Columbia December 2011 by Columbia Magazine

KNI GHT S O F CO LUMBU S

D ECEMBER 2011

COLUMBIA

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december 2011 ♦ Volume 91 ♦ Number 12

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

Lessons in Resilience A Haitian amputee soccer team, co-sponsored by the Knights and Project Medishare, embodies a message of overcoming adversity. BY DAVID NAGLIERI AND MICHÈLE NUZZO-NAGLIERI

14 Making Room at the Inn The Posada invites communities to prepare for Christmas and celebrate its true meaning. BY LIZETTE M. LANTIGUA

18 Many Cultures, One Faith The Order strengthens diverse immigrant communities with its universal message of charity, unity and fraternity. BY MIKE MASTROMATTEO

22 A Tale of Two Churches Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong, discusses the precarious state of the Church in China. BY ALTON PELOWSKI

Mackenson Pierre of Team Zaryen challenges a member of the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team for the ball in a friendly game during Team Zaryen’s Haitian Inspiration Tour. See page 8 for story.

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world The Gospel demands not only an intellectual assent, but also the ‘yes’ of our hearts. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faith Making known his saving mission, Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry. BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

Knights of Columbus News

Addressing Congress, Supreme Chaplain Promotes Religious Liberty • “Coats for Kids” to Have Record Year • African Crèches Exhibited at K of C Museum

13 Fathers for Good Watching movies with a critical eye can lead to important family discussions about faith and contemporary culture.

Roman Missal In the Eucharist, we recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God who heals our souls and saves us from the slavery of sin. BY CARDINAL FRANCIS E. GEORGE, O.M.I.

Knights in Action

Columbianism by Degrees

BY DAVID DICERTO

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

DECEMBER 2011

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Unity in Diversity WITHIN 25 YEARS of its founding in 1882, the Knights of Columbus had expanded to every U.S. state, as well as to Canada, the Philippines and Mexico. Although the Order was originally founded to serve a group of Irish-American immigrants facing discrimination in Connecticut, its principles proved universal. Just as the Catholic Church is one amid a diversity of cultures, the Order’s fraternity has expanded to include Catholic men from various nations and ethnic backgrounds. This cultural expansion continues to be observed today, as a growing number of new immigrant communities include men who proudly call themselves Knights of Columbus (see page 18). What is held in common among these Knights, of course, is their Catholic faith. In fact, the very word “catholic” expresses the universal character of this faith. This universality does not simply mean that belief in Jesus Christ is compatible with the cultural diversity of the human community or that it is not exclusive to any one people, place or time. Rather, it implies that all people are created for unity in Christ and his Church. The Second Vatican Council taught, “The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the desires of history and civilization, the center of mankind, the joy of all hearts and the fulfillment of all aspirations” (Gaudium et Spes, 45). We are now preparing to celebrate Christmas, the great event in which the

Word of God, “the joy of all hearts,” became flesh. As the Gospel message has become inculturated, people of various nationalities have developed meaningful Christmas traditions that have been passed down through generations. One example is the Latin American tradition of the Posada, which is becoming popular even in non-Hispanic communities (see page 14). The adoption of such unique traditions testifies to the universal nature of the faith that inspired them. The Church’s catholicity is also reflected in the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which was used for the first time on the first Sunday of Advent. Since it is a more precise translation, the celebration of the liturgy in English now more closely mirrors the Latin-rite Mass as it is celebrated in various languages throughout the world (see page 17). On Christmas Day each year, the pope gives his Urbi et Orbi message and blessing “to the City of Rome and to the World.” The Good News of Christmas, after all, is addressed to our particular circumstances and to the world as a whole. As Catholics and Knights, we are called to live the Gospel values in our daily lives and to pray for and serve those in the larger, global community. Growing in understanding of cultural diversity in the Church and the needs of others, we do well to remember an ancient maxim of the Church: “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI MANAGING EDITOR

Featured Resource: Our Lady of Guadalupe A BOOKLET titled The Woman Who Changed the Face of a Hemisphere by Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, postulator for the cause of canonization of St. Juan Diego and canon of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, is available through the Order’s Catholic Information Service. The text discusses the events of 1531 that are commemorated by the feast of St. Juan Diego Dec. 9 and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12. Visit kofc.org/cis to order copies or to download the booklet in PDF format. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2011

COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Dennis A. Savoie DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Logan T. Ludwig SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brian Dowling brian.dowling@kofc.org CREATIVE & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ________ GRAPHICS Michelle McCleary LAYOUT

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4580 OTHER INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

coVer: cNS photo/debbie Hill

E D I TO R I A L

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

The New Evangelization The Gospel demands not only an intellectual assent, but also the ‘yes’ of our hearts by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

IN HIS 1990 encyclical Redemptoris Missio, Blessed John Paul II wrote, “I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization. … No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty” (3). Since these words were written, the challenge of a new evangelization has grown. The conversation within the Church regarding “this supreme duty” will reach a high point next year when a World Synod of Bishops meets to study this theme. For those of us who are not theologians, we might reflect on a statement from Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 Christmas message to understand why the Church is focusing attention on a new evangelization. “If the truth were a mere mathematical formula, in some sense it would impose itself by its own power,” the pope wrote. “But if Truth is Love, it calls for faith, for the ‘yes’ of our hearts.” We can easily see that mathematics forces us to accept the truth it presents — two plus two must always equal four, and the sum of the angles of a triangle must always equal 180 degrees. The difficulty today is that many in our secular society are so caught up in this “scientific” way of thinking that they insist that God, too, must reveal himself to us in this way. And when he does not, they deny his existence.

But God does not present himself according to our plan; he presents himself according to his plan. And this, very simply, is the meaning of Christmas. God reveals himself in the poverty of a manger in Bethlehem precisely to make clear that he will not impose himself on us. He comes as a child who is powerless, who is totally helpless. At that very instant, he is capable of evoking in us not merely an

The example of each brother Knight is vital to the new evangelization.

intellectual assent, but also, in the pope’s words, a “yes of our hearts” to a reality that “surpasses even our most daring hope.” We glimpse this truth in the birth of every child whose parents realize that they are called by their child’s existence to love in a new way — a way that surpasses their prior experience and expectations. A helpless child can impose nothing but, merely by his presence, has the power to make an inestimable gift to his parents — the gift of awakening in them a greater love. And so the child, who has been given the gift of life by his parents, reciprocates in a mysterious way, giving his parents the gift of a greater life.

This is one reason why Blessed John Paul II placed such special emphasis on the family. He constantly reminded us that God, who is a communion of three persons, has in a mysterious way impressed the divine image within the very structure of family life. The “yes of the heart” that the child evokes from his parents reveals in the natural order the mystery of human love that has the capacity through grace to respond with a similar “yes of the heart” to God. A Truth that is Love calls not merely for an intellectual assent, but for a commitment of the entire person. It calls each of us to become more fully the person God intended by awakening our capacity to love in a greater way. The communication of this Truth that is Love calls for the witness of those who have said “yes” with their hearts and whose “yes” can be seen in the example of their daily lives. This is why the example of each brother Knight is vital to the new evangelization. Through our dedication to our principles of charity, unity and fraternity, we can express in a practical way this “yes of the heart.” Our works of charity can be a charity that evangelizes, expressing to those around us the Truth that is Love. Vivat Jesus!

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

The Baptism of Our Lord Making known his saving mission, Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori

AT THE BEGINNING of a new ministry, beginning with his baptism liturgical year, the Church’s liturgy and extending to his passion and reintroduces John the Baptist, the death. In these events, Christ is forerunner of Christ. During Advent, shown as “the light of the world” (Jn death, even death on a cross” (Phil we hear St. Luke’s Gospel account of 8:12). As John Paul II put it, “Each 2:7). Here, Jesus revealed the true the angel Gabriel announcing to of these mysteries is a revelation of glory of the God who is love, the Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, al- the Kingdom now present in the very God who loves us with an utterly ready advanced in years, is with person of Jesus” (The Rosary of the generous and passionate love. As Jesus descended into the waters child. We travel with Mary into the Virgin Mary, 21). of the Jordan, the heavens hill country to visit her cousin. opened and the Father deAt the entrance to Zachariah’s clared him to be his beloved house, Elizabeth greets Mary as Son. The Holy Spirit de“the mother of my Lord,” and the child in Elizabeth’s womb The Church’s tradition links the scended upon Jesus, bestowing on him the mission for leaps for joy, even as Mary utEpiphany, the Baptism of Christ which he was sent. Thus was ters her song of praise, the MagJesus revealed as “the refulnificat, woven together from and the wedding feast at Cana as gence of the Father’s glory, the strands of God’s Word. the very imprint of his Elizabeth’s child — John the manifestations of the eternal being” (Heb 1:3). He was Baptist — later preaches a bapglory of God’s Son. shown, as we pray in the tism of repentance, baptizes creed, as “God from God, Christ, “the giver of baptism,” light from light, true God in the Jordan River, and dies a from true God.” In this mysmartyr’s death. Liturgically, the tery of light, we profess Jesus as “the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is GLORY REVEALED celebrated at the conclusion of the In preaching a baptism of repen- light of the world,” which the darkChristmas season, just after the tance, John the Baptist prepared the ness could not overcome (cf. Jn 1:15, Epiphany, when Christ was revealed way for “the Lamb of God who takes Jn 8:32). The newly translated preface for as “a light of the nations” (cf. Is 49:6, away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29). Epiphany Preface). In fact, the Although Jesus had no sins to repent, the feast of the Lord’s Baptism, adChurch’s tradition links the he came to the Jordan River and dressed to God the Father, admirably Epiphany, the Baptism of Christ and asked to be baptized, accepting the summarizes the radiance of this mysthe wedding feast at Cana as mani- full dimensions of human sinfulness tery: “For in the waters of the Jordan festations of the eternal glory of in fulfillment of his Father’s saving you revealed with signs and wonders God’s Son. will. The words of St. Paul come to a new Baptism, so that through the Perhaps this insight contributed to mind: “He emptied himself, taking voice that came down from heaven, Blessed Pope John Paul II’s decision the form of slave … and found in we might come to believe in your to add to the rosary the mysteries of human appearance, he humbled Word dwelling among us, and by the light, which pertain to Jesus’ public himself, becoming obedient unto Spirit’s descending in the form of a 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

dove we might know that Christ your Servant has been anointed with the oil of gladness and sent to bring the good news to the poor.” MARY LEADS US Scripture does not record the Blessed Virgin Mary’s presence at the Lord’s Baptism, yet we sense her maternal love in all the mysteries of Christ’s life. Meditating on the Lord’s baptism, we seek Mary’s assistance. Even as the Father reveals Jesus as his own Son and the Spirit anoints him as the Christ, so too does Mary, who stored in her heart the mysteries of the kingdom, lead us to a deeper knowl-

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

Offered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI

PoPe: cNS photo/Paul Haring — becKeT: The metropolitan museum of Art. Image source: Art resource, NY

GENERAL: That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect. MISSION: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.

edge and love of her son. Having opened her heart fully to the Word of God, Mary teaches us how to listen to Jesus through daily, prayerful reading of Scripture, through ardent participation in the Mass and the sacraments, and through the attentive reception of the Church’s teachings on faith and morals. Immersed in the mystery of redemption, Mary counsels us, her spiritual children, to deepen our appreciation for the gift of baptism by which we were immersed into the death of Christ so as to rise with him to the newness of life (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). She also leads us to give

thanks for this sacrament by which we are reborn to everlasting life and by which we become sons and daughters of the light (cf. Ti 3:5, Eph 5:8). Mary, who carried Christ in her womb, invites us to rediscover the presence of the Word made flesh in our soul. By her prayers, she helps us manifest the presence of Christ within us as we embrace within the Body of Christ our particular vocation of love. Seeing the baptism of the Lord through the eyes of Mary, we pray that the Father may come to see and love in us what he sees and loves in his beloved Son.♦

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

St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170) Feast day: Dec. 29 WHEN the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales began their trek to a cathedral 60 miles from London, they sought to kneel at the tomb of St. Thomas Becket, the martyred archbishop of Canterbury who confronted a king and stood for the rights of the Church. The son of a merchant and landowner in the 12th century, Becket studied liberal arts in London and Paris. He later gained favor working for the archbishop of Canterbury. In his 30s, after studying canon law in Italy, the archbishop named Becket the archdeacon of Canterbury and later recommended him for the post of Lord Chancellor, which King Henry II approved. The king and Becket were close friends, and when the archbishop died, Becket was elected his successor in 1162. Within weeks, he was ordained a priest and archbishop. At this time, Becket resigned his office as chancellor and gave up his lavish lifestyle, choosing to practice penance and fasting. Soon, Becket and Henry stopped seeing things so similarly. Whereas Henry sought more control over the affairs of the Church in

England, Becket strongly defended the Church’s authority and independence. Becket was forced to seek refuge in France in 1164 and returned to England only six years later, after Pope Alexander III intervened. Within a few weeks, Henry expressed anger after Beckett excommunicated several bishops who took the king’s side. Four of the king’s men, who thought that he wanted the archbishop dead, killed Becket as he joined monks for vespers in Canterbury Cathedral. Less than three years later, the pope canonized Becket. The king then did public penance for Becket’s death, and the saint’s remains were venerated by a multitude of pilgrims until 1538, when Henry VIII destroyed the shrine in which they lay.♦ DECEMBER 2011

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Addressing Congress, Supreme Chaplain Promotes Religious Liberty

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On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., testifies before a subcommittee of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. The bishop then called on Congress to take “corrective action” to address a number of “grave threats to religious liberty” and conscience rights. In particular, he discussed the following issues that have arisen in recent months: • Regulations issued in August by the Department of Health and Human Services that would mandate the coverage of contraception and sterilization in most private health insurance plans. • An HHS requirement that Migration and Refugee Services provide the “full range of reproductive services” to human trafficking victims and unaccompanied minors. • A USAID requirement that contractors such as Catholic Relief Services distribute condoms as part of their HIV prevention activities and provide contraception as part of their international development programs. • The Department of Justice’s efforts to attack the Defense of Marriage Act by stating it was motivated by “animus” and “stereotype-based thinking.” • The Department of Justice’s at-

tempt to undermine the “ministerial exception” to civil rights laws that preserves religious institutions’ liberty to hire ministers and other staff on the basis of religion. • Actions in which state legislatures have redefined marriage, resulting in Catholic Charities in many places being “driven out of the adoption and foster care business” and state employees being forced to choose between losing their jobs or violating their conscience, as in the example of a Christian clerk in New York who resigned rather than sign same-sex marriage licenses. Bishop Lori also urged members of the House of Representatives to pass three bipartisan bills currently under consideration: the Protect Life Act (H.R. 358), the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 361), and the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179). “All three go a long way toward guaranteeing religious liberty and freedom of conscience for religious employers, health insurers and health care providers,” he said.♦

cNS photo/Joshua roberts

SUPREME CHAPLAIN Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., asked Congress to protect the right of religious freedom in the United States in light of recent actions undertaken by the federal government. In his Oct. 26 address to a U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Bishop Lori represented the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops as the chair of its new Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. “Religious liberty is not merely one right among others, but enjoys a certain primacy,” Bishop Lori said. “As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, recently explained: ‘It is indeed the first of human rights, not only because it was historically the first to be recognized, but also because it touches the constitutive dimension of man, his relation with his Creator.’” The supreme chaplain further explained that the freedom to express one’s faith openly is a principal reason for living. “Not coincidentally, religious liberty is first on the list in the Bill of Rights, the charter of our nation’s most cherished and fundamental freedoms. The First Amendment begins: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ It is commonly, and with justice, called our first freedom.” He told the committee that religious freedom is not a freedom granted to believers by governments. “Instead, religious liberty is inherent in our very humanity, hardwired into each and every one of us by our Creator. Thus, government has a perennial obligation to acknowledge and protect religious liberty as fundamental, no matter the moral and political trends of the moment. This insight is reflected in the laws and traditions of our country from its very inception. The Declaration of Independence boldly proclaimed as a self-evident truth that our inalienable rights are ‘endowed by our Creator’ — not by the state.”

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

“Coats for Kids” to Have Record Year ORDERS FOR this year’s “Coats for Kids” initiative already outnumber last year’s, bringing a measure of hope to those without adequate winter clothing as cold weather begins to cover North America. By the beginning of November, state and local councils placed orders for more than 12,500 coats. With the Supreme Council’s commitment to distribute 5,500 more coats, the total now exceeds last year’s total of 17,626 coats. The first distribution of the year was hosted in late October by the Alberta State Council and Catholic schools in Slave Lake, Alberta, where Knights there gave out 144 coats, many to families who lost everything in a May fire that caused $700 million in damage. In addition to local Knights and their families, Archbishop Gérard Pettipas of GrouardMcLennan, State Deputy Gary H. Johnson and Supreme Director Mickey Casavant were also present at the distribution. So far this season, large distributions of 300-500 coats are planned for Scranton, Pa.; New Bedford and Fall River, Mass.; Alamosa, Colo.; Garret, Md.; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Throughout North America, however, hundreds of smaller orders have been placed, the most popular order being one box of boy’s coats and one box of girl’s.

A K of C member helps a boy try on a new winter coat at a “Coats for Kids” distribution in West Haven, Conn., last year. Any council can purchase these new, high-quality winter coats for local distribution. Sold in boxes of 12, the coats can be purchased through the Supreme Council for $195, plus shipping. Use the “Coats for Kids” order form, available at kofc.org/coats. Each shipment will contain coats in a variety of colors, styles and sizes. Interested councils should determine the extent of need in their community. Pastors, school principals or grand knights can help in this regard. Once the need is established, the council

should determine how many coats they can afford to purchase — either using money in the council’s general fund or secured through a targeted fundraiser — as well as how the council will distribute the coats to children. If the council has identified specific children to receive coats, a distribution time and location can be selected and communicated to the parents of those children. An alternative is to select a distribution time and location, promote it, and distribute the coats on a first-come, first-served basis. ♦

African Crèches Exhibited at K of C Museum THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Museum’s seventh annual crèche exhibition opened Nov. 15, featuring nativity scenes crafted by artists throughout Africa. More than 100 pieces, mostly from western and northeast African countries, will be on display until Feb. 5. A few crèches, like the one at left, were carved in relief from black serpentine stone by Bernard T. Sakarombe, a Zimbabwean artist. It is surprisingly large, standing almost four feet tall and weighing about 300 lbs.♦

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DECEMBER 2011

lessons in A Haitian amputee soccer team, co-sponsored by the Knights and Project Medishare, embodies a message of overcoming adversity by David Naglieri and Michèle Nuzzo-Naglieri

ilfrid Macena walked proudly down the concourse at Miami International Airport, his prosthetic leg a stark reminder of the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Each step was a small triumph that a year ago would have seemed next to impossible. In a disaster that claimed an estimated 200,000 lives, Macena was one of thousands of Haitians who lost limbs when buildings caved in, roofs collapsed and much of a country was hurled into chaos. In lockstep behind Macena were nine fellow members of Team Zaryen, the amputee soccer team that he co-founded and now captains.

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(Previous spread) A Team Zaryen player practices in Haiti. (Across top, from left) Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., kicks a soccer ball to members of the team. • Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson welcomes Team Zaryen to Connecticut Oct. 20. • Matthew del Muro practices with the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team before a game with Team Zaryen. • Wilfrid Macena greets 1st Lt. Cameron Kerr before a clinic near Washington, D.C. (Right and below) Team Zaryen sits on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. • Sandy Jean Louis Louiseme, the team’s youngest player, chases a player from Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, Conn. It was Day One of Team Zaryen’s weeklong tour through the northeast United States, spreading a message of hope to wounded American soldiers, as well as to students, political figures, professional athletes and the public at large. For many team members, it was their first time outside the 20-mile radius of their homes in the outskirts of quake-stricken Portau-Prince. Halfway to the gate, a familiar voice greeted the group of Haitian athletes in the waiting area: “Can you believe it? Team Zaryen is in the United States!” The voice was that of Dr. Robert Gailey, a pioneer in amputee sports and rehabilitation who serves as a professor of physical therapy at the University of Miami while also overseeing Project Medishare’s efforts in Haiti. Reaching into one of the bags he was carrying, Gailey pulled out a brand-new black-and-white tracksuit donated by Nike — followed by nine more just like it. “Whooooaaaaa!” came the chorus, which transitioned instantly into applause. The players wasted no time slipping off their prosthetics and donning the tracksuits. With Gailey’s arrival, the group was complete, and the men and women of Team Zaryen now looked like a real team. In the middle of Miami Airport, amid embraces and camera flashes, the Haitian Inspiration Tour had officially begun. HEALING HAITI When the Knights of Columbus began exploring ways to assist Project Medishare in the aftermath of the earthquake, Gailey suggested a plan that would quickly benefit some of the most helpless quake victims. The Knights developed the “Healing Haiti’s Children” initiative and committed $1 million to make prosthetic limbs available to every young person 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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PreIVouS SPreAd: Photo by omar Vega

who had lost a limb in the earthquake, including a two-year period of physical therapy and replacement prosthetics for the children as they grow. The Order also financially contributed to the construction of a complete prosthetics and orthotics facility at Project Medishare’s field hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince, the only such unit in the country. The facility was dedicated Oct. 11 in honor of the late Emilio B. Moure, the Order’s former supreme secretary who was instrumental in the program’s development. Since its opening in March 2011, the Emilio Moure Clinic of Hope has provided prosthetic limbs and orthotics to more than 700 Haitians. In addition, the clinic offers educational and employment opportunities to locals being trained to fabricate prosthetic limbs and provide rehabilitation therapy. The first person to receive a prosthesis through the “Healing Haiti’s Children” program was Macena, who was welding a cistern when the earthquake struck Port-au-Prince and a wall collapsed on top of him, pinning his leg to the ground. Macena pulled himself from underneath the rubble and, with the help of a friend, got to a hospital, only to learn upon arrival that the facility had been destroyed in the earthquake. He spent that night on the street, his broken leg held together by a makeshift band, unable to contact his wife and newborn son. After 10 days without medical treatment, he was able to secure passage to the Dominican Republic, but the infection in his leg was so far advanced that doctors had little choice but to amputate. Macena discovered hope after a chance encounter brought him to the attention of Project Medishare and he was informed that the Knights would provide him with a prosthetic leg. “Five minutes after putting on my prosthesis I was walking like I had two legs,” he said. “I’m happy that now my life continues.” Macena was also the first victim of the earthquake to receive employment as a prosthetic and rehabilitation technician. For weeks before he was offered the job, the Project Medishare staff witnessed Macena’s untiring dedication to teaching young people how to adapt to their new limbs. There was no question that he had found a new calling. Realizing early on that not all of the injured youth shared his renewed sense of hope, Macena conceived of an amputee soccer team that would instill in them a sense of pride and belonging. With the help of his co-worker, Cedieu Fortilus, and the sponsorship of the Knights of Columbus, a national team was born.

TROOPS AND TARANTULAS Team Zaryen derives its name from the Creole word for tarantula, a fearless spider that perseveres after losing an appendage. With every player on the team missing a limb — most due to the earthquake — the group chose for its logo a seven-legged spider weaved into three pentagon-shaped soccer patches. The symbol inspires members of Team Zaryen to strive to overcome their disabilities — the very message they were now sharing as the team began its U.S. tour. Just two days after arriving in Miami, the group visited the Military Advanced Training Center at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where service members wounded in battle — be it mentally or physically — come to rehabilitate. One by one, members of Team Zaryen met with soldiers who had lost limbs. Many of the wounded warriors naturally gravitated to Macena, who was eager to tell his personal story of loss and renewal. Leading his team by example, Macena shared with the soldiers how he was able to overcome his fears that he would never again live a normal life: “I thought: How am I going to make a living because I have kids, a wife, a family? How could I live with one leg?” Harvey Naranjo, who is in charge of adaptive sports and community reintegration programs at Walter Reed, welcomed the team’s openness. “Usually when we have visitors at our center, they’re visibly uncomfortable and remain withdrawn,” he said. “The Haitians were the opposite. They were so full of life and approached our guys like they had been long friends. … You couldn’t help but want to hang out with them.” Whether it was the Haitians’ infectious enthusiasm or simple curiosity about the world’s fastest one-legged sport, almost 20 soldiers emerged onto the front lawn of the medical center moments later to watch Team Zaryen perform a demonstration. One of the soldiers present was Matthew Castillo del Muro, who attended the event hoping that it would rekindle his lifelong love for soccer. Del Muro was on patrol with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division when he lost his lower right leg to a roadside bomb in June 2010. An avid athlete who had played soccer since the age of 5, del Muro rediscovered his natural talent under the tutelage of Team Zaryen. DECEMBER 2011

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For the clinic, the team set up drills with cones and nets, GIVING BACK teaching the soldiers how to move with speed on crutches, The thrill of being invited to the D.C. United locker room folmaintain control of the ball using only one leg, and build lowing a game against the Chicago Fire helped to ease the disbalance and strength when shooting to score. Del Muro nav- comfort of Team Zaryen’s overnight bus trip from Washington igated between the cones, weaving his way towards the goal D.C. to Hartford, Conn. On Oct. 20, the team met with Conas his fellow soldiers — and his new Haitian friends — necticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Supreme Knight Carl A. cheered him on. At first, his movements were slow and Anderson before traveling to Stamford for a scrimmage against measured, but his footwork soon improved, and he was fir- Trinity Catholic High School’s varsity soccer team. ing shots with impressive accuracy. Throngs of students, many bearing signs of welcome, “Once I got used to it, my natural ability to play soccer crowded the tour bus, cheering as the vehicle approached the just kicked right in,” said del Muro. “It’s always been my entrance. Without wasting time, the students accompanied dream to be a soccer player, and I’m really excited to get Team Zaryen to the playing field. Among those gathered was back on the field and play again.” Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport. After Col. Paul Pasquina, chief of orthopedics and rehabilitation greeting the team, he couldn’t resist joining the fun as well, soon at Walter Reed, looked on with pride as his patients partic- kicking around a soccer ball during warm up — despite wearipated in the drills. ing his cassock. “What’s more inspirational than overcoming adversity, Once again, Team Zaryen worked its magic, playing with and what’s better at bringing people together than a sport heart against their well-seasoned, two-legged opponents. Sandy and teamwork?” Pasquina said. Jean Louis Louiseme, the team’s “We got Team Zaryen in here, youngest and most talented and they showed us what they player, mesmerized the crowd could do. Obviously, that was with his speed and agility on a challenge put down to our crutches. After a teammate stole a “We are so thankful for service members, who are used misdirected pass and sent the ball everything that has been to accepting challenges and his way, Louiseme managed to thriving off of them.” rocket a shot past the goalie’s outdone for us. We had The following day, more solstretched hands. The game generdiers participated in another ated enough buzz that the nothing to give in return clinic, this time off base at football team and cheerleading except for teaching amputee RFK Stadium. There, they squads interrupted their practices were personally greeted by to come and watch. soccer and showing everyone players of the Major League The following day, the tour Soccer team D.C. United. Beconcluded with its grand finale in what one can accomplish fore long, a series of soccer New York City, which included a despite their disability.” balls were flying between playdemonstration before a New York ers, and several circles of “keep Red Bulls pro soccer game and a away” had taken on a life of visit to Times Square. their own. On the team bus back to the So filled with respect and hotel, Fortilus, who also serves as admiration were the D.C. United players that every one of the team’s president, gazed at the New York City skyline. Exthem stuck around after the clinic to watch the day’s premier hausted from the week’s busy schedule, he reflected on what it event: a game pitting Team Zaryen against the U.S. National all meant. Amputee Soccer Team. The players on the national team “We are so thankful for everything that has been done for flew in from across the country to participate in the match us,” he said. “We had nothing to give in return except for teachand to assist the soldiers at Walter Reed in developing a team ing amputee soccer and showing everyone what one can accomof their own. plish despite their disability.” A unique crowd made up of professional players, schoolIn the end, Team Zaryen offered far more than instruction children and media from across the country witnessed an ex- in the rudiments of amputee soccer. The players gave the exciting game in which the U.S. National Amputee Team ample of their unconquerable spirit through a sport that is emerged with a 3-1 victory. For del Muro, who had been in- judged not by wins, losses or ticket sales — but by the courage vited to play alongside the U.S. team, the experience of its participants.♦ trumped the score. “I really missed that feeling of somebody wanting me to DAVID NAGLIERI and MICHÈLE NUZZO-NAGLIERI, complay for them because I have the skills, so it’s really touching munications staff with the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, accompanied Team Zaryen on the Haitian Inspiration Tour. and it’s amazing,” del Muro said 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2011

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

Why Movies Matter Watching movies with a critical eye can lead to important family discussions about faith and contemporary culture by David DiCerto

Thinkstock

have a confession to make: I love movies. You could say that movies are my vocation and that my work as a Catholic film critic is my ministry. Yet, I often find myself defending this position in conversations with fellow Christians, many of whom view popular culture — and the film industry in particular — with understandable suspicion. Much like the early Church Father Tertullian, who asked what Athens had to do with Jerusalem and doubted the need for pagan philosophy — the pop culture of his day — in the light of revelation, so too can Catholics today reasonably ask what Hollywood has to do with our faith. The answer is: more than you may think. Beyond mere entertainment, movies have a powerful impact on society in shaping ideas and attitudes. They are, as Blessed John Paul II wrote, “a communicator of culture and values.” In 1934, noted art historian Erwin Panofsky said that movies “mold, more than any other single force, the opinions, the taste, the language, the dress, the behavior, and even the physical appearance” of contemporary culture — a bold statement that holds true today. In 2010, studios sold 1.35 billion movie tickets, while DVD and Blu-ray sales exceeded $6.7 billion. That’s not counting movies-on-demand or digital downloads. In an age when more Catholics are familiar with Tom Hanks than “Tom” Aquinas, we need to admit the power of film to influence even our religious culture. In short, movies matter. The Church has always taken motion pictures seriously and encouraged the faithful to do the same. Pope Pius XI’s 1936 encyclical Vigilanti Cura charged “all Catholics and all men of good will” to elevate the cinematic landscape “with vigilant care” by being informed and educated about film, an obligation amplified in the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Media and Social Communications. Year after year, in messages for World Communications Day, recent popes have urged Catholics to use today’s modes of communication as a means not only of self-expression, but also of evangelization. John Paul II, in his 1995 message,

wrote about the duty of parents to educate their children “in an accurate reading and understanding of the films that enter their homes each day” through television and video players. With platforms for viewing movies increasing, the duty of parents is now even greater. A critical engagement with today’s film landscape is what I — and my co-host Steven Greydanus — seek to foster through our weekly TV show, Reel Faith, hosted by NET TV of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. Sure, there’s a lot seriously wrong with what Hollywood churns out, but if we as parents tune it out completely, we risk not understanding the culture that our children face. I’m not suggesting that every film is worth seeing — some are definitely not recommended — but as a Catholic father and film critic, I do believe that it is important for Catholics to be aware of current movies because they will be talked about around water coolers, soccer fields, schoolyards and dining tables — those everyday opportunities for evangelization. We must do more than just make sure our children avoid the “wrong” movies; we need to make time to watch movies with them and talk about plots and characters in the light of faith. G.K. Chesterton once observed that, ultimately, there is only one subject to talk about — God — and that he was able to use any situation as an occasion for discussing the faith. I feel the same way about movies. On Reel Faith, we have used the sci-fi thriller Inception to discuss free will; the family comedy Mr. Popper’s Penguins to comment on the tragedy of divorce; and the super hero flick Green Lantern as a jumping-off point to examine universal moral law. This month will offer a slate of holiday movies, any number of which can provide opportunities for you to discuss some aspect of your faith with your spouse, children or coworkers. Make your choice carefully, but feel free to see a movie — you may find more to chew on than just popcorn.♦ DAVID DICERTO is a Catholic film critic and co-host of Reel Faith on NET TV.

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

DECEMBER 2011

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cNS/Karen callaway, Catholic New World

making room at the inn The Posada invites communities to prepare for Christmas and celebrate its true meaning by Lizette M. Lantigua

uring a cold December evening, passersby watched as Mary and Joseph searched for lodging. But this was not the little town of Bethlehem. It was rural Franklin, Ohio, and the town’s bundled-up residents carried candles as they reenacted that special night with a special celebration: La Posada. While its name is foreign to many, this Hispanic tradition is becoming mainstream, as parishes and K of C councils use it as an opportunity to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The Christmas Posada, celebrated in many Latin American countries today, is a prayer, a play and a party all in one. The name means “inn” or “shelter” in Spanish and is generally celebrated with a novena from Dec. 16-24 in preparation for the birth of Christ. These nine days symbolize Mary’s pregnancy, the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, and their search for a place to stay — as recounted in Luke 2:1-7. “Advent often gets overshadowed by the rush of Christmas preparation,” said Matt Whiteley of Father Charles E. Mentrup Council 14400 in Franklin. “In the midst of the rush, the Posada gives us a chance to reflect on the journey toward Bethlehem; a journey toward the place where God revealed himself to the world as the baby Jesus.” THE TRADITION DEVELOPS The Posada celebration can be traced back to the 16th century amid the zeal of evangelization in the New World, as Spanish missionaries sought to bring the Christian faith to natives. The special prayers offered on the Posada’s nine consecutive days are attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. John of the Cross later made a religious pageant out of the event called Pastorelas. These reenactments of the Christmas story were a way to evangelize the pagan Indians, who could not read or write. Although countries throughout Latin America celebrate the Posada, the tradition varies with local customs. In Mexico, for example, the Posada starts with a procession of children and adults reenacting Mary and Joseph’s journey. Half of the crowd takes the role of Mary and Joseph asking for shelter, while the other half acts as the innkeepers denying them a

A man and woman dressed as Mary and Joseph process down Superior Street in Chicago as part of a Posada celebration at Holy Name Cathedral.

place to stay. After being turned away several times, one homeowner grants entrance to the whole group, and the party begins with food and singing. While adults eat, children break open a piñata, traditionally a seven-pointed star filled with small bags of candy, fruit and pieces of sugar cane. In Colombia, the tradition is similar, with emphasis on the children’s participation. On many occasions, the rosary is incorporated into the event. The Honduran tradition includes theatrical presentations of the shepherds’ journey and their challenges along the way to witness the birth of Christ. And in Ecuador, the novena is prayed around a Nativity scene in people’s homes and ends with the lighting of a Christmas tree. The Philippines, a Spanish colony for more than three centuries, also celebrates a version of the Posada. Like in other countries, a novena runs from Dec. 16-24. Local church bells begin to ring at dawn, inviting all to 5 a.m. Mass. In some provinces, there is also a pageant on Christmas Eve known as the Panunuluyan, which reenacts Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to stay. The event culminates at a church, where they are finally given shelter. Participants also carry lanterns to light the way. BUILDING FAITH As the Hispanic population in North America has grown, the Posada celebration has spread. Initially introduced to areas highly populated by Hispanics, the tradition has since expanded to other parts of the United States and Canada. “The event was very well attended at our parish,” said Whiteley of the Posada held last year at St. Mary Church in Franklin. “Many parishioners commented that the event was the most beautiful and unique activity that they had participated in for a long time.” The Ohio council organized the Posada to coincide with the parish’s Advent evening prayers. Two Knights carried images of Mary and Joseph, while the crowd began at the parish office to look for lodging. The participants stopped at different areas around the church, knocking and being refused entry. When they were not reciting prayers, they sang Christmas songs. And when they reached a grotto with an image of the Blessed Mother, they prayed a decade of the rosary. As Whiteley explained, “It highlighted the Order’s devotion to the Blessed Mother, and it demonstrated that the Knights of Columbus, usually thought of as a service organization, also works as a faith builder in the community.” The parishioners finally gained entry at the church, where they said the Advent evening prayers. The night culminated with a party at the parish center. Hot chocolate, soda and finger foods were served, and the children broke open a piñata filled with candy. According to Grand Knight Rick Trainer, the Posada broadened the parishioners’ cultural awareness. “In fact, this was the first time that most of us had even heard of the event,” he said. “It encouraged us to think about how others celebrate the birth of our Savior and that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.” DECEMBER 2011

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OPEN DOORS, OPEN HEARTS More than 1,100 miles south in the rural town of Davie, Fla., St. Mark’s Council 13045 has celebrated the Posada since 2007. The council erects a Nativity scene at the Davie Town Hall as part of the Order’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” initiative. Jorge Egües, chairman of the council’s Keep Christ in Christmas effort, said the Town of Davie initially expressed apprehension. “At first they were concerned of legal action for displaying the Nativity,” said Egües. “I told them that I have a right to express my faith as an American citizen.” He cited the 1999 case American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey v. Schundler, in which the court ruled that Nativity scenes are permissible as long as they are accompanied by

HOW TO CELEBRATE THE POSADA THE POSADA can be celebrated in the traditional manner during a span of nine days or as a oneday event focusing on the birth of Christ. The Knights of Columbus has prepared a booklet with information on how to host a Posada celebration in your community. Councils and parishes interested in learning more can download The Posada: An Advent & Christmas Celebration (#9898-E,S) at kofc.org/posada. The booklet may also be requested by mail through the Order’s Supply Department.

other seasonal items and a sign stating that the display is celebrating the city’s cultural and ethnic diversity. Once the matter was sorted out, Egües called fellow council member Alex Correa to spread the word among Knights and other parishioners to make sure that the Nativity display was well visited. Correa, a native of Colombia, organized a council-sponsored Posada with prayers and songs in English and Spanish. “It is a night of celebration,” said Correa. “This group of Catholic families from Latin American countries, along with fellow American families, gets together in the name of the baby Jesus to pray, celebrate his birth and enjoy family time with each other.” The event in Davie, which has grown every year, includes a live Nativity scene, children and adults playing maracas, tambourines and guitars, and traditional foods that reflect the many nationalities of the parish. Deborah Czubkowski, a native of Puerto Rico, has participated several times. “It is a great way to reconnect with our traditions and a way to teach our children about how we used to celebrate Christmas,” she said. The Posada tradition continues to spread, giving people a privileged opportunity to spiritually prepare for the birth of Christ. As Pope John Paul II said in a 1999 Angelus message, “The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas.” If you listen carefully, you will hear this sentiment echoed in various languages throughout the world as pilgrims sing a popular Posada song: “Humble pilgrims / Jesus, Mary and Joseph / I give my soul for them / And my heart as well.”♦ LIZETTE M. LANTIGUA writes from South Florida.

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cNS photo by Karen callaway

A girl performs with a musical group during a Posada celebration.

RO M A N M I S S A L

Lord, I Am Not Worthy In the Eucharist, we recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God who heals our souls and saves us from the slavery of sin by Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I. EDITOR’S NOTE: This concludes a series of seven articles on the Roman Missal in anticipation of the new English-language translation, which began in the United States Nov. 27.

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), 1635; Francisco de Zurbaran; Scala / Art resource, NY

ohn the Baptist, preaching repentance and the coming of God’s kingdom, saw Jesus approaching and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29). Those who heard John would have collectively recalled the sacrifice of a lamb in every Jewish household on the night of the first Passover (cf. Ex 12:1-14). The blood of the lamb on the doorposts saved those houses from the angel of death, who passed over the homes of the Jews and struck down the first-born sons of all the Egyptian families. John’s hearers would have also thought of the lambs sacrificed on the altar of the Jerusalem temple and distributed to the Jewish faithful to celebrate the annual Passover meal, commemorating the Exodus from slavery to the Promised Land. With only a few words, John the Baptist summarized God’s intervention in history and its annual recollection in the temple sacrifice. At the same time, he pointed to a new moment in the story of God’s actions to save his people. In the celebration of the Eucharist, we recall John’s greeting in light of Christ’s death on the cross, which is sacramentally present on the altar. The saving merits of Jesus’ death are applied to all who eat his Body and drink his Blood, and who thereby become one with Christ and the Church. Christ becomes the new paschal lamb, who obediently accepted death to fulfill his Father’s desire for the salvation of the world. In the new translation of the Roman Missal, the words of John the Baptist are more directly evoked by the priest before Communion: “Behold the Lamb of God….” The new translation also connects the Jewish Passover and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross with the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb, as declared by the angel of the Book of Revelation: “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb” (cf. Rev 19:9). Hearing again who Christ is, and rejoicing in the invitation to be with him in this life and in the world to come, we respond in words again taken from Scripture. In the

Gospel of Matthew, Jesus returns to Capernaum and meets a Roman centurion whose servant is paralyzed. The centurion asks Jesus to cure his servant, and Jesus says that he will come and do so. The centurion responds with the words that we also say: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word…” (8:8). Jesus marveled at the faith of this Gentile foreigner, and with a word, he cured the sick man. In a similar way, we confess together that Jesus will heal our souls, which our sins have infected with spiritual sickness. Unworthy though we are, the Lord will heal our brokenness and make us whole. With confidence born of faith and love, we step forward to receive the Body of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In these few words, simply expressed in the new translation of the Roman Missal, many of the scriptural titles of Jesus are compactly announced. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the savior who takes away the sins of the world, the healer of souls, the bridegroom and head of his Church, and the one who invites us to the banquet in his house. When we return to our places after receiving holy Communion, the Mass provides time for personal adoration and thanksgiving. These are privileged moments of sacramental and spiritual union with Christ, giving us the opportunity to bring our wills into conformity with his. This is the time to lay before Jesus our deepest desires and ask him to purify them; to bring to him all those who have asked us to pray for them; and to rest and listen and love. After the priest’s blessing and dismissal, the people respond, “Thanks be to God.” The holy Eucharist is given in an act of thanksgiving, and when one receives a gift for which no proper recompense can be offered, all that is left to say is “Thank you.” This we say with our words and with our lives.♦ CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE, O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago, is a member of St. Cabrini Council 182. He served as a member of the Vox Clara Committee, which was formed to oversee the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THE NEW TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL , VISIT KOFC . ORG / ROMANMISSAL DECEMBER 2011

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Many Cultures, One Faith The Order strengthens diverse immigrant communities with its universal message of charity, unity and fraternity by Mike Mastromatteo

he establishment of the Knights’ first Melkite/Arab Christian council near Toronto adds new meaning to the international fraternal organization’s outreach and support of immigrant communities. Based at Jesus the King Melkite Catholic Church in the north Toronto community of Thornhill, Jesus the King Arab Christian Council 15045 was established in May 2010 to serve a unique community of Eastern Catholics. The founding of Council 15045 and other diverse councils — whether populated by Cuban exiles, Hispanic Catholics, or recent arrivals from the Philippines, Vietnam and other parts of Asia — give evidence that the Knights of Columbus has moved far away from its stereotypical image as an Irish old boys’ club. Indeed, the Order has made significant progress toward accommodating more ethnicities, language groups and cultures throughout North America. Not all of these councils, though, are of recent origin. Our Lady of Charity Council 5110 in Miami recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of service and support to the Cuban exile community in south Florida (see sidebar). In Toronto, the Ukrainian-rite Sheptytsky Council 5079 likewise recently marked a half-century of service. Today, councils such as Toronto’s new Melkite council and those drawn from the Vietnamese community are working to keep the faith alive and vibrant not only in their new homes in North America, but also in their native lands, where governments often impose harsh strictures on religious liberty. PRESERVING TRADITION Deputy Grand Knight Hikmat Dandan was not new to the Order when he co-founded Jesus the King Arab Christian Council 15045. A member since 1997, Dandan had worked with brother Knights of his former council — North York Council 4393 — to take up the challenge of the persecuted Catholic Church in the Middle East. In addition to raising funds to build new churches in Lebanon and elsewhere, the council actively supported Dandan’s website — ChurchesforJesus.org — which calls attention to the travails of declining Christian communities in the Holy Land. The Melkite community that makes up Council 15045 largely consists of first-generation Canadians who immigrated with their parents from Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq. Melkite Catholics remain in full communion with the Holy See and trace their history back to the ancient apostolic Chair of Antioch, which was founded by St. Peter before he went to Rome. In fact, Antioch was where the disciples of Jesus were first called “Christians” (cf. Acts 11:26).

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Dandan cited the support of Father Georges Farah, pastor of Jesus the King Melkite Catholic Church, as key to the new council’s formation. “Father Farah asked me to establish a council for the church, and that’s what we ended up doing,” Dandan said. Father Farah discussed the institution of the council at each Mass and urged the men of the community to join. Joseph Gideon, the owner of a Toronto-area travel agency and the council’s grand knight, was also instrumental in founding the council, which currently has 55 members and counting. Although members are fluent in English, Dandan felt that holding meetings in their native Arabic language would be a welcome touch for an Order committed to reaching out to diverse cultural traditions. The council is active with projects common to most K of C units, but its members are motivated in large measure by the plight of Christians in the Middle East. The Knights are acutely aware of the situation facing Catholic worship centers in the Muslim world, especially in the wake of the past year’s Arab Spring protests, which, in some cases, has led to further oppression of Catholics. One key council initiative, “Jerusalem Students,” is an effort to get Knights, parishioners, business leaders and others to support school tuition for Melkite Catholic students in Jerusalem. By helping these students complete their education, Knights hope to build future leaders who can preserve the CatholicChristian faith in the Holy Land. “The Knights should not accept that the Holy Land becomes a ‘museum of Christianity’ without any Christians,” Dandan said, adding that “Jerusalem Students” is an ideal way for Knights to support the ancient churches and communities where Jesus walked and preached. A MULTICULTURAL MOSAIC In many cases, the Order’s embrace of ethnic councils is akin to helping immigrant communities adjust to life in a new country. A number of state boards, primarily in the United States, have established multicultural or diversity committees dedicated to supporting K of C councils among foreign-speaking Catholic groups. The Louisiana State Council, for example, recruited an ethnic development coordinator, Vicen Alvarez, to oversee an outreach program to Hispanic Catholics. Based in Baton Rouge, Alvarez said that Spanish-speaking Catholics, as the largest minority in the United States, play a key role in the future of the Church.

Photos by Nadia molinari

(Clockwise from top) Father Michel Chalhoub of Jesus the King Melkite Catholic Church in Thornhill, Ontario, blesses the congregation. • A group of men pray during the Divine Liturgy. • Members of Jesus the King Arab Christian Council 15045 are pictured in the church following the liturgy. Deputy Grand Knight Hikmat Dandan and Grand Knight Joseph Gideon sit in the front left. • Three books in Arabic sit atop an organ.

Currently, there are nearly 200 Spanish-speaking councils in the United States and five in Canada. Outreach and support to these councils varies by state, but the Supreme Council is actively working with three Hispanic development field coordinators, including Alvarez, to strengthen the structures in those states that have a large potential for Hispanic growth. In recent years, jurisdictions such as British Columbia, California and Virginia have also experienced a significant surge of Asian Catholic immigrants. Filipino councils have long existed in the Toronto area, and there is now a growing number of Vietnamesespeaking councils on both sides of the border. Le Nguyen of Falls Church, Va., serves as the ad hoc Vietnamese liaison for the Supreme Council, a position established in 20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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A REFUGE OF FAITH As the immigrant population of Canada’s largest cities continues to grow, so too does K of C outreach to non-English-speaking councils. Besides the Arab Christian community of Council 15045, there are a number of other Catholic cultural groups represented in the Toronto area. The same week that the Melkite council was chartered, Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 15038 was founded to serve Toronto’s Hispanic community. That council, which has received support from other K of C units in southern Ontario, includes members from various Latin American countries, including Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba.

Photos by matthew barrick

(From top) Le Nguyen of Falls Church, Va., the ad hoc Vietnamese liaison for the Supreme Council, participates in a meeting of Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Council 9655 in Arlington, Va. • Members of Council 9655 are pictured together after Mass at Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church.

2007. According to Nguyen, Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Council 9655 in Arlington, Va., was the Order’s first Vietnamese council when it was formed in 1987. Other Vietnamese councils have been growing rapidly over the last four years in places as far-ranging as Alberta, California, Florida and Ontario. Nguyen said he works to explain the vision of the Knights’ founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, to Vietnamese immigrants. “Today, the Order’s principles — charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism — are a perfect fit for every community, regardless of cultural differences,” he explained. The Virginia state council has even drawn up a charter aimed at expanding awareness of the Knights to Catholic communities of diverse immigrant backgrounds. Robert Garcia, head of the state council’s multicultural committee, sees his role as one of informing Catholic minorities about the value of the Knights and to reach out to these communities in a language they understand. “The Knights of Columbus is committed to supporting ethnic councils, and our faith and our Order’s principles are the basis for offering that support,” said Garcia, who is a member of Father James Lee Rizer Council 6828 in Williamsburg. “Fraternity and unity, plus our binding faith, will ensure that we do not segregate our brothers based on ethnicity. There are ample opportunities for common fellowship, such as in pro-life activities, Special Olympics and quarterly meetings at the state council level.” On the other side of the country, Vietnamese Martyrs Council 14445 in Santa Ana, Calif., became the first Vietnamese council on the West Coast in 2008. Its membership has since increased from 30 to nearly 120, and it is quickly becoming a faith hub for Vietnamese Catholics in Orange County. “We have made every effort in translating all related documents, procedures, ceremonies and traditions from English into Vietnamese,” said the council’s co-founder, Ken Nguyen (no relation to Le). In doing so, he added, the council has infused a touch of Vietnamese culture, character and tradition into regular council activities. In addition to a number of special recruitment and community outreach programs, Council 14445 prioritizes support of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. In 2008, for instance, council officers wrote to Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and thenSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice, requesting they call upon the U.S. government to intervene on behalf of persecuted Catholics in their homeland.

Meanwhile, Simon Chang, grand knight of Our Lady of China Council 13717 in Toronto, said that his council helps members and parishioners during their time of transition. “The challenge faced by our council is that the [Chinese] parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish are mostly newly arrived refugees who speak little English, and their main concern is to find a good job to support their family,” said Chang. While this can present some problems for recruitment and retention, the council remains committed to serving as a safe harbor for refugees as they adjust to their new home. “Once they are established, they tend to move away to other parts of the city for better jobs or a better environment to raise the family,” said Chang. “We just hope that we can help them in this passage so that one day they, too, will return and help the people who come after.” In November 2010, members of Council 13717 helped to establish another council, St. Augustine Zhao Rong Council 15176, to serve the growing Chinese Catholic community north of the city. Whether motivated to help newcomers adjust to a new country,

or to support a persecuted church in native lands, the Order has clearly opened itself to the multicultural presence within the universal Catholic faith. For the Melkite council in Thornhill, the Knights’ outreach and support could not have come at a better time. It has created a stronger atmosphere of faith in action and has added urgency to the appeal to support Catholics in the Middle East. “Christian communities in the Middle East are passing through turbulent times,” Dandan said. “The Knights, as well as Catholics all over the world, can make a lot of difference in supporting these communities. Being the largest Catholic organization in the world, and through our unity in charity, we should be able to make a difference.” EDITOR’S NOTE: If you know of an immigrant community that would benefit from a K of C council or round table, contact the Department of Membership Growth at 203-752-4378.♦ MIKE MASTROMATTEO, a member of Blessed Trinity Council 11681, writes from Toronto.

THE EXILED COUNCIL: 50 YEARS OF SERVICE BY THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the Order’s presence in Cuba in 1959, the Knights of Columbus counted 29 councils and almost 3,000 members on the island nation. Within two years, though, in the wake of the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro’s Communist takeover, many began to flee from their native land. Among them was Luis Lay, who in 1961 became the charter grand knight of Our Lady of Charity Council 5110 in Miami. Initially comprised of about 100 members, including 14 grand knights of Cuban councils, it was the first Spanish-speaking U.S. council and is often thought of as a Cuban K of C council in exile. “The exiles were welcomed with open arms by their brother Knights and councils in the United States and Canada,” recalled Lay, who is now a member of Pan American Council 14058 in Houston. “The supreme knight and the Board of Directors did not hesitate to look for the protection of our distressed members and their families as they entered the United States.” But it was not just linguistic and cultural unity that motivated the foundation of Council 5110 and its activities over the past half-century. Throughout its history, the council has worked to re-

Supreme Knight Luke E. Hart welcomes a boy and his mother, both Cuban exiles, in January 1962 at the Knights of Columbus Cuban Refugee Center in Miami. store some of the prestige and influence that the Catholic Church once enjoyed in Cuba. Lay said that council members helped foster priestly and religious vocations in the early years after the council’s founding and later served as the custodians of Catholic Cuban children sent to the United States to escape the secular, materialist culture imposed by Cuba’s new leaders.

Lay also estimates that as many as 16 Hispanic councils emanated from the initial group of Cuban exiles, and there are now some 33 Spanish-speaking councils in Florida alone. Some members still describe Council 5110 as the bridge between Cuban and U.S. Knights. With a long list of achievements over its 50-year history, the council remains firm in its desire to see the Order fully restored in Cuba, as recent years have seen a marked improvement in relations between the Church and the Cuban government. At the Supreme Convention in Quebec City in 2008, Knights welcomed a delegation from Cuba for the first time in nearly 60 years. Two years later, in Washington, D.C., the Order presented its Gaudium et Spes Award to Cardinal Jamie Ortega y Alamino of Havana for his steadfast witness to the Church’s suffering and perseverance. And in November 2010, Cuba’s first new seminary in 50 years opened with financial support from the Supreme Council. “There is hope that a democratic and Christian Cuba will be born again because of the faith of the Cuban people,” said Lay. “The prayers to Our Lady of Charity, patroness and queen of Cuba, will be our aid.” — Mike Mastromatteo DECEMBER 2011

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A Tale of Two Churches Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong, discusses the precarious state of the Church in China by Alton Pelowski

ardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was born in Shanghai in At the end of the revolution in the 1970s, the prisoners 1932 and moved to Hong Kong 16 years later at the finished their sentences. You can understand that those who end of the Chinese Civil War. Free from Communist rule, chose not to obey the government had no reason to change Zen entered the Salesians and was ordained to the priesthood their position, so they went “underground.” But others were at age 29. He later taught at seminaries in China for seven called back to run the churches, which were reopened, resultyears, before being named the coadjutor bishop of Hong ing in two communities. Kong by Pope John Paul II in 1996. Ten years later, Pope The “official” — or “aboveground” — church was comBenedict XVI elevated him to the College of Cardinals. pletely dominated by a Patriotic Association established by Although retired since 2009, Cardinal Zen continues to be the Chinese government. Between each diocese, the situation a strong advocate of democratic reform and religious liberty, may be very different. A bishop may still have some authormost recently undergoing a three-day hunger strike in Octo- ity, but at the national level there is no other authority than ber in protest of a court decision that threatens the autonomy the Patriotic Association. of Catholic schools in Hong Kong. Of particular concern to the cardinal is the ongoing conflict between the Holy See and COLUMBIA: How many Catholics are there in China today? the government-run Chinese PaCARDINAL ZEN: We don’t know triotic Catholic Association. In the exact figure, but surely the November 2010, for the first figure presented by the governThe Communist regime, time in four years, the Chinese ment does not correspond to regovernment carried out the ordiality. They always say five from the very beginning, nation of a bishop without the million, but it must be at least Vatican’s approval. Subsequent iltwice that amount, with more in tried to separate the Church licit ordinations followed in June the underground. from Rome. Many Catholics and July of this year. To help educate people about COLUMBIA: How has the Vatisaid, “No. The Church is one, the conflict, Cardinal Zen travcan approached this complicated eled to the United States over the situation? and unless we are with summer to meet with bishops, C ARDINAL Z EN : In the Holy the pope, then we politicians, media and Chinese See, two departments take care Catholic communities. During of the Church in China. One is are not Catholics.” his visit to New York City, the carthe Secretary of State, which indinal met with Columbia’s mancludes the foreign affairs of the aging editor, Alton J. Pelowski, Holy See. The other is the Conand encouraged the Knights of Columbus to become more in- gregation for Evangelization. In the 1980s, after the Cultural Revolution ended, the formed about and to pray for the Catholic Church in China. Secretary of State was more favorable to the aboveground COLUMBIA: What events have led to the current situation church, while the Congregation for Evangelization favored of the Catholic Church in China? the underground community. Little by little, with more inCARDINAL ZEN: The Communist regime, from the very be- formation, it became clear that it was not fair to distinguish ginning, tried to separate the Church from Rome. Many between these two parts as absolutely opposed to each Catholics said, “No. The Church is one, and unless we are with other. With more context, those who were more favorable the pope, then we are not Catholics.” The Catholics who said to the aboveground church realized that the situation was this were all put in prisons or labor camps. Others, however, not good, because bishops were not free. And the others rethought they had to compromise, and they accepted control by alized that many of those in the official community were in the government. After a few years, even those who accepted their hearts loyal to the Church. So, the two departments compromise were put in prisons and labor camps, such that the came to a very good accord in their understanding and their Church disappeared completely during the Cultural Revolution. strategy.

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cNS photo/reuters

A man prays during Mass at a Catholic church on the outskirts of Changzhi, China.

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I asked him, “When will the next meeting of the bishops’ conference be?” And he laughed. He said, “Oh, Father, you believe we have meetings? We meet together only when the government calls us to give us instruction. But we have no say at all!”

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong holds a news conference in 2007 regarding Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to Catholics in mainland China. In a statement, he emphasized that the pope’s letter explains “traditional and universally accepted Catholic principles,” and does not promote a political agenda.

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DECEMBER 2011

ceived. … The situation became very bad. The government was very happy because they knew they could do anything, ordaining bishops with the condition that sooner or later they will be legitimized. There is now a new prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization. He worked for many years recently in Hong Kong, so he knows the situation very well. And the new secretary of the congregation is Chinese. He has also been to China to teach in the seminaries and has lived many years in Hong Kong. But now it’s very difficult to change the situation, because the government will not accept defeat. The government knows there is a different attitude now — you might call it the “hard position” — and they want to challenge that. The most recent illegitimate ordinations are more serious than before because the position of the Holy See is now very clear with the sanctions of canon law. So, I say that before getting better, it may get worse. COLUMBIA: What effect have these ordinations in the past year had on unity in the Church and the potential for dialogue? CARDINAL ZEN: It’s very sad and it’s very dangerous, because the government brings legitimate bishops to ordain illegitimate bishops, and according to canon law, even those

cNS photo/bobby Yip, reuters

The Holy See also started a very generous policy toward the aboveground church. When the bishops ordained illicitly asked for legitimization, or when the newly-elected young bishops asked for approval before ordination, the Holy See, after due investigation and consultation with the underground bishops, many times granted such legitimization and approval. But in 2000, something very sad happened. At the beginning of the year there was an ordination of illegitimate bishops. They planned to have 12 bishops, but only five showed up. And then in September of that year, there was a very harsh campaign against the canonization of the martyrs in China. In the years that followed, some illegitimate bishops were perhaps legitimized too easily. During those years, the underground church received very few new bishops, but in the aboveground church, there were many with the approval of the Holy See. … In 2010, there were many ordinations with mutual consent of the Holy See and the Chinese government. Some people were very happy to see that, but I was rather suspicious. … I am afraid that there was too much compromise. In fact, the Holy Father has called Chinese bishops who chose to be more on the side of the government than the Church “opportunists,” because of the money or social position they re-

ordaining bishops will be excommunicated. Now, there must be a dozen such bishops, which means a dozen dioceses are paralyzed with their bishops excommunicated. I hope they are not able to carry out many more such ordinations. Otherwise, it will be a real disaster, and I hope those bishops who took part really reflect on the seriousness of the situation. I don’t know how they can submit to the government after the clear statement from the Holy See. The sad thing is that half of them are forced to go, but half of them are very willing to go. I think in this moment the Holy See must keep firm. Otherwise, it will become a schismatic church. COLUMBIA: What would happen if a Chinese bishop were to speak out against the Patriotic Association? CARDINAL ZEN: That’s a very important question. Before, they would kill him. They would put him in prison. Now, an official bishop would surely not be put in prison. They may limit his freedom. They may punish him financially or do something nasty. There are harsh consequences, but not as harsh as before — especially if several bishops stand up together, there is some hope that the government will listen. Now even scholars, not Catholics, are saying something very daring. One Chinese professor, in an annual report on religion, argued that the Communist regime has gone too far. She said that the Catholic Church in China must constantly justify itself to the world because it is so different from the Church everywhere else. Let it be like the rest of the world, with the bishops leading the Church. C OLUMBIA: What is the significance of Pope Benedict’s 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics? CARDINAL ZEN: The letter is a masterpiece because its principles are clear: The Church is one. The Church is apostolic. The Church must be guided by the bishops. And in China, it is not. So this situation is wrong. In his messages about China, the Holy Father is always very careful and concise in his expressions. You must read them carefully. He mentions several times: “courage,” “loyalty,” “fidelity.” I think this is important. The letter unfortunately could not have its full effect, however, because a distorted interpretation was given — claiming that everybody should come into the open so that the underground church would disappear. The manipulated translation was changed, but only after two years. What the Holy Father actually said is that it is almost always impossible for the underground to come out into the open, because the government would impose unacceptable conditions. On the first day of publication, the letter appeared on the Internet so everybody in China could download it. Some people copied and distributed it. But on the second day, the government closed the website. People were very happy to receive that letter, but it was also to be expected that there were many discussions and interpretations. And the most dangerous is the one saying that the underground should come into the open.

Underground, the people are not afraid of persecution or even of martyrdom. But some are frustrated and afraid that the Holy See may be telling them, “You are wrong. You have been wrong all this time. Why don’t you compromise?” C OLUMBIA: What has been the everyday experience of Catholics who have chosen to practice their faith clandestinely or “underground,” rather than cooperate with the state-sponsored church? CARDINAL ZEN: Many of the faithful simply don’t understand such complicated problems about illicit ordinations. They just go to church. They are happy that churches are open. They are happy that there are Masses. But then there are many others who care for clarity. So now it’s a moment where the faithful are organizing themselves to defend the Church, and the priests are helping the bishops to be wiser. In July, the bishop of Shenyang was ordered to perform an illicit ordination, and his priests surrounded him and did not allow him to go. They came back to the cathedral with all the faithful, and prayed with the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Police surrounded the cathedral, but they didn’t dare arrest the bishop. So now it’s the people power. We rely on the faithful. COLUMBIA: Is the aboveground church also oppressed by the government? CARDINAL ZEN: The bishops are kept as slaves — they have no authority. That’s persecution! When Archbishop Anthony Li Duan [of Xian] — a holy and wonderful man — was vice chairman of the Patriotic Association and chairman of the bishops’ conference, I asked him, “When will the next meeting of the bishops’ conference be?” And he laughed. He said, “Oh, Father, you believe we have meetings? We meet together only when the government calls us to give us instruction. But we have no say at all!” That’s the situation. … The government wants to control everything. You can’t do anything if you don’t let yourself be controlled by them. They even give you money, provided they can control you. That’s the Communist Party. COLUMBIA: What needs to take place for there to be authentic dialogue and movement towards unity? CARDINAL ZEN: When talking about unity, I always try to make a distinction. … When the Holy Father talks about reconciliation, it must be about reconciliation of hearts, of spirits. So, the underground church should not say that all the people in the aboveground church are devils. They are not. Many are good people. And the aboveground church should not say that the underground is full of troublemakers. No. They are in the correct position — they are loyal to the Holy Father. So let them approach each other to be reconciled. But can you demand that the underground go into the open to surrender themselves to the government? No. So, real unity is not yet possible because the government will not accept change. For now, it is working in hearts for reconciliation, for mutual understanding.♦ DECEMBER 2011

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KNIG HTS IN ACTI ON

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

sembled and mailed 60 care packages to a U.S. military unit stationed in Afghanistan. The packages contained basic care supplies for the troops, many of whom are living at makeshift facilities in remote parts of the country. PLEDGE FULFILLED

Special Olympics athletes compete in a snowshoe event at the Currie Municipal Golf Course in Midland, Mich. Members of St. Agnes Council 8043 in Sanford volunteered as timekeepers and linemen at the event, which saw athletes from several area communities compete in snowshoe and cross country skiing tournaments.

HAVE A HEART

Holy Family Council 12306 in St. Petersburg, Fla., hosted its “Have a Heart” dinner, dance and auction to benefit Benedict Haven, a supervised home for adults with severe mental illness. LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Father Joe Lauro Council 6398 in Russellville, Ark., hosted a fund drive to purchase 10 wheelchairs for needy members of the community. Led by Eric Larson, a council member who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair himself, the council raised $2,000 to help purchase wheelchairs for those who cannot afford them.

the Diocese of San Pedro de Macorís. The truck itself was donated by several Torontoarea organizations.

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Two sisters model their new jackets at a “Coats for Kids” distribution sponsored by Resurrection Council 13027 in Rochester, Minn. Knights handed out 96 jackets to needy families, some of whom had recently resettled from Sudan.

GOING TO HAITI CARE PACKAGES FOR SOLDIERS

Members of Msgr. Fernand H. Gouaux Assembly in Lafayette, La., along with students and faculty from Broussard Middle School and Comeaux High School as-

A WARM RECEPTION

When the office building at Sacred Heart Church in Medford, Ore., underwent major renovations, members of Rouge River Council 1594 volunteered to refurbish the facility’s reception area, renovating the space so that it was more beneficial to conducting parish business. Knights donated 810 hours and $2,000 to the project — saving the parish approximately $33,000.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 4160 in Doylestown, Pa., donated funds to help council member James Fowkes travel to Haiti with his parish mission team. The team brought supplies and medicine with them to distribute to needy Haitians, all of which was sent to Haiti via a large shipping container. In addition to helping Fowkes with his travel costs, the council also donated part of the cost of shipping the container full of supplies.

FOR A WIDOW

TRUCKIN’ ALONG

St. Dominic Council 14968 in Mississauga, Ontario, donated $1,000 toward the operation costs of a new truck for the Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in the Dominican Republic. The vehicle will help the sisters provide food, medicine and other basic supplies to Dominicans and Haitians who work and live in sugar cane communities throughout

When a new $11 million education center was built at St. Pius X Church in 2008, Father Stephen T. Badin Council 4263 in Granger, Ind., pledged $45,000 to subsidize the cost of the center’s kitchen. Through rigorous fundraising, the council fulfilled its pledge in about three years. The education center now serves 660 students and is host to functions for several area parishes.

Jayson Suyom, Teodoro Gallaron and Felix Morano of St. Peter the Apostle Council 14648 in Barangay Telegrapho, Visayas, demonstrate a method for cultivating mushrooms using banana leaves. Knights traveled to a remote area of the country to teach lay missionaries how to grow mushrooms to supplement their other food crops.

DECEMBER 2011

Brother Vincent Council 7517 in Smyrna, Del., came to the aid of a deceased Knight’s family. When council member John Mullin passed away at the age of 52 from lung cancer, he left his wife and four children with a house that needed repairs. Council members, some of them tradesmen, volunteered to repair walls, replace windows, install baseboards and fix the front walkway at the home of Mullin’s widow.

VETERANS MEMORIAL

Ocean City (Md.) Council 9053 and John Paul II Assembly donated materials for a veterans memorial at St. Luke Church. The memorial includes a flagpole surrounded by bronze figures representing the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Knights donated two of the bronze statues for the memorial and provided an honor guard for its dedication.

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

Greg Perrault and Paul McKenna of Whip City Council 100 in Westfield, Mass., cook pancakes during an altar server appreciation breakfast at Blessed Sacrament Church. Knights honored 75 altar servers and their families from five area parishes.

GARAGE SALE FOR AED

St. George Council 10843 in London, Ontario, co-hosted a garage sale with its parish women’s league that raised $3,800 to purchase an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Following the installation of the device at St. George Church, the remaining funds were used to train staff and parishioners how to use it. CHURCH YARD SALE

Ambrose Council 8403 in Annandale, Va., organized a yard sale at St. Ambrose Church that raised more than $12,000 for the parish and its elementary school. Knights collected, sorted, priced and sold approximately 10 tons of clothes, household items, collectibles, toys, houseful furniture and even a kitchen sink. THE VAN MEN

Msgr. Martin B. Power Council 14573 in Melbourne came to the aid of a local man who broke his neck during a swimming accident. David Humes became a quadriplegic in 2009 after diving into a shal-

low sandbar that was misread by his GPS depth indicator. Since then, Council 14573 has adopted the Humes family, providing support as needed. Recently, Knights pitched in to purchase a new handicapped-accessible van for Humes when the council discovered that the family’s current van was unsuitable for their needs and was having serious mechanical problems. Following delivery of the van, Humes was invited to join the council — an invitation he graciously accepted. NEW WHEELS

Mary, Queen of Peace Council 12072 in Mandeville, La., donated a new electric wheelchair and batteries to retired New Orleans Police officer Leo Bowen. Bowen lost much of his freedom of mobility when his previous wheelchair broke down. WAITING FOR A TRANSPLANT

Local teenagers and members of Ascension Council 14943 in Bastrop, Texas, bag carrots at the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry & Support Center for distribution to needy families. The council and its ladies’ auxiliary teamed with volunteers to bag fresh produce for the pantry’s bi-monthly distribution. In total, 195 families received assistance.

lect plastic and glass bottles, papers, and other recyclable waste. The materials are then recycled, with all proceeds added to the council’s charitable fund.

Msgr. Omer V. Foxhoven Council 14398 in Englewood, Colo., hosted a series of benefit breakfasts to raise funds for the wife of a council member who is awaiting a liver transplant. Knights served more than 400 meals after three Masses and raised approximately $6,500 to help the family with medical expenses.

RECYCLING FUNDS

Father Waffelaert Council 3749 in Solano, Luzon, started a recycling program in which council members col-

Pope Pius XII Circle 1145 in Solano, Luzon, staged a benefit concert at St. Louis School to aid seminarian George Garcia. Squires and other students performed at the event, which raised more than 10,000 pesos (approximately $230) to aid Garcia with his studies. ITALIAN DINNER FOR VETERANS

CASINO NIGHT

Valladolid Council 70 in Lynn, Mass., donated use of its council hall to St. Pius V Church to host a tropical party boat and casino night fundraiser. Knights planned the casino portion of the event and were on hand to volunteer. The party raised more than $8,000.

CONCERT AIDS SEMINARIAN

Members of St. Mary of the Lakes Council 6520 in Medford, N.J., use a lift to clean the 30-foot statue of the Holy Trinity that hangs above the altar at their church. The statue, which was made in Italy from a single piece of wood, was installed in 1966 but never substantially cleaned. Knights paid to rent the lift equipment before washing the statue with wood oil.

Members of St. Frances of Assisi Assembly in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and their wives visited the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center nursing home to serve an Italian dinner to residents and staff. Following the meal, soprano Lorrianna Colozzo entertained everyone in attendance with a medley of Broadway tunes, contemporary hits and opera aria. SUPPER FOR SCHOOL

San Salvador Council 1 in New Haven, Conn., hosted a ziti supper that raised $1,000 for St. Aedan-St. Brendan Catholic School.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N FOOD FOR BABIES

ticles on discernment, and web resources. The council even gathered enough material to ensure that the displays could be updated monthly for the first year.

Father James J. Scanlon Council 6936 in Highland Springs, Va., donated 19 cases of baby food and a case of baby formula to Commonwealth Catholic Charities for distribution to needy mothers who have infant children.

FENCE FOR A NEIGHBOR

CRAB FEED

St. Joseph Council 9202 in Lincoln, Calif., hosted its annual crab feed for about 400 people. Patrons enjoyed a five-course meal of crab and shrimp, and the event raised more than $10,000 for the council’s charitable funds. MEMORIAL DONATION

Our Lady of the Mountains Council 7575 in North Conway, N.H., donated $1,000 to Mother Seton House in honor of the council’s late chaplain, Father Louis Soucey. Knights also presented the organization with a check for $1,500 from an anonymous donor. Mother Seton House provides aid to needy mothers and their babies. RECTORY PAINTED

St. Margaret Mary Council 8100 in Bullhead City, Ariz., and Black Mountains Assem-

Members of Msgr. Patrick F. Horan Assembly in Fort Smith, Ark., and Father Anthony J. Lachowsky Assembly in Conway install a sprinkler system in the inner court of Subiaco Abbey. Knights volunteered to dig trenches in the court before laying new pipe for the system.

HELPING A BROTHER

bly in Kingman painted the interior of the rectory at St. Margaret Mary Church. A crew of Knights took three days to paint the inside of the building with materials donated by a parishioner.

banner. The council also obtained 50 track uniforms and travel bags for Special Olympics athletes, and duffel bags and t-shirts for all Special Olympics coaches.

MEMORIAL CROSS

Since starting a program to help feed the hungry in and around their community, members of Immaculate Lady Council 5208 in Glyndon, Md., have made 1,000 “zippy beef casseroles” for the Our Daily Bread Hot Meal Program. Each casserole feeds about 12 people.

A ZIPPY CASSEROLE

Father Nemec Council 3793 in Wallis, Texas, donated $10,000 toward the construction of a 40-foot memorial cross at the entrance to the newly expanded Guardian Angel Church Cemetery. MEAT PÂTÉS

Grand Mere Council 1209 in Quebec sells meat pâtés to benefit a number of charitable causes. Proceeds have been used to help renovate the council’s parish church, to build a library in Haiti as part of ongoing recovery efforts there, and to provide food to needy members of the community through an area soup kitchen. Members of Hagonoy Council 4110 in Bulacan, Luzon, remove trash and debris from a local river. In an effort to help preserve the environment, Knights removed several boatloads of garbage from the river and its banks.

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Archbishop Monahan Council 4878 in Calgary, Alberta, donated $5,400 to build a wooden fence at the home of a local woman and her children. In addition to providing materials, council members also donated equipment and manpower for the project.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ASSISTANCE

St. Martin Council 2623 in Kingsville, Texas, donated $1,800 to the Kingsville Independent School District Special Olympics to use at future events and to purchase a

DECEMBER 2011

Albert E. Chipman Council 11042 in Mechanicsville, Va., provides ongoing support to Dana Nelson, a council member who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998. Knights transport Nelson to and from his office every day and help him with medical appointments and other necessary travel. Nelson himself reports that he would not be able to stay active without the help of his council.

CHARITABLE CHEVY

Father Michael J. Hartigan Council 5033 in Beth Page, N.Y., raffled a 2010 Chevy Camaro to raise $35,000 for charity. The funds were distributed among a number of charitable organizations. VOCATIONS DISPLAYS

Watertown (Wis.) Council 1478 donated bulletin boards to St. Henry School and St. Bernard School to promote vocations to religious life and marriage. The bulletin boards feature pictures and stories of people happily following their vocations, ar-

Gerard Cotoure of Father Frederick H. Suggs Council 6892 in Columbia, S.C., removes water-damaged shingles from the roof of a parish picnic shelter. Knights donated supplies and volunteered two days of labor to help replace the pavilion roof, which had been practically destroyed by years of weathering.

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

requires multiple heart surgeries. The event raised more than $4,000 to help with Slove’s medical expenses. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Members of Mount Mercy Council 14604 in Peewee Valley, K.Y., erect a pro-life cross display at St. Aloysius Church to commemorate the lives lost each day to abortion. Knights helped plant 3,200 white crosses on the church grounds.

SCHOLARLY DINNER-DANCE

Father Hugh J. Flynn Council 8477 in Daytona Beach, Fla., hosted a dinner-dance that raised $1,650 for the K of C scholarship fund at Lourdes Academy. INCINERATOR FOR HOSPITAL

At the request of parishioner David Begg, St. Mary Council 5999 in Marshall, Mich.,

raised more than $4,000 to purchase an incinerator for St. Joseph Hospital in Cameroon, Africa. Begg worked in Cameroon as a missionary and learned that the hospital needed an incinerator to effectively destroy medical waste. The new equipment funded by the Knights will help the facility maintain a sanitary environment.

BOTTOM LEFT: Don Blake/The Dialog, Diocese of Wilmington, Del.

ROOM RENOVATED

David Danielson and Ted Whitlock of Old Bohemia Council 6543 in Middletown, Del., unload donated food that will be divided and delivered to needy families throughout the area. Every Tuesday, Knights pick up food from Amazing Grace Ministries in New Castle to distribute to people in need. The food is donated to Amazing Grace by a number of local grocery stores.

East Lansing (Mich.) Council 7816 provided manpower and funds to help renovate the Bishop Baraga Room at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Knights volunteered more than 200 hours and donated $6,700 to refurbish the space, which is used for a variety of parish functions. The room now has new carpet, updated lighting and electrical service, and a renovated kitchen area.

Father Patrick Power Council 4588 in Livermore, Calif., volunteered 140 hours to fabricate and install a wooden staircase and bridge to the outdoor Stations of the Cross at St. Clare’s Retreat House in Soquel. The council also donated some of the materials for the project. APPLIANCES FOR THE NEEDY

Sweetwater Council 10821 in Douglasville, Ga., donated a refrigerator and two microwave ovens to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for distribution to needy families in Douglas County. MULTITUDE OF SERVICES

La Lupita Council 14879 in El Monte, Calif., donated $8,193 to its parish for the construction of a new building that will house legal, medical, cultural, social, educational and religious services for parishioners. NEW WASHROOM

FISH DINNER

Moose Mountain Council 10317 in Carlyle, Saskatchewan, volunteered 215 hours to renovate Church of Our Lady to include a washroom for elderly parishioners. Knights installed a new sewer line for the bathroom and attached it to the main sewer line — a job that required cutting through the cement basement with a jackhammer.

St. John the Baptist Council 9167 in Johnsburg, Ill., joined with Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Council 12302 in Spring Grove to co-host a broiled fish dinner to benefit Vera Slove, a local child who

St. Paul the First Hermit Council 14222 in Summerfield, Fla., held a diaper drive at St. Mark the Evangelist Church to collect supplies for

DIAPER DRIVE

Spink County Ambulance Service crewmembers Mike Sanger and Kelly Hyke demonstrate the use of a new CPR training mannequin during an appreciation night to thank donors who helped the ambulance service purchase new equipment. After learning that the ambulance service was using outdated equipment, Redfield (S.D.) Council 2703 launched a fund drive to help the first responders purchase new defibrillators. The drive was so successful, though, that the council raised enough money to purchase two defibrillator units, plus an auto-pulse board and the training mannequin. Hyke is also a member of Council 2703.

the Alpha Center for Women in Ocala. The council, along with its ladies’ auxiliary and the parish’s right-to-life ministry, collected 31,684 diapers, 52,792 wipes and $3,000 in cash donations. The Alpha Center provides free counseling to mothers contemplating abortion and offers support up to and after the birth of their children.

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

DECEMBER 2011

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

IN SERVICE TO ONE, IN SERVICE TO ALL

Calgary, Alberta • Carmel, Ind. •

• Auburn, N.Y. • Yongsan, South Korea

Baton Rouge, La. • Duval, Haiti •

• Sudan

PARISH MISSION

Bishop George Avis Fulcher Council 12387 in Carmel, Ind., provided support for a parish mission trip to Haiti that was also attended by four council members. Since 2003, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church has sponsored 11 mission trips to its adopted parish, St. Genevieve Church in Duval, Haiti. For the most recent trip, the council donated funds to

purchase medicine for about 250 people. Volunteers worked approximately 12 hours each day to ensure that the Haitians received proper examinations and appropriate medication if necessary. AID TO AFRICA

In March, Father Joseph Osei Bonsu of Auburn (N.Y.) Council 207 learned that his

cousin in Ghana had been murdered by her estranged husband, leaving the woman’s three children orphaned. In response to this tragedy, the council approved a plan to send $100 to the children each month until 2021. The funds will help defray expenses for food, clothing, shelter, education and other necessities for the children, who are currently being raised by their grandmother. HISPANIC FESTIVAL

Roy Banzon, Gary McKenna and Michael Banzon of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, South Korea, look on as donors drop off socks and shoes for children in Afghanistan. At the request of a Knight serving in the Middle East, Council 14223 worked with the base’s Catholic community to collect, organize and ship socks and shoes to the Middle East.

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Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Council 13145 in Baton Rouge, La., operates a beer booth during the Hispanic Festival sponsored by the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s Hispanic Apostolate. This annual festival is the apostolate’s only fundraiser, and the proceeds garnered during the event are essential to the organization’s mission. Since running the booth, Knights have de-emphasized domestic beer sales and have instead focused on Mexican beers with traditional lime and salt garnishes. As a result, the booth has becomes so popular that it generates approximately $8,000 of the fair’s revenue.

A teacher in Ngapagok Village in southern Sudan leads a math lesson in an outdoor classroom prior to the completion of the new Ngapagok Primary School. St. Don Bosco Council 8146 in Calgary, Alberta, contributed $10,000 to build the school — a donation that prompted other organizations and individuals throughout the community to raise more than $100,000 in additional funds for the construction. The original school was destroyed by war more than 20 years ago, and students from the village walked up to four miles each day to be taught in outdoor classrooms. The new school has eight classrooms, a teachers’ room, a supply room, a kitchen, a generator and a water purification system.

RIGHT: Photo courtesy of Ngapagok Primary School

Ghana •

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

K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

VISIONS OF CHRISTMAS

IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com B Y L AW S A M E N D E D : Page 53. Change order of business. SEC. 125 ORDER OF BUSINESS: The Council Chaplains report has been moved to #7 in the Order of Business for a council meeting from its prior place at #13 in the order.

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

12/11

Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE/PROVINCE

[Clockwise from top] Members of St. Lawrence Council 10281 in South Amboy, N.J., and Father Jay Toborowsky (far left) stand with the council’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” banner at St. Lawrence Church. • Members of Beatrice (Neb.) Council 1723 assemble Christmas treat bags of popcorn, applesauce and candy for 160 religious education students. • Father Joesilo Amalla, pastor of St. Joseph Church, blesses a pile of Christmas gift bags that were given to dozens of needy families by Butuan City (Mindanao) Council 6823. 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: Oct. 13, 2011 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 2011 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) 1,614,018 1,620,626 B. Paid and/or requested circulation 1. Outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 295,421 295,801 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. 1,312,971 1,310,275 C. Total paid and/or requested circulation:

1,609,392 1,607,076 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: 3,000 3,000 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): 3,000 3,00 0 F. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 1,612,392 1,610,076 G. Copies not distributed: 300 300 H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g): 1,612,692 1,610,376 I. Percent paid and/or requested circulation (15c / 15f x 100): 99.9% 99.9% I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. ALTON J. PELOWSKI Managing Editor 10/18/2011

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

OFFICIAL DEC. 1, 2011:

To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

DECEMBER 2011

♦ 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

Unity RANDY TANKING, Jason Tanking and Joseph Tanking of St. James Council 10301 in Wetmore, Kan., secure the marble top on an altar they built for St. James Church. When the parish’s new church was completed in April 2010, Knights volunteered to build a custom altar, ambo and servers’ benches. The Tanking family donated all materials for the altar, while other K of C families made contributions for the ambo and benches.

Charity

Fraternity

Patriotism

KNIGHTS FROM Ignatian Council 4203 at Fairfield (Conn.) University remove shingles from Trinity Lutheran Church in New Orleans during a week long service trip to Louisiana. Knights traveled to the recovering Gulf Coast to assist with ongoing efforts to rebuild. Among other duties, council members volunteered in the city park and transplanted different types of marsh grasses.

KNIGHTS FROM Bishop Thomas J. Grady Council 5618 in Altamonte Springs, Fla., unload lumber at the home of a council member who required the construction of a wheelchair ramp. Knights and their family members spent an entire day building a ramp for the council member, who was recently confined to an electric wheelchair.

MEMBERS OF Santa Maria Council 4999 and Father Andrew Doherty Assembly, both in West Palm Beach, Fla., display the U.S. flag they received from the 101st Airborne Division in appreciation for the Knights’ support of veterans. The flag once flew over the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq. Pictured are: Tom Conroy, Mark Chauvin, Kelly Green, Bill Bramlett and Ron Gomes.

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DECEMBER 2011

KNIGHT S O F CO LU MBU S

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

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW

Members of Fray Diego de la Cadena Council 2367 and San Mateo Correa Council 14963, both in Durango, Mexico Northwest, participate in a rosary horseback ride to celebrate the formation of the new San Atenogenes Council 15328 in the village of Cieneguilla. Following an exemplification that saw 36 men join Council 15328, a total of 105 Knights from all three councils mounted up to participate in the ride.

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

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

DECEMBER 2011

♦ 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

‘IN TIME,

GOD WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY.’ When my relationship with Jesus began to blossom, I never expected that it would take me to a religious congregation. But the more my love grew, the more I wanted to give myself completely to Christ. I am grateful that my family always attended Sunday Mass, went to the Spanish prayer group at our parish and prayed together whenever we could. The good example I received at home touched me the most — it was important for me to experience forgiveness, love and hard work instead of just hearing about these things. As I look around me today, I feel joyful and privileged to be called by God to be part of this community. For those discerning their vocation, I recommend a deep sacramental life and good, open conversations with priests, sisters and married couples about the struggles and joys of their vocations. Look to the saints, family members and friends who are committed to their vocations regardless of difficulties. Also, do not worry. In time, God will show you the way.

Photo by Steve Hockstein

SISTER JULIETT PEREZ, FMA Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco