Columbia December 2010

KNI GHT S O F CO LUMBU S

D ECEMBER 2010

COLUMBIA

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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DecembeR 2010 ♦ VoLume 90 ♦ NumbeR 12

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

8 Let the Word Go Forth Reflections about how President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address continues to challenge and inspire 50 years later.

12 The Quiet Consensus

The supreme knight’s new book highlights moral agreement on a number of issues thought to be divisive.

BY MATTHEW ST. JOHN

14 The Depths of Faith Grace, a novel plan and the determination of a Texas Knight combined to unearth the Chilean miners.

BY SHARI BIEDIGER

16 Ambassadors of Hope

A special medical team reaches out to Haiti following January’s earthquake.

BY TOM TRACY

18 Charity in the Face of Tragedy

Providing flood relief and seeking interreligious dialogue, Catholics in Pakistan respond in faith.

BY SCOTT ALESSI

22 Greeting the Season PAINTING: Rembrandt van Rijn, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1824, National Gallery, London/Art Resource

Knights of Columbus Christmas card program helps to keep Christ in Christmas.

Together with Mary and Joseph, shepherds surround and adore the newborn Christ child who illuminates the scene in Rembrandt van Rijn’s 17th-century painting.

BY PATRICK SCALISI

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world Although the world stands in judgment of the Gospel, we must allow Christ to transform our lives.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith We are commanded to promote the gift of human life at all of its stages.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

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Knights of Columbus News Knights Celebrate Opening of New Seminary in Cuba • ‘Hope for Haiti’s Children’ Program Underway • Knights of Columbus Underwrites Kennedy Grave site Restoration • Three New Cardinals are Members of the Knights • Order Assists with Cause for Canonization of Vietnamese Cardinal

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Fathers for Good Welcoming a new child helped us to see the meaning of Advent.

BY SÉBASTIEN LACROIX

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Columbia Conversation An interview about C.S. Lewis and his Christian imagination.

BY ALTON PELOWSKI

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Knights in Action

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Columbianism by Degrees

DECEMBER 2010

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‘God’s work must truly be our own’ “SO FAITH, HOPE, LOVE remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13).

Although these familiar words of St. Paul are often associated with weddings, the love Paul writes about goes far beyond the spousal love between a man and a woman. Rather, he is referring to the theological virtue of charity (caritas), which is both the foundation and the goal of Christian moral life.

Of course, the word charity — like the word love — can have various meanings. So what does it mean to speak of charity as a theological virtue? The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the theological virtues “have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object” (1812). From this perspective, it is easy to see that when our lives are inspired by charity, it is love of God, and love of our neighbors for love of God, that moves us to action. But the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity also have God as their origin.

As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), in order for a person to become “a source from which rivers of living water flow … one must constantly drink anew from the original source, which is Jesus Christ” (7). The theological virtues are not acquired by human effort. Infused at baptism, strengthened by the Eucharist and restored through reconciliation, they are wholly a matter of grace and allow us to participate in God’s very life, such that we can say

with St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

At the conclusion of his historic inaugural address, delivered 50 years ago next month, President John F. Kennedy acknowledged that “here on earth God’s work must truly be our own” (see page 8). Those words serve as a valuable reminder to Knights of Columbus — and to all Christians — that ordinary people are able to accomplish extraordinary things when they cooperate with the grace of God. When Texas Knight Greg Hall led the remarkable rescue of Chilean miners this past fall, he recognized the work of a divine hand throughout the operation (see page 14). When Dr. Manuel Alzugaray, a Knight from Miami, put his medical expertise at the service of sick and injured people in southern Haiti, he knew that he was not the ultimate source of the people’s hope (see page 16). And when Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan, Pakistan, brought aid and spiritual support to the people of his flood-ravaged nation, he did so as a humble servant in the name of Christ (see page 18).

But what do the theological virtues mean for those whom God has not called to do extraordinary things such as these? Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta had an answer: “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI MANAGING EDITOR

Knights of Columbus Book Club — December 2010 In World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty is Vital to American National Security (Oxford, 2008), Thomas F. Farr argues for a new diplomacy for the United States that respects the pivotal role religion plays in shaping global politics. Farr, a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, served as the U.S. State Department’s first director of the Office of International Religious Freedom. Please join us at kofc.org/bookclub for a discussion with the author on Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m. EST. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2010

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 Emilio B. Moure SUPREME SECRETARY Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brian Dowling brian.dowling@kofc.org CREATIVE & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ________ GRAPHICS Michelle McCleary LAYOUT Original design by Lee Rader

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 PHONE 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 ________ 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 © 2010 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER The Holy Family is depicted in a 19th-century Mexican painting by Carlos Martínez.

coVeR: Sagrada Familia Con El Espíritu Santo, carlos martínez, 19th century/Religious Heritage collection, Knights of columbus museum, New Haven, conn.

E D I TO R I A L

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

A Life-Changing Faith Although the world stands in judgment of the Gospel, we must allow Christ to transform our lives

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

THE FRENCH Catholic writer while others simply walk away with Charles Péguy (1873-1914) observed, continued disbelief.

“For the first time since Jesus, we In the end, we each stand before have seen, under our very eyes … a the very mystery of creation and cannew world arise … after Jesus and not escape the question that it preswithout Jesus.” Péguy was speaking ents to us: Is this universe a reality ment of our faith, and we are faced about recent events in the Europe of that is beneficent, malevolent or sim- with the question, “Is it really possible to live in a way that shows the his day, but as we reflect on these ply indifferent? words a century later, we must admit For thousands of years, countless promises of Christ to be true?” As that the cultural trend about which human beings believed that the uni- Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in he spoke has become more pro- verse was a malevolent or an indiffer- his encyclical Spe Salvi, people who nounced in Europe and throughout ent reality. But the Book of Wisdom possess Christian faith and hope live the Western Hemisphere. reminds us that the universe is neither differently.

As Knights of Columbus, we greet Despite Péguy’s sobering outlook, of these: “For you love all things that we can experience a faith that is pro- are and loathe nothing that you have each other with the words, “Vivat found and life-changing. We have made; for what you hated, you would Jesus!” These words testify to the fact that we place our faith in a seen the great saints of our living reality — a reality that time — such as Mother makes a difference in the way Teresa and Pope John Paul II We are faced with the question, we live. Furthermore, we — and have met other saints dedicate ourselves to the known only to their neigh“Is it really possible to live in a principles of charity, unity bors and colleagues. way that shows the promises of and fraternity — not for We are faced, then, with some special few, but for all, the great mystery that some Christ to be true?” just as the Gospel requires. accept the Gospel of Jesus We stand in solidarity with Christ and others reject it. our bishops and priests — Consider the story of the encounter between Zacchaeus, the not have fashioned. And how could a those men who, like Zacchaeus, have tax collector, and Jesus. When the thing remain, unless you willed it; or stood before Jesus in faith and have Lord announces that he will stay with be preserved, had it not been called said, “yes.” They have dedicated their lives to trusting in the promises of Zacchaeus, who has climbed a tree to forth by you?” (Wis 11:24-25). see him, the crowd grumbles: “He has We know, too, that the Lord so Christ and to testifying not only for gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” loves the world that he sent his only the good of the Christian commuYet, Jesus says, “Today salvation has Son to redeem it (cf. Jn 3:16). Be- nity, but also for the common good come to this house” (Lk 19:9). cause of the reality of God’s love, we of society as a whole.

And now, as we await the coming All the people assembled that day have been liberated from the absurd saw the same Jesus and heard his futility of a meaningless existence be- of our Savior’s birth, we must rededwords. But while it was a day of faith fore an indifferent cosmos. Instead, icate ourselves to the work of the new and salvation for Zacchaeus, others we have the privilege of praying to evangelization. United in faith and left grumbling in opposition.

God with the words “Our Father” hope, in charity and fraternity, we are The lives of some today are likewise and trusting in a redeemer who treats called to seek the Lord and receive the salvation that he brings. changed forever when confronted us as a brother.

Vivat Jesus! with the living reality of Jesus Christ, The world today stands in judg-

DECEMBER 2010

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

In Defense of Human Life We are commanded to protect and promote the gift of human life at all of its stages

by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT is at the heart of the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life. It is at the core of the Gospel of Life, which the Church constantly proclaims in fidelity to her Lord who came to give us abundant life (cf. Jn 10:10). The lives that Jesus came to redeem are sacred by their very nature. Each person was created in God’s image and likeness and created to enjoy God’s friendship.

The starkly negative prohibition, “You shall not kill,” is meant to protect God’s great gift of human life, which should always be treated with respect and love (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 466). As Pope John Paul II wrote, “The gift becomes a commandment and the commandment itself is a gift” (Evangelium Vitae, 52).

PROTECTING THE INNOCENT The Church teaches that there is a legitimate right of self-defense, but it must never be out of rage or use any more force than is necessary. Pope John Paul II reminds us of the beautiful witness of those who, while grateful for the gift of life, have laid down their lives for others (EV, 55). Those responsible for the lives of others have not only the The 32nd installment of Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori’s faith formation program addresses questions 466-486 of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Archived articles are at kofc.org.

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right, but also the grave duty to defend themselves and those entrusted to their care (Compendium, 467).

Moreover, public authorities may legitimately punish those who break the law so as to protect public safety and to correct offenders (468). Such punishment must be proportionate to the crime. Today, because there are means other than capital punishment to protect society from dangerous criminals, both the Church and many segments of society have reached the conclusion that, as a practical matter, capital punishment should no longer be administered (469).

unjust and weaken “the very foundations of a state based on law” (472).

As health care becomes more and more complex, questions arise about appropriate levels of care. Experimental treatments and organ transplants are morally acceptable so long as the risks are not disproportionate and the patient or donor, when fully informed, gives consent. Organ donation after death is “a noble act,” but before organs are removed, the death of the donor must be verified (475-6).

For those near death, ordinary medical care should not More than the absence of war, be interrupted. It is legitimate to administer drugs to manage peace calls for a society that is pain, but not to hasten death. both just and charitable.

There is no moral obligation to employ drugs and medical procedures without reasonable expectation that they will benefit The Fifth Commandment unequiv- the patient (471). “Right to die” legisocally forbids the taking of innocent lation that seeks to legalize euthanasia human life, from conception to natural must be strongly resisted.

The dying should always be given death. The Church is clear that no one is permitted to ask for, or even consent loving care and supported by prayer to, the killing of an innocent human and the sacraments so that they might being — whether at the beginning, be prepared to meet God (477). Believmiddle or end of life. “Nor can any au- ing in the resurrection of the body, we thority legitimately recommend or per- are to treat the bodies of the deceased mit such an action” (470; CDF, with love and respect. Cremation is permitted so long as it is not a way of Declaration on Euthanasia, 3).

Pro-life initiatives — such as those denying belief in the resurrection of the undertaken by the Knights of Columbus body (479).

— are inspired by the conviction that the Creator, not the state, endows each SEEKING PEACE person with the inalienable right to life. The Fifth Commandment also bids us Laws that permit abortion are inherently to be peacemakers. This requires that

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

each of us renounce hatred and seek to build bonds of understanding and friendship in a fractured world (480).

More than the absence of war, peace calls for a society that is both just and charitable (401-14).

Yet, we also face the question of when it is legitimate to use military force. The conditions for a just war remain: 1) The suffering inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave and certain; 2) all other peaceful means must be shown to be ineffective; 3) there are well-founded prospects of success; and 4) the use of arms, especially weapons of mass destruction, must not produce evils greater than the

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

Offered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI GENERAL: That our personal experience of suffering may be an occasion for better understanding the situation of unease and pain which is the lot of many people who are alone, sick or aged, and stir us all to give them generous help.

PHoToGRAPH oF PoPe: cNS photo/Paul Haring

MISSION: That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to his Gospel of peace, brotherhood and justice.

evil to be eliminated (483). Governments have an obligation to adhere strictly to these standards, even as they have the right to ask citizens to defend their homeland.

Governments also have the duty to respect conscientious objectors; those who do not engage in national defense in time of war should perform some other community service (484). We should be grateful to those who bravely defend their country and remember those who have paid the ultimate price to defend human freedom and dignity.

In time of war, every effort must be made to treat innocent civilians, wounded soldiers and prisoners of war

humanely. The provisions of international law must be respected. All acts of mass destruction and the extermination of minorities or religious groups are utterly grievous evils. Orders to engage in such acts should not be obeyed (485).

In view of the crimes and atrocities that occur in wartime, we must do everything possible to avoid war. Our commitment to charity, fraternity and unity should prompt us to root out “all forms of economic and social injustice; ethnic and religious discrimination; envy, mistrust, pride, and the spirit of revenge” (486). In all these ways, we are to live the Gospel the Life and propose it convincingly to the world.♦

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

Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) Memorial: Dec. 1 CHARLES EUGÈNE de Foucauld was born into an aristocratic French family in 1858 and was orphaned at age 6. Having rejected Christianity in his later youth, he joined the French military and was stationed in North Africa.

After a few years, he resigned his post and set off to explore Morocco. Curiously, it was his encounter with Muslims that rekindled the Christian faith of his childhood. “My God,” he prayed, “if you exist, let me come to know you.”

Returning to France in 1886, he came back to the faith with the encouragement and assistance of a local priest, who remained his confessor and spiritual advisor for most of his life. Reflecting on this experience, Charles remarked, “As soon as I believed in God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live for him alone.”

This initially led him to become a Trappist monk, first in France and then at a daughter abbey in Syria. After further discernment, however, he recognized a call to serve God as a solitary hermit. Having received the Church’s

permission, he took up residence near a monastery of Poor Clare nuns in Nazareth, taking the name Brother Charles of Jesus.

He returned to France for a time and was ordained a priest in 1901. He spent most of his remaining years in the Sahara Desert, living what he called the “hidden life of Jesus.” He was killed by a band of anti-French marauders in Algeria on Dec. 1, 1916, and was beatified Nov. 13, 2005. The life of Charles de Foucauld illustrates the great lengths, both spiritual and physical, that a man must sometimes travel to follow Christ.♦

DECEMBER 2010

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Knights Celebrate Opening of New Seminary in Cuba

A statue of Christ is seen outside the new national Catholic seminary on the outskirts of Havana Nov. 3. It is the first Catholic construction on the island in more than 50 years. seminary during his 1998 apostolic visit to Cuba.

Supreme Secretary Emilio B. Moure, who joined the supreme knight in representing the Order at the dedication, was born in Cuba and came with his family to the United States in 1967 at age 11. He first met Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in 2002. That

Three New Cardinals are Members of the Knights POPE BENEDICT XVI presided over a consistory Nov. 20 in which 24 bishops and archbishops from around the world were elevated to the College of Cardinals. Three of them are Knights of Columbus.

Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, joined the Order in 1977 in La Crosse, Wis., while he was still a parish priest. He is currently a member of Bishops Council 10490 in St. Louis, where he served as archbishop from 2004-2008. Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl became a Knight while serving as a priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1979 and is now a member of The Catholic University of America Council 9542 in Washington, D.C., where he has served as archbishop since 2006. Finally, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, Poland, joined St. Wojciech Council 14271 in Warsaw soon after the council was established in 2007.♦ 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2010

meeting eventually led to the Order’s involvement with the project.

Also attending the dedication were Cuba President Raul Castro, the bishops of Cuba, and representatives of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church in the United States, Mexico, Italy and the Bahamas.

The Order founded its first council in Cuba in 1909 and in recent years has renewed activity there.♦

Order Assists with Cause for Canonization of Cardinal ON OCT. 22, the cause for the canonization of Cardinal François Xavier Nguyen Van Thuân (1928-2002) — the Vietnamese prelate who heroically endured 13 years of Communist imprisonment for his Catholic faith — officially opened in Rome.

The Knights of Columbus funded the travel expenses to the event in Rome for three witnesses to the cardinal’s holiness, including two of his former prison guards. The Knights also assisted with the translation into Italian of a documentary about the cardinal’s life. Salt + Light Television in Toronto originally produced the film, titled Road of Hope, with the Order’s support in 2008.

On the occasion of the five-year anniversary of the cardinal’s death in 2007, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said: “The cardinal’s life of holiness is truly inspiring, and I am sure that the cause for his canonization will find widespread support.”♦

cNS photo/Desmond boylan, Reuters

IN CEREMONIES Nov. 3-5, the Catholic Church in Cuba inaugurated its first new seminary in more than 50 years. The project was largely funded by the Knights of Columbus, as well as by donations from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic organizations.

The new San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary, located about 30 miles outside of Havana, replaces a similar facility that was seized by the Communist government in 1966 — an event that exemplified strained relations with the Church over the past five decades. The opening of the new seminary signifies another step in the improving relations between the Catholic Church and the state.

In remarks Nov. 4, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “Today, we write a new page in the history of Cuba. We write this page mindful of the many sacrifices that have brought us to this day. But we write this page with joy and hope because we write it in the bright light of the springtime of the new evangelization.”

The project was made possible, Anderson added, by Pope John Paul II, who blessed the cornerstone of the

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Order Underwrites Kennedy Grave Site Restoration RESTORATION work began Oct. 27 at the grave site of President John F. Kennedy, where the words of his inaugural address, engraved in a granite wall opposite the eternal flame over his tomb, had become difficult to read after decades of weathering. The restoration of the lettering was underwritten by the Knights of Columbus, of which Kennedy was a member from 1946 until his assassination in 1963.

On Jan. 20, 2011, the nation will mark the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s inaugural address, which is perhaps best remembered for the phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” That quote, as well as others from the inaugural address and additional speeches, is inscribed in the gravesite wall.

The original engraving was done by master stonemason John Everett Benson, who continues his trade in Rhode Island at the age of 72. Gordon Ponsford undertook the restoration work and has completed similar projects at

John Benson (left) joins Gordon Ponsford in restoring the engraved text at John F. Kennedy’s grave site at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. more than a dozen sites in Arlington National Cemetery in recent years.

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said that the Order “is proud and honored to be able to make this contribution to honoring the memory of President Kennedy. His words inspired an entire generation, not just in America, but throughout the world. We are

grateful for the opportunity to work with Arlington National Cemetery in helping to ensure that those words will continue to inspire all who visit his final resting place.”

President Kennedy, the first Catholic president of the United States, was a member of Bunker Hill Council 62 in Charlestown, Mass.♦

‘Hope for Haiti’s Children’ Program Underway THREE MONTHS after the Knights of Columbus announced its donation of $1 million to Project Medishare to provide prostheses to Haitian children who lost limbs in the January earthquake, a large shipment of the prosthetic devices was sent to Port-au-Prince in early November.

At a Nov. 8 news conference held at the Hialeah, Fla., facility where the prosthetic devices were being prepared for shipment, representatives of the organizations involved expressed enthusiasm for the difference that the “Hope for Haiti’s Children” program will make in the lives of child amputees.

An estimated 1,000 children underwent amputations after suffering severe injuries in the earthquake. Project Medishare, which operates a critical-care, trauma and rehabilitation hospital in Port-au-Prince and clinics in the Central Plateau, is equipped to fit prostheses and to provide physical therapy once patients have been fitted with the devices. The Knights of Columbus agreed to underwrite the cost of both the prostheses and the therapy for children who needed them. Recip-

Supreme Secretary Emilio Moure, pictured with Dr. Robert Gailey of Project Medishare, expresses the enthusiasm of the Knights of Columbus for the “Hope for Haiti’s Children” program. ients will be supplied with up to three prostheses (as they outgrow them) and two years of physical therapy.

“Bringing the gift of mobility and independence to these children is an important investment in their lives and, through them, in Haiti’s future,” said Supreme Secretary Emilio B. Moure.♦

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resident-elect John F. Kennedy did not sleep more than four hours the night before he was sworn into office. Rising on Jan. 20, 1961, Kennedy ate breakfast and attended Mass at Holy Trinity Church near Georgetown University. A heavy snowstorm the night before mangled the city’s traffic and closed the airport. As snow covered streets, cars,

P

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houses and sidewalks, some suggested that the inauguration should be postponed.

After meeting President Dwight D. Eisenhower for a cup of coffee at the White House before the day’s events, Kennedy and Eisenhower climbed into the black presidential limousine and traveled in parade to the Capitol.

bettmann/corbis

President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address continues to challenge and inspire 50 years later

‘Let the

word Go Forth’

President Kennedy delivers his inaugural address as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy and a host of dignitaries look on.

Cardinal Richard J. Cushing of Boston, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos, singer Marian Anderson, Vice Presidentelect Lyndon B. Johnson and poet Robert Frost took turns at the lectern reciting prayers, the national anthem, speeches and poetry before Kennedy came forward. At 12:51 p.m., with his hand on his family’s Bible, Kennedy took the oath of office and delivered his historic inaugural address.

Lasting 13 minutes and 59 seconds, his 1,364-word speech told the world that Americans were “heirs of that first revolution” and that they would “pay any price” for liberty. They would work together, he said, to manage arms use, explore the wonders of

science and create a country “where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.” The speech, in which Kennedy did not hesitate to quote Scripture, concluded by asking for God’s blessing and help in these endeavors and noted that “here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”

Much has changed in the past 50 years, but Kennedy’s speech holds clear challenges for today, just as it did in January 1961.

We include here several reflections from prominent Knights and Church leaders on the enduring significance of Kennedy’s words, challenging us to look at them anew and to consider their relevance to the future of the United States and the world.

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INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION remember it as if it were yesterday. Just about every student in St. Joseph’s dormitory at Providence College filled the recreation room to watch President John F. Kennedy deliver his inaugural address to millions of people across the country. The sense of excitement at our small Catholic college was overwhelming. Pre-med majors joined young men studying for the priesthood to watch history being made in America. Many of us had seen and met Sen. John F. Kennedy only a short distance away from our college the day before he was elected president.

Inauguration Day had started like any other day at P.C. — with Mass in the chapel. I’ll never forget what Dominican Father Robert Slavin, then-president of Providence College, said to us that day: “Gentleman, you’re living in a great and changing country. The barriers that your parents and grandparents experienced have been removed — not just because of an election, but because of prayer, courage and perseverance. Always remember that with God, all things are possible.”

During that historic evening, we listened to President Kennedy’s moving and eloquent address on television. He challenged and inspired us to give, not just take — to ask ourselves what we can do for our country and for the cause of freedom. These were among the most important words of advice that my generation ever heard.

When the speech was over, a cart filled with soda and sandwiches was wheeled into the jam-packed room. Father Raymond St. George turned off the TV and led us in a prayer of thanksgiving.

“Back to the study hall, men,” Father St. George said. “Tomorrow is a new day in America, and many challenges remain. But always remember the motto of our great Dominican college: Veritas. Truth.”

I was in the U.S. Army when President Kennedy was killed, and I stood outside the White House when his body was brought home. I thought of those two days many times over the years, but always with determination and pride in being a Catholic.

I

RAY FLYNN is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1971-79), Mayor of Boston (1984-93) and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See (1993-97). He is a member of Pere Marquette Counil 271 in South Boston, Mass.

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From left: Words from the conclusion of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address are seen engraved in granite near Kennedy’s tomb in Arlington National Cemetery. • Kennedy delivers his inaugural address Jan. 20, 1961, at the U.S. Capitol. • Gordon Ponsford works to restore the engraved words of Kennedy’s address, made difficult to read by decades of weathering (see story on page 7).

‘THE BEST OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT’ fter so many years and so much history, John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address can be hard to read. It’s too pure, too strong in its simplicity, and too moving — especially for those of us who actually heard it delivered as young adults and believed in its promise. Kennedy gave one of the great speeches of American public rhetoric — maybe the greatest since Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. His words, at the same time forceful and elegant, distilled the best of the American spirit — and Kennedy clearly embodied those words.

However, it is impossible to look honestly at America today and compare it to Kennedy’s vision without seeing that something vital about our country, something precious and fundamental, has been squandered. We’re not the same nation that heard Kennedy speak on that January day 50 years ago.

At a time when many of our leaders, educators and mass media representatives seem embarrassed by words like “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God,” then even the greatest speech has passed from living witness to dead nostalgia. When many of America’s young people no longer know who Isaiah was, or why Kennedy might quote him, or from what book Kennedy got his exhortation to “undo the heavy burdens” and “let the oppressed go free,” then we’re reading a museum piece, not a call to action.

We create the future by our choices, and we make a decent and worthy future when we remember that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The American experiment had that simple biblical truth as one of its foundation stones. The more we remember it as disciples and citizens, the more life we breathe back into Kennedy’s great text.

A

MOST REV. CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP., archbishop of Denver, is a member of Denver Council 539.

WITH SINCERE APPRECIATION ennedy’s inaugural address was an oratorical masterpiece, the equal of anything ever written by Jefferson or Lincoln.

His staff would tell me later that Kennedy resented speculation that Ted Sorensen had written it for him. Though Sorensen undoubtedly contributed several resonant phrases to the finished work, the thoughts and expressions were pure Kennedy, a past master at oratorical magic. He deserved full credit. Consider, for instance, the phrase: “Let the word go forth from this time and place.” Would any other American president have dared to employ such imperialistic words, matching those of the Declaration of the Independence? And even years later, I wonder what the reaction of today’s courts would be to the speech’s pronounced spiritual language to quietly, but effectively, speak for all mankind. Kennedy couldn’t have been more emphatic about the need for religious convictions in the work of government: “Knowing that, here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.” …

Before the inauguration, Kennedy had wryly announced that, symbolic of his dedication to the office of the president, he would be at his desk “by the crack of nine” the morning after taking the oath. And he was. I can vouch for it because his first call from the Oval Office — as I later discovered — was to me. …

[I told him:] “We — I — am so very proud of you. People will be quoting those words for generations.” (Little did I know I’d be doing exactly that at his funeral less than three years later.) My praise, apparently, caught Kennedy off-guard.

He seemed both genuinely surprised and touched by my sincere words of appreciation.

K

MOST REV. PHILIP HANNAN, archbishop emeritus of New Orleans, is a member of Washington Council 224.

This passage was excerpted from The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots: Memoir of an Extraordinary Life (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010) with Nancy Collins and Peter Finney Jr.

The Knights of Columbus invites all Catholic high school students to participate in an essay contest titled Why President Kennedy’s Words Still Matter. Entries are due Jan. 20, 2011.

For details on contest rules, resources and prizes, visit kofc.org/jfk. For questions or to obtain a contest kit for your school, call 203-752-4264 or 866-522-8465.

A FAIR WARNING rom his first moments in office, President Kennedy gave the world fair warning: Americans are by nature a very stubborn people. They would never stand for even “the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.” No, Kennedy vowed, when it came to human rights, we would be implacable. We would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

The new president also had a warning for his fellow Americans. He cautioned against complacency, lest authentic freedom be undermined at home. “We dare not forget,” he said, “that we are the heirs” of the American Revolution and the principle that animated it — that “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” That was Jefferson’s argument in the Declaration of Independence. It was Lincoln’s argument at Gettysburg. And it was the message of Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, when they amended the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance to include the words “under God” — a change made at the urging of the Knights of Columbus. Those words of the Pledge serve as a reminder that the government must respect the rights of the people because those rights come from a source higher than the reach of the state.

This vision of freedom, of course, will always have its enemies and must constantly be defended. Kennedy saw that, and he enjoined on all Americans a now-famous statement: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

These words serve as something of an examination of conscience. At this moment in our history, we ought to ask ourselves: What is the single most important thing we can do for America? The logic of Kennedy’s inaugural address surely suggests the answer: We must remember just Who it is that sets the government’s lawful limits. We Americans must be true to our nature. We must be stubborn. We must be very, very stubborn.♦

F

KEVIN J. “SEAMUS” HASSON is founder and president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a member of Potomac Council 433 in Washington, D.C.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 11

quiet consensus

The supreme knight’s new book highlights moral agreement on a number of issues thought to be divisive

by Matthew St. John

M

any are wondering what the future holds for the United States. There is much to be done, and there is no shortage of crises to address, including those of national finance, war, immigration, health care and partisanship. But there is another foundational problem that most Americans see — a moral crisis.

The cause of this predicament and how Americans believe it can be solved is the subject of a new book by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson titled Beyond A House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street, and the Media (Doubleday, 2010).

The book presents data from polls commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by The Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Bolstered by similar data from a number of other respected sources, it moves beyond popular theories of bitter partisanship and hopeless divisions in the U.S. electorate and identifies a quiet consensus informed by a belief in traditional values.

A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT More than 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln famously applied

the words of Jesus to the issue of slavery: “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Mt 12:25). Those words, which Lincoln spoke as his party’s candidate for Senate in Illinois, remain true today. Less remembered, however, were Lincoln’s opening words that night: “If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.”

Beyond A House Divided begins to identify the answers to these questions and, while not exhaustive and inclusive of all the issues facing our nation, examines how many of these problems might be approached.

“Every book has its purpose,” Anderson explains in the foreword. “This one was written to contribute to the national conversation about what direction the country ought to take based not on a partisan political approach, but on the moral sense — and consensus — of the American people.”

Rather than “starting at the political poles and moving toward the center on the basis of compromise,” Anderson advocates “a different starting point” — namely, seeking the common ground of the American people.

This common ground starts with a belief that the moral com-

Beyond a House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street, and the Media by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is available at bookstores everywhere (ISBN: 978-0307887740). All author proceeds are being donated to charity. To order the book or for more information, visit beyondahousedivided.com.

12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2010

pass of the nation is pointing in the wrong direction — a view held in common by 73 percent of Americans.

As such, there is a perceived disconnect between the people, their institutions and the impact of those institutions on the morality of the nation. When asked about the effect of institutions and groups on America’s moral compass, the majority of people agree that everyone from politicians and the news media to the entertainment industry and professional athletes skew the nation’s moral compass in the wrong direction. By contrast, more than half of Americans believe that volunteers, charitable organizations, the military, private education, law enforcement, families and doctors have a positive effect on America’s moral compass.

In fact, the polling found that Americans are three times more likely to believe that the greatest hope for the nation’s future lies in a return to traditional values than in anything else.

DISCOVERING COMMON GROUND The beliefs of the American people actually have a lot in common with Catholic social teaching. Polling demonstrates that most Americans believe in God, are happily married, are cognizant of the negative effects of divorce and would significantly restrict abortion. In addition, the majority of Americans expect ethical behavior in business and in politics, value charities and volunteers, donate money and spend time volunteering, and indentify having a family and being close to God as two of their top life goals.

Somewhere between the moral recession that Americans currently see and the moral change they believe in for the fu-

ture lies a whole host of issues on which the American people — surprisingly — agree. There is a consensus that is often ignored or overlooked on the topics of business ethics, abortion, health care, marriage, immigration and the proper balance of church and state.

For instance, there is an 80 percent consensus in the United States today on abortion restriction, a two-thirds majority against redefining marriage, an 84 percent consensus on belief in God and a three-fourths majority on the interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Anderson’s analysis of these numbers in Beyond a House Divided is a refreshing, non-partisan and empirical assessment of the nation’s perceived problems and their solutions. It aims to spark a conversation that is long overdue — one that challenges Americans to reconsider the conventional wisdom that they have heard for so long.

Perhaps most importantly, it serves as a reminder to all that the United States is fundamentally a nation of ethics and morality, and that its people are people of traditional values.

Moreover, we will be missing a major part of the picture until we begin to view the problems facing United States and the world through the lens of a foundational, moral crisis. Only then will we truly move beyond a house divided.♦

MATTHEW ST. JOHN is a member of the management development program at the Knights of Columbus international headquarters in New Haven, Conn. He is a member of Father Michael J. McGivney Council 10705.

Hope for the Future Do you believe the moral compass of this country is pointing in the right direction or the wrong direction?

Which one of the following do you see is our greatest hope for the future of the nation?

Return to traditional moral values

27%

Right direction

73% Wrong direction

49%

Technological innovation

16%

A better business environment

13%

12%

10% 0%

60%

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 13

The Depths of

faith GRACE, A NOVEL PLAN AND THE DETERMINATION OF A TEXAS KNIGHT COMBINED TO UNEARTH THE CHILEAN MINERS

by Shari Biediger n the days following the Aug. 5 collapse of northern Chile’s San José copper and gold mine, rescuers and the families of the 33 missing miners tried not to lose hope. Yet, they knew that no human being, if he even survived the collapse, could survive very long without food and water.

Then, on day 17, rescuers found a rudimentary note secured by tape to the tip of an exploratory drill bit, revealing that all 33 miners were indeed alive. Following the discovery, Greg Hall’s engineering support team packed up and returned to their factory in northern Chile.

“We thought the job was done. We thought they may be able to find a duct to get them out,” recalled Hall, a 25-year veteran of the drilling industry and owner of the Chilean-based manufacturing and consulting firm Drillers Supply S.A. Yet, it became apparent over the following week that all paths out of the mine were blocked. Hall, a member of Anton J. Frank Council 8771, began working from his office in Houston on a plan to continue the rescue.

“I knew of only two drill rigs in the entire country that were minimally large enough to do the job,” Hall explained, adding that the power and vibration of such a large drill would present significant risks to the men trapped 2,300 feet below ground.

“I was concerned about causing another landslide like the one the miners got trapped by in the first place,” he said.

Then, a phone call from an acquaintance put him in touch with representatives from Center Rock, a manufacturing company in Pennsylvania. They believed their specialized down-the-hole drilling hammers could do the job, but could not get the attention of anyone in Chile.

Photos by eric Kayne

I

Collaborating with Center Rock and several other compa- ever, was recognizing that the same God present throughout nies, Hall then put together the best team he could find. What salvation history was now with them in the Chilean desert. Ulbecame known as “Plan B” was soon accepted and initiated, timately, Hall believes God drilled the hole that freed the minthanks to the reputation of Hall’s business and his government ers and that he merely “had a good seat” for the effort. relationships in Chile.

Hall and his team left the site just before the miners were “We realized quickly that this freed, because they wanted to give would be a very high-profile, highthe miners and their families the pressure job,” Hall said. “We were space to reconnect and celebrate. not drilling for gold; we were Instead, they watched the final resdrilling for people.” cue on TV from their homes and Knowing the job would be techhotel rooms as the miners emerged nically, emotionally and politically from the hole one by one. And complex, Hall challenged the engithough they did not relax until the neers on his team by asking, “What last man emerged on Oct. 13, Hall could you put up with if you were said that seeing the first man resdrilling to get your son out?” cued, Florencio Avalos, was particFrom the start, Hall’s assessment ularly meaningful. of the job’s difficulty proved cor“He was the one we had the rect. The depth, the unstable most contact with when they were ground, the hardness of the rock, in the hole,” said Hall. “He was aland the twists and turns of the ways asking us, ‘When are you borehole all combined to make the going to get me out?’” operation appear impossible to The experience made Hall all every drilling expert. the more grateful for the life he “If I was to sit back and think shares with his wife, Angelica, and about the entire scope of the opertheir three children, ages 26, 21 ation, I would have just said, ‘Forand 18. get it,’” added Hall.

“He is an amazing father and a Instead, the team concentrated great man and kind of like a superon drilling one meter at a time. hero to me,” said Greg Hall Jr. And as the days went on, it became “And I say that with all due respect more apparent that the operation because I tell him, ‘You own three was guided by divine providence. companies, you are becoming a Hall was moved by the deep faith deacon and you just saved the lives of the miners and how the men reof 33 people. You need to leave quested religious items such as something for me to do!’” rosaries and Bibles.

Earlier this year, when Greg On two separate occasions when Hall Jr. asked his father how he the drill became “hopelessly stuck” could better give himself in service and would not move, Hall began to to others, Hall’s encouragement pray. prompted his son to join the “I prayed that God would send Knights of Columbus. the angels to free the hammer bit,” The senior Hall also volunteers he said. “And in both cases, we got his time with a prison ministry some wiggle room, and we were and tells inmates that, no matter Above: Gregory E. Hall, coordinator for the rescue of 33 minable to continue the process. That what they have done in the past, ers trapped in a mine in Copiapo, Chile, holds a letter of apwas another miracle.”

God can work miracles through preciation from the miners. • Hall holds a piece of a drill bit Hall, who is preparing to be orthem. Most miracles, he said, are that broke off during the rescue process. dained a permanent deacon next simply not as public as the Chilean year, was also struck by the biblical rescue. significance of the number 33. The age of Jesus when he was “Miracles happen all the time,” Hall said. “But for some crucified, buried and rose again, happened to correspond to the reason, God chose to have this miracle televised all over the number of miners, the number of days of drilling, and even the world.”♦ number of years that the miners’ spiritual adviser, who was SHARI BIEDIGER works as a writer and communication specialist trapped with them, had worked in mining.

The most powerful source of spiritual comfort for Hall, how- in San Antonio.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 15

Ambassadors of

HOPE

A SPECIAL MEDICAL TEAM REACHES OUT TO HAITI FOLLOWING JANUARY’S EARTHQUAKE

I

t’s a sweltering August Saturday in Jacmel, a coastal city five hours from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Dr. Manuel A. Alzugaray lays out patients with back or hip pain across a makeshift exam table in the parish hall at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

The line of people seeking medical consultations presses tightly, pushing aggressively at times toward a school desk where volunteers check in patients and work as triage. A local priest stands on a chair and calls for order, refusing to let the 16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2010

situation get out of control. The clinic, which is a partnership between Haitian and Florida church personnel and the health volunteers who call themselves Miami Medical Team, will last for only two days.

Alzugaray, an orthopedic surgeon and member of Coral Gables (Fla.) Council 3274, works with his team of doctors, dentists, nurses, translators, support staff and clergy partners for eight hours in the heat with no breaks and no air conditioning. On this day, the team sees some 500 patients from

Photos by Tom Tracy

by Tom Tracy

Opposite page: Dr. Manuel Alzugaray stands to the left of Father Yves Pardo (center), who leads a prayer at the parish-based medical clinic.

Right: A woman and child take a seat at the clinic in view of the line of people waiting for medical attention in Jacmel, Haiti, in August. southern Haiti, which was substantially impacted by the earthquake.

The charitable efforts of Knights such as Alzugaray complement K of C-organized initiatives currently underway in Haiti — including a partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission and a project with Miami’s Project Medishare to supply prosthetic limbs and physical therapy to any child who lost an arm or leg in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

“Now the people are facing the real thing, the reality of their situation, so we have to come over here with support,” Alzugaray said, rattling off a list of health issues that his team has observed during their seven trips to Haiti since January.

“They see us coming here, and it gives them hope.”

A native of Cuba who studied medicine in Spain and the United States, Alzugaray is an exile who has had a private practice in Miami since 1975. He has held numerous fellowships and is trained in homeland security and traumatic stress, mass casualty, and terrorism response. He established the Miami Medical Team Foundation in 1983 as a nonprofit, traveling to regions of the world affected by wars and natural disasters. In all, the teams have visited 25 countries on five continents, including much of Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Russia and parts of Africa and the Middle East.

In Haiti, they treated a litany of maladies, including infections, intestinal and respiratory problems, malaria and dengue fever, and psychological and stress-related disturbances. At this particular clinic, trauma, sleeplessness, and other forms of depression or post-traumatic stress are directed to a Miami child psychiatrist and a priest therapist.

They listen to the Haitians’ stories and prescribe anti-depressants as needed, hoping that the clients will continue to have access to other forms of therapy. Behind the parish hall, out of view of the waiting line, a Miami dentist and assistants are seeing cases as fast as they can, tossing rotten teeth into a bucket.

Father Reginald Jean-Mary, pastor of Notre Dame d’Haiti Church in Miami, has been overseeing an ambitious biweekly schedule of pastoral and medical outreach trips to Haiti in the wake of the earthquake. He praised Miami Medical Team for its consistent efforts in helping create parish-based clinics around Haiti.

“I heard a lot of offers of help from the medical community after the earthquake, but Dr. Alzugaray has really come through,” Father Jean-Mary said, adding that Miami Medical traveled through hard-hit areas of Haiti outside the capital area, which has been the focus of foreign aid.

Miami Medical Team members pay for their own expenses with donated medicines and medical supplies. Some said they haven’t seen a situation as critical and desperate anywhere.

“This is the poorest country we have been in, and besides that, the earthquake created enormous problems in the infrastructure,” said Alzugaray. “Everything has to be done fast because there are a million people in despair here.”

Eugenio Silva, a prosthetist/orthotist from Miami, recently made his first visit to Haiti as an assistant in the makeshift pharmacy. After attending a Sunday Mass in Port-au-Prince with the rest of the team members, he toured a new monument to the victims of the earthquake at St. Louis, King of France Parish.

“I hope that monument is a catalyst for the rest of the city, an ignition point for the reconstruction of Haiti,” Silva said.

“I wish they could continue that wall right down the hill and into the slums all the way until they are done repairing that city.”

“We are giving to people what God has given to us in terms of health, family and a place to live,” added Alzugaray, who hopes their actions will inspire more physicians to go on medical mission trips. “You have to be there. Our presence is very important. When you do things like this, you believe in God, and he will do the rest.”♦ TOM TRACY writes from West Palm Beach, Florida. He traveled to Haiti in August with Miami Medical Team.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 17

C H inAtheR I T Y Face of Tragedy PROVIDING FLOOD RELIEF AND SEEKING INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, CATHOLICS IN PAKISTAN RESPOND IN FAITH

by Scott Alessi

oPPoSITe PAGe: cNS photo/Damir Sagolj, Reuters

T

orrential rains came down upon Pakistan in late July, setting in motion the most devastating floods in the country’s history. And despite the dangerous conditions and obstacles created by the disaster, the Catholic Church has been on the front lines of the relief efforts ever since.

Beginning in the north, the flood waters slowly made their way through all four of the country’s provinces, affecting more than 20 million people, according to the United Nations humanitarian office. The flooding destroyed homes, submerged farmlands and created mass shortages of food and clean water.

Roadways and bridges were also destroyed, hampering relief efforts, and Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reports that the estimated number of deaths has climbed to nearly 2,000.

Catholic aid organizations responded quickly to the widespread humanitarian crisis, with Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Pakistan joining efforts to bring food, emergency supplies and medical care to those afflicted by the flooding. Millions who lost their homes were placed in tents and transitional shelters, but after more than three months, many are still waiting for help.

“There are still places that have not been reached, where the people have not been assisted at all, and they are only reachable by boat,” said Jack Byrne, Catholic Relief Services’ representative in Pakistan. “Water is receding every day, but there are still some areas that are under water, and we are trying to reach these people.”

Amid the crisis, Bishop Andrew Francis of the Diocese of Multan emerged as a leader in the Catholic response. From the start of the monsoon in July, Bishop Francis and a team from his diocese, which covers the southern Punjab province in central Pakistan, began working to help those affected. The bishop waded through miles of flooded streets to bring many people to safety, praying the rosary aloud and carrying women and children to dry land.

Opposite Page: Young flood victims reach out to aid workers at their camp in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan, Sept. 9.

Above: Bishop Andrew Francis gives a box of relief goods to a Pakistani boy.

“We wanted to fulfill the Gospel of Jesus Christ — that when I was hungry and naked and thirsty and homeless, you cared for me,” Bishop Francis said. “So we went out of our way and reached these people through boat and through every possible means.”

Since the initial flooding, the bishop has continued his hands-on approach in bringing supplies such as food, clean water, warm clothing, blankets and medicine to thousands in need. But as supplies ran short, a donation from the Knights of Columbus helped continue the Diocese of Multan’s relief work.

The $25,000 donation was, according to Bishop Francis, “a real miracle to continue working miracles for the flood-affected areas.” The Knights’ contribution enabled the Diocese of Multan to purchase food kits containing wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and tea; household items such as cookware and utensils; personal hygiene kits; and emergency shelter tents for families throughout the diocese’s seven districts. Additional funds have been collected through Knights of Columbus Charities.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 19

PROCLAIMING CHRIST Bishop Francis, who serves as chairman of the National Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism in Pakistan, said that the disaster was also an opportunity to promote a greater understanding of Christianity in the region. The Multan Diocese covers an area of 13 million people, of whom only 200,000 are Christian. The religious divide in Multan mirrors Pakistan as a whole; more than 95 percent of the country’s 180 million residents are Muslim, and less than one percent are Catholic.

The Church’s relief efforts, therefore, have primarily assisted non-Christians. But as Bishop Francis and his team came upon people in need, he said that many flood victims asked him to pray or to offer them a blessing, even though they did not share the same faith.

“For me it was a great opportunity,” Bishop Francis said.

“It has brought a lot of good will and broken many walls of prejudice and misunderstanding between Islam and Christianity.”

As a native of Pakistan raised in a very faithful Catholic family, Bishop Francis has lived the experience of the Christian minority his entire life. Since being ordained to the priesthood in 1972, he has devoted himself to teaching the faith, to missionary work and to pastoral care without prejudice. But Bishop Francis also knows from personal experience that proclaiming the Gospel in a Muslim nation does not come without its share of danger.

While serving as a priest in the city of Lahore in 1996, he established a powerful prayer ministry that began drawing the interest of Muslims. One day, two men came to his office pretending to be gravely ill and asked him to pray for them, but they soon revealed their true intentions.

“As I put my stole on and closed my eyes, one of them came on my side and from very close range shot me in my right temple,” he recalled. Thankfully, the bullet grazed him and hit the wall. A second shot aimed at his forehead also missed. Father Francis took a gun in each hand, pointed them at his attackers and pleaded with them to leave. The men pushed him down and hit him with the handle of a gun, opening a nine-inch wound in his head. Then they fled the scene.

Father Francis recovered from the attack, and the experience did not stop him from proudly professing his faith in Jesus. In 2000, he was named bishop of Multan and has continued his ministry of bringing God’s love to all in need, especially the sick, the imprisoned, the poor and those who have not heard the message of Christ.

“I have got a new life, and I want to live it fully for the sake of the Gospel,” Bishop Francis said. “I am just an ordinary pastor, a priest and a missionary. I love to go to the unknown frontiers where there are no Christians and share the Gospel of Christ.”

FURTHERING DIALOGUE Christians and Muslims have tried to live side by side in Pakistan for decades, with attempts at dialogue dating back more 20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2010

than 25 years. Dominican Father James Channan, coordinator of the United Religions Initiative in Pakistan and a former member of the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said that there have been great strides in promoting harmony between religions, yet many challenges persist.

“We have some people who are fanatics and fundamentalists. They are the minority, but they have created problems for Catholics by falsely accusing them of blasphemy and attacking our churches, our schools, our houses and our shops,” Father Channan said.

Catholics and Muslims, though, found ways to work together on initiatives such as promoting literacy, fighting poverty and disaster relief. “But we still need to work much more,” Father Channan said. “We need to work so that misunderstandings between us and Muslims could be lessened, and we could work more on the things that unite us rather than the things that divide us.”

In spite of attempts to bridge those divides, the threat of violence against Christian minorities by terrorist groups remains a serious concern throughout the Middle East. In Iraq, the realities of anti-Christian sentiment became apparent in late October, when armed militants stormed the Syriac Catholic cathedral in Baghdad during Mass and held more than 100 Catholics hostage. The ensuing violence resulted in more than 50 deaths and many injuries, causing Catholic leaders to call for greater efforts to promote religious harmony in the region.

The attack came just days after the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, during which Catholic bishops gathered at the Vatican to discuss the importance of interfaith dialogue and the need for Catholics and their Muslim neighbors to work together for the common good. Although Bishop Francis was unable to attend the synod due to his involvement in the ongoing flood relief, he noted that there are efforts in Pakistan to promote dialogue at every level, from government leaders to scholars and university communities to average citizens. Currently, there is an initiative to create conversations among young people of different faiths in Pakistan and the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and India.

Meanwhile, the Catholic minority in Multan has continued to maintain a strong, vibrant faith. Yet, there are still obstacles, such as Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy law that has been used against non-Muslims, but the faithful remain undeterred in their devotion to Christ.

“People are professing their faith boldly and proclaiming Jesus Christ with great courage and joy,” Bishop Francis said.

“Yes, we have many difficulties, but we are not afraid. We carry on sharing the name of Jesus.”

For more information on how to donate via check or credit card to the Pakistan Flood Fund, visit kofc.org or call (800) 694-5713.♦ SCOTT ALESSI writes from New Jersey.

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

Awaiting New Life Welcoming a new child helped us to see the meaning of Advent

Photo by Joshua Lanzarini

by Sébastien Lacroix

ON JAN. 31, my wife and I learned that we were going Church offers four Sundays of Advent to prepare ourselves to have a child. It was a significant date for us since it for the great feast day of Christmas: the birth of Emmanuel, was the feast of St. John Bosco, the priest and teacher of God with us. Liturgical time mirrors both the time we exyouth and founder of the Salesians, for whom we have a perience on earth and the time of God. As expectant parparticularly strong devotion. Thus began the period of ents, we had to prepare ourselves to welcome a new life, a waiting. little person who we knew would upset out schedules, our In English, the expression “expectant mother” conveys habits, our whole lives. It is the same with God’s gift. He the experience well: a mother in waiting. That is not to say asks that we prepare our hearts and that we change our that we were sitting around doing nothing. I say “we” be- habits and our lives to welcome his gift of eternal life. cause it is easier to experience this period of waiting toNine months before she gave birth to her holy son, it is gether, father and mother. At times, we discovered the wait unlikely that Mary was worried about traveling by donkey to be long, difficult and looking for a and even painful. Nauplace to give birth. sea, anxiety about Neither she nor knowing whether the Joseph thought they baby was healthy and would find themwell-positioned, and selves in a stable in questions about the Bethlehem, and the future — all of these shepherds did not exaspects of the pregpect to be greeted by nancy were part of our a multitude of angels waiting. coming to hail the On Oct. 1, the feast Christ Child. Likeof St. Thérèse of wise, Joseph did not Lisieux, the object of anticipate that he our waiting, our would have to flee to daughter Giulia, made Egypt with his wife her appearance. Aland child. though we prepared What is certain is The author and his wife are pictured with their newborn daughter, born Oct. 1. ourselves very carethat Mary and Joseph fully for her arrival, were forced to face the nothing happened as we imagined it would. First, every- unexpected. The experience of the months leading up to thing happened so quickly. I was at work when, in the the birth of our first child has allowed me to better undermiddle of the day, my wife called to tell me that she was stand what that means. Welcoming a child means that we in labor. The sudden intensity of the contractions was dif- must accept the fact that our lives will be unsettled. The ferent from what we had expected. When the midwife ar- arrival of Jesus did just that: It disrupted the established rived at our house at around 3 p.m., she told us that we order, and it continues to disrupt wherever there is injushad to go to the hospital right away. It was very close. tice and hatred. Each Christmas invites us to be disrupted Once we got to the hospital, it was time to push; it was by a God who wants to be close to us, a God for whom too late for an epidural. Scarcely two hours later, we were the gift of life is one of the greatest proofs of his love.♦ holding our first child in our arms.

Having experienced these months of waiting, the season SÉBASTIEN LACROIX is a producer for Salt + Light Catholic of Advent suddenly seems more meaningful to us. The Television in Toronto.

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

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 21

reeting EASON

by Patrick Scalisi

I

n many ways, the celebration of Christmas has become a paradox: It is, of course, a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, to give generously to charity and to spend time with family. At the same time, Christmas is often a time of heightened frustration as people overspend on lavish gifts and suffer bouts of consumerist rage in the malls, in the supermarkets and on the roadways. Communicating the fundamental meaning of Christmas is hard enough without having to search in vain for greeting cards that don’t compromise the holiday’s Christian meaning.

This motivation led Robert E. Canfield of Roanoke (Va.) Council 562 and a group of like-minded Virginia Knights to launch a “Keep Christ in Christmas” greeting card program in 1989. Frustrated with the lack of religious Christmas cards that he remembered so fondly from his youth, Canfield set out to rectify the problem and provide a service to Christians that he felt was missing.

The Knights of Columbus Christmas card program that he started more than 20 years ago has since expanded from an award-winning state program to an international initiative.

SERVING A NEED The Christmas card program, Canfield argues, involves more than just a holiday greeting signed and folded inside of an envelope. On the contrary, Canfield sees the initiative as both a way to evangelize and to promote unity among Christians.

“The biggest thing that I became aware of was that there were many other Catholics and Christians across the whole United States who felt the same way,” Canfield explained. “So, in essence, the Knights of Columbus served a need that wasn’t readily available from the secular world.”

The idea of selling religious Christmas cards came about

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DECEMBER 2010

when Canfield realized that faith-filled greeting cards were becoming more and more scarce. Over time, traditional scenes of the nativity and the Holy Family were being replaced with Santa Claus, Christmas trees and other images that minimized or displaced the real meaning of the season.

“I realized it wasn’t so easy to go into a department store … and get a Christmas card that might have a meaningful image or message in it,” Canfield said.

After thinking on the problem for some time, Canfield partnered with then-State Deputy William L. Howard (1989-90), who is also a member of Council 562, and thenState Chaplain Father Edward Richardson to start their own Christmas card program. But finding a card manufacturer proved to be a major obstacle.

After being turned down by Hallmark and American Greetings — both companies felt the initiative was too small to warrant mass production — the Knights secured a card manufacturer with help from the Sacred Heart League in Mississippi.

Response to the program was tremendous. Just eight months after launching, the initiative won second place in the “Church” category for the International Service Awards at the 1990 Supreme Convention in San Antonio. Within two years, the program had raised more than $56,000 for charitable causes in Virginia.

Expansion was inevitable. With help from Canfield’s daughter, Mary, and his late wife, Virginia, the program launched an Internet presence with the website christischristmas.com.

And Christmas cards aren’t the only offering any more: Visitors can now order “Keep Christ in Christmas” pins, mail seals, bumper stickers, ornaments, banners and even billboard templates.

Photos by brett Winter Lemon

G S

the

Knights of Columbus Christmas card program helps to keep Christ in Christmas

Above: A display table of Knights of Columbus Christmas cards is shown at Our Lady of Nazareth Church in Roanoke, Va., Nov. 7.

Opposite page: Jeff McInnis of Roanoke (Va.) Council 562 assists a parishioner with her Christmas card selection.

“We’ve actually seen quite a demand for the cards,” said Karl D. Kleinhenz, a member of Council 562 who co-chairs the program in Virginia with Canfield. “People ask for them.

Whereas if it was a dying, passé thing, I think we would see demand waning. But it hasn’t waned; it has actually grown.”

THE MISSION CONTINUES Today, at least one council in every U.S. state participates in the Christmas card program, along with several councils in Canada. The cards are also popular among Knights of Columbus Insurance agents and are available in seven languages — including French, Spanish, Tagalog and Polish — to reach the broadest audience possible.

One state that has seen remarkable success with the program is Delaware, where Knights began selling the cards in 1994.

“To me, it’s personal,” said Past State Deputy Edward J. Lichman (2008-09), who currently serves as the state’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” chairman. “We’re Catholics. We should be proud of our faith, proud of who we are, and not be afraid to say things like ‘Merry Christmas.’”

Lichman has overseen the program since 2004. Over the past 16 years, he said, Christmas card sales have raised more than $254,000 for charity in Delaware — an impressive sum since the state has only about 4,000 K of C members.

“Remembering all the cards we used to get as a kid growing up, especially the religious cards — the different scenes of Bethlehem and angels and seeing cards with ‘Silent Night’ — that just inspired me. And once I got involved with the Knights, this program came along, and it was just natural for me,” Lichman said.

Each state runs the program separately — there is no national chairman — but anyone can order materials through the Christ is Christmas website. Proceeds from the sales are typically donated to charity. In Virginia, for instance, the funds are split between the local and state councils. The state council, in turn, uses the money to promote vocations, while local councils can use the profits for charitable causes at their discretion.

More than the program’s charitable component, though, Canfield still sees the cards in terms of a mission.

“It’s evolved into a great brotherhood,” he said, “and a satisfying effort to evangelize through the simplest form that I can think of, which is just a message once a year from one family to another: the religious Christmas card.”♦ PATRICK SCALISI is the associate editor of Columbia magazine.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 23

NarNia

exploring

An interview about C.S. Lewis and his Christian imagination xford University professor Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis (1898-1963) was the author of numerous scholarly works, spiritual classics such as Mere Christianity (1952), and acclaimed works of fiction such as The Screwtape Letters (1942). Yet, he is best known for his children’s literature. His seven-part Chronicles of Narnia, written between 1950 and 1956, have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide in 47 languages.

In 2005, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was made into a major motion picture. In anticipation of the third film in the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which will be released in theaters Dec. 10, Columbia interviewed Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, to shed light on the story behind Narnia.

COLUMBIA: The Chronicles of Narnia were written more than 50 years ago as books for children, but they continue to be enormously popular with adults and children alike.

GRESHAM: One of the things that Jack (that was C.S. Lewis’s nickname) always said was that if a fairy story or a children’s story is any good to read when you’re five, it should be equally good to read when you’re 50. Jack himself was an immensely widely read man. He had read all the great mythologies and literature of mankind. This gave him an amazing ability and facility with words.

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DECEMBER 2010

COLUMBIA: Do you have a favorite book in the series?

GRESHAM: Certainly. It’s whichever one I’m reading at the time that someone asks me.

COLUMBIA: The Chronicles of Narnia did not escape criticism, even by Lewis’s friends, such as J.R.R. Tolkien.

GRESHAM: I think Tolkien was the chief critic. His reasons for that were quite simple: He liked all of his mythologies kept in their own boxes and in their own genres. So, when Jack produced this sort of mythological soup and chucked them all into one book with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Tolkien was a bit dismayed to say the least.

But it’s only fair to say that the whole attitude of the Inklings, which was sort of a loosely affiliated group of scholars who would get together and read aloud to each other the works they were writing at the time — which, by the way, was a very brave thing to do — was to tear the works to pieces and pull out every mistake they could find, with great humor at the same time, mind you. The result of this is that we have some of the finest literature ever written in the English language, such as The Lord of the Rings.

The whole of that situation was indicative of something that has all but vanished in the academic world today. Back in the 1940s and ’50s and ’60s, men believed that the best friends that you could have were the ones who would openly

Photos courtesy 20th century Fox

O

by Alton J. Pelowski

criticize your work and lay bare to you the mistakes and errors that you made, so that you might learn from them and correct them. In today’s world, if someone criticizes your work openly, it has become fashionable to hate them for it. That is extremely foolish. You cannot learn from someone who always agrees with you; you can only learn in the fire of disputation and dialectic.

in the works about him is the man’s immense sense of fun and humor. He wasn’t this dour, closed-in scholar who locked himself away and kept a severe expression on his face. In fact, his great sense of humor was probably the hallmark of his personality. You couldn’t be in a conversation with him for five or 10 minutes without roaring with laughter. He was one of the least snobbish people I think I’ve ever met. And he entertained people in conversation no matter where they came from or who they were.

COLUMBIA: The last of the Narnia books was published in 1956, the same year C.S. Lewis married your mother and adopted you at about age 10. How did these stories, or COLUMBIA: Why do you think Lewis chose to communiLewis’s imagination in general, color your life as a child? cate the spiritual truths of Christianity not only through esGRESHAM: Jack was really a man who loved the great myths says of theological reflection, but also through the medium of mankind and understood of fiction? what myth really is: man’s GRESHAM: If you are a writer blind gropings for God beand you are a committed fore God revealed himself to Christian, everything you beus. And therefore, the great lieve and everything you value mythologies are valuable to is part of Christianity. So, us. As a result, I was always when you start to write fiction, reading mythology: The Legit’s completely inescapable that end of King Arthur and so your Christianity would creep forth. Jack and I would talk through onto the pages you as if all these things were real, write. I think that is true of as if when walking through men like George MacDonald, the woods behind the Kilns for example, and C.S. Lewis one might expect to see a and many other writers. I faun pop out from behind a think that’s the way to look at stone. Narnia, of course, we it. Christianity was there first.

Above: Caspian, Edmund and Lucy are portrayed in a scene from the treated as if it was our own So, when you start writing ficfilm adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. • Opposite personal playground in a tion as a Christian, your sense. We used Narnian figChristian beliefs are bound to page: The helm of the Dawn Treader is emblazoned with the image of ures and characters in concreep onto the page through Aslan, the “Great Lion” of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories. versation frequently. I grew your pen. up in Narnia, and I’ve never left it.

COLUMBIA: As a child, did the Chronicles play a role in introducing you to the Gospel?

COLUMBIA: When discussing the values of Eustace’s parents GRESHAM: That is a difficult question to answer. It’s like the and their sending him to a school called the “Experiment chicken and the egg — which came first? I think probably I House,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is pretty critical of understood the Narnian Chronicles far better because I unmistaken ideas of progress, particularly in education. How derstood the Gospels of Jesus Christ. And I understand the was Lewis’s philosophy in this regard reflected in his studies Gospels of Jesus Christ far better because I understand the or in your own education?

Narnian Chronicles.

GRESHAM: Jack certainly was critical of educational trends and would be even more so today, I think. Jack firmly believed COLUMBIA: What’s the most underappreciated work of that children were not to be the subjects of experimentation, Lewis? and I have to agree with him. I think that much of what is GRESHAM:Till We Have Faces, which is Jack’s careful and very done in modern education is sheer folly. In fact, I believe quite delightful retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. It is the strongly that homeschooling is the finest form of education book that Jack himself thought was his very best work of ficchildren can get. I think I have used more of what I learned tion — and scholars of his work today are beginning to agree at the dinner table of the Kilns than I have used from any of with him. It is a wonderful, multi-layered book. I think it is the schools that I went to. probably overlooked by a lot of people. Standing alone, it’s unlike anything else he ever wrote, but then most of his work COLUMBIA: Is there anything you’d like to share about is a bit like that.♦ Lewis’ personality?

GRESHAM: One of the things that always seems to get lost ALTON PELOWSKI is the managing editor of Columbia magazine.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 25

­

KNIG HTS IN ACTI ON

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

a drive to benefit the American Wheelchair Mission. The council collected $2,700, which will purchase 18 wheelchairs for needy recipients.

CHRISTIAN HELPERS

Master Sgt. Patrick Narango, Lt. Jerrod Smith and Master Sgt. Randy Revell of the Kandahar Airfield Round Table in Afghanistan bow their heads while Father Marion Rosario blesses a prayer garden at the base’s Friase Chapel. Knights built the rock garden in honor of Sgt. Maj. John K. Laborde, a member of the round table who died in Afghanistan April 22.

The round table is sponsored by St. Vincent de Paul Council 12191 in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

HIGHWAY CLEAN-UP

St. John N. Neumann Council 8510 in Dunnello, Fla., adopted two one-mile sections of U.S. Highway 41 through the Florida Adopt-AHighway Program. Knights meet four to five times each year to remove trash and debris from the side of the road.

waiters for approximately 300 people, and the event raised more than $5,000.

WHEELCHAIR DRIVE

St. Nicholas Council 10590 in Laguna Woods, Calif., held

EAGLE OF LOVE

St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Council 14155 in Toledo, Ohio, has delivered food and care items to the Helping Hands of St. Louis Soup Kitchen each week since 2008.

The items, which are partially donated by Giant Eagle grocery stores, are valued at approximately $67,000 to date.

DINNER FOR SEMINARIANS

New Braunfels (Texas) Council 4183 sponsored its annual dinner for seminarians and asked members of Msgr. Edward F. Bily Circle 5111 to provide volunteer assistance. Squires served as

26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

Each month, members of Vallejo (Calif.) Council 874 assemble at the Christian Help Center in Sacramento to cook breakfast for needy members of the community.

Knights transport ingredients to the center before preparing, cooking and serving breakfast.

COLORING FUN

Our Lady of Peace Council 9199 in Fords, N.J., donated more than 75 coloring books, crayons and books to the Children’s Hospital at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.

CHAPEL FURNISHED

Father Joseph F. Bumann Assembly in Hope Mills, N.C., donated a wall crucifix and holy water font to the chapel at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. Previously, Good Shepherd Council 8857 donated the chapel’s kneelers and altar.

FOR THEIR ENTERTAINMENT

Matt Triano (right) of Holy Spirit Assembly in Dublin, Calif., presents Highway Patrol Officer Nate Coker with a Knights of Columbus Service Award.

The assembly hosted its annual Red, Blue and Gold Banquet to honor 11 fire, police and highway first responders for their service to the community. More than 300 people attended the event.

DECEMBER 2010

Members of St. Mary Council 6993 in Mokena, Ill., dish out pizza during a party to benefit the Frankfort Township Food Pantry. Fourteen area pizza parlors donated food for the event, while other vendors provided garlic bread and soda. The event raised more than $1,000 to support the pantry’s outreach.

Prince of Peace Council 11537 in Birmingham, Ala., donated a new television and several clothing items to the Father Walter Memorial Child Care Center, a 24-hour pediatric nursing care facility for children with disabilities.

JOURNEY OF LIFE

Fray Diego de la Cadena Council 2367 in Durango, Mexico Northwest, participated in Jornada por la vida (“Journey of Life”), which consisted of three pro-life events. First, Knights partic-

ipated in a rosary and procession to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, where an arts and musical festival was held. The procession was followed by testimonials from a number of speakers and a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Héctor G. Martínez of Durango. About 1,200 attended the event.

OUR MONTHLY BREAD

The Maryland State Council, in cooperation with Bakery de France, has instituted a monthly bread pickup and delivery program to feed the needy in Baltimore and Washington. Each month, Knights retrieve cases of bread from the bakery’s storage warehouse in Manheim, Pa., and deliver them to the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Baltimore City, the Beans & Bread soup kitchen in Baltimore City, and the Howard County Food Bank.

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

services and assistance and mentoring for families in need.

PRIESTLY JACKETS

Bishop Peterson Council 4442 in Salem, N.H., hosted an appreciation dinner for the priests serving at two area parishes. Knights presented each priest with a K of C jacket.

SCHOOL LUNCHES

Tom Tylka (center), his brother Knights from Lions Gate Council 7095 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and Tylka’s daughter, Talia, place tennis balls on the feet of chairs and desks at Holy Trinity Elementary School. The project was part of an initiative to curb classroom noise and promote a more conducive learning environment. Also pictured are (from left): Frank Newlove, Otto Rohrwasser and Bob Resch.

St. Vincent de Paul Council 13171 in Olongapo City, Luzon, hosted a six-month feeding program for students at a local grade school. Each Friday, Knights served lunch to approximately 80 young people.

SEMINARIAN BENEFIT

HIGH-DEF VOCATIONS

UPPER LEFT: Laureen McMahon/The B.C. Catholic

Brother Anthony Council 10014 in St. Albert, Alberta, hosted a special dinner in honor of the 21 seminarians attending St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College. Through donations from its members, the council was also able to purchase a high-definition television for the seminary’s new facility.

of Central New York. The facility provides housing to the families of sick children who come to area hospitals for treatment.

DOUGHNUT SALES

Mother Seton Circle 5271 in Las Vegas sold doughnuts at its parish following Sunday Mass. Sales exceeded $300, all of which was donated to a girl’s academy in Uganda.

BENEFIT BREAKFAST

LIGHTING THE WAY

More than 160 people attended a charity breakfast hosted by Father F. M. Lanteigne Council 7089 in Atholville, New Brunswick.

The event raised approximately $800, and the funds were split between Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish and the Chapitre du Restigouche de la Société de la Sclérose (the Restigouche Chapter for Multiple Sclerosis).

Father McCormick Council 3880 in Crystal Lake, Ill., funded a website for 1st Way Pregnancy Support Services in McHenry County. The website helps the organization connect with more women in need than traditional advertising alone.

PAINTING PROJECT

Members of Mother Marianne Cope Council 14260 at Syracuse (N.Y.) University painted a number of rooms at the Ronald McDonald House

ANNIVERSARY DONATION

Jubilee Council 3294 in Flemington, N.J., donated $1,872 to Life Choices in honor of the organization’s 10th anniversary.

Life Choices promotes the building of healthy families by providing prenatal medical

Rantoul (Ill.) Council 4450 hosted a fried chicken dinner that raised more than $5,000 for Jacob Tolliver, a young man who is entering the seminary. The funds will help Tolliver during his studies for the priesthood.

PALISADE PEACHES

Our Lady of Fatima Council 9597 in Lakewood, Colo.,

John Overbey of Father Michael J. McGivney Council 5967 in Austin, Texas, helps Alex Pojman, a Webelos Scout, learn the Boy Scout requirements at a councilsponsored pancake breakfast. Boy Scout Troop 59, which was chartered by Council 5967, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

sold 575 boxes of Colorado Palisade Peaches to parishioners as part of the council’s vocations support program.

Sales of the peaches exceeded $6,000, which will help 12 seminarians studying for the priesthood.

BOOT CAMP BREAKFAST

St. John Neumann Council 14457 in Sunbury, Ohio, sponsored a Boot Camp Breakfast for all Delaware County veterans and their families. Guests were invited to share their experiences and camaraderie in support of troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jerry Jodry of the VFW delivered the event’s keynote address, and all branches of the Armed Forces were represented.

KEEPING MOBILE

Members of St. Peter the Apostle Council 14648 in Tacloban, Visayas, dig a hole for a time capsule on the grounds outside of their church. Knights prepared to bury the time capsule in anticipation of a massive church renovation.

St. Martin of Tours Council 680 in Millinocket, Maine, held a turkey supper and silent auction to benefit a local man who has spinal bifida. The event, along with a number of individual donations, raised more than $4,500 to help the man purchase a wheelchairaccessible van and a motorized wheelchair.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 27

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

placed windows and doors.

The council funded all the materials needed for the project in addition to performing the work themselves.

VICTORY FOR VETERANS

Bishop Rutilio Juan del Riego Jáñez (right), auxiliary bishop of San Bernardino, Calif., greets Sir Knight Leo M. Galica and his wife, Dorothy, during a corporate Communion Mass and patriotic banquet hosted by Msgr. Edward J. Flanagan Assembly in Riverside. The event honored military, law enforcement and firefighter veterans, along with Galica, a survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Additionally, the banquet raised $1,950 to purchase 13 wheelchairs and walkers for local veterans. Bishop del Riego Jáñez is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Council 12213 in Riverside.

FISH DINNER

Father Frank J. Adrian Council 1706 in Poplar Bluff, Mo., held a fish dinner to benefit Luke Wagner, a local man who has mouth cancer. The event raised more than $4,300 to help offset Wagner’s treatment expenses.

A PLACE CALLED HOME

Members of St. Bonaventure Council 12240 in Davie, Fla., repaired the trailer home of a needy family. After the dwelling was cited for several code violations, Knights upgraded the home’s electrical system, installed insulated walls and siding, added an air conditioning system, and re-

28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

Members of Msgr. Richard C. Madden Assembly in Summerville, S.C., and their wives visited the Veterans’ Victory House in Walterboro to serve lunch to patients and to distribute donations. Volunteers served sandwiches and dessert to about 100 nursing home residents and staff before handing out U.S. flag pins, hats, t-shirts, books, DVDs and televisions.

ROSARIES & LIP BALM

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council 7444 in Milford, Mich., and Father John W. Howard Council 8500 in Highland collected 477 rosaries and 1,333 sticks of lip balm for U.S. soldiers serving overseas.

APPRECIATION DINNER

Ontario District #43 hosted an appreciation dinner for clergy and deacons from 11 local parishes and presented each priest in attendance with a handmade stole and a certificate of appreciation.

Knights also presented a $600 donation to Serra House, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Toronto that serves as a place of discernment for men considering a vocation to the priesthood.

CONSTRUCTION DONATION

Holy Family Council 4636 in Colorado Springs, Colo., donated $200,000 to St. Dominic Parish to help offset the construction of a new parish church, specifically the building’s sanctuary, bell tower and choir room. Funds

DECEMBER 2010

Members of St. Louis de Montfort Council 14553 in Oak Lawn, Ill., stand with the wheelchair ramp they built at the home of a local woman. Knights volunteered to install the ramp for the mother of Father Dan Tomich.

for the donation came from a mix of council investments and money held in trust.

Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

FUNDS FOR SEMINARIANS

With help from the girls’ track team at Shepherd Hill Regional High School, Webster (Mass.) Council 228 hosted a special dance for people with intellectual disabilities. Council members provided music for the event as well as refreshments.

A SPECIAL EVENT

St. John Neumann Council 5971 in Plantation, Fla., and Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy Assembly in West Broward County presented 19 seminarians with donations of $500 each. The funds will help the seminarians defray any costs they will incur while studying at St.

Members of Father John G. Seyfried Council 821 in Kings Park, N.Y., paint the 1,000foot wrought-iron fence at St. Joseph Church. By providing materials and performing the task themselves, Knights saved the parish approximately $10,000.

DRIVING AROUND

Hennepin Council 1652 and St. Antoine Council 9253, both in Niagara Falls, Ontario, launched a fund drive to help a local woman who has multiple sclerosis. With contributions from St. Alexander Council 13903 in Fonthill and other local agencies, Knights were able to provide the woman with a handicapped-accessible van.

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

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

IN SERVICE TO ONE, IN SERVICE TO ALL

Nuevo Laredo, Mexico • Honduras •

• Luzon, Philippines

Aden, Yemen •

• Uganda • Tanzania

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Valley of the Angels Council 9710 in San Diego hosts an ongoing recycling drive each month to benefit the St. Francis Mission School in Mississippi and Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital in Mbarara, Uganda. Knights collect aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles, which are then compacted and recycled. To date, the council has raised more than $10,000 for both organizations. Mean-

while, Assumpta Council 3987 in Luzerne, Pa., and St. Vincent de Paul Council 11901 in Plymouth removed school supplies from the former St. Hedwig School in Kingston and packaged them in a 42-foot trailer that was shipped to Uganda. The shipment — which included books, desks, chairs, computers and kitchenware from the school cafeteria — will help students at struggling schools.

State Deputy Filadelfo Medellín Ayala (far right) of Mexico Northeast coordinates the distribution of food to people evacuated from Anahuac due to severe flooding. Knights from four councils in and around Nueva Laredo provided food, water and clothing to more than 300 families that were displaced.

ROSARY MAKER

Thaddeus Wozniak of Saint Joseph the Provider Council 13942 in St. Joseph, Mich., has been making handmade rosaries for more than 15 years. At the request of his son, Thomas, who is a member of Barney Gonyea Council 7109 in Safety Harbor, Fla., Wozniak donated 320 rosaries for a parish mission trip to Honduras.

RETURNING HOME

Ossining (N.Y.) Council 311 hosted a going-away party for Father Stephen Mosha, a priest from Tanzania who served at St. Augustine Church for eight years. The dinner raised $650 for the Njia Health Center, a medical dispensary foundered by Father Mosha to provide primary health care and education to people in one of the world’s poorest nations. During Father Mosha’s time at St. Augustine Church, parishioners raised approximately $100,000 for the health center.

CATHOLICS IN YEMEN

Since 2002, St. Gregory the Great Council 10094 in San Diego has raised at least $500 each quarter to help renovate

Nestor Calansingin and Florentino Castro of Our Lady of the Light Council 7844 in Cainta, Luzon, affix a pro-life sign to a Jeep in preparation for a “Motorcade for Life.”

Knights participated in the event by driving through the community with various prolife messages.

churches in Aden, Yemen.

After meeting Salesian Father Matthew Uzhunnlil eight years ago, Dan Paukovec of Council 10094 challenged his council to raise funds for Father Uzhunnlil’s renovation projects in Yemen to match Paukovec’s personal donations. The council has done so, and the donations have provided funds to renovate three churches so far.

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 29

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

Pulling Out All the Stops K of C Tank Pull Raises Funds for Wounded Warrior Project

NOT MANY PEOPLE can say they’ve hauled a 40-ton promote the tank pull as a Fourth Degree patriotic event. tank with their bare hands, yet 400 individuals had that Support from the communities of Clifton and Garfield unique honor during a patriotic fundraiser sponsored by followed, which resulted in the tank pull’s resounding Msgr. Anthony J. Stein Assembly in Clifton, N.J., to benefit success. the Wounded Warrior Project. And if the idea of pulling a “Once [people] saw that this was real, their outpouring tank by hand sounds somewhat insane, then consider your- was fantastic,” said Molnar. “They had no issues, and they self in good company opened up their hearts — Faithful Navigator and … they were there Kenneth L. Molnar of for us.”

Msgr. Stein Assembly For Hughes, Molnar had the same reaction and the dozens of when the idea was other Knights who pitched to him. participated in the “The initial thought event, the motivation was that it was a big behind the tank pull project, and it was was not out of the something that was ordinary, given that maybe bigger than the Order’s fourth what we could do,” said principle is patriotism.

Molnar. “But when it Eighty-five percent of sunk in after a few minthe total proceeds will utes, I just said, ‘Yes.’” be donated to the The results from that Wounded Warrior Prosingle “yes” have been ject, whose mission is nothing short of exto raise awareness and traordinary. The tank enlist the public’s aid Participants in the Knights of Columbus Army Tank Pull Challenge heave a pull, which took place for the needs of in80,000-pound tank on a flatbed truck during the competition. The event was sponSept. 12 in Clifton, jured service members, sored by Msgr. Anthony J. Stein Assembly in Clifton, N.J., and raised more than raised approximately and to provide unique $81,000 — most of which will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. $81,000, not to menprograms and services tion the $20,000 in for wounded soldiers goods and services that and veterans. were donated for the event.

“We owe it to the men and women of our country to do Despite the rainy weather, hundreds of people turned out something for them since they put their lives on the line for for the contest, and competitors formed 20 teams. Each us,” said Molnar. “We owe them a lot more than what that team was tasked with raising at least $1,500 before taking tank pull did, and I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repay their shot at hauling an 80,000-pound tank, which was them.” brought in on a massive flatbed truck.

Added Hughes: “I think it’s incumbent upon the “It was quite extraordinary what people were willing to Knights of Columbus to host things like these because we donate for the Wounded Warrior cause,” said John V. have a 94-year history of involvement with the active U.S. Hughes, a member of St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 military and also with veterans all over the United States. in Clifton and the event’s chief organizer.

Our connection to the military started before World Hughes ran a similar event outside the Knights of War I, and we’re just simply following what our predecesColumbus many years ago to benefit people with disabil- sors have done.”♦ ities. When he brought the idea for the project to Council 11671 and Msgr. Stein Assembly, Knights decided to PATRICK SCALISI is the associate editor of Columbia magazine.

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DECEMBER 2010

Photo by Steven Freeman

by Patrick Scalisi

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

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K OF C ITEMS

KEEPING CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS

Available from the following designated official suppliers

Through a variety of ways, Knights work to celebrate the true meaning of the season.

IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official supplier and manufacturer 1-800-444-5632 or www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment manufacturer 1-888-548-3890 or www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official K of C distributor in Canada 1-888-266-1211 or www.roger-sauve.com

OFFICIAL DEC. 1, 2010:

[Counterclockwise from top] Knights from Msgr. Stanley B. Witkowiak Council 697 in Racine, Wis., join other Christian men in prayer before the K of C-sponsored crèche at Racine’s Monument Square. • Tom Wakeley and Henry Glover of Cherry Hill (N.J.) Council 6173 erect a “Keep Christ in Christmas” banner at an area church. • Volunteers prepare to distribute Christmas wreaths at Quantico National Cemetery at an event co-sponsored by Potomac Council 9259 in Triangle, Va., and the Sgt. Mac Foundation.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Act of August 1, 1970: Section 3685, title 39, U.S. code) 1. Publication title: Columbia 2. Publication No.: 12-3740 3. Date of filing: Sept. 25, 2010 4. Frequency of issue: Monthly 5. No. of issues published annually: 12 6. Annual subscription price: $6 7. Location of office of publication: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 8. Location of publisher’s headquarters: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 9. Names and address of publisher, editor and managing editor.

Publisher: Carl A. Anderson, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 Managing Editor: Alton J. Pelowski, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 10. Owner: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326.

11. Known bond holders: none.

12. For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at special rates.

The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt

status for federal income tax purposes: (Check one) ( ) Has changed (x) Has not during the changed during preceding the preceding 12 months.

12 months.

(If changed, publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement.)

13. Publication name: Columbia.

14. Issue date for circulation data below: October 2010 15. Extent and nature of circulation # copies of sinAv. # copies gle issue pubeach issue durlished nearest ing preceding to filing date 12 months A. Total no. copies (net press run) 1,616,242 1,599,000 B. Paid and/or requested circulation 1. Outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 216,029 245,433 2. Paid in-county subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 0 0 3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other non-USPS distribution: 1,000 1,000 4. Other classes mailed through the USPS. 1,305,310 1,308,563 C. Total paid and/or requested circulation:

1,522,339 1,554,996 D. Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary and other): 1. Outside-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 0 2. In-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 0 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS: 4,000 4,000 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution outside the mail (carriers or other): 0 0 E. Total Free or Nominal Rate distribution (Sum of (15d, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 4,000 4,00 0 F. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 1,526,339 1,558,996 G. Copies not distributed: 400 400 H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g): 1,526,739 1,559,396 I. Percent paid and/or requested circulation (15c / 15f x 100): 99.8% 99.8% I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

CARL A. ANDERSON Publisher

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, CASE POSTALE 935, Station d’Armes, Montréal, PQ H2Y 3J4 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. COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869) 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 © 2010 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 — THIRD-CLASS POSTAGE IS PAID AT WINNIPEG, MB, PERMIT NO. 0100092699. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. REGISTRATION NO. R104098900. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 505 IROQUOIS SHORE ROAD #11, OAKVILLE ON L6H 2R3 PHILIPPINE S —FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA. 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.

OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

12/10

J O I N T H E FAT H E R MCGIVNEY GUILD Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild:

NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 31

C O LU M B I A N I S M B Y D E G R E E S

Patriotism

Charity

Unity

Fraternity

JAMES ARBLASTER of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Council 14613 in Chateauguay, Quebec, works to remove graffiti from a brick wall. Members of Montreal Council 284 and D’Arcy McGee Assembly volunteered to remove the disfiguring paint from a neighborhood in their community, scrubbing the graffiti with special solvents before power washing the affected surfaces.

• John Paul II Council 14000 in Krakow, Poland, collected 2,000 złoty (approximately $700) toward the construction of an orphanage in Bethlehem that will be operated by the Sisters of St. Elizabeth.

AN HONOR GUARD from St. Francis of Assisi Assembly in Farmington Hills, Mich., looks on while Father Mark Brauer blesses a new Ten Commandments monument at Our Lady of Sorrows Church. St. Francis Council 4401 donated $3,000 to purchase the monument, which was placed in the church’s flower garden.

• St. Patrick Council 10963 in Ann Arbor, Mich., held a pancake breakfast that raised more than $800 to purchase an ultrasound machine for the Family Life Services and Pregnancy Counseling Center in Ypsilanti.

MEMBERS OF Our Lady of the Rosary Council 9039 in South Brunswick, N.C., and St. Brendan Circle 5361 in Shallotte work to construct a wheelchair ramp at the home of Ed Peters, a council member who uses a walker, and his wife, Ruth, who uses a wheelchair. With a donation from Council 9039 and the St. Brendan Social Ministries Office, Knights and Squires were able to construct the ramp in five days with no cost to Ed or Ruth.

• Prince of Peace Council 9144 in Toronto purchased a new bicycle for council member Jake Apacible after his bike was stolen at a council event.

Apacible was helping his council sell pro-life lapel roses after Mass when his bike was stolen.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2010

UNITY: Photo by Marc Wilkins

MEMBERS OF Bishop Nold Council 6557 in Spring, Texas, salute the U.S. flag at the start of a flag retirement ceremony hosted by the council’s Columbian Squires circle, Holy Ghost Circle 2722. Squires collected more than 30 U.S. flags that were no longer suitable for display and retired them during a solemn ceremony.

• Msgr. Corr Council 3571 in Pasadena, Calif., sponsored a drive at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Church to assemble care packages for U.S. troops serving overseas. Knights and parishioners collected care items and $1,000 in cash donations as part of Operation Gratitude.

KNIGHT S O F CO LUMBUS

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

Chris Meyer (far right) of Father Louis Dejaco Council 5220 in Alexandria, Ky., looks on while council member Talon Deinlein (far left) helps Chris Scharold onto a horse during the council’s annual “Opportunity Day.” Knights hosted more than 150 people with intellectual disabilities for a day of games and activities, included horseback rides. More than 700 people from six counties in northern Kentucky attended the event.

“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” H AVEN , CT 06510-3326

PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : OR E - MAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC . ORG .

DECEMBER 2010

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33

PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

KEEP T HE FAITH ALIV E

‘MY CONSTANT PRAYER IS TO COME TO KNOW GOD AS HE IS’ One morning, after staying up reading St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s spiritual autobiography, Story of a Soul, I marched into my parents’ room to ask if I could quit school to become a Carmelite. They did not answer immediately, but they did take me to visit a nearby monastery where the superior advised me to finish high school.

My father, a Knight, played a quiet but strong role in my faith formation. Growing up, I saw him live the principles he professed, always giving a firm witness of justice and generosity. Likewise, my mother’s example taught me to place all my confidence in God. As it happened, I went on to college and spent a semester in Austria living in a 14th-century Carthusian monastery. I began attending daily Mass in the centuries-old chapel, and these graces soon led to the reawakening of my desire to pursue my vocation.

My constant prayer is to come to know God as he is and to witness to his goodness as a loving Father who, in every circumstance, gives us what is good.

SISTER M. ELIZABETH OF THE CORONATION Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Bosque, N.M.