KNIGH T S O F C O L U M B U S
AUGUST 2013
COLUMBIA
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AUGUST 2013 ♦ VOLUME 93 ♦ NUMBER 8
COLUMBIA
F E AT U R E S
8 Rolling Out Hope The Order partners with the Global Wheelchair Mission to provide mobility to the poor and disabled. BY PATRICK SCALISI
12 Heather’s Gift Grateful for her life-saving medical treatment, a girl and her family respond with faith and charity. BY PETE SHEEHAN
16 The Knight Riders A charity event has become an annual pilgrimage for cycling Knights. BY JEFF ROWE
20 The Supreme Court and the Battle for Marriage Recent rulings related to the same-sex marriage debate raise questions and present challenges for Catholics. BY SCOTT LLOYD
22 Defending Marriage by Defining Marriage An interview with Ryan T. Anderson about society’s understanding of marriage and why it matters. BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI
Project Medishare employee Emmanuel Kernand stands with two wheelchair recipients during an American Wheelchair Mission distribution at a special-needs school outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, this past May.
D E PA RT M E N T S 3
Building a better world Our faith is manifested through charity toward the poor and suffering. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON
AD DESIGN: Justin Perillo — PHOTO: Randy Hale
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Learning the faith, living the faith Religious liberty is subtly assaulted by recent court decisions and government mandates. BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI
PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month
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Knights of Columbus News Pope Francis and Supreme Knight Discuss Order’s Charitable Work • Knights of Columbus Insurance Receives Highest Rating, Surpasses $90 billion • Knights Provide Assistance Following Recent Disasters in Canada, Texas • Knights Participate in Second Fortnight for Freedom • Order Successful in Defending Jesus Statue • Blessed John Paul II Shrine Hosts Lecture, Prepares for Canonization
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Fathers for Good The Holy Father reflects on the meaning and vocation of fatherhood. BY TOM WEHNER
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Knights in Action
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Columbianism by Degrees
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Our Common Truth CHALLENGES facing Catholics today as a result of growing secularism have intensified in recent months. On June 28, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the final rules of its so-called contraceptive mandate. Although the original Aug. 1 deadline for employers to comply has been extended by five months, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has made it clear that the legislation does not include adequate religious liberty protections. By reducing the freedom of religion to the freedom of worship, the bishops argue, the administration has undermined the rights of religious institutions and conscientious employers. The U.S. Supreme Court, meanwhile, decided June 26 that defining marriage as between one man and one woman constitutes a desire to “injure” persons of the same sex wishing to marry. Taking a step back, we may observe that these developments reflect larger cultural trends regarding the way that people understand themselves, society and God. Whereas Catholic social teaching sees freedom of religion in terms of man’s universal obligation to seek the truth and to worship God in word and deed, many people today see faith as a private matter that is largely irrelevant or even detrimental to public life. Similarly, marriage has historically been understood in light of the natural complementarity of the sexes, the procreative potential of conjugal love and the central importance of the family for society. Today, however, people commonly accept a distorted anthropology — viewing sexual difference as arbitrary, procreation as an unwanted side effect of sexuality and family as purely subjective.
Amid this cultural confusion, Pope Francis published his first encyclical, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith), on June 29. In the document, begun by Benedict XVI, Pope Francis outlines the role that faith plays in helping us to see the truth about God and man. He echoes Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s emphasis on the relationship between faith and reason (cf. Fides et Ratio; Deus Caritas Est, 28; Spe Salvi, 23). And he notes that the very idea of truth is “regarded with suspicion” today. “In the end, what we are left with is relativism, in which the question of universal truth — and ultimately this means the question of God — is no longer relevant” (Lumen Fidei, 25). The contemporary world, the pope adds, is suffering from a “massive amnesia,” for the question of truth “deals with something prior to ourselves…. It is a question about the origin of all that is, in whose light we can glimpse the goal and thus the meaning of our common path” (25). The task of the Knights of Columbus and all Christians goes beyond immediate political battles; it is nothing short of re-presenting the common truth of humanity to the world. How do we begin? Pope Francis explains, “The light of love proper to faith can illumine the questions of our own time about truth” (34). Our communion with God, and with one another, is expressed through the virtues of faith, hope and charity. This dynamic is “the driving force of the Christian life” and “leads us to embrace the concerns of all” (7, 57).♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR
K of C Year of Faith Pilgrimage IN OBSERVANCE of the Year of Faith, Knights of Columbus will gather in pilgrimage on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The date also marks the 50th anniversary of Knights Tower Carrillon, which houses 56-bells gifted by the Order to the National Shrine. The pilgrimage will include a Solemn Mass at Noon, speakers, eucharistic adoration and Marian devotion. To learn more, visit kofc.org/pilgrimage. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Dennis A. Savoie DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Logan T. Ludwig SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org EDITOR Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org SENIOR EDITOR Krista Tullock COPY EDITOR ________
Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4580 OTHER INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.
________ Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER A Haitian boy tries out his new wheelchair at a special-needs school outside of Port-au-Prince this past May.
COVER: Photo by Randy Hale
E D I TO R I A L
BUILDING A BETTER WORLD
Loving Jesus in the Poor Our faith is manifested through charity toward the poor and suffering by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
ON JUNE 28, I had the privilege of woman represents a blessing for me, having a private audience with Pope that the light of God’s face shines on Francis. It was an extraordinary op- me through the faces of my brothers light which scatters all our darkness, portunity to speak with him about the and sisters” (54). but a lamp which guides our steps in charitable work of the Knights of In recent years, this idea was brought the night and suffices for the journey. Columbus throughout all the coun- home to me in a special way when I To those who suffer, God does not tries in which we are active. It was also joined brother Knights in distributing provide arguments which explain an inspiring opportunity to witness wheelchairs to people in Haiti and everything; rather, his response is that first-hand the love and concern that Mexico who had lost their legs or had of an accompanying presence, a hisour new Holy Father has for the poor other physical disabilities. Many were tory of goodness which touches every and suffering. living in severe poverty — and all were story of suffering and opens up a ray The next day, Pope Francis signed suffering from their disabilities — yet of light” (57). his first encyclical, Lumen Last year, the Knights of Fidei (The Light of Faith). It is Columbus once again set a remarkable document. new records in charitable giv“To those who suffer, God does not Drafted initially by Pope ing. According to our 2012provide arguments which explain Benedict XVI and supple13 Survey of Fraternal mented by Pope Francis, it is Activity, we provided more everything; rather, his response is a unique testament of the conthan $167 million and more tinuity and closeness of Pope that of an accompanying presence.” than 70 million hours of Francis with his predecessor. service to our neighbors in In Lumen Fidei we read, need. These statistics testify “Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, they were filled with faith and hope in to the fact that millions of lives have but sees things as Jesus himself sees spite of all they had endured. been touched for the better by the them, with his own eyes: it is a particThrough the Knights of Columbus, Knights of Columbus. ipation in his way of seeing” (18). This was accomplished because so we were able to be a blessing for them This is especially true in the way we — to transform their lives in a mate- many brother Knights determined to regard the poor and the suffering. Are rial way and give them hope for a bet- make a gift of themselves to their we able to truly see them as Christ sees ter life. In return, they were a spiritual neighbors — a gift of their time and them? In several places in Lumen Fidei, blessing for us through their own tes- hard work. the pope holds up Blessed Teresa of timony of faith. Our principles of charity, unity and Calcutta as an example. Those of us These charitable missions provided fraternity have guided us for more who knew her are likely to recall how each of us with the opportunity for a than 131 years. To those who suffer, often she encouraged us to “take time very personal exchange of gifts, an ex- the Knights of Columbus has been “an to love Jesus in the poor.” change that bettered our own lives. It accompanying presence … which In Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis asks was an exchange in which those who touches every story of suffering and each of us to consider the nature of were materially poor were a spiritual opens up a ray of light.” This was the vision of our founder, love, writing, “The boundless love of blessing to those of us who were not. our Father also comes to us, in Jesus, The lives of many who suffer give Venerable Michael McGivney. It rethrough our brothers and sisters. Faith quiet testimony to what Pope Francis mains our legacy and mission today. teaches us to see that every man and writes in Lumen Fidei: “Faith is not a Vivat Jesus!
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
Look Below the Surface Religious liberty is subtly assaulted by recent court decisions and government mandates by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
DURING THE SECOND Fortnight for Freedom, which ended July 4, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its rulings on marriage, and the Department of Health and Human Services issued the final version of its “preventive services” mandate. Both developments were troubling, and both constitute affronts to religious freedom. On the surface, it may seem as though religious freedom is not seriously threatened. For many people, the HHS mandate seems to be a fight about contraception and the intricacies of health insurance plans. And for many, the Supreme Court decisions — which went a long way toward legalizing same-sex “marriages” throughout the United States — seem to be a step in the direction of tolerance. After all the shouting, we might be tempted to think that things will go back to normal. In other words, our churches will continue to function; our schools, hospitals, and charities will continue to fulfill their mission; no one will go to jail; and it will be business as usual. However, we need to look below the surface. Sometimes, the devil really is in the details. THREATS CLOSE AT HAND Let’s begin with the impetus that the Supreme Court gave to same-sex marriage. The court all but struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and signaled to the states that they should consider passing laws redefining marriage to include people of the same sex. The 5-4 majority opinion further 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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opined that those who defend traditional marriage do so because of bigotry. Century after century, civilized societies have held that marriage is between one man and one woman for the sake of children and for the common good. Christianity has even held that marriage between a man and a woman is a sign of the love of Christ for his Church. Yet, with the stroke of a pen, the Supreme Court has held the content of that teaching to be a form of discrimination. This cannot bode well for men and women of conscience and for religious institutions that continue to teach the truth about marriage. Very likely, we are in for a rough ride. Proponents of same-sex marriage say that religious freedom is protected because no minister with conscientious objections will be forced to “solemnize” such a union. But we need to look deeper. The legalization of same-sex marriage will have many ramifications for religious freedom. There will be pressure on the Church, for example, with regard to hiring practices, insurance benefits and the use of facilities. We can look for discrimination charges to be brought against those who speak out boldly in defense of traditional marriage. These and other threats are close at hand. The religious freedom threats posed by the HHS mandate are also imminent. This mandate would require that virtually all employees be covered for certain medications and procedures that are contrary to Church teaching. These include the abortion-inducing drug Ella, reproductive counseling that
extends to minors with or without their parents’ knowledge, contraception and sterilization. Houses of worship and a handful of other religious institutions are exempt. Faith-based universities, hospitals and charities are not exempt, but instead were given an “accommodation.” This means that the proscribed services will be provided either through the insurer or a third-party administrator, but these “accommodated” institutions will still have to cooperate at some level in the provision of these so-called services. The final HHS rule made no accommodation whatsoever for conscientious for-profit employers who have moral or religious objections to providing this kind of coverage. IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM What’s wrong with this picture? For one thing, the Department of Health and Human Services, using a part of the IRS code that was never meant to deal with the rights of conscience, has divided religious institutions and people into three categories: houses of worship, institutions of education and service, and conscientious individuals who want to run their businesses according to religious principles. If we look beneath the surface, we see what has been lost. In the 40 years since Roe v. Wade, the government has recognized the religious freedom of all three groups without distinction under an amendment to the Public Health Service Act. The much-
LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
needed legislation, authored by the late Democratic Senator Frank Church, had broad bipartisan support. Now, that has been swept away. By creating a threetiered structure, the administration is regulating our God-given, constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom. And HHS means business. Any religiously affiliated educational or service institution that fails to comply with the mandate faces crippling fines. If a diocesan Catholic Charities, for example, provides excellent health care coverage for its employees but does not include the so-called preventive services, it will be fined $100 per day per employee. Alternately, if the same Catholic Charities
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — ST. BERNARD: Miguel Cabrera (1695-1768)/Gianni Dagli Orti/The Art Archive at Art Resource, NY
Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis GENERAL: That parents and teachers may help the new generation to grow in upright conscience and life. MISSION: That the local Church in Africa, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, may promote peace and justice.
decided not to offer its employees any health care coverage, it would be fined $2,000 per year per employee. The way the fines have been structured tells us how intent HHS is on providing these services. Consider how easily the list of so-called preventive services could be expanded to include elective abortion and other procedures contrary to Church teaching. Fortunately, many conscientious forprofit private employers have filed lawsuits against the HHS mandate; so far these lawsuits are faring well. With the publication of the final rule for nonprofits, the lawsuits brought by many church-related institutions will now go
forward. We should pray that these institutions will prevail in court, as intense study is currently underway to determine other responses to the final version of the HHS mandate. Looking below the surface is important, allowing us to defend religious liberty in the public square and the ballot box. Even more important is prayer. I ask all members of the Knights of Columbus and their families to pray — and to pray intensely — for the restoration of religious freedom for U.S. citizens and for peoples throughout the world. May we strive to ensure that the light of truth and the lamp of freedom will burn brightly everywhere!♦
C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) BERNARD WAS born into a noble family circa 1090 near Dijon in Burgundy, France, and enjoyed many advantages in his youth, including a superior education and military training. Early on, he exhibited a strong intellect and a genuine religious nature. Handsome, popular and gifted, Bernard initially did not escape the temptations of youth. However, around age 20, after the death of his mother, he asked for God’s guidance on the future and became drawn to the lifestyle of the Benedictine monks. At age 22, he entered the monastic community at Citeaux Abbey along with five brothers and two uncles. Four years later he founded and became the abbot of the new monastery of Clairvaux, which soon grew to more than 500 monks. In his first year, he experimented with strict ascetic practices such as very simple meals. After getting sick, though, he gained greater wisdom in leading the monks in his care and the monastic community flourished. Bernard became well known for his intellectual gifts, as well as his abilities
as a mediator and advisor. At the request of the Holy See, he traveled and preached on behalf of the Church during the Second Crusade. He became one of the most eloquent and influential apologists of his era, converting knights who had been primarily occupied with pursuits of war. In addition, Bernard is revered for settling the dispute over the contested election of Pope Innocent II in 1130. With most of his contemporaries already gone, Bernard fell ill in 1153 and died. St. Bernard was canonized four decades later and named a doctor of the Church in 1830. He is a spiritual role model whose writings and meditations on the interior life continue to serve as a guide for Catholics today.♦
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
ON JUNE 28, Pope Francis welcomed Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson to a private audience at the Vatican. During the meeting, the supreme knight described the Order’s charitable work throughout all of the countries where the Knights is active. Just three days earlier, the Order released the results of its Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity for the year ending Dec. 31, 2012. The survey indicates that Knights donated record amounts of money and volunteer time — more than $167 million and 70 million hours — during the previous year. Contributions increased by more than $9 million, marking the 13th consecutive year of growth.♦
Knights Provide Assistance Following Recent Disasters in Canada, Texas IN THE AFTERMATH of massive flooding June 20-21 that caused the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in Alberta, Canada, the Supreme Council sent $10,000 to assist with relief efforts in the affected areas and established a relief fund for those communities impacted. “The people of Western Canada are in our thoughts and prayers, and we look forward to helping them rebuild their homes and their lives,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. Likewise, the Supreme Council announced that it will distribute an additional $170,000 to West, Texas, the town of 2,800 that was devastated by 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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an April 17 fertilizer plant explosion. The funds will support local schools and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This latest donation to Texas follows an initial K of C disbursement of $10,000 that was made immediately after the blast. In addition, local Knights have assisted in recovery efforts with local authorities and agencies. Donations continue to be received online at kofc.org/canadarelief and kofc.org/texas, respectively. One-hundred percent of donations collected by Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. will be sent to those affected by these disasters.♦
Knights of Columbus Insurance Receives Highest Rating, Surpasses $90 billion THE SUPREME COUNCIL reported July 11 that financial ratings agency A.M. Best had affirmed the Order’s A++ (Superior) financial rating for the 38th consecutive year. It was also announced that in June the Knights of Columbus had exceeded $90 billion of insurance in force, a new milestone. Established in 1882 as a fraternal benefit society, the Knights of Columbus has worked since its inception to help members protect their families’ financial futures. What began as a “pass-the-hat” benefit program has grown into one of the nation’s premier insurers. In addition to the Knights of Columbus’ strong market presence in Catholic communities in the United States and Canada, A.M. Best also cited the Order’s large network of local councils and “consistently positive statutory ratings, excellent persistency and a solid level of risk-adjusted capitalizations” as positive ratings factors. “Earning A.M. Best’s top rating again this year underscores the strength of our sustainable business model, despite the slow recovery and continued economic uncertainty,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. Having surpassed $90 billion, the amount of life insurance in force has more than doubled from $40 billion since Supreme Knight Anderson took office in 2000. Today, the Knights of Columbus has more than $19.8 billion in assets under management and ranks among the Fortune 1000 list of America’s largest companies.♦
Photo by L’Osservatore Romano
Pope Francis and Supreme Knight Discuss Order’s Charitable Work
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Knights Participate in Second Fortnight for Freedom
Photo by Craig Spiering
KNIGHTS AGAIN joined Catholics and other conscientious citizens throughout the country for the second annual Fortnight for Freedom, June 21-July 4. Initiated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the twoweek period was dedicated to prayer, education and action to address current challenges to religious liberty. On June 22, the feast of martyrs St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, the Knights of Columbus sponsored a Mass and prayer vigil on Capitol Hill. At both events, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore offered remarks on the importance of prayer for effective government. “There are policies that seek to limit religious freedom only to freedom to worship,” he said. He added that when it comes to serving the poor and educating the young, it appears that the government is telling religious groups to follow not “the rules of faith” but “the rules of secular culture.” The previous evening, Archbishop Lori kicked off the fortnight by celebrating Mass at the Basilica of the
Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore leads a K of C-sponsored vigil on Capitol Hill June 22. National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. In observance of the two-week period, dioceses across the United States organized Masses, prayer services, marches and other events. Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington celebrated the closing Mass at
the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The Mass, which was concelebrated by five bishops and 72 priests, drew an overflow crowd of 5,500 people and included a Knights of Columbus honor guard. — Catholic News Service contributed to this report.♦
Order Successful in Defending Jesus Statue
Blessed John Paul II Shrine Hosts Lecture, Prepares for Canonization
A FEDERAL district court in Montana has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to remove a K of C-built statue of Jesus from government-owned land in Whitefish, Mont. On June 24, District Court Judge Dana Christensen rejected arguments that the monument violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Nearly 60 years ago, the Knights of Columbus leased a 25foot by 25-foot plot of land at the Big Mountain ski resort from the U.S. Forest Service to erect a monument honoring fallen soldiers from World War II. The permit had been renewed every 10 years without incident until 2010, when the Freedom from Religion Foundation threatened the Forest Service with a lawsuit. The Forest Service, buckling under pressure, initially denied the permit, but reconsidered after significant public outcry. In February, the Freedom from Religion Foundation sued to have the statue permanently removed. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty intervened in federal district court on behalf of several individual Montanans and the Knights of Columbus to defend the statue.♦
ON JUNE 26, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, presented a lecture at the Blessed John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C. Titled “Pope Francis and the New Evangelization,” the lecture emphasized four aspects of the new evangelization, called for by Pope Francis and his predecessors. The faithful must answer this call, the cardinal said, with lives that are characterized by courage, connectedness to the Church, a sense of urgency and joy. The talk was part of a Year of Faith lecture series hosted at the Blessed John Paul II Shrine, which was established by the Knights of Columbus in 2011. Permanent museum exhibitions on the life and papacy of John Paul II are currently being developed. Following the July 5 announcement that the Vatican has approved a miracle attributed to the late pope’s intercession, the shrine is also preparing a series of events leading up to his canonization. In addition, the shrine’s exhibit dedicated to the election of Pope Francis, titled “Habemus Papam: The Journey from Conclave to Pope,” has been extended to Aug. 31.♦
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Rolling Out
Hope The Order partners with the Global Wheelchair Mission to provide mobility to the poor and disabled by Patrick Scalisi photography by Randy Hale
A
s its name suggests, the Global Wheelchair Mission is anything but a local movement. Over the past decade, the Knights of Columbus has worked with the group’s U.S. and Canadian branches to distribute more than 40,000 low-cost wheelchairs in places as close as their own hometowns and as far away as the Middle East and Asia. This year alone will see distributions in the Philippines, Mexico, Haiti, Chile, the Bahamas, Kenya and Israel, among other locations. The Global Wheelchair Mission is an alliance of non-profit organizations that provide wheelchairs for people in need. Christopher J. Lewis, president of the American Wheelchair Mission and a member of Alhambra (Calif.) Council 2431, tries to go on as many distributions as possible. Even though that’s not always possible, he recently had to add extra pages to his passport. “In spite of all the challenges with customs, importation and travel issues, I feel as though I am exposed to the truest crosssection of good people doing God’s work on the planet,” he said. “The recipients of the wheelchairs and their families … show the greatest expressions of gratitude for the gifts they have received. They teach us a lot about humility and loving each other.” Similarly, photographer Randy Hale of Father Philip de Carriere Council 10484 in Haines City, Fla., has accompanied the Global Wheelchair Mission on more than 20 distributions since 2010. From central Mexico to the slums of Naga in the Philippines, he has helped document the joy and tears that come with receiving an invitation to mobility. 8 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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Clockwise from top: Immediate Past State Deputy Raymond F. Warriner of California and his wife, Purita, push a wheelchair through the streets of Malabon, Philippines, during a wheelchair home delivery. • A young woman receives a blessing after receiving her wheelchair at a church in Guiguinto, Philippines. • A girl takes her new wheelchair for a spin following a distribution at the Teletón Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Irapuato, Mexico.
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MEXICO CITY Christiana Flessner serves as the executive director of the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation or Fondation Chaise Roulante Canada. Since 2006, she said, Knights in Canada have contributed nearly $920,000 to purchase wheelchairs. Immediate Past State Deputy Dwight “Wil” Wilmot of British Columbia & the Yukon was present to see nearly 300 of those wheelchairs distributed last year in and around Mexico City. From Oct. 11-15, 2012, he and his late wife, Valerie, visited churches, homes and the Teletón Children’s Rehabilitation Center to give out mobility aids. “We were treated royally by the Knights of Mexico City,” said Wilmot. “The people were so great to us. That alone left a positive memory of the event.” Wilmot also recalled visiting a 91-year-old woman who lived with her disabled son. Before receiving a wheelchair, the son would carry his mother downstairs and then hail a taxi to take them wherever they needed to go. “With the wheelchair there, he could now get her down to the street and wheel her himself. And it made their life so much more bearable,” said Wilmot. When Wilmot’s wife passed away last month, he requested that donations be made to the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation in lieu of flowers. “Our first principle is charity, to make people’s lives better, no matter where in the world they live,” he said.
THE BAHAMAS For Westerners, the tropical breezes, sandy beaches and swaying palm trees of the Bahamas make for an ideal vacation spot. But venture deeper into the heart of Nassau and you’ll find crumbling stone walls and houses with boarded windows and fading paint. This was the version of the Bahamas that Florida Knights came to see as part of a distribution in Nassau and Freeport June 29-30. Led by Bob Read, past state deputy of Florida (2005-07) and a member of Marion Council 5960 in Ocala, 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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the Florida Knights partnered with their Bahamian brothers to distribute 110 wheelchairs, walkers, canes and crutches. The distribution came about after Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder of Nassau saw the work of the Global Wheelchair Mission in Florida and requested support. Florida Knights raised money over two years to purchase the necessary equipment. This was the first time that Knights in the Bahamas were involved with a wheelchair delivery. Read noted that wheelchair recipients ran the gamut from young to old, from amputees to people with severe physical or intellectual disabilities. “It went from a young man who was housebound at the age of 13 … to an elderly lady of 80 years,” he said. The 13-year-old will now be able to attend school again after breaking his back in an accident; the senior woman, an amputee, will be able to interact again with her neighbors. In these cases — and countless others — the recipients are gifted with more than just a wheelchair; they have been given an opportunity to continue their lives. “I’ve been doing this now for five years,” explained Read, “and each person I put into a wheelchair is just a whole new experience for me; it just re-energizes me to do the next one.”
MEXICO CITY: Photo courtesy of the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation
Above: Bahamian Knights help a woman to her new wheelchair at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nassau. • Left: Immediate Past State Deputy Dwight “Wil” Wilmot of British Columbia & the Yukon shakes hands with a wheelchair recipient in Mexico City.
Above: Mindanao Deputy Balbino C. Fauni and Father John Neneman, state chaplain of California, celebrate with a wheelchair recipient at Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City. • Right: Bill Weber of Shaun P. O’Brien-Prince of Peace Council 11716 in Plano, Texas, hugs a wheelchair recipient in Irapuato, Mexico.
THE PHILIPPINES For Knights, the Order’s partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission is an effective way to engage in a charity that evangelizes. “We can preach until the moon is blue … but if we don’t give [our parishioners] the roadmap to the next step of how to fulfill the message of the Gospel, then we (priests) haven’t done our job completely,” said Father John Neneman, who joined the Knights for a distribution in the Philippines April 21May 3. Father Neneman, the state chaplain of California, said he was unprepared for the abject poverty that he encountered in the slums of Naga, Davao and Malolos. He and Immediate Past State Deputy Raymond F. Warriner often had to walk through piles of garbage and open ditches to deliver wheelchairs. Still, Father Neneman said he never felt threatened while making the hot, humid trek to visit homebound individuals. “I felt very safe,” he said. “People were very gracious. Obviously not everyone is Catholic, but they understood who I was as a priest and, ergo, the representative of Christ.” And representing Christ to those in need is the ultimate goal of Knights who partner with the Global Wheelchair Mission. Father Neneman added, “Things like the Global Wheelchair Mission give Knights of Columbus families — not just the men, but the families — an opportunity to come out of their comfort zone and truly learn what it means to give and be a presence of Christ.” GUANAJUATO, MEXICO In some places, people who lose the ability to walk often suffer the humiliation of having to be carried by family members and friends. Others make crude mobility devices — planks of wood with skateboard wheels or plastic lawn chairs attached
to part of a bicycle frame — that are flimsy and unsafe. Even in North America, a wheelchair can be a precious commodity to someone without medical insurance. Bill Weber of Shaun P. O’Brien-Prince of Peace Council 11716 in Plano, Texas, gets very emotional when he talks about the Global Wheelchair Mission. He can’t help but think of his late brother, Ronnie, who had muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair for 13 years. “When I first got involved, I saw people who were basically crawling on their hands and knees. I knew I wanted to get involved with it and do something about it,” said Weber, who serves as wheelchair coordinator for his parish and went on a distribution to Guanajuato, Mexico, March 21-24. Knights in Plano and Dallas have been raising money for the American Wheelchair Mission annually for the past several years. This past spring, Weber and Paul Fehmel of St. Francis of Assisi Council 12484 in Lancaster got to see their hard work in action. “We don’t just help one person, we help 10 people — the entire family,” said Fehmel, who explained that a wheelchair benefits not just the recipient, but also the network of family and friends on whom the recipient has had to rely. Like spokes radiating out from the center of a wheel, the Knights are now part of this network of aid. And everyone involved hopes the linkages will become stronger with time. “I would hope that more councils get involved with [the Global Wheelchair Mission] by having some kind of wheelchair drive in their community,” said Weber. “I didn’t know what to expect when we first had our wheelchair drive, and our parish really responded to it. … They saw that for $150 they could make a big difference in a person’s life. And they liked that idea.”♦ PATRICK SCALISI is the senior editor of Columbia magazine. AUGUST 2013
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Heather’s Gift Grateful for her life-saving medical treatment, a girl and her family respond with faith and charity by Pete Sheehan | photography by Charles Orrico
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hen Heather McNamara, 11, wakes up each morning, she thinks about all the things she might do that day: school, swimming, soccer or shopping. A few years ago, it was different. “I didn’t know if I was going to wake up,” she said. At the time, Heather, then 7, was preparing for surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for a malignant inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor that had afflicted her for years. Thankfully, the procedure ultimately succeeded in removing the tumor and restoring Heather to health. “It was like a miracle,” said her mother, Tina McNamara, after recounting the years of struggle, fear and frustration that she and her husband, Joe, a member of Rev. James V. Rogan Council 1816 in Central Islip, N.Y., endured as they watched their daughter suffer. Since then, Heather and her family, members of St. Peter the Apostle Church in Islip Terrace, have made a point of showing their gratitude to both God and the hospital. Heather has appeared in television ads for New York-Presbyterian and has gone back to visit and encourage other patients, especially children. The family has also been actively involved in their parish and community, doing things such as organizing blood drives, raising money for juvenile diabetes research and visiting an area soup kitchen. And they plan to do more.
HOPE FOR A CURE Heather’s health trials started at age 4 when she began experiencing severe stomach distress and vomiting. Doctors were at a loss to diagnose the problem, and some even expressed doubt that the symptoms described by the family were real. Eventually, physicians found a tumor when they were preparing Heather for a feeding tube. A seemingly successful surgery to remove the growth followed. Six months later, however, the tumor returned. In addition to the physical pain, Heather became bloated, leading to her being teased by some of her peers. Eventually, she needed a wheelchair. For close to a year, the McNamaras searched for a hospital that could help Heather, contacting several institutions that were well known for treating children with cancer. “But nobody would touch me,” Heather said. “I didn’t really understand. I just knew I was sick.” 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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The McNamaras found hope after learning that Miami Children’s Hospital could perform a multi-visceral transplant, a procedure by which the patient’s organs are removed and replaced with healthy organs. At first, there was difficulty getting to Florida, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation contacted the family to offer assistance. The organization sent the McNamaras on a trip to Disney World; from there they went to Miami. Initially, everything appeared hopeful. According to Tina, the hospital treated Heather, carefully providing nutrition to ensure that she would be ready for surgery. She was no longer bloated or in need of a wheelchair. Yet as the preparatory phase came to a close, the hospital announced that it could not perform the surgery after all. The expense involved, the difficulty of obtaining so many donated organs and the risk of the tumor returning again were too great. “It was crushing,” Tina said. The family returned to Long Island, and a staff member at Miami Children’s referred them to New York-based Dr. Tomoaki Kato. After examining Heather, Dr. Kato concluded that he could remove the tumor as well as her spleen, stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and appendix, and that she could survive without having to replace those organs with transplants. When the family was told that Heather would need a new liver, her father prepared to donate part of his own. “That was brutal,” recalled Joe, “but I was willing to do it.” As it turned out, Dr. Kato was able to save Heather’s liver without a transplant. Still, the surgery was grueling, lasting almost 24 hours. Meanwhile, the family prayed. “Until that time, I really didn’t pray,” Joe said, “but I prayed that day. I told God I would be a better person. I’d do whatever it takes.” The McNamaras were not the only ones praying for Heather. “We had so many people praying: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Jehovah Witnesses. We’re talking about thousands of people,” Tina said.
Heather McNamara, 11, is pictured at her family’s Long Island home. Four years ago, she survived a risky, 23-hour surgery that removed a tumor and a number of organs.
After the surgery, she noted, “The doctors told me that they felt like something was happening, a presence.” “I felt like someone was holding my hand,” Heather added, even though she saw no one other than the surgical staff — whose hands were full. “This whole experience convinced me that God is there,” said Joe, who now regularly attends Sunday Mass with his family. “When you need God, he is there.” Although the surgery was successful, it was “a long road” to recovery, Tina said. Heather had to stay in the hospital for several months. After her release, Heather returned to normal activities. “I play soccer and swim, and I get my nails done,” she said, holding up her hand to show the red, white and blue colored fingernails. “And I go shopping.”
And because Heather relied on donated blood for her surgery, the family has organized three local blood drives and is planning another. “She also appears in advertisements for us,” said Doreen Fiscina, of the Long Island Blood Center. “When you consider all that she and her family have been through, it’s incredible.” Local Knights of Columbus councils learned about Heather’s story after General Agent Larry Sarraga of Suffolk County contacted the family. “[Joe] was interested in insurance but said that his daughter, Heather, was uninsurable because of her medical history,” Sarraga said. “I explained our family fraternal benefit program,” which guarantees insurance for children of K of C members. GIVING BACK Members of the Knights Although Heather and her of Columbus Suffolk family were happy to return County Chapter have been to normalcy, their lives so intrigued and touched by were also changed. They Heather’s story that they inrecognized meaning and vited her to speak before a purpose in their trials and recent chapter meeting July OU REALIZE THAT LIFE their blessings. 12. They also took the op“When you see other portunity to honor her and CAN CHANGE IN A HEARTpeople going through someher family for their charitathing, you can be conble work. BEAT, AND WE WANTED TO cerned, but it doesn’t fully hit you The McNamara family is happy to DO WHAT WE COULD FOR until it happens to you,” Joe said. “You have opportunities to help others, but realize that life can change in a heartthey also focus on what they see as the OTHERS.” beat, and we wanted to do what we bigger picture. could for others.” “They are a very involved family in Tina added, “We want to give back.” the parish,” said Rose Oldham, faith One way the family has done so is by formation director at St. Peter the allowing Heather to share her story and bring comfort to oth- Apostle Church. “Mrs. McNamara brings a great deal of exers. She has spoken on behalf of the hospital and has visited citement to teaching the children about God.” She added that patients, particularly those close to her age. Heather is also active in the parish and “always willing to help “Heather inspires people,” said her mother, who recalled out.” one girl who had been struggling with her own recovery from “I want to teach those kids that if God is in your life, anysurgery. thing can happen,” Tina said. “I taught her some tricks,” said Heather, adding that she Through it all, Heather appreciates her family and all the showed the girl how to move around while avoiding pain, sacrifices in her long journey to health and wholeness. without pulling on her stitches. By the end of the visit, the pa“It wasn’t easy,” said her sister, Stephanie, 14, who feared tient was ready to get out of bed and was more positive about she would lose her little sister. “It’s so important that we apher recovery. preciate each other. I believe that God played a part in all of On another occasion, Heather went to the hospital with her this.” Girl Scout troop, performing a talent show to offer comfort Though she starts each morning thinking about what she to patients. might do that day, Heather said, “I also take time to pray. I Since her pancreas was removed, Heather has developed di- want to thank God for giving me another day.”♦ abetes and must take insulin. As a result, the family has started raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation PETE SHEEHAN is a veteran reporter who writes from Long — collecting about $40,000 so far. Island, N.Y.
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FAT H E R S F O R G O O D
Pope Francis Speaks to Fathers The Holy Father reflects on the meaning and vocation of fatherhood by Tom Wehner
CNS photo/Paul Haring
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ay attention, men — Pope Francis is talking to you. On a number of occasions since his election, the Holy Father has spoken about the role, meaning and essence of fatherhood, and we would do well to heed his words. In a homily June 26, Pope Francis described fatherhood as the innate calling of all men, something that is not only biological, but also spiritual. In his typically direct manner, the pope said that if a man doesn’t desire to be a father, “something is wrong, something is missing.” After all, priests are called “father” in recognition of their life-giving role in the sacraments, and all men are called to be protectors of the young, the needy and society. “All of us, to exist, to become complete, in order to be mature, we need to feel the joy of fatherhood, even those of us who are celibate. Fatherhood is giving life to others,” Pope Francis said. Priests must ask for the grace of “spiritual paternity,” he added. “Never becoming a father, it is like an incomplete life, a life that stops halfway. And therefore we have to be fathers. But it is a grace that the Lord gives.” These words echoed the sentiments that Pope Francis expressed during his inaugural Mass on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. “How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand,” he said. “Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will, and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping.” The Holy Father’s words should strike deep into the hearts of all men. To be truly Catholic men and true fathers, we need to sacrifice our own egos and desires, cultivating a deeper relationship with Christ and the heavenly Father for the sake of our loved ones. Our authority as fathers is for the service of others. My own father, a World War II veteran, was a model of self-sacrifice and fortitude. During my childhood, seeing
him on his knees praying or discussing the faith with my grandfather had a life-changing effect on me. Those images and others helped me come back to the faith after many wasted years of irresponsible living. Although my catechetical formation during adolescence and young adulthood was deficient, the examples of my father and so many good priests and peer leaders ignited the embers of my faith and spurred me from passivity to activity. I took the time to know the Bible and read as much as I could about the faith. I dusted off my rosary, which is now a constant companion. I also attended men’s groups and conferences, where Catholic men could be built up and held accountable by their peers — basically “fathering” one another. And I have been blessed with male role models, including the priest who challenged me to step up and take seriously my vocation as a Catholic husband. Today, more than ever, men must make an effort to be involved with their families, with one another and with their Church. There are too many negative influences in our culture for us to stand on the sidelines and allow marriage, family and the sanctity of life to be undermined . We must be the men God calls us to be, striving for true masculine virtue, seeking to assist and inspire others, and serving as good role models. The Lord gives us the courage and wisdom to carry out this singular mission, even when the world tells us that we’re not needed anymore, that the age of masculinity and fatherhood has passed. With God’s grace, we can move beyond the distortions of the world to embrace true fatherhood and, in the loving spirit of Pope Francis, be faithful guardians of those entrusted to our care.♦ TOM WEHNER is managing editor of the National Catholic Register, a service of EWTN, and a member of St. Augustine Council 5724 in Northborough, Mass. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and four children.
FIND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES AT FATHERSFORGOOD. ORG .
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The Knight Riders
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A charity event has become an annual pilgrimage for cycling Knights by Jeff Rowe | photography by Kevin Bennett
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ach year during Father’s Day weekend, visitors to central Maine are greeted by fields of corn, graceful streams and the whizzing of nearly 2,000 cyclists riding for charity. Ask among locals and you’re likely to hear that the three top reasons to live in Maine are June, July and August. It’s no surprise, then, that for nearly three decades, cyclists from across the country have gathered to participate in the American Lung Association’s annual “Trek Across Maine.” The three-day ride provides Trekkers with sights of the countryside, a healthy dose of exercise and the opportunity to support a good cause by riding a 180-mile route covering the beautiful terrain between the Appalachian Mountains and the northern Atlantic coast. For the past four years, one of the teams participating has ridden under the banner of the Knights of Columbus. And since the team has been involved, its members have made their presence known in ways that uniquely reflect their Catholic identity. AN ENCOURAGING PRESENCE When the K of C team was first assembled in 2010, it consisted of seven riders; in the years since, that number has more than doubled and now includes one priest and two permanent deacons. According to Dennis Homa, a past grand knight of St. Martha’s Council 12033 in Kennebunk and one of the team’s original members, the initial idea to participate came out of a conversation about potential charitable activities during a council meeting. “Someone brought something up about riding a bike, so I threw out the idea of doing the Trek Across Maine,” Homa said. “It’s Father’s Day weekend, and it’s the largest trek fundraiser that the American Lung Association does nationally, right here in Maine.” A new Trek team was formed, complete with green team jerseys emblazoned with the K of C logo and an American flag. Since that time, the growing team has upgraded twice to more professional-quality jerseys, changing colors to yellow and blue and then to this year’s red, white and blue. Kevin Broughton, an early addition to the team and one of the more serious year-round riders, designed the new jerseys. He also coined the “Knight Riders” name, a play on the title of a 1980s TV series, that now stretches across the back. Father Paul Marquis, a longtime priest of the Diocese of Portland who serves as a chaplain at Maine Medical Center, was among those who noticed the K of C team early on. He had been riding the Trek with a team of health care professionals when he noticed the green jerseys first worn by the Knights. After the race, as Father Marquis was registering for the next year, he decided to switch teams. For Father Marquis, a member of John Paul II Council 14246 in Portland, changing teams has also led to greater in-
Members of the “Knight Riders” charity bicycle team ride in a pack amid hilly terrain during the annual Trek Across Maine June 14-16.
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volvement in the Order. “I had been a First Degree Knight since about my third year after ordination,” he explained. “But when I met the Trekkers and started riding with them, they encouraged me to move forward in the Knights.” As a result, he recently advanced to the Fourth Degree. Similarly, Broughton and teammate Todd DiFede were not members of the Knights when they first started riding — just faithful Catholic men wanting to participate in a charitable event. Both are now active members, and Broughton serves
Knights of Columbus team members take time to stretch their muscles during a stop on the 180-mile ride.
as both financial secretary of Council 12033 and as team captain for the Trek. The team’s faith is naturally important at all times, but it was even more meaningful at this year’s event. During the first morning, June 14, there was a tragic accident — the first in the Trek Across Maine’s nearly 30-year history. A 23-year-old member of another team was struck and killed by a passing truck, leaving many people in shock. Together with the rest of the Trek participants, the Knights of Columbus team stopped to rest at University of Maine Farmington at the end of the first day’s journey. “I prayed four rosaries and two Chaplets of Divine Mercy today,” said Father Marquis, who gathered to visit with other members of the team. “And I think on some of the hills I got in a couple more decades of the rosary.” On the second evening, Father Marquis celebrated a public Mass with the Knights during which special prayers were offered for the young man who was killed and his family. 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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FRATERNAL WITNESS While charity is the Knights’ primary motivation — the team raised more than $12,000 last year — the Trek Across Maine has become a fraternal activity as well. “We spend time together and do things that challenge [us] physically and mentally,” said team member Michael Magalski, grand knight of Council 12033. “It’s almost a retreat experience.” Mutual support is a key element in the K of C team’s approach to the Trek. Members help each other get through difficult points during the ride. “Everybody has their good and bad days, and everybody is at a different skill level,” said Magalski. Homa even described an incident from last year when Broughton “literally pushed a brother Knight up a hill. To push him up an incline — that says something about brotherhood.” Indeed, the Knights’ display of fraternity has caught the eye of numerous other Trekkers, and it has even changed the shape of each day’s ride. “Because people see us riding as a team,” Broughton explained, “[the organizers] have actually changed the format to have a regroup on the last day. We used to come in together as the Knights. We were the only group that did that.” But while other teams now finish the last day’s leg together, the Knights are still the only team that rides together for all three days. The most significant tradition that the K of C team has added to the Trek is the annual outdoor Mass at Colby College, the site of the second night’s stop. When Father Marquis first decided to offer a public Mass during the event, he wrote a letter to the pastor of the local parish asking permission. “When I am on the Trek,” he wrote, “I see my participation, and that of my fellow Knights, as an evangelizing moment ... a reaching out in service ... a moment of our faith meeting the culture, with Catholic men and women, people of other faiths, and people of no faith at all.” He added that celebrating the liturgy during the event witnesses to the central importance that Mass has in the lives of Catholics. For the trekking Knights, that witness is three days and 180 miles long, and it is seen by thousands of people who are both participants in the Trek and residents of the towns through which it passes. “It’s a camaraderie event for a good cause,” Magalski said. “It’s just comforting to see how we can live out our faith.” Charity, witness and the blossoming countryside of Maine — not a bad way to spend a weekend.♦ JEFF ROWE is a Maine-based writer. His first novel, Song of Toledo, a story of Christians and Muslims in 11th century Spain, was published in June.
Clockwise, from top: Members of the Knights’ team depart Colby College on the third morning of the Trek Across Maine. • The team crosses the finish line. The Knights are one of the only teams that ride together during the entire Trek. • A team member is pictured riding over a bridge during the scenic ride. • Team members prepare to embark on the third and final leg of the Trek.
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The Supreme Court and
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n June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two historic 5-4 decisions in the cases United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, both touching on the subject of samesex marriage in light of the U.S. Constitution. In Windsor, the court ruled that a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), defining marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of federal law, is unconstitutional. In Hollingsworth, the court ruled that parties seeking to defend California’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman did not have legal standing to appear before the court. The effect that these cases will have on the broader national debate over marriage is unclear, but it is certain to be dramatic. As these developments unfold in the coming months and years, it will be important for Catholic citizens to have a clear understanding of what the court decided and what is at stake. 20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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‘WHAT MARRIAGE IS’ The first decision that the court announced involved the case of Edith Windsor, a New York woman who obtained a marriage license from Canada with her same-sex partner and then returned to reside in New York. When her partner died, Windsor had to pay more than $300,000 in estate taxes. After all, their “marriage” was not recognized by the federal government, which in 1996 defined marriage as between one man and one woman for the purposes of federal law in DOMA — legislation that was passed with large majorities in Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton. Windsor sued, claiming that Section 3 of DOMA involves unconstitutional discrimination against people in same-sex marriages. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, agreed. Their ruling stated, “DOMA is un-
the Battle for Marriage Recent rulings related to the same-sex marriage debate raise questions and present challenges for Catholics
CNS file photo/Nancy Phelan Wiechec
by Scott Lloyd
constitutional as a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.” The majority reasoned that although the federal government may legislate on the topic of marriage in some instances, marriage is usually a matter handled at the state level. Congress, it said, took an extraordinary step in defining marriage for the purposes of all federal statutes. More important to the ruling, though, was what came next. According to the majority’s opinion, “DOMA seeks to injure the very class [‘those persons who are joined in same-sex marriages made lawful by the state’] New York seeks to protect. By doing so it violates basic due process and equal protection principles applicable to the Federal Government.” The four remaining justices wrote a total of three dissenting opinions in Windsor. Chief Justice John Roberts’ brief dissent argued that Congress was empowered to define marriage for
the purpose of its laws because marriage is a fundamental element of society. That the federal government legislated on marriage in DOMA is not enough to conclude, as the majority does, that “the ‘principle purpose’ … of the 342 Representatives and 85 Senators who voted for it, and the President who signed it, was a bare desire to harm.” Roberts also stressed that the majority opinion does not affect the constitutionality of legally defining marriage as between one man and one woman; much of the analysis in the majority’s opinion is irrelevant since it relies so heavily on the fact that marriage belongs to the states as a legislative matter. He suggested that another law with the same purpose but a different rationale and legislative history could be found constitutional. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote — as did Justice Roberts — that the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group appointed by the AUGUST 2013
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U.S. House of Representatives lacked standing to appear before the court and that even if the group did have standing, the court had no power to declare the law unconstitutional. “The Court’s errors on both points,” he wrote, “spring forth from the same diseased root: an exalted conception of the role of this institution in America.” Scalia further charged the majority with shifting justifications for its ruling, leaving unclear on which legal grounds its ruling rests. “[W]hatever disappearing trail of its legalistic argle-bargle one chooses to follow,” the majority’s central problem with DOMA is its belief that it is motivated by a “bare … desire to do harm,” he wrote. The majority, he said, does not cite evidence for its accusation, nor does it acknowledge alternative justifications for DOMA. The dissent stated that although the majority opinion does not directly alter any state marriage laws, it provides reasoning and language that will bias the debate toward same-sex marriage. It thereby telegraphs how the court would rule regarding a state law that takes the traditional view of marriage. Scalia concluded, “In the majority’s telling, this story is black-and-white: Hate your neighbor or come along with us. The truth is more complicated. It is hard to admit that one’s
political opponents are not monsters … and the challenge in the end proves more than today’s Court can handle.” In his own dissent, Justice Samuel Alito noted that the majority appears to rest its opinion in some way in the “substantive due process” analysis familiar to the court, but this
Defending Marriage by Defining Marriage An interview with Ryan T. Anderson about society’s understanding of marriage and why it matters
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oday, when the issue of same-sex Princeton, N.J. Anderson is co-author, marriage is discussed in the courts, with Sherif Gergis and Robert P. George, academy, media and public square, the of What is Marriage? Man and Woman: debate is usually framed in terms of A Defense (Encounter Books, 2012). “marriage equality.” But as many have pointed out, including COLUMBIA: You point Justice Samuel Alito in his out that in the marriage United States v. Windsor debate today, there are dissent, such rhetoric betwo fundamentally differlies a deeper, underlying ent understandings of debate: the question of marriage. How do these what marriage actually is. views differ? From this perspective, RYAN ANDERSON: As Columbia editor Alton Justice Alito helpfully exPelowski recently interplained, there’s the conjuviewed Ryan T. Anderson, gal conception of marriage a fellow at the Heritage and then there’s the conRyan Anderson Foundation in Washingsent-based, or revisionist, ton, D.C., and founder view of marriage. In the and editor of Public Discourse, the online consent-based view, marriage is simply an journal of the Witherspoon Institute in intense, loving relationship between con22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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senting adults. It is gender blind and not based on the sexual differences between man and woman. Our account of marriage, the conjugal account, is that marriage unites a man and a woman to be mother and father to any children that they conceive. It’s based on a more comprehensive union — a union of hearts and minds, but also a union of bodies. What’s significant here is that the act that unites a man and a woman is the same act that creates new life. Marriage needs to be sexually exclusive because this type of relationship can produce new life. It needs to be a permanent because it’s a comprehensive union and because children need a stable environment with a mother and father. With the revisionist view, on the other hand, there’s no real justification as to why it
Photo by David Hills/Courtesy of the Heritage Foundation
by Alton J. Pelowski
ill-suited for use in evaluating the constitutionality of laws based on the traditional understanding of marriage, which fundamentally turn on what marriage is.” He continued, “In asking the Court to determine that Section 3 of DOMA is subject to and violates [equal protection guarantees], Windsor and the United States thus ask us to rule that the presence of two members of the opposite sex is as rationally related to marriage as white skin is to voting or a Ychromosome is to the ability to administer an estate. … Acceptance of the argument would cast all those who cling to traditional beliefs about the nature of marriage in the role of bigots or superstitious fools.” In conclusion, Alito wrote, the petitioners essentially asked the court to settle a question “that philosophers, historians, social scientists, and theologians are better qualified to explore.”
protects only fundamental rights and liberties that are deeply rooted in the nation’s history and tradition, which is not the case with same-sex marriage. Although Ms. Windsor and her attorney argued that an “equal protection” analysis applies, Alito explained that “our equal protection framework … is
TOP: CNS file photo/Jon L. Hendricks
should be between only two people, exclusive or permanent. For the state, neutrality on this question is really impossible. The law will enshrine one vision of marriage or another, and no matter what, one vision of the good, the true and the beautiful will be advanced. So the question is, which vision is the true vision? We want to get law reflecting reality as much as possible. C OLUMBIA : How does the issue of equality relate to the definition of marriage? RYAN ANDERSON: In some sense, everyone in the debate is in favor of equality. We all want the government to allow people to enter marriages equally. The question, then, is what is marriage? Only if we know what marriage is can we know if the law is treating marriages and spouses equally or not. Every marriage policy will draw a line between what is and what isn’t a marriage. The revisionist account of marriage is no different; it draws a line at the number two. But if equality demands redefining marriage to include the same-sex couple, then does equality
STANDING IN DEFENSE The litigation in Hollingsworth v. Perry arose after California residents voted in 2008 to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Two same-sex couples sued in response, stating that the amendment violated the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Constitution.
demand redefining marriage to include a three-person relationship? This is an open question in some people’s minds. The government needs to justify why it recognizes a certain type of relationship as marriage and not others. COLUMBIA: Why does the state have an interest in regulating marriage in the first place? RYAN ANDERSON: Government is not in the marriage business because it cares about the love lives of consenting adults, apart from the fact that a certain type of loving relationship produces children. So the issue here is the government’s interest in ensuring that every child’s right to a mother and father is protected in the least coercive and least intrusive way possible. Instead of encouraging a mother and father to raise their children as husband and wife, the government could try to raise children themselves, as with Plato’s thought experiment in The Republic. But with the breakdown of marriage in recent decades, we’ve seen how the welfare state has grown with disastrous results for children. We have seen an
increase in crime, prison population and child poverty, and a decrease in social mobility. Social justice and freedom are better served by the government getting marriage right, so that civil society can do the work that government can’t. When the marriage culture falls apart, we are left with a big government welfare program to pick up the pieces. COLUMBIA: What about the case of infertile couples and the fact that even heterosexual couples today dissociate marriage from procreation? RYAN ANDERSON: No one has ever thought that every marriage will produce a child. We’ve never had fertility requirements in marriage law. But everyone knew that every child was the result of a male-female union. Marriage laws and policies maximize the likelihood that a child will grow up to know the love and care of a mother and father. Public policy is based on the rule rather than the exception to the rule. The government’s interest is mainly in all of the marriages that will produce children and in male-female relationAUGUST 2013
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A woman displays a sign during the March for Marriage rally in Washington, D.C., on March 26. The majority opinion, which Chief Justice Roberts wrote and which Justices Scalia, Breyer, Ginsburg and Kagan joined, ruled that the parties defending the amendment, known as Proposition 8, did not have standing to appeal the district court’s decision. The ruling stated, “We have never before upheld the standing of a private party to defend the constitutionality of a state statute when state officials have chosen not to. We decline to do so for the first time here.” Justice Kennedy dissented, and Justices Clarence Thomas, Alito and Sotomayor joined. They argued that California’s initiative process is injured if state officials can exercise what is essentially a veto of the people’s legislative will by not defending the law. In the end, advocates for the redefinition of marriage did not get from the court what they had hoped for, which is a ruling finding a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. For now, individual states are not compelled to recognize samesex unions as marriages, and they are not compelled to recognize same-sex marriage licenses issued elsewhere. Nonetheless, these two decisions do have sweeping conse-
COLUMBIA: What is at stake? What effect could legally changing the definition of marriage have? RYAN ANDERSON: First of all, redefining marriage makes it all about the desires of adults and eliminates from law and public policy any institution that upholds the ideal that a child deserves a mother and a father. Secondly, the redefinition of marriage won’t stop here. If we reduce marriage to be just about someone you love, and see the male-female aspect as irrational or arbitrary, what’s magical about the number two? The principled reason for why marriage is understood to be monogamous, sexually exclusive and permanent is precisely based on the male-female dimension. Apart from that, various scholars 24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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and activists have argued that marriage should just be about a contract between consenting adults. There’s no reason, they say, that it couldn’t be a temporary contract that can be renewed. Likewise, you see people saying that monogamy is unnatural and that extramarital affairs should be allowed, provided there’s no deceit or coercion. Such proposals are a nightmare for the public policy interest, which is to get men and women to commit to each other permanently and exclusively. A greater number of sexual partners and short-lived relationships brings a greater chance of fatherless children and fragmented families. The third consequence of redefining marriage relates to religious liberty. We’ve already seen Catholic Charities forced out of the adoption services that they have provided in places like Massachusetts, Illinois and Washington, D.C., because they wanted to place the children in their care in homes with a mom and dad. We have also seen florists, bakers, photographers and innkeepers who have been sued for refusing to participate in same-sex weddings.
COLUMBIA: Why do you think that public opinion has swayed in support of same-sex marriage in recent years? RYAN ANDERSON: We haven’t been making the argument. It’s not surprising that one side has more influence when it is well-organized, well-funded and very outspoken, while the other side is largely silent. It’s also the fact that the past 40 years have been a nightmare for marriage in general. Same-sex marriage is only plausible in a world that has already done so much damage to marriage and human sexuality. The elimination of the malefemale aspect of marriage follows the sexual revolution’s train of bad consequences: pornography, non-marital sex, extramarital sex, non-marital childbearing, divorce and so on. Young people don’t hear arguments in favor of the conjugal view of marriage, and they haven’t seen it lived out. COLUMBIA: How do you respond to those who dismiss the conjugal view of marriage as arbitrary and irrational, in part because it is associated with religion?
CNS photo/Matthew Barrick
ships that will produce children but are not yet marriages. The question before us is this: Do we want to make marriage reforms that encourage marriage between husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, or do we want to double down on the idea that marriage is really just about adult desires?
quences. As a result of the Windsor decision, wherever samesex marriages are performed, the federal government must now recognize them for purposes of federal laws and benefits. And the Obama administration has decided to treat these marriage licenses as valid even if a couple’s state of residence does not. Since the Hollingsworth ruling was handed down, the attorney general of California has ordered that marriages licenses must be issued to same-sex couples throughout the state. Those who voted for Proposition 8 seem to have little recourse to have their interests represented in court, but they have some. Many have argued, for example, that the original federal court decision only applied to two of the 58 counties in California. This opens the door for someone negatively affected by the ruling to challenge the attorney general’s shaky interpretation. And how are Catholics to respond to all of this? According to Catholic social teaching, which is based on Scripture, sacred tradition and natural law, the institution of marriage — the faithful, lifelong union of one man and one woman — is the foundation of the family and vital to society. Homosexual persons must be treated with dignity and respect, but this does not mean that marriage can or should be redefined. Those who refuse to recognize same-sex unions as marriages
RYAN ANDERSON: Religious people also have views about things like murder and property rights. The question is whether or not the view itself commands rational support. Consider all of the great thinkers who have considered the question of marriage: ancient Greeks and Romans; leaders of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Enlightenment thinkers like Emmanuel Kant and John Locke; Eastern thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi. These thinkers disagree about so much in their philosophies, theologies and political theories, but they all agree that marriage is a male-female institution. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that any political community on the face of the earth defined marriage as anything other than a malefemale relationship. To say that the conjugal view of marriage is somehow irrational and arbitrary belies history and the reasoned arguments that support it. COLUMBIA: How do you recommend that people who hold the conjugal view of marriage relate to homosexual persons?
will experience a difficult road ahead in courts, public debates, the workplace and even at home. Laws and courts have already attempted to force individuals to provide services for same-sex wedding ceremonies. These same laws have also caused Catholic Charities adoption agencies in Massachusetts, Illinois and Washington, D.C., which refused to place children with same-sex couples, to close their doors. Those who uphold the traditional definition of marriage now fall under the shadow of a Supreme Court opinion that insists that Catholics and other Americans of goodwill are motivated by a desire to demean and injure their fellow citizens. Yet, this is certainly not the last time that the court will take up the question of same-sex marriage, and the debate will continue in the years to come. Catholics cannot afford to disengage and avoid the debate. In their daily lives and in the public square, they are now faced with the challenging task of witnessing to the truth of marriage and the Church’s teachings, which are not based on animus but love. The future of marriage in America will depend on this witness.♦ SCOTT LLOYD, Esq., is senior policy coordinator for the Knights of Columbus and a member of John Carrell Jenkins Council 7771 in Front Royal, Va.
RYAN ANDERSON: I think this is the big question going forward, and it’s something that younger generations have to wrestle with in a way that previous generations have not. How do we show love and respect to our gay and lesbian friends, family members, and fellow citizens without redefining marriage? One cannot deny that over the course of American history gays and lesbians have been mistreated and abused in various ways — but marriage law is not one of those ways. We need to find an appealing way of presenting the truth of marriage to our gay friends and family members, while affirming real opportunities for meaningful relationships and human flourishing. In previous times and cultures, people better understood close, healthy friendships; they did not seek emotional fulfillment only through marriage. Recognizing the uniqueness of marriage opens up broad horizons of possibility for deep relationships that are non-marital. COLUMBIA: What role can Knights of Columbus and other concerned citizens
of good will play in preserving and promoting marriage in society? RYAN ANDERSON: The first thing that they can do is live out the truth about marriage and human sexuality in their own families. Be faithful husbands and faithful wives. Be good mothers and good fathers. Young people, live out the virtue of chastity and prepare yourself now for your future marriage. Long before the debate we are facing today, marriage was falling apart because heterosexuals bought into a false, liberal ideology about sex. The second thing is to work to protect religious liberty with regard to marriage law. We must make sure our elected officials and fellow citizens respect institutions and individuals who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. The third thing is to work now at making the case for marriage with increased vigor and commitment. We need arguments in social media, entertainment and broader culture — in as many different ways possible — that explain what marriage is and why it matters.♦ AUGUST 2013
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REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES
of scrap metal that was being stored above St. Patrick Church. Rooms above the church were used as classrooms before a new Catholic school and gym were built. As a result, Knights removed old light fixtures and radiators that were later sold to a scrap dealer for approximately $300. STATUE RESTORED
Members of Christ Our Redeemer Council 13527 in Niceville, Fla., push a piece of wood forward to level out the ground while volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity project in Fort Walton Beach. Called “Patriot Place” and dedicated to the veterans who have volunteered with Habitat, the home was granted to a local single mother and her son. Knights were among the many volunteers who gave approximately 1,500 volunteer hours to build the house.
KNIGHTS DAY
Perham (Minn.) Council 1773 hosted a “Knights Day” for members to grow in fellowship. The day included a K of C Mass, breakfast for the three parishes that the council serves, and a screening of the film Courageous at a local theater. WINE AND CHEESE
Archbishop Roy Assembly in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, hosted a wine and cheese tasting that raised $4,000 for la fondation de la Maison Adaptée MaxTo. The foundation is raising money to construct a specially adapted home for a local single mother whose two children each use a wheelchair.
St. Mary’s Cemetery on Rt. 385. The shrine, complete with benches and shrubs, replaced an outdoor altar at the cemetery that was in severe disrepair. Knights also refurbished a statue from the old altar and incorporated it into the new shrine. FOUR CHAPLAINS MEMORIAL
Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley Assembly in Largo, Fla., and American Legion Post #119 co-sponsored a memorial service for the four chaplains who died aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester when it was torpedoed in 1943 during World War II. Each chaplain gave up his life preserver so that a fellow sailor could live.
CEMETERY SHRINE
Over several installments, Coxsackie (N.Y.) Council 548 donated $7,500 to erect a new Marian shrine at 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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SCRAP REMOVED
Father Peter A. Welling Council 13576 in Lincoln, Neb., removed 3,380 pounds
Diego Silang Council 7656 and San Pedro Calungsod Circle 5610, both in Quezon City, Luzon, worked with students at Aurora E. Quezon Elementary School on a beautification project to restore and landscape a statue of Aurora E. Quezon, one of the Philippines’ national heroes. TOUR FOR VETERANS
St. Thomas More Council 13500 in New Haven, Conn., invited patients from the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center at the West Haven VA Hospital to visit the Knights of Columbus Museum. Guided by museum employees, 24 veterans with full or partial eyesight impairments learned about the history of the Order. Knights also treated patients and hospital staff to lunch following the tour. SPACE FOR GRAPPLERS
Warwick (R.I.) Council 2295 donated use of its council hall for a local youth wrestling team to conduct practices after the team learned it couldn’t practice at local schools. The partnership even proved to be a boon for membership: several coaches and fathers expressed interest in joining the Order after learning about the council’s good work.
From left, Dwight Lebsack, Karl Stoermer and Jerry Stoermer of Dominick Pondant Council 6699 in Daingerfield-Mt. Pleasant, Texas, stand with the wheelchair ramp that the council built at the home of Delores and Dan Rooney (center). After learning that Dan Rooney, a council member, was unable to leave his home after being confined to a wheelchair, Knights undertook a project to help Rooney regain some of his mobility.
PATRIOTIC CONCERT
Our Lady of Charity Assembly in Sarasota, Fla., hosted a concert at St. Patrick Church to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The event netted more than $1,100 to assist injured Marines and their families. STEW SALES
Father Robert W. McDonald Council 395 in Henrico, Va., prepared and sold more than 900 quarts of stew to raise $4,700 for charity. The council’s ladies’ auxiliary hosted a concurrent bake sale that raised additional funds.
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nual scholarship named in honor of the council’s longtime chaplain and will be given to a Missionaries of the Precious Blood seminarian. HAM AND CHEESE
Members of St. Michael the Archangel Council 12577 in Leawood, Kan., erect a shade structure for the parish’s preschool. The council donated $3,000 to purchase the structure, which Knights installed with the help of a parishioner who is also a contractor.
SOURDOUGH RENDEZVOUS
Bishop Coudert Council 6232 in Whitehorse, Yukon, takes an active role in the annual Sourdough Rendezvous event, which celebrates the cultural heritage of the area from the days of the gold rush. Over two days, Knights served sourdough pancakes to nearly 1,400 people, raising more than $9,200 to sup-
port the Whitehorse Food Bank and Sacred Heart Cathedral. REPAIRING DAMAGE
Queen of the Holy Rosary Council 3830 in Berkley, Mich., hosted a spaghetti dinner that raised $1,600 for Our Lady of La Salette Church. The funds will help the church repair damage that was incurred during a water line break. NEW CHURCH DOORS
Grand Bay (Ala.) Council 15490 donated $2,300 to replace the wooden doors at St. John the Baptist Church. The original church doors from 1972 had deteriorated over the years and become a safety hazard. Knights hosted a series of raffles to raise money for the donation.
Father Samuel Oloyede holds the center beam of a future porch into place while Mike Beard (right) of Father Scott Buchanan Council 15223 in Manning-Santee, S.C., examines how the rafters will lay. Knights built a porch on the back of Father Oloyede’s rectory so that he could have a quiet place for prayerful reflection during the warmweather months.
HONORING MISSIONARIES
Bishop Dwenger Council 1881 in Rensselaer, Ind., hosted a Mass and dinnerdance in honor of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, who have served the local community since the 1800s. Bishop Timothy L. Doherty of Lafayette delivered the evening’s keynote address. Proceeds from the event were used to establish an an-
Star of the Sea Council 4245 in Hollidaysburg, Pa., hosted a ham-and-cheese sandwich sale that raised $2,150 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Knights hand made and sold nearly 1,200 sandwiches. DINNER FOR CANCER CENTER
Bishop John T. Kidd Council 4924 in Windsor, Ontario, hosted a fundraiser to benefit the Windsor & Essex County Cancer Center. The event, which featured dinner and a silent auction with prizes donated by local merchants, raised more than $2,500 to help patients at the facility meet their financial responsibilities. SETON HOME & PADUA PLACE
St. Helena Council 7965 in San Antonio donated $2,000 to Seton Home, a facility for teenage mothers and their children that teaches self-sufficiency and aims to break the cycle of abuse and poverty. The council donated an additional $4,000 to Padua Place, a retirement home for elderly priests and bishops. Funds for both donations were raised through council-sponsored bingo games, proceeds from which support a number of charitable initiatives. DINNER FOR CLERGY
Ontario districts #43 and #103 held their annual clergy appreciation dinner, which featured a talk by Dr. Jacalyn M. Duffin on the science of confirming medical miracles. The event raised $5,000 for seminarians.
ho e in n e
When the warm weather comes, Knights take to the golf greens with an aim toward scoring a hole in one for charity. Here’s a sample of K of C-sponsored golf tournaments held throughout the Order: • Edward Douglass White Council 2473 in Arlington, Va. — $2,500 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. • Holy Family Council 9088 in Victoria, Texas — $55,000 for youth and vocations initiatives in the Diocese of Victoria. • All Saints Council 7570 in Strathroy, Ontario — $6,000 for the council’s charitable fund. • St. Benedict Council 8337 in Duluth, Minn. — $2,400 to construct a 15th station at the prayer walk at St. Benedict Church. • Abbot Gilbert Hess Council 1720 in Milbank, S.D. — $2,000 for restoration efforts at St. Lawrence Church. • Father Allan Hall Council 8604 in Winnipeg, Manitoba — $3,200 for St. Charles Church. • Hot Springs (Ark.) Council 6419 and Daniel Patrick Sullivan Council 10208 — $5,000 for the scholarship fund at St. John School.
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pated in their largest build to date: a 125-foot ramp negotiating an elevation of 14 feet in Sunland Park, N.M. NUNS’ DAY
FAMILY-STYLE DINNER
Star of the Sea Council 371 in Bayonne, N.J., hosted an American pride family-style dinner to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. The dinner consisted of pot roast, noodles, assorted vegetables, salad and rolls, apple pie, and vanilla ice cream.
Approximately 120 people attended the event, which raised more than $5,000 to help injured soldiers. WILD GAME FEED
Father John F. O’Neill Council 10722 and Bishop Dingman Council 10805, both in Council Bluffs, Iowa, cohosted their annual wild game feed. Attendees had the opportunity to sample venison, caribou sausage, boar sliders, beaver lasagna and more. The event raised more than $28,000 for the local Catholic community and for 15 area charities. TEXAS RAMP PROJECT
Members of San Lorenzo Council 12378 in Virginia Beach, Va., remove dead leaves and brush from the meditation garden at the San Lorenzo Spiritual Center. Knights and their wives spent a day cleaning the center grounds, including the garden and a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. 28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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Every third Saturday of each month, Knights of Columbus councils in the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, volunteer to build wheelchair ramps throughout West Texas and Southern New Mexico through the Texas Ramp Project. Most recently, St. Rafael Council 7563, St. Stephen Council 10420 and St. Pius X Council 15017, all in El Paso, partici-
REMEMBERING A FIGHTER
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Council 12401 in Russell, Ontario, hosted a charity dinner in memory of Monica Baker, a parishioner who passed away in 2012 after a long battle with cancer. More than 180 people attended the event, which raised $8,500 for the Winchester Hospital Foundation’s cancer treatment programs.
Members of St. Louis-Bayou Blue Council 7657 in Houma, La., power wash the exterior of the St. Jude grotto at St. Louis Church. Knights washed and painted the grotto as part of a restoration project.
miliarize students with how to pray the rosary. AED DONATED
Father Gaffney Council 1555 in West Chicago, Ill., donated $1,600 to help purchase an automatic external defibrillator (AED) for St. Mary’s Church. Knights co-funded the AED with the West Chicago Fire Protection District and the Foundation for Life.
LOOPING SYSTEM
De Andreis Council 800 in St. Louis, Mo., donated $3,000 to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church to install a looping system to assist parishioners with hearing impairments. The system consists of a wire that loops around all of the pews and amplifies sound for people with hearing aids. ROSARY INSTRUCTION
Father Roland Gross Council 11817 in Castle Hayne, N.C., met with all of the religious education classes at St. Stanislaus Church to fa-
Student members of the prolife club at Pope John Paul II High School in Huntsville, Ala., carry pro-life signs — some supplied by the Knights of Columbus — during a prolife vigil outside of an abortion facility. Knights and their families from throughout the area made up more than 260 prolife advocates who participated in the event, which was organized by the Alabama State Council. Father Jeremiah F. Trecy Assembly provided an honor guard.
UPPER LEFT: Jenny Jelen/ NorthernLife.ca
Father Brian Dixon (left), pastor of Christ the King Church, views a program that transmits webcam broadcasts from the church with Serge Trottier, CEO of Daylight Smart Research. Father Brian McKee Council 1387 in Sudbury, Ontario, donated $10,000 to have three state-of-the-art webcams installed that broadcast parish Masses over the Internet. In addition to serving as security cameras, the webcams allow homebound parishioners to watch the celebration of Mass. Daylight Smart Research performed the installation.
Pope John XXIII Council 6018 in Arnold, Mo., held its annual “Nuns Day Out” for 75 religious sisters ages 21 to 95. The festivities included lunch and an afternoon of games and prizes. Each sister in attendance also received a token of appreciation from the council at the end of the day. Meanwhile, Santa Maria Council 1443 in Haddonfield, N.J., hosted its annual appreciation night for religious sisters. Knights prepared dinner for 75 sisters in honor of their service to the community.
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drive to refurbish several shared-accommodation bedrooms at St. Benedict’s Retreat and Conference Center outside of Winnipeg. The project, part of the center’s 40th anniversary, raised thousands of dollars to refresh many of the guest rooms by replacing mattresses and linens. RAILINGS REPAINTED Keith Bark of Msgr. J. M. Hanson Council 5038 in Ankeny, Iowa, takes a measurement while making repairs to a home as part of “Rebuilding Together Day,” sponsored by Rebuilding Together Greater Des Moines. More than 700 volunteers worked on 40 homes over the course of a weekend, all at no cost to low-income families, persons with disabilities and military veterans. Knights worked at the home of a man with brain damage, completely gutting his house and rebuilding it with new insulation, windows, carpet, paint and linens.
UPPER LEFT: Jenny Jelen/ NorthernLife.ca
SIGNS REPLACED
Fathers Hess and Kreinbrink Council 8313 in Hazen, N.D., donated a new sign for St. Martin Church that is located on Highway 20. Knights donated $800 and 52 volunteer hours to erect the sign. Meanwhile, Msgr. Edward Russell Council 1418 in Fancy Farm, Ky., replaced four pro-life signs that had been erected in the community in 2000. Each 4-by-8 foot sign had weathered severely over the past 13 years. RETREAT CENTER REFURBISHED
K of C councils from throughout the province of Manitoba, under the leadership of the Manitoba State Council, completed a fund
Members of Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted Council 14710 in Waltham, Mass., sanded and repainted the railings and columns at all of the entrances to their parish. Knights undertake a renovation-style project at the church each year.
NEWS FROM THE YEAR OF FAITH
• In honor of the Year of Faith, Sacred Heart Council 9333 in Sapulpa, Okla., recognized four people who entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass March 30. Knights presented each candidate with a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, two bookmarks and a card signed by the council’s grand knight. • To commemorate the Year of Faith, Fatima Council 1398 in Haileybury, Ontario, invited parishioners from Sainte Croix Church to pray the rosary with council members at the church’s Marian grotto every Monday night. Knights also invited area students to participate. • Pinta Council 5 in Wallingford, Conn., hosted a prayer service with the Relics of the Passion at Most Holy Trinity Church. Christopher Columbus Assembly provided an honor guard for the event and guarded the relics throughout their visit.
JOB SEARCH MINISTRY
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Council 13719 in Anthem, Ariz., sponsors the job search ministry at its parish. By working with a job-search website, unemployed and underemployed parishioners and their families can undertake training on how to secure employment when traditional job-search methods have failed.
used two coats of soft colors to brighten the space and give the interior a new look. The council also hired two professional painters to handle the building’s highest areas. By doing the work themselves and providing all supplies, the council saved its parish an estimated $20,000.
SCHOOL REPAIRS
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Circle 5473 in Arlington, Texas, sponsored a number of initiatives over a three-month period to raise money for Hoboken Catholic Academy, which was damaged by a recent storm. Squires raked leaves for charity, sold fresh fruit at their parish and held a general fund drive, all of which raised $1,700 to help repair the school. ACTIVITY CENTER PAINTED
Father Robert T. Lawson Council 11103 in Pinehurst, N.C., painted the activity center at Sacred Heart Church, as well as the lobby and four classrooms. Knights
CORRECTIONS In the July 2013 issue of Columbia, page 5 reports that Blessed Peter To Rot was born in 1921. It should read instead 1912. Page 17 of the July issue notes that San Antonio was named in 1691 on St. Anthony’s feast day, July 13. It should read instead June 13. Page 3 of the June 2013 issue incorrectly states that the Jesuits were central to the introduction of Christianity to India. Although the missionary work of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) played an important role in the evangelization of India, St. Thomas the Apostle first brought the Gospel there in the 1st century A.D.
Bert D. Lorenzo of Cotabato City (Mindanao) Council 3504 spoons arrozcaldo (rice with chicken) into a cup during a council-sponsored community outreach program. Knights teamed with other civic and government groups to host a multipronged outreach initiative that included a feeding program, tree-planting activity and the distribution of medication.
kofc.org exclusive See more “Knights in Action” reports and photos at www.kofc.org/ knightsinaction
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IN SERVICE TO ONE, IN SERVICE TO ALL
Grafenwoehr, Germany •
• Belize Ecuador •
UGANDA HEALTH CLINIC
Under the direction of council member Robert Maher, St. Peter and Paul Council 11475 in Palmyra, Va., spearheaded a project to build a health clinic in Kitakyusa, Uganda. During a trip to Uganda, Maher discovered that many locals there die of routine ailments because they are too far away from any health care facilities to receive treatment. Knights teamed with other councils throughout the area to host a number of fundraisers to help build the clinic. Maher
also traveled to Uganda with fellow council member David Kimbell to break ground on the facility. MASAKA CHILDREN’S FUND
St. Stephen the Martyr Council 13374 in Renton, Wash., hosted a benefit dinner that raised $8,520 for the Masaka Children’s Fund. The fund supports a school and orphanage in Uganda, both of which receive a large portion of their annual funding from the Knights.
• Uganda • Tanzania
‘PROJECT RE: CYCLE’
Notre Dame Council 7072 in Bourbonnais, Ill., provides ongoing funding for an initiative called Project Re: Cycle, which gathers and refurbishes used bicycles for distribution to the local needy and to villages in Belize. The bicycles are stored until a designated repair night, when volunteers gather to help tune up the bikes. ECUADORIAN ADOPTION
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Council 13145 in Baton Rouge, La., financially adopted a child in one of the eight Santa Maria de la Esperanza foster homes in Santa Elena, Ecuador. Knights provide $300 per year, which helps with the child’s upbringing. BOOKS FOR TANZANIA
Members of Father Rodolfo Cabonce Council 8587 in Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, plant new mangrove seedlings in a body of water near Taytay. Knights planted approximately 3,000 seedlings in the aftermath of a typhoon. 30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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• Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao
St. Pius X Council 12656 in Portland, Ore., launched a project titled “Books for Tanzania” to collect school and reference books for the Diocese of Moshi in the African nation. Knights collected several shipping containers full of books that will be distributed to Mwenge University,
Arnel Valenzuela, a member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Council 15700 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, and a teacher at Netzaberg Middle School, smiles while donating blood at U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr. Father H. Timothy Vakoc Assembly at the Ramstein Air Base sponsored the blood drive in conjunction with the Landstuhl Blood Donor Center and the USO. The event netted 107 units of blood.
two seminaries, two nursing schools, 31 high schools, 11 grade schools and various libraries. The council paid for shipping costs through several fundraisers.
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Making the Grade For decades, Knights have supported local students with scholarships to help advance their education
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Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild: NAME ADDRESS CITY
Members of the Knights of Columbus Long Island Chapter present scholarships to local students in 1947.
AS THE MONTH of August dawns, students everywhere are enjoying their last weeks of summer freedom while parents prepare for back-to-school shopping trips to purchase everything from backpacks to tablet computers. As in years past, many of these students are going on to high school, college or private schools with assistance from their local K of C units. Educational grants are a time-honored tradition for local Knights, who often work hard at fundraising throughout the year to sustain their councils’ scholarly endowments. In addition to those grants given by the Supreme Council (which will be published in the September issue of Columbia), Knights at the grassroots level reported giving $7 million in scholarships and educational grants last year, according to the 2012-13 Survey of Fraternal Activity. Besides scholarships, though, Knights have been long-time champions of education, especially school choice and the rights of parents to educate their children. In 1923, the Supreme Council donated $10,000 to cover legal expenses associated with striking down a law in Oregon that would have required all children to attend public school — essentially putting all private and parochial schools in the state out of business. This donation was crucial in setting the groundwork for the case that would eventually test the constitutionality of the Oregon law. Two years later, the Supreme Court decision Pierce v. Society of Sisters enshrined the right to school choice once and for all. Finally, for those responding to God’s call there’s the Refund Support Vocations (RSVP) program, which has provided more than $56 million to 91,694 seminarians, novices and postulants since 1981. Through the program, K of C units in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines receive a refund from the Supreme Council for contributing at least $500 toward the education of a man or woman who is considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Whether helping students pursue a higher education or filling the ranks of the next generation of priests and religious, the Knights will always stand shoulder to shoulder with those seeking to better themselves through education.
STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org
OFFICIAL AUG. 1, 2013:
To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.
AUGUST 2013
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C O LU M B I A N I S M B Y D E G R E E S
Charity
Unity
Fraternity
Patriotism
WILLIAM RODRIGUES JR. of Bishop Louis Maigret Assembly in Honolulu kneels so that students from St. Ann School can examine a relic of St. Marianne Cope. Knights provided support in guarding the relic during its two-week tour. The assembly also provided security for Bishop Clarence R. Silva of Honolulu and other bishops who participated in an interfaith prayer service with the relic.
BOB WELLE, Mike Pettengill and Duane Pocta of Our Lady of Fatima Council 3118 in Fergus Falls, Minn., cook pork chops on an outdoor grill during a charity dinner to benefit council member Steve Keilen. Keilen lost his wife after a long illness and is facing extensive medical bills. The dinner raised more than $4,300 to help with his debt.
EAGLE SCOUTS Ben Sasin and Dillon Paul, along with an honor guard from Father Patrick J. Kelly Assembly in Indianapolis, look on as Father John Zahn blesses a U.S. flag at Cathedral High School. The assembly donated a new 20-foot by 30-foot flag to the school, which was raised for the first time with assistance from 13 students.
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AUGUST 2013
UNITY: Sister Malia Dominica Wong, O.P./Hawaii Catholic Herald
MEMBERS OF Oconto (Wash.) Council 1475 guide a new cross into place at a local Catholic cemetery as part of a restoration project. When Knights noticed that the cemetery’s crucifix monument, built in 1833, was in serious disrepair, they spearheaded an initiative to restore it. With plans to simply repaint the memorial’s giant cross, council members ended up repairing the memorial stone with 960 pounds of mortar, spreading six yards of new topsoil and replacing the cross entirely when they learned that the original was too rotted to salvage.
KNIGH TS O F CO L U M B U S
Building a better world one council at a time Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.
TO
BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S
C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW
Members of St. Isidore the Farmer Council 13594 in Lope de Vega, Visayas, dig up the ground in front of their church in preparation for the construction of a parish social hall. Knights aided with the early phases of the construction project to get the site ready for building.
“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” H AVEN , CT 06510-3326
PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : OR E - MAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC . ORG .
AUGUST 2013
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PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
KEEP T H E F A I T H A L I V E
‘I WAS DRAWN IRRESISTIBLY TO SERVE’
FATHER CHARLES W. BRODERICK Archdiocese of Moncton, New Brunswick
Photo by Kelly LeBlanc Photography
All that we have, we have from the hand of a generous God. From a very young age, this belief has been central to my life, and for 46 years I celebrated it in partnership with Helen, a wonderful wife and mother. Although God called her home early, we were blessed with four wonderful sons and six beautiful grandchildren. With Helen’s death, I again sought, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, how to fruitfully share my time, talent and faith. I’ve always been drawn to service: volunteering at my parish, being an active member of my Knights of Columbus council, helping in the community and in the school system, and serving in local government. As I contemplated my future after Helen’s death, I was drawn irresistibly to serve the faith community, and was overjoyed when the archbishop accepted my candidacy for the priesthood. Seminary was both enjoyable and challenging, and now, in my senior years, life as an assistant priest is very humbling and fulfilling. I pray that God will bless my priestly ministry as richly as he had blessed my life.