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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBUS

D ECEMBER 2018

COLUMBIA

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S december 2018 ♦ Volume 98 ♦ Number 12

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

8

50 Years of Charity and Inclusion The Knights’ partnership with Special Olympics promotes the dignity of people with intellectual disabilities.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

13 A Passion for Service A Special Olympics coach and Knight discusses his experience as a longtime volunteer.

BY CYRIL MACDONALD, WITH COLUMBIA STAFF

14 ‘A Better Me’ Through Special Olympics and the Knights, Jared Niemeyer has helped advance a culture of inclusion and fraternity.

BY JENNIFER BRINKER

15 Encountering the Beauty of Life An interview with Canadian philosopher and humanitarian Jean Vanier about service to the weak and vulnerable.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

20 ‘There is Always Hope’ A unexpected phone call before Christmas and the funeral of a homeless man inspire a unique, practical ministry to assist those in need.

BY JOSEPH PRONECHEN

23 One for the Gipper A grand knight of Notre Dame Council 1477 propelled the Fighting Irish to a historic win in 1928.

This medal of the Order of Saint Martin of Tours was awarded to the Knights of Columbus by Father Paul K. Hurley, a major general and the chief of chaplains of the U.S. Army, in recognition of the Order’s service during World War I (see page 19).

BY DAVID DAVIS

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world St. John Paul II encouraged us to confront evil in the world and to be witnesses of God’s love.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Photo by Aaron Joseph

4

Learning the faith, living the faith Some gifts are irreplaceable and more valuable than anything money can buy.

6

Knights of Columbus News Midyear State Deputies Meeting Conveys a ‘Sense of Urgency’ • Supreme Knight Meets With President of Poland • Knights, USAID Join Forces to Help Religious Minorities in Middle East

28 Knights in Action

Special Reports 18

A Remembrance of Sacrifice

26

The Knights of Columbus Helps the Church in Florida Rebuild

32

Knights in Michigan, Maryland support large, faith-filled events

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

DECEMBER 2018

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Power and Vulnerability WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be powerful? In politics, business and other areas of the public sphere, power comes with authority, expands opportunities, and makes possible the accomplishment of certain goals. From this perspective, power is closely related to success — and it is also often a zero-sum game. It is no wonder that people work so hard to attain and maintain power and that the world is so characterized by competition.

Moreover, such power makes no distinction between virtuous and evil men; the murderous dictator may claim power as much as the benevolent king. And in today’s polarized debates, both sides claim to be on the side of the angels.

Recognizing the potential for power to be misused is a first step toward exercising it well, but more fundamental lessons are also necessary — lessons learned not from the powerful, but from the most vulnerable. In an essay published in 2010, Jean Vanier wrote that people with intellectual disabilities “have not only taught me; they have transformed me and brought me into a new and deeper vision of humanity. They are helping me discover who I am, what my deepest needs are, and what it means to be human. They have led me into a new and meaningful way of life quite different from what society advocates.”

Living for decades with people who have disabilities has given Vanier a profound understanding of every person’s need for community and love (see page 15). A similar vision is learned and shared through Special Olympics and its longtime partnership with the Knights of Columbus (see page 8). So, too,

Knights and others learn about human dignity through serving those who are in material in need and who have no semblance of power according to the world’s standards (see page 20).

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, a paradox of power and vulnerability comes into view. Pope Francis put it this way: “The power of this Child, Son of God and Son of Mary, is not the power of this world, based on might and wealth; it is the power of love. It is the power that created the heavens and the earth.” He further explained: “This power of love led Jesus Christ to strip himself of his glory and become man; it led him to give his life on the cross and to rise from the dead. It is the power of service, which inaugurates in our world the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and peace.”

Jesus reveals the true meaning of power is not found in domination, but rather in humility, charity and mercy — virtues that begin with our closest relationships — and the source of one’s dignity comes not from worldly power, but from one’s identity in God. St. Paul understood well the paradox of divine power; he recognized that God’s grace is sufficient and “power is made perfect in weakness.” He boasted gladly of his weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell in him (cf. 2 Cor 12:9). For it is only the power and love of Christ, the truly benevolent king, that can inaugurate “a kingdom of justice and peace.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Disclosure Statement Some production metrics of our life insurance business previously reported in this publication will now reflect the conversion of the amounts related to our Canadian operations (which in recent years has accounted for about 10-15% of our insurance business) to U.S. dollars. This will provide consistency between these metrics and the information in the financial reports we provide to our U.S.-based insurance regulators.

Those financial reports have consistently included the results of our Canadian operations after converting them to U.S. dollars.

2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2018

COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Patrick E. Kelly DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME SECRETARY Ronald F. Schwarz SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Margaret B. Kelly ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org PRAYER CARDS & SUPPLIES 203-752-4214 COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

________

Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER An early 20th-century painting depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child.

Madonna and Child, 1907-08 (tempera on panel), Marianne Stokes (1855-1927) / Wolverhampton Art Gallery, West Midlands, UK / Bridgeman Images

E D I TO R I A L

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BU I L D I N G A B E T T E R WO R L D

An Apostle of Hope St. John Paul II encouraged us to confront evil in the world and to be witnesses of God’s love

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

IN OCTOBER, I had the opportunity “He knew that the good is also not to be in Kraków, Poland, on the 40th an abstraction but is a person — a peranniversary of St. John Paul II’s election son whose hands and heart care for as pope. While there, I visited the others. And he called on each of us to ground floor apartment at No. 10 take up this task.”

In the same homily, he called on Tyniecka Street, where the young Karol I had also left the apartment con- young Catholics to “become more conWojtyła and his father lived during the vinced it was the experiences Wojtyła scious of your vocation and mission in Nazi invasion and occupation of Poland. lived while there that gave him such the Church and in the world.” And he They had come to Kraków so that great connectivity with young repeated to them the words of St. Paul, Wojtyła could attend the Jagiellonian Catholics when he was pope — espe- “I have great confidence in you, I have University. But after the Nazis closed cially at World Youth Days. great pride in you; I am filled with enthe university, Wojtyła began working In 2002, during the World Youth couragement, I am overflowing with in a limestone quarry. In 1941, he re- Day in Toronto, he said: “You are joy” (2 Cor 7:4). turned from work one evening to find young and the Pope is old…. But the Still today, I meet bishops, priests his father in bed, dead of a and nuns who tell me that heart attack. He would later such encounters with St. John say, “At 20, I had already lost Paul II kindled their religious “The world desperately needs all the people I loved.” vocations. Others have said Standing in the small, aushow his words strengthened a new sense of brotherhood tere apartment in front of the their vocation to marriage and human solidarity.” wooden desk at which Wojand in the world. tyła studied, the bed in which As we prepare for what his father died and the tiny 2019 will bring to our wooden stove in the kitchen, one Pope still fully identifies with your Church and the world, let us as could image the questions Wojtyła hopes and aspirations. Although I have Knights of Columbus reflect on his asked himself, and the prayers he re- lived through much darkness, under words at World Youth Day in Toronto: cited, as his world crashed down harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen “The world you are inheriting is a around him and he struggled to make enough evidence to be unshakably world which desperately needs a new decisions about the future. convinced that no difficulty, no fear is sense of brotherhood and human soliThe day after the visit to Tyniecka so great that it can completely suffocate darity. It is a world which needs to be Street, I was asked whether St. John the hope that springs eternal in the touched and healed by the beauty and Paul II is still relevant. With the images hearts of the young. You are our hope.” richness of God’s love. It needs witnesses of his apartment still in mind, I said, Nearly a decade earlier, in Denver, to that love.”

“For St. John Paul II, evil and suffering he said to the young pilgrims: “Christ I am confident that a young priest were not abstractions, they were very needs you to enlighten the world and from New Haven would have agreed! real in his life. to show it the ‘path to life.’ … The By founding the Knights of Colum“St. John Paul II was an apostle of struggle will be long, and it needs each bus, Father McGivney gave us a prachope. He told us, ‘Do not be con- one of you. Place your intelligence, tical way to bring a greater sense of quered by evil but conquer evil with your talents, your enthusiasm, your charity and unity within our Church good’ (cf. Rom 12:21). And he showed compassion and your fortitude at the and our communities. us that this could be done. service of life!”

Vivat Jesus!

DECEMBER 2018

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L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H

Time and Presence Some gifts are irreplaceable and more valuable than anything money can buy

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

WELL, IT’S THAT TIME of year Baltimore, I visited a dying priest in again. The shopping days left until St. Agnes Hospital. It was a gift that Christmas are dwindling fast. The brought us close to Jesus, the newlist of people on our gift list grows born Savior. longer every year even as creativity in Yes, the pace of life seems to be coat, we should be thinking of no gift-giving diminishes. Whether more and more frenetic nowadays. one else but that child, maybe even shopping online or in a store, our ef- But are we too busy to spend time saying a little prayer for him or her. forts to buy just the right gift so eas- with someone in need? If so, we are When we’re helping a family cope ily revert to the “same old, same old” too busy for our own good. with a disaster, we shouldn’t be pattern. What, then, can we give anTime is not the whole story. It’s thinking of the mail piling up on our other person that is more valuable how we use our time that counts. desk, but only about the family that than a necktie or a scarf or needs help. a half-dozen handkerchiefs?

Pope Francis often tells us to What is even more valuable accompany one another on the than some extravagant gift we bumpy road of life. He means Have you ever peered into the might give to a loved one if that we need to focus not on manger and wondered what to only we had the means? Let ourselves, but on the other. me suggest two things: time This is what the gift of presgive the One who entered the and presence. ence means.

Psalm 90 tells us, “Seventy is It turns out that the gifts of world to give us everlasting life? the sum of our years, or eighty, time and presence are, toif we are strong … they pass gether, the one thing we can quickly, and we are gone” (v. 10). Showing up and giving of our time is give the newborn Savior. Have you More starkly, the Letter of James tells meaningful only if we are fully pres- ever peered into the manger and us that we “are a puff of smoke that ent to those we visit. Suppose we de- wondered what to give the One who appears briefly and then disappears” cide to visit an elderly parent or to be entered the world to give us everlast(4:14). Jesus himself asks, “Can any with our families on Christmas. But ing life? I am haunted by a phrase in of you by worrying add a single mo- while we’re with them, we’re con- the liturgy: “you have no need of our ment to your life-span?” (Mt 6:27). stantly checking the time or checking praise….”

We can give another person money our phones until we are free. If we’re What can we give the Lord that he knowing that we are likely to earn counting the minutes, are we not does not already have? He wants our more money tomorrow, but the pres- withholding our presence? time and our presence: time for daily ent moment comes only once and To give the gift of presence, we need prayer, for Mass, for the rosary. He never again. The time we give to an- to block out other concerns, worries also wants us to be fully present to other is an irreplaceable gift. and business, and focus instead on the him when we pray. And when we are Spending time with a loved one or person or persons at hand. present to the Lord, we will also be a person who is grieving or sick is Isn’t this true of our Knights of present when we serve him in the one of the most beautiful gifts we can Columbus programs and activities? poor, the sick and the vulnerable. For give at Christmas. For example, on When we’re distributing Coats for Time + Presence = Love. May you my first Christmas as archbishop of Kids and a child tries on a brand-new have a most blessed Christmas!♦ 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

DECEMBER 2018

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SUPREME CHAPLAIN’S CHALLENGE

A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori:

TOP: Photo by Peter Škrlep/Tamino Petelinsek — POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — BLESSED WłADySłAW BukOWIńSkI: Photo courtesy of the office of postulator, Father Jan Nowak

“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. …Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’”

(Gospel for Dec. 23, Lk 1:39; 41-42) “In great haste.” My brother Knights, these three words teach us volumes! Mary set out “in great haste” — and the rest is history. Mary is the first evangelist. With the incredible news of the annunciation, she wastes no time fulfilling the command to visit her cousin Elizabeth. My brothers, we know that so many things

H O LY FAT H E R ’ S P R AY E R I N T E N T I O N

That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time.

L I T U RG I C A L C A L E N DA R Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, Priest Dec. 7 St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Dec. 8 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 13 St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church Dec. 25 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Dec. 26 St. Stephen, First Martyr Dec. 27 St. John, Apostle and Evangelist Dec. 28 The Holy Innocents, Martyrs Dec. 30 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

can weigh us down and prevent us from delivering the good news to others with that speed and urgency. The Lord knows our every sorrow, weakness, fear and excuse — and yet he invites us to look to our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and call upon her intercession. May we be known as her reliable sons who likewise carry the news “in great haste,” leaving behind everything that impedes us.

Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: This month I challenge you to pray at least a decade of the rosary daily. Second, we are often in situations in which faith topics come up and we choose to say nothing. This month, I challenge you to engage in those conversations and share what you love about the Catholic faith.♦

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

Blessed Władysław Bukowinski ´ (1904-1974)

NazI FOrCES advanced on Łuck (present-day Lutsk, Ukraine) in 1940, and the Soviet army began shooting all prisoners before fleeing the city. Father Władysław Bukowiński, who had been arrested by the Soviet police, miraculously survived the massacre and offered absolution as he lay among the dying.

Bukowiński was born Dec. 22, 1904, and raised in a close-knit Catholic family southwest of Kyiv, Ukraine. He attended russian and Polish schools before moving to western Poland in 1920. He earned a law degree in 1926 and then entered the seminary in Kraków.

Father Bukowiński volunteered to serve in the eastern diocese of Łuck after his ordination in 1931. Eight years later, just weeks before the Soviet invasion of Poland, he was named pastor of the city’s cathedral. He boldly defended religious liberty and delivered aid to the needy until his arrest. Later, during the Nazi regime, he organized charitable apostolates and hid Jewish children among Catholic families.

When the Soviets regained power in 1945, Father Bukowiński was again arrested and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, mostly in the copper mines

of Kazakhstan. There he celebrated the Eucharist in secret and ministered to the prisoners.

He was finally freed in 1954 and sent to Karaganda, the capital city of Kazakhstan — the first Catholic priest there since the war. People came hundreds of miles to attend Mass and confess to him. Offered the chance to return to Poland, he chose to become a Soviet citizen in a predominantly Muslim land. In the two decades that followed, he made eight missionary journeys and also traveled to Poland, where he met Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who took great interest in his ministry.

Father Bukowiński died in Karaganda Dec. 3, 1974, with a rosary in his hands. He was beatified in 2016.♦

DECEMBER 2018

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

Midyear State Deputies Meeting Conveys a ‘Sense of Urgency’ THE MIDYEAR Organizational Meeting of State Deputies brought nearly 80 K of C jurisdiction leaders from around the world to Houston Nov. 2-4 to discuss ways of moving the Order forward.

The meeting included various presentations and workshops conducted

by Knights of Columbus leadership, as well as fraternal activities and daily Mass.

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said in a keynote address that this was one of the most important midyear meetings he had attended since 1988.

“I think this is going to be the most challenging year for us since I’ve been the supreme knight and the most challenging year since 9/11,” he said.

“And therefore, we have to have a greater sense of urgency this year than ever before.”

Here are additional key points from Supreme Knight Anderson’s remarks.

Challenges Facing the Church “I can tell you that every bishop and priest in the United States is feeling the effects of what’s happening. They are questioning what’s going to happen in the coming year, and they are looking for those Catholics who are going to stand up and move the Church forward. And that’s who the Knights of Columbus must be this year. We must be those men, we must be those leaders, and we must go forward.”

A Culture of Recruiting “We have to build a culture of recruiting in our local council, and I want to tell you that online membership is now the preferred entry gateway for the Knights of Columbus. The Supreme Council office in New Haven is moving toward becoming a paperless company. We are moving toward a paperless Form #100 [membership document]. It’s not going to be tomorrow, but it is coming. So prepare.”

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DECEMBER 2018

Above (from left): Supreme Treasurer Ronald F. Schwarz, Supreme Secretary Michael J. O’Connor, Vice President for Fraternal Education, Training and Ceremonials Gary R. Nolan, and Supreme Director Colin R. Jorsch Jr. of North Carolina conduct a panel discussion during the midyear meeting. • Right: Supreme Knight Carl Anderson delivers remarks.

Faith in Action “The way we are going to grow at the local level is through our Faith in Action program model. And what is behind Faith in Action? The question people are asking amid all this bad news — what they’re not articulating but thinking — is this: What is the value that Catholics are bringing to society? We know what the anti-value is. We hear that in the newspapers almost every day: Here is the bad stuff that Catholics are doing. We need to tell the story of what the good things we are doing. Faith in Action.”

Strengthening Families in Faith “Who’s offering Catholic men alternatives like our Building the Domestic Church program to strengthen families? Father Peyton taught us that the family that prays together stays together. That’s what family consecration to the Holy Family is about.

That’s what Into the Breach is about.

And that’s why Faith in Action is so important — Faith, Family, Community, Life.”

Our Two Greatest Benefits “We have two great fraternal benefits.

One is our insurance program. The other should be us — the opportunity to join a fraternal brotherhood of Catholic men who take that idea seriously. Men who are committed to each other, committed to their families, committed to their children, committed to their parish — that’s what this organization is about. And that’s why we have to open it up to more younger men and fathers who need help.”♦

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

Supreme Knight Meets With President of Poland SUPREME KNIGHT Carl A. Anderson met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw Oct. 8. The meeting took place during a pilgrimage of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors to mark the 40th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II (Oct. 16) and the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence following World War I (Nov. 11).

President Duda expressed his gratitude for the work of the Knights in Poland, including the numerous volunteers who came to the assistance of those affected by the 2017 hurricane in the Pomeranian region. He and the supreme knight also discussed charitable efforts by the Knights, the Polish government and organizations in Poland to assist persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

Supreme Knight Anderson and President Duda first met in 2015, when Anderson was awarded the Order of Merit “for outstanding services in charity, for promoting the heritage of John Paul II and disseminating knowledge about the recent history of Poland.”

Since the Order’s expansion to Poland in 2006, K of C membership has grown to more than 5,500 in 110 local councils.

“By establishing the Knights of Columbus in Poland, we fulfilled a request of Pope John Paul II that we bring our work of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism to his homeland,” Anderson said in an address to Polish Knights.

“Because of this, we may truly say that every new member recruited, every new council established, every act of charity given, every devotion and prayer offered is in a special way the fulfillment of our promise to this great saint.”♦

TOP: Photo by Grzegorz Jakubowski — BOTTOM: Photo by Matus Duda/Courtesy of STEP-IN

Knights, USAID Join Forces to Help Religious Minorities in Middle East THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS and the U.S. Agency for International Development have agreed to collaborate in efforts to help religious communities rebuild following persecution and destruction by Islamic State militants in Iraq and the surrounding regions.

“The Knights of Columbus is pleased to work together with USAID to bring hope and concrete improvement to minority communities targeted by ISIS,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Vice President Mike Pence and Administrator Mark Green are to be commended for working to ensure that these communities are not overlooked by American government assistance.”

A memorandum of understanding signed Oct. 12 established a formal relationship between the two organizations to deliver aid directly to individuals and households most in need of help. To do that, USAID will

A pediatrician working with St. Elizabeth University’s Project for Iraq in Need (STEP-IN), which receives support from the Knights of Columbus, aids an Iraqi family in 2017. rely on “the unique expertise and relationships of trust that organizations like K of C has forged with local and faith-based organizations in the region.”

Knights of Columbus Charities has committed more than $20 million in aid to the region since 2014, and will contribute an additional $5 million through April 2019.

“In the aftermath of ISIS’ campaign

of genocide, Christian and Yazidi populations — and those of other religious minorities — in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region are under extreme pressure,” the supreme knight said. “Our work with USAID is intended to help these populations survive and prosper in lands they have called home for centuries, and even millennia. We cannot allow ISIS to succeed in driving them out.”♦

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50 YEARS OF CHARITY AND

INCLUSION The Knights’ partnership with Special Olympics promotes the dignity of people with intellectual disabilities

by Columbia staff

otre Dame Stadium was filled to capacity with cheering fans — more than a month before the football team took the field. The year was 1987, and the fans were there to welcome some 4,000 athletes who had traveled to Indiana from 72 countries to compete in the seventh International Special Olympics Summer Games. It was the largest event of its kind to date, thanks in large part to the Knights of Columbus, which provided corporate sponsorship and more than 5,000 volunteers from area councils.

Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver said at the time, “I don’t think there is any organization in the country that has given as much in personal help and in financial support since we started 19 years ago.” Today, tens of thousands of Knights volunteer at local Special Olympics events, and K of C councils contribute millions of dollars toward the organization’s work every year.

Special Olympics celebrated its 50th anniversary in Chicago in July, not far from Soldier Field, where the first Special Olympics Summer Games took place in 1968. A few weeks later, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said in his annual report, “No organization in the world has done more to promote respect and inclusion for those with mental disabilities than Special Olympics. And the Knights of Columbus are proud to have supported this effort from the very beginning.”

While the full story of this partnership would fill volumes, what follows are select milestones and highlights of the Order’s work with Special Olympics to promote and celebrate the dignity of all.

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DECEMBER 2018

July 20, 1968 Knights serve as volunteers at the first International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago, as some 1,000 athletes from 26 U.S. states and Canada compete.

1970 Father C.C. Boyle Council 4698 in Tinley Park, Ill., launches a drive to aid people with intellectual disabilities, handing out Tootsie Rolls® and collecting $30,000. The next year, a statewide drive by 93 Illinois councils nets more than $150,000. The initiative soon spreads to other jurisdictions as an annual fundraiser for Special Olympics and other programs.

1975 The Iowa State Council donates $11,000 to the statewide Special Olympics committee when the 1976 Games are on the brink of being cancelled for lack of funding. Since that time, Iowa’s state and local K of C councils have been a mainstay for Iowa Special Olympics, together becoming its single largest sponsor.

1985 State and local councils support Special Olympics with more than $1.1 million in financial assistance.

1986 The Order announces a commitment of $250,000 to become a principal sponsor of the 1987 International Special Olympics Summer Games to be held on the campus of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind.

Photo by Spirit Juice Studios

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A member of Team USA cheers during the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in July 2015.

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1987 From July 31-Aug. 8, the International Special Olympics Summer Games at the University of Notre Dame draws 4,000 athletes from 72 countries. More than 5,000 local Knights of Columbus volunteers assist.

1991 The Knights of Columbus is a silver sponsor of the 8th International Special Olympics Games held July 19-27 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Supreme Council contributes $250,000, and the Minnesota State Council adds $80,000.

Some 3,200 local Knights serve as volunteers.

After a Mass for Special Olympics athletes, Mrs. Shriver says, “In the International Special Olympics that we have every four years, the Knights of Columbus have always been present and always been generous.”

1995 More than 7,200 Special Olympics athletes from 146

From top: Volunteers at the 1987 International Special Olympics Summer Games gather outside of the campus hall of University of Notre Dame Council 1477. • Eunice Kennedy Shriver convenes the first Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago, July 20, 1968.

countries participate in the Special Olympics World Games in New Haven, July 1-9, 1995 — the largest athletic event in the world that year.

Connecticut Knights raise $250,000 to cover transportation for athletes and coaches and another $450,000 to feed, entertain and house athletes. During the games, the Connecticut State Council hosts what is believed to be the first Catholic Mass on the New Haven Green in the city’s 350plus-year history, and also honors Eunice Kennedy Shriver with its Father Michael J. McGivney Award for outstanding humanitarian, civic and social contributions to society.

1999 The North Carolina State Council donates $120,000

1997 The Ontario State Council donates $150,000 and

2002 A grant of $1 million from the Supreme Council cov-

provides 800 volunteers for the 1997 Special Olympics World Games held in Toronto and Collingwood. The Supreme Council adds another $100,000.

ers the transportation costs of Team USA, Team Canada and Team Mexico to the 2003 Special Olympics World Games held June 20-29 in Dublin. Local and state councils con-

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DECEMBER 2018

to the 1999 Special Olympics World Games, which take place June 26-July 4 in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. The Supreme Council donates an additional $130,000. More than 4,000 Knights serve as volunteers, welcoming and assisting 7,000 athletes from 150 nations.

TOP: Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives — OTHER: Courtesy of Special Olympics

1994 The Supreme Council pledges $1 million to the 1995 Special Olympics World Games to be held in New Haven, Conn.

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tribute an additional $1.5 million toward the Games.

2005 In January, the Order announces a partnership with Special Olympics, committing $1 million over the next four years to further the mission of Special Olympics in North America.

A separate $50,000 grant is given to Special Olympics Mexico, a commitment that will be renewed in 2009 and 2013.

Nearly 25 percent of all councils and more than 55,000 Knights in the United States and Canada report volunteering with Special Olympics. Illinois councils report an annual collection of nearly $2 million from the fund drive that began 35 years earlier.

2009 Eunice Kennedy Shriver dies Aug. 11 at age 88. “Her personal dedication to transforming society’s view of people with intellectual disabilities inspired generations of Knights and their families to volunteer millions of hours of their time to this unique approach to affirming the fundamental human dignity of every person,” said Supreme Knight Anderson. “Her approach to this and all of the causes that she pursued was distinctively Catholic, and the depth of her faith, which she shared with her husband throughout their lives together, has been an inspiration to every Knight.”

2011 Eunice’s husband, Robert Sargent Shriver, a member of Mater Dei Council 9774 in Rockville, Md., dies Jan. 18 at age 95. The supreme knight described him as “a man who personified the ideal of Catholic public service,” adding, “We have always been proud to call him a brother Knight.”

Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives

2014 The Order announces a $1.4 million donation to cover the costs of food, transportation and medical services for each of the more than 400 athletes from the United States and Canada attending the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.

At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum July 14, the Knights of Columbus is named a “Founding Champion of the World Games.”

THE ORIGINS OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER officially established Special Olympics in 1968, but the vision for the organization can be traced back many years earlier. Several of Eunice’s eight siblings, including her older brother John F. Kennedy, were destined for careers in public service. Their sister Rosemary, however, had a developmental disability, which inspired Eunice, John and other family members to advocate for the dignity, inclusion and acceptance of those with special needs.

In 1962, Eunice and her husband, Robert Sargent Shriver, a member of Mater Dei Council 9774 in Rockville, Md., invited some 30 young people with intellectual disabilities to an innovative summer camp at their Maryland home. Their 3-year-old son, Timothy, also took part in the many sports and social activities.

For the next five years, “Camp Shriver,” as the summer program came to be called, grew in popularity and expanded to include similar camps nationwide. It culminated in the first International Special Olympics Summer Games in Chicago July 20, 1968. Eunice Kennedy Shriver convened the event with words

that remain the Special Olympics oath to this day: Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.

The Knights of Columbus became involved from the beginning at the grassroots level, and in 1986 the Supreme Council announced sponsorship of the International Special Olympics Games.

“The Knights of Columbus already do so much for Special Olympics in communities all over the country, and statewide in several states,” Eunice Shriver said. “When a great organization like the Knights of Columbus decides to support Special Olympics, I know that God is looking after his children.”

By this time, Sargent Shriver served as Special Olympics president. A decade later, Timothy Shriver took the helm as president, and he now serves as chairman of the board. Under his leadership, Special Olympics and the Knights of Columbus have forged even stronger bonds of collaboration across the globe.

“As we look to the future, we see the Knights of Columbus as continuing to carry the core message of our movement,” Timothy Shriver said. “That everyone deserves a chance and everyone has dignity.”♦

Sargent and Eunice Shriver, with their son Timothy and his wife, Linda, are pictured at the 1995 Special Olympics World Games, which the Knights of Columbus hosted in New Haven, Conn.

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From top: Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson look on as athletes carry the Olympic flame onto the playing field of the Pius XI athletic facility in Rome, where the Knights hosted a Special Olympics Unified Football (Soccer) Tournament in October 2017. • A Knight coaches a Special Olympics athlete at a summer camp organized

by Knights of Columbus Charities of Georgia.

• Members of the Special Olympics cheer squad pose during a unified soccer tournament in Chicago, which marked the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics July 20.

2015 More than 1,000 members of 2017 The Order again hosts a Special the Knights and their families are among the volunteers supporting the 7,000 Special Olympics athletes from 165 countries gathered to compete in Los Angeles July 25-Aug. 2.

2016 From May 20-22, the Knights of Columbus hosts a Special Olympics unified soccer tournament at the Pius XI Athletic Center in Rome, the Order’s premier sports center overlooking Vatican City. Co-sponsored by the Italian Football Association, the tournament features teams from various European countries, including Poland, Lithuania and France.

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Olympics unified soccer tournament in Rome for some 200 athletes from throughout Europe, Oct. 13-15. On the first day of the tournament, Pope Francis receives athletes and officials in a private audience, and on Oct. 14, Supreme Knight Anderson and Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver participate in a forum affirming a culture of inclusion for persons with intellectual disabilities.

2018 The new Faith in Action program model for Knights of Columbus activities underscores Special Olympics as a featured program.♦

TOP: Photo by Christian Rizzo — BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by Spirit Juice Studios — OTHER: Photo by Woodie Williams

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A PASSION FOR SERVICE A Special Olympics coach and Knight discusses his experience as a longtime volunteer

Cyril MacDonald, 25, has been described as a “Swiss army knife for volunteerism” by Special Olympics Canada, which named him the 2017 Male Coach of the Year. In the past 10 years, the Nova Scotia native has coached nearly every Special Olympics sport in the region, including speed skating, curling, bocce, basketball, field hockey and track and field. A member of Msgr.

M.M. Coady Council 9476 in Sydney, MacDonald currently serves as regional coordinator for Special Olympics in Cape Breton. He spoke with Columbia about his service:

Photo by Spirit Juice Studios

F

rom a young age, my family instilled in me the importance of giving back to the community. I was 15 when I first got involved with Special Olympics through a high school program that encourages volunteering. I just started marking bowling scores one Friday night because they needed volunteers.

I initially felt sorry for the athletes, but that perspective soon changed. Next to my parish was a home for adults with intellectual disabilities.

The residents sat behind me and my grandmother at church every Sunday, and I used to get really uncomfortable.

But after a couple of weeks at the bowling alley, where I was interacting with many of them, these individuals were becoming my friends. I came full circle.

That summer, I was invited to coach the bowling team at the Special Olympics provincial games, and the next winter I became the curling coach. Special Olympics became a part of my life.

When I was getting a business degree at Cape Breton University and working part-time, it was a balancing act to find the time to volunteer. But it was such an important piece of my life that it became easy.

In 2013, I got to know some Knights of Columbus who volunteered with Special Olympics. One of them was the kind of guy you just couldn’t say no to, so for weeks and weeks I found myself volunteering for K of C Friday night fundraisers.

At one point, they said, “You’re with us. Why aren’t you one of us?” I went to my grandmother’s that weekend and said, “They asked me to join the Knights of Columbus.” She replied, “Oh, that’s such an honor!”

I still didn’t really know a lot about the Knights, but I’d seen them at every Special Olympics competition we ever had.

It seemed fitting to be part of a group of men who are devoted to our Church and community, and who are so supportive of Special Olympics.

I volunteer in other ways, too. For the last three years, I’ve co-chaired Cape Breton’s annual dragon boat festival. I also organize local road races in the area and am currently working on a fundraising project for a green space in my community. But Special Olympics is the most important to me.

Now, I’m employed at Haley Street Adult Services Centre, a workshop for adults with disabilities, many of whom are Special Olympics athletes. I help participants find jobs outside the centre.

To be a Special Olympics coach, you don’t have to be an expert in your sport, but you do need to be good with the athletes. I tell a lot of our new coaches, “You’re often more of a mentor for our athletes than you are a coach.”

One of my proudest moments was when I was a speed skating coach with Team Canada at the 2017 World Winter Games in Austria. A local skater I coached was selected to be on Team Canada, and she brought a gold medal home to Cape Breton.

In July, I participated on Team Canada’s unified soccer team in Chicago. In Unified Sports events, athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete on the same team together.

These are really, really important in breaking down barriers.

For 50 years, Special Olympics has been going strong and the Knights of Columbus has supported it from day one. As one who wears both hats, I just want to thank my brother Knights for all they do.♦ DECEMBER 2018

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‘A BETTER

ME’ Through Special Olympics and the Knights, Jared Niemeyer has helped advance a culture of inclusion and fraternity

I

t was a summer to remember for Jared Niemeyer. In 2014, he spoke at the United Nations, played football on a national stage, and received an exclusive invitation to a White House celebration.

Today, the 26-year-old member of Edina (Mo.) Council 846 remains a vocal advocate for people who — like himself — have intellectual disabilities.

“I am just like others, and I have things I like to do and dreams just like anybody else,” said Jared, who has Down syndrome.

Jared has competed in a variety of Special Olympics sports since he was 9. At the 2010 national games in Nebraska, he earned gold, silver, bronze and fourth place medals in track and field. At the 2014 national games in New Jersey, his flag football team placed fifth.

He has since taken his message off the field as a Special Olympics ambassador. At the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014, he spoke to representatives from countries seeking to develop new policies for people with disabilities. “Special Olympics provides opportunities for inclusion,” he recalled telling them. “I feel happy, joy. I participate in things like everyone else.”

The White House event that followed was a celebration of Unified Generation, a Special Olympics initiative that promotes inclusion in various ways, including team sports in which athletes with and without disabilities train and complete together. (Of all of the sports Jared has played, his favorite is unified softball.)

When he returned to Missouri, Jared was inspired to promote the mission of Special Olympics back home.

“He wanted to do something for Special Olympics because it had done so much for him,” said his father, Dan Niemeyer, who is also a member of Council 846.

Using berries, peaches and other fruits from his family’s farm, Jared started “Jared’s Jams.” The proceeds from the jams, as well as two recycling drop-off points that Jared manages, have gone toward Special Olympics Missouri’s new Training 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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for Life Campus in Jefferson City.

The Missouri Knights of Columbus also pledged $1.2 million toward development of the facility, which was dedicated Nov. 1. The center will serve the more than 15,000 Special Olympics athletes in Missouri and open the door to new participants.

The Knights’ annual fund drive for people with intellectual disabilities, which Jared and his father both participate in, was one of the things that inspired Jared to join the Order.

“I saw that the money went to Special Olympics,” Jared said. “It makes me happy to give back.”

Jared’s parents, ironically, were reluctant at first to let him join Special Olympics.

“We worked so hard for an inclusive education for him,” Brenda Niemeyer recalled. “We didn’t want to do anything that would create a more separate environment. But we discovered that Special Olympics isn’t about separation at all.

It’s about advocating, instilling confidence and skills and promoting the individual.”

As Special Olympics recently marked its 50th anniversary, the organization announced it is broadening its mission to focus on ending discrimination against — and promoting greater opportunities for — people with intellectual disabilities.

Jared now serves as the athlete representative on the board of directors of Special Olympics Missouri. He has also a trained with the organization as a Global Messenger, and speaks about disabilities to groups, including classes at Truman State University in nearby Kirksville, Mo. Brenda is grateful for the experiences and opportunities for personal development that Special Olympics has provided her son. “That development is so significant, and many athletes don’t have that at all without Special Olympics,” she said.

Jared said with a grin: “It has made me a better me.”♦ JENNIFER BRINKER is a reporter for the St. Louis Review and Catholic St. Louis, publications of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Photo by Courtney Dueppengiesser

by Jennifer Brinker

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Encountering

the Beauty of Life An interview with Canadian philosopher and humanitarian Jean Vanier about service to the weak and vulnerable

by Columbia staff

CNS photo/Abramorama

J

ean Vanier received the Gaudium et Spes Award, the highest honor of the Knights of Columbus, in 2005. The ceremony took place in Montreal April 2, just hours after the death of St. John Paul II. In accepting the award, Vanier recalled being with the pope less than eight months earlier in Lourdes, France. “Looking at Pope John Paul II in the eyes,” he said, “I saw him as a sign of the glory of God, because the glory of God is the manifestation of his presence in the weak.”

Vanier’s faith and his firm belief in the beauty

and dignity of every human life led him to establish L’Arche (the Ark) in 1964. Today, the International Federation of L’Arche — consisting of centers in which people with and without intellectual disabilities live together — includes more than 120 communities in 30 countries. Vanier also co-founded Foi et Lumière (Faith and Light), an organization that brings together people with intellectual disabilities, in 1971. Today, more than 1,600 Faith and Light groups meet regularly worldwide.

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Born in 1928, Jean Vanier is the son of George P. Vanier, a World War I veteran and Canadian diplomat who served as the Governor General of Canada from 1959-1967. The family fled from Switzerland to Paris at the beginning of World War II, and young Jean served in the Royal Navy at the end of the war. In 1950, Vanier joined a community of Catholic students devoted to prayer and study. He earned a doctorate in philosophy before establishing the first L’Arche home in Trosly-Breuil, France.

At age 90, Vanier continues to live in the original L’Arche community, and earlier this year, he granted Columbia an exclusive interview, which was conducted with assistance of Knights of Columbus in France.

So, these are not “Catholic” communities in the usual sense, but they are inspired by the Gospel. The entire movement is inspired by compassion and love that sprang from Jesus’ heart.

COLUMBIA: In the face of what you have called our culture’s “tyranny of normality,” what do people with disabilities have to teach us about what it means to be human?

JEAN VANIER: People with intellectual disabilities are extraordinary. I come home and I find Pauline, who tells me, “You are the handsomest guy in the world.” They reach out and say, “I love you.” And what they awaken in us is the desire to reach out to them, because what is their desire? Many of them have been humiliated and unwanted all their lives. So, they draw out in us an answer to the cry: “Do you love me?”

This cry is not related to a desire to enter the “normal” world, which is a world of competition and tension where you have to be rich and powerful to win. People with a disability are not in that world. Their world is simply, “Do you love me?”

They help us to discover our primal innocence and awaken what is most beautiful in each of us. Every human being comes from the hands of God.

COLUMBIA: What were the key influences or experiences that led you to open the first L’Arche home and helped prepare you for this mission?

JEAN VANIER: The story starts when I was 13 years old and wanted to go to military school in Great Britain. At the time, one in five ships crossing the Atlantic would sink. I went to see my Papa, who did everything he could to dissuade me. Finally, he said, “I have confidence in you. If you want COLUMBIA: L’Arche spread with the to make this choice, you have to make help of young people. What attracted EOPLE WITH AN it.” That changed my life. My Papa’s them, and what did they discover? confidence in me meant I had confiJEAN VANIER: Many young volunteers, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY dence in myself. particularly in France, come because After the Navy, I met a priest who they need to fulfill a year of civic service; HELP US TO DISCOVER helped me enter more profoundly in others come because they can’t find a prayer. Prayer is not just saying job, so it’s not all perfect. But in a fragWHAT IS MOST BEAUTIFUL prayers — it is to encounter Jesus. ile, vulnerable person, they discover a IN EACH OF US.” Then, in 1964, I discovered 80 men great desire to help another. In the face with mental disabilities who were livof suffering, compassion is born. ing crammed in a center not very far Young people today, with their techfrom Paris. I felt touched by these nology, are often experts in communimen in this horrible situation. I was able to buy a small house cation, but less so in being present, listening. When there is a in this village, and two of these men and I started to live to- heart-to-heart encounter, then, at that moment, instead of gether. It was extraordinary. being stuck in their heads, these young people become men and women of relationship and love.

COLUMBIA: What role has your Catholic faith played in establishing these communities, and what role does the faith COLUMBIA: How did you become associated with Mother play in the communities today?

Teresa of Calcutta?

JEAN VANIER: At one point in the Gospel, Jesus was filled with JEAN VANIER: We met when L’Arche started in Calcutta in joy and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, 1972, and I had the opportunity to attend Mass every day in that you have hidden these things from the wise and learned the novitiate with her there. Mother Teresa radiated goodness and revealed them to little children” (cf. Mt 11:25; Lk 10:21). and love.

Something very special is revealed to little children, who She was a woman who changed many things in the world live uniquely by the heart. This concerns people with a mental because she made us discover the horror of poverty. A great disability who have a great wealth of friendliness, tenderness, tragedy of our world is this terrible separation between the of the heart. So it was Jesus who led me to live like this. wealthy, who have a future and can plan, and those who have L’Arche grew from retreats and encounters with people nothing and who are humiliated. So she connected; instead moved by faith and a desire to help the weakest and most vul- of creating walls, she created bridges. nerable discover that they are beautiful children of God. Not everyone in our communities is Catholic, and we also have COLUMBIA: Dr. Jérôme Lejeune, who discovered the cause of communities with Christians and Muslims working together. Down syndrome, shared your perspective about the inherent

“P

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LEFT: Photo by Thomas Koszul — RIGHT: David Cooper/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Above: Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson walks with Jean Vanier during a visit to the L’Arche community in Trosly-Breuil, France, in May 2017.

• Right: Vanier greets two young people in Toronto in October 2007. He spent the day speaking with 1,500 high school students from throughout Ontario who were invited to spend the day with him. dignity of every human person. Did you collaborate with him as well?

JEAN VANIER: Yes, he gave conferences here, and I gave talks with him elsewhere. He was a man who fought for each human being and above all the most fragile, inspired by his faith in Jesus.

Today, if a child in the womb has a serious disability, the mother or father is asked about abortion. Nowadays, the tragedy is that if the child is not “normal,” we’re going to get rid of him or her, because it’s legal to do so. But this violates the law of God, which is that all human life is beautiful from beginning to end.

COLUMBIA: The elderly and the terminally ill are also vulnerable amid what Pope Francis has called the “throwaway culture.” How should we as Catholics respond?

JEAN VANIER: We are faced with a phenomenon created by competition, with its contempt for the weak. Our societies are disintegrating, for we have lost the most central values of the person, and the necessity of the family and community.

The other day, I was listening to a nurse, and I was struck by what she said about extreme solitude, which brings anguish.

We have to create bonds. Because we have a universal religion, Catholics must have the desire to reveal to the most elderly and suffering that they are more beautiful than they dare believe.

I think of those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. To hold their hand, sing the songs they loved when they were young, we help them find their ancient memory; we help them know they are beautiful and loved.

COLUMBIA: Are there any words you would like to share with the Knights of Columbus?

JEAN VANIER: I was very touched when I received the Gaudium et Spes Award. It came at a time when we were growing in Calcutta, and I told Supreme Knight Carl Anderson that the award should go to our Calcutta project, because Mother Teresa had given us some land to build on.

The Knights of Columbus are essentially men who have “succeeded” and who share their possessions and their talents to help others, so I think of this extraordinary desire of the Knights to help.

Never forget that what’s most important is to encounter Jesus, to know Jesus. His mission is to give life in abundance, and he wants his disciples to give life in abundance, together as a community.

Today, in a very specific way, Knights of Columbus are called to encounter the weak and speak with their hearts to those in need. When you look at someone with tenderness, you transform them. Such a look says: “You can do it — all by yourself. You are a child of God, and you are precious.”♦ DECEMBER 2018

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A Remembrance of Sacrifice n the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the carnage of World War I came to an end in 1918. The Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS), USA, co-sponsored a Mass at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War Nov. 11.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori served as the principal celebrant, and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the AMS preached the homily.

“We have gathered not to assign blame, look at causes or rejoice in victory,” said Archbishop Broglio. “We gather to give thanks to those who sacrificed themselves. We also assemble to beg God for lasting peace.”

Immediately preceding the Mass was a patriotic ceremony featuring a military color guard, readings and a wreath-laying in memory of those who served in the conflict. The music for the program included an original composition by Peter Latona using three war poems of Joyce Kilmer, who was a member of the Knights.♦

From top: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori celebrates the Mass, assisted by deacons and acolytes. • Sir Knights of the Calvert Province serve as an honor guard, carrying historical U.S. flags. • Retired U.S. Navy Capt.

Kathy Thorp symbolically tolls a bell at 11 a.m., as members of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception look on.

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BOTTOM RIGHT: Photo by Aaron Joseph — OTHER: Photos by Matthew Barrick

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Clockwise, from top left: A color guard representing each branch of the U.S. military stands outside of the Redemptor Hominis Church at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. • Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, archbishop of the Military Services, USA, delivers his homily. • Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is pictured with Surgeon General of the Army LTG Nadja Y. West, M.D., Major Gen. Edward D. Banta, USMC, and Capt.

Julian Gluck, USAF. Next to them is a glass display containing the crucifix found on the body of Joyce Kilmer when he was killed in action, the uniform of Father John DeValles, who is remembered as the “Angel of the Trenches,” and helmets worn by a doughboy of the Rainbow Division and a French infantryman during World War I. • The Virginia Military Institute Pipe Band plays during the commemorative ceremony before Mass.

ORDER HONORED FOR SERVICE DURING THE GREAT WAR THE LEADERSHIP of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps visited the Knights of Columbus Museum Nov. 1 to commemorate the end of World War I and the Order’s support of U.S. troops in the Great War. In appreciation of the Knights’ service, Father Paul K. Hurley (pictured center), a major general and the chief of chaplains of the U.S. Army, conferred a commendation and inducted the Knights into the Order of St. Martin of Tours.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson accepted the honors on behalf of the Knights, saying, “We continue to be proud of our long association with our nation’s armed services ... and on this occasion we again take the opportunity to say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”♦ DECEMBER 2018

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‘There is Always Hope’ A unexpected phone call before Christmas and the funeral of a homeless man inspire a unique, practical ministry to assist those in need

Y

ou pull up to a stoplight and see an unkempt person holding a sign saying “Please help” or “Will work for food.” You look away and hope the light will change quickly. But imagine that you have on hand a large ziplock bag containing a bottle of water, a fast-food gift card and a number of practical necessities.

“When you have a Brian Bag, you’re giving something beneficial. It’s a unique way to help the homeless,” explained Father James Sullivan, pastor of Church of the Assumption and chaplain of Council 23 in Ansonia, Conn.

The idea of Brian Bags was conceived by Donna Finneran in memory of her twin brother, Brian O’Connell.

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found dead in 2016 in Waterbury, Conn. — the hometown of Venerable Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.

Father Sullivan, a Waterbury native, provided consolation and inspiration to Donna when he celebrated her brother’s funeral Mass in February 2017.

Before long, Donna and her husband, Walter, became active parishioners at the Church of the Assumption, and with the help of volunteers, they began assembling Brian Bag care packages. In particular, Council 23 and other area Knights have been very involved with the project, which fits perfectly into the “Helping Hands” component of the Order’s new Faith in Action program model.

CNS photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters

by Joseph Pronechen

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Photo by Alton Pelowski

In the past year and a half, thousands of Brian Bags have been distributed to homeless men and women throughout Connecticut and beyond.

“That homeless person,” Donna said, “is somebody’s brother or sister or father or mother.”

FROM TRAGEDY TO CHARITY Brian O’Connell was employed in shoe repair in New York City, near the Twin Towers, when he witnessed firsthand the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He suffered posttraumatic stress disorder and moved to Waterbury, where he found property maintenance work with the help of his sister and brother-in-law.

O’Connell’s PTSD took hold again on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, and by 2016 he began living on the streets. Suddenly, he failed to show up for his weekly visits with Donna, who proceeded to search for him.

Finally, on Oct. 20, 2016, the police informed Donna of her brother’s death, after his decayed body was found in a tent along the Naugatuck River. O’Connell had died months earlier, and Kevin Zak, who in 2008 started a volunteer initiative to clean the once-polluted river, discovered his remains.

In the weeks that followed, the state medical examiner’s office would not release the remains to Donna, and she became severely depressed. A few days before Christmas, she decided that she would try one more time, and if the state still refused her request, she would commit suicide.

Within hours, her phone rang.

“On the other end was this man who had a voice so calm,” Donna recalled. “I felt the presence of God right there.”

It was Father Sullivan who was speaking. He had learned the details of O’Connell’s death from Zak, a friend since childhood. In fact, they used to play along the riverbank, and Sullivan was born directly across the river from where O’Connell’s body was found. A century earlier, Michael McGivney had grown up about a mile down the same river.

Father Sullivan told Donna, “We know this is your brother, and I would love to give him a decent burial.”

Once the remains were acquired from the coroner, Father Sullivan invited Donna and Walter to Mass the next Sunday. During his homily, he asked his parishioners, “Would you ever attend the funeral of a homeless man?

A man who died alone?”

“Everybody in the church raised their hand,” recalled Donna, who was overwhelmed by the response.

That week, the parish held one of its largest funerals ever as 350 people filled the church — many people taking time off work to attend.

“After the funeral, we fell in love with the parish and became members,” said Walter. “We jumped in with both feet.”

Within two weeks, Donna was inspired to do something tangible for the homeless in honor of her brother, and the Brian Bags project was born.

Father Jim Sullivan, pastor of Church of the Assumption and chaplain of Council 23 in Ansonia, Conn., stands with Donna Finneran, who started the Brian O’Connell Homeless Project in memory of her brother. • Opposite page: A homeless man is pictured in Boston during a blizzard in February 2017.

Donna realized that homeless people would like to see what they are being given. So, she came up with a way to tightly pack a clear gallon-sized ziplock bag with more than 20 items — among them a bottle of water, a firstaid kit, safety pins, socks, tuna and crackers, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a $5 gift certificate to major fastfood chains. Each bag also includes a small card that reads: Let this little bag remind you that there are people who care about you and that there is always hope. Have a blessed day!

“By Palm Sunday, we were giving out the Brian Bags to the homeless,” Donna said.

‘MY HOMELESS FRIENDS’ Parishioners at the Church of the Assumption enthusiastically embraced the Brian Bags project, which was quickly adopted as an activity of Council 23. Walter joined the council in May 2017, and before long, the Knights formed an assembly line of up to 50 volunteers who filled dozens of bags at a time.

“In the first year, we made 366 bags,” Donna affirmed.

“So far this year, we’ve done more than 1,000 at our church.”

But that’s not all. From the start, other K of C councils in the region have been involved. Members of Father Loftus Council 3992 in Middlebury filled Donna’s car with Brian Bags, while Father Walter F. Geraghty Council 25 in Southington assembled 300 more.

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Walter Finneran (left) and other members of Ansonia (Conn.) Council 23 assemble Brian Bags to aid the homeless.

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A month later, Father Christopher Ford, rector of Father McGivney’s home parish, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, and a longtime K of C chaplain himself, presented Donna with a check for $7,000 from the Archdiocese of Hartford Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

“I was very impressed with her,” Father Ford said. “She is so enthusiastic and committed.” The basilica parish has since distributed Brian Bags from its McGivney Hall.

Immediately after receiving the donation, Donna had a plan for the money beyond Brian Bags, more than 4,000 of which have already been distributed.

“I bought 80 pairs of work and winter boots for my homeless friends,” Donna said. The next day, she bought 100 more pairs, and was given a 50 percent discount.

Now, she is trying to raise enough funds to equip a van with a portable shower and a washing machine for homeless people to use.

“Father Sullivan said I had a purpose in life, and I would be doing God’s work with the homeless,” Donna said. “I think my brother is looking down at me and is so happy.”♦ JOSEPH PRONECHEN, a Catholic journalist based in Trumbull, Conn., is a staff writer for EWTN’s National Catholic Register.

Photo by Mike Ross

Ron White, a member of Ojeda Council 33 in Naugatuck, noted that his council named the project as one of the recipients of proceeds from its charity golf tournament this year. He and his family have volunteered to assemble Brian Bags as well.

“I carry them and pass them out myself,” White said, adding that he has encountered a number of homeless veterans. “Here is an opportunity to help someone who served our country.”

Donna leads by example, handing out Brian Bags as she travels throughout the state.

“I see homeless people every day,” she said. “I know their names and why they’re homeless. I tell them the story of my brother.”

Donna brings help and hope to these she calls her friends, and often prays with them and hands out rosaries as well.

Father Sullivan says the Brian Bag project has been “very instrumental in fostering a deeper love for God and neighbor,” and he believes it’s “meant to go well beyond Connecticut.”

In September, the grassroots initiative was approved as a 501c3 nonprofit and became officially known as the Brian O’Connell Homeless Project.

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ONE FOR THE GIPPER A grand knight of Notre Dame Council 1477 propelled the Fighting Irish to a historic win in 1928

by David Davis

AP Photo

A

century ago, George Gipp led Babe Ruth was leading the Yankees Notre Dame’s football team in to World Series victories, while prorushing and passing for three consecfessional boxing, tennis and golf stars utive seasons. He was named the unisimilarly excited public interest. versity’s first-ever All-American in Among team sports, college footDecember 1920, and less than two ball ranked just below baseball in weeks later, he died of a streptococcal popularity, and Notre Dame was ceinfection. Gipp’s legendary status menting its image as a perennial gridwas solidified in November 1928 iron power. A black-and-white when his coach, Knute Rockne, inphotograph of coach Rockne’s famed spired Jack Chevigny and the Fight“Four Horsemen” backfield generated ing Irish football team to “win just a frenzy of national attention in the one for the Gipper.” fall of 1924, as Chevigny began his Chevigny (pronounced shev-knee), freshman year. The Fighting Irish finwho served as grand knight of Notre ished the season undefeated, 10-0, inDame Council 1477, took Coach cluding a victory over Stanford in the Rockne’s words to heart when facing Rose Bowl. the undefeated Army team. It was Nicknamed the “Hammond Flash,” halftime at Yankee Stadium, and Chevigny was built for speed. He was Chevigny, a 5-foot-7, 170-pound also a superb blocker and defender halfback, was determined to win. who threw his muscular frame into He proved instrumental in the victhe fray on both sides of the ball. tory and, after graduation, went on Rockne called him “one of the greatJack Chevigny played halfback for the University of to become a coach and then a sucest team men I ever had.”

Notre Dame from 1926 to 1928. cessful lawyer. He later volunteered Chevigny’s reputation as a fiery to serve in World War II, and on the competitor was secured during the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, he made the ulti- epochal contest against Army on Nov. 10, 1928. Notre Dame mate sacrifice. Today, Chevigny is remembered as a legend in was a middling 4-2 when the team arrived at Yankee Stadium his own right, and the 1928 victory at Yankee Stadium re- to face mighty Army, a two-touchdown favorite to defeat mains a defining moment of his legacy, signifying his resolute Rockne’s undermanned team. At halftime, the game was and loyal spirit. scoreless. That’s when Rockne drew upon a former gridiron great for motivation.

FOURTH-AND-GOAL The players sat at their lockers, and Rockne recounted his Born in August 1906 in northwest Indiana, John Edward final hospital visit to George Gipp, who lay dying of an in“Jack” Chevigny served as president of his senior class at fection exacerbated by pneumonia. As the story goes, Gipp Hammond High School before enrolling at the University of told him: “Some time, Rock, when the team’s up against it, Notre Dame in 1924. He planned to follow in his father’s when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys — footsteps and become a physician, but football won out. tell them to go in there with all they’ve got and win just one His timing was excellent. The Roaring ’20s marked the first for the Gipper. I don’t know where I’ll be then, Rock. But I’ll “Golden Era” in sports, powered by nationwide radio broad- know about it, and I’ll be happy.” casts that brought the action into America’s living rooms.

Inside the hushed locker room, Chevigny, now a senior, was DECEMBER 2018

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‘THE SPIRIT OF OLD NOTRE DAME’ After graduation, Chevigny was rewarded with a spot as an assistant coach on Rockne’s staff. He helped Notre Dame win back-to-back national championships with undefeated seasons in 1929 and 1930, all the while assisting Rockne with his coaching clinics and finishing studies for a law degree.

The next spring, Rockne died in an airplane crash at age 43. He was en route to Los Angeles to participate in the production of the movie The Spirit of Notre Dame. Devastated by his mentor’s sudden death, Chevigny stayed on for a year at Notre Dame as a “junior coach” under Heartley “Hunk” Anderson, another Rockne disciple.

Chevigny left South Bend to coach the Chicago Cardinals in the fledgling National Football League. After one season, he returned to the collegiate ranks as the head coach at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, established by the same Holy Cross order as his alma mater. Chevigny guided the squad to a 7-1-1 record and caught the attention of the University of Texas, where he was soon hired to turn around the fortunes of the slumping Longhorns.

In 1934, Chevigny took on his alma mater in South Bend.

Notre Dame hadn’t been defeated in a season-opener in 38 years, but Chevigny’s Longhorns upended that streak with a 76 upset victory that left many, including Chevigny, speechless.

The remainder of his coaching career was not as auspicious, and within a couple of years, he resigned to become the deputy attorney general of Texas.

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, 35year-old Chevigny was determined to fight for his country, 24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2018

but was initially rejected because of the knee injuries he had suffered playing football.

He eventually accepted a commission as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Marines and coached the football team at Marine Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was so successful with the Leathernecks that he could have spent the war safely on the sidelines. However, he requested a transfer to combat duty and was assigned to the 5th Marine Division as the U.S. unleashed its long-awaited offensive in the Pacific theater.

On Feb. 19, 1945, the division landed on the east side of Iwo Jima and immediately encountered fierce resistance by the Japanese. At one point during the first day of battle, former college football star George “Sonny” Franck dove for cover into a crater and landed next to Chevigny, his boyhood idol, along with several other Marines.

They huddled together until Franck decided to bolt from

Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images

sitting to Rockne’s right. He leapt up and cried, “Let’s go!” before the team charged back onto the field.

Still, it was Army that drew first blood, scoring early in the third quarter to take the lead, 6-0. Then, after Chevigny recovered a teammate’s fumble on a muffed punt, Notre Dame drove down to Army’s one-yard line. Facing fourth-and-goal, Chevigny took the ball and plunged into the end zone. After scoring the tying touchdown, he reportedly yelled, “That’s one for the Gipper!”

Chevigny’s day wasn’t finished. In the fourth quarter, with the game tied 6-6, Notre Dame began to drive down the field.

A poor snap from center caused the ball to skitter away from the backfield. What could have been a ruinous error, however, was rescued when Chevigny sacrificed his body to recover the loose ball. Pinned beneath a cadre of Cadets, Chevigny suffered a concussion and had to be helped from the field, replaced by Johnny O’Brien. The next play proved to be crucial: “One-Play” O’Brien, as he came to be known, caught a 35yard touchdown pass to clinch a 12-6 upset victory.

It was a game for the ages, and Chevigny was at the center of the action. In 1940, Hollywood would re-enact the dramatic halftime speech in Knute Rockne, All-American, starring Pat O’Brien as Rockne and Ronald Reagan as the Gipper. (In the film, actor Steve Pendleton wears Chevigny’s No. 12 uniform.)

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RIGHT: AP Photo

the shelter. He exited in the nick of time; Chevigny and the others were killed by artillery fire.

Later that year, as Japanese officers were signing the surrender papers aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, it was said that one of the pens used that day was inscribed with the words: TO A NOTRE DAME BOY WHO BEAT NOTRE DAME. Legend has it that the pen was later sent back to the States with the inscription changed to read: TO JACK CHEVIGNY, A NOTRE DAME BOY WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY IN THE SPIRIT OF OLD NOTRE DAME. No member of the family could recall seeing the pen in either form. But its legend lives on — a tribute to Jack Chevigny’s life of service and sacrifice.♦ DAVID DAVIS is a veteran sports journalist who writes from Los Angeles.

From top: Jack Chevigny scores a touchdown “for the Gipper” in the third quarter to tie the game against Army at Yankee Stadium Nov. 10, 1928. • Chevigny, who served as a U.S. Marine Corps captain during World War II, is pictured in uniform a year before he was killed in action at Iwo Jima Feb. 19, 1945.

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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Master Dennis Stoddard and Florida State Deputy Donald Kahrer stand with Father Chris Winkeljohn, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Mexico Beach, Fla., at the site of what remains of the parish church after Hurricane Michael.

The Knights of Columbus Helps the Church in Florida Rebuild

F

ather Anthony Nguyen, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Panama City, slept on a classroom floor for weeks after Hurricane Michael destroyed the parish rectory. He was one of tens of thousands of Florida Panhandle residents who were displaced after the Category 4 hurricane made landfall Oct. 10.

In early November, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson joined Supreme Master Dennis Stoddard, Florida State Deputy Donald Kahrer and others to distribute more than a half million dollars in aid. Anderson personally delivered a 29foot camper trailer to Father Nguyen, calling the gift “an important sign of recovery for the parish families and communities of Sts. Peter and Paul.”

“While many organizations provide disaster relief services to the general public,” the supreme knight said, “it is the Knights’ unique mission to serve Catholic religious institutions … in such times of disaster.”

Donations from Knights of Columbus Charities included $100,000 to the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee; $25,000 to 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2018

the Lovers of the Holy Cross, a religious community of sisters whose convent was decimated; and $10,000 to Catholic in America, a TV station that operates out of St. Dominic’s Parish in Panama City, which was largely destroyed. Additional donations totaling $345,000 were distributed to individual parish and school hurricane relief projects.

Florida Knights, with assistance from other state councils, have also tirelessly aided hurricane victims — serving thousands of meals a day and distributing other supplies in the weeks following the storm.

Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee, who met with Supreme Knight Anderson Nov. 5, said, “For us it’s important to have not just the local Knights involved, but also Knights from the state and national level as well. It’s important because we feel like we’re all alone. It’s been critical for our morale, but also just literally to help us rebuild.”

To contribute to the K of C disaster relief fund, visit kofc.org/disaster.♦

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Photos by Spirit Juice Studios

Clockwise from top left: Supreme Knight Anderson stands with Dr. Vicki Parks, principal of St. John School in Panama City, which was severely damaged by the hurricane; Father Kevin McQuone, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church; and students. • A Knight grills hamburgers for hurricane victims at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Panama City.

• Knights unload relief supplies at St. Anne Catholic Church in Mariana. • The sign of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Panama City stands amid debris and fallen trees.

• Bill McDonald, state warden of Indiana, stands with a trailer of supplies delivered by Indiana Knights.

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KNI GHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

is part of Mercy Ships, an organization that brings medical care, especially surgery, to developing nations where people may have no access to health care. Carew brought his nautical skills to Mercy Ships, volunteering to serve as captain of the hospital vessel.

HIGH POINT

Emily Van Stedum and her daughter, Violet, receive a donated supply of diapers and other household goods from Ken Plude (right), grand knight of Father Pierre Charlevoix Council 7172 in Charlevoix, Mich., and Bob Yancey of Msgr. Clement H. Kern Council 8284 in Canton. The two councils joined forces to assist Van Stedum after she tragically lost her husband, Gregory, in a home accident.

FATHER’S REQUEST

Msgr. McCarthy Council 5902 in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador, started a cemetery clean-up in response to a request from Father Anthony Nwoko, pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Council 5902 also teamed up with other local councils and Dalton Assembly 1645 in Harbour Grace to raise $2,000 to help a priest at a neighboring parish make a visit home to Nigeria after the death of his mother.

A volunteer stands at a Knights-sponsored spaghetti dinner fundraiser with the young winner of a door prize, a “Trout Quilt” created by the wife of a member. St. Henry Council 8860 in Rogersville, Tenn., held the “all you can eat” meal to support the council and various local charities. The Knights waited tables at the event, serving over 100 meals and bringing in more than $1,400.

28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

CATECHESIS FOR KIDS

Father Clement A. Bracht of St. Thomas More Council 10184 in Omaha, Neb., was approached by parishioners seeking to introduce the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd religious formation program for children ages 3-6. In response, the council hosted a pancake breakfast to help provide startup funding for the program. Knights prepared

DECEMBER 2018

240 meals, raising $800, and donations at the event yielded another $300 for the catechesis coordinators.

CRIBS AND STUFF

Corpus Christi Council 14132 in Celebration, Fla., held its second Stuff the Crib drive at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. The council purchased a crib and placed it in the church narthex; parishioners filled it with diapers, baby clothes, play pens, car seats and more for the JMJ Pregnancy Centers. The donations filled a ten-foot truck with items to help mothers welcome their new children.

BON VOYAGE

St. Rose of Lima Council 8387 in Fall River, Nova Scotia, made a contribution to help fellow Knight Mark Carew cover travel expenses while serving aboard the ship Africa Mercy. The ship

Bishop Joseph A. Albers Council 4090 in Davison, Mich., held its annual fundraising dinner for seminarians. The event featured a dinner prepared by Most Blessed Sacrament Council 11532 in Burton, pie provided by the Daughters of Isabella, auctions, raffles and more. Proceeds totaled more than $17,000, making this dinner the most successful in the event’s 33-year history.

Between the council’s efforts and a donation from Ardon F. Dubie Assembly, also in Davison, $1,030 was donated to each of the 19 Diocese of Lansing seminarians.

Members of Marbel Council 7658 in Koronadal City, Mindanao, serve children at a community outreach program in Barangay San Jose. More than 100 residents of the depressed area, plus 30 preschoolers, each received assorted school supplies, food packs and gifts.

The activity ended with a Filipino tradition of salo-salo, or sharing an extensive banquet of locally prepared food.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N BLESSINGS FOR BROOKLYN

St. Bernard Council 14269 in Brooklyn, N.Y., made a $30,000 donation to St. Bernard Parish. The donation, the result of the council’s year-round fundraising efforts, was accompanied by Council 14269’s reaffirmation of its commitment to the parish community. The Knights are particularly dedicated to seeing that Catholic life in Bergen Beach and Mill Basin remains vibrant and visible, and that the parish remains the center of Catholic life for all in the area.

HELPING NEW ARRIVALS

St. Martin de Porres Council 10304 in Salt Lake City quickly came to the aid of a family of seven that recently emigrated from Rwanda.

When the Knights learned the family lacked coldweather clothing and other necessities, the council voted to provide a washer and dryer, and the family was also supplied with warm clothes, home goods and a

freezer through the charity of individual Knights, family members and friends.

PASTA TO PROVIDE

Members of St. Mark’s Council 9276 in Kitchener, Ontario, held a spaghetti supper fundraiser for a fellow Knight in need of a motorized wheelchair. The event netted $3,000 for the new wheelchair.

PRECIOUS CARGO

Father John E. Doyle Council 9715 in Lansdale, Pa., spearheaded a multi-council effort to purchase a new cargo van for the Little Sisters of the Poor at Holy Family Home in Philadelphia.

More than 30 councils contributed to the $45,000 cost of the customized cargo van, which the sisters depend on to collect donations of food, clothing, furniture and other items essential to their operations and care of their residents. Council 9715 raised $5,000 for the project, in addition to contributions from individual members.

Members of Masconomo Council 1232 in Manchester-bythe-Sea, Mass., construct a utility shed on the lawn of the rectory at Sacred Heart Church. Proceeds from the sale of the shed will benefit the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

A YEAR’S WORK FOR LIFE

Father Thomas F. Gibbons Council 3657 in Forest Lake, Minn., spent a year hosting fundraisers to provide an ultrasound machine for Lakers Life Care. With aid from neighboring councils and the K of C Ultrasound Initiative, a $32,000 machine was purchased and installed at the pregnancy resource center.

SUCCESSFUL SWINGS

Members of St. Joseph Council 12819 in Norman, Okla., display spotless windows that they cleaned for the opening of Catholic Charities’ Sanctuary Women’s Development Center, which recently relocated to the campus of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

The council had taken part in various projects to prepare the center for operation. The center will help prevent homelessness by assisting with daily needs, job hunting, counseling and resources.

Abbot Francis Sadlier Council 6168 in Lecanto, Fla., ran the most successful Father Willie Golf Tournament in its 22-year history, netting $8,000 for 16 teachers at St. John Paul II Catholic School.

“The Knights are always a great and consistent supporter of the school,” said Principal John Larkin.

Teachers helped the Knights by registering golfers, distributing goodie bags, delivering lunches and selling tickets.

Many local and corporate sponsors also supported the

event. The tournament is named after golf-loving Father Willie McEwan, Council 6168’s chaplain from 1979 to 1986.

AIDING AN ALUM

St. Agatha Council 11311 in Columbus, Ohio, initiated a raffle to quickly raise $5,000 for an alum of its parochial school — and a current Bishop Watterson High School student — with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The Knights sold 100 tickets and also received an additional $1,550 in donations to help the student’s family with travel, lodging and incidental expenses during treatment.

The student is undergoing innovative CAR T-cell treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The raffle prize was a framed display of checks signed by, and photos of, four Catholic sports legends: jockey Eddie Arcaro, golfer Gene Sarazen, basketball player Bob Cousy, and football player and coach Mike Ditka.

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♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 29

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

entire families and encourages fellow parishioners to join the volunteer team, thereby serving as a recruitment tool as well.

MUSIC TO THEIR EARS

St. Francis of Assisi Council 4524 in East Rutherford, N.J., purchased $1,000 worth of equipment for the musical therapy program at The Felician School for Exceptional Children in Lodi. Council 4524 also made a $1,613 donation to the school.

Members of Powell River (British Columbia) Council 5417 and members of Assumption Parish take a breather with their priest, Father Arokiadass Lazer (seated, second from left). By cutting, splitting and delivering firewood, Knights and parishioners raised funds to build a medical clinic and purchase an ambulance for Father Arokiadass’ home village in India. As of writing, the project had met $80,000 out of a $100,000 goal.

SHUTTLE SERVICE

Knights from 10 councils in the Phoenix area accepted a challenge from Father Paul Sullivan, vocations director of the Diocese of Phoenix, with the blessing of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, to help transport visitors for the

2018 National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors. Knights and their wives shuttled more than 150 attendees between the airport and the conference. They made approximately 70 round-trips and traveled a total of 2,500 miles.

MISSION DINNER

Father Vincent L. Ouellette Council 1541 in Ishpeming, Mich., raised $2,500 at its annual mission dinner to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s food bank in western Marquette County.

Council 1514 also made a $1,000 donation to the Diocese of Lansing for disaster relief.

WELCOMING A RELIC

Bigfork (Mont.) Council 14060 worked to procure a relic of St. John Paul II for its parish, St. John Paul II Catholic Church. Through writing letters of request with the support of several bishops, the council was finally able to welcome a relic to the parish in their newly built reliquary.

FLAGS AND FOOTBALL

Bishop Lawrence F. Schott Council 628 in Mount Carmel, Pa., partnered with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post to provide flags for high school football teams. The gift was an opportunity to publicize the work of the Knights of Columbus and the value of patriotism.

CHARITY BREAKFAST

Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist join members of National Shrine of the Little Flower Council 12408 in Royal Oak, Mich., at the “Catholic Corner” of the annual Woodward Dream Cruise classic car show. The “Catholic Corner,” in front of the Shrine, is staffed during the cruise weekend by numerous Catholic organizations from southeast Michigan.

30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2018

Bishop William T. Mulloy Council 1301 in Southgate, Ky., serves a quarterly breakfast at Henry Hosea House, a soup kitchen in Newport. The event involves

Grand Knight Yvon Morneault of Rev. I.N. Dumont Council 7188 in Saint-Francis-deMadawas, New Brunswick, removes old paint from a wall in Saint-Francis Cemetery. The Knights also donated $5,000 toward new statues and landscaping and committed to an extensive restoration of the parish grotto.

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

WARMING UP

Our Lady of Lourdes Council 12453 in Hamilton, Ontario, helped host a brunch in support of vocations at St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, featuring a reflection by Father Michael King, vocation director and vicar for clergy for the Diocese of Hamilton. The council also raised $1,650 for the diocese’s vocation program.

Father Maurice J. Spillane Council 6717 in Sanford, N.C., made a $1,000 donation to Christian United Outreach Center. For the past five years, in addition to contributing to the pantry’s food ministry, the council has helped the center cover winter heating bills for senior citizens.

BINGO BUILDING FUND

BRINGING BACK THE BELL

Members of St. Francis of Assisi Council 12610 in Mocksville, N.C., prepare an area for the development of a Marian garden at St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

St. Helena Council 7965 in San Antonio presented a donation of $10,000 from its bingo earnings to Father Lénin E. Náffate, pastor of St Helena’s Church, for the parish building fund. St. Helena’s has developed a building plan that will meet the needs of a growing parish community, religious education classes and various ministries.

Ave Maria Council 9380 in Tucson, Ariz., assisted with renovation of St. Cyril of Alexandria Church, which brought back the functionality of the parish’s bell, installed in 1947. Now with three tones, the stationary bell once again rings out for the Angelus, Masses and other occasions.

HOLY FAMILY HOMAGE

SIGN OF THE TIMES

ULTRASOUND PURCHASE

Holy Name of Jesus Council 15619 in West Palm Beach, Fla., funded a new statue of the Holy Family through fellowship donations and pancake breakfasts. Many parish families attended the blessing of the statue by Father Antony Pulikal, OCD, outside the Holy Name of Jesus

Holy Trinity Council 12353 in Edmonton, Alberta, helped to fund a new sign for St. Agnes Parish. The message board, facing a major road, has a metal background for magnetic information plaques, which can be easily changed to accommodate seasonal messages.

Cortland (N.Y.) Council 233 raised $10,000 toward the donation of a new ultrasound machine for the Cortland Pregnancy Center. The Supreme Council contributed an additional $6,850 in matching funds through the K of C Ultrasound Initiative.

Church, during a ceremony that included the reading of the prayer of consecration to the Holy Family and an honor guard from Divine Mercy Assembly 3698, also in West Palm Beach.

NEW SANCTUARY

Our Lady of Grace Council 15322 in South Houston spent a week repairing and renovating the sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, which was damaged

by Hurricane Harvey. Once the church roof was repaired, Knights took over to restore the entire interior of the church, including the installation of a new altar.

Members of South Plainfield (N.J.) Council 6203 and Middlesex Council 857 in Woodbridge, N.J., together with members of the American Irish Organization, gather on a wheelchair ramp that they erected to aid a local resident in need. The aluminum ramp can be dismantled and moved to respond to the needs of the community.

COUNCIL TO COUNCIL

After hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico, St. John Neumann-Good Shepherd Council 12571 in

Lords Valley, Pa., contacted one of their former district deputies, who had moved to Puerto Rico to care for his father, for guidance on how to help. As a result, Council 12571 made a $1,100 donation to Reyes Católicos Council 1811 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Council 1811 consequently made a substantial donation to the Archdiocese of Mayaguez and made emergency repairs to its facilities.

TURKEY DINNER

Port Henry (N.Y.) Council 384 organized a turkey dinner in support of High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care, an organization that provides medical treatment and supportive care to the terminally ill throughout the Adirondack Mountains. The event raised $800.

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

DECEMBER 2018

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 31

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1. Publication Title: Columbia 2. Publication No.: 12-3740 3. Date of filing: September 2017 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 and editor: Publisher: Carl A. Anderson 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 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): (x) Has not changed during the preceding 12 months.

( ) Has changed during the preceding 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 2018 15. Extent and nature of circulation: Av. # copies each issue during preceding 12 months

# copies of single issue published nearest to filing date

A. Total no. copies (net press run): 1,700,863 1,695,124 B. Paid and/or requested circulation 1. Outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 350,891 350,374 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. 1,340,514 1,335,140 C. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 1,692,405 1,687,363 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: 5,000 5,000 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): 5,000 5,00 0 F. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 1,697,405 1,692,363 G. Copies not distributed: 300 300 H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g): 1,697,705 1,692,663 I. Percent paid and/or requested circulation (15c / 15f x 100): 99.7% 99.7% 16. Paid electronic copies 0 0 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

ALTON J. PELOWSKI, Editor 11/01/2018

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

DECEMBER 2018

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

‘Witnesses to the World’ Knights in Michigan, Maryland support large, faith-filled events NEARLY 15,000 people filled the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, home of the Michigan State University basketball team.

They were there not to watch basketball, but instead to gather around the Eucharist and reflect on the mission of evangelization.

Organized by the Diocese of Fourth Degree Knights follow the processional Lansing, the “Made for Happiness” cross during the “Made for Happiness” assembly assembly took place Sept. 22.

Sept. 22. • Below: Supreme Chaplain Arch“The whole day was about being bishop William E. Lori of Baltimore celebrates witnesses to the world,” said Craig Mass during “Faith Fest Maryland,” Sept. 16.

Pohl, director of the New Evangelization for the diocese.

“The Knights rallied so many volunteers for the event,” added Pohl, who is a member of St. Jude Thaddeus Council 2890 in Westphalia, Mich. “And without the Knights, we would not have reached so many people.”

Less than one week earlier, councils in Maryland Districts 16 and 27 were likewise instrumental in assisting with “Faith Fest Maryland,” which drew more than 2,000 participants to the Harford County Equestrian Center in Bel Air on Sept 16.

The daylong “Faith Fest” event, which was organized by 11 parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, included live music, informational exhibits and opportunities for prayer and confession. It culminated in a Mass celebrated by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who said in his homily that, by their presence, participants were “saying that the faith needs to be shared publicly, with everyone — with those who are alienated from the Church, with those who are searching.”

Some 75 Knights from nine councils assisted with the event in a variety of roles.

“It was a huge opportunity for the Knights to take action as the strong right arm of the Church,” said Stephen Conley, district deputy of Maryland District 16 and a member of the festival planning committee.

The next week, the “Made for Happiness” assembly — the final and largest in a series of three diocesan events in Lansing — began with a 4-mile eucharistic procession from the cathedral to the Breslin Center. This was followed by eucharistic adoration, inspiring talks and a Mass concelebrated by nearly every priest in the diocese.

In answer to their bishop’s call, more than 200 Knights assisted while councils throughout the diocese donated a combined $25,000 for the event.

Among the participants was State Deputy William Chasse, who noted that the assembly complemented the Order’s Faith in Action program model and Building the Domestic Church initiative. “It brought people back to the Church,” he said. “And it reinforced what we try to do as Knights.”♦

ABOVE RIGHT: Photo by Tom Gennara, FAITH Catholic — OTHER: Photo courtesy of Catholic Review, Baltimore

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Act of August 1, 1970: Section 3685, title 39, U.S. code)

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBU S

Knights of Charity 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.

Seven members of the British Columbia and Yukon State Council stand together after completing the 203-kilometer Ride to Conquer Cancer. The council’s team, captained by State Warden Herb Yang (third from right), raised more than $23,000. Some 2,500 cyclists participated in the event, raising a total of $10.6 million for research.

TO BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S “K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR E - MAIL :

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DECEMBER 2018

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33

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

K E E P T H E FA I T H A L I V E

‘I FOUND LASTING HOPE IN THE CHURCH.’ I believe that great questions are an art form worthy of study. When I read the Bible, I am always inspired by Jesus’ questions.

After I completed university and settled into a job as a computer programmer, I started asking my friends, “Do you ever feel like you should be doing something more?” To my surprise, most of them said no, or maybe — but I wasn’t satisfied.

I moved on to teaching in a rather impoverished high school, where I realized that what my students needed more than a stable home, quality education, or even steady diet, was hope. When I looked at where I found lasting hope in my own life, I saw that it was in the Church, which made Jesus known to me. Despite its faults and failings, the Church offers the very real presence of God. Around this time, I met the Basilian Fathers at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. I kept discerning the next step, and they helped me to be who I was called to be.

Photo by Jeff Fitlow

FATHER CHRIS VALKA, CSB Congregation of St. Basil St. Basil Council 4204 Houston, Texas