000 to the youth program at North American Martyrs Church. The funds supplemented mission trips and projects for young people.

NEW STOVES

Grass Valley (Calif.) Council 1875 raised more than

$7,000 to purchase two new commercial stoves for the parish hall at St. Patrick’s Church. The new units replaced two 25-year-old stoves.

BENEFIT CONCERT

Annunciation Council 3826 in Beach Haven, N.J., held a rock concert to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital that raised $1,290.

JAMAICAN BRUNCH

La Toussaint Council 12047 in Sudbury, Ontario, hosted a brunch to raise funds to build a home for a needy family in Jamaica. Each 12foot by 12-foot house costs approximately $3,500, and the event raised $1,043.

A NEW HALL

Goulet Council 3681 in St. Boniface, Manitoba, raised $40,000 toward the construction of a new parish hall at Precious Blood Church. The funds are earmarked specifically for use in outfitting the new hall’s commercial kitchen.

NEW PEWS

Suwannee Valley Council 9957 in Chiefland, Fla., volunteered more than 550 hours to restore a series of

Commodore John Barry Council 2544 in Dunellen, N.J., held a casino night that raised $3,500 toward the purchase of a new motorcycle for the Dunellen Police Department. The funds are earmarked for the purchase of accessories and safety equipment that will make the motorcycle meet policeuse standards.

EMPTY YOUR POCKETS

St. Thomas of Villanova Council 13128 in Goshen, Conn., donated $300 to the Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington. The funds were raised through a loose change collection held over several weeks at St. Thomas of Villanova Church.

Frank Vargas (left) and Hans Meijer of St. Katharine Drexel Council 14212 in Weston, Fla., unload a pallet of food that the council received from Logistic Alliance. Knights received a donation of food valued at more than $24,700, which they distributed to four area organizations.

rigorous physical therapy sessions each week. The funds will help Sgt. Ugliono and his family keep up to date with their mortgage payments.

TV RAFFLE

Mary Immaculate Council 13283 in West Palm Beach, Fla., donated and raffled a 26inch HDTV at its parish festival. The raffle raised $1,200 toward parish renovations.

BUILDING UP THE CHURCH

Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043 in Spirit Lake, Iowa, donated $5,000 to its parish building fund. The donation allowed for a reorganization of church space, including additional and updated classrooms and offices, a modern kitchen, and extra storage space.

HELPING A SOLDIER

Bishop O’Connor Assembly in Bergen County, N.J., donated $2,330 to U.S. Army Sgt. Shane Ugliono, who was wounded while serving in Iraq. Sgt. Ugliono, who has a wife and three children, cannot work and must attend

Benny Costes (right) of North American Martyrs Council 4338 in Niles, Ill., stands with Ben Datuin of Pangasinan Council 3711 in Dagupan City, Luzon, and a shipment of books that Council 4338 sent to the Philippines. The books were stored in Datuin’s warehouse prior to sorting and delivery. Knights in Niles shipped more than 35,000 books to their sister council in the Philippines.

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♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 27

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

Owensboro (Ky.) Council 817 donated $1,000 toward the creation of a memorial garden to honor soldiers who died in the Battle of Sacramento during the U.S. Civil War. LANDSCAPING FOR HUMANITY

St. Lawrence Council 12519 in Duelm, Minn., held a breakfast to raise funds for a Habitat for Humanity landscaping project. Knights raised $550, which was used to buy plants at a local nursery. Thirteen council members also volunteered to do the planting.

COUNTERS INSTALLED

Sts. Gabriel and John Vianney Council 12335 in Colorado Springs, Colo., installed cabinets, a counter top and electrical outlets at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church, saving the parish more than $3,000 in materials and labor.

abused or neglected. Funds for the donation were raised at the council’s annual golf tournament.

AED S DONATED

Christ the King Council 13388 in Mashpee, Mass., donated two automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to its parish.

COLUMBARIUM PLACED

When faced with the possible closure of his parish, Thomas G. Assaly of St. Daniel’s Council 11725 in South Mountain, Ontario, donated $25,000 to purchase a solid granite columbarium (a vault lined with recesses for cinerary urns) at St. Daniel the Martyr Church. Parishioners and organizations can purchase niches in the columbarium, funds from which are donated to the parish. Immediately upon its construction, both Assaly and Council 11725 commissioned memorial etchings on the columbarium.

EVERYDAY BLESSINGS

CEMENT AND TILES

Ambassadors of St. Paul Council 11211 in Tampa, Fla., donated $10,489 to Everyday Blessings, an organization that houses and cares for children that have been

Holy Name Council 6616 in Plaridel, Mindanao, donated 30 sacks of cement to the convent at San Nicholas Church to replace tiles on the ground floor of the building.

Members of St. Joseph’s Council 12367 in Dilley, Texas, erect a new sign outside their parish. Eight Knights helped complete the sign, which lists Mass times and general information.

The presentation was made in conjunction with the Daughters of Mary Immaculate, who donated 300 additional tiles for the project.

SERVING SENIORS

Msgr. W. J. Walsh-St. Raymond Council 7220 in East Rockaway, N.Y., served lunch to more than 200 senior citizens at St. Raymond Church. At the event, Knights presented a donation of $1,000 to the parish’s social ministry program.

BELL TOWER BUILT

St. Peter Council 10510 in Lincoln, Neb., donated $135,000 to its parish for the construction of a new bell tower as part of a two-year courtyard renovation project.

The council also donated $25,000 to complete additional parts of the project, such as landscaping.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Members of St. Michael’s Council 4501 in Leamington, Ontario, install new glass in one of the doors at their church.

Knights replaced the glass in several doors to comply with local building codes.

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FEBRUARY 2010

When Holy Family Church presented plans to expand and upgrade its facilities, St. Michael Council 4548 in Newark, Del., donated $50,000 toward the installation of a new sound system.

Funds for the donation came from monies that were previously allocated to purchase a council hall.

ADORATION CHAPEL

Highland Lakes Council 8935 in Burnet, Texas, donated approximately $3,000 and volunteered to build a small adoration chapel at the Eagles Wings Retreat Center.

The chapel is located in the remote “Eagle’s Nest” portion of the camp.

FOR A PRIEST

Members of San Juan de los Caballeros Council 13684 in San Juan Pueblo, N.M., cleaned the grounds of a disused house owned by a retiring priest. One crew of Knights cut and cleared weeds and other debris from the area, while other volunteers transported trash to a local landfill.

NOW I SEE

St. Joseph Council 3814 in Oradell, N.J., collected 180 used eyeglasses for the organization Eyes for the Needy, which aims to improve the vision of low-income children and adults.

BOOKS DONATED

Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 4314 in Groton, Conn., donated 29 books worth about $400 to the library at Fitch High School.

The books cover topics such as Catholicism, human rights and more.

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

benefit the Sunrise Fund. The event raised $1,200 for the fund, which supports research and treatment options for childhood cancer.

When the girls’ basketball team at St. Bernard Middle School in Uncasville, Conn., could not purchase new basketballs because of budget cuts, Rev. John F. Murphy Council 1943 in Mystic donated eight K of C basketballs for the team to use.

GUADALUPE RAFFLE

Sacred Heart Council 10711 in Eagle Pass, Texas, raffled three paintings of Our Lady of Guadalupe to raise $3,700.

The funds were used to install new pews at Sacred Heart Church.

CONVENT RENOVATION

Pasco (Wash.) Council 1620 dismantled and removed 32 tons of plaster and debris from the parish convent at St. Patrick’s Church in preparation for renovating the building into a new parish rectory. By doing the work themselves, the council saved the parish $5,000.

JOSEPH CARES FOR THE POOR

Holy Rosary Council 869 in Harrisburg, Pa., helped refurbish the St. Joseph Center, a home for the poor to transition back into society.

Knights tore up old carpet, cleaned walls, windows and floors, painted, and installed

Bob Fousch (left) and Laren Tushim of Alex Semel Council 12989 in Lacombe, La., supervise the construction of a wheelchair ramp while Joseph McDermott (right, background) looks on. McDermott is a veteran of the Vietnam War who was wounded in combat and uses a wheelchair. When McDermott received a new scooter to aid his mobility, Knights built a wheelchair ramp at his home to help him get from the front door to the driveway.

ceiling fans. The council also donated $250 to the center for any additional needs.

Health Clinic, an outpatient clinic for needy members of the community.

PAINTING FOR LIFE

HERE COMES THE SUN

Warren Council 474 in Phillipsburg, N.J., and St. Joseph Council 10627 in High Bridge teamed up to paint the rooms and hallways of the Life Choices Women’s Center in Phillipsburg.

Sts. Philip and James Council 12839 in St. James, N.Y., hosted a chicken dinner to

COMBAT ROSARIES

Leonard Spadavecchia and Paul Pinkman of Mary Immaculate Council 12769 in Secaucus, N.J., fill duffel bags as part of Operation Chill-Out. Each bag contains a blanket, hat, gloves, sweater and toiletries. Operation Chill-Out was founded in 2000 to aid a group of homeless Vietnam War veterans who live under a railroad trestle in northern New Jersey.

St. Alban Roe Council 12022 in Wildwood, Mo., purchased 100 combat rosary kits for the religious education students at St. Alban Roe School. Students assembled the rosaries — which are constructed of black beads and parachute cord — to ship to soldiers serving overseas.

NEW FLOOR

Columbian Council 6341 in Sturgis, S.D., donated $10,000 to install a new wood floor around the altar at its church.

CARING HANDS

St. Paul’s Council 11676 in Cleveland, Ga., donated $535 to the Caring Hands

NEW TABLES

Fort Coulonge (Quebec) Council 7221 donated $8,414 to its parish to replace all the tables in the church hall.

TO KEEP YOU WARM

St. Catherine of Bologna Council 6212 in Ringwood, N.J., donated 8,000 pounds of coffee to Eva’s Kitchen in Patterson, a food pantry and soup kitchen for the needy and homeless.

A PLACE FOR FAMILIES

Pierre (S.D.) Council 2686 donated $5,000 and volunteered to help finish the new family center at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

BYLAWS AMENDED

Bishop Albert Ayinde Fasina (right) of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, presents a traveling Mass kit to Msgr. Victor O. Ajayi and members of the parish council at St. John Vianney Church in Iperu-Remo. The kit was donated by Commodore John Barry Assembly in Dunellen, N.J., in memory of five deceased Knights. The assembly routinely donates similar kits to missionaries in Nigeria, where parishes are located very far apart and priests must walk long distances.

Delegates to the 127th Supreme Convention in Phoenix last August approved several amendments to the Order’s bylaws. They are summarized here: To Section 27, the two instances that note the amount $250 were replaced with $400.

To Section 35.3, the amount $600 was replaced with $800, and the amount $1,000 with $1,200.

To Section 86(f ), the final sentence was amended to read as follows: “Exemplary or punitive damages may be awarded pursuant to federal or state statute or, if awarded pursuant to the common law, exemplary or punitive damages may be awarded.”

FEBRUARY 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 29

P RO M OT I O NA L & G I F T I T E M S

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To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, CASE POSTALE 935, Station d’Armes, Montréal, PQ H2Y 3J4 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org.

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YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Preaching Through Culture How one priest communicates Christ’s presence through preaching, writing and theater

by Kim Luisi FOR DOMINICAN Father Peter John Cameron, his position It was this mission that spurred the creation of the Blackfriars as editor-in-chief of Magnificat and responsibilities as a co- Repertory Theatre in 1998. Since that time, the company has profounder and playwright for the Blackfriars Repertory Theatre duced numerous plays that reflect man’s spiritual nature and desare, in a sense, sacramental. They remain outward signs of the tiny. Father Cameron wrote one such play, titled He Was Our heart of his vocation as a priest. The call to the Church and the Father, about Knights of Columbus founder Father Michael J. call to the arts are not separate vocations, as one might think. McGivney. The play, which premiered at the 123rd Supreme They are instead a unified response to the question asked for Convention in Chicago in 2005, echoed Father McGivney’s desire millennia: What does it mean to be human? that the Catholic faith inform the everyday life of the American Father Cameron, who also serves as director of preaching for Catholic layperson. the Dominican Province of St. A member of St. Thomas More Joseph, said, “It is the preacher’s Council 13500 in New Haven, vocation to give people back their Conn., Father Cameron sees Venhearts. The most exciting thing erable Michael McGivney as a about being a priest is seeing the model of priestly service. He has encounter with Christ change a also been influenced by the teachperson’s life. That person becomes ings of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, the new. His humanity is restored.”

Italian priest who founded the The first stirrings to enter the Catholic lay movement Compriesthood came from the daily munion and Liberation. The life of the Cameron family. For preaching of a young seminarian them, there was no disconnect befirst inspired him to read the tween muddling through everyday work of Msgr. Giussani in 1994, struggles and going to Mass on and since that time, Father Sunday. Indeed, life was a seamless Cameron has closely followed the garment of the banal and the submovement’s work. lime, and it was from this that a As the forces of secularism and Dominican Father Peter John Cameron walks in the procession vocation emerged. scandal grow stronger, the life of the of a relic of St. Juan Diego during last September’s Guadalupe Father Cameron’s response to priest is often difficult and wrought Celebration in New Haven, Conn. his calling came not in the form with challenges. For Father of parish work, but through a deCameron, however, it is worth it. sire to preach to the culture “People are looking for Christ,” through culture — to assist man in becoming aware of the de- he said. “They are looking for a presence to give them meaning sires of his heart. The Order of Preachers, with its history of in life. This is what the priesthood does.” witness through the arts (Fra Angelico) and letters (St. Thomas Ultimately, Father Cameron sees the heart of the priesthood Aquinas and St. Dominic) became home, and Father Cameron in the Eucharist. “To attempt to effect the Eucharist by any was ordained in 1986. other means,” he said, “would contradict the very method by In 2004, in an essay titled “The Role of Theatre in the which God gives himself to his people — that is, through a Evangelization of Culture,” Father Cameron wrote, “We can human relationship.” say that the human heart craves the theatre because the It is this encounter with the divine that generates Father human heart lives waiting for something that will reveal the Cameron’s vocation. “When people meet Jesus Christ, they meaning of being human. For some reason, something deeply change,” he said. “You see how our hearts are made for Christ. rooted in the human soul compels it to look to the imitation He is the answer to man’s most pressing need: the need to be fully, of human beings … in order to discover a clue about its des- completely human.”♦ tiny. Theatre in the service of the new evangelization seeks to engage reason on this level.”

KIM LUISI writes from Brentwood, N.Y. O B S E RV E T H E Y E A R F O R P R I E S T S W I T H A S P E C I A L P R AY E R C A R D AVA I L A B L E AT W W W. KO F C . O RG / Y E A R F O R P R I E S T S

FEBRUARY 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 31

C O LU M B I A N I S M B Y D E G R E E S

Unity MEMBERS OF St. Rose of Lima Council 14297 in Gaithersburg, Md., display some of the pizzas they made for religious education students and their families. Knights regularly prepare food for students prior to parish events.

• Members of Father Conan Mawhorr Council 10493 in Horseshoe Bend, Ark., came to the aid of a local family whose home was destroyed in a fire.

Council 10493 mobilized Knights from three area councils and assemblies to help solicit donations for the McQuay family. In total, Knights collected three truckloads of food, clothing and housewares, and $1,350 in cash donations.

Charity

Fraternity

Patriotism

NEEDY CHILDREN stand with the care packages they received from St. Michael Council 4353 in Bulacan, Luzon. Knights donated bags of canned goods, milk, noodles, bread and rice to needy members of the community and to area schoolchildren.

• Msgr. Fred J. Kimmet Council 6623 in Torrington, Wyo., delivered its pledge of $40,000 to St. Rose Church. The funds are earmarked to replace the church’s tile roof.

ED SOUZA, Frank Wise and Frank Bono of Father Andrew Doherty Assembly in West Palm Beach, Fla., stand with the assembly’s memorial monument that they helped restore.

Knights cleaned, repaired and repainted the monument, which lists the assembly’s deceased members.

• St. Maximilian Kolbe Council 14508 in Beaver Crossing-Utica, Neb., hosted a pancake breakfast and silent auction for a Knight whose son has cerebral palsy. The event raised more than $15,000 to help the family purchase a wheelchair-accessible van.

MEMBERS OF Captain Miles MacDonell Assembly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, present signed yellow ribbons to Father W. Lance Magdziak (second from left) of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Chapel at 17 Wing Winnipeg. The ribbons, signed by Knights from 13 councils and by other local residents, were shipped to Canadian troops stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Also pictured is: Erich Mantler, Jack Blair, Faithful Friar Father Raphael Glofcheski and Robert Girouard.

• St. Paul the Apostle Council 9352 in Alliston, Ontario, donated $1,740 to Canadian Forces Base Borden to aid soldiers wounded in the line of duty and their families.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

FEBRUARY 2010

KNIGHT S O F C O LUM BUS

PATRICK DOWNES/HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD

Building a better world one council at a time 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.

Catholic youth, accompanied by Hawaii State Treasurer Steve Lopez (left) and State Secretary William Clark, carry a relic of St. Damien de Veuster from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace to Iolani Palace Nov. 1, 2009. Knights from throughout the state descended on the cathedral to celebrate the canonization of Father Damien

by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 11, 2009.

TO BE FEATURED HERE, SEND YOUR COUNCIL’S “KNIGHTS IN ACTION” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO: COLUMBIA, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326 OR E-MAIL: COLUMBIA@KOFC.ORG.

FEBRUARY 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33

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

KEEP T HE FA I T H A L I VE

‘I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. IN ALL THINGS, MAY GOD BE PRAISED!’ Looking back on my journey to the monastery, I can see the blessings that God placed on my path.

My parents and grandparents made countless sacrifices to send me to parochial schools while also fostering within me a great love for the Eucharist and Our Lady.

During my school days, there was never a lack of young and vibrant religious at our parish: priests and brothers who would play football with my friends and me, and who would not hesitate to help a family in need. I remember thinking, “If this is religious life, maybe I could try it.”

After high school, I accepted a scholarship to a college where I could continue playing the sport I loved most: basketball. Although I enjoyed all this world had to offer, I struggled to maintain my personal integrity and chastity in a society that trivialized both.

This challenge led me to put down the basketball and focus on finding a way through college that respected my relationship with Christ.

In 2006, I found my way to America’s first Benedictine Monastery, St. Vincent Archabbey. I could not be happier. As monks in every generation have proclaimed: “In all things, may God be praised!”

Brother Gabriel Myriam Kurzawski, O.S.B. St. Vincent Archabbey and Seminary Latrobe, Pennsylvania