OCT 19 E SK REPORT 9_16C.qxp_Mar E 12 9/16/19 4:54 PM Page 19
once scarred by smallpox, suddenly became clear and radiant. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American saint. Other indigenous people embraced the truth over the centuries. Some North American tribes trace their lineage of faith back nearly 400 years. Others have come more recently. In the 1840s, Jesuit Father Augustin Ravoux preached the Gospel here in Minnesota, publishing the Catechism in the language of the Sioux and praying with them in their mother tongue. The Ojibwe tribe, many of whom still live here, continues to have a strong Catholic population. And in nearby South Dakota, a Lakota Sioux who fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and later witnessed the carnage at Wounded Knee, left his life as his tribe’s medicine man to become a Catholic catechist who baptized hundreds of his fellow tribesmen. Like Father McGivney, Nicholas Black Elk’s cause for canonization is now proceeding. Today, in the United States, as many as one in four Native Americans are Catholic. And yet, in many ways, these brothers and sisters in the faith have been forgotten.
Knights of Unity I have seen this firsthand in the reservations and pueblos I have visited in Arizona and New Mexico, and again last March, at a listening session attended by many tribal representatives. Despite many hardships, neglect, and a history of brutality toward them, still they hold fast to our Catholic faith.
Soon the universal Church will turn its attention to one particular chapter of this history during the Synod on the Amazon. In doing so, we will better appreciate the words of Pope Pius X. He said this: “When we consider the crimes and outrages … committed against them, our heart is filled with horror, and we are moved to great compassion.” As Knights of Columbus, we are so moved. We recall the words of Pope Francis that “each culture that receives the Gospel enriches the Church by showing a new aspect of Christ’s face.” And also, those words of St. John Paul II, who said on a visit to Canada that “not only is Christianity relevant to the Indian peoples, but Christ in the members of his Body is himself Indian.” Their story is an important part of the story of Catholics in North America, and it is part of our own identity as Catholics on this continent. In many ways, our Order has already taken action to support Native American Catholics. For example: Members of Our Lady of the Sea Council 7272 in Gulf Breeze, Fla., traveled to Arizona to renovate the St. Anne Mission on the Navajo Reservation. The Knights also completed a house, enabling a local family to move out of a tent. Even after they left, our brother Knights sent new winter coats to the reservation through our Coats for Kids program. Such inspiring acts of service are not uncommon. Now our entire Order will build on this foundation. This Sunday, in a new partnership between the Knights of Columbus, the Diocese of Gallup and the Southwest Indian Foundation, we will break ground on the new St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine. It is our hope that in the years to come this St. Kateri Shrine will become a national spiritual home for Native Americans and for all Catholics in North America. And in the months ahead, we will find new ways to work with the Black and Indian Mission Office as well as to encourage our local councils to become more engaged with Catholics living on
reservations and tribal lands. When I met with Pope Francis in February, we discussed the Knights’ intent to increase outreach to Native Americans. I also gave the Holy Father a chalice made by Navajo master craftsmen, as well as other gifts from the American Southwest. Pope Francis expressed his enthusiastic support for our efforts. When it comes to showing respect for Native Americans and First Nations people, the Knights of Columbus will show the way forward. We will be true Knights of Unity. At the same time, we will continue to be Knights of Charity. That is why we are launching another new initiative — one focused on the crisis on America’s southern border. As Catholic men and family men, we are all deeply concerned for the plight of the refugees who have fled their homelands into ours. Their need is great — but the compassion of our brother Knights is greater still. Individual Knights and local councils have already provided food, water, and clothing, as well as rented showers, to refugees in the region. Today, I am pleased to announce that our entire Order will support these efforts. We are prepared to commit at least $250,000 immediately in humanitarian aid for refugees to the southern border. We are prepared to expand it, with additional resources, to help those in refugee camps in every border state — including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Let me be clear: This is not a political statement. This is a statement of principle. This is about helping people who need our help right now. It is a natural and necessary extension of our support for refugees across the world. It shows our nation and the world that where there is a need, there is a Knight to answer it. And on our southern border, the Knights of Columbus will be there.
Opposite page: A mosaic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha is pictured at the Saint John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C. OCTOBER 2019
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