Columbia December 2020

Columbia KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

DECEMBER 2020

‘This is the day the Lord has made.’

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Wishing you a Blessed Christmas

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CONTENTS

Columbia DECEMBER 2020

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VOLUME 100

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NUMBER 11

An apostolic letter of Pope Francis, dated Sept. 13, decrees that “the Venerable Servant of God, Michael McGivney, Diocesan Priest, Founder of the Knights of Columbus … henceforth be given the title of Blessed and that his liturgical memorial be kept each year on 13 August.” The letter was read in Latin by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, presider and representative of the Holy Father, during the Mass of Beatification at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn., Oct. 31.

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Departments 3

Building a better world To help renew our parishes, we must imitate our founder’s missionary spirit.

By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

4 Learning the faith, living the faith The Order’s first principle flowed from our founder’s priestly heart, inflamed with divine charity.

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

28 Knights in Action Reports from councils and assemblies, representing the four pillars of the Faith in Action program model

A Blessed Celebration

Knights across the globe give joyful thanks to God as their humble founder is raised to the honors of the altar.

By Columbia staff

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Priest of the Beatitudes

Father McGivney gives us a roadmap to holiness in the way he lived out Christ’s teachings.

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

ABOVE: Photo by Jeffrey Bruno — ON THE COVER: Photo by Dan Kwon/Spirit Juice Studios

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ON THE COVER

An image of Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, hangs from the baldachin at the Cathedral of St. Joseph during the Mass of Beatification Oct. 31.

Father McGivney on the Peripheries

Our founder countered prejudice and poverty with the power of Christian charity.

By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

PLUS: Additional extended coverage of Father McGivney’s beatification

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In the School of Nazareth

As they lead their own domestic churches, Christian parents can learn from the example of the Holy Family.

By Nicholas and Maruška Healy

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Help Is on the Way

Knights respond to natural disasters with volunteer and financial support.

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 © 2020 All rights reserved

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EDITORIAL

At the Heart of Charity IT WAS CHRISTMAS DAY 1877. Only three

days earlier, Father Michael J. McGivney had been ordained to the priesthood in Baltimore’s Cathedral of the Assumption. Now, he was back at his home parish, Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, Conn., with his widowed mother and siblings in attendance for his first public Mass. As we read in his biography, Parish Priest, “The McGivney family would not know many Christmases that were more joyous.”

Just 25 years old, Father McGivney had faithfully pursued his vocation for half of his life, and his journey to the altar had spanned four different seminaries and the U.S.-Canada border. Three of these seminaries, like both his home parish and first assignment, were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Marian devotion permeated his ministry.

Another devotion popular in the late 19th century influenced his spiritual formation: worship of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The feast of the Sacred Heart was extended to the universal Church when young Michael was 3 years old, and his later devotion is seen, for example, in one of his few surviving letters — signed “Yours truly in the Sacred Heart” — and in the fact that he was buried with a Sacred Heart image.

Yet, it is important to recognize that, for Father McGivney, the Sacred Heart of Jesus was not merely a pious symbol or idea, but a concrete reality. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Jesus “has loved us all with a human heart … pierced by our sins and for our salvation” (478). Quoting St. Jean Vianney, the patron saint of parish

priests, it further notes: “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus” (1589).

Father McGivney lived this reality through his great love for his parishioners and compassion for those he served. He poured himself out, seeking to provide practical assistance for their spiritual and temporal needs. Indeed, when we consider Father McGivney’s ministry, spirituality and holiness, we clearly see a priest whose own heart was conformed to that of Christ. It is precisely for this reason that the Church now counts him among the “blessed.”

Less than a decade after Father McGivney’s death, Pope Leo XIII consecrated the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the centenary of that occasion, at the cusp of the new millennium, St. John Paul II encouraged the faithful to contemplate the Heart of Jesus, especially in the Eucharist: “It will enable them to taste, in communion with their brothers and sisters, the spiritual sweetness of charity at its very source.”

In this issue of Columbia, we are pleased to commemorate Father McGivney’s beatification — a truly joyous occasion that brought together not only relatives of the McGivney family but also Blessed Michael’s spiritual descendants around the world.

And as the Church prepares to celebrate the sacred humanity of the Word made flesh at Christmas, we also recognize that Father McGivney’s legacy of charity, unity and fraternity is ultimately rooted in the heart of Christ. B Alton J. Pelowski, Editor

A Witness for the World: The Global Impact of Blessed Michael McGivney A new K of C-produced film, A Witness for the World: The Global Impact of Blessed Michael McGivney, reveals how Father McGivney’s vision of Catholic brotherhood and missionary discipleship has spread across the world, touching millions of lives. The 29-minute documentary chronicles this impact in nations with long-standing ties to the Knights of Columbus, including Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines, as well as in nations to which the Order has expanded in the 21st century, such as Poland, South Korea and France.

For more information, visit: kofc.org/beatification.

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Columbia PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson Supreme Knight Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. Supreme Chaplain 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 Cecilia Hadley Senior Editor Margaret B. Kelly Associate Editor

Blessed 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 COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 columbia@kofc.org kofc.org/columbia Address changes 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org Columbia inquiries 203-752-4398 K of C Customer Service 1-800-380-9995

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

‘The Witness of a Christian Life’ To help renew our parishes, we must imitate our founder’s missionary spirit

By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson LAST MONTH, I wrote in my column that

Blessed Michael McGivney should be viewed not only as a model parish priest, but also as a model missionary. Understanding Father McGivney’s parish ministry in this way is especially important considering the challenges facing our Church today.

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected the sacramental practice of Catholics.

With churches closed or attendance drastically limited for so many months, we do not know how many Catholics will return on Sundays once restrictions are lifted. This sacramental drought may well hasten the already decades-long decline in sacramental practice.

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the United States has, since 1970, experienced a steep decline in virtually all categories of sacramental practice.

Two trends are especially alarming: The number of infant baptisms has gone from more than 1 million per year to fewer than 600,000, and sacramental marriages have fallen even more sharply — from more than 400,000 per year to fewer than 150,000.

Perhaps the most troubling trend, though, is the fastest-growing religious category in the United States: adults who were raised Catholic but who now no longer identify as Catholic.

They have gone from 3.5 million in 1970 to nearly 30 million today.

We know that, in establishing the Knights of Columbus, Father McGivney sought to keep the men and families of his parish firm in their Catholic faith. He wanted to keep men from joining secret societies, many of which were anti-Catholic, and to provide for the financial security of widows and orphans so that a family would not break up after the father’s death.

In recent years, many dioceses have responded to the increasing number of lapsed Catholics with programs encouraging them to “come back home.” These programs are good and will be needed in the near future more than ever. A better effort for the long term will be to follow the example of Father McGivney and work to keep Catholics from leaving in the first place.

Our Church faces a severe crisis that requires the renewal of our parish communities. That in turn will require a reexamination of our approach to parish ministry.

We can learn much from the life and ministry of Blessed Michael McGivney. Parish priests today need to adopt a missionary attitude toward their own parishes, with evangelization focused on keeping their parishioners within the Church. They must also foster greater cooperation with lay organizations such as the Knights of Columbus; reversing the downward trends is an enormous task that will require laity and clergy working together.

In his encyclical Redemptoris Missio, St. John Paul II observed, “The urgency of missionary activity derives from the radical newness of life brought by Christ and lived by his followers” (7). It is “the witness of a Christian life,” he added, that “is the first and irreplaceable form of mission” — to which all believers are called (42).

Blessed Michael McGivney did not simply start a new fraternal organization when he established the Knights of Columbus. Instead, he showed us a new way to live “the witness of a Christian life” through a brotherhood devoted to charity and unity, and in this way to grow stronger in the faith.

St. John Paul II concluded, “The missionary is a person of charity” (89). I think Blessed Michael McGivney understood that a person of charity is also a missionary. In the Knights of Columbus, we are devoted to a charity that evangelizes our families, our parishes and our communities.

We do not usually think of the Knights of Columbus as a missionary society. But perhaps our definition of “missionary” is too narrow. In the same encyclical, St. John Paul II reminded us, “The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, of the Christian family, and the ecclesial community” (42). This certainly describes the Knights of Columbus today, and it can apply even more so tomorrow. If we take up this challenge, we can help lead a true renewal of our parishes and our Church.

Vivat Jesus!

‘Blessed Michael McGivney understood that a person of charity is also a missionary. In the Knights of Columbus, we are devoted to a charity that evangelizes our families, our parishes and our communities.’

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

‘Over All These Virtues, Put on Love’ The Order’s first principle flowed from our founder’s priestly heart, inflamed with divine charity

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

THE BEATIFICATION of Father Michael Joseph McGivney last month was a glorious event, and not only because it confirmed the spirituality and mission of the Knights of Columbus. For clergy and lay people alike, the beatification and celebrations surrounding it were days of intense prayer, days in which we focused on the holy and virtuous life of this quintessential parish priest and visionary founder.

The night before the beatification, Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford presided over a prayer vigil for priests at the Order’s birthplace, St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn. Priests spoke movingly of Father McGivney’s pastoral love and generosity.

They spoke of how Father McGivney attained authentic holiness, not in spite of his busy life as a parish priest, but in the midst of it. They told of how Father McGivney, far ahead of his time, collaborated with the laity, involving them in the life of the parish and ensuring that the Knights of Columbus would be led by laymen.

During that prayerful evening, we heard of Father McGivney’s missionary spirit in bringing the Catholic faith beyond the walls of the church, and his readiness to accompany his people through thick and thin. We also reflected on his faith-filled family, where the seeds of his vocation took root. We meditated on his meekness, his kindness and his strength of character, as well as his clear-eyed realism. Along the way, we received glimpses of Father McGivney’s faith, hope and love, and his practice of the moral virtues.

At the beatification Mass the next morning, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark held up Blessed Michael McGivney as a model of holiness for us all. Just as Father McGivney was a model of virtue for his parishioners, so now he continues to show us that we are called to holiness and that, by God’s grace, we can attain it. The cardinal

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went on to say that, in these difficult days, Father McGivney teaches us that “life is not transactional but a gift to be shared.” To put it another way, Father McGivney didn’t engage in priestly ministry with his own and others’ profit in mind. Rather, he gave himself to his people with undivided and sacrificial love — the godly love spelled out in the Beatitudes.

This gets us to the heart and soul of Blessed Michael McGivney’s life, ministry and holiness. In his Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul writes, “Over all these virtues, put on love, that is, the bond of perfection” (3:14). The more we meditate on the virtues of Father McGivney’s life, the more we come to see that they flow from a priestly heart that was on fire with an ardent love of Jesus Christ and his Sacred Heart. Father McGivney’s heart, too, appeared to be a bottomless “abyss of charity” as he gave himself to God and to his people in his day-to-day ministry and in founding the Knights of Columbus. The first principle of the Knights, therefore, is not an abstract idea, as though it were a clever one-word summary of the New Testament. Rather, it derives from the burning love of a priestly heart, a love that expressed itself in a thousand ways as Father McGivney gave of himself until the last moment of his life.

What a lesson for all of us, his spiritual heirs. Even if, with superhuman willpower, we could attain the heights of virtue, without love it would be dry and lifeless. Loveless virtue gives virtue itself a bad name.

But virtue infused with love is luminous, endowed with its own power to attract others to Christ, the source of all love, human and divine. So, too, we learn from Blessed Michael McGivney that our service to others must flow not merely from a sense of duty, but also from hearts that are inflamed with divine love. B

‘We learn from Blessed Michael McGivney that our service to others must flow not merely from a sense of duty, but also from hearts that are inflamed with divine love.’

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Supreme Chaplain’s Challenge

Catholic Man of the Month

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

BORN LESS THAN a year before Blessed

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

(Gospel for Dec. 20, Lk 1:38)

FROM TOP: Courtesy of Hôpital Saint Joseph de Marseille — Annunciation (1433-34) by Fra Angelico/Web Gallery of Art — CNS photo/Paul Haring

Mary’s fiat, her “yes” to the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation, models perfect discipleship. It was a total acceptance of and submission to the will of God. What faith and trust our Blessed Mother exemplified! Because Mary unreservedly said yes to God, Jesus became man in order to redeem the world from sin. God worked wonders in her life and the world through her trust in him. May each of us strive to place our unconditional trust in the will of God, so that he may work wonders in our own lives.

Blessed Jean-Baptiste Fouque (1851-1926) Michael McGivney, Father Jean-Baptiste Fouque was a parish priest in a similar industrialized milieu. He carried out many charitable apostolates and served the poor in his native city of Marseilles, France.

Fouque was raised in a devout home, attended Catholic schools and felt a call to the priesthood at a young age. He entered the seminary in Marseilles and was ordained in 1876. After serving in several parishes, he was assigned to Holy Trinity Parish, where he remained for 38 years.

“There is no other food for the soul than the Eucharist,” Father Fouque once said. A man of deep faith and Marian devotion, he was known to hear confessions into the evening. Yet, like Father McGivney, he did not believe his ministry ended with the Mass and other sacraments.

In 1888, he established “Le Sainte Famille,” a home to protect young women who were flocking to Marseilles from the countryside in search of jobs. He went on to organize other networks of

Liturgical Calendar

Challenge: This month, I challenge you set up a Nativity scene in your home and pray before it, meditating on Mary’s fiat. Second, I challenge you to join with your brother Knights in the Faith in Action Keep Christ in Christmas program to help your parishes and communities celebrate the Son of God and Son of Mary.

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

assistance, including a shelter for abandoned children and orphans, a school for domestic workers, a home for the aged and infirm, and a home for children with disabilities. The local authorities came to view these initiatives with great favor and sent people in need to Father Fouque’s care.

During the First World War, Father Fouque tended to the wounded and displaced, and he gave refuge to hundreds of orphans. Not long after the Armistice, the indefatigable priest began work on a longheld dream: a free hospital for the poor.

St. Joseph Hospital opened in 1921.

Known as the “St. Vincent de Paul of Marseilles,” Father Fouque died Dec. 5, 1926. He was beatified in 2018. B

Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intention

Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe 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, The First Martyr Dec. 27 The Holy Family of Jesus,

Mary and Joseph Dec. 28 The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

We pray that our personal relationship with Jesus Christ be nourished by the Word of God and a life of prayer.

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A BLESSED CELEBRATION Knights across the globe give joyful thanks to God as their humble founder is raised to the honors of the altar

Photo by Aaron Joseph/Archdiocese of Hartford

Michael “Mikey” Schachle, accompanied by his family, presents a relic of Blessed Michael McGivney to Cardinal Joseph Tobin during the Mass of Beatification Oct. 31.

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nights of Columbus and their families, parish priests and religious, and Catholic faithful around the world watched with joy as Father Michael J. McGivney was declared “Blessed” in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn., Oct. 31.

Blessed Michael McGivney’s “zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for the needs of his brothers and sisters made him an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance,” Pope Francis wrote in his apostolic letter proclaiming the beatification.

The title “Blessed” signifies the Church’s belief that Father McGivney is now in heaven, as manifested by a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The beneficiary of that miracle was present at the beatification Mass: Five-year-old Michael McGivney Schachle, healed in utero of a deadly case of fetal hydrops, presented a major relic of his patron to the presider and representative of the Holy Father, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark.

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Left: Dominican Father Gabriel O’Donnell, director of the Father McGivney Guild and vice postulator of the founder’s cause for canonization, shares a reflection during the prayer vigil for priests Oct. 30. Father O’Donnell served as postulator during the first decade of the cause, which began in 1997 when the Archdiocese of Hartford officially opened an investigation into Father McGivney’s life and heroic virtue.

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TOP: Photos by Jeffrey Bruno — BOTTOM ROW: Photos by Matthew Barrick

n the eve of the beatification, priests gathered for a solemn vigil of prayer and reflection at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, the birthplace of the Knights of Columbus. Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford (above) presided at the internationally broadcast event, which included readings from Scripture and historical texts about Father McGivney’s ministry in the late 19th century, as well as reflections about how the Order’s founder continues to be a model for parish priests today.

Daniel Schachle — a past grand knight of St. Mary’s Mission Council 8083 in Savannah, Tenn., and a Knights of Columbus general agent — shares a testimony about how he and his wife learned of their unborn son’s fatal diagnosis and prayed for a miraculous healing though Father McGivney’s intercession.

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BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by Jeffrey Bruno — ABOVE RIGHT: Photo by Dan Kwon/Spirit Juice Studios — OTHER: Photos by Aaron Joseph/Archdiocese of Hartford

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“FATHER MCGIVNEY’S LIFE is an illustration of that intimate contact of a priest with the homes and lives of his people. His formation in pastoral practice began in his faith-filled family, which nurtured his growth in grace, providing an ambience in which he and two of his brothers could hear the call to serve the Lord as priests.

“Although he excelled in his studies, before he ever opened a book of theology he worked in a factory, where he learned firsthand the struggles of his fellow workers. As a parish priest, he would ‘smell like the sheep.’ He knew the simple, indispensable requirement for a pastor: He loved his people. …

“Even his signature accomplishment, the founding of the Knights of Columbus, grew out of his ministry as a parish priest. … This great brotherhood of 2 million men now spanning the globe was born from the ingenious solution of a parish priest to the challenges faced by the people he served.”

— Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark and representative of Pope Francis, Homily at the Beatification Mass, Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford, Oct. 31

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1. Request for Beatification — Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford, accompanied by vice postulators Dominican Father Gabriel O’Donnell and Brian Caulfield, addresses Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the representative of Pope Francis, and requests that the beatification proceed.

2. Biographical Reading — A brief biography of the Venerable Servant of God is read by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

3. Apostolic Letter — Cardinal Tobin reads the apostolic letter in Latin. The letter acclaims Father McGivney as an “outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance”; bestows the title of Blessed; and specifies that the liturgical memorial of Father McGivney will be observed Aug. 13 — the day between his birth (Aug. 12) and death (Aug. 14). An English translation is then read by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori.

4. Unveiling of the Image of the Newly Beatified — A banner depicting Blessed Michael McGivney is publicly revealed.

5. Presentation of the Relic — A relic of Blessed Michael McGivney is carried in procession by Michael “Mikey” McGivney Schachle, together with his parents, Daniel and Michelle, and a number of his 12 brothers and sisters. The relic is then placed in the sanctuary and incensed.

6. Exchange of Peace — Cardinal Tobin offers a sign of peace and presents the apostolic letter to representatives of the McGivney family.

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Above: Knights of Columbus leaders reveal a banner of Father McGivney on the façade of St. Mary’s Church after the official proclamation that he has received the title “Blessed.” Visiting pilgrims watched the Mass of Beatification live Oct. 31 on screens outside of the church.

Clockwise, from left: Pilgrims visit the tomb of Father McGivney, whose remains were moved to St. Mary’s in 1982, the centenary of the Knights of Columbus. • Sister Gaudia Skass of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy leads pilgrims in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. • An exhibit in St. Mary’s courtyard features information about Father McGivney’s life and ministry.

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BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by Dan Kwon/Spirit Juice Studios — LOWER RIGHT: Photo by Aaron Joseph/Archdiocese of Hartford — OTHER: Photos by Jake Belcher

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t. Mary’s Church, where Father McGivney served as assistant pastor when he established the Knights of Columbus in 1882, hosted a weekend-long “McGivney Festival” to commemorate the founder’s beatification. From Friday evening, Oct. 30, until Sunday, Nov. 1, the church hosted a full program of events for pilgrims, as well as opportunities for silent prayer and visits to Father McGivney’s tomb. Highlights of the weekend included special Masses, a series of reflections on Blessed Michael McGivney’s life and legacy, an outdoor candlelight procession, and an All Saints Vigil for young adults.

Below: A discussion panel reflects on Father McGivney and his spiritual legacy. • On the eve of All Saints Day, parishioners and pilgrims participate in a candlelight procession through the streets of New Haven, walking behind relics of Blessed Michael McGivney (center) and St. John Paul II. FATHER McGIVNEY’S HOME PARISH in

TOP RIGHT: Photo by Jeffrey Bruno — OTHER: Photos by Jake Belcher

Waterbury, Conn., marked the beatification by unveiling a banner outside of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception after Mass on Oct. 31. The basilica’s rector, Father James Sullivan, was joined by other priests of Waterbury, a Fourth Degree honor guard, and parishioners including Terry Waldron, the artist whose painting of Father McGivney is depicted on the banner.

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His Legacy Lives On

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nights of Columbus leaders and guests cut the ribbon on a new pilgrimage site dedicated to Father J. McGivney on All Saints Day — the morning after his beatification. Formerly the Knights of Columbus Museum, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Conn., will highlight the spiritual depth and international breadth of the pioneering priest’s vision.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori and the other Supreme Officers were joined at the Nov. 1 ribbon cutting by Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine, and descendants of the McGivney family. Also wielding a pair of scissors — with help from his parents — was 5-yearold Mikey Schachle, whose healing in utero was the miracle that led to Father McGivney’s beatification.

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The pilgrimage center, located a couple of blocks from the Supreme Council headquarters and less than a mile from St. Mary’s Church, became the site of the Knights of Columbus Museum in 2000.

In his annual report last August, Supreme Knight Anderson announced the establishment of the new pilgrimage center and explained, “While the museum will continue to recount the Knights’ history, it will also broaden its mission by focusing more on the spirituality and charitable vision of our founder and his legacy. A visit to the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will also enhance the formative experience of a pilgrimage to Father McGivney’s tomb at nearby St. Mary’s Church.” B For more information about the new center, visit MichaelMcGivneyCenter.org.

Photo by Matthew Barrick

New pilgrimage center will honor Father McGivney’s spirituality and impact

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From left: Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine; Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford; Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore; Supreme Knight Carl Anderson; Daniel, Mikey and Michelle Schachle; Deputy Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly; Supreme Secretary Michael O’Connor; Supreme Treasurer Ronald Schwarz; Supreme Advocate John Marrella; Margaret Ransom, great-grandniece of Father McGivney; and John Walshe, great-grandnephew of Father McGivney.

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M A S S O F T H A N K S G I V I N G • S T. M A R Y ’ S C H U R C H , N E W H AV E N • N O V. 1

Priest of the Beatitudes Father McGivney gives us a roadmap to holiness in the way he lived out Christ’s teachings

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

will be comforted,” do we not recall how Father McGivney mourned over the plight of families that had lost husbands, fathers and breadwinners? Do we not find him often by the bedside of dying parishioners, many of them young — sharoday the Church throughout the world celebrates the ing, like a good shepherd, in the grief and sorrow of the people he served? So too, we find the young Father McGivney communion of saints. In this solemnity of All Saints, we give thanks to God for men and women, outstand- walking to the gallows with the condemned Chip Smith and being deeply shaken by his execution. Now, the Good Sheping in holiness, from every time and place, and from every herd himself comforts Blessed Michael McGivney in eternity! race and culture — those who have “fought the good fight, When we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the meek, for they who have run the race” (2 Tim 4:7), and who now rejoice to will inherit the land,” we recall how those who personally gaze upon the God of glory and majesty. … knew Father McGivney described him. A fellow priest spoke The blessed ones whom we commemorate today are a of Father McGivney as “a man of unassuming character” who diverse lot. The times and places and circumstances of their sought not fame or clerical advancement lives differ greatly. They represent every but only the opportunity to serve. Preconceivable vocation and state of life.

Father McGivney cisely when it became apparent that the But all these holy men and women have Knights of Columbus would be successthis one thing in common: They lived continues to provide ful, Father McGivney stepped away from the Beatitudes — the Beatitudes that the limelight, continuing to support Jesus first proclaimed in his Sermon on for parish priests the Order, not as supreme knight, but the Mount and which were proclaimed rather as a holy priest who sought only again today in our solemn liturgy (cf. Mt a pattern, a model the spiritual and material well-being of 5:1-12a). As Pope Benedict reminded his beloved Knights and their families. us, the Beatitudes are like the Savior’s for the renewal of Father McGivney’s legacy, his “inheriself-portrait, and thus, anyone aspiring tance,” numbers millions of men whom to holiness will exhibit these luminous priestly life, a renewal he put on the road to holiness! qualities of Christ. … so urgently necessary When Jesus says to us, “Blessed are This morning, I wish to present Fathey who hunger and thirst for righther McGivney’s life through this lens of and so deeply desired teousness, for they will be satisfied,” the Beatitudes, and thus, to present him we can almost hear Father McGivney’s to you as the priest of the Beatitudes.

by God’s holy people. distinctive voice in this Church of St. This is the priest we long for! This is the Mary, exhorting his beloved parishioners priest whom the Church needs today! “to lead a life worthy of their calling” (cf.

When we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are Eph 4:1). We can almost see him lovingly but firmly steering the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” we the young from moral danger, and by his example encouragimmediately recall how Father McGivney gave up everything ing all those he met to open their hearts to God. In leading to serve the Church — his time, his energy, his health, his others to righteousness, Father McGivney himself attained resources, taking very little in return, and giving of himself to that holiness which opened his heart to the only love that until his last moment. In 1886, when Father McGivney satisfies our deepest longings. preached his parting sermon here at St. Mary’s, parishioners When we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the merciful, for they openly wept because Father McGivney had given himself will be shown mercy,” we find ourselves present in that jail so completely to the Lord, to the Church and to them, the cell, where, with loving perseverance, Father McGivney led people of this parish. Even while living in this world and enChip Smith back to the faith, and thus ushered a condemned gaging in a busy priestly ministry, Father McGivney already man to the throne of God’s mercy. As a parish priest, Father shared in the kingdom of heaven, namely, Christ himself.

McGivney heard thousands of confessions, and in those When Jesus says, “Blessed are they who mourn, for they

Editor’s Note: The supreme chaplain gave the following homily during the Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s Church, New Haven, on Nov. 1, the day after Father McGivney’s beatification.

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Photo by Jeffrey Bruno

A relic and portrait of Father McGivney are displayed in the sanctuary of St. Mary’s Church as Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori gives the final blessing of the Mass of Thanksgiving Nov. 1.

moments of intense grace, he helped his parishioners to experience the freedom and joy that come when we accept God’s mercy. When Father McGivney appeared at the gates of heaven, no doubt many were waiting for him there, the many he had led to open their hearts to the fullness of God’s mercy.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God,” we recall that Father McGivney led a life of temperance and chastity, building on the sense of modesty that he learned at home to pursue a life of chaste celibacy for the sake of God’s kingdom. As he was departing from St. Mary’s Parish, the parishioners offered this resolution: “That Rev. M. J. McGivney has, by his courtesy and kindness; by his purity of life … secured the love and confidence of the people of St. Mary’s.” For this same reason, the Church is utterly confident that Blessed Michael McGivney now enjoys the vision of God. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” and we are reminded that, in the early years of the Knights of Columbus, Father McGivney dealt with difficult personalities at times, as well as with the pride and jealousy that seem to be a part of every noble undertaking. By all accounts, Father McGivney responded to those challenges with a disarming humility, persevering charity, tranquility of spirit and wisdom that lent him the authority he needed to settle disputes, restore peace and keep his fledgling Order on track. For this, we acclaim Blessed Michael McGivney as a beloved son of the Eternal Father.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” we recall how Father McGivney was unjustly criticized, even by fellow priests, as he labored long and hard to launch the Knights of Columbus. In some quarters, Father McGivney was regarded as something of a laughingstock, and in others, it was thought that his project posed dangers for the Church’s future. Father McGivney’s response was neither anger nor recrimination but steady determination and focus, confident that if it were God’s will, the Knights of Columbus would succeed, perhaps beyond his dreams. From his place in the kingdom of God, Blessed Michael McGivney rejoices!

Blessed Michael Joseph McGivney — a priest of the Beatitudes: If ever a proposition were easy to demonstrate, it is that one. Having lived the Beatitudes so thoroughly and consistently, Father McGivney led his parishioners to holiness. He continues to provide for parish priests a pattern, a model for the renewal of priestly life, a renewal so urgently necessary and so deeply desired by God’s holy people. And he provides the Knights of Columbus with a roadmap into the future as the Order seeks to help men become better husbands, better fathers and convincing witnesses to the Gospel in these challenging times.

Let us rejoice and be glad, for among the holy ones who shine like stars for all eternity is a beloved parish priest and the visionary founder of our Order, on whose shoulders we continue to stand. Blessed Michael McGivney, pray for us! B DECEMBER 2020 B C O L U M B I A

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Father McGivney on the Peripheries Our founder countered prejudice and poverty with the power of Christian charity

By Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

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oday we are grateful to our Lord, who in his mercy raises up holy priests to minister to his people, especially in times of adversity. Truly, this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.

We do not think much about it today, but during Blessed Michael McGivney’s life the Catholic Church regarded the United States as “mission” territory. This was the context of his ministry and of his great achievement in founding the Knights of Columbus.

We tend to think of missionaries working on the “peripheries” and removed from the larger community of believers.

Today, it may be difficult to imagine the United States as a periphery. But in the 19th century, that was precisely the situation of Catholics in America.

St. John Paul II insisted there is a need for missionary activity not only “out there,” but also “inside” the Church (see Redemptoris Missio, 36ff ).

We see this reality in Blessed Michael McGivney’s ministry. In one sense his parish was on the periphery. In another sense, his parish church of St. Mary’s in New Haven was the center of a Catholic community. Blessed Michael McGivney’s great achievement was to find a practical means

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to strengthen the center while extending its reach into the periphery.

By establishing the Knights of Columbus, Father McGivney sought to keep the men and families of his parish firm in their Catholic faith. He hoped to keep men from joining the secret societies, many of which were anti-Catholic, that were springing up throughout New England. He also sought to keep the Catholic families entrusted to his care both Catholic and together by providing for the financial security of widows and orphans.

Today, with 2 million members worldwide and more than 10,000 active councils throughout the United States, it may be difficult to appreciate how innovative and extraordinary was Father McGivney’s vision of a brotherhood of Catholic laymen based upon charity.

CONFRONTING ANTI-CATHOLICISM

The classic study of 19th-century anti-Catholicism in the United States tells us that during the decade Father McGivney was born, religious Americans were convinced that Catholicism was declining rapidly in Europe and was attempting a desperate last stand in the United States. But perhaps more importantly, it states that, “The average Protestant American of the 1850s had been trained from birth to hate Catholicism.” And while New England Protestants in the mid-1800s

Photo by Matthew Barrick

Editor’s Note: Supreme Knight Anderson delivered the following remarks after the Mass of Thanksgiving.

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M A S S O F T H A N K S G I V I N G • S T. M A R Y ’ S C H U R C H , N E W H AV E N • N O V. 1

Father McGivney would not allow his parish to become a no longer played the once popular game, “Break the Pope’s ghetto. Nor would his rectory be a cloister. He would not be Neck,” many could still remember playing it as children (see a bystander to the great challenges of his day. He was a parish The Protestant Crusade: 1800-1860 by Ray Allen Billington). priest who would be in the world, but not of it.

Anti-Catholic prejudice appeared to decline as the Know-Nothings collapsed as a political force toward the end of the 1850s and the country drifted toward civil war. But as ‘A MAN OF CHARITY’ the abolitionist movement gained ground, many compared Whether we consider his efforts to revitalize the abstinence the Catholic Church with slavery, claiming that both instisocieties of New Haven, his ministry in the New Haven tutions were “incompatible” with American democracy and city jail or his founding of the Knights of Columbus, Father both were “doomed to extinction.”

McGivney was determined that the social evils of his day This confidence in Catholicism’s demise was soon replaced would not overwhelm his parishioners. He strove tirelessly by new fears of Catholic power as waves of immigrants came to overcome evil with good by putting a Catholic ethics of to America during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. charity at the center of their lives.

Those fears reached the top of American society. In the most St. John Paul II tells us, “The missionary is a person of widely read speech of his presidency, Ulysses S. Grant predictcharity. In order to proclaim to all his brothers and sisters ed in 1875 that should there be a future civil war, the conflict that they are loved by God and are capable of loving, he must would not be between North and South, show love toward all, giving his life for his but between Catholic and Protestant neighbor” (Redemptoris Missio, 89).

Today, we see that (see The Republic for Which It Stands by This is how Father McGivney lived his Richard White). life as a parish priest. This is why today Blessed Michael Michael McGivney and his fellow we call him blessed. And this is where seminarians at St. Mary’s Seminary we find his spiritual genius: He opened McGivney was a man would certainly have been aware of the a practical path for millions of men to president’s attack on Catholics. Two follow him in living this truth of Chrisof charity, and his years later, he would be ordained to the tian charity. priesthood in the midst of the widely Blessed Michael McGivney called his greatest charity was publicized trials and executions of the brother Knights to live a life of charity Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania. Here according to the admonitions of St. Paul: the gift of himself — too, Father McGivney would have been “Love one another with a brotherly a gift which continues well aware of the plight of those Irish affection” and “Do not be overcome by immigrant coal miners, as well as the evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom to touch countless lives national campaign to vilify the Ancient 12:10, 21). In this way Blessed Michael Order of Hibernians.

McGivney anticipated by nearly a centuwith greater effect Prejudice and violence were not ry the Second Vatican Council’s call for the only evils confronting Catholics. the laity to transform society by the light each passing year.

Historians regard the 1880s and 1890s of the Gospel. as America’s “Gilded Age” and many The evils of prejudice, poverty and Americans experienced economic violence are with us still. Thankfully, so is opportunity and prosperity. But for others, it was a time of Father McGivney’s vision. Father McGivney clearly underabject poverty and hardship. stood the dilemma confronting each generation of immiThe publication in 1890 of How the Other Half Lives by grants: how to successfully integrate into and move up in Jacob Riis shocked the nation with its photographs of the American society while preserving the best of their heritage plight of immigrants and especially of their children in and identity. This has been a particular challenge for religious the slums of New York City. Riis was one of the country’s minorities coming to America. Father McGivney saw the pioneering journalists. But the appalling reality he uncovered Knights of Columbus as the way for the men of his parish to was not “news” to the priests in America’s urban centers who remain faithful Catholics while being good citizens. confronted the realities of addiction, violence, poverty, deToday, we see that Blessed Michael McGivney was a man pendency, corruption and crime on a daily basis. Riis posed a of charity, and his greatest charity was the gift of himself — question to every Christian in America: “How shall the love a gift which continues to touch countless lives with greater of God be understood by those who have been nurtured in effect each passing year. sight only of the greed of man?”

Today is truly a day of thanksgiving, and we acknowledge Father McGivney had given his answer eight years earlier. with gratitude that the inspiration of the life and heroic virtue It was not one of anger or confrontation. Nor was it one of of our brother prompts us to greater confidence in the love of indifference or resignation. His response was very different.

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CELEBRATING FAR AND WIDE

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he Mass of Beatification of Father Michael J. McGivney took place in Hartford, Conn., but the celebration extended throughout the world. From the weeks preceding the beatification to the weeks following, Knights of Columbus councils throughout the Order gathered in a spirit of prayer and fraternity, grateful for Blessed Michael McGivney being raised to the honors of the altar. B

South Korea

France

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ONTARIO: Photo by Ingrid Punwani — CALIFORNIA: Courtesy of John Dooley

Luzon North

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FROM TOP: Photo by William De Leon Jr. — Photo by Marlene Quaroni, The Florida Catholic — Photo by Josée Lecompte — Photo by Jerry Naunheim

Florida Opposite page, from top: Korean Knights gather Oct. 24 in anticipation of the beatification to pray with Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il of the Military Ordinariate of Korea at the ordinariate’s chancery garden in Seoul. • With coronavirus restrictions preventing public celebrations in France, Knights watch the Mass of Beatification from home in Paris. • Ontario State Deputy David Peters addresses Knights and parishioners before a commemorative Mass Oct. 31 at St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Cathedral in Mississauga. • Knights from several councils and assemblies in South San Francisco celebrate the beatification with Mass and a procession at St. Augustine Parish Oct. 31. • A billboard announcing the beatification is seen in Mandaluyong, Philippines. Filipino Knights sponsored similar billboards in various cities.

Current page, from top: Members of Manila Council 1000 celebrate the beatification Oct. 31. After a Mass in San Agustin Church, the council processed through the city streets in a motorcade of more than 100 vehicles.

• Fourth Degree Knights gather with Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami after Mass at Miami’s Cathedral of St. Mary Oct. 31. • Supreme Director Daniel Duchesne (right) and other Québec Knights pray together in Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral in Montréal after watching the livestreamed Mass of Beatification. • A Holy Hour is held in the gymnasium of Father McGivney High School in Glen Carbon, Ill., as part of the school’s beatification celebration Oct. 31.

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MASSES OF THANKSGIVING

LEFT: Photo by Marian Sztajner

Poland

“DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, we

accept with gratitude to God the gift of Father McGivney’s beatification, reading the signs of God’s providence for our difficult times. We also see that God, just as he called Father Michael, also calls us to be authentic witnesses of his charity in the world. Let us also correctly read — in our Polish reality — that 130 years after his death, God confirmed his sanctity with a miracle healing an unborn child from a terminal disease. Isn’t that a sign from God for the modern world? Let us trust God. Christ is with us, the infallible giver of hope, the Lord of life and unfailing hope.”

Mexico

— Archbishop Wacław Depo of Częstochowa, Poland State Chaplain, Homily at Mass of Thanksgiving, Jasna Góra Monastery, Nov. 8

State Deputy Krzysztof Zuba (pictured above left) and other K of C leaders in Poland participated in the Nov. 8 Mass in the presence of the celebrated icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa.

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BELOW: Photo by Cristian Salvatierra

Ukraine

“THE BEATIFICATION CEREMONY has become a great celebration, not only for the Knights of Columbus but for the entire universal Church. And this was due to the presence of Knights around the world and the timeliness of the message left by Blessed Michael McGivney. It is a sign of the times for all faithful — to make the faith alive not only by proclaiming the Order’s principles but by a very clear and concrete example of life. …

“Let the example of our faith and commitment to the life of the Church, in the likeness of Blessed Father McGivney, become a leaven of the Gospel and a force for the spiritual renewal of the Church on the path of holiness, unity and truth.”

— Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Remarks at Mass of Thanksgiving, Co-Cathedral of St. Alexander, Kyiv, Nov. 7

Ukrainian Knights stand with Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi of KyivZhytomyr, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv and Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych following the Nov. 7 Mass in Kyiv.

“IT WAS INCREDIBLE what the Holy Spirit did through Father Michael McGivney for the Church. He was man ahead of his time because he saw the strength of the laity. ...

“Thus I have no reservations in saying that the Knights of Columbus are modern-day Juan Diegos — remember that Juan Diego was a lay person, and in their concluding document from Aparecida, Brazil, the bishops wrote: ‘In the Guadalupe event, together with the humble Juan Diego, [Mary] presided over Pentecost, which opened us to the gifts of the Spirit.’ ...

“We ask of this great man, this great priest of the Church, Michael McGivney, that through his intercession God may help each one of us to continue this desire for life and for a civilization filled with God’s love.”

— Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, canon of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and postulator for the cause of canonization of St. Juan Diego, Homily at Mass of Thanksgiving, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, Nov. 8 DECEMBER 2020 B C O L U M B I A

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In the School of Nazareth As they lead their own domestic churches, Christian parents can learn from the example of the Holy Family

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or a moment, all is quiet during the Mass. Kneeling down near the back of the church, we suddenly catch a glimpse of our nimble-footed 3-year-old reaching for a large holy water dispenser nearby. The entire thing falls over with a deafening crash. All heads turn; the priest pauses. We wish we could disappear or at least pretend that we did not know this child.

As we calm our wayward toddler, the congregation slowly returns to prayer. We return to prayer as well, and try to enter into the mystery that is unfolding before us. But soon enough, our 6-year-old chimes in, “Is it over?” — just as our 8-yearold “accidentally” drops a heavy wooden kneeler, adding, “Not yet.” We desperately wish for a moment of silence, for a chance to pray in peace. But in our hearts we also know that God has entrusted this family to us, and that there is an essential relationship between our family and the Church.

St. John Paul II wrote, “The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason too it can and should be called ‘the domestic Church’” (Familiaris Consortio, 21). To appreciate this teaching, it is helpful to recall that the first Ecclesia domestica

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(domestic church) was the Holy Family, whose feast day we celebrate this year on Dec. 27. The mystery of the Incarnation, which is the abiding source of the Church’s unity, was entrusted first to Mary and, in a secondary sense, to Joseph. By contemplating their hidden life in Nazareth, Christian families can better understand their own vocation as a living cell of the Church.

During his historic visit to the Holy Land in 1964, Pope Paul VI described the home of Nazareth as “the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus — the school of the Gospel.” Among the lessons to learn from “the school of Nazareth,” St. Paul VI focused on three main points: the mission of the family to welcome the gift of new life; the importance of silence and prayer; and the dignity of work undertaken for the good of the family and society. By educating children in prayer and work, Christian families bear witness to the truth that divine love has truly entered human history, exalting what is lowly and uniting nature and grace.

Let us consider these practical ways in which families can enter the school of Nazareth to renew their vocation as the domestic church.

Holy Family with Sparrow, ca. 1650, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo / Museo Nacional del Prado / Art Resource, NY

By Nicholas and Maruška Healy

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THE GIFT OF NEW LIFE

The first and most essential task of the family is to welcome the gift of new life. We live in a time, however, when new reproductive technologies, such as prenatal genetic screening with a view to abortion, have led to a profound loss of this vision. It has become difficult for many people to see that a child is not manufactured or produced by its parents, but can only be received as a gift. Each new human life is a sign of the generosity of the Creator.

Christian families that joyfully receive children safeguard and communicate the truth that each human person is created in the image of God and loved by him. This is especially true in cases where there is a severe disability. By looking to Mary and Joseph, who received not only the gift of a new human life, but the deeper mystery of the Son of God made man, Christian parents will be strengthened in their primary vocation. And they will remember that each new life entrusted to their care is destined for eternal life in communion with God.

and the larger society that this day is set aside to honor God. In addition to attending Mass together, families can take time each Sunday to enjoy God’s creation. Perhaps this means unplugging from the internet, playing games together as a family, or opening our homes to host other families in fellowship. If our families have the courage to keep the Sabbath, we will be actively affecting the world around us, changing it one Sunday at a time.

THE DIGNITY OF WORK

The third lesson to learn from the school of Nazareth is the dignity of work as an expression of love. In light of the Incarnation, both the ordinary tasks within the home and work undertaken to support one’s family are dignified with a new and deeper meaning.

Reflecting on St. Joseph’s role as the patron saint of workers, St. John Paul II explained how Joseph served the Holy Family precisely in his work as a carpenter. The key idea is that Joseph’s work was an expression of his love for By educating children his family and his love for God. THE HABIT OF PRAYER In Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the The habit of prayer is first received in prayer and work, Redeemer), John Paul II wrote, “Work and cultivated in the family. Even the Christian families bear was the daily expression of love in the life Son of God learned how to pray in the of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel context of a family. The Catechism of witness to the truth specifies the kind of work Joseph did in the Catholic Church states, “The Son order to support his family: he was a carof God who became Son of the Virgin that divine love has penter. … Having learned the work of his learned to pray in his human heart. He presumed father, Jesus was known as ‘the learns to pray from his mother, who truly entered human carpenter’s son.’ If the Family of Nazareth kept all the great things the Almighty is an example and model for human famihad done and treasured them in her history, exalting what lies, in the order of salvation and holiness, heart” (2599). so too, by analogy, is Jesus’ work at the Following the example of Mary, and is lowly and uniting side of Joseph the carpenter” (22). petitioning her aid, Christian parents nature and grace.

Whether we are preparing a meal, can hand on the memory of all that cleaning the house, or raking leaves, God has done for them. If each meal there is a dignity to work undertaken begins with a prayer of thanksgiving, for the good of the family. This lesson if their family prays together each from Nazareth can be handed on to children by giving them evening — perhaps a rosary, or a reading from Scripture responsibility for specific tasks and by working together — children will learn the habit of prayer and begin their with them. journey toward heaven.

The feast of the Holy Family was not included in the Prayer within the home is ordered to the center of ChrisChurch’s liturgical calendar until the 20th century. However, tian life, holy Mass. One of the most important tasks of the by the institution of this feast the Church only confirmed family as the domestic church is to honor Sunday as a day what has been understood for two millennia. Beginning with of rest and worship. Maria Augusta von Trapp, whose story the shepherds and Wise Men in Bethlehem, the Holy Family is known from The Sound of Music, wrote about a young has been recognized as a model for every family throughout couple who visited Russia under communist rule: “Of all the centuries. May we be receptive to the lessons about life, the things they had seen and observed, one experience had prayer and work they are offering to us today. B most deeply impressed them: that Russia had done away with Sunday. This had shocked them even more than what they saw of Siberian concentration camps or of the misery NICHOLAS AND MARUŠKA HEALY live with their and hardship in cities and country. The absence of Sunday seven children in Silver Spring, Md. A member of Father seemed to be the root of all the evil.”

Rosensteel Council 2169 in Silver Spring, Nicholas is assoIn our fast-paced and hyper-commercialized culture, we ciate professor of philosophy and culture at the John Paul II run the risk of creating our own version of “a world without Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The CathoSunday.” Parents can take small steps to remind their children lic University of America in Washington, D.C. DECEMBER 2020 B C O L U M B I A

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Louisiana

HELP IS ON THE WAY Puerto Rico

Knights respond to natural disasters with volunteer and financial support

Top: A team from Father Roach Council 3217 in Dickinson, Texas, removes debris from the property of a brother Knight in Lake Charles, La. After Hurricane Laura hit southwest Louisiana in late August, members of Council 3217 traveled to the area every weekend for several months to help local Knights with clean up. • Above: Damage to Inmaculada Concepción Parish in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, is seen after a series of earthquakes on the island that began in late 2019 and continued into 2020. Local Knights distributed food, tents, generators and other supplies across southern Puerto Rico, supported by more than $135,000 from the Disaster Relief Fund.

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TOP: Photo by Jaime Orillion — LEFT: Photo by Rafy Vega

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eyond a global pandemic, natural disasters landed heavy blows on many communities in 2020: Earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, floods and wildfires destroyed homes, displaced families and disrupted lives. But when nature delivers its worst, Knights step up to deliver their best. Local councils responded creatively to the needs of their neighbors, while the Supreme Council and state councils provided additional logistical and financial support, including more than $700,000 from the Knights of Columbus Disaster Relief Fund. To support the Order’s ongoing relief efforts, visit kofc.org/disaster.

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Alberta

Iowa

FROM TOP: Photo by Spirit Juice Studios — Photo courtesy of Iowa State Deputy Paul Lee — Photo by Tom Schaller/Castletown Media — Photo by Castletown Media — CNS photo/Nino N. Luces, Reuters

Members of Bishop Breynat Council 6166 in Fort McMurray, Alberta, sort groceries at the town’s main food bank, which has been operating from an emergency site since major flooding in April. Members in Edmonton filled a 5-ton truck with supplies for the food bank and local Knights unloaded the delivery, in addition to mucking out flooded homes and coordinating emergency financial help for those in need.

Oregon

Knights clear downed trees in Perry, Iowa, in the wake of the powerful derecho that struck the Midwest Aug. 10.

Local councils also brought food to emergency workers and communities hit hard by the storm, which caused an estimated $7.5 billion in damage.

California

Knights in Oregon and California deliver food and other essentials to victims of the wildfires that burned more than 5 million acres in those states. St. Anthony Council 2439 in Sublimity, Ore., turned their hall into a distribution hub where neighbors affected by the Santiam Canyon wildfire received free food, clothes, diapers and more. Knights from 11 councils in central California similarly distributed supplies and emergency funds to victims of the Creek fire in October.

MOST RECENTLY, Knights in the Philippines have provided aid to victims of Typhoon Goni.

The super typhoon, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record, killed at least 25 people after making landfall Oct. 31.

Within days, local K of C leaders mobilized to get food, water, vitamins, medication, blankets and other necessities to evacuees, supported by local fundraising and an initial disbursement of $30,000 from the Disaster Relief Fund.

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Faith ALTAR UPLIFT

Members of Martinez (Calif.) Council 6039 built a raised platform for an altar at St. Catherine of Siena Church so that Masses could be celebrated in the church’s parking lot during the pandemic.

SECURING A SPACE

Members of St. John Vianney Council 7525 in South Burlington, Vt., installed a fence in the garden behind the St. John Vianney Parish rectory to provide privacy and security for their pastor, Father Timothy Naples, who is also the Vermont state chaplain.

RETURNS FOR VOCATIONS

GIFT OF DIVINE MERCY

Corning Council 281 in Painted Post, N.Y., and Father Guilfoil Assembly 732 in Corning presented Father Joseph Martuscello, a member of Council 281, with a Divine Mercy image in honor of his priestly ordination in June. The council supported him during his years in seminary.

Msgr. Esper Council 3027 in Fowler, Mich., held its 15th annual “Returns for Vocations” fundraiser, collecting returnable bottles and cans, as well as cash donations, at Most Holy Trinity Parish.

This year’s event brought in $15,300 to support men and women pursuing religious vocations.

MEETING THEM AT HOME

SIGN OF GRACE

PUTTING FOR PAULINES

Members of St. Henry Council 8860 in Rogersville, Tenn., purchased and installed a new sign for St. James the Apostle Catholic Church in Sneedville.

The mission church has served the community for more than 35 years, but never had a standing sign.

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Members of San Lorenzo Ruiz-Apitong Council 16114 in Tacloban City, Visayas, regularly assist their pastor and council chaplain, Father Kim Margallo, as he brings the Eucharist to parishioners unable to attend Mass due to COVID-19.

Rev. John L. McLaughlin Council 9475 in Mount Pleasant, S.C., raised a record-setting $15,850 at its 11th annual charity golf tournament to benefit the Daughters of St. Paul. More than 90 golfers, following COVID-19 restrictions, participated.

REGULATING THE REOPENING

Members of Inmaculado Corazón de María Council 17410 in Fort Worth, Texas, assisted Father Oscar Sánchez Olvera, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, in reopening the church during the pandemic.

Knights volunteered as ushers, helping to ensure the safety of parishioners in compliance with state regulations.

Apostles of Jesus Father John Ssegawa, pastor of St. Helen Church and chaplain of St. Helen’s Council 11738 in Glendale, Ariz., stands with Grand Knight Dennis Taylor at a new Marian grotto at the church. Knights constructed the grotto in the parish courtyard under the supervision of artist and council member John Guinsler.

TOP LEFT: Photo by Ingrid Punwani

Ignacio Mogado, Alex Mazur and Oliver Alexander of St. Patrick’s Council 7689 in Markham, Ontario, stand with a repaired statue of Padre Pio outside St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Two statues at the church were vandalized during the summer, along with several other religious artworks in Ontario. Mogado, a sculptor, repaired the statues with assistance from Mazur and Alexander and financial support from Council 7689 and St. John Paul II Assembly 3325.

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HOME-COOKED MEALS

Family GOOD SHEPHERD GROCERIES

Good Shepherd Council 9076 in San Diego, Calif., has sponsored a food collection and distribution program since the coronavirus pandemic began. The Knights hand out approximately 400 bags of groceries twice a week outside Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

In the midst of the pandemic, members of Ste.-Catherine-de-la-JacquesCartier (Québec) Council 446 cooked and delivered more than 5,500 meals to families in crisis and seniors who could not leave their homes.

PICNIC PROVIDERS

Members of Conroe (Texas) Council 6456 built and donated six picnic tables to Sacred Heart Catholic School for students to use during their lunch periods.

SO CHILDREN MAY EAT

Father Nicholas Point Council 4375 in Tecumseh, Ontario, presented a check for $1,000 to the Ontario Student Nutrition Program. The funds will help provide meals for students in need at Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School in Windsor.

TONS OF MANPOWER

Members of St. Joseph Council 4599 in Marietta, Ga., helped unload more than 5,000 pounds of food for families

in need at the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. Knights from the council regularly assist at the pantry, which is based at St. Joseph Church.

REBUILDING A PLACE TO PLAY

Knights in Colorado’s District #22 rebuilt the playground at Sacred Heart House of Denver, a shelter and social service agency for homeless families.

Led by Spirit of Christ Council 12979 in Arvada, all five councils in the district donated funds for the project.

BIRTHDAY WISH

Members of St. Philip Neri Council 14612 in Linthicum Heights, Md., helped transport thousands of pounds of groceries to the parish food pantry after collections organized by a council member and his family. Harley Kozushko’s young daughters asked that friends participating in their drive-by birthday parades bring food items instead of gifts. The two celebrations brought in more than 2,300 pounds of food, which Knights delivered to St. Philip Neri Catholic Church.

Dick Horan of Msgr. Lederer Council 4549 in Middleton, Wis., presents a rose to a mother after her daughter was baptized at St. Bernard Catholic Church by pastor and council chaplain Father Brian Wilk (right). Members of Council 4549 offer roses to the mothers of newly baptized children.

ABOVE: Photo by Ellen G. Krenke

FOR A SAFER REOPENING

Members of Father Myron V. Miller Council 5833 in Stamford, Conn., worked with school administrators and parents to assemble outdoor classrooms for the Catholic Academy of Stamford. The additional teaching space helped the school follow safety guidelines as it welcomed back students.

Members of St. Mary Magdalen Council 16223 in Kentwood, Mich., and volunteers from St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church stand with some of the school supplies they collected for local families in need. The parish drive yielded more than 1,800 items.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION B FAITH IN ACTION

Community KNIGHTS AND NEIGHBORS

HELPING SISTERS SERVE

Members of Msgr. Thomas Mooney Council 13228 in Stratford, Conn., led several food and cash drives in the parking lot of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. The Knights collected more than 800 pounds of food and nearly $2,000 for the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood in Bridgeport, a congregation that serves families in need, as well as local food pantries.

SERVING SEASIDE HEIGHTS

Members of Rev. Gebhard Braungart Council 8415 in Seaside Park, N.J., volunteered at Simon’s Soup Kitchen and the food pantry at St. Junipero Serra Parish, both in Seaside Heights. The council also helped organize fundraisers for the organizations that collected more than $6,200 to purchase food for families in need.

HIGHWAY KNIGHTS

Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 9968 in Lexington Park, Md., has partnered with the state highway 30

administration for more than 10 years to keep a section of Maryland Route 5 clean. The pandemic suspended cleanup activities for several months, but members recently got back to work.

HOME DELIVERY

Jacksonville-St. Jude’s Council 11604 in Jacksonville, Ark., helped the Jacksonville Senior Center, which provides hot meals and transportation to its clients, adapt to social distancing requirements.

Members implemented a system to bring food to people’s homes and have volunteered to deliver more than 17,000 meals since the onset of the pandemic.

HIS HEART FOOD PANTRY

Father Colombière Council 16929 in Pinellas Park, Fla., hosted its second pandemic-era drive-thru food collection in the parking lot of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Knights received and sorted approximately 750 pounds of food to deliver to His Heart Food Pantry, and gave each donor a bottle of holy water blessed by the p­­­arish priests as a thank you.

HEARTY HARVEST

St. Joseph’s Council 8268 in Duluth, Minn., organized members of more than 10 councils and assemblies to donate $8,000 to Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, a hunger relief organization serving northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Knights’ donation will fund more than 24,000 meals for people in need.

Past Grand Knight Carlos N. Garcia (right) and Jong Legaspi of St. Sebastian Council 3655 in Tarlac City, Luzon South, plant trees in a local park, an annual event sponsored by the council in partnership with several government and community organizations. Mem­­­­bers and volunteers planted approximately 2,300 seedlings.

TOP LEFT: Photo by Jay Soldner/Courtesy of The Leaven

Arthur Balandran of San Juan Diego Assembly 3452 in Topeka, Kan., cuts the ceremonial ribbon of a new bus shelter sponsored by the assembly. Christina Valdivia-Alcalá, a member of the Topeka City Council, fellow member Arthur Alcalá and Rodd Hiller of the Topeka Metro board of directors (left to right) assist. The Knights raised funds for the shelter by selling concessions at Hummer Sports Park.

Members of Our Lady of Sorrows Council 7633 in Bernalillo, N.M., collected more than 100 cases of water, as well as many boxes of food and bags of clothes, for Barrios Unidos, an addiction and trauma recovery nonprofit in Chimayo.

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Life FOR BETTER CHOICES

St. Thomas Aquinas Council 10242 in Wichita, Kan., collected $3,000 from parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church to benefit A Better Choice Pregnancy Resource Center.

For more than 20 years, Wichita-area councils have supported A Better Choice, the diocese’s only pregnancy resource center.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington blesses a new 4D ultrasound unit for ABC Women’s Health & Ultrasound Center. Mount Vernon Council 5998 in Alexandria and Ascension Council 9285 in Manassas joined forces to purchase the machine for the center’s mobile unit in northern Virginia.

INSTALLING FRIENDSHIP

St. Gabriel’s Parish Council 10061 in Burlington, Ontario, donated four “friendship benches” to be installed at three local Catholic high schools. The bright yellow seats, provided by the nonprofit organization Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench, are designed to raise awareness about mental health, foster conversations among students and facilitate peer-to-peer support networks.

TOP RIGHT: Photo by Nick Crettier

FREE CLINIC

Deputy Grand Knight Nick Kondra (standing left), of St. Peter Council 7070 in Edmonton, Alberta, presents a wheelchair to a young man in Mandeville, Jamaica. Council members and their wives made a mission trip to Jamaica with the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation.

Through the years, Council 7070 has raised over $80,000 for the nonprofit, providing more than 400 wheelchairs to people in Jamaica, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.

Father Crisostomo Council 6000 in Cabanatuan City, Visayas, sponsored a free clinic for people with psoriasis.

Volunteers prepared and administered free medication to more than 170 patients suffering from the skin disorder.

GOOD CIRCULATION

For several years, Our Lady of Divine Providence Council 9347 in Kenner, La., has sponsored a quarterly blood drive for Our Lady of Divine Providence Parish.

BLOOD IN DEMAND

St. John’s Council 1345 in Dumont, N.J., partnered with Boy Scout Troop 1345 and Vitalant Blood Services of Montvale to host a blood drive. Responding

to increased need, volunteers filled all appointment slots within a week and a half, providing 50 units of blood.

GIVING SISTERS A LIFT

St. Vincent de Paul Council 10795 in Omaha, Neb., bought 10 lift chairs for retired Sisters of Mercy residing at Mercy Villa, an assisted living facility.

The chairs improve the sisters’ mobility and reduce their reliance on staff.

CORRECTIONS

On page 5 of the November issue, the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo should have read Nov. 4. • On page 39 of the October issue, the name of the Nebraska State Deputy should have read Mark Borytsky. • On the October back cover, it should have said that Father Jon Schnobrich is a member of Father Pierre E. Boivin Council 5041 in Morrisville, Vt. • On page 25 of the September issue, the year in which Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed by the U.S. Senate should have read 1991.

See more at www.kofc.org/knightsinaction Please submit your council activites to knightsinaction@kofc.org DECEMBER 2020 B C O L U M B I A

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

Knights in Montana bring essential supplies and prayerful support to local veterans VETERANS in Montana deserve a warm

welcome — but many face only the chilling rebuff of a northern winter.

More than 200 veterans in the state experienced homelessness in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A group of Knights of Columbus wants to make sure they have adequate gear to face the extreme cold.

Our Lady of the Mountains Council 13093 in Stevensville created a “Duffels for Veterans” program to offer veterans much-needed warmth. Parishioners from St. Mary’s Mission donate items, and the council raises funds to buy more. Knights then fill sturdy duffel bags with winter coats, hats, gloves, blankets and tarps — as well as rosaries and prayer cards — for distribution at a shelter in Missoula.

This year, the council has assembled more than 30 bags — 20 for men and 10 for women.

Grand Knight Todd Wohlman founded the program in 2017, taking inspiration from a homeless veteran he once befriended. The man came often to the hospital in New Jersey where Wohlman, a former Air Force medic, worked; a few years later, the veteran died of exposure while sleeping outside.

Their conversations, Wohlman said, helped him better understand why many service members struggle with homelessness.

“When you see those awful things … it’s tough to reacclimate,” explained Wohlman, who conceived of the program as a way to help vets spiritually as well as materially.

“Our Lady of the Mountains holds a special place for us, and having the rosary in there — that’s a connection to offer some hope,” he explained. “Maybe it will help them in a different way than clothing.”

For a council that includes more than 10 veterans, the program is an expression of Order’s principles of fraternity and patriotism.

“The connection can be easily made,” Wohlman said. “Here’s a man who has had a rough life — he could be my brother; he could be someone my father knows; he could be a colleague of mine.

It’s a natural extension of what we are called upon to do.”

The Knights address each recipient in a letter included in the bags. “We understand that we veterans sometimes need a hand up,” they write. “We pray for your safety, health and peace.” B

Grand Knight Todd Wohlman (third from left) and other members of Our Lady of the Mountains Council 13093 in Stevensville, Mont., stand with duffel bags packed with material and spiritual supplies for homeless veterans.

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To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 065061492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy.

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BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2020 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 554, ELMSFORD, NY 10523.

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Act of August 1, 1970: Section 3685, title 39, U.S. code) 1. Publication Title: Columbia 2. Publication Number: 12-3740 3. Filing Date: October 2020 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 11 6. Annual Subscription Price: $6 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters of Publisher: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses 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, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 11. Known Bondholders: None 12. Tax Status: (X) Has not changed during the preceding 12 months

( ) Has changed during the preceding 12 months

13. Publication Title: Columbia 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: OCTOBER 2020 15. Extent and nature of circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total no. copies (net press run): 1,675,885 1,671,605 b. Paid and/or requested circulation 1. Outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 1,310,294 1,303,109 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: 0 0 4. Other classes mailed through the USPS. 0 0 c. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 1,310,294 1,303,109 d. Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary and other): 1. Outside-county as stated on Form 3541: 2,350 2,392 2. In-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 0 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS: 0 0 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution outside the mail (carriers or other): 0 0 e. Total Free or Nominal Rate distribution: 2,350 2,392 f. Total distribution: 1,312,644 1,305,501 g. Copies not distributed: 300 300 h. Total: 1,312,944 1,305,801 i. Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 99.8% 99.8% 16. Paid electronic copies 0 0 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

ALTON J. PELOWSKI, Editor 10/1/2020

Photo by Rebecca Stumpf

Brothers in Arms, Brothers in Need

OFFICIAL DECEMBER 1, 2020:

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KNIGHTS OF CHARITY

Photo by Andy Airriess

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.

Members of several Utah councils, part of a team of nearly 50 Knights, clean up the 8-acre property of a Carmelite monastery near Salt Lake City after hurricane-force winds hit the area in early September. The Knights’ work clearing downed trees and debris saved the monastery about $16,000.

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

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

‘I discovered that I am loved from all eternity.’

Sister Viet Oanh Nguyen Lovers of the Holy Cross of Los Angeles Santa Ana, Calif.

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Photo by Luis Garcia

As a teenager, I struggled to find my identity and purpose. I had a loving family and great friends, and I was a motivated student, yet I felt lost and empty. I had this gnawing desire to be whole.

Everything changed when I encountered the Lord at a confirmation retreat.

In the silence, I heard his voice, gentle yet compelling, and it filled me with purpose.

He spoke to my deepest desires, and for the first time I felt at home with myself and the world.

Guided through prayer by the religious sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross, I realized that hidden beneath my desire to know was the deeper longing to be known.

At the foot of the cross, I discovered that I am loved and known from all eternity. That same gaze of Christ crucified now calls me to respond to his love with love through the path of the holy cross.

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