Columbia April 2009

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COLUMBIA

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APRIL 2009

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VOLUME 89

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NUMBER 4

IN THIS ISSUE OPENING ODE 3 Loving in God’s Likeness

BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD 3 Amid an economy characterized by greed, Knights remain committed to the common good.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH 4 The risen Lord remains present to the Church today as we work to build his kingdom on earth.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month, the Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions, Your Spiritual Action Plan and more

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The Adventure of Fatherhood

CHECKUP 8 Use your tax refund to help your family and your church.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE 24 In the Hands of Our Merciful Mother

Fathers for Good initiative helps men embrace their God-given mission.

BY BRIAN CAULFIELD

Called to Love

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A new book by the supreme knight discusses John Paul II’s “theology of the body” and the meaning of human love. BY COLUMBIA STAFF

BY MSGR. EDUARDO CHÁVEZ SÁNCHEZ

ALSO FEATURED

A Nation of Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Knights of Columbus Families: Missionaries of a New World

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A snapshot of four families practicing faith and service in the modern world. BY B. PARKER

A Family Fiesta

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Knights energized success at Sixth World Meeting of Families in Mexico City. BY ALEJANDRO BERMUDEZ

THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES Teaching our children the virtue of chastity is essential to their spiritual health and happiness. BY WILLIAM J. KEIMIG.......20 WHY CONTRACEPTION MATTERS The surprising consequences of a sterilized church. BY STEPHEN PATTON .......................................................22 A LIFELINE FOR MARRIAGES After receiving help themselves, one Knight and his wife now seek to save troubled marriages. BY MITCH FINLEY........23

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Knights of Columbus takes lead in promoting volunteerism with national summit.

KNIGHTS

IN

ACTION

25 REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

32 COLUMBIANISM BY DEGREES

OPENING ODE

Loving in God’s Likeness n our modern world, there is a tendency to believe that we are self-created, with the ability to determine our own truth, meaning and destiny.

Nonetheless, the awesome gift of creation dictates that everyone is born as a child and receives his or her very existence. In his love, God calls us into being, from nothing, and sustains us at each moment. Moreover, we are created in God’s own image and likeness and, from the very beginning, we possess a particular nature and purpose (see Gen 1:26-27).

As Pope John Paul II emphasized, our being created in God’s image is of critical importance. In his 1988 letter Mulieris Dignitatum (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), the pope wrote that “no human being, male or female, created in the image and likeness of God, can in any way attain fulfillment apart from this image and likeness” (5, emphasis in original).

What, then, does it mean to be created in God’s image? John Paul II answered this question by clarifying our understanding both of God and of man.

First, he reflects on the mystery of God as an eternal, Trinitarian communion of Love. The central mystery of the Christian faith is the fact that the inner life of God consists not of a unidimensional will but, instead, of receptivity and radical self-donation. In a word, “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16). It was in this light that the pope also spoke about the “theology of the body,” discussing the profound significance of the human body with regard to personal identity. In and through the body, he explained, man receives himself as a gift and is called to make a gift of himself.

This issue of Columbia features an interview with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Father Jose Granados, who illuminate John Paul II’s insights on the

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theology of the body in their new book, Called to Love (see page 9). Also featured in this issue is a series of articles about the family and some of the ways Knights are promoting and living their vocation as husbands and fathers.

The family is not only the most basic and vital cell of society, but it is essential to our being created in God’s image and likeness. In his 1994 Letter to Families, John Paul II wrote, “The original model of the family must be sought in God himself, in the Trinitarian mystery of his life” (6). While this may sound idealistic to some, it reminds us that the institutions of marriage and family are built into the very nature of humanity — created male and female and called to fruitful, mutual self-giving. We are thus not to redefine, deconstruct or abandon the family when faced with contemporary challenges. Rather, with St. Paul, we “kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” and seek the grace necessary to love as God loves (Eph 3:14-15).

How, or rather in whom, do we discover what it means to love as God loves? The Second Vatican Council taught that we come to know the mystery of the Father’s love for us and the mystery of our own existence through Jesus Christ (see Gaudium et Spes, 22).

As we celebrate the great feast of Easter, we recall Christ’s victory over sin and death, and the redemption he won for us.

In assuming our humanity, dying and rising again, Jesus definitively demonstrates the “theology of the body” and calls us to new life. We must ultimately turn to him — “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15) — to understand fully the meaning of the body, the meaning of the family and the meaning of love.

— Alton J. Pelowski, managing editor

Supreme Knight’s Book Club - April 29 - 5 PM (ET) Join Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson online at www.kofc.org for a discussion of You Shall Be My Witnesses: Lessons Beyond Dachau (Square One, 2009) by Archbishop Kazimierz Majdanski (1916-2007). The supreme knight wrote the introduction to the book, which recalls the archbishop’s experiences as a prisoner of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. An interview about Archbishop Majdanski’s life appeared in the March 2009 issue of Columbia. Submit your questions online and take part in the discussion April 29 at 5 p.m. (ET). To view archived discussions, visit www.kofc.org/bookclub.

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COLUMBIA COVER: JUPITERIMAGES

Knights of Columbus Publisher

Supreme Officers Carl A. Anderson Supreme Knight

Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. Supreme Chaplain

Dennis A. Savoie Deputy Supreme Knight

Donald R. Kehoe Supreme Secretary

John “Jack” W. O’Reilly Jr. Supreme Treasurer

John A. Marrella Supreme Advocate

Editorial Alton J. Pelowski, Managing Editor 203-752-4562 alton.pelowski@kofc.org Patrick Scalisi, Associate Editor 203-752-4485 patrick.scalisi@kofc.org

Graphics Arthur F. Hinckley Jr. Art Director

Richard J. Cesare Senior Designer

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

How to Reach Us MAIL: Columbia, 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 PHONE: 203-752-4398 FAX: 203-752-4109 E-MAIL: columbia@kofc.org INTERNET: www.kofc.org CUSTOMER SERVICE: 1-800-380-9995 MOVING? Notify your local council. Send your new address and mailing label to: Knights of Columbus, Membership Records PO Box 1670, New Haven, CT 06507-0901

On the Cover Fathers for Good is a new online initiative of the Knights of Columbus, providing resources for men and their families.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

BY CARL A. ANDERSON, SUPREME KNIGHT

Following the Moral Compass Amid an economy characterized by greed, the Knights remain committed to the common good RECENTLY, THE KNIGHTS OF as well as in much of corporate COLUMBUS commissioned a poll America, will not be restored until on public attitudes regarding the executives and companies choose business ethics of corporate to be guided by a moral compass in America. The poll, conducted by their business decisions. I am conthe Marist College Institute for vinced that only a strong commitPublic Opinion, found that most ment to ethical business practices Americans — and two-thirds of on the part of executives and the executives — give corporate companies they lead can restore America failing grades for honesty this confidence. and ethics. They also rate the counInterestingly, three-fourths of try’s business leadership as poor Americans and more than nine in during this time of economic crisis. ten executives think that a busiAmong the U.S. public, ness can be both successful and ethical. Likewise, three-fourths of 76 percent believe that corporate Americans and 86 percent of America’s moral compass is executives believe people should pointed in the wrong direction. have the same ethical standards Likewise, a majority of Americans, in business as in including two-thirds their personal lives. of executives, gave the We emphasize However, more than financial and investment industries a our commitment half of executives, and almost three-fourths grade of “D” or “F” to success, ethics of Americans, think in ethical matters.

Asked what they and concern for that most people miss the mark. believe to be the priTo the news mary factors that drive the public good. media, perhaps one of the business decisions the survey’s most surof executives, more prising findings is a consensus that than 90 percent of Americans — religion provides a good ethical and executives themselves — said standard for doing business. Nearly that personal career advancement two-thirds of Americans believe and personal financial gain rank that religious beliefs should signifiequally high with corporate advancantly influence executives’ busitage. Meanwhile, only 31 percent ness decisions, and executives are of Americans and 32 percent of even more likely to agree. executives believe that the “public These are all factors that may good” is a strong factor in corporate surprise some in the general public, decisions. but not the Knights of Columbus.

When we released the poll results, I said that the present As every brother Knight knows, the financial crisis was caused in no Order has an unwavering commitsmall part by greed. The public’s ment to following a moral compass confidence in our financial system, that always points in the same

direction, “in season and out of season.”

In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors, Warren Buffet recently described insurance as “a business of long-term promises, sometimes extending for fifty years or more. This past year has retaught clients a crucial principle: A promise is no better than the person or institution making it.”

I could not agree more. We have kept our promise to the families of our brother Knights for 127 years.

This is a tradition that every member of the Supreme Council is dedicated to preserving. Today, that promise continues to be backed not only by the financial strength of an AAA-rated corporation, but also by an unsurpassed commitment to our moral compass.

In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The Church is God’s family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life” (25). The pope then analyzed this principle from the standpoint of both justice and charity.

We are proud that the Order’s leadership is living out our commitment to charity — the first principle of the Knights. We should be equally ready to emphasize our commitment to justice in terms of our dedication to financial responsibility in our corporate affairs and our leadership as a business enterprise committed to success, ethics and concern for the public good.

Vivat Jesus!

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

“At the Right Hand of the Father” The risen Lord remains present to the Church today as we work to build his kingdom on earth

BY BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI, SUPREME CHAPLAIN After all, the resurrection of n one of his many homilies, Persons act together according to Jesus was not merely a resuscitaSt. Augustine warned his 5th what is proper to them: the Father tion; it was different from the miracentury congregation not to pine manifests his power; the Son ‘takes cles Jesus’ performed to bring the for the good old days: “You hear again’ the life which he freely offered dead back to life. Like those mirapeople complaining about this pres(Jn 10:17), reuniting his soul and his ent day and age because things were cles, Jesus’ resurrection was an body which the Spirit brings to life event in history, and the marks on so much better in former times!” and glorifies” (Compendium, 130). his hands and side attest to the fact In a very real sense, there was no He could easily be speaking to that “his risen body is that road map for the life of faith that us. At one time or anoththe first followers of Christ were er, all of us have conjured The 14th installment which was crucified” called to embrace. The Resurrection up an imaginary time of Supreme Chaplain (Compendium, 129).

Nonetheless, the surpassed all God had promised of when life was better and Bishop William E. Lori’s faith formation Resurrection was an event old. To be one of these first disciples discipleship was easier. program addresses that goes beyond history. was certainly a challenge, the likes Longing for the good old questions 127-135 of By rising from the dead, of which we can scarcely imagine. days indicates that we the Compendium of Jesus brought our humani- To be sure, the disciples fully came don’t understand the the Catechism of the ty into the glory of God. to grasp all this only after they had hardships our forebears Catholic Church.

Scripture reveals that received the Holy Spirit. endured. Instead of waitArchived articles are Jesus, risen from the dead, ing for the Lord “with at www.kofc.org.

‘LOOKING INTO THE HEAVENS’ could “appear to his discijoyful hope,” we may In some ways, of course, the ples how and where he find ourselves trying to Resurrection confirmed that Jesus wished and under various aspects” turn back the clock — but time is truly the Son of God. It also (ibid). Thus, Mary Magdalene knows only one direction. thought Jesus was the gardener until confirmed all he had ever taught THE FIRST DISCIPLES and done. As the victor over sin he spoke her name (John 20:11 ff).

If ever there was a group that and death, Jesus makes it possible Similarly, the two disciples on the needed faith and trust in God and for us to stand holy and righteous road to Emmaus did not recognize his promises, it was the first folthe risen Lord as they walked along; before God as his beloved sons and lowers of Christ. They truly lived daughters. We share his risen life their eyes were opened when they in unprecedented times. They saw now through the life of grace; we recognized him “in the breaking of with their eyes and touched with hope one day to share in the bread” (Luke 24:13 ff). Finally, the their hands the Word made flesh.

Apostles, locked in the Upper Room Resurrection, “when Christ will They witnessed Jesus’ miracles, out of fear, were saw him die on the Cross and amazed when As the victor over sin and death, encountered him after he rose Jesus stood in again. their midst (Luke Jesus makes it possible for us to stand We may wrongly imagine that 24:36 ff). holy and righteous before God as his faith came easily to these first While these beloved sons and daughters.

Christians. Yet, it is difficult to appearances and grasp how astonishing Christ’s resothers after urrection really was for his first dis- Christ’s resurrection brought joy to raise our mortal bodies and make ciples. “The Apostles could not them like his own in glory” (see the disciples, they also caused deep Eucharistic Prayer III; have invented the story of the reswonderment, fear and confusion.

Compendium, 131). urrection since it seemed impossiAfter all, in the Resurrection, the On the solemnity of the ble to them” (Compendium, 127). disciples encountered the awesome They needed faith and trust in God Ascension, we read how the disciwork of the Holy Trinity. As the no less than we do!

Compendium explains: “The three ples were “looking up into the

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heavens” after the Lord ascended (Acts 1:6 ff). Naturally, they longed for the risen Lord to remain with them. Just as the Son of God descended into human history by becoming man, so now did he ascend, bearing on his shoulders a redeemed humanity.

Indeed, Jesus ascended beyond human sight to “the right hand of the Father” (Acts 2:33; Eph 1:20-22).

Echoing Psalm 16:11, St. Augustine teaches that God’s right hand is a place of indescribable peace and joy.

It is here that Jesus reigns, the supreme instrument of God’s mighty hand (see Psalm 80:16, 18).

As we say at Mass, he “pleads for us

Catholic Man of the Month Pope John Paul II (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) “Be not afraid!” These words of Christ became a refrain of Pope John Paul II throughout his long pontificate. For younger generations, John Paul II is the first pope they remember, and his words continue to echo in their minds.

In his early life, Karol Wojtyla suffered much. His

at the right hand of the Father” (Penitential Rite, Form C).

As God’s Son who fulfilled the Father’s plan of redemption, Jesus’ saving deeds have absolutely universal value for every time, place and culture. Even though he is exalted at the Father’s right hand, Jesus also remains with us, just as he promised. By the power of the Holy Spirit, his kingdom of the Beatitudes takes root on earth through the ministry and sacramental life of the Church. It is this kingdom that we hope to experience fully in heaven.

Without presumption, we look ahead to the final judgment when “the secrets of hearts will be

mother died when he was just eight years old, and young Karol ran to his local parish in Wadowice, Poland, where he asked the Blessed Virgin Mary to look after him.

His devotion to Mary never ceased, and a large M would later grace his papal coat of arms.

In 1939, Wojtyla saw his homeland invaded by the Nazis, yet he refused to give into fear. A friend recalled that while many ran though the streets panic-stricken because of the bombings, Wojtyla remained calm and contemplative, and contin-

brought to light as well as the conduct of each one toward God and toward his neighbor” (Compendium, 135). We pray for Christ to come again, not only to reveal fully his glory but, indeed, to be the judge of the living and dead.

The fact of final judgment underscores the need for us not to dawdle in the past but, rather, to seek forgiveness, to live each day in love of God and neighbor, and to pray as men and women of hope, adopted sons and daughters of the heavenly Father. The prayer on our lips should be the same as the first Christians: “Come, Lord!”

(Rev 22:20). ■

ued to attend Mass despite the danger. In his desire to unite his suffering to Christ, he experienced peace while surrounded by chaos.

The Church in Poland continued to experience difficulties after the war. As one totalitarian regime was replaced by another, Wojtyla understood the importance of family in forming and preserving culture. Serving as a priest and bishop, he quietly persisted in his pastoral work, especially to young couples. He thus slipped “under the radar” of the Communist government offi-

cials, who did not suspect him as a revolutionary.

Throughout his papacy, John Paul II never shrank from preaching the Gospel in difficult circumstances. As Christ’s vicar on earth, he embraced the call to give his life for his flock. In the face of political intimidation, an assassin’s bullet, a debilitatOffered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI ing disease and a culture of ➢➢ General — That the Lord may bless the farmers with an abundeath, he went to the ends of dant harvest and sensitize the richer populations to the drama of the earth to sow the seeds of hunger in the world. hope.

In this age of uncertainty, ➢➢ Mission — That Christians working in desperate conditions among women, children, the poor and the weak, may be signs of hope in their courageous witness to the Gospel of solidarity and love. John Paul II stands as a model of faith and loving service to the Church and the family. Catholic men must not despair when faced with Blessed are the Peacemakers increasing secularization and n times of war and civil unrest, we readily turn to government officials when we countless threats to the famithink of peacemaking. However, the call to be a peacemaker is much more intimate ly and to human life. Rather, than the work of international diplomacy. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that “a John Paul II teaches us to put peacemaker is one who makes peace, either in himself or in others: and in both cases one’s trust in God, embrace this is the result of setting things in due order.” In other words, a peacemaker is one the cross with courage and who orders his life according to holy wisdom and aids others in so ordering their “Be not afraid!”

Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions

YOUR SPIRITUAL ACTION PLAN

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own lives. Prayerfully consider: Ps 34:14; Prov 3:13-17; Jn 14:27; and Phil 4:6-9.

BENEDICT: EMANUELA DE MEO, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO JOHN PAUL II: CNS FILE PHOTO

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A NATION OF NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS Knights of Columbus takes lead in promoting volunteerism with national summit B Y CO L U M B I A STA F F

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epresentatives from many of the nation’s largest volunteer organizations gathered Feb. 27 in New York City to plan an unprecedented volunteer response to the economic crisis.

More than 185 participants from approximately 115 charitable, religious, corporate, government, media and educational institutions attended the summit, which was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Fairfield University’s Center for Faith and Public Life. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced the event, titled “A Nation of Neighbors Helping Neighbors: A Summit on Volunteerism as a Response to the Economic Crisis,” during a Jan. 23 speech at Fairfield University.

Summit attendees included representatives from Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, the National Fraternal Congress, General Electric, Volunteers of America and many other organizations from as far away as California and Texas.

“The response — on such short notice — by so many of our nation’s top volunteer-promoting organizations shows just how much need there is for a personal response to the economic crisis,” said Supreme Knight Anderson following the summit. “No solution to this crisis will be complete if it does not include the invaluable person-toperson component as well as detailed community knowledge that the organizations assembled brought to the table.”

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“This crisis is unprecedented in our lifetimes, and our response must be as well.”

‘THE FIRST PRINCIPLE’ Jesuit Father Richard Ryscavage, a professor of sociology and the founding director of the Center for Faith and Public Life, served as moderator of the summit. “Nationally, perhaps 25 percent of Americans do volunteer work,” he said. “We think we can improve that statistic dramatically, especially if we work together.”

Throughout the day, panelists identified several trends in volunteerism. “Increasingly, we are seeing people who have been laid off and want the spiritual, physical and emotional connection of being with other people, and also opportunities to keep their skills refined,” said Bertina Ceccarelli, representing the

United Way of New York City.

Companies and current employees are also seeking opportunities for skills-based volunteering, she added.

Many of the panelists also noted a growing trend of families seeking to serve together. They said that parents recognize volunteering as an opportunity to teach important values to their children, particularly with regard to personally helping those less fortunate.

Laura Sodano, volunteer coordinator for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, explained that she tells volunteers not to ever think that one person can’t make a difference. The organization, which now distributes more than 23 million pounds of food each year, began in 1976 when its founder began handing out groceries from the trunk of her car.

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., explained that for people of faith, there is an extra motivation to serve their neighbors. “The first principle is charity,” he said. “Any time we are doing anything less than that, we are being untrue to a Gospel imperative.”

Bishop Lori noted that local dioceses are often the largest providers of social and education services aside from the government. “We couldn’t do this without volunteers,” he added.

Similarly, Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said that economic reasons should not be the primary motivation for soliciting volunteers. Even more important is giving others the opportunity to participate in corporal works of mercy. “If we do not invite volunteers, we are doing them a disservice,” he said.

In addition to its 60,000 paid employees, Catholic Charities involves more than 200,000 volunw w w. ko f c .o r g

Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York stands with Michael Purcaro, executive director of the Public Health Foundation of Connecticut and a member of Our Lady of Fatima Council 4122 in Rockville. The Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network worked with Purcaro to produce “On Watch,” a television program to connect volunteers to emergency service needs throughout the state.

teers. In order for an organization to have a successful volunteer program, Father Snyder explained, there must be an infrastructure to support it. In the face of economic difficulties, organizations may be tempted to cut the role of volunteer coordinator.

“That is not a wise thing to do,” Father Snyder said, “because you lose more than you gain.”

MOVING FORWARD In his closing remarks, Anderson issued a call to promote volunteerism in a number of ways.

Specifically, he called on:

Tanisha Smith (left), director of volunteers for Volunteers of America, and Susan Silverie, who oversees special projects for the Salvation Army in Los Angeles, were among the numerous panelists during the Feb. 27 summit.

• The government to consult with volunteer organizations before creating new volunteer programs.

• Businesses to create and expand corporate volunteer programs.

• Educational institutions to promote volunteerism among college students.

• Places of worship to reach out to their congregations directly about volunteer opportunities.

• The media to conduct telethons for volunteers — and to devote space in print media to volunteer opportunities.

• And non-profits to improve overall collaboration with each other.

“This crisis is unprecedented in our lifetimes,” said Anderson, “and our response must be as well.”

To maintain the momentum of the summit, the supreme knight announced that the Knights would work with the participating groups to develop a Web site, which will serve as a source of information for the public.

“This summit is an important first step,” Anderson said. “It should not be an end, but a beginning.”

The summit’s speeches and panel discussions can be viewed on the Web at www.kofc.org. ■

Knights of Columbus: A long history of volunteerism

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he Knights of Columbus has a long history as one of the premier volunteer organizations in the United States. With Charity as its first principle, the Knights’ work in communities around the world is legendary.

Before the formation of the United Service Organizations, (USO), and even before World War I, the Order was one of the volunteer organizations that staffed Army Huts, caring for the needs of the troops at training camps and on the front lines. After World War I ended,

the Knights continued their service with job placement and training services for veterans.

More recently, the Knights have made significant contributions in the wake of tragedies such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

Within days of Sept. 11, 2001, the Order offered economic relief to the families of victims through the Heroes Fund program. Similarly, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Knights — both locally and nationally — donated

A K of C field secretary assists a refugee during World War I.

enormous amounts of time and more than $10 million to help rebuild the Gulf Coast.

Not only does the Order have a remarkable track record of charitable giving by members and councils, but individual Knights have often led the way

in other volunteer initiatives as well. One of the highest profile initiatives ever undertaken by the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, was created by John F. Kennedy and first led by Sargent Shriver — both Knights of Columbus. ■ c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 7

CHECKUP

YO U R H E A LT H , YO U R F I N A N C E S , YO U R L I F E

Don’t Just Spend It Use your tax refund to help your family and your church

BY JOHN R. INGRISANO, CLU

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f you received a refund for your state or federal taxes this year, don’t treat it as mad money, good for one wild splurge such as a vacation or an opportunity to buy that state-ofthe-art television.

Instead, put it to work enhancing your family’s financial security.

Your tax refund is not fun money. It’s part of your income. That is why you should view your refund check as an opportunity to build and protect assets, as well as to benefit others.

Here are just some ways that you can put your refund check to work: 1 Protect your family.

Make sure you have adequate life insurance. Life insurance can help ensure that your family will be protected if you die prematurely.

How much life insurance should you own?

That’s a question only you can answer. Be sure you have enough coverage to protect your family from financial harm if you die. If you need assistance, your best bet is to contact your professionally trained Knights of Columbus agent for details.

2 Build a college fund. If you have young children

or grandchildren, consider putting aside a portion of your tax refund check for their college education.

These days, it costs a lot of money to go to college, and the price isn’t going down. One of the best gifts you can give a child is a debt-free college degree.

To this end, consider putting all or part of your refund into an IRA. Yes, there are numerous restrictions and potential penalties for early withdrawals. However, you can withdraw money, penalty-free, from your IRA for “qualified higher education expenses” for yourself, your spouse, or your child or grandchild.

Note that any educational assistance that you receive tax-free reduces the allowable withdrawal for higher education, and there are restrictions. Check with your accountant for more information.

3 Build a retirement fund. If you find you do not need that tax refund money for your children’s education, let it accumulate for your own future. It is the same principle as saving for college, but with potentially more time to build revenue. The goal is to have a comfortable

retirement nest egg waiting when you retire. One of the best and easiest ways to do this is through a Knights of Columbus fixed annuity (with guaranteed, taxdeferred growth).

4 Share your blessings.

With the economy struggling today, many parishes are experiencing a shortfall in their annual pledges. Why not allocate a portion of your tax refund to help close the gap?

Also consider a gift of life insurance for your church. The concept is simple: Purchase a policy on yourself with either a single premium or ongoing premiums.

Then assign the policy to the church, which is also named beneficiary.

In addition, your premiums may be taxdeductible.

The bottom line is that your tax-refund check presents a variety of options. You can spend the money, or you can put it to work for you, your family or your church. If you need help working out the details of how to allocate your refund money for maximum long-term gain, contact your Knights of Columbus agent. He will be glad to help map out a strategy that works best for you. ■ John R. Ingrisano is a financial writer and business consultant specializing in money management, insurance and retirement planning. He can be reached at john@thefreestyleentrepreneur. com.

DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF INSURANCE YOU NEED USING THE LIFE INSURANCE CALCULATOR AT KOFC.ORG 8

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COLUMBIA CONVERSATION

Called to Love New book discusses John Paul II’s theology of the body and the meaning of human love

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From 1979 to 1984, Pope John Paul II delivered 129 Wednesday audiences in which he presented a vision of the human person, created as a unity of body and soul, and the vocation of every person to love. The pope’s catechesis, which has become known as the “theology of the body,” is considered by many to be revolutionary, as it develops profound truths about man’s most basic experiences — who we are and who we were created to be.

A new book about the theology of the body, which is being published this month, was co-authored

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Father José Granados, assistant professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Titled Called to LESLIE GILBERT PHOTOGRAPHY

B Y CO L U M B I A STA F F

Love: Approaching John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (Doubleday), the book sheds light on the significance and implications of the pope’s insights. Columbia spoke with Supreme Knight Anderson and Father Granados about their new book.

Columbia: The word “theology,” for many, denotes abstract ideas about God. What, then, does Pope John Paul II mean by the phrase “theology of the body,” which may sound radical or even contradictory?

Father Granados: Theology does not only deal with our questions about God; it deals mainly with God’s word to us — that is, the way he talks with us and tells us about himself and his love for us. For theology, the Incarnation is central, this event in which God himself comes to meet us and becomes visible by assuming a human body. Because of the Incarnation, the body enters into the realm of theology. When the Word

became flesh, God made clear to us that the body has a language able to talk about God and about the way he calls us to love him and each other.

Anderson: This is precisely why we wrote Called to Love — to bring theology out of the realm of “abstract ideas about God” and show just how personal the pope’s vision is for each of us. We need always to remember that John Paul II throughout his priestly ministry remained totally committed to the care of married couples and the family. The theology of the body is a key element of his pastoral approach.

Central to John Paul II’s insights is the concept of the communion of persons, which he sees as a reflection of the Trinity. In what way does the pope develop the traditional doctrine?

Father Granados: The good news of Christianity is that God is love, a communion of persons in which the Father gives himself totally to the c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 9

Father Jose Granados and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson have a conversation following the dedication of McGivney Hall at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8, 2008. Father Granados, a professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, co-authored with the supreme knight Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (Doubleday, 2009).

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Son in the union of What might people gain the Holy Spirit. John from studying the theoloe wrote gy of the body? What Paul II has developed an understanding of inspired you to write this Called to the human person in book? the light of this Love to bring Father Granados: The aim of this book is to help the Trinitarian love. theology out reader discover the great Human love, and vocation to which God particularly the love of the realm calls him: a vocation to of the family — love. We often live between husband of ‘abstract unaware of this great call and wife, parent and to love and thus are unable child, brothers and ideas about to give an answer to it. sisters — is the mirGod’ and Because of this, our lives ror in which God’s risk being wasted, without love shines in the show just attaining their fulfillment. world, and man is this book, we able to share in it. how personal Through would like to reawaken John Paul II has the reader to the great taken this central the pope’s news of his existence, to theme of the tradivision is for the wonder of God’s origition and has internal plan for him. This preted, in this light, each of us. the whole of man’s means that the theology of vocation and destiny. the body is not only a Anderson: This is also an impor- teaching about human sexuality, tant concept for the work of the but it also contains a whole underKnights of Columbus since our standing of the human person and of Order is based upon the principles the world. In fact, John Paul II’s aim of charity, unity and fraternity. We is to give an account of the whole of might say that this is how Father reality in terms of love.

McGivney chose to speak about the Anderson: For me, Called to Love reality of a “communion of per- was a way to deepen a discussion sons” in a very practical way more begun in my earlier book, A than a century ago.

Civilization of Love, by showing

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how through the theology of the body John Paul II explained every person’s vocation to love. This, in turn, helps us understand better our vocation within marriage, within our family and within the world.

Even before becoming Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla had decades of pastoral experience and wrote on matters related to marriage and family. Why is the family so important, and what does the theology of the body teach us about the nature of human love?

Father Granados: According to John Paul II, the family is the place where we discover who we are. The pope speaks in this regard of the genealogy of the person. Our identity as human persons is formed in the family. The fact that we are children of our parents, for example, is not something accidental, but constitutes a central part of our being. The same is true for a parent; it is not just that a person has a child, but that he is a father or mother. In the family, we understand that we come from another as children and are called to become spouses and parents. In other words, one’s life is defined by an original love that is first received, as a child, and then given to another in order to be fruitful. w w w. ko f c .o r g

“This is the body: a witness to creation as a fundamental gift, and therefore a witness to Love as the source from which this same giving springs.”

Pope John Paul II, from his catechesis on the theology of the body, Jan. 9, 1980

Anderson: We can see from this why John Paul II believed that the family is the central place of encounter between Christianity and contemporary society. If we do not understand our lives as spouses and parents in a profoundly Christian way, it is very difficult to live a Christian life in today’s world. But John Paul II’s insight is more profound: By understanding our lives as spouses and parents as God intended, we learn how to live a Christian life in a more authentic way. This is true even for those who never marry.

Beginning with man’s “original experiences” in the first chapters of Genesis, the catechesis on the theology of the body is, in a way, a about Scriptural commentary human nature. What role does Christian revelation play in understanding who we are? Can we explain John Paul II’s insights in secular terms?

Father Granados: Modern man suffers from a crisis of identity. We need to know who we are and what our path in life is. In the book of Genesis, John Paul II saw the genetic code of our identity as human beings. For instance, the pope talks about an original solitude: Adam realizes in the garden that he is alone. This experience is interpreted in the light of man’s relationship TOP LEFT: JOHN WHITMAN ABOVE: CNS FILE PHOTO

with the Creator, the only one who he conceived his mission as making fulfills our expectations and desires. John Paul II’s great work better This means that our identity is known. In fact, Benedict’s first always constituted Deus encyclical, before the mystery of Caritas Est (God is God, as creatures who Love) was a continucome from him. ation of John Paul John Paul II then II’s work on love. adds the experience of Like his predecessor, unity: We only know Benedict takes as his who we are and how to point of departure reach God when we the way Christ encounter another perreveals to man his son through love. own vocation. In Deus Caritas Est, he Precisely because the writes that in order pope starts with an to give a good definianalysis of human tion of love, we will experience, the theoloneed to start by gy of the body is unilooking at the versal and refers not Crucified one (12). It just to Christians.

Every human being Called to Love: Approaching John is at the foot of the asks himself about the Paul II’s Theology of the Body Cross that we learn meaning of life and (Doubleday, 2009), by Supreme what love is all how to find fulfill- Knight Carl A. Anderson and about. ment. The theology of Father Jose Granados, will be on Anderson: This was the body answers sale beginning April 14. the central pastoral these questions in (ISBN: 978-0385527712) vision of the Second terms of love.

Vatican Council.

John Paul II and The book is being released one year Benedict XVI are popes whose great after Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to mission is the renewal of the the United States. How do the Church sought by the Council. teachings of John Paul II relate to Both popes have sought to do this by seeing in Christ the revelation of those of Benedict?

Father Granados: At the beginning of God’s love, which makes us who we his pontificate, Benedict said that he are and sets before us a way of livdid not want to write much, because ing to which we are called. ■ c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 11

Karl Santaguida and his wife Bridget, of PointeClaire, Que., cite the“joyful adventurousness of marriage” and of serving together as a large family.

Knights of Columbus Families:

Missionaries of a New World A snapshot of four families practicing faith and service in the modern world

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As the first decade of the new millennium races to a close, our world is experiencing cultural, social and economic changes that have the potential to destabilize the family and threaten the common good.

Traditional Christian values once woven into the fabric of Western society have too often been cast aside, and in their place are emerging new and radical ideas that deny the sanctity of human life and challenge even the basic definition of marriage.

Caught in the middle are hardworking fathers and mothers, along with their children. The family, long a reliable source of human and Christian values, has experienced a

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dramatic breakdown, preventing such time-tested values from being transmitted to the present.

Like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI has sounded the alarm on this growing crisis and is calling for a new evangelization. To achieve this spiritual mission, the Holy Father has appointed a special missionary: the family itself.

In a letter anticipating the recent World Meeting of Families in Mexico City, the pope wrote, “As the first school of life and faith and the ‘domestic Church,’ the family is called to educate the new generations in the human and Christian values so that in modeling its life on the example of Christ, it may shape within them a harmonious personality.”

To gain insight into some of the ways in which the family educates society in faith, values and civic life, let us look at four Knights of

Columbus families whose outstanding commitment to one another and those in need offers certain hope in uncertain times.

The Santaguida Family: Strength in Numbers “My vocation as husband and father, and what I feel as the natural call to Knighthood, puts an emphasis on service to those around me, especially my wife and children,” said Karl Santaguida, grand knight of West Island Council 6096 in Beaconsfield, Que. “This outwardfocused call to the service of others has come with an internal hunger for spiritual growth, truth and a fuller understanding of what God is asking of me.”

Santaguida, who joined the Knights in 2003, said that his w w w. ko f c .o r g

involvement in the Order has challenged him to look beyond himself to a life of generous self-giving, which he shares with his wife, Bridget, and their seven children.

Though Karl and Bridget have always been active in their community, involvement with the Knights has presented new outreach opportunities: serving meals at the local homeless shelter and cleaning an area veterans’ cemetery, among other activities. “A family that serves joyfully together gets closer together through helping others,” Karl said.

The Santaguida family’s serviceoriented lifestyle is energized by the devotional life of the Church. In addition to attending Mass together every Sunday — son Gabriel is an altar server and daughter Guinevere sings in the children’s choir — the family prays the rosary during van rides and makes an annual pilgrimage to the Notre Dame Du Cap Shrine in Trois-Rivières.

Nighttime prayer adds a special closeness. “We have a particular devotion to St. Josemaría Escrivá… as well as to St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary, not to mention Father McGivney,” Karl said. He also credits Bridget’s decision to stay at home with the children as contributing to the family’s rich relationship and faith.

“We decided that having a large family would help us to move towards generous self-giving and away from materialism.”

In reflecting on the challenges families face in modern life, Karl cites “extreme secularization” and an anti-family sentiment often expressed by the media and the state. He also exposes the trappings of materialism: “Buy more, have more, upgrade, bigger, better, faster, indulge yourself…is supposed to make one happier.”

True happiness, Karl believes, comes from a personal relationship with Jesus, living virtuously and the

According to Thomas Greul, grand knight of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council 7612 in Eldersburg, Md., his family has grown closer by participating in service projects and church activities together. Inspired by his grandfather, Gruel joined the Order in 2004.

treasure of family. “We decided that having a large family would help us to move towards generous self-giving and away from materialism,” he explained.

According to Karl and Bridget, a willingness to have a large family is a sign to the world of “the joyful adventurousness of marriage.” Though Karl admits such openness involves sacrifice, he affirms that self-giving in marriage is a journey when couples maintain open communication, mutual support and, of course, a sense of humor. “We try to remember to laugh, to have fun and to live every moment as though it was our last,” said Karl. “The world is a gift to us.”

The Greul Family: Passing Down Values from Generation to Generation The death of a loved one is among the most difficult moments in life and a time for deep reflection. For Thomas Greul, the loss of a beloved grandfather was also a time of new beginnings. After receiving his grandfather’s cherished Fourth

Degree sword and witnessing the Knights of Columbus honor guard at the funeral, Greul decided to carry on his grandfather’s legacy by joining Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council 7612 in Eldersburg, Md. After receiving several awards between 2005 and 2007, Thomas was appointed grand knight of his council, and his wife Heather became president of the ladies’ auxiliary. The Greul family participates together in a range of council fundraising activities, from golf tournaments to the council’s pit beef stand, supporting charities like Hailey’s Wish, a research foundation for children with mitochondrial diseases.

“The Knights of Columbus has strengthened the relationship among our family members in that we spend more time together on service projects and church activities,” the couple said.

While family life generally revolves around the athletic activities of their three daughters, the Greuls said that joining the Knights gave them an opportunity to “see beyond athletics” and to discover a community that inspires people to serve.

In commenting on the challenges of family life, the couple said, c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 13

Left: Charles and Annette Steffan with their daughters after a high school basketball game.

Charles has been a member of the Knights for 23 years. Above: Tellan Steffan, who joined the Knights in 2005, assists on the family’s ranch in North Dakota.

“The pressure to keep up with the Joneses is now more evident than ever. The Internet, TV shows and catalogs make it easy to succumb to temptation.”

“By showing commitment to each other, we are building a foundation for our children to build their own futures.”

According to Thomas and Heather, a conscious dedication to family offers powerful resistance against such forces. “It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in a materialistic life and forget about the most important aspect in our lives.

Without a family to support and encourage us, we stand alone,” they said.

Despite such pressures, the Greuls point to the unifying power of the sacrament of marriage: “During hard times in our life, we come together and lean on each other for support. Society would teach us to take the easy way out through divorce. But by showing commitment to each other, we are building a foundation for our children to build their own futures.”

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The Steffan Family: Raising Herds and Healthy Families For Charles Steffan, service in Belfield (N.D.) Council 6310 is as much a way of life as raising Red Angus herds on the plains of North Dakota. Steffan, a rancher who breeds cattle on his Heart River Ranch, joined the Order 23 years ago — a decision he says strengthened his relationships with his wife, Annette, and their three children.

“Knights of Columbus activities such as breakfasts and fundraisers for various causes have provided an avenue for us, our children and other families to participate in service,” Charles said. “K of C families provide support to each other in making good decisions and in taking positive stands for those virtues and morals which lie at the core of Christian values.”

Just as raising livestock requires careful attention to the needs of the herd, raising healthy families also requires constant dedication, especially in spiritual matters. The Steffans devote themselves not only to Sunday Mass, but to eucharistic adoration, the rosary and religious education classes.

“The Knights stand for moral issues like right to life, support of pastoral needs and serving the less fortunate — priorities that need to be made in our daily living,” said Charles, whose son, Tellan, joined the Knights in 2005.

Charles also noted the Order’s vital role in spreading Catholic charity: “It is a catalyst for greater good to happen. Without organized efforts, many of the benefits of K of C projects to those in need would not happen.”

“K of C families provide support to each other in making good decisions and in taking positive stands.”

Of course, contemporary society also has its challenges. Peer pressure, a lack of reverence for life and a “What’s in it for me?” attitude are prevalent in American culture, explained Charles. Still, the Knights help men and their families steer away from such pressures and attitudes. “Serving others, even in small ways, can shift us away from those negative influences,” Charles said. w w w. ko f c .o r g

The Sáenz MuñozRosales Family: A Modern Mission to Mexico For Francisco Sáenz Muñoz, the Fray Junípero Serra Council 13787 in Querétaro, Mexico, offers a blend of family and missionary traditions.

Just as the council’s namesake served missions in Mexico City and Querétaro in the 18th century, so too does Francisco bring the light of the Gospel to the region today, along with his wife, Ana María Rosales Domínguez, and their six daughters.

“The Knights of Columbus is a means to live our faith in community and to act responsibly as laymen for the sake of our Church,” said Francisco. “As laymen, we have a unique, original and necessary task to fulfill in order to evangelize the temporal order — that is, the cultural, educational, social, economic and political spheres.”

Having worked as a state officer, district deputy and a development coordinator, Francisco understands the spiritual power in organizing people together. “As Pope Benedict XVI said in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, charity requires an organization,” Francisco said.

“That’s what the Knights of Columbus wants to do: serve our community, working from our parishes, in an organized way and as a team.”

By organizing small communities into councils led by elected laymen, Francisco helps the Order use the power of collective action to promote the defense of life, vocations to the priesthood and other diocesan goals.

Francisco’s participation in the Knights extends to his family as well.

Whether it’s distributing wheelchairs to citizens in need or volunteering for the Hogares Providencia Foundation for orphaned and neglected children, the Order provides opportunities for the entire family to serve. Such opportunities reinforce popular Catholic devotions and

Francisco Sáenz Muñoz stands with his wife and six daughters in front of a Knights of Columbus display at the Sixth World Meeting of Families, which took place in Mexico City this past January.

activities in Mexico, including prolife marches, gift exchanges and pilgrimages to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“As laymen, we have a unique, original and necessary task to fulfill.”

According to Francisco, combining family and faith helps counter-

act harmful messages bombarding youth through celebrity pop culture and pornography. He emphasized that a committed marriage offers the best example of divine love to children: “We seek to show our children that love between couples is possible forever, in spite of conflicts and differences that come up. To have true love in marriage, three persons are needed: the two spouses and God.” ■ B. Parker is a freelance writer specializing in topics of business, faith and culture.

New CIS Booklet for ‘Busy Parents’

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oes St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, have something to teach mothers and fathers today? According to Father Dwight Longenecker, the author of Saint Benedict for Busy Parents, the answer is “Yes!” In the new booklet, part of the Catholic Information Service’s Veritas Series, Father Longenecker explains how St. Benedict’s Rule has provided practical principles of Christian living for almost 1,500 years.

To download and print a free copy, visit the Catholic Information Service Web site, www.kofc.org/veritas. For more information, write: CIS, PO Box 1971, New Haven, CT 06521-1971 or cis@kofc.org. c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 15

FATHERS FOR GOOD

The Adventure of Fatherhood Fathers for Good initiative helps men embrace their God-given mission

By Brian Caulfield

hat does it mean to be a father today, in a cultions, learn from experts, grow in their Catholic ture that sends very mixed messages about faith, gain guidance about life’s pressing problems manhood? On prime-time television, we see and even communicate with one another through bumbling dads unable to get through the day without Facebook, the popular social networking site. help from their conniving wives and condescending To emphasize the fact that a father cannot do his kids. At the same time, advertising often presents an job well apart from his wife, there is also a section image of macho guys who have it all while drinking called “Good for Mothers,” where the theme is taken beer and getting girls. from former Notre Dame president Father Theodore Meanwhile, the high rates of marital breakup and Hesburgh: “The greatest gift a father can give his single motherhood have placed fathers on the sidechildren is to love their mother.” line of their children’s lives. Practices like in vitro The central themes of this initiative are fertilization and abortion further send the message expressed in the name Fathers for Good, which has two related meanings: that men are merely instruments in the conception 1. Every man, deep down and amid his flaws, and care of their offspring. wants to be a good father, to make a positive contriThere is a great and tragic irony to all of this: As bution to the lives of his wife and children, even if he the role of fathers has been increasingly denigrated in has to struggle all his life to do so. popular culture, the vital importance 2. Once a man becomes a father, of fathers has become clearer than once he contributes to the creation ever. For example, children growing new life, there is no turning back. up without their father in the home Now is the time for fathers of He is a father for good, with the are twice as likely to drop out of school, whereas half of all children to take a strong and active responsibilities that go with it.

The good news is that God is with highly involved fathers in twowith us, in our troubles and our joys, parent families report getting mostly role in their families. if we allow him to lead. Fatherhood is high marks through 12th grade. In not something alien to the male soul; addition, kids in single-parent homes it is written into the heart of every report higher rates of drinking, smokman. While no earthly father will ever be like our ing, drug use, delinquency, aggression, early sexual Father in heaven, God does give certain graces to men experience and a host of other negative behaviors. who accept and embrace the vocation to fatherhood.

Clearly, now is the time for fathers to take a This call demands that a man develops virtues strong and active role in their families, yet many men suffer from a lack of direction and identity. allowing him to defend, to sacrifice, to lead and to nurThey may have been put off by radical feminism or ture new life. Learning to be a good father, in short, witnessed the divorce of their own parents, leaving means learning to love. The problem many families them without a strong father figure and fearful of face today may be rooted in a misunderstanding of commitment. Or they may simply be unsure of how love, which is not simply emotion, sex or sentiment. masculine virtues — and the instinct to protect and Love, in fact, is a guy thing. It is the settled determiprovide — play out in a modern, technological world. nation to do what is best for another person in all cirWhatever the problem, help is available on a new cumstances, no matter the sacrifice. As Jesus said the Knights of Columbus Web site designed for men to night before he died: “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). live out a fulfilling fatherhood. Fathers for Good This is a marching order for fathers. What better (www.fathersforgood.org) addresses the questions “friends” do we have than our wife and children? that are central to a man’s life: faith, family, finances, the economy, the domestic church, teens and sex, What greater goal is there than to be the father they deserve? ■ love and marriage, grace and God. All of these topics and more are covered on the site in a contemporary, Brian Caulfield is a communications specialist for the Knights of yet decidedly Catholic, manner.

Columbus and editor of Fathers for Good. He is a past grand knight Think of the Fathers for Good site as a safe haven of Holy Family Council 8882 in New Haven. for fathers, an online community of men who can consider the quality of their fatherhood, ask ques-

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A Brief Tour of

FathersforGood.org Learn the essence of fatherhood through numerous inspiring articles or check out the special section ‘Good for Mothers.’

Fathers for Good is an initiative of the Knights of Columbus, providing resources for men and their families. Here are just some of the things you will find at www.fathersforgood.org.

Listen to a Super Bowl champion explain how to talk to your teens about sex, along with other experts on fatherhood and family life.

Everyday dads tell interesting stories that can help you grow as a father.

Keep up to date and share your thoughts on ‘A Father’s Blog.’

Issues that touch the heart of a father are studied in depth each month.

You can vote for the next topic to be covered.

A ‘Father’s Bookshelf’ recommends texts on marriage, faith and family.

Join our Facebook group to connect with other fathers and share stories.

Several videos, including an introduction to the site by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, offer encouragement.

Enter your e-mail address to receive regular news and updates from Fathers for Good. c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 17

A Family Fiesta Knights energized success at the Sixth World Meeting of Families in Mexico City

BY ALEJAN DRO BERMU DEZ

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During the second week in January, the lobbies of several Mexico City hotels were filled with quite an unusual sight: bishops, priests, well-known lay leaders and others from across the world all trying to communicate in either English or Spanish, without regard for check-in complications or the piles of luggage that were scattered throughout the lobby. It was a true Mexican fiesta of faith and family — and a precursor to what attendees could expect at the Sixth World Meeting of Families.

Droves of energized Catholic families descended on the ExpoBancomer, the largest venue in Mexico’s most populous city, from Jan. 13-18 to take part in the meeting. The Knights of Columbus served as a sponsor for the event, which involved a festive celebration around a timely theme: “The family as teacher in human and Christian values.”

‘PROMOTING THE GOSPEL OF LOVE AND LIFE’ The World Meeting of Families first took place in Rome in 1994, during the International Year of the Family.

It was designed to foster relevant pastoral and theological reflections on the importance of the family in the Church and the world, and to celebrate the family as a gift from God. Initiated by Pope John Paul II and the late Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, then-president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, the event has been held approximately every three years since.

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A group of musicians perform in front of a Knights of Columbus display at the Family Expo during the Sixth World Meeting of Families, hosted in Mexico City last January.

The Sixth World Meeting of Families offered about 10 international speakers per day and was energized by lively participation and a productive exchange of ideas and experiences. The richness of the meeting’s exchange was helped not only by the presence of Cardinal

“It is in the home where one learns to truly live, to value life and health, liberty and peace, justice and truth, work, concord and respect.”

Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City, but also by an impressive array of lay leaders,

including Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

“It was greatly encouraging to see people from other places in Latin America, the U.S. and the rest of the world that are also in the trenches, in many different ways, promoting the Gospel of love and Olivera life,” said William Valladares of San Francisco de Asís Council 4294 in Campeche.

One barometer of the meeting’s success came in the form of headlines from anti-Catholic media, warning of a “dangerous Catholic revival.” Parallel to the theologicalpastoral congress, which was attended by nearly 10,000 people, the Expo-Bancomer also hosted an “Expo-family,” where services and ministries related to the family were exhibited. There, Knights from Mexico were able to recruit new w w w. ko f c .o r g

Clockwise from top left: Dr. Mario Loomis, his wife Donna and their children stand with a volunteer outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Dr. Loomis, a member of St. John’s Council 1106 in Goshen, N.Y., and his family were named the Knights of Columbus International Family of the Year at the 126th Supreme Convention last August, and they were among the speakers at the Sixth World Meeting of Families. • Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, stand on stage at the beginning of a special family festival, Jan. 17. • An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is carried during a traditional procession.

members and sign up volunteers for a national rosary campaign.

Saturday’s “Family Festival” was another historic moment: despite the physical absence of Pope Benedict XVI, more than 18,000 people filled the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for an evening that included the rosary, moving testimonies of marriage and a lively international show of music and dance.

A similar crowd gathered the concluding day for Mass celebrated

by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, and for a live satellite message from Pope Benedict.

“The true liberty of the human being comes from having been created in the image and likeness of God,” Pope Benedict said, explaining that freedom must take the form of love and self-gift. “For this,” he added, “more than theo-

ries, the intimacy and love characteristic of the familial community are needed. It is in the home where one learns to truly live, to value life and health, liberty and peace, justice and truth, work, concord and respect.”

The pope announced that the next World Meeting of Families would take place in Milan, Italy, in 2012, and concluded with a heartfelt consecration of the world’s families to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

A NEW PENTECOST Many people came away from the World Meeting of Families with a clear sense of mission. The Knights, especially, have moved forward to bring the testimony of their faith into the public square, speaking up for the rights of the family.

In his address Jan. 16, Supreme Knight Anderson recalled Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s refrain

from her 1979 Nobel Prize address: “love begins at home.”

He also asked, “What kind of foundation for solidarity is there if it is not present within the family, with the presence of children whose very existence depends on the goodness of others?”

According to Alfonso Garcia Navarro, a member of Miguel Leandro Guerra Council 4134 in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, local Knights saw an immediate increase in membership, charity and “the desire of people to get involved with the Church,” in the wake of the World Meeting. He added, “Families now want to move from a ministry of ‘preservation’ to a ministry of growth, of a new Pentecost.” ■ Alejandro Bermúdez, a native of Lima, Peru, is director of Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com) and ACI Prensa (www.aciprensa.com).

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The Fight of Our Lives Teaching our children the virtue of chastity is essential to their spiritual health and happiness

BY WI LLIAM J. KEIMIG

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My oldest son and I love to engage in battle — usually with plastic lightsabers. I also appreciate the kind of battle described by St. Paul in Ephesians 6:10-17. As a father, it is part of my vocation to train my sons and daughters for spiritual combat.

Our culture is awash in sexually explicit advertising, movies, television, music and clothing, even for the very young. All this is deemed inconsequential by many, while virtues such as modesty, fidelity and self-control are often scorned and ridiculed. We are surrounded by “those who call evil good and good evil” (Is 5:20).

So what is a Knight supposed to do? Let us begin a deliberate and calculated war to take back our families’ lost ground!

This past year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a wonderful new document called Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living, in which they outline the basic tenets of what comprises a life of purity. In so doing, they present us with directives for living and teaching virtue amid our challenging times.

THE ‘POWER’ OF VIRTUE Drawing from Scripture and from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the U.S. bishops define chastity as “a virtue that allows us to do what is right, good, and truly loving in the areas of relationship and sexuality. All the baptized are called to cultivate this spiritual power which frees love from selfishness and aggression” (Part I, A-20).

A spiritual power that frees us to

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love — doesn’t that sound like something worth knowing more about? We should not mistake the self-mastery of chastity as “following a bunch of rules” that will prevent us from “having fun.” Chastity is not a negative virtue that seeks to drain joy from our lives. Rather, it is akin to the athlete who brings his body under disciplined and wise control, thereby setting himself free to reach new heights of excellence.

Chastity is a “spiritual power which frees love from selfishness and aggression.”

In this respect, chastity is “the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the

inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (CCC, 2337). We subdue the war within our nature and strive to attain the original unity that characterized the lives of Adam and Eve before sin.

When we sin, we grieve the heart of God, who desires our true happiness. He calls us to chastity not to confine us from enjoying life and the gifts he has given us, but as a means toward true freedom.

The second section of the bishops’ document focuses our attention on nine areas of special concern: pornography, contraceptive mentality and practice, premarital and extramarital sex, divorce, cohabitation, sexual abuse, homosexual activity, same-sex “marriage” and reproductive technology. Each of these areas is given attention due to “their prevalence in our society today and the particular dangers they pose to chaste living” (Part I, B). w w w. ko f c .o r g

A PARENT’S ‘TO DO’ LIST The bishops also discuss the roles of pastors, parents and guardians, teachers and catechists, and the media with regard to the defense and encouragement of virtuous living.

Those of us called to parenthood, in particular, are reminded to lead by example. In our own marriages, we must work not only to resist the “perils of divorce” (Part II, B-3), but also to shine as a beautiful tribute to the creator of the sacrament of matrimony. Also, a father’s influence on the moral development of his children and their subsequent desire to lead a holy life cannot be overstated.

What is the task, then, of parents as the first educators of their children? The bishops provide some direction: “[The] education of children includes formation in knowledge and practice of their faith, including participation in Sunday Mass and frequent confession, a life of virtue in accordance with the teachings of the Church, catechesis on morality including education in chastity and the virtues, and the fostering of a growing relationship with Jesus according to the child’s age and maturity level and in conformity with the teachings of the Catholic Church” (Part II, B- 5).

This “to do” list may seem daunting, but it can be accomplished if we enlist the support, cooperation and enthusiasm of godparents, pastors and catechists, and any other teachers with whom a child comes in contact. Most of all, we must pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to show our children or grandchildren the beauty of the Lord and the joy of living free from sin.

Finally, we need to evaluate our own practice of chastity and how we treat members of the opposite sex.

Fathers on a campaign to help their children remain chaste should start by making sure they view and speak about women with respect. Of course, the most obvious sins against the virtue of chastity involve sexual union with someone other than one’s spouse. Yet, it is still a sin, albeit less grave, to act or speak immodestly or indecently.

This can also tempt others to sinful thoughts or actions (Part I, A-24).

EQUIPPED FOR BATTLE Some of us may be concerned about being a credible witness to chastity because of our own past failures.

However, it is not too late to say, “I have not been the father I should have been. But now I realize the truth, and your soul is worth more than the lies that I followed.”

Chastity education does not primarily consist of frightening young people away from premarital sex.

Think you’re not well qualified to do this? The 1995 Vatican document titled The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family states, “No one is capable of giving moral education regarding responsible personal growth in human sexuality better than duly prepared parents.”

Consider reading this document, available on the Vatican Web site, as well as other Catholic resources on chastity education as a step toward becoming “duly prepared.”

Chastity education in the home does not primarily consist of frightening young people away from pre-

marital sex or other pitfalls of an oversexed culture. Instead, it is an invitation to a vision far beyond the vapid world of casual sex and shallow love; it unveils the inherent beauty and dignity of the human body as a spiritual reality. This vision is deeply attractive, precisely because it offers truth for the sake of joy and peace, in the face of shattering emotional pain that results from a culture of death.

Your trump card is the fact that young people are not blank slates.

Rather, God designed them with a particular nature, and the truth should ring true to them when they hear and see it. When you live chastely in your own home, the power of this witness to persuade far exceeds anything that could ever occur in a classroom.

So, what gain is there in developing this virtue? Among other things, the benefits include: “fidelity in marriage,” “joy,” and the “freedom from all forms of self-centeredness” (Part I, A-25). Sounds like a war worth fighting! ■ William J. Keimig is the director of religious education at St. Mary’s Church in Clinton, Md. He also serves as director of the Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM), an apostolate that trains dioceses in the RCIA process.

Keimig is a member of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Council 5482 in Accokeek.

Resources from the Catholic Information Service

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hat is the Church’s pastoral response to the dramatic increase of couples living together before marriage? What about the growing epidemic of pornography? The Order’s Catholic Information Service (CIS) has reprinted two pastoral letters that offer reasoned and compassionate reflections on these pressing challenges. In A Pastoral Letter on Cohabitation Before Marriage (1998), the Kansas Catholic Conference outlines the various reasons people choose to live together before marriage and proposes a “better way.” In Blessed are the Pure in Heart: A Pastoral Letter on the Dignity of the Human Person and the Dangers of Pornography (2007), Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., a member of Kansas City Council 527, reflects on the scope, consequences and response to the problem of pornography.

To download and print a free copy of either booklet, visit www.kofc.org/veritas. For more information, write: CIS, PO Box 1971, New Haven, CT 06521-1971 or cis@kofc.org.

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Why contraception

matters

The surprising consequences of a sterilized Church B Y ST E P H E N PAT TO N

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ost church-going American Catholics understand that abortion and divorce are huge problems, but they fail to see how both are fueled by their own widespread use of contraception. After all, doesn’t contraception reduce pregnancies and thus reduce abortions? Doesn’t sterilization reduce one of the stresses of marriage and thus reduce the rate of divorce? As it turns out, the answer is no.

Whatever benefits might come from our modern “de-babied”treatment of sex, they are far outweighed by the costs.

Indeed, the mushrooming recourse to contraception and sterilization that began in the 1960s correlates closely with our current rate of abortion and divorce.

These are sister “revolutions.”

The connection lies in the nature of the sexual act. God designed sex to have two interrelated purposes: to unite a man and woman in a permanent bond of love, and to bring new life into being. Here is the key: Despite the very best intentions, when those two purposes — love and life — are deliberately separated from one another, both are threatened.

THE DIVORCE ‘REVOLUTION’ Of central importance to a marital bond is meaningful sexual relations. Meaningful is the operative word. If for whatever reason a couple’s sexual relations become less meaningful, or perhaps altogether meaningless, then so, too, will their marital bond weaken.

This is what contraception and sterilization do: They rob sex of its life-giving meaning. So, while the sterilized couple might truly love one another and wish to express and reaffirm that love, if they have deliberately removed the “we-couldhave-a-baby” meaning from their relationship, they have diminished the significance of the sexual act as a whole.

Pope John Paul II pointed out that because of a deep, somatic connection between the two meanings of sex, if a couple removes the life-giving meaning

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Despite the very best intentions, when the purposes of love and life are deliberately separated from one another, both are threatened. they are, in some mysterious way, also robbing it of the love-giving meaning.

Many assume that by freeing their intercourse from the fear of pregnancy, they will enhance their emotional bond.

But like drinking salt water to quench one’s thirst, engaging in sterilized sex will not quench the human thirst for love. Not only is this deep need not met, it is worsened. Our culture has left us bloated with sex and dehydrated for love — and therefore more inclined toward divorce.

THE ABORTION ‘REVOLUTION’ There has been a similar backfire effect with abortion. Despite whatever good intentions we might have to prevent pregnancies, contraception and sterilization, in whatever forms they take, are a kind of quiet violence done to the human body. Indeed, it is violence done to special parts of the human body at the very moment when they are eagerly trying to carry out a sacred function: the creation of new human life.

Might not our broad patterns of rejecting fertility have something to do with our broad patterns of rejecting surprise pregnancies? Our widespread habits of removing fertility from sex have warped our most basic assumptions about sex and responsibility. We now teach young people not that sex creates babies, but that “unprotected sex” creates babies. Likewise, responsibility is no longer about self-restraint but about “using protection.”

When contraception fails — as it often does — and a pregnancy results, a couple will tend to think that the baby is there not because of their actions, but there in spite of their actions.The baby is not so much their child that they conceived, but rather an invader that they tried to repel, yet failed.

Will such a couple resort to abortion? We can pray they won’t, but the fact is that they are more likely to do so because of their alienated view of fertility. While contraception and abortion are not the same thing, they are, in John Paul II’s words, as closely connected as “fruits of the same tree.”

A CHALLENGE Numerous studies show that contraception and sterilization are just as popular with Catholics as they are with the rest of the public.This includes those who attend Church regularly and who say their religion is very important to them.

What has this done to us? Roget’s International Thesaurus provides some insight. It groups the word contraception into the word category, “Unproductiveness.”Other words in that category include dryness, famine, barren wasteland, drained,childless,impotence, planned parenthood, dry womb, and — the kicker — withered loins.

Compare this with words from the contrasting category, “Productiveness”: fruitfulness, fertility, pregnancy, lushness, generousness, abundance, rich soil, land flowing with milk and honey, hotbed and teeming loins.

Which category presents the true image of what we, the mystical Body of Christ, are supposed to look like? Which can offer the world a vibrant, uncompromised, and compelling witness to the true meaning of sexuality, the sacred permanence of marriage and the value of all human life? ■ Stephen Patton is the Family Life director for the Diocese of St. Augustine. This article was drawn from a talk given at the 2007 Florida Respect Life convention, available at www.omsoul.com.

w w w. ko f c .o r g JUPITERIMAGES

A Lifeline for Marriages After receiving help themselves, one Knight and his wife seek to save troubled marriages Greg Janson of St. Joseph Council 4782 and his wife Jacque

B Y M I TC H F I N L E Y

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Greg and Jacque Janson of Vancouver, Wash., have been married for 38 years. Greg is a mechanic who works for the local electric company, and Jacque manages a chiropractic clinic. They are long-time parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Vancouver, and Greg has been a member of St. Joseph Council 4782 since 1977.

In 1997, the oldest of the Jansons’ three children took his own life.

“When that happened,” Jacque recalled, “our marriage became strained, to say the least.” It was then that they found help in Retrouvaille — a weekend retreat designed to rescue marriages facing serious difficulties.

“We had been on a Retrouvaille weekend back in the ’80s, and we had been invited to become a presenting couple,” Greg explained. “But it didn’t really ‘take.’ Our marriage was in relatively good shape at that time, and all these other couples on the weekend were really hurting. So, we thought that it didn’t really pertain to us. Then, when our son committed suicide, we used the communication technique that Retrouvaille teaches to help us get through the grief.”

With their marriage in crisis, Greg and Jacque attended a second retreat — a weekend that Jacque says saved their marriage.

“Retrouvaille taught us how to communicate our differences in grieving,” said Greg. “Men and women grieve very differently, and by being

able to communicate our pain…we were able to see that we were both hurting. We just show it differently.”

Today, Greg and Jacque serve as a presenting couple on at least one Retrouvaille weekend per year. They are also quick to recommend the program to any couples they encounter who are having a problem.

“Sometimes,” Jacque said, “a couple doesn’t relate well to the couple who first told them about Retrouvaille.” This is especially true when spouses have experienced the death of a child, and the Jansons usually encounter at least one such couple at each retreat. “When they hear our story, that makes a big difference,” said Jacque. “When that happens, Greg and I know why we’re there.”

“In today’s world, the attitude is, if you don’t get along, then get a divorce.

We’re saying ‘no’ to that.”

In many cases, the Jansons are witnesses to what they believe are miracles. “We had a couple who had been living apart, on and off, for six years and who now have a very sound marriage,” explained Jacque. “We’ve had couples who have been divorced who come on a Retrouvaille weekend and decide to remarry.”

A Retrouvaille retreat is open to couples from any religious tradition and even to those who do not pro-

fess belief in God. Still, a priest serves as one of the presenters and Mass is celebrated twice during the weekend. “We certainly don’t conceal the Catholicism of the program,” said Greg, “but we accept couples of any faith.”

During the registration process, spouses are asked simply if they are willing to give their marriage a second chance and participate in the entire program. “If one spouse isn’t willing to do that, then they usually don’t go,” said Greg.

Couples are also encouraged to seek additional help where necessary, such as in cases of domestic violence or drug or alcohol abuse.

After the retreat, Retrouvaille includes six follow-up sessions in which the couples learn more about a special communication technique.

This technique, the Jansons agree, makes an enormous difference in the lives of countless couples.

“It enables them to verbalize feelings in a safe atmosphere,” Greg explained. “We also teach ideas about how to work through conflict and how to reestablish trust in a marriage.”

“In today’s world,” Jacque added, “the attitude is, if you don’t get along, then get a divorce. We’re saying ‘no’ to that. We want couples to know that there really is hope.”

For more information about the Retrouvaille program, visit www.helpourmarriage.com. ■ Mitch Finley is the author of more than 30 books for Catholic readers, most recently The Rosary Handbook: A Guide for Newcomers, Old-Timers, and Those In Between (The Word Among Us Press).

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REFLECTION

THE FOUR-PETAL FLOWER The indigenous people of Mexico recognized Our Lady of Guadalupe as bearing the one true God

BY MSGR. EDUARDO CHÁVEZ SÁNCHEZ EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the third in a series of articles by Msgr. Eduardo Chávez in anticipation of the first ever International Marian Congress devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The congress will take place Aug. 6-8 following the 127th Supreme Convention in Phoenix. For more information, visit www.guadalupefestival.org.

In a special way, this harkens back to St. Paul’s address at the Areopagus hill, when he spoke to the Athenians about their worship of the “unknown God,” whom they detected but could not understand. As St. Paul explained to them, this God is revealed fully in Christ as the one who created man and the natural order “so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, n the image on St. Juan Diego’s tilma, we easily recogthough indeed he is not far from any one nize Mary as the woman “clothed of us. For ‘In him we live and move and with the sun, with the moon under her have our being,’ as even some of your feet.” But to understand how God’s prespoets have said, ‘For we too are his offence is shown, we should look at the gold spring’” (Acts 17:27-28). flowers over the Virgin’s tunic. In previOf course, there are many differous articles, we examined the meaning of ences between the God of Jesus Christ these designs in light of their relation to and Ometéotl, the god of the Aztecs. the glyphs of the Indian codices of the The tilma could have addressed a numera. Now we come to what is perhaps the ber of these differences. One of the funmost important floral glyph: the fourdamental differences addressed by the petal jasmine flower. This design is jasmine’s placement over Our Lady’s unique among the image’s flowers.

Placed over her womb, it is also central to A unique, four-petal flower on the womb is a difference of love, presence understanding the woman in the image image of Our Lady of Guadalupe carries and care. Ometéotl was believed to be completely inaccessible, inhabiting the as not only a virgin, but, in her own profound significance. highest heavens and uninterested in the words, the “mother of the one true God”. affairs of men. Through the symbols in her image, Our For the Indians, the design of this four-petal Lady of Guadalupe introduces the Indians to the true jasmine flower had many interrelated meanings.

God in Jesus Christ. As the incarnate Word in her womb, Cosmologically, it symbolized the four directions of the God is shown neither as distant nor unconcerned. universe (north, south, east, and west — each governed Rather, he chose to be born of a woman, granting immeby a different god). Temporally, it recalled the nahui diate access to himself. Christ’s birth marks the beginollin, indicating the expected apocalyptic end of their ning of his earthly mission to save mankind. current era governed by the fifth sun created for them. In In this way, Our Lady of Guadalupe becomes for us a fact, so important was this design that their capital city model of evangelization perfectly adapted to a specific Tenochtitlan was designed in a quatrefoil pattern with culture. She extracts the “seeds of the Word” from this the temple as its nucleus. Most importantly, this design religious culture and purifies the error, giving them fullsymbolized the Indians’ highest deity, Ometéotl. The ness in her Son, Jesus Christ. Just as the jasmine’s design Virgin’s image speaks to the Indians profoundly of their brings together elements of the Indians’ highest aspirabasic desire for God. tions toward God, so too does the Guadalupan Virgin The fathers of the Second Vatican Council spoke of bring us to encounter the fullness of God’s truth and love. the “seeds of the Word,” the glimpses of the truth about In this woman about to give birth, the future is no longer God found in various cultures. Although many Aztecs darkened by the destruction of the sun, but gains a new were polytheistic, some Indians, like those of Juan Diego’s hope in her, pregnant with the true Sun of Justice, “the Texcocan ancestry, had already reached the concept of a Sun from on high” (Lk 1:78). In the presence of the one single deity, even dedicating a temple to his name.

God who lovingly encounters them — and us — everyAlthough their understanding of this deity was limited, thing is different. ■ several of their titles reflect certain truths about God — including Tloque-Nahuaque (“Owner of what is near and Monsignor Eduardo Chávez Sánchez is postulator for the cause of St. what is far”), Ipalnemohuani (“Giver of life”), Teyocoyani Juan Diego. He is the author of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan (“Creator of people”) and Ilhuicahua Tlaltipaque (“Lord Diego: The Historical Evidence (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006) and a member of Council 14138 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in of heaven and earth”). In the apparition account, these are Mexico City. in fact the titles by which the Virgin describes her Son.

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w w w. k o f c .o r g

KNIGHTS

IN

Reports from Councils, Assemblies and Columbian Squires Circles

ACTION

Walk for a Cause Father Benito Rixner Council 7654 in Pinamalayan, Luzon, hosted a charity walk that raised about 1,500 pesos for underprivileged school children.

Icy Conditions

An honor guard from Msgr. Joseph A. Murray Assembly in Fairfield Bay, Ark., stands with Ruby Krimm and a statue she commissioned of St. Padre Pio. Krimm commissioned the statue in honor of her late husband, Joe, who was a past grand knight of St. Francis Council 8815 and had met Padre Pio while serving in Italy during World War II.

Following a massive ice storm in and around Oklahoma City, St. Joseph Council 12819 in Norman organized a clean-up crew to deal with debris and damage. Knights removed fallen trees from parish property and the surrounding roads so parishioners could attend Mass and drop their children at day care.

VA Drive

Building a Culture of Life

Crucifix Donation

When Msgr. Robert M. Nolan Circle 2040 in Keller, Texas, learned about the Order’s Culture of Life Fund, they voted to voluntarily assess a $3 fee per member to donate to the Supreme Council.

The Squires raised $165 for the fund, which will be used in all the countries where the Order is present to support issues that affect life, family and marriage.

Our Lady of the Island Council 6911 in Massapequa Park, N.Y., donated 19 new crucifixes to Our Lady of Lourdes School.

Queen of Peace Council 9649 in Ocala, Fla., held a drive to benefit the Gainesville VA Medical Center. Knights collected more than $4,000 worth of goods, including clothes, blankets and books.

Anniversary Donations

McDonald Donation

Westminster (B.C.) Council 1283 held a Mass and dinner to celebrate the council’s 100th anniversary.

Bishop Durieu Assembly provided an honor guard for the event, during which the council donated $25,000 to St. Peter’s Church.

Sherman (Texas) Council 1289 also celebrated its 100th anniversary and donated $20,000 to St. Mary’s Church. The funds were used to support various parish programs.

Mater Regina Council 1561 in Winamac, Ind., donated $1,000 to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana.

Golf Classic Members of Msgr. John F. Callahan Council 3600 in West Hartford, Conn., participated in a golf tournament hosted by St. Thomas the Apostle School. The tournament serves as the school’s major fundraiser, and Knights donated $1,400 to compete.

Flood Benefit Holy Mother of Consolation Council 13480 in Oregon, Wis., co-hosted a pancake breakfast with parish religious education classes. The event raised $1,500 for area flood victims.

Casino Night St. Jude Council 12092 in Blackwood, N.J., hosted a casino night at its parish, complete with a pig roast dinner. The event raised $5,000 for the council’s scholarship fund and for a local boy who has cancer.

Hospital Visit

Members of St. Christopher Council 4655 in Licab, Luzon, make repairs and renovations to the Sañto Niño Chapel.

Knights raised all funds necessary for the project and performed the work themselves.

Members of St. Theresa the Little Flower Council 12866 in Houston visit the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center four times each year. Knights meet with veterans and escort them to Mass. The council has also made financial donations to the hospital to support its work with veterans.

Members of St. Charles Borromeo Council 5399 in Port Charlotte, Fla., stand around the Project Moses Ten Commandments monument at their parish. Knights landscaped the area, added granite benches and purchased three new flagpoles. The council also raised $145,000 to purchase a new pipe organ for the church.

c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 25

ON-TARGET RECRUITING

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Members of St. Patrick’s Council 1076 in New Ulm, Minn., supervise the placement of a statue of Father Alexander Berghold in Loretto Park. Knights embarked on an 11-year journey to create a memorial park dedicated to Father Berghold, an influential priest who served southwest Minnesota in the mid-1800s. Several local assemblies provided an honor guard for the statue’s dedication.

RSVP Donation Suffolk (Va.) Council 7363 donated $500 to seminarian Christopher Hess through the Order’s Refund Support Vocations Program (RSVP).

Coat Drive Mary Immaculate Council 12769 in Secaucus, N.J., held its annual coat drive. Knights collected more than 200 pounds of clothing and coats that were donated to the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart for distribution in Fairview.

Parish Donation St. Pius X Council 10762 in Tucson, Ariz., donated $1,700 to its parish building fund. Over the past three years, Knights have contributed more than $5,600 to the effort, which will cost an estimated $1.4 million to complete.

Delivering Pledges Sussex Valley (N.B.) Council 8213 delivered a $2,000 pledge to Sacred Heart Church. The funds were used to defray costs associated with the church’s renovation. St. Joseph the Worker Council 10921 in Orefield, Pa., delivered a sevenyear pledge of $25,000 to its parish to construct a gymnasium and early childhood learning center.

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he tremendous charitable work the Order conducts annually is a by-product of continual membership growth. Members raise funds for the needy, volunteer their time and support a wide range of programs. This section of “Knights in Action” highlights those members who have made a concerted effort to grow the Order.

When James W. Seideman (right) turned 18, he joined the Knights of Columbus. It’s what his family expected.

“It was a tradition in my family that when you turned 18 you joined the Knights. There was no discussion, no argument, you just joined. … My dad was a Knight, my granddad was a Knight, all my cousins and uncles were Knights, and my uncle Billy was a field agent for the Knights,” said Seideman, who also found a career with the Order and is now the General Agent of West Texas Agency.

Throughout his 40 years as a member and an agent, Seideman has recruited a lot of men into the Order, often giving credit to other recruiters.

“Describing membership to a prospect depends a lot on the age and personality of the prospect,” Seideman said. “I ask leading questions to determine their interests, then sell them on opportunities that appeal to them. … There is quite a package for any practical Catholic man to find his interests best served through membership in a Knights of Columbus council.”

One strategy that Seideman has found very effective is the “Father Wants You” campaign he developed. “I got the idea from the old military recruitment ads. The ‘Father Wants You’ [campaign] is now being used as a primary membership recruiting program in Texas and has also been used in Kansas and several other states,” he said.

Through the initiative, a council puts together a list of potential members utilizing the parish roster and recommendations from other members and the pastor.

Once the list is complete, a personalized letter is sent to each prospect stating that the pastor wants this man to join “as a personal favor” and invites him to an open house event. At the open house, council recruiters and their families speak about the benefits of membership. At the end of the event, recruiters help the interested prospects complete a form #100.

“The best advice I can give a recruiter is to know what you are selling when you talk…about membership in the Knights of Columbus,” Seideman said. “Care enough to know what the Order and the council have to offer, and why a practical Catholic man should be a Knight. It’s not all about having fun, but it is about having fun while doing good works for our Church, families, communities, youth and fellow Knights, while all along promoting our Catholic ideals.”

Fraternal Bonds

Olympian Effort

Pope John XXIII Assembly in Livonia, Mich., provided volunteer manpower at a veterans lunch cohosted by American Legion Post 391 and Elks Lodge 1781. Knights served food and met with veterans throughout the event.

W. P. Morris Council 6645 in Cookeville, Tenn., donated $500 to Tennessee Special Olympics. The funds will provide athletic training for competitors from Upper Cumberland. The council also donated $2,000 to a second athletics program for children with intellectual disabilities.

Wheeling Around Members of St. Louis Council 12473 in Camden, Ark., recycled 2,360 aluminum cans and donated the proceeds to the Wheelchair Foundation. Oswego (Ill.) Council 7247 held a dinner-show and silent auction that raised an additional $2,200 for the organization.

Visiting Friends Lipa City (Luzon) Council 6122 visited a home for people with physical disabilities. Knights visited the six housemates — all of whom use wheelchairs or crutches — to deliver groceries. w w w. ko f c .o r g

S P OT L I G H T O N . . .

FA M I LY

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n occasional series about Knights and Squires working tirelessly toward the same noble goals. This month we spotlight activities that focus on family.

Members of Bishop V. C. Ligot Council 7718 in San Fernando, Luzon, and their families participate in a Guadalupe procession to St. William the Hermit Church that capped a council-sponsored novena. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (pictured) was donated by the late Justo O. Orros Jr, the Mexican ambassador to the Philippines. Ambassador Orros chartered Council 7718 while living in La Union in 1977.

[Above] Members of Father Thomas F. Price Council 2546 in Raleigh, N.C., and their families wash a truck during a council-sponsored car wash. The event raised more than $350 in support of local youth and family initiatives.

• Father Casimir Szyper Council 6657 in Posen, Mich., came to the aid of a council widow whose son was injured in a car accident and whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

Knights raffled a new Yamaha ATV that raised $16,000 for the family.

• St. Benedict Council 8337 in Duluth, Minn., held its annual pro-life baby shower for the Lake Superior Life Care Center. Knights collected more than $1,300 plus 20 bags of baby items.

• Blessed Mother Seton Council 5410 in Flanders, N.J., collected used books for a drive to benefit Amandla Crossing, a transitional facility for homeless single mothers.

• Sacred Heart Council 4402 in Selden, N.Y., and its ladies’ auxiliary hosted a spaghetti dinner to benefit Christopher Callahan, a local boy who has muscular dystrophy.

The event raised $9,327 to help offset the family’s medical expenses.

Callahan’s grandparents are both very involved with Council 4402.

Book Donation

Mental Health

St. John Bosco Council 5219 in Tisdale, Sask., donated several new books to its parish library.

Father Thomas Augustin Judge Council 13415 in Phenix City, Ala., donated more than $2,400 to the East Alabama Mental Health Center. The funds were raised during the council’s annual fund drive.

Garden Restoration Daniel J. Bradley Council 3102 in Baldwin, N.Y., restored the garden at St. Christopher Church. Knights created four new flower beds using nearly 300 Belgium blocks and placed a granite cross in the garden.

Bread Runners Members of St. Joseph Council 7413 in Erie, Mich., collect and distribute surplus bread from a bakery warehouse. Each week, Knights deliver 3,000-5,000 loaves of bread to local soup kitchens, shelters and food banks.

Charitable Disbursements St. Joseph Council 7107 in Salmon Arm, B.C., distributed more than $18,000 to 25 local organizations.

The council raised the funds by conducting bingo tournaments throughout the year.

Candy Grams Christ the Savior Council 9129 in El Paso, Texas, sold candy grams to benefit Michael Vasquez, a local man who has cancer. Knights sold nearly 1,000 candy grams and raised $400. The council also presented the Vasquez family with a food basket.

Neighborly Donation St. John Council 1345 in Bergenfield, N.J., donated $7,800 to a local man who became ill after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. The funds will help defray the man’s medical expenses.

Borromeo Weekend St. Thomas Aquinas Council 11949 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., participated in a Borromeo Weekend at St. Paul Theological Seminary. The weekend included vespers, a eucharistic procession and 40 hours of eucharistic adoration. Msgr. Ravoux Assembly provided an honor guard for the event.

Members of St. Thomas More Council 9997 in Austin, Texas, present Father James Ekeocha with a traveling Mass kit in honor of his ordination. Father Ekeocha, originally from Nigeria, is also a member of Council 9997.

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More Spaces Lalawigan Council 8326 in Borongan City, Visayas, constructed a new parking lot at Holy Rosary Memorial Park.

Spaghetti Dinner Blessed Trinity Circle 5146 in Greer, S.C., prepared a spaghetti dinner for 85 needy persons at the Daily Bread Ministries soup kitchen.

Deacons’ Dinner

Fourth Degree Knights from throughout Mississippi clasp hands with members of the Knights of Peter Claver during an interfaith service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. Knights of Columbus from several area assemblies provided an honor guard for the event.

Development Funds

Encyclopedias Donated

John Paul II Council 13935 in Milford, Pa., donated $700 to the Center for Developmental Disabilities, an organization that provides aid to children with special needs.

Immaculate Conception Council 14405 in Cainta Rizal, Luzon, donated a new encyclopedia set to Karangalan Elementary School.

New Snow Blower Leo Council 716 in East Moline, Ill., donated $600 toward the purchase of a new snow blower for St. Anne Church and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy.

Statue Restoration Corvallis (Ore.) Council 1785 restored a statue of Mary and Jesus at its parish. Knights resurfaced the statue, added a new base and incorporated a flower vase into the pedestal. The council purchased the statue for St. Mary’s Church many years ago.

Public Rosary Members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Assembly in Gaylord, Mich., along with 75 local Catholics, gathered at the Gaylord courthouse to pray the rosary.

Assembly members also provided an honor guard for the event.

Church Repairs Members of Nortonville (Kan.) Council 2093 and their families spent about 200 man hours making repairs at St. Joseph Church and the parish rectory. Volunteers repaired damaged windowsills, added new casings, caulked window gaps and painted the eaves.

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Funding Scholarships Father Michael J. McGivney Council 8002 in Winfield, Ill., presented $500 to St. John the Baptist School. The funds were used to provide two $250 scholarships to needy students. The funds were donated in the memory of deceased Knights Ernesto Alcazar and Anthony Scandora.

Restoring Monuments Hyde Park (N.Y.) Council 6111 and Hyde Park Assembly provide ongoing volunteer assistance to Father James Garisto, who is restoring a 100-year-old chapel on the site of the former Hudson Valley Psychiatric Hospital. St. Agnes Council 13887 in Shepherdstown, W.V., actively maintains a 19th-century Irish cemetery that had been neglected for years. Knights removed trees and brush from the area, and erected a historic marker on the site.

Father Patrick McAlpine Council 9094 in Biloxi, Miss., cooked a meal for the diaconate candidates from the Diocese of Biloxi. The candidates asked for help cooking during their theology studies at the Sacred Heart Cursillo Center in Dedeaux.

Canal Cleaning Members of St. John Mary Vianney Council 13770 in Kidapawan City, Mindanao, unclogged and cleaned a canal in their community. By restoring water flow, Knights reduced the chance of mosquitoes nesting in the area.

Battle Buddies Our Lady of Fatima Council 4331 in Providence, R.I., hosted a steak fry to benefit the 1st Battalion, 181 Infantry of the Rhode Island National Guard. The event raised $3,000, which was used to purchase phone cards and other care items.

On the Ice Ferme-Neuve (Que.) Council 3275 held a charity lunch that raised $1,322 for a local ice-skating club.

Additionally, the council donated $1,230 to a youth hockey team.

Council Choir While serving as lectors and ushers at Good Shepherd Church, members of Good Shepherd Council 6358 in Schertz, Texas, decided to form a K of C Choir. What began with six members has now grown to 16, including several musicians. The choir routinely sings at Mass and at other community and state events.

Members of Msgr. A. L. McIntyre Assembly in Cranbrook, B.C., stand with Father José Juaquin outside Queen of Peace Shrine in Radium Hot Springs.

Father Angellus Pickelle Council 12416 volunteered to help restore the shrine’s outdoor Stations of the Cross.

w w w. k o f c .o r g UPPER LEFT: FABVIENEN TAYLOR/THE MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC, DIOCESE OF JACKSON

Care Packages Sent Mother Cabrini Council 1841 in Silver Lake, Minn., assembled care packages for U.S. soldiers serving overseas. Knights solicited food donations from General Mills and other local outlets, and raised $360 to ship the packages.

Volunteering Around Town Members of St. Joan of Arc Council 12392 in Arvada, Colo., volunteered at a variety of parish and community events. Knights cooked at a pancake breakfast to benefit Camp PAHA, a summer camp for children with disabilities. Knights also served food to the needy at the Broadway Assistance Center and volunteered at a youth night at St. Joan of Arc Church.

Elderly Visit Members of St. Vincent Sambag Council 7204 in Cebu, Visayas, visited the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili, a home for the elderly.

Knights brought food and cheer to the elderly residents, most of whom are not visited by their families.

Operation: Uplink Maurice J. McDonough Council 12128 in Pomfret, Md., held a fundraiser to benefit Operation: Uplink, a program sponsored by the VFW. Knights raised $1,000 to purchase phone cards for military personnel serving overseas.

Father Dale Wunderlich blessed the new pro-life sign at Christ Prince of Peace Church in Manchester, Mo. Christ Prince of Peace Council 12986 donated the sign to its parish to demonstrate the Knights’ support of pro-life issues.

Church Addition

Charitable Giving

Rosarian Council 10104 in Bulacan, Luzon, added an addition to Sañta Barbara Church. Knights constructed a kitchen and multipurpose meeting room.

Joliet (Ill.) Assembly donated $1,350 each to four organizations: Catholic Charities, Guardian Angel Community Services, Birthright and the Joliet Deaf Apostolate.

Parish Cookout

Braving the Elements

Roxbury (Mass.) Council 123 held a parish cookout for members, their families, parishioners and local community and business leaders. Knights served burgers and chips, while attendees were encouraged to bring their own favorite ethnic dishes.

Despite below-zero temperatures, Father Charles J. Swoboda Council 13393 in Bessemer, Mich., sold bratwursts, hot dogs and hot beverages to spectators at the Cooper Peak Hill Snowmobile Climb.

Sales exceeded $2,000, which was added to the council’s charitable fund.

Standing for Life Corvallis (Ore.) Council 1785 hosted a dinner-dance to benefit StandUpGirl.com, a pro-life Web site. The site was launched in 2000 with start-up funds from two Knights. The event raised $4,200 for the site where women can share their stories and find information about pregnancy resource centers.

A Green Thumb

Francis Zuppan (left) and Lou Silva of Orlando (Calif.) Council 3606 stand with Father Hernando Gomes at the dedication of St. Dominic’s Bell. The bell originally resided at St. Dominic’s Church, which was built around 1884 and destroyed by fire in 1947. After the church was rebuilt, the bell — which survived the fire — was largely forgotten. Silva eventually acquired the bell and began restoring it with his council. Knights repaired and repainted the bell, and constructed new mountings and timbers.

Vallejo (Calif.) Council 874 adopted a section of St. Catherine of Siena Church to landscape and maintain.

Knights cleaned dead or unwanted plants, replaced topsoil, planted new shrubbery, installed new edging and repaired the sprinkler system.

Food Drive Our Lady of Perpetual Help Council 5633 in Niantic, Conn., held a food drive at St. Agnes Church. Knights assembled 325 care packages of food and toiletries for needy families and for local food banks.

New Pipes Notre Dame de l’Assomption Council 9452 in Victoriaville, Que., purchased a 1967 Casavant organ for its parish from the Augustinian Sisters of Québec City. Knights funded the purchase by asking parishioners to sponsor each of the organ’s 736 pipes for $50 a piece. By doing so, Knights raised about $24,000 to offset the purchase. The organ was dedicated at an inaugural concert that featured M. Pierre Grandmaison, organist for the Basilica of Notre Dame in Montreal.

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

c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 29

IN SERVICE TO ONE, IN SERVICE TO ALL

Cedar Falls, Iowa

•

Tabasco & Chiapas, Mexico •

Visiting Veterans embers of Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude Council 10292 in Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany, visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Knights met with wounded veterans and distributed baked goods to hospital staff, patients and their families.

M

Remembering Priests hen Father James Secora of St. Patrick’s Church noticed that several headstones had become overgrown at a local cemetery, he asked

W

Mannheim-Heidelberg, • Germany

• Fond Pierre, Haiti

Berhampur, India •

Kampala, Uganda •

Msgr. Stephen Mauer Council 4516 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to help clean the area. Knights removed brush from the headstones — all of which belong to deceased priests — and reseeded the area.

The council also purchased a metal cross to place in the cemetery in memory of all deceased priests.

Benefit Concert ather Holden Council 5030 in Kentville, N.S., held a charity concert to benefit two colonies for people with Hansen’s disease in Berhampur, India. The event raised $1,000, which will help provide medical supplies and clean drinking water.

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Outpouring of Support ur Lady of Guadalupe Council 6719 in Milwaukee, Wis., held a fund drive to aid flood victims in Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico. Knights raised more than $2,700 for the Jesuit priests who are working with the victims.

O

Mission Trip ts. Peter and Paul Council 11475 in Palmyra, Va., traveled to its sister parish in Fond Pierre, Haiti, to deliver donated food, toys and building supplies.

Catholics in Fond Pierre are building a new church

S

Mayor Lourdes C. Fernando (center left) of Marikina City, Luzon, cuts the ribbon at the opening of the Knights of Columbus Recreation Park with help from District Deputy Reynaldo L. Mendoza and Grand Knight Luther B. Urlanda of Marikina Valley Council 6178. Knights helped fund the public park and planted 50 new trees on the park grounds.

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• Marikina City, Luzon

Father Caesar Matovu sits aboard his new Suzuki motorcycle at a dealership in Kampala, Uganda. Father Matovu serves 41 parishes in his native country and traverses the distance between them on foot or by ox cart. North American Martyrs Council 4338 in Niles, Ill., learned of Father Matovu’s situation and raised $3,750 to help him purchase a motorcycle. In addition, the Illinois State Council and Knights from N.J. District 7 provided further contributions to bring the total to $4,500.

with help from parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Church and Knights from Council 11475. w w w. ko f c .o r g

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✃ c o l u m b i a /a p r i l 2 0 0 9 31

COLUMBIANISM BY DEGREES C HARITY [Left] Students from Academy of the Americas display some of the cans they collected at the behest of Sañto Toribio Romo Council 14187 in Detroit. Knights and students collected more than 2,160 cans and $200 for the food bank at Holy Redeemer Church. As a reward for their good work, Knights treated the students to a nacho party. • Msgr. Martin C. Murphy Council 6847 in Columbia, S.C., hosted the Knights of Columbus Midwinter Ball. The annual event, which sees participation from the state council and from many local councils, raised $45,000 for several charitable organizations.

U NITY [Right] Members of Montrose (Colo.) Council 1188 install parapet caps on the roof of St. Mary’s Church. Knights donated $750 to pay for the cost of materials and performed the maintenance themselves. • Holy Cross Council 9969 in Moorpark, Calif., contributed $1,600 toward the purchase of Bibles for religious education students at Holy Cross Church.

F RATERNITY [Left] Chris Hrabal, Kenneth Kahlig and Craig Kahlig of Church of the Visitation Council 13902 in Lott, Texas, prepare pancakes during a pancake and sausage breakfast at their parish. Knights served breakfast to about 200 parishioners. • Upon his death, Ralph Kelley of St. Joan of Arc Council 8695 in St. Clair Shores, Mich., bequeathed approximately $35,000 to his council. Of this amount, Knights donated $7,500 to St. Joan of Arc Church for the construction of a new handicap ramp and stairs. Knights invested the remaining balance for future charitable endeavors.

P ATRIOTISM [Right] Capt. Francisco Juame (left) of Holy Family Council 11909 in Lawton, Okla., stands with Father Zavala in the improvised chapel at Camp Delta, Iraq. When Capt. Juame discovered that the chapel was without a crucifix, he contacted his brother Knights at home, who purchased and shipped a new crucifix to Iraq. • Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 at the U.S. Army Base Camp Humphreys near Osan, South Korea, donated a sewing machine and related supplies to a group of women who make quilts for veterans with disabilities and for expectant mothers.

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w w w. ko f c .o r g

THE KNIGHTS

OF COLUMBUS In service to One. In service to all.

Paul Shovelain (center) and Patrick Peterson of St. Thomas Aquinas Council 11949 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., solicit clothing donations during a council-sponsored drive.

Knights collected more than 200 articles of clothing for the homeless and needy in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Building a better world one council at a time.

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

To be featured here, send your council’s “Knights in Action” photo as well as its description to: Columbia, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or e-mail: columbia@kofc.org.

‘MY PARENTS HAVE GIVEN ME AN IMMEASURABLE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT’

Hard work, dedication, reliability and a strong faith-life, which

Since being ordained a transitional deacon in 2008, and with

includes prayer and trust in God, are just some of the qualities

only a short time until I am ordained to the priesthood, I find

that my parents instilled in me. These are also qualities that

that I am ever more grateful and joyous for the vocation God

describe the Knights of Columbus, who count my father and me

has given me. Being with parishioners and serving them in

as faithful members.

many ways — from preaching the Word to home visitations to baptisms — has allowed me to see the grace of the living God

Aside from forming me into the person God is calling me to be,

active in my life and in the lives of those to whom I minister. For

my parents have given me an immeasurable amount of support

these and countless more reasons, I find fulfillment and joy in

and encouragement throughout my discernment and formation

not only what I do, but in who I am, namely a servant of the

towards the priesthood. Never did I experience pressure from

People of God.

them to be a priest, although they and my brother Knights occasionally “planted the seed” of possibly serving the Church.

I thank God for this every day.

DEACON JASON KAHLE Diocese of Toledo Mt. Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West Cincinnati, Ohio

Keep the Faith Alive www.kofc.org

Please, do all you can to encourage priestly and religious vocations.

Your prayers and support make a difference.