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K N I G H T S O F C O L U M BU S
J ULY 2016
COLUMBIA
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COLUMBIA
F E AT U R E S
10 ‘Save My People’ An interview with Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean Catholic priest from Iraq, about the future of the Church in his country. BY COLUMBIA STAFF
14 The Healing Power of Mercy Military personnel from around the world encounter God’s grace during pilgrimage to Lourdes. BY LIZETTE LANTIGUA
18 A Great Manager, A Great Man Two-time World Series champion manager Danny Murtaugh was a man of faith, charity and humor. BY COLLEEN HRONCICH
22 Charity as Remedy K of C councils organize fundraising initiatives for people facing dire medical problems. BY KATHY SCHIFFER
A U.S. soldier stands at attention during the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage in Lourdes, France. Co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, this year’s pilgrimage included some 100 wounded, ill or injured U.S. military personnel.
D E PA RT M E N T S 3
Building a better world Government leaders have a responsibility to preserve Christianity in the Middle East. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON
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Learning the faith, living the faith
Photo by Photo Lacaze
Ordinary Time offers families an opportunity to grow in virtue and a spirit of service. BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI
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Knights of Columbus News New John Paul II Documentary Released • Cardinal Addresses John Paul II Graduates • Order Mourns Loss of CFO, Establishes Scholarship • Knights of Columbus Sponsors Football Camp to Build Character in Youth • Canadian Knights March for Life • K of C Field Hosts Special Olympics • Supreme Knight Advocates for Christians Following Genocide Declaration
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Fathers for Good Natural family planning is an invitation to live God’s plan for love and marriage. BY ANTHONY J. CARUSO, M.D.
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Knights in Action
PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month
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E D I TO R I A L
COLUMBIA
A Culture of Mercy works are realized in countless ways as people express mercy toward others in distinct situations. Addressing priests during a spiritual retreat on June 2, Pope Francis explained, “The works of mercy are endless, but each bears the stamp of a particular face, a personal history. They are much more than the lists of the seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy. Those lists are like the raw material — the material of life itself — that, worked and shaped by the hands of mercy, turns into an individual artistic creation.” The Holy Father then added, “Now we have to ‘act,’ not only with gestures, but with projects and structures, by creating a culture of mercy. This is not the same as a culture of philanthropy; the two need to be distinguished.” In this light, the Knights of Columbus is a prime example of a “structure” that fosters a “culture of mercy.” After all, the Order mobilizes Catholic men to put charity into action, motivated by faith — that is, to practice mercy. This issue of Columbia features various initiatives in which Knights seek to meet the concrete needs of individuals and communities, such as accompanying wounded warriors on a spiritual pilgrimage to Lourdes, supporting persecuted and displaced Christians in the Middle East, and reaching out to families in times of medical crisis. In these and numerous other ways, Knights cultivate “a heart which sees,” seeking to bring healing to body and soul alike.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR
Catholic Information Center Resource: Into the Breach Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men (#340) by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix provides concrete answers to key questions: What does it mean to be a Catholic man? How does a Catholic man love? Why is fatherhood so crucial for every man? Published as part of the Veritas Series of the Order’s Catholic Information Service, this booklet includes a study guide and discussion questions. To download or order copies, visit kofc.org/cis. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
JULY 2016
V VERI TAS
SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Logan T. Ludwig DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Anna Bninski ASSOCIATE EDITOR ________
Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org PRAYER CARDS & SUPPLIES 203-752-4214 COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.
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Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved ________ AN APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION TO CATHOLIC MEN Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix
ON THE COVER A girl lights a candle during a 2015 Mass for peace at a church in Damascus, Syria.
COVER: CNS photo/Youssef Badawi, EPA
THE EXTRAORDINARY Jubilee of Mercy, which began Dec. 8, 2015, and extends until Nov. 20, is a privileged time for the Church both to receive and reflect upon God’s mercy and to show his mercy to others. In particular, Pope Francis has invited us to rediscover and practice the “works of mercy,” defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities” (2447). In February, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), and in the context of the holy year, Pope Francis reflected on the connection between charity and mercy. He underscored Benedict’s insight that “the program of Jesus is ‘a heart which sees.’ This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly” (Deus Caritas Est, 31). “Charity and mercy are in this way closely related, because they are God’s way of being and acting,” Pope Francis said. “To live the works of mercy means to conjugate the verb ‘to love’ according to Jesus.” In performing the works of mercy, Christians serve the needs of both body and soul. The corporal works of mercy include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. The spiritual works of mercy consist of instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offenses, comforting the afflicted, and praying for the living and the dead. In practice, these
PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________
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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD
Syria, Christians and the Future of Pluralism Government leaders have a responsibility to preserve Christianity in the Middle East by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column was co-written by Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria. An extended version was published May 27 on realclearreligion.org.
particularly during its second millennium, and this tends to shape our understanding. But by many measures, the Middle East was just as Christian as Europe during the first millennium after Christ, if not more so. The first decades of Christianity were decidedly Middle Eastern, with Syria playing a central role in the New Testament. St. Paul didn’t convert those living in Syria, but rather went there to persecute them. After his own conversion, he
mitted it to centers like Baghdad and Damascus. Much of what we call Arab scholarship was in reality Syriac, Persian, THE CHRISTIANS of Syria — toand Coptic. ... Syriac-speaking Chrisgether with those in other troubled areas tian scholars brought the works of Arisof the Middle East — have been forgottotle to the Muslim world. ... Syriac ten. As many have stayed in their homes Christians even make the first reference or become urban refugees outside of the to the efficient Indian numbering sysU.N. camp system, they have tem that we know today as received little aid and even less ‘Arabic,’ and long before this international attention. Their Christians in the region are now technique gained currency situation is dire, and whether among Muslim thinkers. ... being left with nothing, and they will survive at all depends Such were the Christian roots on events in the next several of the Arabic golden age.” their historic achievements months. Christians in the region are If ISIS’ theocratic intolerance now being left with nothing, remain relatively unknown. takes hold, Christians will face and their historic achievean impossible choice: flee, subments remain relatively unmit to forced conversion or be killed. If was accepted into the Church by Ananias, known in both the Middle East and Christianity — adhered to by 10 percent a Syrian Christian (cf. Acts 9:10-19). the West. But today, with more than 2 of Syria’s population before the civil war Christianity in this region was a billion Christians in the world and in— disappears, so will any hope of plu- major missionary force for centuries, stant communication, there can be no ralism. The security implications of this spreading the faith not only to Europe excuse for ignorance about what is ocfor the world should be self-evident. A but to China, India and Tibet. curring in Syria. Syria without Christians, the historical Six centuries after Christianity took While scholarship can recover aspects mediators in that country, will make the root, Islam appeared. During times of of a “lost history,” only the international region less safe and the world less safe. relative Christian and Muslim harmony, community can prevent a lost future. It is time for the international com- the two religions forged a common his- Targeted for genocide by ISIS and remunity to take action, not only to en- tory in the region, with Eastern Chris- lated groups, the situation of Syrian sure that genocide survivors in Syria tianity contributing enormously to the Christians has become precarious. What get the aid they need, but that they scholarship of the Muslim world. happens in the next few months could also receive equal protection under the In his book The Lost History of Chris- well determine their uncertain future. law and are not reduced to a second- tianity, historian Philip Jenkins writes: What is at stake is not one of the class status. “It was Christians … who preserved and branches of Christianity, but its roots. Christians and Muslims alike often translated the cultural inheritance of the And the decisions made today won’t just think of Christianity as a Western reli- ancient world — the science, philoso- affect Syria, but the entire world. gion. Christianity flourished in Europe, phy, and medicine — and who transVivat Jesus!
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
Good Samaritan Families Ordinary Time provides families an opportunity to grow in virtue and a spirit of service by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
THIS SEASON is a time when many wives preoccupied with responsibilipeople breathe a collective sigh of re- ties at work and home, but also chillief. School is out. People take time off dren who keep exhausting schedules from work. Families head to the that include school, sports, music and beach, to amusement parks and to vis- many other activities. Combined one another’s driving and become flusits with relatives. It’s a time to take a with the isolating effect of staring at tered by traffic and expenses. Some break from our routine worries and electronic devices day in and day out, families come back from vacation cares, recharging our batteries before a lack of leisure contributes to break- more exhausted and less unified than entering into the fray once again. ing down the bonds of love and trust before, leading people to say, “I need The Church’s liturgy also makes a in a family. a vacation from my vacation!” shift from the sobriety of Lent, the Just as a church is not a church if One solution, for a family that glory of Easter and the dynamism of the congregants never meet in person, strives to be a domestic church, is to Pentecost to a long stretch spend at least some leisure time known as Ordinary Time. Inin service of others. Especially stead of purple, white or red during this Year of Mercy, we are One solution, for a family that vestments, the priest wears encouraged to perform the corstrives to be a domestic church, green. Liturgies tend to be poral works of mercy in the patshorter and less solemn. tern of the Good Samaritan: is to spend at least some leisure Taken together, “vacation feeding the hungry, giving drink time” and “Ordinary Time” to the thirsty, sheltering the time in service of others. could send the false signal that homeless, visiting the sick and summer means a break from the imprisoned. At first glance, our spiritual lives as well. When trav- a family is not a family in the full sense doing such things might seem like the eling, a family may not make the extra of that word if mom, dad and children makings of the worst vacation ever. effort to find a church for Sunday don’t spend time together. A primary But families who have taken up the Mass. Or even while at home, we may purpose of family leisure time is to be challenge of the Gospel often have a be tempted to think the Twelfth Sun- together — to relax, to talk things different experience. In giving of day in Ordinary Time, for instance, is over, to make plans and so forth. Part themselves, they experience genuine unimportant. of the reason for going away as a fam- joy. They forget about their troubles How, then, should a family con- ily, even for a day, is to draw closer to and put their differences in perspecsciously striving to live as a domestic one another. tive. United in charity, they build church regarding both vacation time I’m aware, of course, that family bonds of trust and find the courage to and Ordinary Time? leisure time doesn’t automatically turn open up to one another. out well. Long car trips can be the ocLEISURE AND CHARITY casion of bickering, teasing and other- ‘ORDINARY CHRISTIAN LIVING’ Let’s begin with leisure and how we wise getting on one another’s nerves. Instead of traditional vacations, some make use of it. For most families, Not every family member has the families take a mission trip to Central leisure time is in short supply. I never same definition of “fun.” Children get America or help build houses in Apcease to be amazed at how busy fam- restless and bored. Parents may argue palachia. Other families visit elderly ilies are — not only husbands and about which route to take, criticize relatives, join with volunteers in feed4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
ing the hungry, spend a week helping with a diocesan vocation camp or simply invite those without family to their home for a meal. There are many ways a family can serve. The Order’s Building the Domestic Church program recommends that each family member help create a list of ways that their family might help the poor, the lonely and those in need. If a family finds joy in using at least some of its leisure time for others, it will not regard Ordinary Time as routine, humdrum or “business as usual.” Instead, such families will
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis
POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — FATHER BAKER: Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Victory National Shrine
UNIVERSAL: That indigenous peoples, whose identity and very existence are threatened, will be shown due respect. EVANGELIZATION: That the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, by means of her mission to the continent, may announce the Gospel with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.
recognize that holiness is the ordinary measure of the Christian life. As St. John Paul II wrote, “The time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). This gives families guidance for spending summer leisure time well and wisely. Far from being a vacation from God, leisure should afford us more time for family prayer. After all, Ordinary Time is meant to be a season in which we and our families internalize the great and wonderful things we
celebrated during Lent, Easter and Pentecost. We come to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of Christ’s life, death and resurrection through Mass, Scripture and prayer, and by growing in virtue, including generosity to those in need. In families that strive to be domestic churches, holiness and service are linked. Ordinary Time is a matter of living the great mysteries we’ve celebrated. So, I wish you and your family a pleasant and happy summer — but even more so, the joy of being a Good Samaritan family!♦
C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H
Venerable Nelson Baker (1842-1936) THE SECOND of four sons, Nelson Henry Baker was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on Feb. 16, 1842. His German Lutheran father ran a grocery store and instilled in him a keen business sense. His mother, an Irish Catholic, nurtured his love of Christ and the Church. A bright student, Baker worked in his father’s store following graduation before serving in the 74th New York Regiment during the Civil War. He started a feed and grain business with a friend in 1863, and in the years that followed, he supported a local orphanage and began to consider a religious vocation. In 1869, at age 27, Baker entered Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Buffalo. One of his fellow seminarians was 19-year-old Michael J. McGivney, who studied there in 1871. During a pilgrimage in 1874, Baker’s visit to the Shrine of Notre-Dame des Victoires in Paris sparked a lifelong devotion to Mary under her title Our Lady of Victory. Two years later, Father Baker was ordained a priest and assigned to a debtridden parish and orphanage in Lackawanna, N.Y., outside of Buffalo.
He was made superintendent there in 1882 and repaid the debt by creating a nationwide fundraising initiative called the Association of Our Lady of Victory. Over the next 55 years, he founded an array of institutions — working boys’ and girls’ homes, a trade school, a home for infants and unwed mothers, and a maternity hospital. During the Depression, his “city of charity” fed 1,000 people a day, and he became known as the “Padre of the Poor.” From 1921-26, Msgr. Baker oversaw the construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna. He died July 29, 1936, at age 95, and a half million people attended his funeral. He was declared Venerable in 2011.♦
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
A NEW DOCUMENTARY illustrating St. John Paul II’s role in liberating Central and Eastern Europe from communist rule began airing in the United States and Canada on public television stations in June. Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism traces the wave of free thought that swept through the Soviet bloc in the wake of the pope’s nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June 1979. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson served as the executive producer of the film, which is narrated by actor Jim Caviezel. The film includes exclusive interviews with several heads of state, historians, foreign policy experts, Church leaders and close personal acquaintances of the late pontiff, including George Weigel, papal biographer; Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków, John Paul’s longtime assistant; and Richard Allen, Ronald Reagan’s national security advisor. More information about the documentary, including the public TV broadcast schedule, is available at jp2film.com. An earlier documentary film produced by the Knights of Columbus, titled John Paul II in America: Uniting a Continent, recently earned a local Emmy nomination from the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. That film, narrated by actor Andy Garcia, features dramatic scenes from John Paul II’s travels as pope from Argentina to Alaska — 22 journeys in all — that helped form the faith of an entire generation of Catholics and unite a continent under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe.♦ 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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Cardinal Addresses John Paul II Graduates
ON MAY 10, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, archbishop emeritus of Bologna, Italy, and founding president of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome, delivered the commencement address for the 2016 graduating class of the institute’s North American campus at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore was the main celebrant and homilist at the graduation Mass, which took place in the Redemptor Hominis Church of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who is vice president of the institute, was present at the graduation
ceremonies together with institute faculty and guests. In his address, Cardinal Caffarra said that Pope John Paul II was “profoundly convinced that the crisis of marriage and the family was basically an anthropological crisis: the human person had lost awareness of himself, of the truth of his being a person, so that he no longer understood the truth of marriage.” The “DNA” of the institute, the cardinal added, is to “discover the truth about marriage and the family” and help married couples live their vocation fully. “I know how much importance the Pope of the Family, St. John Paul II, assigned to it, and I am sure that his intercession will not fail us.”♦
Order Mourns Loss of CFO, Establishes Scholarship DAYS AFTER suffering a heart attack, the Order’s chief financial officer, Terrence T. Lescoe, died May 20 at age 62. Lescoe joined the Supreme Council in 1992 and was designated CFO in 2003. He was also an active member of Msgr. Thomas L. Greylish Council 3675 in Kensington, Conn., and held many positions of fraternal leadership. “For many years, Terry played an indispensable role in every Terry Lescoe facet of the Supreme Council’s operations,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Those who had the good fortune of working with Terry every day will also miss his unfailing kindness and friendship.” Lescoe had named Knights of Columbus Charities as a beneficiary on one of his life insurance policies. Meeting in New Haven in June, the Board of Directors voted to use these funds to establish the Terrence T. Lescoe Scholarship at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.♦
TOP: Photo by John Whitman
New John Paul II Documentary Released
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Knights of Columbus Sponsors Football Camp to Build Character in Youth
TOP: Photos by Miguel Gonzalez Gonzalez — LOWER LEFT: Photo by Jake Wright — LOWER RIGHT: Photo by Alexey Gotovskiy
Young people from Cancún, Mexico, attended a local camp May 14-15 with Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz. Organized by the NFL in conjunction with the Anthony Muñoz Foundation and the Knights of Columbus, the camp was created to make a positive impact on youth by teaching them football skills, emphasizing exercise, instilling discipline and reinforcing the importance of character in athletics and in life.
Canadian Knights March for Life
K of C Field Hosts Special Olympics
CANADIAN KNIGHTS and their families were among thousands of culture-of-life supporters who took part in the annual March for Life in Ottawa May 12. The event was held as the Canadian Parliament considered a bill legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. “Defend Life” signs with the Order’s emblem were prominently displayed by marchers, many of whom attended Masses and a candlelight prayer vigil the night before the march. “Some would say that abortion is a settled law in Canada,” said Supreme Treasurer Michael J. O’Connor in his address to the marchers on Parliament Hill. “Those who would make these claims have not witnessed the March for Life. Each time we speak out against abortion, against euthanasia and against any challenge to life, we affirm the dignity of every human person.” Other K of C representatives at the march included Supreme Directors Graydon Nicholas and Larry Kustra, Former Supreme Director Natale L. Gallo and Ontario State Deputy Alain Cayer.♦
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS hosted a Special Olympics soccer tournament May 20-22 at the Pius XI Field in Rome. Co-sponsored by the Knights and the Italian Football Association, the tournament was part of the Special Olympics European Football Week and featured four teams from Italy and one team each from France, Lithuania, Poland and Hungary. Players ranged in age from 18 to 30. Deputy Supreme Knight Logan T. Ludwig represented the Knights at the tournament. The Order has been a partner of Special Olympics since the first games were held in 1968, with Knights supporting the organization at the local, national and international levels. “The Knights of Columbus has been generously supporting Special Olympics athletes not just in the USA, but across Italy, Europe and the rest of the world,” said Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International. The Pius XI athletic facility, located adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica, was originally constructed by the Knights at the request of Pope Benedict XV in the 1920s.♦
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Supreme Knight Advocates for Christians Following Genocide Declaration
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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson addresses members of Congress May 26. Other speakers included (from left) Sarhang Hamasaeed of the U.S. Institute of Peace; Johnny Oram, executive director of the Chaldean Assyrian Business Alliance; Ms. Naomi Kikoler of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide; and David Crane of Syracuse University College of Law. • Right: The supreme knight is pictured with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), subcommittee chairman. The Archdiocese of Erbil, where most Iraqi Christians now live after having fled their homes, receives no government support, he said. “If assistance from outside Church-affiliated agencies ends in Erbil, Christians there will face a catastrophic humanitarian tragedy.” The supreme knight also urged members of Congress to provide refugee status to genocide victims. Although more than 1,000 Syrian refugees were admitted to the United States in May, only two were listed as Christians. In conclusion, Anderson called on the government to advocate for full and equal rights for religious and ethnic minorities in the region.
“A necessary first step to prevent genocide is to overcome the social and legal inequality that is its breeding ground,” he said. In March, the Knights submitted a nearly 300-page report to the State Department detailing the brutality that Christians and other minorities have experienced at the hands of ISIS. The report was credited by officials as having contributed to the State Department’s declaration of genocide. Since August 2014, the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund has raised more than $10.5 million in humanitarian relief. For more information or to donate, visit christiansatrisk.org.♦
Photos by Charles Votaw
ON MAY 26, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson testified before members of Congress at a hearing titled “The ISIS Genocide Declaration: What Next?” The hearing, held two months after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ISIS (also known as Daesh) is committing genocide against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, was convened by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, led by chairman Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). “The world’s greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II is unfolding now,” Anderson said during his testimony. “In addition to millions of refugees, many of the region’s indigenous communities now face extinction. These communities may disappear in less than a decade.” The supreme knight then outlined six policy recommendations that the United States can implement to help avert this crisis: increasing humanitarian aid and ensuring it gets to those targeted for genocide; supporting long-term survival of indigenous and ethnic communities; punishing perpetrators of genocide; assisting victims in attaining refugee status; preparing for human rights challenges as ISIS-controlled territory is liberated; and promoting standards of human rights and religious freedom as conditions for humanitarian and military assistance. Anderson said that Christian leaders in Iraq and Syria have reported that they receive no assistance from the U.S. government or the United Nations to aid internally displaced persons and urban refugees. Private charities, including the Knights of Columbus, have responded to the need, but assistance from governments and international organizations is crucial.
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FAT H E R S F O R G O O D
A Deeper Love Natural family planning is an invitation to live God’s plan for love and marriage by Anthony J. Caruso, M.D. EDITOR’S NOTE: Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, a national education campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be observed July 24-30. For more information, visit usccb.org/nfp.
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hen learned well and embraced by a couple, natural family planning strengthens and protects the marital bond. As a pro-life physician who works with couples seeking to learn NFP, I have seen it bring both blessings and challenges. Like any worthwhile endeavor, it requires time and effort. A husband and wife using NFP have a unique opportunity to learn more about the beauty of the female reproductive system. The intricate symphony involved in the monthly cycle is fascinating and illuminates God’s plan for procreation. A couple’s enhanced understanding should be an occasion to grow in love and respect for one another as they move forward in marriage. Monitoring a woman’s natural fertile and infertile periods leads a couple to regularly communicate about such topics as family size, physical health, psychological outlook and the role of intimacy in their married life. They also are encouraged to pray together to discern God’s will. Humanae Vitae, the prophetic 1968 encyclical on the regulation of birth by Blessed Paul VI, mentions four considerations couples may take into account in delaying conception: physical, economic, social and psychological. While Pope Paul VI outlined reasonable grounds for spacing births, he also warned against a mindset that would be closed to conception, calling children “the supreme gift of marriage [who] contribute in the highest degree to their parents’ welfare” (8). Thus, though couples may use NFP to delay conception for legitimate reasons, when touting the “effectiveness” of NFP we should never forget that children are a blessing. In all cases, NFP differs from contraception, for it does
not separate the unitive and procreative meaning of marital intimacy. Not only that, but NFP avoids the risks and side effects of ingesting chemicals to suppress one’s natural fertility. Invariably, there is a marked improvement in the health and well-being of women who stop using hormonal contraceptives. When they stop and learn NFP, women feel the difference in their daily lives. There are other health benefits as well. Doctors who advocate NFP instead of contraception can more easily diagnose and treat underlying causes of infertility, and they can help women with irregular cycles by using natural therapies. There are also challenges, which can become blessings when faced openly and with faith. When a couple uses NFP to delay conception, periodic abstinence is required during fertile periods. It is not uncommon for me to speak with women who become frustrated because their charting can reveal they must remain abstinent for long periods of time. Other women express a strong desire to have another child, yet their husband is not supportive. Practicing NFP can be difficult if a husband and wife are not on the same page. Nonetheless, NFP can help by encouraging communication between spouses as well as prayer. There is a very beautiful and beneficial interplay involved that can bring a couple closer together; even periodic abstinence can lead them to desire each other more, especially if they work toward the same goal regarding conception. Although everyone is different, and there is no one-sizefits-all method, all married couples of childbearing age can benefit from NFP. As they turn toward one another in openness to life, and see the love of God reflected in each other, they make for stronger marriages and happier families.♦ ANTHONY J. CARUSO, M.D., is an obstetrician/gynecologist and a member of Father Boecker Council 6090 in Lombard, Ill.
FIND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES AT FATHERSFORGOOD. ORG .
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‘SAVE MY PEOPLE’ An interview with Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean Catholic priest from Iraq, about the future of the Church in his country by Columbia staff
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Iraqi Christians, who fled the violence in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains region after Islamic State militants overran the area, carry a wooden cross during a weekly prayer held at a refugee center in Erbil on March 4.
Photo by Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images
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ver the past two years, Father Douglas Bazi, pastor of Mar Elia Chaldean Catholic Church in Erbil, Iraq, has sheltered hundreds of families displaced after fleeing attacks by militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh. Born in Baghdad in 1972, Father Bazi is no stranger to religious persecution. In 2005, he survived two bomb attacks and was shot in the leg with an AK-47. The next year, he was kidnapped and tortured for nine days by Islamic extremists before the Chaldean Catholic community raised $80,000 as a ransom for his release. Because of the overwhelming danger, Father Bazi was reassigned to Kurdish-controlled Erbil in 2013. In recent months, Father Bazi partnered with the Knights of Columbus to press Western nations, especially the United States,
to recognize ISIS’ actions as genocide. On March 10, he spoke at the public release of the Knights’ extensive genocide report in Washington, D.C., and he also addressed the topic at a congress held at the United Nations in New York on April 28. In May, Father Bazi went on a month-long speaking tour throughout the country to raise awareness of the genocide. Columbia recently spoke with Father Bazi about his ordeal as a captive, the suffering of his people and the future of religious freedom in his country. COLUMBIA: A decade ago, you were kidnapped and tortured by Islamic extremists in Baghdad, where you served as a parish priest. Could you tell us what happened to you? JULY 2016
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Father Douglas Bazi, pastor of Mar Elia Chaldean Catholic Church in Erbil, Iraq, talks with children in June at the refugee and education center he runs on his parish grounds. • Opposite page: Father Bazi is pictured in Mar Elia Church.
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“Don’t worry, we have all night and you have many teeth.” They also used bad words, and those were sometimes more powerful than the beatings. They cursed my family, my beliefs and the Church, trying to break my soul. COLUMBIA: What role did your faith play during this time? FATHER BAZI: When they chained me, I discovered that the chain had 10 rings. So I prayed the rosary with it, using the lock for the Our Father. I would finish and just start over again. I prayed hundreds and hundreds of rosaries. That changed me a lot. We sometimes forget that more than anything else, prayer makes people strong. Even today, when I pray the Hail Mary, I say, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, I’m still alive.’ COLUMBIA: And it was because of your faith that you were taken away and tortured? FATHER BAZI: I was kidnapped just for one reason: because I was a Christian. This is the cost of being Christian. Believe me, when any Christian child is born in my country, the mothers always say, “I want my child to grow and show his Christianity, and I hope and pray that he will not be killed.” Because we know that we could be killed any day. COLUMBIA: Do you forgive your captors? FATHER BAZI: One of them asked me, “If we meet again, what will you do? Because according to our Muslim tradition, one has a right to revenge within 40 years.”
Photos by Safin Ahmed Sulaiman
FATHER BAZI: It was just a normal Sunday. I celebrated Mass in my parish and then drove to visit a family. As soon as I got on the highway, two cars blocked me. One was full of armed men with masked faces, and they threw me in their trunk and drove off. When I was taken out, one of them immediately hit me in the face with his knee and broke my nose. Covered in blood, I was then blindfolded and chained for the next nine horrible days in a utility room outside a house. For the first four days, they left me without water. During the day, I was like a spiritual father to them. One asked about his marriage, “Father, how should I treat my wife?” I answered, “You have to respect her and tell her every day that you love her.” At night, these same people would call me “infidel” and would beat me and torture me. In the morning, they would say they were sorry because they were being paid to do this. On the sixth day, they told me, “Your people don’t want you anymore, so you are going to die.” “For you, death means the end, but to us it is the beginning,” I replied. “So I don’t mind if you kill me, but I know that you are cowards and won’t do it.” Then they got angry and hit me with their pistols. And they also put an empty pistol to my head a lot, pulling the trigger: “click, click, click.” They used a hammer, too. They beat my shoulder and broke a disc in my back. One night I was hit with the hammer and found one of my teeth and blood in my mouth. They said,
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I replied, “Look, maybe we’ll have lunch, or maybe we’ll drink chai together and talk about those days. If you have the blood of others on your hands you must go to court, but as for me, I will completely forgive you.” As a Christian, I truly feel sorry for them, because they could not understand this. When we Christians are silent, it is not because we are weak, but because we believe in forgiveness. COLUMBIA: Could you talk a bit about the history of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the persecution it has endured? FATHER BAZI: We have been here since the first century. St. Thomas the Apostle proclaimed the Gospel here, and my church spread it to Asia. In India and China they still use our ancient liturgy today. We were named the Chaldean Catholic Church after union with Rome, but we are also called the “Church of Martyrs” or “Church of Blood.” Though my country has a lot of oil, believe me we have much more martyrs’ blood than oil. Nobody knows that 700,000 of my people were killed with the Armenians in 1915. No one talks about what happened to my people in 1933, 1956, 1961, 1970 and 2010. So genocide is a polite word to use today, as if what happened to us in 2014 was just a one-time accident of history. I’m talking about systematic genocide that has gone on for centuries. COLUMBIA: On March 17, the U.S. State Department declared that Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East face genocide at the hands of Daesh. Now that we’ve called this genocide, what do your people need next? FATHER BAZI: The next step after saying the truth is to act. My people are looking for two solutions: one short-term, the other long-term. First, my people want to live with dignity. After fleeing for their lives in 2014, they arrived with nothing. For almost two years now, they have been living in containers and tents. We must find places for them to live at least with dignity. Second, we have to change the Iraqi Constitution. Why? Because though its first words talk about democracy, it next states that nothing can go against Sharia law and the Quran. It means Christians and other minorities are second-class citizens. What that says about democracy is: Forget it. How can people live if they are not equal under the law? So the constitution needs to recognize that we are Iraqi citizens according to our equal human dignity. COLUMBIA: What is the mood among refugees in your center today? Do your people have hope? FATHER BAZI: My people are struggling. We were already disappointed when Iraq rejected us, making us feel like we don’t belong to Iraq. But as Christians we never thought that we would have to wait almost two years for Western counties to take action. My people wake up with little hope, asking the same questions: “What am I going to do for work?” “Are my kids going to have an education?” They feel there is no future.
COLUMBIA: What would you say to those outside of Iraq about your people’s needs? FATHER BAZI: I would first like to say, “Pray for my people, help my people, and save my people.” Pray for my people, because through your prayers and support we know that we are not alone and forgotten. Prayer then moves from words to actions and love. Find out what they need, and help. For some, life is too hard and it’s better to leave. Let’s help them leave. For others, it’s better to stay. Let’s help them stay. From the very beginning of this crisis, the Catholic Church has been a constant support. Without the Church, my people would not have survived. You can contact those who have been our partners from the start and know the situation on the ground, such as the Knights of Columbus, Aid to the Church in Need and all the bishops’ conferences. COLUMBIA: What is your message to the Knights of Columbus? FATHER BAZI: My people will tell you simply: “All we need is a small house with dignity.” To the Knights, I say that when you build a house for my people, you give them a future with dignity and hope. To you, maybe it’s just help, but to us it’s life. My people will not forget the Knights of Columbus who have stood with us. COLUMBIA: You have said that Christians are the key to reconciliation in Iraq. Can you tell us more about why forgiveness is so important? FATHER BAZI: I could count all the empires and governments that have attacked and persecuted Christians, but we still exist in Iraq, and they are gone. Why? Because we still forgive. Forgiveness allows the grace of God to transfer from generation to generation. It is the only way communities can sit down together and become brothers again. One day, Daesh will be gone, and then the community will come together again. Yet people will begin to blame each other, “Who did that?” and “Why did that happen?” because it’s not easy to forgive. But without Christians, without this example of forgiveness, violence will continue.♦ JULY 2016
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The Healing Power of Mercy Military personnel from around the world encounter God’s grace during pilgrimage to Lourdes
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etired Army Sgt. Timothy Doerner had traveled as a pilgrim from California to Lourdes, France — but he had a great desire to go just a little farther. Beyond the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Way of the Cross, known 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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for its 115 life-sized bronze figures, lay along a steep, uneven wooded area, and Doerner was in a wheelchair. “What I saw in Tim was a man who came halfway around the world to experience Lourdes,” recalled Air Force Lt. Col.
Photo by Photo Lacaze
by Lizette Lantigua
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The 2016 Warriors to Lourdes pilgrims walk through the “Holy Door” at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, May 19. Inspired by the Holy Year of Mercy, the theme of this year’s military pilgrimage was “The Door to God’s Mercy Is Always Open.” cially moving because of this location,” recalled Sgt. Doerner, who is a member of Redlands (Calif.) Council 3109. “And for the brothers to get in and help me shows how outstanding the Knights are. Lourdes is a place of spiritual renewal.”
Gene Wall. “I told him I would figure out how to do it, and he lit up like a lightbulb. Now I was committed, and there was no turning back.” Wall, who is a member of Father Emil J. Kapaun Council 11987 at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, soon returned with seven Knights who helped Doerner wrestle his electric chair through water trenches, around rocks and up sharp inclines. When the chair became stuck in holes, they managed to lift it out and continue the ascent. After reaching the top, the Knights accompanied Sgt. Doerner in prayer, kneeling at each station together, taking turns with the prayers and concluding by singing Immaculate Mary. “It was emotional, as all stations are, but these were espe-
SEEKING PEACE OF MIND, BODY AND SOUL Sgt. Doerner and the Knights who assisted him up the hill were among the more than 180 participants in the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for Wounded or Disabled Military Personnel May 17-23. Co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the pilgrimage included some 100 wounded, ill or injured U.S. military personnel, together with family members, clergy, volunteers, support staff and a Fourth Degree honor guard. The U.S. pilgrims joined 12,000 military personnel from more than 40 countries who came prayerfully seeking peace and healing during the 58th International Military Pilgrimage (Pèlerinage Militaire International or PMI), organized under the theme “The Door to God’s Mercy Is Always Open.” In a message to this year’s pilgrims, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “We pray this pilgrimage will become a source of peace and healing for you, as it has been for the millions who have visited Lourdes over the years. There, some have experienced a miraculous physical healing, while others speak of the healing of spirit, mind and heart that comes from the hand of God through the intercession of our Blessed Mother.” Lourdes first became a place of veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the late 19th century, in the years following the Marian apparitions to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. In 1944, during the Second World War, Allied military personnel gathered for Mass at the Rosary Basilica. Other military pilgrimages followed, leading to the first official PMI in 1958. Since 2013, the Knights of Columbus has collaborated with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, to organize the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage. This year, the Knights also sponsored 20 Ukrainian soldiers wounded in conflict while defending their country. The theme of this year’s international pilgrimage was inspired by the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Following the opening Mass for U.S. pilgrims, which was celebrated May 19 by U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio, pilgrims had the opportunity to walk through the Holy Door, consisting of two large wooden pillars at the entrance of the sanctuary. The Knights also organized a tour through the common grounds of the Sanctuary; the Basilica of St. Pius X, commonly known as the Underground Basilica; and to the Office of Medical Observations, which collects information on reported healings. JULY 2016
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Photos by Photo Lacaze
Clockwise, from top: Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, celebrates Mass for English-speaking pilgrims from the United States, Great Britain, Ireland and Norway at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes May 21. The Knights of Columbus organized the Mass and published booklets for the liturgy. • Katie Frelk, wife of Staff Sergeant Michael Frelk (USMC) of San Luis de Francia Council 3162 in Oceanside, Calif., prays with her husband and their daughter, Genevieve, during the Grotto Mass. • A Fourth Degree honor guard from Germany accompanies pilgrims at an event on the sanctuary grounds. • Major General Mike Regner (USMC, Ret.) greets a Ukrainian soldier at the K of C reception May 21. The Knights of Columbus sponsored 20 pilgrims from Ukraine to attend the 58th International Military Pilgrimage.
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On Friday morning, May 20, the pilgrims visited the baths of healing water that are located along the bank of the Gave river, just beyond the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. Many came on the pilgrimage to seek healing of various kinds, to discern God’s will for them and to give thanks. Army Capt. Luis Avila, 45, was making his second Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage, accompanied by his wife, Claudia. “I feel awesome,” he said. “I feel relieved. I feel like a heavy weight has come off my back.” Capt. Avila was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in 2011 during his fifth combat tour in Afghanistan and Iraq. He suffered an amputation of his left leg, two strokes and two heart attacks, and was in a coma. Doctors gave him little hope of survival. Claudia and their three sons stood by his side, and after 40 days he opened his eyes. Almost completely paralyzed, Luis was told that he would never move his hands again. After visiting the baths in Lourdes last year, his left hand began moving. “Our goal was to thank God and Our Holy Mother, because in our darkest days the light of God and our holy Mother kept us strong,” Claudia said. “This trip has given healing to our souls, minds and bodies.” ‘AN INCREDIBLE BOND’ On Saturday, Archbishop Broglio celebrated Mass for the English-speaking pilgrims at the Grotto. “During this Year of Mercy,” the archbishop said in his homily, “we are called to deepen our knowledge of the faith, render ever more intense our relationship with the Lord Jesus, and to taste and announce that mercy.” He added, “We come on pilgrimage to remind us that life is a pilgrimage. We come here also to beg for healing for all those afflicted by the trials of war. We pray for peace, which is so elusive in our world.” Later that day, military personnel gathered for a ceremony at the War Memorial, where a wreath was placed at the monument to commemorate fallen soldiers from all nations. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Lance Oakes, who was part of the U.S. Color Guard, spoke about the event during a time of faith sharing and reflection for the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrims. “We lost a lot of guys in Afghanistan,” said an emotional Oakes, a member of Council 11987 at Ramstein. “The ceremony was the perfect experience for me to seek a little closure.” On Saturday evening, thousands of pilgrims participated in the candlelight Marian procession outdoors, singing hymns and reciting the rosary in different languages. Together with the spiritual events of the pilgrimage, a festive atmosphere permeated the town as military bands from many nations marched and played music. Uniformed troops saluted as they passed each other on the streets, and communicated through gestures or foreign phrases. Others took photos and exchanged religious or patriotic mementoes.
Swiss Guards stand at attention beside a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes at the May 22 closing ceremony, which was organized by the Knights of Columbus. Father Jeffrey G. Laible, 55, an Air Force chaplain and lieutenant colonel, shared how important it was for military personnel to visit Lourdes. “All of us who have been involved in some way in combat are looking for healing,” said Father Laible, a member of Lincoln (Neb.) Council 1250. “What better place to come than to Lourdes and to be able to experience the healing waters, the healing presence of almighty God and our Blessed Mother.” Warriors often experience Christ through his sacramental presence, Father Laible explained, such as those who were visibly moved during eucharistic adoration and the blessing of the sick on Friday. At other times, God is experienced through the sacrament of reconciliation, or while praying the rosary together, or during a faith and fellowship session. “Sometimes we don’t have to say anything at all,” Father Laible added. “Just the fact that we have combat experience in common creates an incredible bond, and then we share our Catholic faith and experience of God’s presence.” Army Sgt. Christopher Chabrier, 22, came on the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage as a volunteer and became convinced that Lourdes is a place of healing and grace. “This place has a divine calling to it. I’ve seen guys going through a rough patch and getting better, thanks to the work of our Blessed Mother,” said Sgt. Chabrier, a member of St. Michael the Archangel Council 15250 in Fort Bragg, N.C. “I’ve also personally experienced a burden lifted off my shoulders. We are all in it together.” On the final day of the pilgrimage, more than 30,000 people filled the shrine’s Basilica of St. Pius X to capacity for Mass. Pilgrims then participated in the vibrant international closing ceremonies, this year sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. For information about how to participate in or support next year’s pilgrimage, visit warriorstolourdes.org.♦ LIZETTE LANTIGUA writes from South Florida. JULY 2016
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A Great Manager, A Great Man Two-time World Series champion manager Danny Murtaugh was a man of faith, charity and humor
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ittsburgh Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh loved his faith, his family, his country — and practical jokes. It didn’t matter to him whether you were a family member or friend, a teammate or sports reporter — anyone was fair game when it came to pranks. In the spring after the Pirates’ improbable World Series victory over the New York Yankees in 1960, Murtaugh welcomed a new player to training camp. “I’m putting you with Bob Skinner because we like to put our strongest men with him,” Murtaugh told him. “Why is that?” the rookie asked nervously. “Ordinarily Skinner’s a very nice guy, but on occasion he’s subject to fits at night,” Murtaugh explained. “It takes a strong man to put him down.” Skinner, Pittsburgh’s AllStar left fielder, approached Murtaugh the next day. “You put me in with some kind of nut,” he complained. “I got up about 4 o’clock to go to the bathroom, and this kid pounced on me and held me down till I convinced him nothing was wrong.” Murtaugh couldn’t decide what was funnier: the rookie sleeping with one eye open and waiting to pounce, or Skinner being ambushed on the way to the bathroom. Through hustle, determination and strength of character, together with a dose of good humor, Murtaugh scraped his way out of poverty to become a two-time World Championship manager. He was universally admired and respected by those who knew him — not only as a baseball player and manager, but also as a World War II veteran, a family man, a faithful Catholic and a Knight of Columbus. 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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FATHER, SOLDIER, MANAGER The third of five children, Daniel Edward Murtaugh was born on Oct. 8, 1917, in Chester, Pa., to Daniel and Nellie Murtaugh. Murtaugh’s father worked in the shipyards, and his mother took in laundry and sold pies. To help heat their home, young Murtaugh and his sisters used to walk along the railroad tracks looking for bits of coal that had fallen from the trains. Lunch was often a potato sandwich — slices of raw potato between two pieces of bread — and when it rained or snowed, Murtaugh slept with an umbrella between him and the holes in the roof above. Nevertheless, he had a happy childhood amid a close-knit community. Like many boys in his day, Murtaugh grew up playing sandlot baseball. He played shortstop in high school, and a few years later he made a St. Louis Cardinals farm team. He made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1941, leading the league in stolen bases as a rookie. Since Chester was only 20 miles from Philadelphia, it was a homecoming for Murtaugh, and the jump in pay enabled him to propose to his high school sweetheart, Kate Clark. The couple was married at St. Robert’s Roman Catholic Church in Chester on Nov. 29, 1941. Just eight days later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Baseball continued during the war, and Murtaugh stayed with the Phillies until 1943, the year he and Kate welcomed their first baby, Timothy. When Tim was just four months old, Murtaugh was called to military service. He was given the opportunity to stay stateside and play on the U.S. Army
Photos courtesy of Colleen Hroncich
by Colleen Hroncich
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Above: Pittsburgh Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh visits with religious sisters on Nuns’ Day at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh in the early 1960s. • Opposite page: Murtaugh is pictured with two of his grandchildren — Colleen, the writer of this article, and her brother Joe — in his office at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in 1975. baseball team but chose instead to help the war effort by joining the 97th Infantry. Although Murtaugh didn’t talk about the war much, Tim recalls one story about his dad being pinned down by a sniper and another about his volunteering to take the place of a fellow soldier on a dangerous mission behind German lines. Following the war, Murtaugh returned to baseball. According to Tim, “Those years in the infantry walking across Europe took a lot out of his legs. It probably shortened his playing career because one of his big assets was speed.” Before long, the Murtaugh family expanded, as Danny Jr. was born in 1947 and a daughter, Kathy, arrived two years later. In 1948, Murtaugh was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played for four more years before moving into a coaching position. Named Pirates manager in 1957, his debut was a Sunday doubleheader. “My dad started that Sunday by going to Mass, like he always did, and he was very surprised when he heard the name of the celebrant: Father Murtaugh,” Kathy recalled. “He took it to be a good omen — until the Pirates lost both games.”
LIVING THE FAITH Despite the rough start, the Pirates made a remarkable turnaround under Murtaugh’s leadership. After tying for last place in 1957, the team finished second in 1958, the same year he joined the Knights of Columbus as a charter member of Peace Council 4518 in Ridley Twp., Pa. Murtaugh’s role in the team’s turnaround led baseball sportswriters to vote him the Associated Press Major League Manager of the Year. Pitcher Bob Friend later said, “He was the best manager I played for. I think our success was a function of Danny’s managerial style.” All-Star shortstop Dick Groat agreed: “Danny did a better job of handling people than anybody I was ever around.” The team faltered in 1959, but rebounded in 1960 to win the World Series against the mighty New York Yankees. Few predicted the Pirates would win against the likes of Yankee legends Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. In fact, the Yankees outscored the Pirates 54-27 in the series, but the Pirates eventually won Game 7 with a walkoff homer by Bill Mazeroski. JULY 2016
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Photos courtesy of Colleen Hroncich
Clockwise, from top: As a Pirates player, Murtaugh slides into third base as the ball slips by Jackie Robinson during a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Forbes Field June 9, 1948. • Murtaugh (center) is pictured in 1970 with (from left) Pirates General Manager Joe Brown and players Willie Stargell, Richie Hebner, Dave Giusti and Dock Ellis after he announced that he would return to manage the team for the 1971 season. • Murtaugh celebrates with Bill Mazeroski after his walk-off home run won Game 7 of the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees.
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By all accounts Murtaugh remained modest in his success In September of the next year Murtaugh fielded a starting and was quick to divert praise from himself to his players. lineup that was all people of color, a first in Major League BaseHowever, if he ever got a little too big for his britches, his ball history. When reporters asked him about it after the 10-7 wife was sure to rein him back in. After the World Series hub- win against the Phillies, Murtaugh said, “I put in the nine Pittsbub settled down, he and Kate were home alone one night. burgh Pirates that I had the best chance to win with tonight.” Reading the sports section, Murtaugh asked, “Kate, how Al Oliver, former outfielder and first baseman who played many really great managers do you think there are in base- on the 1971 squad, said that Murtaugh “brought together ball?” Without looking up from her knitting, Kate replied, Latin American players, Afro-American players and Cau“I think there’s one less than you do.” casian players for one common cause — to win and bring a Murtaugh managed four more years before retiring for World Championship back to Pittsburgh. He was able to health reasons. By this time, his son Tim was playing minor bind us together as a team.” league baseball, having signed with the Pirates in 1965. Murtaugh’s underdog Pirates went on that season to win Danny Jr. was in college at Tim’s alma mater, Holy Cross in another World Series championship by beating the Baltimore Massachusetts, and Kathy was attending a Catholic high Orioles. It was an upset no one expected, since Baltimore had school. four 20-game winning pitchers. Tim recalled, “Catholic education The Pirates lost the first two games was very important to my parents. We of the series in Baltimore. Returning all went to Catholic schools and then to Pittsburgh, Murtaugh ripped up attended Catholic colleges.” the scouting report on the Orioles and Kathy agreed that her father’s told the team, “Let’s go play like the ANNY MURTAUGH Catholic faith was an integral part of Pittsburgh Pirates.” According to his life. catcher Manny Sanguillen, “The clubWAS A MAN OF “I remember being embarrassed house erupted in applause. And that’s BASEBALL , BUT ALSO when the nuns would tell my whole when the games changed.” The Pirates elementary school, ‘Watch Danny took all three games in Pittsburgh, lost A MAN OF GOD.” Murtaugh when he goes to receive the Game 6 in Baltimore, and finally won Holy Eucharist. He’s a famous baseGame 7 in a 2-1 showdown. ball manager, and look how reverent In recognition of his accomplishhe is. If he can be so devout, you can ments, the Pittsburgh chapter of the too,’” she recalled. “Even on road Knights of Columbus honored Murtrips, my dad always made it to Sunday Mass, and he encour- taugh as “Knight of the Year” in 1972. aged his coaches to join him.” According to his son Tim, also a member of Council 4518, Throughout his busy baseball years, Murtaugh remained Murtaugh was a proud Knight who spoke often at K of C active in his community. Like his father and grandfather, banquets and Communion breakfasts. Murtaugh volunteered for the Chester Fire Department, “My dad loved the Knights,” he said. “Whenever he was even serving as chief for a time. He was a popular speaker at home from baseball, he served in an honor guard at funerals sports banquets and charity events. He never accepted a for brother Knights.” penny for hometown appearances, and he quietly donated Murtaugh retired from managing for the fourth and final out-of-town fees to charity, along with the proceeds of his time after the 1976 season, citing health issues and a desire occasional endorsements. to spend more time with his five grandchildren. Sadly, he suf“I didn’t know about all the good work he did until after fered a stroke and died just two months later at age 59. he died,” Kathy said. “He used to say that if you did a good His brother Knights, assembled as an honor guard at the deed and then talked about it, it was no longer a good deed.” funeral Mass, were out in full force to bid him farewell. Father Francis O’Reilly, the priest who officiated at his 1941 KNIGHT OF THE YEAR wedding, celebrated the Mass and gave the homily. While Murtaugh enjoyed spending more time with his “Danny Murtaugh was a man of baseball, but you see all friends and family during these years, baseball always called of these priests here, all of these mourners, and you know to him. He said, “Managing a ball club is like getting malaria. that he must also have been a man of God,” Father O’Reilly Once you’re bitten by the bug, it’s difficult to get it out of said. “He lived a life of dedication and love, and we should your bloodstream.” all be inspired by him.”♦ In 1970, Murtaugh agreed to return as Pirates manager. Heading into the 1970 season, the team was not expected to COLLEEN HRONCICH is a granddaughter of Danny be in the pennant race, yet they won the National League Murtaugh and author of the 2010 biography The Whistling East title. The Associated Press and Sporting News named Irishman: Danny Murtaugh Remembered. Her husband, Brian, Murtaugh Manager of the Year. is a member of Grove City (Pa.) Council 3658.
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Charity AS
REMEDY K of C councils organize fundraising initiatives for people facing dire medical problems by Kathy Schiffer
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dam Wit lofted his giggling 1-year-old son, Ezra, up in “We took it to the council officers and then to the council,” the air, and his wife, Sarah, smiled as the boy landed Abernathy recalled. “We pledged to raise $100,000 over a safely in his father’s arms. three-year period.” No one watching this scene in the Wit family’s backyard in Then-Deputy Grand Knight Mike Carrier took the lead on May could have imagined that in the winter of 2010 Adam the project, and Adam’s mother, Susan, helped to shape the was told he had less than five years to live. fundraising campaign. “It started with a routine eye exam,” recalled Wit, a mem“I didn’t want to take away from other charitable projects of ber of St. Hubert’s Council 11658 in the Knights, but instead hoped to supHarrison Township, Mich. “The docplement them,” Susan Wit explained. tor noticed that I had a small hemorThe Knights organized a Lenten fish rhage at the back of my eye and fry, a Super Bowl party and a dueling DON’T KNOW HOW ordered a blood test.” pianos fundraiser that drew more than The test revealed that Wit, then 29 200 people. WE ’ D HAVE GOTTEN and recently married, was severely ane“There were also bake sales, Easter mic. A diagnosis followed of Waldenbasket sales, a wreath sale and other THROUGH THE TOUGH ström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), a special events, all benefiting the rerare type of blood cancer. Wit suddenly search of the Dana-Farber Cancer InTIMES WITHOUT THE found himself in a fight for his life, and stitute,” Abernathy said. KNIGHTS.” doctors recommended treatment at In the past five years, the council has Boston’s Bing Center for WM at the raised more than $118,000 for reDana-Farber Cancer Institute. search into treatment options for WM, When the news reached Council and Wit’s doctors are hopeful these 11658, Wit’s brother Knights rose to the occasion, raising treatments will help keep his cancer in remission. money for research that would give him a chance to survive. “With help from the Knights, Dana-Farber has continued Their response was not unlike that of other K of C councils its important research into new cures and treatments,” said which, when encountering people who face devastating medical Wit. “We’ve been blessed, and the outlook is good.” diagnoses, have sought to help in any way they can. Three years after Wit’s diagnosis, Paula Tholl of St. Cloud, Minn., faced her own medical emergency. Following a routine PLEDGING SUPPORT hip replacement surgery in 2013, she found herself increasWhen Adam Wit prepared to take a leave from his job and ingly incoherent and in pain. begin treatment for his rare condition, his family knew they “As a nurse, I knew that something was wrong, and I told could turn to the Knights for support. His father, Roger, a my husband to call 911,” Tholl recalled. “Doctors determined past grand knight of Council 11658, approached then-Grand that I’d acquired a staph infection during the first surgery, and Knight Rick Abernathy with some ideas about how they could it had spread to my vital organs. My liver had shut down; my support cancer research. kidneys were failing.”
“I
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Photo by Michelle and Chris Gerard
Adam Wit and his wife, Sarah, are pictured in their home with their son, Ezra, as grandparents Roger and Susan Wit look on. Adam and Roger Wit are both members of St. Hubert’s Council 11658 in Harrison Township, Mich. Over the next two years, Tholl underwent 16 surgeries — five hip replacements, and debridement procedures to remove tissue destroyed by the infection. Unable to work, Paula lost both her job and her health insurance, and medical bills were piling up. She fell into depression and worry. In January 2015, Kim Walz, who led the ladies auxiliary for Bishop Zardetti Council 5548 in St. Cloud, asked Paula if she could organize a benefit to help with her medical expenses. “It was hard for us to accept help,” said Tholl. “We’re old Germans, and we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. And I’m the nurse — I’m always the caregiver, not the receiver.” When Tholl finally agreed, Walz approached then-Grand Knight Conrad Meier about a fundraiser.
“Paula and her husband have always been involved with the parish and community,” Meier said. “So when I heard she needed help, we didn’t hesitate.” At the council’s next meeting, members unanimously approved the fundraiser and donated an initial $1,000. Meier then reached out to two parish communities, St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s, for additional assistance as they planned for a pasta dinner, pie sale and silent auction a month later. “We also made sure we hit the air waves and the papers,” Meier said. “If we reached the people who knew the Tholls it would help.” Planning for the event helped to bring the communities together, Meier added, and like all of their charitable projects, it was fueled by faith. JULY 2016
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TOP: Photo by Katie Lynne Photography — BOTTOM: Photo by Emmazing Photography
Above: Kevin and Rylee Stone (seated with their four sons) are pictured with members of Aberdeen (S.D.) Council 820, including (from left) Grand Knight Barry Coughlin, Patrick King, Mark Stone (Kevin’s father) and Joe Zikmund. • Below: Paula and David Tholl (left) chat in their home with Conrad Meier, past grand knight of Bishop Zardetti Council 5548 in St. Cloud, Minn., and Kim Walz of the ladies auxiliary for Council 5548.
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Photo by Michelle and Chris Gerard
“Above all,” he emphasized, “everything we do begins with prayer and ends with prayer.” When it came time for the fundraiser on Feb. 28, they collected another $27,000 to help with the Tholls’ expenses. BETTER DAYS AHEAD Like Council 11658 in Michigan and Council 5548 in Minnesota, Aberdeen (S.D.) Council 820 came to the aid of a family facing unexpected medical challenges. In December 2013, Kevin and Rylee Stone, already parents of two young boys, were eagerly awaiting the birth of twins. When heart problems were detected in one of the twins that required immediate neonatal care, doctors rushed to deliver them at just 29 weeks gestation. On Dec. 30, 2013, Harrison was born weighing 2 pounds, 9 ounces, and Jackson weighed 1 pound, 1 ounce. They had suffered from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a serious disorder that affects fetal blood flow in twins. “Both during my pregnancy and after the twins were born, there were times when the doctors thought we’d lose them,” said Rylee. “Jackson was not receiving the nutrients he needed, and so was severely undersized,” Kevin explained. “Harrison had received too much, forcing his heart to work too hard.” Kevin’s father, Mark, and grandfather, Russ, are long-time members of Council 820. “When the council heard about the struggles facing the twins,” said Grand Knight Barry Coughlin, “we knew we had to do something.” Coughlin, joined by council members Joe Zikmund and Patrick King, co-chaired a lasagna dinner fundraiser in May 2014 at Sacred Heart Church. Staff from Roncalli Elementary School, where Mark Stone served as principal, secured silent auction items. Bands from Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s parishes played, and parishioners prepared salads, garlic bread and desserts to complement the homemade lasagna, which was made using King’s secret family recipe. Fourth Degree Knights wearing tuxedos and social baldrics served dinner to 225 guests, and at the end of the evening, the Knights were proud to present the Stones with a check for $17,120. Although both twins required specialized neonatal care, Harrison, the larger twin, came home from the hospital on March 18, 2014, close to his actual due date. “Harrison’s a good little trooper,” said Kevin, “and he enjoys playing with his older brothers.” Jackson, who spent his first two years in the hospital, continues to face medical problems. Among the side effects of Jackson’s treatment are damage to his sensory nervous system, a hole in his intestine and underdeveloped lungs. He doesn’t swallow on his own and still relies on a feeding tube for nutrition, but he does show signs of improvement. “In the last two weeks, Jackson started walking,” Kevin said.
Adam and Sarah Wit are pictured together in the backyard of their home in Harrison Twp., Mich. “His breathing has improved, and he is tolerating feedings.” In May, doctors operated to close the stoma, the hole in Jackson’s throat that was made for a breathing tube. “The boys are doing great today,” said Rylee, “but I don't know how we'd have gotten through the tough times without the Knights. They were our lifeline.” Adam Wit, who was given a life expectancy of less than five years in 2010, enjoys spending time with his own little boy. With his cancer at bay, he has returned to work as the township clerk and is looking forward to the years ahead. Likewise, after two years of recurrent illness and 14 months on antibiotics, Paula Tholl has completed treatment and shows no signs of the disease that nearly claimed her life. “I felt so alone, and I asked God, ‘What am I supposed to do with all of this?’ Then I felt the love from all of these people, and it was humbling to see God’s work in action. I had heard of the Knights of Columbus, of course, but I didn’t really know what they did. Now, I just want people to know that these are men who are living out the call of Christ.” Paula’s husband, David, recently joined the Order as a result of their experience. “I saw the good they did for my own family,” he said, “and I was inspired to join them.” Council 5548, of which David is now a member, has recently raised more than $30,000 in a fundraiser for Thomas Merchlewicz, a 20-year-old bone cancer patient. Paula wrote a check for $500 toward the cause, in gratitude for the help that she received in her own time of need.♦ KATHY SCHIFFER is a correspondent and blogger for the National Catholic Register. JULY 2016
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION
REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES headed a "Coups for Troops" program in which Knights collect national product coupons for military families, stationed both in the United States and overseas. Knights have collected and distributed over 2.1 million coupons at an estimated value of over $850,000. CRUCIFIXES CONSTRUCTED
Members of St. John Nepomucene Council 12075 in Bacolod City, Visayas, serve soup to children as part of a feeding program in local villages. Since 2007, Knights have served monthly meals in the villages to ensure that indigent children have enough to eat.
CHURCH HALL LIKE NEW
Msgr. Felix Smyth Council 8378 in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, embarked on a major renovation at St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church. Over six weeks, council members worked 600 hours to reframe walls and pipes, put in electrical outlets and drywall, repaint the space, and install baseboard in the church hall. The effort saved the parish over $40,000 in contractor costs, as the only task performed by outside workers was spraying in new insulation. SEMINARIAN SUPPORT
Oberlin (La.) Council 3353 hosted a raffle to assist a seminarian at St. Joan of Arc Church. The raffle raised $5,000 to help cover his tuition expenses. 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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TABLETS FOR SCHOOL
Our Lady of Fatima Council 9597 in Lakewood, Colo., donated seven iPad tablets to Our Lady of Fatima School. The tablets will increase the school’s ability to access and utilize dozens of learning applications currently used in schools across the country.
honor veterans with U.S. flags placed around St. Charles Borromeo Church. The flags, which cost $50 each, can be purchased by family members and will be placed around the church parking lot and sidewalks on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. CLOTHING DRIVE
PRISON AWARENESS
Mary, Cause of Our Joy Council 8447 in Soldiers Hills, Luzon, conducted a blessing for all detainees at the local city police detention center during a prison awareness project. The council also donated food, slippers and various toiletries to inmates.
St. Benedict Cathedral Council 7544 in Evansville, Ind., held an “Undies Sunday” drive at two parishes that resulted in donations of about 1,300 pairs of new underwear for men, women and children, along with diapers for children and adults. The items were donated to the local Christian Life Center.
VETERAN FLAGS
COUPS FOR TROOPS
Msgr. Tjebbe Bekema Council 12060 in St. Charles, La., launched a new program to
Since November 2012, the Fourth Degree District of North Carolina has spear-
Father Michael J. Troy Council 15290 in Edmonton, Alberta, created two crucifixes for the new parish of Corpus Christi. Knights with the needed skills designed, carved and installed the crucifixes in the new church. In addition, leftover wood from the project was used to construct the council’s gavel.
Robert Johnson and Keith Wilson of Hoffman-Schaumburg (Ill.) Council 6964 prepare to head out at the start of the annual golf tournament hosted by Holy Family Council 11981 in Inverness to benefit the Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Hope and Healing. State and regional K of C officers, in addition to representatives from 15 councils, participated in the event, which featured a round of golf and a raffle. The tournament raised $12,000 — the largest fundraiser in the council’s history.
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION BASKETBALL HALF-COURT
Members of St. CloudKissimmee (Fla.) Council 6624 affix an arm on a statue of Jesus while putting the finishing touches on a renovated memorial column at Holy Redeemer Church. At the request of Father Tim LaBo, Knights installed a life-size statue of Christ the Redeemer atop the memorial column in the church’s narthex. Due to high estimates received from contractors, Knights took on the task of installing the statue on their own.
Holy Child Council 12981 in Tijeras Village, N.M., celebrated the dedication of a new basketball half-court at Holy Child Catholic School that the council planned and raised money toward for more than a year. After learning that the school had an old portable basketball hoop, Knights began planning to install a permanent one. However, the parking lot where the hoop was to be installed was in such bad condition that the council upgraded the project to create a whole new halfcourt. Knights raised about $1,900 for the construction of the court through breakfast fundraisers, with the balance donated by an anonymous council member. The halfcourt was then built and dedicated at the annual Holy Child Church picnic. It will host the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship going forward. POTATO FIELD
DRIVE FOR TANZANIA
Our Lady of Peace Council 9856 in Leawood, Kan., partnered with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist to collect dinnerware, cookware and other household goods for the students of a primary school in Tanzania. Specifically, Knights used their trucks to transport large goods, like washers, dryers and furniture. HELPING A BROTHER
Father Robert J. Arnold Council 10690 in Rich Fountain, Mo., held varied fundraisers throughout the year, including charity breakfasts and raffles, to raise more than $8,200 for a council member who needed assistance paying his medical bills.
St. Elizabeth Council 13141 in Upper Uwchlan, Pa., cultivated a potato field to help feed the hungry of Chester County. Knights and their families joined local Boy Scouts and other youth groups to plant, nurture and harvest potatoes. The project yielded more than 1,800 pounds for local food pantries.
Frank Russo and Joe Ewing of St. Peter Council 13139 in Jupiter, Fla., build a brick foundation for a grill that the council constructed at its parish. Knights donated materials and manpower to build the permanent grill, which also includes a locking lid for safety and security. The grill is available to all parish groups for a variety of functions.
SCHOOL ADOPTED
SHIP AHOY
Lawrence Council 7000 in Lawrenceville, N.J., adopted Mercer Special Services High School in order to provide charitable support for the school and its students. Knights assist with seasonal food drives, barbecues, sporting events and graduation, during which K of C members present awards to students.
St. Aloysius Council 6451 in Hickory, N.C., and Father William T. McShea Council 9579 in Morganton volunteered over 150 hours building a 26-foot-long cardboard pirate ship for the J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, a state home for people with disabilities. Knights built the ship at the request of residents, and it will be used for decoration and various activities. CEMETERY FLAGS
James G. Jordan Assembly in West Des Moines, Iowa, raised $2,100 for U.S. flags to be placed on the graves of veterans at the Iowa Veteran Cemetery. Knights also mow and trim the grass at the cemetery on a weekly basis.
BLOOD DRIVE
Matki Bożej Głogowskiejprzy Council 16038 in Głogów Małopolski, Poland, in cooperation with the Regional Blood Center of Rzeszów, conducted a blood drive with the organization’s mobile blood collection bus. Many donors, among whom were several council members, came to donate blood. There were also refreshments for donors.
ROOF INSTALLED Members of Verrazano Circle 5794 in Brooklyn, N.Y., wash a line of cars during a fundraiser to benefit homeless veterans. Squires held two car wash weekends, raising more than $1,300 for homeless veterans served by the Brooklyn VA Hospital.
Members of St. Luke Council 16053 in Barrington, R.I., traveled to Home Mission Co-Op in Maine to install a roof at the organization’s new facility. Over the course of a long weekend, Knights installed 40 roof trusses on the building.
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ewan, held its annual celebrity dinner in support of the Saskatchewan Children’s Hospital Foundation. The event included a dinner, auctions and notable guests. Knights raised $65,000 for the hospital, which is under construction adjacent to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and is expected to open in 2019. DIAPER DROP
Members of Warren (Pa.) Council 964 cut planks of wood for a wheelchair ramp at the home of the widow of a council member. Knights obtained and installed a 40-foot ramp and constructed an additional 20-foot ramp. In addition, council members cleared shrubs from around the house.
Members of St. Dominic-Delhi Council 15533 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and other volunteers work to replace ceiling tiles in the library at St. Dominic School. Knights removed old tiles and discarded them before cutting and installing new ones. By doing the work themselves, council members saved the school approximately $4,000. 28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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GARBING VETERANS
ROSE WINDOW
Sacred Heart Council 5780 in Madison, Conn., held a drive to collect business attire for returning veterans who need to attend job interviews and seminars. The event was such a success that Knights were able to deliver a truck full of business suits and dresses, shoes, belts, shirts, ties and overcoats to the Save-A-Suit Foundation. The truck, hangers and garment bags were all donated by local businesses.
Pavia Council 48 in Bethel, Conn., worked with the men’s ministry at St. Patrick Church to restore a 100-yearold rose window at the church. The stained-glass window had been removed from the old church during construction of the new one and was recently rediscovered in storage. The council was among the groups that helped raise funds for the window’s restoration and reinstallation at the new church.
STAIRS REPAIRED
RELIEF DINNER
Holy Cross Council 15482 in Springfield, Pa., completed a major repair project at Holy Cross Church by fixing the two sets of main stairs leading to the upper church. Knights pitched in on multiple weekends to mortar and caulk the steps and paint the side risers. The council also contributed funds for all materials used in the project.
St. Marguerite Council 6739 in Tooele, Utah, held a spaghetti dinner, with proceeds going to the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund. With assistance from local Boy Scouts, the Knights served more than 100 guests and raised $367. HOSPITAL BENEFIT
Denis Mahoney Council 8215 in Saskatoon, Saskatch-
Bishop Althoff Assembly in Carlyle, Ill., with assistance from Michael J. Haukap Council 11110 in Aviston and Msgr. Albert L. Jerome Council 12799 in Okawville, spearheaded a month-long diaper drop drive to benefit the Pregnancy Care Clinic in Centralia. Knights established several collection points that netted more than 2,000 diapers and 300 baby wipes for women served by the care center.
Pete Rodriguez, Salvatore Vergona and Bob Eyers of Our Lady of Lourdes Council 9924 in Venice, Fla., form an assembly line to pack bags of food while volunteering at the All Faiths Food Bank in Sarasota. In addition to delivering a $4,000 donation for a program that provides food to children during school breaks, council members also rolled up their sleeves to help pack 2,400 bags of food. Also pictured is fellow volunteer Kathryn Krause.
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION WASTE NOT
Regina Mundi Council 12745 in Hamilton, Ontario, turned a vacant alley located behind an area school and church into a sanctuary in memory of a young girl and a local teacher who both died of cancer. Knights worked to clear out the alley and pave it with concrete. With a new surface in place, council members then set to work installing picnic benches, flower boxes and other decorations, including a stone crucifix and two memorial stones.
were donated to an area food bank. STATUE DEDICATED
Nazareno Council 12904 in Edmonton, Alberta, purchased a statue of Jesus the Black Nazarene from the Philippines and hosted an outdoor procession and dedication ceremony to welcome it. Archbishop Richard W. Smith of Edmonton officiated over the ceremony, which saw a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 600 people. WHEELCHAIR DINNER
CLEANING SUPPLIES
Father James Hoge Assembly in Inverness, Fla., led its five associated councils to collect cleaning supplies for a local veterans shelter. GUMBO COOK-OFF
Father Placide Dobyns Council 1819 in Bogalusa, La., hosted its North Shore Knights of Columbus Gumbo Cook-Off. Each team provided three gallons of gumbo, which was sold following Mass. All proceeds
St. John Vianney Council 7525 in South Burlington, Vt., held a dinner dance to benefit the Global Wheelchair Mission. More than 100 people attended the event, which raised more than $200 to purchase wheelchairs for people with disabilities around the world.
Members of Holy Trinity Council 11789 in Bremerton, Wash., work to remove old framing as part of a demolition and renovation project at their parish hall. Knights removed framing, windows and doors as part of the project, in addition to installing new external doors at the hall. Outside, council members repaired a wooden fence along the property.
Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The council hands out Bibles each year to young men and women who are beginning their confirmation classes.
nated materials and later built a brick pavilion with paver stones and landscaping. The memorial also features a bench and a cross.
CONVENT HELP
Victoria Council 1506 in Victor, Iowa, launched a new program to set up portable U.S. flags in front of homes and businesses that would like to rent one for the year. For $30 annually, Knights will place a portable flag on a participant’s property on Memorial Day, Flag Dag, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day.
FLAG DISPLAYS
BIBLES DONATED
San Juan Diego Council 14975 in Wahneta, Fla., donated 60 Bibles to faith formation students at the
Members of St. Margaret Mary Council 11091 in Algonquin, Ill., pile up bags of aluminum cans from the council’s collection bins. Several years ago, Knights were asked to oversee all of the recycling efforts at their parish, including the collection of recyclable cans, batteries and scrap metal. At its most recent collection, Knights carted away 1,134 pounds of material in a trailer and two trucks. Funds from the program support the Global Wheelchair Mission.
Msgr. Edward Dolan Council 8781 in Farragut, Tenn., donated $1,000 to the Sisters of Mercy to assist with the construction of their new convent. Funds for the donation came from two council-sponsored barbecues. When complete, the convent will house eight sisters, with room for an additional four. CEMETERY MEMORIAL
NEW CROSS
Father Francis Grogan Council 15280 in Wareham, Mass., completed a project to renovate the memorial section of St. Patrick Cemetery. Council member Al Collins spearheaded the initiative after noticing that the memorial section of the cemetery had fallen into disrepair. Knights worked with an area hardware store to get do-
Borger (Texas) Council 3558 removed the old cross and corpus from the sanctuary at St. John Church and put up a new and much larger cross and corpus. The cross was handmade by council member Bill Campos, while the corpus was fashioned and painted by Father Richard Zanetti, also a Knight.
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION
lighted the various functions performed by the Navy. TRANSPLANT HELP
Notre Dame des Pins (Québec) Council 8955 donated $800 to the family of a 6-year-old boy in need of a kidney transplant. The funds were raised thanks to the council’s annual breakfast. YEARLY RAFFLE
Volunteer doctors and nurses wait to see patients at a medical mission co-sponsored by Lao-Angan Council 7298 in San Roque, St. Camillus Hospital and San Roque Church. A total of 200 people, including many women and children, were able to receive free evaluations and care.
Monsignor John F. Callahan Council 3600 in West Hartford, Conn., in conjunction with Mass and a presentation by Father Jeffrey Gubbiotti, vocations director for the Archdiocese of Hartford, held its third annual fundraiser dinner to support seminarians. Over 100 people attended. CEMETERY REFRESH
St. Pius X Council 3789 in New Athens, Ill., funded the construction of a new veterans memorial at St. Agatha Cemetery. In addition to the new memorial, the council paid to have all of the cemetery statues cleaned and painted. MEDICAL DRIVE
Father John F. Hogan Council 14236 in Dartmouth, 30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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Mass., together with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Bristol County Sheriff ’s Office, conducted a medical equipment drive to benefit the Hospice/Palliative Care Program in the Azores. The drive netted a van full of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and other various medical items. VA DONATION
Joseph P. Doherty Council 6730 in Morristown, Tenn., collected 820 pounds of outerwear and personal care items for the Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City. CLASSROOMS CONVERTED
Sacred Heart Council 15682 in Bethlehem, Pa., converted two classrooms at its parish into new meeting rooms. The work included the in-
stallation of new ceilings and lighting, heat and air conditioning, and furniture. CHURCH RENOVATIONS
St. John Paul II-Vaca Valley Council 4901 in Vacaville, Calif., presented a $20,000 check to St. Mary’s Church to assist with ongoing renovations of the parish hall. Funds for the donation were raised over many years, notably by helping to run the church’s religious goods store. NAVAL BASE OUTING
Msgr. Thomas P. Scannell Council 14523 in Annandale, Va., organized a trip for St. Michael’s Church parishioners to visit the naval warships at the Norfolk Amphibious Naval Base. The commanding officers of two vessels hosted the group for the day and high-
Father Jason Burchell leads (from right) Ruth Foster, John White and Allison White in prayer while blessing rosaries and prayer medals for shipment to Kenya. Edward Douglass White Council 2473 in Arlington, Va., for which John White serves as grand knight, was asked to collect rosaries and miraculous medals to give to orphans in the diocese of Meru, Kenya. Councils from throughout the state collected 6,000 rosaries and 2,000 medals for the drive.
Photo of Council 2473 by Patrick Korten
VOCATIONS FUNDRAISER
Msgr. J. M. Hanson Council 5038 in Ankeny, Iowa, All Saints Council 10282 in Des Moines and St. Mary-Holy Cross Council 15347 in Elkhart co-sponsored a raffle for Dorothy’s House, a residential program that assists women who have been victims of sex trafficking and sex abuse. The raffle raised more than $18,000.
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION CLAY SHOOT
Bishop Jean Baptiste Miege Assembly in Paola, Kan., raised $2,000 in its third annual sporting clay shoot. The funds were divided between four charitable causes: Life Care nursing, rehabilitation and senior care center; Honor Flight; intellectual development training centers; and seminarian support services. THANK YOU CARDS
Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Council 12251 in Bainbridge Island, Wash., sent personalized Christmas cards to 42 seminarians from three local dioceses. Each card contained the message “In gratitude for your devotion” and was signed by council members. NEW RESPIRATORY MASK
St. Jean Bosco Council 12189 in Hull, Québec, helped a local lady who suffered from sleep apnea. When the council learned her
respiratory mask was defective, they stepped in to purchase a new one. GIVING CRIB
St. Luke Council 9128 in Temple City, Calif., gave a crib filled with baby items and donations to a local pregnancy resource center. Knights assembled the crib before placing baby item tags into it and displaying it at their parish for a month. Parishioners were then able to take a tag and return with the baby item or items the following week. PULLED PORK
Father Rosendo Rafael Council 8225 in Elgin, Texas, held a pulled pork fundraiser that netted $1,270. The funds will benefit a parish seminarian studying in Rome. CHAPEL RENOVATION
Emerald Coast Council 11893 in Destin, Fla., presented a $4,000 check to the local Sacred Heart Hospital toward the renovation of its chapel. The improvements included new carpeting, benches and chairs with kneelers to facilitate prayer. DOOR OF MERCY
Bruce West (left) and Francis Seymour of Father Francis X. Chagnon Council 3525 in Champlain, N.Y., organize canned food items into boxes during the council’s annual food drive. Knights solicited donations outside of a local supermarket, netting about 3,000 food items and $2,000 in cash for a food pantry in Mooers.
Father Agustin Consunji Council 4233 in Samal Bataan, Luzon North, helped prepare the door of the 400-year-old St. Catherine of Siena Church as a designated Jubilee Door of Mercy. The Knights also assisted at the simultaneous opening of the Doors of Mercy in various vicariates. MEN’S SHELTER MEALS
St. Mark Council 12654 in Huntersville, N.C., cooked and served a special meal for
Special Olympics athletes participate in a bean bag toss during the annual barbecue and blues festival hosted by Owatonna (Minn.) Council 945. The event, which featured a barbecue contest and world-class blues musicians alongside games and a 5K run, raised $8,000 for Minnesota Special Olympics and other area charities. More than 200 Knights and their family members volunteered to make the festival a success.
the local men’s shelter. The meal consisted of meatball subs, fries, salad, refreshments and dessert. The council has been providing these meals every six weeks. SONGBOOKS FOR STUDENTS
Burlington (Wis.) Council 1578 purchased 250 new songbooks for the use of students at the local Catholic grade school. PETS AND PEOPLE
University of Eastern Philippines Council 5744 in Catarman Samar, Visayas, participates in efforts by the school’s College of Veterinary Medicine to provide health care to area animals following natural disasters. Recently, in addition to providing clothes, food, bedding and mosquito nets to area residents, Knights also worked with volunteers to help vaccinate more than
550 cats and dogs and to deworm a number of other domestic animals. LITURGY EQUIPMENT
Over the course of a year, Kirwin Assembly, Monsignor Kirwin Council 787 and Monsignor Chataignon Council 9978 of Galveston, Texas, raised $18,000 for sacred vessels and liturgical equipment in Holy Family Parish of Galveston/Bolivar. The parish community, nearly 100 square miles in size, serves five churches and a cathedral.
kofc.org exclusive See more “Knights in Action” reports and photos at www.kofc.org/ knightsinaction
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P RO M OT I O NA L & G I F T I T E M S
K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com
Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism One of history’s greatest examples of the triumph of spiritual power over violence and oppression is vividly recounted in Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism. This new documentary film poignantly captures the intricate role played by John Paul in the collapse of communism and the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe. 92 minutes. DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $24.99
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IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com
JOIN THE FATHER MCGIVNEY GUILD
!
07/16
Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org
Patriotic Wicking T-Shirt Lightweight, roomy and highly breathable, this moisture-wicking T-shirt is 3.8 ounces and made of 100% polyester interlock. The navy T-shirt is a nice background for the patriotic red and white “Knights of Columbus” imprint. The text has a distressed look, making it look like you’ve had this shirt for years. Make it your new favorite. S, M, L ,XL: $18; 2XL: $20; 3XL: $21; 4XL: $22
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OFFICIAL JULY 1, 2016: 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, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 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. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.
COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.
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Adidas® Three-Stripe Polo This Adidas men's Climalite three-stripe polo is 100% polyester. The essential moisture management piqué wicks moisture away from the skin. The contrast 3stripes piping detail on the sleeves and the contrast heat-sealed Adidas performance logo on back neck signify the well-known Adidas brand. Available in red or blue, with the Emblem of the Order or Fourth Degree logo embroidered in white thread. M, L ,XL: $43; 2XL: $45; 3XL: $46
Order these and other items online at:
knightsgear.com Questions? 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562) Additional shipping costs apply to all orders. Please call before mailing in an order.
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K N I G H T S O F C O L UM B U S
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.
TO
BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S
C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW
Members of Father Francis B. Pilliod Assembly in Huber Heights, Ohio, salute at the burial service of a fallen veteran. The assembly supports the Final Salute Society, a patriotic service group that attends and helps conduct the burial of veterans who have no family members to bear witness to the service or receive the flag. In addition to attending and taking part in the ceremony, the assembly also provides red, white and blue floral arrangements bearing the name of each veteran whose burial might otherwise go without tribute.
“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” H AVEN , CT 06510-3326
PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : OR E - MAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC . ORG .
JULY 2016
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PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
K E E P T H E F A IT H A L I V E
‘I CHOSE TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN OF SOULS.’
FATHER THOMAS SANDERS, OSB St. Andrew’s Abbey Cleveland, Ohio
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
I was on my way to becoming a doctor, preparing for medical school and working in an emergency department, when I started to think differently about healing. Doctors can write prescriptions, but how can they heal guilt, anger and other forms of pain? I found value in spiritual direction and in the sacrament of reconciliation for healing such wounds. This led to a deepening of my prayer life, and I began attending daily Mass and spending time before the Blessed Sacrament. After reading about the life of St. Francis of Assisi, I recognized signs of a calling to religious life. I made a retreat with the Benedictines, continued to visit the community and found that monastic life has much to offer in bringing health and healing to God’s people. I chose to become a physician of souls. All of my experiences have been useful in the monastery and our high school apostolate. As a priest-monk, I want to bring God’s healing mercy through teaching the Catholic faith, preaching the Word of God and celebrating the sacraments.