Columbia June 2018

JUN 18 E COVERS 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 5/15/18 6:55 PM Page 1

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

J UNE 2018

June Columbia Ad REV.qxp_Layout 1 5/16/18 11:53 AM Page 1

A Portfolio of Protection The Knights of Columbus offers a full-line of quality, flexible products to help protect your family.

Permanent Life Insurance

Our signature product.

Insure your life for life.

Term Life Insurance

Affordable protection for temporary needs.

Retirement Annuities

Retirement income you can count on.

Guaranteed.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Protect your assets.

Get quality care.

Prepare for the future.

Disability Income Insurance

Receive an income even when you can’t work.

Find an agent at kofc.org or 1-800-345-5632

LIFE INSURANCE

•

DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE

•

LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE

•

RETIREMENT ANNUITIES

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:56 PM Page 1

K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S june 2018 ♦ Volume 98 ♦ number 6

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

8

Leading by Example Thriving K of C councils develop a culture of charity, unity and fraternity in faithful service to the Church and community.

BY SETH GONZALES

14 Johnny Hayes Goes the Distance More than a century ago, a member of the Knights won Olympic gold in the very first 26.2-mile marathon.

BY DAVID DAVIS

16 Run as to Win An interview with Catholic Olympian and world-class marathon runner Galen Rupp.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

18 I Would Walk 500 Miles The rugged pilgrimage route to Compostela leads Knights on a path of faith and charity.

BY JAMES JEFFREY

22 Poet, Soldier, Knight A century after he was killed in World War I, Joyce Kilmer remains an eloquent witness of faith, joy and valor.

BY AMY FAHEY

A scallop shell points the way for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, which ends at the tomb of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world The charity and resilience of the Church in Puerto Rico offer an example for both the form and content of our public discussions.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

4

Learning the faith, living the faith We are called to bear witness to the Gospel both by speaking about the faith and by living it with joy.

6

Knights of Columbus News Supreme Knight Visits Puerto Rico as K of C Recovery Efforts Continue

7

Christians at Risk

13 Supreme Convention Baltimore will host the Supreme Convention for the first time in nearly 30 years.

25 Fathers for Good

Students Join Archdiocese of Hartford and Knights to Support Persecuted Christians.

Four things Catholic men must do to defend the faith and build a culture of life in our secular society.

BY MARY CHALUPSKY

BY PETER WOLFGANG

26 Knights in Action

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN Thinkstock

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 1

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 11:47 PM Page 2

A Journey of Faith and Charity FOR MOST of the 2003 Chicago Marathon, I chugged along at a consistent pace and even prayed some 20 decades on a pocket rosary along the way. As the weather grew steadily warmer, however, my legs began to slow, and I suddenly forgot the words of the Hail Mary. It was my first marathon, and with more than a few miles left to go, I had “hit the wall.”

Though it wasn’t pretty, I kept marching forward until I eventually managed to cross the finish line.

Training for and running many more marathons over the past 15 years has continually reminded me about the importance of things like goal-setting, discipline and preparation — lessons with application far beyond running. I am likewise reminded that in the course of life’s journeys, whether literal or spiritual, it’s essential to have an idea of what direction we’re heading and to take steps toward our destination.

St. Paul, in comparing the spiritual life to an athletic event, says he does not “run aimlessly,” but rather trains with the prize in sight (cf. 1 Cor 9:24-27). If we are estranged from God, by contrast, we are like Cain, who was told by the Lord that he would “become a constant wanderer on the earth” — a punishment that Cain said was “too great to bear” (cf. Gen 4:1213). In the modern world, unmoored from a foundation of objective truth and transcendent meaning, many are similarly left wandering without purpose from one shiny distraction to the next.

The road of life sometimes takes unexpected turns, and our temporal

destinations have to be adjusted.

However, from a spiritual perspective, our earthly pilgrimage has a clear beginning and end — an Alpha and Omega (cf. Rev 22:13) — that never changes. In Christ, our lives are to be grounded in faith, as we look forward in hope and follow a compass that always points us on the path of charity.

Father McGivney understood this well when he founded the Knights of Columbus, which for more than 136 years has helped men and their families on this journey.

There have been many remarkable figures in the Order’s history. This issue features, for example, the stories of Johnny Hayes, the Knight who 110 years ago won the Olympic gold medal in the first-ever 26.2-mile marathon (see page 14), and of Joyce Kilmer, the legendary poet and soldier who, 10 years after Hayes’ victory, was killed in World War I (see page 22). Though we celebrate the achievements that make them unique, what gave the lives of men like Hayes and Kilmer meaning and direction were the same principles that motivate Knights throughout the world today. The Order is largely made up of everyday heroes — men who faithfully serve their families, parishes and communities without fanfare. We applaud their witness and the exemplary service of their councils as well (see page 8), inspiring us all to march forward with ever greater love of God and neighbor.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Domestic Church Resource: The Gift of Fatherhood THE BOOKLET The Gift of Fatherhood: What Every Man Should Know (#10168) by Father Carter H. Griffin offers concrete advice on living out the vocation to fatherhood.

Part of the Order’s Building the Domestic Church Series, it identifies the challenges fathers face and provides a spiritual action plan to become better fathers and husbands — ideal reading as we celebrate Father’s Day. To download or order this resource, visit kofc.org/cis.

2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

JUNE 2018

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

________

Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER Grand Knight Tony Butera (right) and Deputy Grand Knight David Herrera of Phil Kelley Council 6878 are pictured at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humble, Texas.

ON THE COVER: Photo by Felix Sanchez

E D I TO R I A L

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:56 PM Page 3

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

Telling Our Story The charity and resilience of the Church in Puerto Rico offer an example for both the form and content of our public discussions

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson RECENTLY, I traveled to Puerto Rico of solar panels smashed to pieces. to thank many of our brother Knights But the most vivid scenes were of who did such heroic work in the after- people. In Ponce, we visited the Mismath of Hurricane Maria, to assess the sionaries of Charity home for the devastation still affecting life on the is- elderly. There, as the hurricane ap- Catholic story. This is one of the realand and to better understand what proached, the sisters gathered the very sons why for decades the Order has further help the Knights of Columbus elderly who were living alone and supported media sources such as Vatcan provide. those whose families had left the island ican TV, EWTN News Nightly and I also visited the island’s Catholic tel- without them. Now, months later, Salt & Light Television. evision station to provide financial as- many remain in the sisters’ care.

Today, Catholic media — both sistance to help restore its operation.

In Arecibo, we visited a school and print and electronic — are essential The Order has long recognized that a home for abused girls; the hurricane to building up a sense of community Catholic media is essential to building had ripped off much of the school’s among Catholics. Pope Francis has a greater sense of community encouraged all of us to think among Catholics and to telling of our Church as a fraternal our own story — including the community — and there is Today, Catholic media — both tremendous work of so many no better place to begin print and electronic — are priests, religious and laity in than in our own community Puerto Rico. of journalists, commentaessential to building up a sense Over three days, I was able tors and bloggers. to visit San Juan, Fajardo, HuEven when we disagree of community among Catholics. macao, Caguas, Ponce and strongly about issues, there is Arecibo. Accompanied by our still a place for charity. Our General Agent José Lebrón-Sanabria roof while the Daughters of Charity, public discourse should not only be and State Deputy Miguel Vidal-Lugo, who maintain the orphanage, sought respectful but reflect that these disI met with field agents, grand knights, shelter with the girls in the school’s li- cussions occur among followers of priests, bishops, religious sisters and brary. With tears in her eyes, the Christ — and that must make them students. We saw firsthand the damage mother superior accepted a check different. done to churches, homes, schools, from the Knights of Columbus to fiWhile in the Tower of London roads, factories and power stations. nally repair the building’s roof. awaiting execution, St. Thomas More On the first day, Archbishop Roberto At the heart of this resilience cited by composed a prayer that begins, González Nieves of San Juan told me the archbishop is the daily courage that “Almighty God, have mercy on all about the resilience of the people on the has continued to overcome extraordi- that bear me evil will and would me island. In a thousand ways, I saw the nary obstacles month after month — harm … and make us saved souls in truth of what he said. whether it be our brother Knights heaven together.”

There are many images that will al- preparing meals and delivering food to If Thomas More could offer this ways remain with me: the hundreds of thousands, and repairing schools and prayer for those who had unjustly blue tarps still covering the roofs of churches, or religious sisters caring for condemned him to death, then perhouses as we flew into San Juan; the is- those who cannot care for themselves. haps all of us can do the same in our land’s delicate rainforest stripped of vegIt is clear that we cannot rely on the public discussions. etation in many places; an entire field mainstream media alone to tell our Vivat Jesus!

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 3

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:56 PM Page 4

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

Words and Deeds We are called to bear witness to the Gospel both by speaking about the faith and by living it with joy

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

MOST OF US are familiar with a say- which can sometimes be heated. No ing attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: need to challenge those who no longer “Preach always, and when necessary, use practice the faith, including members words.” Some, including those who have of our own immediate family. “Why carefully studied St. Francis’ life and harangue them?” we ask ourselves. “It’ll not limited to priests and religious; writings, doubt that he actually said that. do more harm than good.” they were addressed to every member This doesn’t mean that the saying is Well, let’s take haranguing off the of the Church. wrong. After all, one of the most effec- table. Pestering and berating those Nevertheless, we may still be reluctive ways to spread the faith is to live who do not take their faith seriously is tant to speak about our faith to others. the faith with integrity and joy whether not likely to succeed. But we are called After all, fewer people these days idenwe are in public or in private. tify themselves as believers.

But good example, important as Some feel they can get through it is, is not enough. Words are life just fine without God or at almost always necessary — let least without any form of organIt’s no good to speak about the me illustrate why this is so. ized religion. Others think that faith and not to live it. And if we all institutions, especially large Most readers of this column are married. What if you comare living the faith, we should be ones such as the Catholic plained that your spouse never Church, are corrupt and out of said the words “I love you”? If touch. So, we ask ourselves, willing to speak of it. your spouse responded, “I don’t “What can I possibly say to such have to — I show my love to people?” In a recent meeting, a you every day,” I’m going to guess you to speak about the faith to others with colleague lamented how difficult it is wouldn’t be satisfied with such an an- accuracy, confidence and joy. St. Paul to spread the Gospel in the current culswer. Husbands and wives need to say puts it this way: “For ‘everyone who tural climate. Another colleague agreed “I love you.” Wouldn’t life at home be calls on the name of the Lord will be but added, “Spreading the Gospel in better if, every day, parents told their saved.’ But how can they call upon the pagan culture of the Roman Emchildren of their love and vice versa? him in whom they have not believed? pire wasn’t exactly a picnic!”

Just saying so makes a difference — es- And how can they believe in him of pecially on a day when nothing has whom they have not heard? And how MESSENGERS OF HOPE gone right. can they hear without someone to Like those who went before us, we So too, when it comes to the Lord preach?” (Rom 10:13-14). may experience ridicule and rejection and the Gospel, we are sometimes Thinking about St. Paul’s words, one when trying to share the Gospel. But tempted to use the words ascribed to might say, “Great! I’m off the hook. I’m let’s not forget two things. First, the St. Francis of Assisi as a cop-out. a layperson, not a priest. I don’t have to Lord promised he’d never leave us (cf. preach. Priests are supposed to do that.” Mt 28:20). In the power of the Holy NO MORE EXCUSES My reply: “Not so fast!” Didn’t St. Peter Spirit, he walks with us and empowers We tell ourselves that if we lead good exhort the whole Church, “Always be us. Second, in spite of the hard veneer lives we’ve done our part to support the ready to give an explanation to anyone of our culture, people are desperately Church and its mission. No need to who asks you for a reason for your searching for meaning and trying to engage in discussions about religion, hope”? (1 Pt 3:15). His words were make sense of their lives. Let us be 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

JUNE 2018

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:56 PM Page 5

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

confident that the Lord and the Gospel have something critically important to say to such people. He really does want us to be his messengers of hope and joy. For in becoming one of us and in dying to save us from our sins, the Son of God has shown us the ultimate meaning and destiny of our lives.

Maybe we hesitate to speak of our faith to others because we feel unprepared. We may feel that our formation in the faith was inadequate, that there are “holes” in our religious education.

Or we may feel that we are not sufficiently advanced in the spiritual life to

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

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — VENERABLE MICHAEL TALBOT: Painting by Tracy L. Christianson

That social networks may work toward that inclusiveness which respects others for their differences.

L I T U RG I C A L C A L E N DA R June 1 St. Justin, Martyr June 3 The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ June 5 St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr June 8 The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus June 9 The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary June 11 St. Barnabas, Apostle June 13 St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church June 21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious June 24 The Nativity of St. John the Baptist June 29 Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles

invite others to consider, or reconsider, the faith. So, we’d rather leave spreading the Gospel “to the experts” — that is, to priests and religious.

The fact is, though, we all have to do our part. We need to equip ourselves for the work of spreading the Gospel. We don’t need a theology degree, but we do need to pray every day, read Scripture prayerfully, take part in the Mass attentively, go to confession regularly, and know and love our faith more deeply. As we speak about the faith, our deeds have to match our words; it’s no good to speak about the

faith and not to live it. And if we are living the faith, we should be willing to speak of it.

The Knights of Columbus offers us a head start with tremendous resources for growing in prayer, our understanding of the faith, and charity. It also offers us a fraternal atmosphere, which encourages us to both live our faith and bear witness to it. In fact, this is one of the principal reasons why Father McGivney founded the Knights.

Aided by his example and prayers, may we bear witness to Jesus in both word and deed!♦

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

Venerable Matthew Talbot (1856-1925) MATTHEW TALBOT was born in Dublin, May 2, 1856, shortly after the Irish Potato Famine. He was the second of 12 children in an impoverished family with a history of alcoholism.

After attending a Christian Brothers school for one year, Talbot dropped out at age 12 to work for a wine merchant. Surreptitious sips of porter started him down the path of alcohol addiction. Though a hardworking manual laborer, Talbot squandered his wages on drink. At times, he would pawn his clothing; once he stole a street musician’s fiddle to sell for alcohol.

One night, when he was 28, penniless and hoping his friends would offer him a pint, Talbot was ignored.

Humiliated and remorseful, he returned home and announced to his mother that he was taking the Temperance Pledge. He also turned to the sacraments for aid after living as a lukewarm Catholic. The morning after making his first confession in years, he went to Mass and received Communion before proceeding to work — a practice that would become a lifelong habit. “How can anyone be

lonely, with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?” he once asked.

Talbot remained sober amid great difficulty, and he remained cheerful, even as he embarked upon a hidden life of prayer, penance, study and charity. He used a block of wood for a pillow, gave most of his wages to the foreign missions and the needy, and taught himself to read in order to study Scripture and the lives of the saints. He was also a member of the Third Order Franciscans and a follower of St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary.

Talbot died at age 69 while walking to Mass on Trinity Sunday June 7, 1925. Pope Paul VI declared him Venerable in 1975, and he is now a patron of those struggling with alcoholism.♦

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 5

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:57 PM Page 6

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

Supreme Knight Visits Puerto Rico as K of C Recovery Efforts Continue

R

From top: Father Luis Antonio Cordero Rosado (left), director of Colegio Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle School) in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, directs the attention of General Agent José LebrónSanabria, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales of Caguas toward damage to the school caused by Hurricane Maria. • Anderson joins Piarist Fathers and local Knights outside of Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish) in Ponce. He visited the roof of the church, rebuilt with a grant from the Order’s Hurricane Relief Fund, and received a custom K of C hard hat in appreciation for the Supreme Council’s support of the parish in its time of need. • The supreme knight greets students at the Benedictine Abbey School of San Antonio Abad in Humacao.

6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

JUNE 2018

Photos by Nelson Navarro Zayas Photography

esidents in the eastern town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, discovered that huge trees, uprooted hundreds of yards away, had landed on the rooftop of Colegio Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle School). It was Sept. 21, 2017, the day after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island —the most devastating storm to hit in 85 years.

The Colegio was one of the dozen sites that Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson visited during a trip to Puerto Rico April 22-25.

Accompanied by K of C General Agent José LebrónSanabria, State Deputy Miguel Vidal-Lugo and others, the supreme knight met with local church leaders, reviewed recovery efforts and personally delivered more than $550,000 of additional financial support to Catholic schools, parishes and apostolates. The aid brought the Order’s financial assistance through its United in Charity Hurricane Relief Fund to more than $1.5 million.

For months after the hurricane, local Knights, including K of C field agents, cooked and delivered hundreds of thousands of meals and distributed tons of supplies to the storm’s victims.

Supreme Knight Anderson visited parishes that received aid and grants to rebuild their church buildings and schools. He also presented checks on behalf of the Order to support reconstruction efforts at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and Católica Radio, both in Ponce, as well as to fix the damaged satellite dish at Teleoro, the only Catholic TV station in Puerto Rico. In Arecibo, he visited Hogar Colegio La Milagrosa, an orphanage run by the Daughters of Charity, and presented a $50,000 check to Sister Claribel Camacho Figueroa for the purpose of building a new roof. Sister Claribel thanked the Knights not only for providing financial help but also for “helping to rebuild lives.”♦

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:05 PM Page 7

C H R I S T I A N S AT R I S K

Students Join Archdiocese of Hartford and Knights to Support Persecuted Christians

Photo by Mike Ross

A

s a sign of solidarity with religious minorities who have been victims of Islamic State-led genocide, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford celebrated a special Mass for persecuted Middle Eastern Christians April 15 at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, the birthplace of the Knights of Columbus.

Bishop Bawai Soro of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto, a native of Iraq, delivered the homily and also proclaimed the Gospel in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.

During the Mass, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Knights of Columbus, the two bishops encouraged the large congregation to pray for Christians throughout the world who are under constant threat of losing their homelands and their very lives if they do not renounce Christ.

“These persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria have not stopped giving thanks to God for your love and solidarity,” Bishop Soro said in his homily.

“We thank you for helping us carry our cross” of being persecuted and displaced “simply because we believe in Christ,” added the bishop, who for many years has ministered to the Iraqi Christian community in North America.

Archbishop Blair recognized students from nine Catholic high schools who have been part of an archdiocesewide effort to learn about the genocide in Iraq and Syria. Students in each school have prayed for a “sister town” in the region; held assemblies about the persecution and rebuilding efforts in the ancient cities; and collected donations by distributing olive wood “solidarity crosses,” which were made in the Middle East and supplied by the Knights of Columbus.

TO

DONATE TO THE

K NIGHTS

OF

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford (center) and Bishop Bawai Soro of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto stand with students from nine Catholic high schools following a Mass for Christians in the Middle East at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven April 15.

During the offertory, students presented the archbishop with proceeds from the cross distribution, which will be sent to the “sister towns” to help in rebuilding efforts.

“We are hopeful that this program will be the first of many across the U.S. and Canada,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “We are very grateful to the Archdiocese of Hartford, and we have been truly inspired by these high school students who have taken time and energy to learn about this important issue and raise money to help.”

The K of C Supreme Council estimates that about $70 will feed a displaced family for a month in Iraq; and about $2,000 will help reconstruct a family’s home.

Since 2014, the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund has committed nearly $19 million to aid persecuted Christians in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region with food, shelter, education, medicine and rebuilding. A current project underway

is the resettlement of the Iraqi town of Karamles.

As part of the high school campaign, Archbishop Blair delivered a webcast in which he explained the genocide of Christians and other religious minorities perpetrated by ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.

“They were given the choice of renouncing their faith, fleeing or being killed,” Blair stated. “The fact that the overwhelming majority kept their faith, even though it meant that they had to leave what were often comfortable middle-class lives, is a great witness to the power of their faith.”

He added that Christians in Iraq and Syria are members of some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, but the number of Christians in Iraq has fallen from 1.5 million before 2003 to only 200,000 today. In Syria, the number has declined by 70 percent.♦ MARY CHALUPSKY is a staff writer for The Catholic Transcript, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Hartford.

C OLUMBUS C HRISTIAN R EFUGEE R ELIEF F UND, VISIT

CHRISTIANSATRISK . ORG

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 7

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL (AS PRINTED).qxp_Mar E 12 5/18/18 11:08 AM Page 8

Council 6878

Council 7599

Council 13295

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Thriving K of C councils develop a culture of charity, unity and fraternity in faithful service to the Church and community

P

reparing for their inaugural Crawfish Boil April 21, Grand Knight Tony Butera and some 20 members of Phil Kelley Council 6878 fired up five boilers on a covered trailer in the parking lot of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Humble, Texas.

By 11 a.m., more than 600 pounds of cooked crawfish were divvied up among the three 150-quart coolers waiting in the wings. Within a few hours, every last pound was gone, gobbled up by parishioners who donated $2,800 to the Knights of Columbus council that has become the backbone of their community.

Though it was a new event, parishioners and others in the community have long been accustomed to the charitable work of Council 6878, which achieved Star Council status for the 25th consecutive year in 2016 and continues to excel 8 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

JUNE 2018

as a model of fraternity and service. The 662-member council, in turn, attracts new members into its ranks.

“When people see our actions, they want to join the Knights,” said Butera, who views the achievements of Council 6878 as reflective of the Order as a whole. Indeed, among the more than 16,000 K of C councils worldwide, there is no shortage of those that lead by example — practicing the founding principles; serving the parish and community in countless ways; growing membership; and helping to protect the financial security of members and their families.

Here are just three such councils — Council 6878 in Humble; Father Bonner Council 7599 in Edmonton, Alberta; and Sedes Sapientiae Council 13295 at the University of Maryland — that demonstrate the Knights’ mission in service to the Church and community.

FROM LEFT: Photos by Jim O’Brien, Curtis Trent and Mark Finkenstaedt

by Seth Gonzales

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL (AS PRINTED).qxp_Mar E 12 5/18/18 11:08 AM Page 9

BUILT ON CHARITY

BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by Felix Sanchez — BOTTOM RIGHT: Photo by Rocky Kneten

Phil Kelley Council 6878 Humble, Texas

True to its location, Council 6878 had humble beginnings when it was chartered in 1977. But the service and dedication of its members soon reached exceptional levels, turning heads even in Texas, the most active Knights of Columbus jurisdiction in North America.

This service begins with St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humble. Council members are active in the parish community and contribute an average of $25,000 each year for the parish and its adjoining school. An additional $50,000 goes to local charities.

“We are in every parish ministry except the quilt ministry, but I joke that I think I’ve got a couple of guys there too,” said Grand Knight Tony Butera, who estimates that the council annually hosts 125 events on the parish campus alone. More are hosted elsewhere in the community.

Members routinely volunteer their time and talents assisting numerous organizations such as Camp Hope, which ministers to veterans suffering from PTSD; Family Promise, which supports homeless families; Special Olympics; and Birthright of Humble.

Six times a year, members visit the VA Medical Center in Houston, paying a visit to veterans and attending Mass in the hospital’s chapel.

Over the last decade, the council and its Squires circle have also sponsored 12 of Houston’s seminarians through the Knights’ Refund Support Vocations Program (RSVP), while proceeds from the recent crawfish boil will be directed toward the purchase of a new ultrasound machine through the Order’s Ultrasound Initiative.

Thanks to consistent programming and strong leadership, Council 6878 continues to attract new members.

“The big thing is that guys see us here on campus; they see us off campus; they see the good things we do, and they want to be a part of that,” explained Butera. “We’ve got a great base

of leaders that came before me that set the stage.”

Among them is Past Grand Knight Greg Forestieri, 57, a career IT manager who joined the Order in 2004. According to Forestieri, the council’s commitment to the components of being a Star Council — programming and charitable outreach, growing membership, and protecting the financial security of families through K of C Insurance — can be summarized by one word: love.

“You have to love each other, and this team loves each other to death,” said Forestieri. “It makes a big difference. I think that’s the starting point to all of this.”

That lesson was driven home, Forestieri noted, during a simple moment two years ago. As he stood ready to open his final meeting as the council’s grand knight, he paused and surveyed the scene.

“It was a beehive of activity, and I thought, ‘Wow, how amazing that we’ve put this culture in place over the years,’” Forestieri said. “It was guys who came before me who did that.”

Bernard Sam, a member of Phil Kelley Council 6878 in Humble, Texas, scoops up crawfish for a smiling customer during the council’s inaugural crawfish boil April 21. The event raised funds for an ultrasound machine. • Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson shakes hands with Tony Butera, grand knight of Council 6878, while visiting Houston in September 2017. Council 6878 and other area councils mobilized to aid residents in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 9

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 5:59 PM Page 10

A WAY OF LIFE Father Bonner Council 7599 Edmonton, Alberta

10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

Inspired by the Order’s Building the Domestic Church While Strengthening Our Parish initiative, the council regularly organizes and participates in spiritual programs at St. Thomas More Parish as well, such as Lenten retreats for couples and families.

For Sosa, faith, service and a commitment to families, including his own, are what keep him coming back.

“It gives me satisfaction that I’ve done a good deed for people and members of the parish community,” he said.

Such commitment has also earned Council 7599 various awards from the Alberta State Council for outstanding programs.

For example, after the parish refugee committee sponsored a number of Syrian families in 2016, Council 7599 hosted a large spring social event as a sign of parish-wide welcome. Nine of the Syrian men who immigrated joined the council.

“They see our council as a source of charity that has made a difference in their lives,” said Fatih Allos, an Iraqiborn member of Council 7599 who serves on the refugee committee. “I myself came as a stranger a few years ago, and I tell you, the relation between our brothers here is special. You feel the blessing of God is with you. You feel you belong.”

From top: Grand Knight Leo Sosa (right) of Father Bonner Council 7599 and Past State Deputy Wally Streit stand with Samantha Williams, director of The Back Porch, a pregnancy resource center in Edmonton, Alberta. • Collins Ugochukwu, a member of Council 7599, serves hungry parishioners during a pancake breakfast at Thomas More Church.

Photos by Curtis Trent

Leo Sosa has lived 6,800 miles (11,000 km) away from his native Philippines for the last 31 years. Since joining Council 7599 in Edmonton nearly 20 years ago, he has felt right at home.

“This is like a way of life for me,” said Sosa, 62, who immigrated to Canada in 1987 to attend the University of Alberta and became a Knight in 1999. “The Knights have really become a part of my identity. Almost all of my activities after work are spent either with the council or our parish.”

Sosa, who works for the City of Edmonton and has been grand knight of Council 7599 for the last two years, has seen much of the council’s progress in recent decades firsthand. From a low of 50 men in 1989, nine years after it was chartered, the council has grown to more than 500 members today. Last year, 33 men joined Council 7599, which is now the largest Knights of Columbus council in Canada west of Toronto.

Wally Streit, a member of the council who served as Alberta State Deputy from 2007 to 2009, has recruited 2,300 men into the Knights since he joined the Order in 1976.

“I’ve always believed very strongly that the Knights of Columbus is good for Catholic men, good for the Church and good for families,” said Streit, who now serves as the council’s program director. “It brings and keeps guys closer to the faith.”

Some of Council 7599’s most popular charitable activities include 40 Cans for Lent food drives, massive pancake breakfasts at St. Thomas More Parish, and a grocery card program that has netted more than $140,000 in support of the parish and charitable causes since 2014. In the past four years, the council has also contributed nearly 1,800 volunteer hours and $12,000 in donations to Habitat for Humanity.

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:00 PM Page 11

KNIGHTS ON CAMPUS

TOP RIGHT: Photo by Mark Finkenstaedt — LOWER LEFT: Photo by Spirit Juice Studios

Sedes Sapientiae Council 13295 University of Maryland

Matthew Hollister joined Council 13295 at the University of Maryland as a freshman in April 2015. When his father succumbed to brain cancer a few months later, Hollister’s brother Knights attended the funeral to support him.

“I learned really quickly that when they call you ‘Brother’ during their business meetings, it’s really not lip service,” said Hollister, who graduated in May with a degree in biology. “Even though my family got a little bit smaller that day, I realized it was a lot bigger than I had thought, too.”

This year, Council 13295, which makes its home at the university’s Catholic Student Center, celebrated its 15th anniversary and hopes to achieve its second consecutive year as a Triple Star Council.

As the current grand knight, Hollister was charged with replenishing the council, since many members leave the area after graduation. This has always been a tall order, especially at a secular university where Catholic values are often met with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Nonetheless, the council achieved more than triple its membership quota in the last two years.

“Each class at the University of Maryland has around 9,000 students and a good subset of those are Catholics,” said

Above: Members of the Sedes Sapientiae Council 13295 and other University of Maryland students enjoy themselves during the council’s pig roast cookout at the university’s Catholic Student Center.

• Grand Knight Matt Hollister (left) stands with several brother Knights at a recent council-sponsored car show, which benefited the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

Michael Williams, the council’s financial secretary. “We have an opportunity to tap youthful energy that the parishbased councils often don’t always have.”

The council does much of its service work through the Catholic Student Center, including visiting the elderly, organizing food drives, and serving children and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This spring, the council held its first-ever car show, which generated $2,500 to benefit the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

Council 13295 also provides its members ample opportunities to build fraternity over the course of their college career. In the fall, the council gathers around events such as Monday night

football games, First Degree ceremonies and an annual flag football game in which the UMD Knights compete against seminarians and other Knights from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md. “Our council relishes the opportunity to interact with other college councils nearby, not only the men at the Mount but at the Naval Academy and CUA as well,” Williams said. “When we see other college Knights living out their faith on campus, it reinforces our drive to become more loving and virtuous Catholic men, to boldly live out the Gospel.”

As it happens, Council 13295 also has seminarians of its own — six of them, in fact. It’s a source of pride for Hollister when he reflects on the young men in his council.

“A council is only as good as the members,” said Hollister, who has accepted a job with IBM in the Washington area and will continue to take part in council activities. “These guys are passionate; they have a charitable heart; and they really just want to get out there and try to make the world a little bit better than they found it.”♦ SETH GONZALES is director of communications at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, and a member of St. Michael Council 10523 in Grand Prairie.

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 11

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:00 PM Page 12

FAITH IN ACTION The Supreme Council has announced a new program model for K of C activities

A

new program model, titled Faith in Action, will take effect as the umbrella for Knights of Columbus-related activities beginning with the 2018-2019 fraternal year. Faith in Action replaces Surge… with Service, which was introduced nearly 50 years ago.

“This model is an evolution of the Building the Domestic Church While Strengthening Our Parish initiative that was introduced in November 2015,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson wrote in a letter to state deputies April 6. Faith in Action, the supreme knight explained, “embodies a simplified overall program structure, featuring four instead of six categories.”

Developed by the Supreme Council’s Fraternal Mission department, the Faith in Action model carries the Order’s unchanged mission into the challenges of a changing world. It includes a strong call to action and focuses on programs in four categories: Faith, Family, Community and Life.

Some other key points regarding the updated program model are: • Councils should appoint individual faith, family, community and life directors. They will no longer need to appoint a youth or council director, as the Youth and Council categories have been consolidated into the Community, Faith and Family categories.

• The new model reduces the requirements to earn the Columbian Award, which recognizes excellence in programming and charitable outreach, to completing four programs in each of the four categories. To earn the award, there is one required program in each category, designed to enrich the spiritual life of the council, family and community. These are: a Spiritual Reflection Program; Consecration to the Holy Family; Helping Hands, and a Novena for Life.

12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

• All current Supreme Council priority programs — denoted in bold below — will continue. Nine new recommended programs will be introduced.

For additional information about the new Faith in Action program model, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit kofc.org/faithinaction.

• Refund Support Vocations Program (RSVP) • Into the Breach • Marian Icon Prayer Program • Building the Domestic Church Kiosk • Rosary Program • Spiritual Reflection Program (new) • Holy Hour (new) • Sacramental Gifts (new)

• Food for Families • Family of the Month/Year • Keep Christ in Christmas (Posada, Poster Contest, etc.)

• Family Fully Alive • Family Week • Consecration to the Holy Family • Family Prayer Night (new) • Good Friday Family Promotion (new)

• Coats for Kids • Global Wheelchair Mission • Habitat for Humanity • Disaster Preparedness • Free Throw Championship • Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest • Soccer Challenge • Helping Hands (new)

• Marches for Life • Special Olympics • Ultrasound Program • Christian Refugee Relief • Silver Rose • Mass for People with Special Needs (new) • Pregnancy Center Support (new) • Novena for Life (new)

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:00 PM Page 13

SUPREME CONVENTION

Baltimore’s Rich Catholic History For the first time in nearly 30 years, the city will host the Supreme Convention

people of color in Baltimore, where the congregation still operates a school today.

K

nights will gather Aug. 7-9 for the 136th Supreme Convention in Baltimore, home of the first Catholic diocese in the United States. The city previously hosted the Supreme Convention in 1965 and 1989.

The Knights of Columbus has special ties to the premier see. The Order’s founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, attended seminary and was ordained to the priesthood there. Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori currently serves as Baltimore’s archbishop.

Here are some additional highlights of Baltimore’s Catholic history:

1632: King Charles I of England grants the charter of Maryland to Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. The new colony had a policy of religious toleration, as Calvert’s recently deceased father, George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, wished to provide religious refuge for English Catholic settlers.

1789: Pope Pius VI appoints Father John Carroll of Upper Marlboro, Md., the first Catholic bishop in the United States, with Baltimore as the seat of the first diocese. The same year, Bishop Caroll’s cousin, Charles Carroll of Carrollton — the only Catholic (and longest surviving) signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 — is elected to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Baltimore

1791: The Sulpician Fathers establish Baltimore’s St. Mary’s Seminary, the first Catholic seminary in the United States.

1793: The nation’s first priestly ordination takes place in St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral when Bishop Carroll ordains Father Stephen Badin May 25.

1806: Bishop Carroll lays the cornerstone of a new cathedral, the present Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was completed and consecrated in 1821.

1852: Baltimore hosts the first of three plenary councils of U.S. bishops (also in 1866 and 1884). With the archbishop of Baltimore presiding, the councils issue decrees concerning the Church and evangelization throughout the country.

1873: Michael J. McGivney of Waterbury, Conn., is sent to St. Mary’s Seminary to resume his studies, following the death of his father.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the nation’s first cathedral and the site of Father McGivney’s ordination, is seen in Baltimore.

1808: Baltimore is raised to the rank of archdiocese, and remains the only U.S. archdiocese for nearly 40 years.

1809: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first U.S.-born saint, pronounces private vows before Archbishop Carroll in St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel.

1829: The Oblate Sisters of Providence, the nation’s first religious order of women of African descent, was founded to serve

Baltimore Trivia

• The town of Baltimore was founded in 1729 and named after Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, the first proprietor of Maryland.

• Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner during the War of 1812, when moved by the sight of the U.S. flag waving over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry.

1877: Archbishop James Gibbons, who would later become Baltimore’s first cardinal in 1886, ordains Father McGivney in Baltimore’s cathedral (now basilica).

1954: Ground is broken for the new Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, later dedicated in 1959.

1995: Pope John Paul II visits Baltimore’s basilica, cathedral and seminary, and celebrates Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

2012: Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, who has served as the Knights of Columbus supreme chaplain since 2005, becomes the 16th archbishop of Baltimore.

• The Baltimore and Ohio (or B&O) Railroad, chartered in 1827, was the first railroad in the United States.

• Hall of Fame baseball player Babe Ruth, who joined the Knights of Columbus in 1919, was born there in 1895.

• Baltimore has more public statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the country.

REGISTER FOR THE 136TH SUPREME CONVENTION, FIND A SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, AND FOLLOW PROCEEDINGS AT KOFC.ORG/CONVENTION JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 13

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:00 PM Page 14

Johnny Hayes makes his way through Willesden, northwest of London, running the 1908 Summer Olympics marathon.

14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:00 PM Page 15

Johnny Hayes Goes the Distance More than a century ago, a member of the Knights won Olympic gold in the very first 26.2-mile marathon

by David Davis

T

he official distance of the modern marathon — 26.2 the stadium entrance, he was in second place, behind only miles of pain and blisters — originated 110 years ago, at Italy’s Dorando Pietri. Then the dramatics began. the 1908 London Olympics. Though the race’s controversial As a result of the heat, combined with stimulants he had ending confounded the 80,000 spectators in the stands, it ce- reportedly taken while running, Pietri was all but unconscious mented the marathon’s length. And the gold medal went to by the time he entered the stadium. Before a packed crowd U.S. Olympic runner Johnny Hayes (1886-1965), a member that included Queen Alexandra, he careened to the dirt track of the Knights of Columbus. and had to be helped to his feet by race officials. Again and The son of poor Irish-American immigrants, John Joseph again he collapsed, only to be revived.

Hayes was raised in squalid tenement houses in New York Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, renowned for his Sherlock City. He later worked as a “sandhog,” Holmes mysteries, wrote a firsthand helping to build the city’s subway sysaccount for the Daily Mail: “Out of tem, and found solace in distance runthe dark archway there staggered a litning with St. Bartholomew’s Athletic tle man, with red running-drawers, a Club and the famed Irish-American tiny boy-like creature. He reeled as he T WAS “THE MOST Athletic Club. At 5’4”, “Little Johnny” entered and faced the roar of the apwas a slight figure who qualified for plause. … Suddenly the whole group THRILLING ATHLETIC London by finishing second behind stopped. There were wild gesticulaTom Morrissey, another K of C memtions. Men stooped and rose again.

EVENT SINCE THAT ber, at the 1908 Boston Marathon.

Good heavens! he has fainted; is it posMARATHON RACE IN Organizers of the first modern sible that even at this last moment the Olympics, hosted in Athens 12 years prize may slip through his fingers?”

ANCIENT GREECE.” earlier, had concocted the marathon Finally, Pietri managed to stumble race as a tribute to ancient Greece. across the finish line as Hayes, trailing Other race organizers followed, formuby a couple hundred yards, chugged lating courses of different lengths that for home. U.S. Olympic officials measured approximately 25 miles. In London, the hosts de- protested the result, pointing to the assistance that the Italian vised a route that started on the grounds of Windsor Castle, needed to complete the race. Pietri was disqualified, with wound through the suburbs, and finished with three-quarters Hayes earning first place in 2:55:18. The next day, Hayes was of a lap inside a colossal arena that was built exclusively for awarded the gold medal, and Queen Alexandra presented the Games. The distance: 26 miles and 385 yards.

Pietri with a special trophy for his efforts.

It was the first Olympics to include an opening ceremony Writer James B. Connolly, also a member of the Knights and the first to be extensively filmed. The world would be and winner of the first event at the 1896 Athens Games (the watching. triple jump), covered the events in London for Collier’s.

On the afternoon of July 24, spectators lined the roads. The “Hayes, the unfaltering,” he wrote, “won the race because sweltering heat punished the runners, forcing Morrissey and he had the American athletic spirit, which tempers the hot many local favorites to drop out of the race. Johnny Hayes impulse of action with the saving air of careful preparation began slowly, but his persistent pace paid off. Approaching and intelligent execution.”

Photo by S&G/PA Images via Getty Images

I

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 15

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:01 PM Page 16

DAVID DAVIS is the author of Showdown at Shepherd’s Bush: The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze.

He lives in Los Angeles.

16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

Run as to Win An interview with Catholic Olympian and world-class marathon runner Galen Rupp

by Columbia staff

I

n February 2016, Galen Rupp ran his first-ever marathon race and qualified for the U.S. national team to compete in the Rio Olympics. Less than six months later, he won the bronze medal, becoming the first U.S.-born runner to win a medal in the Olympic marathon since 1982.

Rupp, who previously won the 2012 Olympic silver medal in the 10,000-meter run, is coached by fellow Catholic and former marathon world-record holder Alberto Salazar.

Most recently, Rupp won the Prague Marathon May 6, two days before his 32nd birthday, and he did so in extraordinary fashion. With a time of 2:06:07, he crushed his previous personal record by more than three minutes.

Prior to his Prague win, Rupp corresponded with Columbia about his faith, family and proudest achievements.

C OLUMBIA: What put you on the path to this level of competition?

GALEN RUPP: It all started for me at Central Catholic High School (in Portland, Ore.). As a freshman, I had made the varsity soccer team and before school started, all of the fall sports teams at the school got together for a barbecue. I was very shy, but at the barbecue, my mom made me go introduce myself to the new cross-country and track coach: Alberto Salazar.

Galen Rupp (right) celebrates with wife, Keara, and coach, Alberto Salazar, after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon in February 2016.

Photo by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Meanwhile, Conan Doyle’s dramatic account, and black-and-white photographs of the climactic moment, helped to turn the race into legend.

The New York Times called it “the most thrilling athletic event that has occurred since that Marathon race in ancient Greece, where the victor fell at the goal and, with a wave of triumph, died.”

After the Olympics, Hayes traveled to Ireland to visit relatives before returning home to a hero’s welcome. When he and other U.S. Olympians met President Teddy Roosevelt at the president’s summer home on Long Island, Hayes presented him with a shillelagh from Ireland.

Roosevelt sent Hayes a thank-you note for “the big stick” and wrote, “All good Americans sincerely rejoice in your victory. I felt that it reflected credit upon our people; and we were particularly glad that it should be won by a man who had been emphatically a good citizen, a man who worked hard and done his duty and yet had found time for the healthy play which is so excellent a help to work.”

Both Pietri and Hayes turned professional and signed endorsement deals. Before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, Dorando defeated Hayes in a one-on-one indoor marathon (262 laps!) that jumpstarted the first “marathon mania.”

Several years later, when U.S. troops went overseas to fight in World War I, Hayes was reportedly unable to enlist because of color blindness. However, while visiting Fort Dix, he met John O’Neil, the K of C state deputy for New Jersey, and volunteered to become one of 2,000 K of C field secretaries, staffing one of the Order’s recreation “huts” for troops in France.

Hayes later married, had one daughter, and settled in New Jersey, where he worked in the food brokerage business and remained an active member of Barrett Council 1273 in West New York, N.J. He was inducted into the Long Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2008, and a life-sized statue of him stands in his family’s ancestral hometown of Nenagh, Ireland.

But his legacy extends beyond these honors.

Each year, more than a half-million runners cross the finish line of a 26.2-mile marathon in the United States alone. And whether they realize it or not, the marathon craze that led them there began with Johnny Hayes’ dramatic victory in 1908.♦

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 8:04 PM Page 17

Soon enough, I began practicing with the cross-country team once a week and ran a few races. That winter, I trained with Alberto and ended up placing second at the Junior Olympic national meet. Later that year, after hurting my knee wrestling with my brother, I felt I needed to choose one sport to focus on, and I chose running. From that point on, I put everything I had into being the best runner that I could be.

COLUMBIA: How has your Catholic faith affected your development as an athlete?

RUPP: Having a strong faith and being able to share that with my coach has been huge. Alberto was my confirmation sponsor and has always put an emphasis on guiding me spiritually as well as athletically. Looking back, I couldn’t have been more lucky to have things fall into place like they did my freshman year at Central Catholic. Having a strong faith has kept me grounded and always reminded me that there are so many more important things in life than sports.

COLUMBIA: What has been your most challenging moment and proudest achievement?

RUPP: I’ve been very fortunate to have been relatively injury-free and to steadily progress over the years. Whenever things haven’t gone my way, I have simply tried to learn something from it and look for more ways to improve.

One of the proudest moments in my career was winning the Chicago Marathon this past fall. It was my first major marathon win, and my family and close friends were all there.

So many people have put in so many hours helping me become the best runner I can be — my wife, coach, psychologist, strength trainer and others. It has been a team effort, and to be able to win against the best in the world really meant a lot. Plus, my dad grew up in Chicago, so the city has a special place in my heart.

Photo by Katerina Sulova (CTK via AP Images)

COLUMBIA: Is it a challenge to practice your faith while traveling and training at a high level?

RUPP : Almost everywhere I travel there is a Catholic church, so it is not hard to continue to attend Mass when I am away from home. In a foreign country, it is often in a different language, but it is still easy to follow along, even if I don’t understand the homily. I still find it very important to continue to practice my faith, no matter where I am or how hard I am training.

COLUMBIA: Athletes face criticism and scrutiny that all too often turns personal. How do you maintain a spirit of Christian charity?

RUPP: Personally, I have always tried to focus on forgiveness and leave any judgments of others to God. When negative things are directed at me, I often ask God to help me forgive others and not have any anger in my heart.

It is our responsibility as Catholics to live out the teachings of Christ. It is easy to do that when things are going well, or you are around close friends and family, but it’s also important

Rupp smiles after winning the Prague Marathon May 6 with one of the fastest times ever for a U.S. marathon runner.

to focus on the teachings of Christ when things don’t often make sense or are very hurtful.

COLUMBIA: As parents, how do you and your wife, Keara, balance careers and family life?

RUPP: Keara is an incredible wife and mother, and I feel so blessed and am so thankful for all that she does. She has always supported me 100 percent and takes the brunt of the work at home so that I can do everything possible to be the best athlete I can be. Being a runner herself, she understands the lifestyle and the demands that it takes to be successful.

We also spend a lot of time together as a family and stress the importance of a close-knit family to our children.

I think the most important thing is leading by our actions.

Our children are going to remember the example we set day in and day out. Obviously, faith will play a big role in that.

We also want to raise tough children who always do the right thing and who know the value of hard work.

COLUMBIA: What advice would you give to any readers who, after reading this interview, might think about going for a run?

RUPP: I always encourage everyone to go run! Running has so many benefits. It requires discipline and commitment, which I believe can spill over into other aspects of your life.

The important thing is to not try and do too much too soon. It is better to run for shorter periods of time in the beginning, and be consistent about running regularly.♦ JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 17

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:01 PM Page 18

I Would Walk 500 Miles The rugged pilgrimage route to Compostela leads Knights on a path of faith and charity

by James Jeffrey

ichael Cebulski was cold and soaked to the skin as he desperately looked for somewhere dry to rest. In the remote Spanish village, no one could be found except for an angry-looking man and woman trying to corral a bull.

Trudging through the rain and praying for guidance, Cebulski finally came to a small church. Its doors were locked, but a dry patch remained under its entrance archway. There, he got into his sleeping bag and out of his wet clothes. He awoke the next day warm and refreshed, pondering yet another example of God’s grace during his pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago.

“On the Camino, away from bills, family and commitments, it’s easier to surrender yourself and let the Holy Spirit work on you,” said Cebulski, 60, a professional orchestral musician and a member of Father Thomas O’Reilly Council 4358 in Decatur, Ga. “I heard people say the Camino will provide, but the Camino is just a path. God will provide.”

In the summer of 2013, Cebulski completed the ancient 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

500-mile pilgrimage route to the city of Santiago de Compostela, the resting place of St. James the Greater (“Camino de Santiago” is most commonly translated as the “Way of St. James”). He is one of countless Knights of Columbus who have donned backpacks and hiking shoes and followed the yellow arrow and scallop shell markers across the pastoral breadth of northern Spain. They often return spiritually changed — and charged — witnesses of faith, fraternity and charity.

THE JOY OF GIVING BACK The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage extends along numerous routes throughout Europe into Spain. The most popular starts on the French side of the Pyrenees in Saint Jean Pied de Port and continues westward for about 500 miles (800 km) to Santiago de Compostela.

Samson Elsbernd, 33, a member of St. John Paul II Council 4901 in Vacaville, Calif., made the pilgrimage twice, completing the full French route in 2009 and then walking the shorter

Photo courtesy of John Caballero

M

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:01 PM Page 19

Left: Members of St. Anne Council 10540 in Gilbert, Ariz., traverse ancient ramparts of the hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe along the Northern Route of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in 2014.

Below: This map shows routes of the Camino through northern Spain, concluding at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. A fourth route extends from the cathedral to Cape Fisterra.

Camino de Santiago

INSET: Thinkstock

French Way Northern Route Primitive Route Finisterre Way

13-day Primitive Route last summer, just before his wedding.

Elsbernd, who likes to visit religious sites during his travels, was attracted to the Camino because of “the large number of churches on the route for silent reflection and prayer.”

He added, “Because you are also tired, you end up in a different mental and physical place, which helps you to connect more.”

Kevin Campos, 25, was one of five members of St. Anne Council 10540 in Gilbert, Ariz., who responded to the challenge that their pastor, Father Sergio Fita, made to parishioners: “Wanted: 10 brave souls willing to walk 500 miles in 40 days.”

In the summer of 2014, Campos and the other young men from St. Anne Parish undertook the Northern Route, a less popular and more arduous path to the north of the main Camino, during unseasonably bad weather.

Due to a bad knee injury, Campos required a lot of assistance from fellow pilgrims.

“I was often at the back, and it gave me a new, humble perspective. I realized how weak I am and needed the others,” he said.

One of the young men who joined Campos, John Caballero, recalled, “Walking with my fellow brothers, if someone had an injury, or a bad blister, I noticed that I could help by giving of myself. I started realizing I had never really known charity and giving.”

Although it was constantly raining, and the journey was stressful and even miserable at times, it proved to be a beautiful experience.

“So that got me asking,” Caballero said, “what was it that was filling us with joy, in a way that alcohol and drugs never managed to do in my life? It was because I was getting close to God through the Eucharist. We had Mass every day, and no matter how tough the day had been, everyone cheered up at Mass. I became happy as I opened to something greater that I hadn’t encountered before: a sense of community and the sacraments.”

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 19

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:01 PM Page 20

The Origins of the Camino de Santiago

• The remains of St. James, the brother of St. John the Apostle, are believed to have been brought to northern Spain from Jerusalem, where he was martyred in A.D. 44. The location of his tomb, however, was forgotten in the third century, following the persecution of Christians in the region.

• Pilgrimages began in the ninth century, after a shepherd named Pelayo was drawn to a field by a bright light or star around the year A.D. 813. The city name of Santiago de Compostela, where the saint is presumed to be buried, is derived from the Latin for field of the star (campus stellae) and the Spanish name of St. James (Sant Iago).

• During the reconquest of Spain for Christianity in the Middle Ages, it was claimed that St. James appeared during a number of battles at crucial moments to turn the tide in the favor of the Christian forces. St. James would eventually be named the patron saint of Spain.

• Between the 12th and 14th centuries, Santiago de Compostela grew in importance and prestige, at times even eclipsing the pilgrim routes to Rome and to Jerusalem, when the Holy Land was inaccessible after the crusades.

St. Francis of Assisi made the journey during this period, founding several monasteries along the way.

This led to Caballero, 32, reassessing the Knights of Columbus, whom he had encountered before in his parish but whose invitations to join had previously not appealed to him.

“I viewed them as this group of old guys who play golf together,” he said, “but after the Camino I saw that these men were pillars — men who have wisdom — and I realized my misconception of them.”

Two months after returning from the Camino, Caballero joined Council 10540 and found that lessons he had learned on the pilgrimage continued to bear fruit. He began working as the council’s youth director and was then offered a fulltime job running the parish’s youth ministry.

“It came about,” he said, “through my stepping into a group of men who are disciplined and focused on how to give back.”

20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

THE END IS THE BEGINNING By his own admission, Michael Cebulski is a keen talker, and over hundreds of miles of walking, he spoke with lots of pilgrims. Each had a different story to tell, though there was one theme he noticed often repeated by older pilgrims.

“Time and time again they told me they were most proud that their children had come back to the Catholic faith, and so they were walking in gratitude for that,” Cebulski said. “As a parent, they did the most important thing by giving their children their faith.”

In Cebulski’s case, he had thought about walking the Camino for some time, and his summer work schedule was open.

“I wanted to do something physically challenging that also had a strong spiritual element, and the Camino kept coming up in books, articles and television shows,” he explained.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cebulski

Mike Cebulski, a member of Father Thomas O’Reilly Council 4358 in Decatur, Ga., holds up his official “pilgrim credential” document upon arriving to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in June 2013.

• The various routes of the Camino, snaking across Spain to Santiago, grew to include hostels to house and protect pilgrims that were run by the Knights Templar and later by the Hospitallers of St. John. Collectively, these paths provided a framework for the reemergence of Catholicism throughout Spain.

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL (AS PRINTED).qxp_Mar E 12 5/18/18 11:08 AM Page 21

LEFT: Photo courtesy of John Caballero — RIGHT: Photo courtesy of Samson Elsbernd

Left: Father Sergio Fita (kneeling middle), John Caballero (second from right), Kevin Campos (far right) and other Knights and parishioners from St. Anne’s Church in Gilbert, Ariz., pose together at the Marian shrine of Covadonga. • Samson Elsbernd stands with his pilgrim staff in hand on the Primitive Camino Route between Salas and Tineo in July 2017.

Unsure whether such a venture would be financially possible, Cebulski prayed and also asked others for prayers.

“Unexpectedly, my council gave a donation in support of my journey,” he said. “So, I went on the Camino with the intention to trust, obey and surrender to God.” At the end of their journey, pilgrims behold the Greek letters Alpha and Omega — Christian symbols for the beginning and end — etched in the stone façade of the cathedral in Santiago. But as Elsbernd observed, the letters are in reverse order.

“First, there is the Omega as it marks the end of your pilgrimage, followed by the Alpha marking the beginning of your post-Camino life,” he explained.

“The Camino had a profound impact on my values and changed the way I live,” Elsbernd continued. “It taught me how I don’t need so many material possessions, and how even when I had pain on the pilgrimage, I was the happiest I’ve been in my life.”

Despite lessons learned, the pilgrims who have completed the Camino are often left pondering how to square what the journey revealed to them with the reality and demands of modern society.

“During the Camino, even though everyone is a stranger, people are still so nice to each other,” Elsbernd said. “So afterward, you’re left thinking: Wow, why aren’t we like this normally, even with people we know? Why is that Camino spirit so hard to transition to regular life?”

According to Campos, the Knights of Columbus provides a way to live out this “Camino spirit.”

“On the Camino, we were all working toward the same goal, but in life, people’s goals are often contradictory — and so we stop helping each other, even sabotaging each other,” Campos said. “We must find a form of community to work

The Camino Pilgrimage Today

THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO pilgrimage is more popular than ever. Last year marked the first time that more than 300,000 people officially participated — walking at least 100 km or biking 200 km.

After Spain, the most represented countries were Italy, Germany, the United States, Portugal and France. Pilgrims most commonly cited religious reasons (43 percent) or spiritual/cultural reasons (47 percent) as their motivation, whereas only 9 percent approached it strictly as a cultural experience. Men and women participated in nearly equal numbers, with 27 percent under age 30 and 17 percent over age 60.

For more information, visit the official website of the Pilgrim’s Reception Office in Santiago de Compostela: oficinadelperegrino.com

toward the same goal, and the Knights of Columbus are one way of doing that.”

Caballero shared a similar perspective.

“I’ve got a different outlook on life because of the Camino and being part of the Knights,” he said. “It’s about waking up each day and saying: Yes, even though I might not know what the day has in store, whatever happens, even if it goes wrong, I will offer it up to the Lord. That’s where joy comes from.”♦ JAMES JEFFREY is a British freelance writer working between the United States and United Kingdom. He made the Camino pilgrimage in 2017.

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 21

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:02 PM Page 22

POET, SOLDIER, KNIGHT A century after he was killed in World War I, Joyce Kilmer remains an eloquent witness of faith, joy and valor

A

sniper’s bullet took the life of Joyce Kilmer, the celebrated American Catholic poet and an active member of the Knights of Columbus, on a French battlefield July 30, 1918.

“The last time I saw him alive was on that morning, after he had crept forth alone into No Man’s Land,” wrote Sgt. Lemist Esler in an article in The New York Times, Aug. 22, 1918.

Esler, a playwright who served with Kilmer in the “Fighting 69th” Infantry Regiment, recounted how Kilmer had rushed ahead to lead a reconnaissance mission while the battalion advanced during the Battle of Ourcq.

“In the course of this advance, I suddenly caught sight of Kilmer … peering over the top of what appeared to be a natural trench,” Esler wrote. “We called to him, but received no answer. Then I ran up and turned him on his back, only to find that he was dead with a bullet through his brain.”

The United States had lost in Kilmer a valiant soldier and its most prominent Catholic poet, as well as a faithful husband, father, friend and Knight.

Still today, numerous schools, streets, squares and parks throughout the United States bear his name, as do at least three K of C councils, two assemblies and three Squires Circles. Kilmer’s writing and personal witness touched millions of people during his life, and his legacy continues to be celebrated 100 years after his untimely death.

22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

‘WHERE WE BELONG’ Born in 1886 in New Brunswick, N.J., Joyce Kilmer was the son of Frederick Barnett Kilmer, inventor of Johnson’s® baby powder, and Annie Kilburn Kilmer.

Kilmer attended Columbia University, where he became an editor for the college’s journal, a member of the literary club and a vigorous debater. Upon graduating in 1907, he married his sweetheart, Aline Murray, and within a decade they would have five children.

Before becoming Catholic and a poet, Kilmer taught high school, worked for Funk & Wagnalls on its Standard Dictionary (he earned 5 cents for every word defined), and wrote for various publications, including The New York Times Magazine.

While serving as editor of The Churchman, an Episcopalian journal, Kilmer had corresponded with Jesuit Father James Daly, a poet who was teaching at Campion College in Wisconsin.

The friendship between the two men — and the spiritual mentorship of Father Daly — was solidified in 1912 when Joyce and Aline’s second child, Rose, was struck with infant paralysis.

“Just off Broadway,” Kilmer wrote to Father Daly, “there is a church called the Church of the Holy Innocents. … Every morning for months I stopped on my way to the office and prayed in this church for faith. When faith did come, it came, I think, by way of my little paralyzed daughter. Her lifeless hands led

Joyce Kilmer, who was a member of Suffern (N.Y.) Council 1177, stands on the grounds of Campion College in Prairie du Chien, Wis., during a visit to his friend and fellow poet Father James Daly, S.J., in 1916. • Opposite page: A copy of Joyce Kilmer’s most famous poem, “Trees,” as submitted to Poetry magazine in 1913, is shown with a photo of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a 3,800-acre expanse of virgin forest in North Carolina named in honor of the poet in 1936.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University Libraries

by Amy Fahey

TOP: Thinkstock — INSET: Photo by Wallace Kirkland/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 8:04 PM Page 23

me; I think her tiny still feet know beautiful paths.”

Joyce and Aline Kilmer were received into the Catholic Church in late 1913. “Our chief sensation is simply comfort,” Kilmer wrote to Father Daly. “We feel that we’re where we belong, and it’s a very pleasant feeling.”

After becoming Catholic, Kilmer redoubled his efforts at publishing and lecturing on pressing cultural and moral issues of his day. But he considered his role more as that of a quiet evangelist than a brash apologist: “I have delight chiefly in talking veiled Catholicism to non-Catholics.”

EVERYDAY GIFTS With the publication of his poem “Trees” in 1913 — followed by his first volume of poetry — Kilmer’s reputation as a budding American poet was secured.

His poems celebrate the ordinary, from a corner deli to a ride on a train to the beauty of an abandoned house. He had little time for the intentionally “difficult” and often impious poets of his day. Instead, he trained his poetical eye on the simple, everyday gifts of his beloved “Main Street,” later published in 1917.

When the British passenger liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915, Kilmer memorialized the event in “The White Ships and the Red,” a poem written in a single afternoon.

The same year, Kilmer also joined the Knights of Columbus as a member of Suffern (N.Y.) Council 1177, which would be renamed in his honor in 1932.

In early 1917, he transferred to Hugh A. Doyle-New Rochelle Council 339; wrote an article for The Columbiad, the forerunner of Columbia; and gave a lecture about George Washington to 1,200 listeners at a patriotic event organized by the Knights of Columbus at Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh.

“Washington remembered that as Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army he had been surrounded by Catholics,” Kilmer said in that lecture. “He remembered that only one of his officers had ever criticized his policy of trusting Catholics … and the name of that officer was Benedict Arnold.”

The United States entered World War I in April 1917, and within a few weeks, 30-year-old Kilmer enlisted in the New York National Guard. He soon transferred to the Irish “Fighting 69th” battalion of New York, which had recently been redesignated the 165th Infantry Regiment.

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 23

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 8:05 PM Page 24

Prayer of a Soldier in France

by Joyce Kilmer

My shoulders ache beneath my pack (Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).

I march with feet that burn and smart (Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak (They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget Thy agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb (From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

Sgt. Joyce Kilmer of the 165th Infantry Regiment (Fighting 69th) stands in uniform circa 1918. • Kilmer wrote “Prayer of a Soldier in France,” originally titled “A Soldier’s Prayer,” while serving on the front lines during World War I.

A POET AT ARMS Kilmer was immensely proud to be part of the “Fighting 69th.” Among others, he quickly befriended the regiment’s chaplain, Father Francis Duffy, who was to become the most decorated military chaplain in history.

Father Duffy wrote of Kilmer, “He was absolutely the coolest and most indifferent man in the face of danger I have ever seen. It was not for lack of love of life, for he enjoyed his life as a soldier — his only cross was distance from home. It was partly from his inborn courage and devotion — he would not stint his sacrifice — partly his deep and real belief that what God wills is best.”

It was Father Duffy who read Kilmer’s own war poem, “Rouge Bouquet,” over his grave while the poet’s fellow soldiers, who loved him dearly, wept.

The French government posthumously awarded Kilmer the Croix de Guerre for his bravery, and Kilmer’s crucifix, which he was carrying upon his death, has since been handed down to every battalion commander of the 69th Infantry Regiment.

24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

In 1936, the Veterans of Foreign Wars helped establish the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a 3,800-acre tract of old growth forest in North Carolina — a fitting tribute to the one who wrote, “Poems are made by fools like me / But only God can make a tree.”

Camp Kilmer, a U.S. Army camp in New Jersey, was established in 1942 and processed over 2.5 million soldiers heading overseas or returning from World War II. But Sgt. Joyce Kilmer’s most enduring legacy remains his poetic witness to Christ in a sinful and war-torn world.

One month before his death, he wrote of his hope that poetry would reflect “the virtues which are blossoming on the blood-soaked soil of this land — courage, and self-abnegation, and love, and faith — this last not faith in some abstract goodness, but faith in God and His Son and the Holy Ghost, and in the Church which God Himself founded and still rules.”♦ AMY FAHEY is a visiting fellow and teaches literature at The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, N.H. On July 30, the 100th anniversary of Kilmer’s death, Prof. Fahey will speak about the poet’s life at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., where Kilmer’s crucifix will also be on display. Visit kofcmuseum.org.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

Just days before his deployment that fall, his little Rose died and his final child, Christopher, was born. His daughter’s death, wrote Kilmer, “was a piercing blow, but beautiful. ...

Certainly Rose makes Heaven dearer to us.”

JUNE 18 E 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 5/15/18 6:03 PM Page 25

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

Challenge the Culture Four things Catholic men must do to defend the faith and build a culture of life in our secular society

by Peter Wolfgang

A

s Catholic men, we know that much of the culture, the media and, at times, the courts and legislatures are set against our most basic values. Simply to express the Church’s perspective on the right to life, marriage or religious freedom can bring scorn in public and trouble in the workplace. We strive to bring up our kids in the faith, but they are bombarded by secular messages and surrounded by “nones” who claim no religious allegiance.

Fortunately, we don’t need to look far to learn how to respond.

We have the example of Venerable Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. Father McGivney and the first members of the Order faced serious challenges to their Catholic faith and family life. Yet from these hardships, they built the greatest Catholic lay organization in the world. By following in their footsteps, we too can use our present difficulties as an opportunity to advance God’s kingdom on earth.

1. We must be men of prayer.

Always remember that Christ is the vine, and we are the branches (cf. Jn 15:5). Without him, we can do nothing. Whatever good we accomplish is ultimately his work, not ours.

2. We must never lose hope. Withdrawal from the battlefield is not an option for any man bearing the title of “knight.” Nor should we ever see our country as hopelessly flawed. A healthy Catholic patriotism that loves both God and country — but God first — is a prerequisite for healing a wounded nation.

3. We must show our friends and neighbors a better way. The family is under attack, but if we can be the husbands and fathers whom God calls us to be — if we are fathers for good — we can help spread that good throughout our realm of influence.

We all know people living in irregular situations and have encountered in others — and sometimes in ourselves

— a lack of faith and courage in the face of challenges. Yet, despite our weaknesses, we and our families are called to bear witness to the abundant life that God wills for us all.

4. We must be active and practical. It is the duty of the laity to defend the faith in a secular society and work for the common good. We are guided by the teachings of the Church and blessed by bishops and priests, but we are the foot soldiers who are in contact with the wider world as we seek to evangelize the culture.

Engaging the secular society may mean speaking up at work if our employer asks us to violate our faith by accommodating some fashionable agenda, or speaking out against media campaigns designed to turn children against the faith. It may mean telling your local department store that you will not shop there if they promote or enforce a misguided ideology. It may mean discussing these issues with friends and co-workers, and gently explaining to them why they should join you.

Working for change will mean volunteering for, donating to and supporting organizations that lead these fights in the public square, as well as helping to elect pro-life and pro-family candidates, writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper and generally making your voice heard.

In all our efforts, we ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Great victories for the faith have been won over the centuries under her protection and with her rosary.

As we approach Father’s Day, let us also call on Father McGivney to help us remain spiritually strong and steadfast fathers. All is not lost if we do not surrender. The cultural battlefield before us is vast, but we are just getting started.♦ PETER WOLFGANG is executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut (ctfamily.org) and a member of Fathers Duggan-Zebris Council 13424 in Waterbury, Conn.

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

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 25

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:13 PM Page 26

--

KNI GHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES one AED device for its home parish’s chapel. However, the event was so successful that the council was able to procure four devices. Members and parishioners were trained to use them by a licensed doctor and registered nurse (who are also parish members). All four devices are now installed and ready for use at the parish.

SAFE GROUND

Grand Knight Mark Haro of Father Thomas F. Price Council 2546 in Raleigh, N.C., and his son accept a donation during the council’s 2017 LAMB (Least Among My Brethren) campaign.

The 2017 fund drive surpassed the milestone of $1 million in all-time donations. LAMB, founded in 1974 by Past State Deputy Bill Scott to support people with intellectual disabilities, has grown into the largest Knights of Columbus charity program in North Carolina.

RAMP IT UP

A member of Mary, Cause of Our Joy Council 8447 in Soldiers Hills, Luzon, explains the rosary to children whose families had recently been affected by a fire in the area. In addition to the catechetical program, the council distributed free umbrellas and raincoats. The council also coordinated a parish celebration of the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

A parishioner of St. Marcellus Catholic Church approached St. Marcellus Council 7050 in New Iberia, La., requesting the construction of a handicapaccessible ramp. In response, the council began a raffle fundraiser, for which one Knight donated a quilt valued at more than $500.

Tickets for the quilt sold out in less than three weeks, surpassing the cost of the ramps, and the remaining balance was given to the St. Marcellus Food Pantry.

IT’S IN THE BAG

Our Lady of Lourdes Council 10201 in Miami, Fla., conducted a drive for school supplies.

The council handed out 2,000 paper bags with lists of items most needed by students and

When a nursing home was in danger of flooding due to Hurricane Harvey, Father Mathis Council 2433 in Hallettsville, Texas, helped evacuate 200 residents and hosted them for several days before the high waters receded. Knights worked around the clock to assist the nursing home staff throughout the evacuation.

teachers at under-resourced local schools. Friends, families, parishioners and local businesses all donated supplies. In addition to boxes of classroom supplies, the council was able to provide 70 backpacks full of school items for children in need.

BORED NO MORE

James Cardinal Gibbons Assembly 3066 in Richmond, Va., collected and donated a large number of board games to the Sitter and Barfoot Veterans Care Center. The center is operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, with capacity to serve 200 veterans.

AT THE READY

Christ the King Council 14144 in Las Vegas, Nev., held a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser, aiming to purchase

A member of St. Isidore Council 7200 in Macomb, Mich., and a volunteer prepare pierogi for the council’s Polish Dinner fundraiser.

More than 280 diners enjoyed the meal, which raised $3,400 for organizations serving people with intellectual disabilities.

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:14 PM Page 27

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

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

John F. Kennedy Council 1348 in Jeffersonville, Ind., provided breakfast after a Mass for 136 youth who will attend the National Catholic Youth Convention. The council additionally awarded $100 to each student to help cover the cost of travel to the faith-forming event.

Thanks to year-round fundraising, the council was also able to donate $35,000 to Sacred Heart Elementary School.

Ottawa (Ontario) Council 485 presented a check to the Ottawa Police Special Olympics Committee. The council donated $500, with the council’s Charitable Foundation contributing $253 raised through a fund drive. Since 2014, Council 485 has supported the Special Olympics thanks to the generosity of parishioners at St. Elizabeth Parish and St. Basil’s Catholic Church, both in Ottawa.

WASHING UP

RELIEF RAFFLE

St. Francis Xavier Council 10500 in Vancouver, British Columbia, held a car wash fundraiser over two weekends. The council members washed more than 100 cars, raising $2,350 to support charitable projects such as serving meals to the needy at “The Door Is Open” dropin center, purchasing wheelchairs and council bursaries for parishioners, and more.

State Deputy Koon Ming Lau, District Deputy Camil Chan and Grand Knight Albert Lee are regular members of the council’s car-washing team.

Port Clinton (Ohio) Council 1750 earmarked the proceeds of its raffle, which was held in conjunction with its annual Perch, Peach, Pierogi and Polka Festival, to go to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. The raffle raised more than $3,200 to help those in need.

Members and family of Steinbrech-Randall Council 12129 in Solon, Iowa, joined by Marquette Council 842 and Bishop Cosgrove Assembly 267 of Iowa City, erect flags at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Iowa City. The “Avenue of Flags” includes 150 flags and is a 20-year-old Memorial Day tradition. The Knights have a system in place to lay out and raise the 20-foot flagpoles, as well as hang all the flags, within 90 minutes.

LIFE-GIVING MEMORIAL

St. Maximilian Kolbe Council 11319 in West Chester, Pa., paid tribute to Joan Carbo, a pro-life advocate and spouse of a council member, by fundraising in her memory to provide an

ultrasound machine for Chester County Women’s Services. Generous contributions enabled the council to obtain not one but two machines through the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, replacing aging machines at the resource center’s offices.

FOWL IS FAIR

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 7856 in St. Francisville, La., held a chicken and spaghetti dinner to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Members sold more than 200 tickets with advertising help from Hailey Gray, area coordinator for the ACS. The efforts raised $2,081.

Squires of Frederick Circle 5558 in Ijamsville, Md., and members of St. Ignatius of Loyola Council 11815 in Urbana stand with some of the 51 bags of leaves collected during the Squires’ yard cleanup for an elderly widow in their parish.

WORK OF MERCY

During the Year of Mercy, Eunice (La.) Council 1745 set aside money to provide

funeral funds for anyone in the community who passed away destitute. When a woman passed away in a local hospice, the council was able to immediately use the funds to provide for her final resting place. She had been displaced from her home and had no savings.

The two orphaned brothers she raised were already buried in a local cemetery, and she would not have been afforded the chance to be laid to rest with them if not for the council’s donation.

AID BEHIND BARS

Holy Cross Council 4104 in Laguna, Luzon, provided snacks and school supplies for incarcerated youth at the Laguna provincial jail. The young people are enrolled in the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education.

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 27

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:14 PM Page 28

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N COMING & GOING

PANTRY ASSISTANCE

Abnaki Council 334 in Augusta, Maine, helped the outgoing pastor of St. Michael’s Parish settle into a new assignment by transporting him and his belongings to a new parish home — a 90-minute drive away.

Shortly after, the council was asked to restore and furnish the St. Monica Convent so that it could be used to house a new chaplain at the Togus VA Medical Center. With assistance from Knights around the state, Council 334 prepared the home for the long-awaited veterans’ chaplain.

Father James O. Byrne Council 1592 in St. Marys, Ohio, provided manpower to an Agape Ministries food pantry program, which assists west central Ohio families in need. Some 40 Knights, with help from their families, assembled more than 250 grocery sacks of food. Members also support the food pantry on a weekly basis. The council donates $1,000 annually to provide clothing and food for families requiring assistance.

VETERANS COMMEMORATED

St. Damian Assembly 3221 in Kapolei, Hawaii, took the lead in installing a marker at Hawaii State Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Made possible with the financial assistance of other District of Hawaii assemblies, the Knights’ new memorial expresses their gratitude to those who died in service to their country. This memorial

On a hot Saturday, Ray Lill (left) Gary Dukich, Grand Knight Rich Donkersloot and Kurt Russell of St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 in Clifton, N.J., stand ready to sell bumper stickers and wristbands promoting solidarity with first responders. All the proceeds from the sale support first responder charitable efforts, especially the Clifton Police Department’s purchase of school supplies for 60 children in need.

followed one dedicated earlier at Punchbowl Cemetery.

AIDING VETERANS

St. Michael the Archangel Assembly 3244 in Boise, Idaho, made a $300 donation to fund gas vouchers

and bus passes for Healthcare for Homeless Veterans. The donation helps provide transport so that veterans can get to VA medical and behavioral health appointments, VA Compensated Work Therapy assignments, job interviews, housing searches, food banks and church services.

HOMECOMING

Archbishop James V. Casey Council 9349 in Littleton, Colo., raised $133,860 for Building Homes for Heroes, an organization that adapts or builds homes for wounded United States service members. The many hours of work by council members paid off for two veterans — a Marine sergeant who lost her left leg in Afghanistan and an Air Force captain injured in service — whose homes are in the final stages of construction.

CARE PACKAGES

At a fish fry dinner hosted by The Good Shepherd Council 10816 in Stephenville, Texas, firefighters enjoy a hot meal. The council welcomed over 150 firefighters, police officers and ambulance personnel from Erath County at the appreciation event.

28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

Sharpsburg Council 12862 and Coweta Assembly 3199, both in Newnan, Ga., collaborated to send 86 care packages full of toiletries, treats and comfort items to deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen around the world and at sea. Generous parishioners took small shopping-list flyers and purchased items for the drive, which the Knights then collected after weekend Masses. A “packing party” was organized to fill, seal and address the scores of flat-rate boxes.

Altar servers play a round of cornhole at an altar server appreciation picnic hosted

by St. Luke the Evangelist Council 14895 in Indianapolis. Playing on teams named after the Four Evangelists brought fun competition to the picnic, which was held to thank the youths for their service to the parish.

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:14 PM Page 29

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N PLACE FOR PRAYER

HELPING HAND

Father Jacob Post Council 14464 in Bath, Pa., and Cathedral Assembly 3298 in Allentown worked together to build a Marian shrine on the grounds of a local parish. They also provided a supply of free rosaries and prayer cards at the shrine and in the entrance of Sacred Heart Church.

Approached for aid by the family of a woman facing cancer who cannot afford treatment, Pascal Poirier Council 7535 in GrandeDigue, New Brunswick, organized an Afternoon of Music fundraiser. The event showcased local musicians who donated time and talent, a 50/50 drawing, a silent auction and a light lunch.

The program raised more than $8,000 toward the woman’s medical expenses.

REBUILDING THE CHURCH

Queen of All Hearts Council 4126 in Center Moriches, N.Y., made a $30,000 donation to St. John the Evangelist Church. The church was gutted by a fire when a suicidal man barricaded himself in the building and committed arson. The council’s donation will help rebuild the church from this tragic event.

YOUTH MINISTRY

Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce (Québec) Council 2822 raised $1,000 for the parish youth ministry’s educational activities at its annual maplethemed “super brunch.”

SCHOLARSHIPS

Inspired by the scholarship program of St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 in Clifton, N.J., Msgr. Francis J. Byrne Council 5476 in Richmond, Va., established its own scholarship funds for students entering Catholic high schools. For the past four years, these scholarships have been given to students based on their academic achievements, their service and leadership within both church and community, and a 250-word essay.

Members of Sta. Monica Council 10110 in Pavia Iliolo, Visayas, clear brush from a Catholic cemetery. Every year the council prepares for the feasts of All Saints and All Souls by weeding, removing dead leaves and cleaning trash out of the cemetery so that the area is cleared for those paying their respects to the dead.

Members of Albertville (Ala.) Council 15845 install fencing around a soccer field at the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Through food sales, the council raised $1,268 to upgrade the soccer fields on the church grounds, which are used by parishioners and the wider community.

SERVING ALTAR SERVERS

West (Texas) Council 2305 hosted its annual Altar Server Picnic, welcoming 57 altar servers from neighborhood parishes as well as their families. The council cooked a tasty outdoor meal to thank the youth for their service

RUN FOR IT!

HAVING A BALL

Our Mother of Good Counsel Council 15022 in Homer Glen, Ill., sponsored a 5K run to benefit Shady Oaks Camp, a local summer camp for people with disabilities. More than 100 runners participated in the event, including two of the camp’s summer counselors.

A check for $2,500 was presented to a camper and other representatives of Shady Oaks.

St. Stephen’s Council 2284 in Winooski, Vt., hosted its seventh annual Msgr.

Thomas J. Ball Memorial Open Golf Classic. The much-enjoyed event raised $4,500 for diocesan seminarians, as well as $3,500 to expand the evangelization efforts of the Catholic Center at the University of Vermont. Over the years, the golf classic has enabled Council 2284 to allocate

over $71,000 to the Diocese of Burlington.

CENTER OF FAMILY LOVE

St. Andrew’s Council 9901 and Father James Knight Assembly 3070, both in Moore, Okla., combined their efforts and conducted a “Pancakes for Linda” breakfast to raise funds for “Linda” and other residents of the Center of Family Love (CFL). Operated by the Oklahoma State Council, the CFL provides residential living for adults with developmental challenges. Later, the council and assembly again combined their efforts to provide an ice cream social to more than 200 residents at the CFL, at which the Knights also presented their donation from the proceeds of the breakfast.

JUNE 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 29

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:14 PM Page 30

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

The center previously had to turn away clients since they only had one machine.

This second machine will allow more women to see their unborn child and choose life. The machine was blessed by Bishop Thomas Zinkula.

CHECKS AND TREATS

Father Thomas J. Jennings and St. Catherine Council 4487 in Luverne, Minn., dedicate a memorial to Msgr. Francis L. Sampson, a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus. The memorial honors Msgr. Sampson’s long and remarkable service as a military chaplaincy, which included imprisonment during World War II and a parachute jump into North Korea on a recue mission. He also spent many years as a parish priest and mentor to students. A military council also was named in his honor. The monument was sponsored by Council 4487, Big Sioux Council 5029 in Flandreau, S.D., and the Council of Catholic Women.

MORE THAN A GAME

Members of Father Bill Kilian Assembly 1682 in Hill City, Kan., stand vigil at a memorial to the unborn. During Masses celebrated on Jan. 22, 2017, the anniversary of the Roe v.

Wade decision, the Knights stood as an honor guard at the memorials of both Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Hill City and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar.

30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

St. Stephen 12458 in Bentonville, Ark., held its eighth annual Charitable Golf Outing and raised $5,00 each for two local charities. Audrey’s Home of Hope provides a home for pregnant women of any age, creed or ethnicity who find themselves in crisis and in need of a safe, nurturing, temporary home. NWA Children’s Shelter provides a safe haven, high-quality care and hope to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. The Knights’ efforts help support these important services.

AID IN THE MOMENT

When Hurricane Harvey caused flooding across the Gulf Coast region of Texas, Infant Jesus Council 7058 in Lumberton leapt into action, serving 5,000 hot meals over nine days to first responders and people displaced by the

After a successful fund drive for people with intellectual disabilities, San Juan Council 3448 in Farmington, N.M., donated $1,868 each to ARC of San Juan County, Special Olympics, the Alzheimer’s Association, PMS-Project Shield (Community Inclusion Services) and the Disabled American Veterans organization. The presentation of checks also included an ice cream social for staff and clients of the service programs.

disaster. Thanks to donations from individuals and businesses, as well as the help of parishioners, the Knights kept up the stream of meals and set up a distribution point for donated food, diapers, baby food, canned goods and cleaning supplies. A local pastor described the days as a “blur of grace.”

TEAMWORK, MACHINEWORK

Iowa Districts 49 and 50, along with Dr. C.F. Barrett Assembly 3413 in Davenport and the help of private donors, raised $12,500 for Pregnancy Resources, a local pro-life pregnancy center.

With matching funds from the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, the efforts paid off with an ultrasound machine for the center, which will work in concert with a mobile unit.

Students at Northside Elementary School in Palestine, Texas, appreciate a new flagpole. While performing a flag ceremony at the school, members of St. Joseph Assembly 2151 in Palestine notices that one of the flagpoles was in disrepair. The assembly voted to purchase and install a new flagpole.

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:15 PM Page 31

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N BABY BOTTLE COLLECTION

Past Grand Knight Jesse Boeckermann (left), Dean Yobbi and Jerry Hoffart of St. Margaret Mary Council 13016 in Swannanoa, N.C., resurface the driveway of Tony Marcaccio, a WWII veteran and fellow Knight. Members of his council pitched in to create a smooth entry route to the house.

TEAM UP TO SERVE UP

Members of Norwood Council 1162 and St. Martin de Porres Council 5624, both in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as Brother Hugh Henderson C.PP.S. Assembly 3691 in Norwood, teamed up with Boy Scout Troop 9 to serve a meal at the Walnut Hills Kitchen. The free meal ministry, which provides six hot meals per week, was founded by brother Knight Father Thomas Bokenkotter to serve neighbors in need.

EQUAL RITES

St. Nicholas of Myra Council 10847 in Mont Clare, Pa., presented checks and other gifts to three seminarians at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh. Two of the men belong to the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma, and one to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, to which Council 10847 also belongs.

Mary Star of the Sea Council 4752 in Grand Island, N.Y., held a baby bottle fundraiser to support the Baby and Children’s Ministry of Harvest House, which offers goods and services for families and individuals in need. The drive yielded $1,429 in donations from generous parishioners.

BEARING GOOD FRUITS

Father Robert Winkler, S.V.D. Council 14019 in Barcenaga Naujan, Luzon, together with Columbian Squires Circle 5761, planted 100 narra trees and 45 fruitbearing trees to help the community recover from past floods. The council also took part in a procession at Holy Spirit Parish.

Knights of Father Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero Council 15583 in Planada, Calif., stand ready to grill chicken and distribute turkeys at the third annual Parishioner Appreciation Day. Following the K of C Army Hut motto of “Everybody Welcome, Everything Free,” the council invited other parish groups and ministries to join in the event. Together, they made possible a community-building celebration for over 1,000 parishioners and provided additional food for 150 families to take home.

HOLY ROLLERS

(Left to right) Past Grand Knight Vince D’Alessandro of St. Francis of Assisi Council 16088 in Fairfield Glade, Tenn., Father Antony Punnackal of Saint Mary Parish in Gatlinburg, Grand Knight Mike Wilkiel and Tennessee State Advocate Fred Laufenberg gather in front of Saint Mary Church. Following wildfires that devastated the area, Council 16088 contacted Father Punnackal to ask what assistance was needed. The council provided gift cards for parishioners whose homes had been lost in the fire, and Father Gabriel Assembly 2162 in Crossville donated a new flag for the church.

Nativity of Our Lord Council 10961 in Broomfield, Colo., held its first “Holy Rollers” charity car show as part of a parish festival. The show featured some 120 vehicles and raised more than $5,700 for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

YOUTH & PARISH

Don Bosco Council 10277 in Surrey, British Columbia, served meals to youth on a service retreat with the Salesian Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Council members also pressure-washed, painted and performed other upkeep on the grounds of Our Lady of Good Council Parish.

PANTRY MEAL

Akron Northeast (Ohio) Council 3529 hosted a Corn Roast and Sausage Meal that raised more than $1,000 for Blessed Trinity Parish’s food pantry, which serves the poor in the local

community. The event was also an opportunity to build fellowship with 10 new recruits to the council.

SWEET CELEBRATION

Our Lady’s Shrine Council 7054 in Gales Ferry, Conn., following a Mass, held an ice cream social for a faith formation class and their siblings at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church. Council members served ice cream with several different toppings to more than 60 youths to celebrate the start of religious education.

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

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦

31

JUN 18 E KIA 5_15 FINAL.qxp__Layout 1 5/15/18 6:15 PM Page 32

O N - TA RG E T R E C RU I T I N G

‘Joining the Knights is a gift to yourself and your family.’

K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

Shawn E. Pinto joined the Knights of Columbus in 2012, and his family became involved in council service projects right away. A former membership director of St. Peter Chanel Council 13217 in Roswell, Ga., Pinto helped recruit more than 40 new members over the course of the 2013-2014 fraternal year.

Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 www.kofcsupplies.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC.

Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 www.roger-sauve.com

J O I N T H E FAT H E R MCGIVNEY GUILD

!

06/18

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

OFFICIAL JUNE 1, 2018: 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 371492, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7492, 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.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2018

My wife, Kimberly, and I both grew up in families active in the Knights, and we Shawn Pinto stands with his wife, wanted to become involved Kimberly, and their children. with the parish and the community.

Right after relocating to Roswell in 2012, we joined St. Peter Chanel Parish. A couple weeks later, I reached out through the parish website and asked, “How can I join the Knights?” It was simply a desire to better myself as a Catholic man, growing in service to others and developing brotherhood.

EXTEND AN INVITATION The number one reason that many men haven’t joined the Knights is that they haven’t been asked.

Our council uses a lot of different approaches, from formal parishwide recruitment and open houses to small socials in our homes and one-on-ones. I think we took in 46 Knights in one year, and it was truly a council-wide effort.

CHOOSE ACTIVITIES WISELY Another important thing is having activities that are appealing to your local population. My wife is from a big farming community outside of St. Louis, where a service project like a Habitat for Humanity build draws on a lot of people’s skill sets and passions. Here in a suburb of Atlanta, with younger families at our parish, events like our council’s 5K run to raise money for Special Olympics are popular.

JOIN AS A FAMILY So many people are looking to jump into service, but their first thought is, “We’re already so busy, and I don’t want to take more time away from my family.” I always tell them that the Knights offers wonderful ways to grow together as a family. The easiest way I can sum up joining the Knights is telling people it’s a gift to yourself and your family. It’s prayer and service in a wonderful package.

Our kids are right there helping with the service projects and getting to know other families. My boys can’t wait to grow up and become Knights.♦

Photo courtesy of Shawn Pinto

IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC.

JUN 18 E COVERS 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 5/15/18 6:55 PM Page 33

K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBU S

Knights of charity

Photo by Jason Lindsey

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.

Grand Knight Aaron Mattix-Wand of Illini Council 2782 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign prepares to give blood. Council 2782 coordinated the drive for the American Red Cross, staffing the sign-in table and assisting donors.

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

JUNE 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 33

JUN 18 E COVERS 5_15 FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 5/15/18 6:55 PM Page 34

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 FA I T H A L I V E

‘GOD HAS WALKED EVERY STEP WITH ME.’

FATHER CHRIS KANOWITZ Diocese of Reno Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 12845 Gardnerville, Nev.

Jarvis Photography Lake Tahoe

My father’s side of the family is Jewish Polish and my mother’s side is Filipino Catholic. Diversity of faith and culture is not just a concept for me; it’s the reality of my life!

The summer before my senior year of high school, I was torn between different life paths.

At church with two friends, spending time in prayer, I decided to invite God into my discernment process. Priesthood was not one of my options, but it was the answer God gave me. It took time to accept God’s call, but he was patient and always faithful, and he has walked every step of this journey with me.

When I entered the seminary, I determined that I had seven years to totally overcome all my sins and weaknesses. Well, I can tell you that did not happen. Instead, I learned that God did not call me because I was perfect, but rather that when we let God totally love us, even in our brokenness, we are on the path of holiness. As a priest, I am called to let God love me, and through me, love his people.