Columbia January 2019

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

J ANUARY 2019

COLUMBIA

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This Year, Make Protecting Your Family the First Resolution You Keep.

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S January 2019 ♦ Volume 99 ♦ number 1

COLUMBIA

D E PA RT M E N T S

F E AT U R E S

8 The Lives You Have Saved

3

As we celebrate the placement of 1,000 ultrasound machines, our work to build a culture of life continues.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

On the 10th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, we celebrate the placement of more than 1,000 life-saving machines.

14 A Second Chance at Choosing Life An interview with Dr. George Delgado, a pioneer in the science of abortion pill reversals.

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A New Mexico Knight is walking coast to coast to support the cause for life.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

18 ‘They’re My Family’ 6

Knights of Columbus News Knights Applaud New Law to Aid Genocide Victims in Iraq, Syria • Pope Francis Prays Before K of C Marian Prayer Program Icon • K of C Leaders Commend Columbus Monument Designation • Nationwide Pilgrimage of St. Jean Vianney’s Heart is Underway

BY AGNIESZKA RUCK

22 Do No Harm Medical science and biotechnology should be used to advance life-affirming treatments, not undermine our humanity.

BY DRS. DAMON T. CUDIHY, ALAN MOY AND JOHN M. HAAS

24 21 Thoughts by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune

Learning the faith, living the faith In a world often overshadowed by sin, the presence of Christ remains our true hope and guiding light.

16 Walk of Faith

An unconventional K of C family bears witness to the meaning of unconditional love.

Building a better world

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Culture of Life Scientific discoveries have revealed the incredible way human life begins and develops.

The renowned discoverer of trisomy 21 worked to protect and proclaim the dignity of every human life.

Photo by Spirit Juice Studios

BY DAVID PRENTICE AND TARA SANDER LEE

26 Unsettled Law On its 46th anniversary, Roe v. Wade remains wrongly decided, deeply flawed and unworkable.

BY CLARKE D. FORSYTHE

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Knights in Action

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The Facts of Life The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was predicated on a series of lies. For example, NARAL co-founder Dr. Bernard Nathanson later admitted to fabricating statistics about illegal abortions in order to convince the court that decriminalizing abortion was in women’s best interest. In the companion case, Doe v. Bolton, the court likewise made sweeping assumptions about abortion and women’s health. But the most egregious falsehood is found in the majority decision of Roe, which states: “We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.”

That life begins at fertilization was already a well-known and undisputed scientific fact in 1973. A human embryo or fetus is neither a “clump of cells” nor “potential” life, but a living, growing human individual. His or her tiny heart is already pumping blood within just a few weeks of conception. The science is clear, and it is clearly on the side of life.

Moreover, even if the “personhood” of the preborn child is debated from the perspective of law or philosophy, the state has a responsibility and interest in protecting every human life.

In its 1987 document Donum Vitae, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith appealed to reason, not faith, when addressing the question of personhood: “From the time that the ovum [egg] is fertilized, a new life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. … Certainly, no experimental datum can be in itself sufficient to bring us to the recognition of a spiritual soul; nevertheless, the conclusions of science regarding the 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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human embryo provide a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of this first appearance of a human life: How could a human individual not be a human person?”

While advancements in genetics and embryology since Roe v. Wade have deepened our understanding, the emergence of ultrasound technology has been a true game changer — allowing a person to see and hear the reality of life in the womb with one’s own eyes and ears. This is what made the difference for Dr. Nathanson; no longer able to deny the humanity of the preborn child, he renounced the abortion industry and became a passionate pro-life advocate. It is also what has made the difference for many thousands of women who have received compassionate care from pregnancy resource centers equipped with ultrasound machines.

In this issue of Columbia, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative and the more than 1,000 ultrasound machines the Order has placed in pregnancy centers nationwide. In their own words, women describe how seeing and hearing their baby made the difference in their choice for life (see page 8). This issue also features several articles related to the theme of the 46th annual March for Life, which will take place Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C. — Unique from Day One: Pro-Life is Pro-Science — as well as other life-affirming stories.

Yes, the abortion regime of Roe v. Wade was built on a foundation of lies — especially lies about the reality of human life and the meaning of human freedom — and it has already cost nearly 61 million lives nationwide. To this, there can be only one response: Together we must build a culture of life, by God’s grace, on the firm foundation of truth and love.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

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 Talya, a young woman from Wichita, Kan., is pictured with her daughter. An ultrasound machine donated by the Knights of Columbus helped her to choose life.

Photo by Jenny Myers

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

A Historic Milestone As we celebrate the placement of 1,000 ultrasound machines, our work to build a culture of life continues

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson THIS MONTH in Columbia, we cele- tune-teller, you could read the good adbrate a remarkable milestone in the his- venture of that person. Looking still closer tory of the Knights of Columbus: the with a microscope, you could detect the placement of the 1,000th ultrasound ma- fingerprints — every document is availchine in a pro-life pregnancy center. We able to give him his national identity card! began this initiative with the placement “With the extreme sophistication of of the academy by Pope John Paul II and of two ultrasound machines in Iowa and technology we have invaded his privacy. re-appointed by Pope Francis in 2017.

Florida in 2009. … We now know what he feels, we have Dr. Lejeune and I had also discussed This program is saving hundreds of listened to what he hears, smelled what ways in which we could help those conthousands of lives and I am sure that one he tastes and we have really seen him sidering abortion to better perceive this day soon, because of the efforts of thou- dancing full of grace and youth. Science reality. sands of brother Knights and countless has turned the fairy-tale of Tom Thumb Decades later, when advances in 3D pro-life volunteers we will save the lives of into a true story. ultrasound technology made this truly 1 million unborn children — the greatest “The incredible Tom Thumb really possible, the Knights of Columbus Ulhumanitarian achievement in the history does exist. Not the one of the fairy tale, trasound Initiative was a natural reof the Knights of Columbus. but the one each of us has been. For it is sponse — and the response of so many Although our program forbrother Knights since then has mally began in 2009, its genesis been truly inspiring. was really decades earlier in a Building a culture of life There are many more milestones conversation with Dr. Jérôme requires all of us to strive for ahead of us in the lives of Lejeune one afternoon in my the just treatment of innohome. I had arranged for Dr. cent unborn children and to thousands of unborn children.

Lejeune to come to Washington, accompany with compassionD.C., to testify before Congress ate concern women facing on the humanity of the unborn child. from this true story that the fairy tales crisis pregnancies.

He was the world-famous geneticist were invented. If Tom Thumb’s advenThis month, we celebrate a historic who had discovered that the most com- tures have always enchanted children, if milestone, but there are still many more mon form of Down syndrome, also they can still evoke emotion in grown- milestones ahead of us in the lives of known as trisomy 21, resulted from a ups, it is because all the children of the thousands of vulnerable unborn children. condition in which a person has 47 chro- world, all the grown-ups they have turned Our Ultrasound Initiative must continue mosomes in each cell rather than 46. into, were one day a Tom Thumb in their to expand into every community where After this discovery, Dr. Lejeune spent the mother’s womb.” it is needed. rest of his life working to make the lives As an advisor to Pope John Paul II, Dr. Sometimes, those of us in the pro-life of those with Down syndrome better.

Lejeune proposed the establishment of a movement may feel like the poet who This is what he told Congress: “At two new Vatican entity — the Pontifical stopped by woods on “the darkest evening months of age, the human being is less Academy for Life. We discussed possible of the year.” But like that poet, we too than one thumb’s length from the head initiatives for the future academy, and he should resolve that although “the woods to the rump. He would fit neatly into a confided that the pope had asked him to are lovely, dark and deep” we have promnutshell, but everything is there — hands, serve as its first president. But Dr. Lejeune ises to keep and miles to go before we feet, head, organs, brain — all are in would die of cancer in 1994, the same sleep. Many lives depend upon our conplace. If you look very closely, you would year that it was established. Later, I had tinued determination. see the palm creases, and if you were a for- the honor of being appointed a member Vivat Jesus!

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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

The Light Shines in the Darkness In a world often overshadowed by sin, the presence of Christ remains our true hope and guiding light

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori WE HAVE TURNED the corner. and the darkness has not overcome The shortest, darkest days of the year it” (Jn 1:5). are slowly growing longer and lighter.

As the year 2019 dawns upon us, we Yet, in the cold of a winter’s night, it may feel that darkness still reigns over may be hard to envision the warmth the world. Looking about, we see Could it be that even in our times and light of spring. under cover of darkness a brutal disre- the flickering light in the Bethlehem It was amid darkness that the Sav- gard in society for the sacredness of stable might still shine forth? The ior was born. At first, the darkness of human life — especially the lives of light of the Epiphany star heralded a the crude stable where the incarnate unborn children, the frail elderly and light that would never fade. The Son of God entered the world was the chronically ill. We see amid the light of heaven itself shone forth as punctuated only by the flickering darkness many people living at the the Holy Spirit descended upon lights of candles and torches.

Jesus during his baptism in Yet Jesus was born not merely the Jordan. Jesus, “the light of in the dark of night but also the world,” would manifest amid the dark night of huhis Father’s glory in the power It does no good to bemoan manity’s sinful state. Despite of the Spirit as he preached the state of the world. Rather, God’s signs and messages spothe Good News, healed the ken through prophets and the light of faith and zeal for the sick, expelled demons and kings, darkness seemed to cured the sick. “I have come reign over the good earth God to set the earth on fire,” Jesus Gospel must burn in our hearts. had made. said, “and how I wish it were Was there any hope that the blazing” (Lk 12:49). flickering lights in a rough Bethle- point of a sword for the faith that they Our Savior ignited this fire upon hem stable could even be seen in the profess. We see the sorry plight of im- the Cross, in the glory of his Resurdarkness, let alone overcome it? Was migrants and refugees. We live in a rection and in his commission to the there any chance that the Child in culture perpetually outraged, increas- Apostles to spread the Gospel. And the manger, born into the poorest of ingly polarized, tragically plagued by he ignited it, too, in our hearts on the circumstances, was in fact “the light violence. We see the darkness of sin in day we were baptized “with fire and of the world” (Jn 8:12)? As the story our Church, with the appalling abuse the Holy Spirit” (Mt 3:11). We of Jesus’ birth unfolded, the night of children by some of its own leaders. should frequently ask ourselves: Is it sky was brightly lit not only with We look with gloom as many, espe- still burning brightly? stars but also with angels reflecting cially the young, forsake the light of “The light shines in the darkness, the beauty and brightness of the One faith for the false promises of a godless and the darkness has not overcome it.” who is “God from God and light secularity. We also sense the darkness It does no good to bemoan the from light.” And over this stable hov- of sin lurking in our hearts and state of the world. Rather, the light of ered a star, brighter than the rest, the homes. We find how easily we prefer faith and zeal for the Gospel must star of the Epiphany, by which the this darkness to the light of grace. burn in our hearts. Knights, like misgreatness of the little Child was first Still, “The light shines in the dark- sionaries of old, are called to go and revealed to the nations. ness, and the darkness has not over- set the world on fire by charity, unity “The light shines in the darkness, come it.” and fraternity.♦ 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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SUPREME CHAPLAIN’S CHALLENGE

A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: “After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Gospel for Jan. 13, Lk 3:21-22) Think about it. Do you really see yourself as a beloved son in whom your Heavenly Father is well pleased? To be honest, most men, including this archbishop, go through seasons when we don’t seem to sense that our Father is well-pleased. Maybe we see ourselves as self-made men who don’t owe our Father anything. Maybe we did not experience love from our dad, and the very idea of being beloved is ludicrous. Maybe instead

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

That young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the world.

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring

L I T U RG I C A L C A L E N DA R Jan. 1 The Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God Jan. 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen Jan. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Jan. 5 St. John Neumann Jan. 6 The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Jan. 13 The Baptism of the Lord Jan. 17 St. Anthony, Abbot Jan. 21 St. Agnes Jan. 22 (U.S.) Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Jan. 24 St. Francis de Sales Jan. 25 The Conversion of St. Paul Jan. 26 Sts. Timothy and Titus Jan. 28 St. Thomas Aquinas Jan. 31 St. John Bosco

of Jesus’ actual words, we hear, “This is my wayward son, in whom I am much disappointed.” Yet we know that we are baptized into Christ and share in his identity as the beloved son.

Being beloved sons is the bedrock of our identity. The plain fact is that your heavenly Father is well pleased with you.

Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: This month I challenge you to hear the Heavenly Father saying these words — “You are my beloved son” — personally to you, and reflect on your identity in him. I recommend that you do so, if possible, in eucharistic adoration. Second, I challenge you to spend time with someone who loves you unconditionally, and ask that person why he or she cares about you.

The answer should give you a small glimpse of God’s unconditional love for you.♦

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

St. John Bosco (1815-1888) A CROWD of poor children played in a field, many of them screaming and cursing. A 9-year-old shepherd boy jumped into the fray, swinging his fists until they stopped. A noble figure clothed in white suddenly appeared and said: “You will win these friends not with blows but with gentleness and charity.”

The shepherd boy, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, had been born into a poor farming family near Turin, Italy.

He lost his father at age 2 and was raised by his mother. The experience above was a dream, but it marked the course of his life’s vocation.

Before long, he was performing acrobatic stunts and juggling tricks for the village boys, followed by catechetical talks, prayers and trips to the local church for Mass. He entered the seminary at 16 and was ordained in 1841.

Popularly known as Don Bosco, the young priest was spurred on by St. Joseph Cafasso to evangelize in Turin, where peasants were pouring into the city seeking employment.

Don Bosco began gathering boys from the slums for religious instruction and vocational training. With fatherly care, he fostered virtue not through

punishment but frequent confession and Communion. He also housed orphans in a hospice run by his mother that became the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales.

Patrons supported Don Bosco’s workshops to train apprentices in professional trades as well as his publishing initiatives. Out of these apostolates he fanned into flame hundreds of religious vocations. In 1859, he founded the Salesian congregation, and the Salesian sisters soon followed. His deep devotion to the Virgin Mary also led him to build Turin’s Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in 1868.

Don Bosco died Jan. 31, 1888. He was canonized in 1934, and is a patron saint of Catholic publishers, apprentices and magicians.♦

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

Knights Applaud New Law to Aid Genocide Victims in Iraq, Syria

President Trump signs the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 on Dec. 11 in the presence of civic and religious leaders, including Supreme Knight Anderson. and by the House of Representatives Nov. 27. Rep. Smith told members of the House that Anderson’s testimony “was the blueprint for the legislation” and praised the Knights of Columbus as “unflagging supporters of the bill.”

The new law enables financial and technical assistance for the humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs of former and current religious minority residents of Iraq and Syria. The

assistance may come through the federal government or other entities, including faith-based groups.

In addition, the act enables the U.S. Department of State — in collaboration with other federal agencies — to conduct criminal investigations and apprehend individuals identified as alleged ISIS members, and to identify warning signs of genocide and threats of persecution.♦

Pope Francis Prays Before K of C Marian Prayer Program Icon POPE FRANCIS prayed before a framed icon of Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians during an audience at the Vatican Nov. 16. The image was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and is the centerpiece of the Order’s current Marian prayer program.

Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien (pictured at left), the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and a 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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longtime Knight of Columbus, presented the image to the Holy Father.

In his remarks, Pope Francis said, “May the icon of Our Lady of Persecuted Christians … accompany your journey. Let us invoke together Mary’s concern for the Church in the Holy Land and, more generally, in the Middle East, together with her special intercession for those whose life and freedom are in danger.”♦

TOP: Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images — BOTTOM: L’Osservatore Romano

SUPREME KNIGHT Carl A. Anderson took part in a ceremony at the White House Dec. 11, during which the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 was signed into law by President Donald Trump.

“With the legislation signed today, America speaks with bold moral clarity and political unanimity,” Anderson said of the bill, known as H.R. 390, which will provide humanitarian relief to genocide victims in Iraq and Syria and hold accountable Islamic State (ISIS) perpetrators of genocide.

The new law, the supreme knight added, “reminds us of America’s earlier efforts to aid victims of genocide — Christian communities targeted

by Ottomans a century ago and Jewish survivors of Shoah.”

The Knights of Columbus has championed the cause of Christians and other religious minorities targeted for genocide in the region since 2014.

Supreme Knight Anderson’s testimony before members of Congress in 2016 became the basis for H.R. 390, which was introduced by co-sponsors Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Anna Eshoo (DCA) in January 2017.

After the bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Oct. 11, 2018,

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

K of C Leaders Commend Columbus Monument Designation THE COLUMBUS MONUMENT in New York City’s Columbus Circle is here to stay. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Dec. 6 that the National Park Service has designated the statue a federally protected national monument.

“We applaud Gov. Cuomo’s successful effort to have the Columbus Circle statue listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

“The statue is a world-famous New York landmark beloved by Americans and sought out by visitors to the city. The statue — and the man it honors — deserve a permanent place in the city that celebrates immigrants.”

The 76-foot monument was built in 1892 by the city’s Italian-American community, which embraced Columbus as a unifying figure to help Italians overcome discrimination and assimilate into American society.

In his announcement, Gov. Cuomo said, “The Columbus Monument is revered by the Italian-American community in New York and stands as a tribute to the ways our state has welcomed immigrants from around the globe. I am proud that we were able to secure this designation.”

The statue had recently been considered for removal by a city commission after some claimed that it represented the enslavement and genocide of indigenous peoples. Similar claims have prompted several U.S. cities to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day. Supreme Director Carmine V. Musumeci of New York

A 14-foot statue of Christopher Columbus created by Italian sculptor Gaetano Russo stands atop the granite rostral column of the Columbus Monument in New York City. noted that Columbus was a visionary of the 15th century who should be remembered and honored for his accomplishments.

“The statue stands for the truth about Columbus — that he was a courageous explorer, not an invader or conqueror; that he was a trader of goods, not an enslaver; that he was an Italian Catholic who was proud to evangelize.”♦

TOP: Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images — BOTTOM: Photo by Aaron Joseph

Nationwide Pilgrimage of St. Jean Vianney’s Heart is Underway A MAJOR RELIC pilgrimage featuring the incorrupt heart of St. Jean Marie Vianney, patron of parish priests, has begun under K of C sponsorship. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced the pilgrimage Sept. 8 as a spiritual response to the crisis facing the Catholic Church.

Dubbed “Heart of a Priest,” the pilgrimage includes stops at cathedrals, churches, seminaries and chapels across the United States, and will run through June 2019.

The pilgrimage began Nov. 10 at a shrine in Baltimore that once served as the chapel in a seminary attended

by Venerable Michael McGivney,

founder of the Knights of Columbus.

The following week, the relic was brought to New Haven, Conn., where Father Patrice Chocholski, rector of the Shrine of Ars, France, and St. Jean Vianney’s successor, offered reflections at St. Mary’s Church and the Knights of Columbus Museum.

The pilgrimage has also visited New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and other cities, attracting thousands of Catholics and K of C families, together with scores of bishops, priests, religious and seminarians.

For more information about the pilgrimage, including the schedule, visit kofc.org/vianney.♦

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The Lives You Have Saved On the 10th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, we celebrate the placement of more than 1,000 life-saving machines

Photo by David González

I

t started with a vision and a challenge. The Supreme Council launched the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative on Jan. 22, 2009, the 36th anniversary of Roe v.

Wade. At the Supreme Convention later that year, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson asked Knights to step up and place machines in every state.

Why ultrasound machines? When a woman considering an abortion is able to see her unborn child and hear the heartbeat, her perspective suddenly changes. Ultrasound technology allows pregnancy centers to better serve women and empower them to choose life.

It didn’t take long for state and local councils to answer the call. Knights put their faith into action and began raising money toward the purchase of machines for qualified centers nationwide, with matching contributions from the Order’s Culture of Life Fund.

By 2015, the Ultrasound Initiative had provided more than 500 machines,

costing an average of about $30,000 each, and the initial goal was a distant memory. Then, in 2017, the supreme knight issued a new challenge: Place 1,000 machines before the initiative’s 10th anniversary. The Knights responded once again, and the 1,000th machine was placed in late 2018.

The numbers, as impressive as they are, tell just a sliver of the story. Most of these machines have already made a difference in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of women and their babies. The following are testimonies from just four of the women who have chosen life as a direct result of the support they have received from pro-life pregnancy centers with ultrasound machines donated by the Knights of Columbus. The women come from diverse places and circumstances, but they share one thing in common.

When they saw their baby, they couldn’t say no. These are the lives that you have helped to save.

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“If not for Her Choice, our story may have had a much different ending. We are thankful to our friends there and to the Knights of Columbus. Actually hearing and seeing your unborn child makes such a big impact.”

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about the facts of abortion.

Then an ultrasound was done. He was too small to see, but we could hear a tiny heartbeat. I was like, “Wow!” It moved us in a different direction.

Jan prayed for us and gave us time to think. We asked God to lead our hearts and minds in his direction, and then called to schedule a second appointment — this time confirming our decision to choose life. Jan celebrated with us, and we discussed our plans to get married and raise our precious child. She also helped us to get the courage to tell our families, who were supportive and said they would be there for us while we finished school.

Zaden was born Nov. 19, and he brings so much joy to the family.

They’re in love with him, and everyone

wants to hold him. Being a mom is such a blessing.

If not for Her Choice, our story may have had a much different ending. We are thankful to our friends there and to the Knights of Columbus who gave them the ultrasound machine. Actually hearing and seeing your unborn child makes such a big impact. It changes your perspective. Today, we smile at the future before us.

Zelia Birmingham, Ala. The ultrasound machine was placed at Her Choice Birmingham Women’s Center thanks to an October 2010 donation from the Alabama State Council.

Photo by Art Meripol

JALEEN AND I MET in high school.

After we got our associates degrees, we both came to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Last March, a positive pregnancy test interrupted our life and plans. Our minds were racing with conflicting thoughts. How will we finish school?

How could we afford a baby? We were afraid and did not know where to turn.

I was also in denial, so I Googled the nearest place to get a test and ultrasound, so we would know for sure. The first place that came up was Her Choice.

When the day of our appointment arrived, we were emotional wrecks. We met with a nurse, Jan, and shared our story. The first thing we thought about was abortion. We feared judgment, but received grace, and Jan educated us

Photo by Matt Cashore

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TWO YEARS AGO, I found out I was pregnant, and I had a choice to make that was going to affect the rest of my life. I did not want to talk to anyone about my situation before I made a decision. I had heard about Women’s Care Center from a friend, and I knew someone there could help me.

When it came time for an ultrasound, I did not know what to expect.

I knew what an ultrasound looked like from media and pictures on the Internet, but it is something that you have to experience for yourself.

The only way I can describe it is that it changed me in the blink of an eye.

The moment I saw my child on the big screen in front of me, I knew I was going to be a mom. It did not matter what I had thought before — all that mattered was loving my child and caring about her safety. I saw her little feet and little arms. I heard her heartbeat as I watched her in front of me. I still have

the pictures of the ultrasound that were given to me that day — the day that changed my life forever.

I am still attending college and will keep striving to make a great life for my daughter. Women’s Care Center has been wonderful, and I have an amazing counselor. She gives me the best emotional support a person could ask for. I have learned so much and can pass that knowledge to women who may need to be informed. To women facing circumstances similar to mine, I would like to say: Do not be afraid to ask for help. You are never alone.

Lauren South Bend, Ind.

“It changed me in the blink of an eye.

It did not matter what I had thought before — all that mattered was loving my child and caring about her safety.”

The ultrasound machine was placed at Women’s Care Center in South Bend thanks to a May 2012 donation from Notre Dame Council 1477.

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baby’s heartbeat, and I cried happy tears. The beating of the heart is what changed my mind completely. At that moment, I knew I needed this little human in my life. That first sonogram was an amazing experience — something I would never have expected in my entire life.

During my pregnancy, I struggled with depression. I got sick and lost 40 pounds. I didn’t understand life anymore. After I gave birth, my baby also got sick and had to go back to the hospital. I realized then that her life depended on me, and she became my best friend. I’d do it all again for her.

Talya Wichita, Kan. The ultrasound machine was placed at A Better Choice, Wichita, thanks to a May 2012 donation from the Kansas State Council.

“The sonographer showed me the baby’s heartbeat, and I cried happy tears. At that moment, I knew I needed this little human in my life.”

Photo by Jenny Myers

I GREW UP in a conservative home — no premarital sex, no babies until marriage, and I believed in all of it. But at age 17, I found myself in an abusive relationship. The night he hit me, I left and went to the house of a friend, a man a few years older than me. I drank the pain away, so much that I blacked out. Fast forward six weeks. I missed my period and knew I had been raped.

When the pregnancy test was positive, all I could ask was how much an abortion pill cost. I was only 17 and was terrified of what my parents would think of me. My family would disown me and the police wouldn’t believe me.

But the counselor at A Better Choice reassured me that life is beautiful and my baby is a part of me. She helped me believe things were OK and that I wasn’t alone.

When it came time for my first sonogram, it was an emotional moment, and I cried because I was terrified.

Then the sonographer showed me the

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“This big smile appeared on the screen, and I knew she was my Destiny.

The Lord spoke to me that day through my unborn child’s smile, and for that I am

Photo by David González

forever grateful.”

I WAS A 28-YEAR-OLD MOTHER of two young girls when I suffered a miscarriage on Mother’s Day in 2016. I soon became pregnant again, but I feared another miscarriage and waited until I was 10 weeks to see my OB-GYN. At my first trimester screening, the tech kept scanning and measuring the same area over and over. Because I work in the medical field, I instantly knew something wasn’t right. I was scheduled for an amniocentesis to rule out any genetic disorders. The results came back negative, and I was ecstatic to hear my baby girl was healthy.

Two weeks later, I received a call to go in for an emergency ultrasound with no explanation. The tech scanned me and then quickly left to get the geneticists on the line. The computer screen read:

“Positive for Noonan syndrome. Mother doesn’t know.” My world stopped.

Then, as I walked out of the clinic the receptionist handed me an appointment card for an abortion.

As I decided what to do, my sister, Joann, arranged for me to have a 3D ultrasound done at Heartbeat of Miami. I remember praying to God on the ride there: “If you want me to bring this child into the world, just let me see her smile on that screen.”

After meeting the wonderful staff, I was taken to the ultrasound room. The moment the tech switched to the 3D setting and zoomed in, this big smile appeared on the screen and I knew she was my Destiny.

My mother and sister were by my side, and we all had tears of joy. The

Lord spoke to me that day through my unborn child’s smile, and for that I am forever grateful.

When Destiny was born, her lungs collapsed and she was whisked away to the NICU. I never even heard her first cries. But by the grace of God, she came home after 27 days and is now a healthy 2-year-old. She is such a blessing to our family.

Melissa Miami The ultrasound machine was placed at Heartbeat of Miami Pregnancy Help Medical Clinics thanks to an August 2015 donation from Juan Pablo II Council 14215 in Miami.

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A SECOND CHANCE AT CHOOSING LIFE

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ife is fragile. It can be ended by taking a pill. Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, has been widely available in the United States since 2000 and is now used in 30-45 percent of all abortions nationwide (more than 300,000 per year).

Yet it is not uncommon for a woman to take an abortion pill and immediately regret it. Dr. George Delgado, the medical director of Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) in San Diego County, received an urgent call about one such woman in 2009. He quickly devised a protocol to reverse the effects, and the baby was saved. As the news spread, Delgado launched a website (abortionpillreversal.com) and hotline 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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that grew into a national network of nurses, doctors and midwives who have since saved hundreds of babies — including more than 10 at COLFS centers.

A member of Regina Coeli Council 4953 in Escondido, Calif., Dr. Delgado is board-certified in family medicine and hospice and palliative medicine. He has a certification in health care ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center and is trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY. He also recently established the Steno Institute, named after the 17thcentury scientist Blessed Nicholas Steno, to refine abortion pill reversal protocols and conduct other pro-life research.

He recently spoke to Columbia about his work and the influence of his faith.

COLUMBIA: What is a “medical abortion,” and how does an abortion pill reversal work?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: The current protocol for a medical abortion is a twodrug combination given up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. First, mifepristone is given to block progesterone receptors. Without progesterone, the placenta separates and the baby loses nutrition and dies.

After 24 to 48 hours, a second drug called misoprostol is given, which causes the uterus to contract and expel the remains of the dead preborn baby.

If a woman changes her mind and has not taken the second drug, there’s a window of opportunity to reverse the effect of the mifepristone. That’s when

Photos by John Trice

An interview with Dr. George Delgado, a pioneer in the science of abortion pill reversals

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Dr. George Delgado, a member of Regina Coeli Council 4953 in Escondido, Calif., welcomes a patient named Karla and her 2-year-old daughter (see sidebar) to the Culture of Life Family Services center in Escondido. The ultrasound machine at left was the 10th unit donated via the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative — placed at the center in 2009 thanks to fundraising by California Knights. we give supplemental progesterone; a higher dose for the first three days and a lower dose for the rest of the first trimester.

COLUMBIA: How did abortion pill reversals come about?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: The first recorded reversal was by Dr. Matthew Harrison in 2006, and I had a similar case in 2009. We each arrived at the same solution independently.

In my medical practice, I had often used progesterone to sustain pregnancies at risk of miscarriage, and I had also studied mifepristone. So when I got the first call in 2009, I thought, “If we give extra progesterone, then maybe we can outcompete mifepristone and avert the medical abortion.” I came up with a protocol, and the baby was saved.

COLUMBIA: How widely used have abortion reversals become, and how successful are they?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: After people heard about the initial case, more and more calls came in. So we launched an organization with a website and a 24hour national hotline staffed by nurses.

Today, we have a network of 500 doctors. We’ve had more than 550 births of healthy babies, and there are another 150 to 200 women who are pregnant now after successful reversal.

We recently published a large study in a peer-reviewed medical journal that followed more than 250 women who had successful reversals using our protocols. The effectiveness, or survival rate of the preborn baby, was 64 to 68 percent, which is much better than the 25 percent if you give mifepristone to a woman and nothing else is done.

COLUMBIA: What has been the greatest challenge in making people aware of this?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: There is a concerted effort by abortion centers to not fully inform women about this. We have heard a number of anecdotes from women who report calling abortion centers after changing their minds and being told that there’s no chance of reversal, or that the baby will have birth defects. Both claims are false. Abortion reversal is effective and very safe — the birth defect rate is no greater than in the general population.

As a result, several states have passed laws requiring clinics to obtain thorough, informed consent and let women know about the opportunity for reversal.

COLUMBIA: How has your faith informed your work as a physician?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: Jesus told us to spread the Good News and to take care of the least of our brothers and sisters. And who are the least of our brothers and sisters? They are the preborn and the women who are being pressured into having abortions or who don’t know that they have other options.

As a Catholic and Fourth Degree Knight, this is very important to me. I feel I’ve been called to this very special ministry to help these women who so desperately want to change their course and want a second chance to choose life.

This is my way of seeing Jesus in their eyes and being an instrument of Christ’s love and compassion for them.♦

‘I knew that God would help me.’

Karla, a resident of San Diego, is married with four children.

During her fourth pregnancy, she was treated by Dr. George Delgado after taking the abortion pill. This is her story: “Two and a half years ago, I went to a family planning clinic for a medical checkup. When the doctor discovered I had three children, he wanted me to take birth control shots. Then they gave me a pregnancy test. I was trying desperately to hold onto a job at a restaurant at the time, and when I was told I was pregnant, I cried and cried. The nurse said she could tell I didn’t want to be pregnant, but I told her I didn’t want to abort.

“The next thing I knew, the nurse had a pill for me to take. She said it was for pain. When the doctor came in, he said I had to come back to ‘complete the procedure.’ He informed me that I had to continue the abortion process or I would have a defective baby or that I would even die because of the ‘material’ left inside me. When he went out to get forms for me to sign, I left the clinic.

“Outside, a group was praying. A lady there gave me the phone number of Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) in Escondido. I felt very alone, but somehow I knew that God would be there to help me.

“I received a prescription for progesterone and the next week I had my ultrasound there. I was just praying that my baby was alive. Even if she had birth defects, I still wanted her. Then I saw my baby Keyla! The ultrasonographer measured her and counted her heartbeats. Until that moment, I really didn’t believe I was pregnant. Now, I felt so close to my baby.

“I was still having problems at work, but somehow none of that mattered anymore. COLFS helped me with progesterone shots, gave me vitamins and even got me emergency medical insurance. My client advocate was always available for advice and to pray with me. Keyla was born perfectly healthy, and she is a precious part of our family. Life is real, and I thank God, who gives me strength.”♦ JANUARY 2019

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WALK OF FAITH A New Mexico Knight is walking coast to coast to support the cause for life

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eaders of Columbia may remember John Moore, a Knight who carried a wooden cross more than 600 miles from his home state of New Mexico to Kansas in honor of Father Emil Kapaun, an acclaimed Korean war hero and chaplain, in late 2011. Moore had first learned about Father Kapaun’s cause for canonization from a brief Columbia article and was inspired by his example.

Last April, at age 67, the past grand knight of Fray Marcos Council 1783 in Gallup embarked on a more ambitious pilgrimage. Moore has been walking across the entire country (approximately 2,800 miles), from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., while his daughter Laura, one of his six children, is driving and providing assistance. He plans to finish at the annual March for Life, which will take place Jan. 18. In late November, he spoke with Columbia editor Alton Pelowski about the journey.

WHY I WALK I went to the March for Life for the first time six years ago and I thought, “Well, what can I do?” It’s important that we stand up for the unborn and all human life. At the end of my life, I don’t want to say, “I should have done something, but didn’t.”

So, I thought this is something I could do. I enjoy walking pilgrimages and do more than a dozen every year. In New Mexico, I make the annual pilgrimage to the shrine in Chimayó on Good Friday, as well as to Mount Cristo Rey and to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta in Las Cruces. Most of them are from 10 to 30 miles and last about a day.

I walk pilgrimages to humble myself before God, to be a witness for Christ and to pray for others. I’m not walking across the country for myself or any recognition. It’s a walk of faith.

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For this one, I trained for more than five years. My kids are now at the age that they can run the family business and pick up the slack while I’m away. That’s been their sacrifice. They and my wife know this is important to me, and they’ve been very supportive.

And I couldn’t do it without my daughter Laura, who has been to the March for Life and said she wanted to go on this pilgrimage with me before starting full-time work.

ON THE ROAD We started on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 8, at the Civic Center Plaza Park in San Francisco, which is where the Walk for Life West Coast is held every year. From there we went to Sacramento, north through Nevada and across the top of Utah, because you can’t do a straight shot through the Rockies. We’ve since been through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.

When I’m really moving and conditions are good, I easily walk more than 15 miles a day. Through the Sierra Nevadas, it sometimes took me five hours to go 10 miles because of the climbing — up 9,000 feet, down to 5,000 and then up again.

Weather is also a factor, and on some roads, where there’s no shoulder, you have to keep getting off and into a ditch because of traffic.

We’ve stayed in hotels for up to a week at a time, especially in the West where towns are far apart. Each day, we drive to where I left off the day before. After dropping me off, my daughter meets me at stops along the way, and if lightning starts or I get in trouble, I jump in the car. She’s always there if I need help. She also sends our satellite coordinates to about 15 or 20 people each day.

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John Moore, a past grand knight of Fray Marcos Council 1783 in Gallup, N.M., walks by a wheat field near Dyer, Ind., during his cross-country pilgrimage to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. • Below: Moore is pictured with his daughter Laura and the two wooden crosses he has been carrying on pilgrimage.

Photos by Spirit Juice Studios

CARRYING TWO CROSSES For this pilgrimage, I’m carrying two different crosses. One, which has the Divine Mercy carved into it, I plan to leave with the March for Life. I plan to leave the other, which has Our Lady of Guadalupe on it, with the Knights of Columbus.

This is also the first time I built a rosary into a cross. In 2019, there will be 61 million abortions in the United States since Roe v. Wade. There are 61 parts to the rosary (including the beads, crucifix and centerpiece) — one for each million.

It is said that a pilgrim prays with his feet. A few weeks after I started, I realized that I walk about an average of about 2,200 steps each mile, and that comes out to 6.1 million steps across the country. So, every step I take represents 10 lives lost to abortion.

THE PEOPLE YOU’LL MEET The greatest thing about doing this pilgrimage has been meeting people along the way. I thought I’d get a lot of negative pushback and criticism. Someone in San Francisco came up to me and said something incoherent, and a couple of weeks ago, someone yelled out the car window at me.

Other than that, thousands of people have been very positive.

On the road, we go to Saturday evening Mass each week.

This allows me to walk on Sunday. At each church, the priest gives me a blessing and blesses the crosses I’m carrying. The priests I’ve met have just been incredible.

Other people stop and talk and open up about their own

experiences. They’re so encouraging. Whenever people have stopped and given me money, I let them know that it’s going to support the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.

Just today, someone we met yesterday saw me on the road and gave me a hundred dollars.

The Knights in my home council have been praying for me at their meetings. When my family has asked how I am friends with such good people, I tell them you have to find them. Being part of the Knights of Columbus and being around those men and their wives has made my faith stronger.

FACING FEARS If I’m out in the middle of nowhere on a trail, I’ll pray the rosary. But when you’re walking a pilgrimage like this, it’s very dangerous. You can’t be listening to music. You always have to pay attention and stay focused.

I have a devotion to Father Kapaun because his faith was greater than his fears. I’ll tell you what: I’m kind of a big chicken. I hate heights and have to go over big bridges.

And the farther east we go, all this traffic makes you anxious.

My biggest goal every day is to not get hit by a car.

It’s a daily grind and sometimes I don’t want to walk, but you just have to go and not do anything stupid. It takes a lot of faith. Faith has to be greater than your fears.

This not a matter of me being successful. It’s a matter of keeping a promise — a promise I made to the Knights, to the people at the March for Life, to the unborn and to God.♦ JANUARY 2019

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‘THEY’RE MY FAMILY’ An unconventional K of C family bears witness to the meaning of unconditional love

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atti Harrison was just looking for hope. She was young, scared and pregnant, and didn’t know where to turn.

A couple months earlier, the 15-year-old had an argument with her parents and stormed out of their house in Oshawa, Ontario. Looking for a place to sleep that night in 1995, she walked in on a transaction between a drug dealer and a prostitute.

Suddenly, she found herself in a living nightmare. She was thrown down a flight of stairs and tied to a bed in a dark, windowless room, where she was repeatedly beaten and raped by different men. She was then given two choices: become a 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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prostitute or carry drugs on the streets. Eventually, after two months of captivity, Patti was rescued, but she soon learned she was pregnant.

This is the story of how, amid the most difficult circumstances, Patti Harrison found the hope she was looking for.

Doctors, nurses and family members told her to have an abortion, but her mother stood by her side, taking her to a pregnancy resource center for counseling and an ultrasound. Then, in a country where abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy, a young, traumatized teenager chose life.

Photo by Derek Cookson

by Agnieszka Ruck

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Patti and William “BJ” Harrison stand with their three children, (from left) Austin, Brooklyn and William, outside the historic Essex Railway Station, near their home in Ontario. BJ, Austin and William are all members of George Preca Maltese Council 17070 in Windsor.

In January 1996, Patti gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Austin, and years later, she married William “BJ” Harrison, who embraced his role as father to Austin and to Patti’s daughter, Brooklyn. Patti likewise accepted BJ’s son from a previous relationship, William, as her own. What’s more, BJ became active in the Knights of Columbus, which strengthened their family life. BJ, Austin and William are now all members of George Preca Maltese Council 17070 in Windsor.

Family means the world to the Harrisons, even if theirs is not a conventional one, and the Order remains for them a mainstay of moral support.

LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS It’s something few people are willing to accept happens in Canada, Patti said, recounting her story of abduction and how, for two months, she was forced into the drug trade.

“They forced me to carry pieces of plastic in my mouth and go for walks with them late at night in downtown Oshawa,” she said.

When buyers approached, Patti said, she was instructed to spit the plastic on the ground and wait as they retrieved it and paid her captors. After a close call with police forced her to swallow an entire stash, she learned it was crack cocaine.

People had been looking for her, though, and about two months after she left home, Patti was rescued.

“I was in really bad physical shape,” said Patti. “They took me to the doctor, and I was torn and bruised and had a bad infection.”

The doctor treating her then told her that she would likely never bear children because of her injuries. Patti was devastated.

“All I wanted to be when I grew up was a mom,” she said.

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“To know that would never happen because of the most terri- time with them,” said BJ. “The Knights gave me the opporble thing that had ever happened to me — it was too much.” tunity to have family time.”

Patti swallowed handfuls of pills in an attempt to end her Patti and Brooklyn also participate in K of C activities, in life. Her mother acted quickly and rushed her to the hospital. addition to 40 Days for Life and similar initiatives.

That’s when medical tests came back with the shocking result: The family’s experience has strengthened BJ’s pro-life conPatti was pregnant. victions, which he traces to the influence of his father, who “My grandfather, the decision-maker of our home, said: ‘If was adopted at birth and never knew his own birth parents. she doesn’t have an abortion, I’m disowning her,’” Patti recalled.

“My biological grandmother chose life, and if she had not, I Doctors and nurses also urged Patti to have an abortion, would not exist,” said BJ, who joined the Knights in 2003. He telling her the child would only live as a reminder of what she currently serves as a district deputy, as well as retention director had endured at the hands of her captors. She was even shunned and e-membership director for the Ontario State Council. by her Baptist church community after people learned she was “The Knights made me a better Catholic and dad,” he said, pregnant out of wedlock. adding that he encouraged his children to join him at council But her mother took her to a pregnancy center named Rose events as soon as they were old enough. of Durham, and the staff welcomed them.

As for Patti, she wasn’t introduced to the Catholic Church “During the ultrasound, I heard his heartbeat and saw him,” until she and BJ married. She was received into full communPatti recalled. “I started thinking: ‘I can ion six years ago. do this.’ I fell in love with him.”

“I always had a special, unexplained Austin was born completely healthy, relationship with the Blessed Mother defying the doctors’ predictions. Then, that I believe led me to marry a HEARD HIS HEARTa few years later, Patti was shocked to Catholic man,” Patti said. “My first learn she was pregnant again. time at Mass felt like home.”

BEAT AND SAW HIM. I “I had a drinking problem, and I was During her months in captivity at in a situation where I passed out with age 15, Patti had sought solace in STARTED THINKING: ‘I some friends,” she explained. “I prayer. “I had no idea what the Hail thought, ‘I was passed out. How did I Mary was, but for some reason, that CAN DO THIS.’ I FELL IN get pregnant? I don’t even know who prayer kept coming to me,” she said.

LOVE WITH HIM.” the father is.’”

“Every day, I prayed. At first, I prayed Patti gave birth to her daughter, to God to take my life. Then, I prayed Brooklyn, and in 2007 she married BJ, for the strength to get through the sitwho faced countless questions about uation and that I would be rescued.” why he would choose to marry a woman with such a traumatic After she was freed, Patti continued praying, reading her history.

Bible, and seeking intercession from Mary, even though her “Friends said: ‘How could you treat Austin like your son?’” family and church community largely rejected her. he recalled. “At first, it felt like the world didn’t want me to be Today, Patti finds particular solace in a passage from St. Paul: this child’s dad.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the But BJ and Patti opened their hearts to each other and to Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in their children. all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who “I love them all, and they’re my family,” BJ said. “It’s just are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves the way it is. They’re mine.” are comforted by God” (2 Cor 1:3-4).

In remarks at the National March for Life Vigil in Ottawa Patti recently founded Baby Steps, an organization for last year, Patti explained, “These three children who were un- women grieving after miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. When planned have blessed our lives. If we had become the bullies she shared her testimony of trauma, hope and healing at the that health care providers and family members tried to force us National March for Life Vigil in May 2018, a young woman to be, we would have deprived the world of these amazing kids.” in the crowd, who had come with her teenage friends, was inspired to choose life for her unborn child.

COMFORTED BY GOD “I was put through everything,” Patti said. “I had two chilToday, Austin is like many young men his age. He enjoys play- dren out of rape, and why? It came down to this: Through all ing video games and is busy working part-time jobs. He is also of my suffering, I can help others. My message to all women a Fourth Degree Knight. He said he joined the Order at age facing unplanned pregnancies is that choosing life is the great19 to serve the community and “to do stuff with Dad,” mean- est choice you will ever make.”♦ ing BJ — the only father he’s ever known.

William, who has participated in council events since he was a AGNIESZKA RUCK writes for the Canadian Catholic News boy, officially became a member last year, on his 18th birthday. and the B.C. Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of “When they become teenagers, especially, it’s hard to get Vancouver.

“I

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C U LT U R E O F L I F E

Unique from Day One Scientific discoveries have revealed the incredible way human life begins and develops

by David Prentice and Tara Sander Lee

Getty Images/iStock/Zffoto

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oday we face unprecedented challenges to the respect due to each human life, from his or her very beginning.

But there is also unprecedented scientific evidence that life begins at Day One. The dynamics of human fertilization were discovered in the 19th century, and advancements in genetics and embryology have confirmed that life does begin at conception.

Leading embryologists Ronan O’Rahilly and Fabiola Müller, for example, have noted that while life is a continuous process, fertilization is “a critical landmark” at which “a new, genetically distinct human organism is formed” (2000).

Below is a brief outline of what science tells us about when life begins and the remarkable process of human development.

• Conception, or fertilization, is the union of a human egg and sperm, resulting in a zygote. Though sometimes called a “fertilized egg,” it is no longer an egg, but a single-cell human embryo. This is how every person’s life begins.

• Central to multiple factors that work together to bring about life is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) — unique genetic material present in every living organism. The DNA molecule replicates (copies itself ), a critical step necessary for human growth and development. At fertilization, one copy of DNA from the father combines with a copy of DNA from the mother to form the genome of the new single-cell embryo, with its own characteristics.

• After fertilization, the zygote (one-cell embryo) begins to undergo cleavage (cell divisions) and grow from a single cell to a 2-cell stage, to a 4-cell stage, then an 8-cell stage, and finally a 16-cell stage called a morula.

• This developing embryo continues to grow and move through the fallopian tube to the uterus, forming the early blastocyst at 5-6 days after fertilization. At 6-7 days after fertilization, the developing human has formed a specialized outer layer called the trophoblast, which allows the embryo to implant into the endometrium (the lining of the womb).

• The developing human organism is called an embryo from the time of fertilization until the end of the eighth week

of gestation, when it is then called a fetus. These definitional terms and time frames have been recognized by leading scientists and scientific organizations for decades. The term “pregnancy” is sometimes defined as beginning with the implantation of an embryo into the uterine wall. But the biological fact remains that fertilization, not implantation, is the “critical landmark” when a unique human life begins.

• Approximately three weeks after fertilization, the developing heart begins to beat with the preborn child’s own blood. Brainwaves can be detected a few weeks later, as early as Day 45.

Within 8-10 weeks after conception, every organ is present, and the baby already has unique fingerprints.

• We are now able to treat the fetus in utero thanks to advancements in medical diagnosis and therapy. This is the exciting “Perinatal Revolution” of treating the “patient within the patient.” Advances in perinatal medicine have cured children from disease before birth and resulted in increased survival rates for premature babies.

Novel innovations in screening and genetic diagnosis, as well as future prospects in cell-based therapies, tissue engineering, gene therapy and artificial wombs (for the extremely premature) are significantly expanding the field.

In these and many other ways, science continues to demonstrate the awesomeness of every life from the moment of conception. The Oxford Dictionary defines life as: “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change.” So, when does life begin? Science speaks for itself. From the earliest cell stage on Day One, the human organism has everything it needs to grow, multiply, function and continually change. This is the miracle of life. This is the miracle of being human.♦ DAVID A. PRENTICE, PH.D., an internationally known expert on bioethics, is vice president and research director for the Charlotte Lozier Institute. TARA SANDER LEE, PH.D., a scientist with 20 years’ experience in academic and clinical medicine, is an associate scholar with CLI.

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DO NO HARM Medical science and biotechnology should be used to advance life-affirming treatments, not undermine our humanity

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Chinese scientist made headlines in late November when he announced the birth of twin girls whose genes had been “edited.” The reports evoked a dystopian future of “designer babies” and sparked an international outcry. But had the scientist destroyed or simply disposed of the twin girls during their embryonic stage, instead of modifying their DNA, few would raise an eyebrow.

Science and technology ask the question, “What can we do?” Ethics asks the question, “What ought we do?”

In asking the latter question and affirming the maxim

primum non nocere (first, do no harm), the Catholic Church is neither anti-science nor anti-medicine. To the contrary, no institution in the world has, over the centuries, done more to advance both science and medicine.

We live in a time, however, when medicine and research routinely ignore fundamental principles and truths about the human person. Columbia asked three members of the Knights — two physicians and an ethicist — to reflect in their own words on their respective areas of expertise and help explain the importance of medicine that promotes the dignity of all human life.

EVERY LIFE IS A GIFT

by Damon T. Cudihy, M.D.

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I’m humbled to be part of a small but growing number of pro-life physicians trained to diagnose the underlying diseases causing infertility. We are developing medicinal and surgical treatments and using them to help restore couples to the healthy state of fertility. In my experience, this is truly what couples desire all along.

DAMON T. CUDIHY, M.D., is a physician at Acadiana Ob/Gyn (acadianaobgyn.com). He is a member of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Council 14542 in Lafayette, La., where he lives with his wife and seven children.

Photo by Amy Stout

The essential distinction between ethical reproductive health treatments and those that offend God and human dignity can be explained by two simple truths. The first is that every human life is a gift. The second is that human fertility is a healthy condition.

If a newly conceived child is seen as a liability, a burden or an illness, then contraception is believed to be an essential part of medical care — the ultimate preventative medicine. And when the prevention eventually fails, abortion is the back-up (a logic endorsed in the 1992 Supreme Court decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey).

On the other hand, for those suffering from infertility, it is tempting to see the child not as a gift but as a right.

This leads to an “all means necessary” approach, which violates not only the sanctity of marital union, but also the dignity of the child conceived by processes such as in-vitro fertilization and artificial insemination.

Unlike these artificial reproductive technologies (ART), restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) does not bypass the process of natural conception but instead aims at restoring normal function. Two of the most common causes of female infertility I see in my practice are endometriosis, which can be treated by minimally invasive surgery, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, a metabolic and hormonal problem usually treatable without surgery.

Most OB-GYN physicians today have not been adequately trained to treat these problems. Instead, they were taught to rely on birth control pills as a form of treatment, which can actually make both problems worse.

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ALTERNATE, ETHICAL TREATMENTS

by Alan Moy, M.D. Embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR), which requires the destruction of human embryos, took off for several reasons: (1) in-vitro fertilization made it possible to create excess human embryos; (2) embryonic stem cells display more diversity and ability to grow than “adult” stem cells; and (3) the government and secular academia pushed for the research. ESCR has not yet cured any patients, but an enormous effort continues within academia and industry to solve the scientific challenges.

Adult stem cells have been used to ethically treat various diseases, yet most of those achievements — attributed to bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation — were established decades ago. More research is needed for adult stem cells to succeed.

Meanwhile, decades of secular biotechnology threatens the moral conscience of Catholic health care providers and creates moral challenges for pro-life patients. When morally illicit tissues from human embryos or aborted

THE GREATEST BIOETHICAL THREAT

TOP: Photo by Emily Jia — BOTTOM: Photo courtesy of The National Catholic Bioethics Center

by John M. Haas, Ph.D., S.T.L..

Advances in medicine and the life sciences have brought incredible benefits to the human race. But there has also been the danger of losing sight of our humanity as a gift from the hand of God. The greatest bioethical threat today is a cultural attitude that “depersonalizes” a human being.

Consider the vast international trade in living human organs. A healthy The Church young man in the slums of brings the insight Manila is contacted by a supplier and offered $1,500 that human life is for one of his kidneys. His sacred, made in kidney is flown to another country for the transplant, and he then has little or no the image and medical follow-up. He has likeness of God. been used as a source of “raw material” to benefit someone rich and powerful.

Consider, too, the reproductive technology industry, which generates human life not through the marital embrace but in a glass dish in a laboratory. The embryos are treated as so much “stuff ” for the benefit of those paying for them. Two or three of the healthiest

fetuses are used to produce pharmaceutical products, Catholic hospitals risk losing their Catholic identity.

Too many Catholics knowingly or unknowingly financially support medical research foundations that promote unethical research. They need to be better educated about the dangers of secular biotechnology and help to support alternate, ethical regenerative medicine treatments.

Significant progress is being made at the John Paul II Medical Research Institute and elsewhere to advance the science of “induced pluripotent stem cells” (iPSC) — a form of adult stem cell that is transformed into an embryonic-like stem cell without the destruction of a human embryo. Our institute has created a new type of ethical iPSC that is safer and less expensive than embryonic stem cells, and we are working to bring this breakthrough into the clinic.

ALAN MOY, M.D., is the founder of Cellular Engineering Technologies and the John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Coralville, Iowa. He is a member of Marquette Council 842 in Iowa City.

will be implanted, and the others simply discarded. If all three successfully implant and the mother only wants one baby, the doctor will employ “fetal reduction” to eliminate two of them.

The Catholic Church embraces science and medicine and is the largest provider of health care in the United States after the government. But the Church also affirms the scientific fact that a human being comes into existence at the moment of conception and brings the insight that this life is sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. Through a partnership with the Knights of Columbus, The National Catholic Bioethics Center has presented more than two-dozen bioethics workshops to the U.S. bishops since 1980. These workshops present the most recent advances in science and provide the wisdom of divine revelation to assist the bishops in providing moral guidance, thereby helping to promote science and medicine that enhances and respects the life of every individual.♦ JOHN M. HAAS, PH.D., S.T.L., is president of The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and a member of Mater Dei Council 4129 in Newtown Square, Pa. JANUARY 2019

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21 THOUGHTS

by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune The renowned discoverer of trisomy 21 worked to protect and proclaim the dignity of every human life

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“Human genetics can be summarized in this basic creed: In the beginning is the message, and the message is in life, and the message is life. And if the message is a human message, then the life is a human life.”

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“Life has a very long history, but each of us has a very definite beginning — the moment of conception.”

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“A month after conception, a human being is one-sixth of an inch long. The tiny heart has already been beating for a week, and the arms, legs, head and brain have already begun to take shape.”

“At two months, the child would fit into a walnut shell: Curled up, she measures a little more than an inch long. Inside your closed fist, she would be invisible, and you could crush her without meaning to — even without noticing. But if you open your hand, she is virtually complete, with hands, feet, head, internal organs, brain, everything in place. All she needs to do is grow. Look even more closely with a standard microscope, and you’ll be able to make out her fingerprints. Everything needed to establish her identity is already in place.”

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“Hate the disease, love the patient: That is the practice of medicine.”

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“Again and again we see this absolute misconception of

Photo courtesy of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation

oday, I lost my Nobel Prize in Medicine,” wrote Dr. Jérôme Lejeune in a letter to his wife in 1969. The French physician and geneticist had just received a prestigious award from the American Society of Human Genetics and gave a speech in which he strongly opposed abortion.

A decade earlier, Lejeune had discovered the cause of Down syndrome, or trisomy 21: a third chromosome in the 21st pair. He dedicated his career to the protection of children with Down syndrome, and he lamented that his genetic discoveries were used against the unborn. Still today, a large majority of children with Down syndrome are aborted after prenatal diagnosis.

Pope John Paul II appointed Dr. Lejeune to the Pontifical Academy of Science in 1981 and later named him the first president of the Pontifical Academy of Life. Lejeune’s cause for canonization was opened in 2007.

Today, the legacy of Dr. Lejeune (1926-1994) is carried on by the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, which promotes research, care and advocacy. For more information, visit lejeunefoundation.org.

The following “21 Thoughts” by Dr. Lejeune are also available as a booklet published by the foundation. They are reprinted here with permission.

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trying to defeat a disease by eliminating the patient! It’s ridiculous to stand beside a patient and solemnly say, ‘Who is this upstart who refuses to be cured? How dare he resist our art?

Let’s get rid of him!’ Medicine becomes mad science when it attacks the patient instead of fighting the disease. We must always be on the patient’s side, always.”

That is the only duty incumbent upon them, and the only freedom they still possess.”

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“When parents are worried about a sick child, we have no right to make them wait — not even one night — if we can do otherwise.”

“People say, ‘The price of genetic diseases is high. If these individuals could be eliminated early on, the savings would be enormous!’ It cannot be denied that the price of these diseases is high — in suffering for the individual and in burdens for society. Not to mention what parents suffer! But we can assign a value to that price: It is precisely what a society must pay to remain fully human.”

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“Either we will cure them of their innocence, or there will be a new massacre of the Innocents.”

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“I see only one way left to save them, and that is to cure them. The task is immense — but so is Hope.”

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“We will beat this disease. It’s inconceivable that we won’t.

It will take much less intellectual effort than sending a man to the Moon.”

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“The absolute superiority, the complete novelty of humanity, is that no other creature can experience a kind of complicity between the laws of nature and its awareness of its own existence. The ability to admire exists only in human beings. Never in the history of gardening have we seen a dog admire the scent of a rose. Nor has a chimpanzee ever gazed at the sunset or the splendor of a starry sky.”

“The enemies of life know that to destroy Christian civilization, they must first destroy the family at its weakest point — the child. And among the weakest, they must choose the least protected of all — the child who has never been seen; the child who is not yet known or loved in the usual meaning of the word; who has not yet seen the light of day; who cannot even cry out in distress.”

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HE GENETIC MAKEUP OF A

17 “We need to be clear: The quality of a civilization can be measured by the respect it has for its weakest members. There is no other criterion.”

HUMAN BEING IS COMPLETE

18 “To avoid overheating the debate, I will go much further back — to the Spartans, the only ones to eliminate TILIZATION: NOT A SINGLE newborns that they believed would be unable to bear arms or beget future solSCIENTIST DOUBTS IT. diers. Sparta was the only Greek city to practice this kind of eugenics, this systematic elimination. And nothing remains of it: It has left us not a single 11 “At universities, I have often seen extremely intelligent poet, not a single musician, not even a ruin! Sparta is the only people holding conferences, nodding as they considered Greek city that contributed nothing to humanity! Is that a cowhether their children were some sort of animals when they incidence or is there a direct connection? Geneticists wonder: were very young. But at the zoo, I have yet to see a conference ‘Did they turn stupid because they killed their future thinkers of chimpanzees consider whether their children would grow and artists when they killed their less-than-beautiful children?’” up to be college professors!”

19 “Ending an inconvenient life is a terrible thing. And age 12 “It is not medicine we should fear, but the folly of is no protection against this threat: The elderly are as much mankind. Every day, the experience of our predecessors in- at risk as our youngest children.” creases our ability to change nature by using its own laws.

But using this power wisely is what each generation must 20 “The genetic makeup of a human being is complete learn in its turn. We are certainly more powerful today than from the moment of fertilization: Not a single scientist doubts ever before, but we are no wiser: Technology is cumulative, it. What some of them want to debate is the amount of rewisdom is not.” spect due to an individual based on her stage of development.

If a human being is a half-inch long, does she deserve respect?

13 “Fertilization outside the body (making a child without If she is 20 inches long, does she deserve 40 times more? Peomaking love) and abortion (the unmaking of a child) are in- ple who use years and pounds to quantify the respect due to compatible with natural moral law in varying degrees.” another human being are not well intentioned.”

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FROM THE MOMENT OF FER-

“In modern democracies, which no longer refer to a higher moral law, upright citizens have an innate duty to aspire to laws that reflect what they believe to be best for society:

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“We call on all people of good will to ensure that health protection is grounded in a renewed spirituality: Every patient is my brother.”♦ JANUARY 2019

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UNSETTLED LAW On its 46th anniversary, Roe v. Wade remains wrongly decided, deeply flawed and unworkable

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he U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 opinion in Roe v. Wade is as controversial today as when it was first decided. The recent confirmation hearings dramatically demonstrated this: From the beginning, Roe was the number-one reason for the opposition to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, because abortion activists understand Roe to be fragile and unsettled.

It is unsettled today for numerous reasons, but three stand out: the extreme scope of the court’s nationwide legalization of abortion; the inherent defects that the Supreme Court recklessly built into Roe; and the persistent pressure of the cause for life year after year, which has aggravated Roe’s contradictions.

Roe’s abrupt legalization of abortion throughout America ignited the campaign against it — but successfully overturning Roe will require understanding and emphasizing the defects of the decision. Many of these defects are hidden below the surface of the court’s opinions in Roe and the important companion case, Doe v. Bolton, which was decided the same day. Neither Roe nor Doe had any trial or evidentiary record about abortion, its risks or its implications. Without such evidence, the justices floundered in their understanding of basic scientific and legal questions, and stumbled into a number of egregious mistakes: 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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1. The justices ignored our legal heritage of protecting the lives of developing human beings to the extent allowed by medical knowledge. As one of the original Supreme Court justices, James Wilson, wrote in the 1790s: “With consistency, beautiful and undeviating, human life, from its commencement to its close, is protected by the common law. … By the law, life is protected not only from immediate destruction, but from every degree of actual violence, and, in some cases, from every degree of danger.”

The justices in 1973 instead adopted the spurious “history” offered by Cyril Means, the general counsel for the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), and invented a “right” to abortion.

2. The justices overlooked the growing science of fetology that was underway. Well-documented briefs were filed showing the growing medical data on fetal development. Dorothy Beasley, the attorney representing Georgia in Doe v. Bolton, told the justices in December 1971 that “the State has a greater obligation to protect that fetal life” than ever before.

“There are more methods now that can be used to protect it,” she added, “including blood transfusions and surgery while it’s still in the womb.”

Photo by Leslie Kosoff

by Clarke D. Forsythe

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Unfortunately, Justice Harry Blackmun’s majority opinion nearly 200 across the globe) that allows abortion for any reason in Roe casually dismissed the science and “the well-known after fetal viability, and 1 of 7 nations that allows abortion for facts of fetal development,” and instead stated, “We need not any reason after 20 weeks. resolve the difficult question of when life begins.” ✼✼✼ 3. Roe had no foundation in precedent, as numerous legal In the years since Roe v. Wade, obstetric ultrasound machines scholars have recognized. In fact, Justice Blackmun fairly ad- and other medical and technological developments have permitted this in his opinion. He declared that a series of “pri- manently changed public understanding about fetal developvacy” cases was broad enough to encompass abortion, but a ment. Year after year, states have enacted more comprehensive few pages later he conceded that the woman “carries an em- legal protection of the unborn, from conception, in prenatal bryo and, later, a fetus,” making abortion “inherently differ- injury law, wrongful death law and fetal homicide law. ent” from all those earlier privacy cases.

There is likewise an increasing public awareness that abor4. The justices relied on falsehoods about the relative tion is bad for both mother and child. A growing body of insafety of abortion. Anxious for anything that would support ternational medical data — dozens of studies on women from their decision, they cited unreliable data about abortion safety dozens of countries — has found an increased risk of pre-term from Soviet Bloc countries dating back to the 1950s. Despite birth in subsequent pregnancies, mental trauma and breast the lack of evidence, the justices adopted a mantra — that cancer after abortion. abortion was safer than childbirth — and that premise shaped Abortion is an elective procedure, and in the vast majority of major planks of Roe and Doe, including broad deference to cases it is chosen for socioeconomic reasons. It is not “health abortion providers. care.” Unsafe, a 2016 report by Americans United for Life, doc5. The justices ignored a critical disumented that 227 abortion providers in tinction about personhood: Whether 32 states were cited for more than 1,400 or not he or she was recognized as a health and safety deficiencies between constitutional “person” and specifically 2008 and 2016 (see unsafereport.org). protected against the states by the Nonetheless, there have been three Fourteenth Amendment, the unborn major obstacles to toppling the Roe deHERE IS AN INCREASING child was recognized as a human being cision: the inherent difficulty in our PUBLIC AWARENESS THAT and increasingly protected against priconstitutional system of overturning vate action by property, tort and crimany Supreme Court decision; the ABORTION IS BAD FOR inal law. power of the abortion lobby — funded Through the briefs and oral arguby dozens of foundations — deterBOTH MOTHER AND CHILD. ments, the justices were informed mined to maintain Roe at all costs; and about legal developments that prothe notion, popular in the academy tected the unborn child from concepand widely disseminated by the media, tion. As one federal court wrote in that women need abortion for social 1946, “From the viewpoint of the and economic advancement. civil law and the law of property, a child en ventre sa mere In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a majority of the [in the mother’s womb] is not only regarded as a human court abandoned the false historical rationale for abortion in being but as such from the moment of conception — which Roe but replaced it with the claim that American women it is in fact.” need abortion for equal opportunity in society (“reliance in6. The justices arbitrarily chose fetal viability as the meas- terests”). But that claim, too, was flimsy, and factual and legal ure of legal protection, despite the fact that viability was not changes are challenging the court’s assumptions. historically the standard of fetal protection. Listen to the origNow, for the first time in a quarter century, the court does inal oral arguments in Roe and Doe at www.oyez.org: The not have a majority of justices who are invested in Roe as their word “viability” was never mentioned once in four hours of ar- legacy. Substantial momentum against this legacy has been gument. No party or organization urged the court to extend built through the many efforts in the cause for life, including the abortion “right” to viability or beyond. state legislation, public education and compassionate services 7. The companion case of Doe v. Bolton, decided with Roe, to women and their children. As this momentum is reinforced radically expanded the “abortion right” throughout preg- by political victories and pro-life work, expectations are innancy. The court required the 50 states to allow abortion creasing that Roe’s days are numbered.♦ “where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.” At the CLARKE D. FORSYTHE is senior counsel for Americans same time, it defined the “health” exception as “all factors — United for Life. He is the author of Abuse of Discretion: The Inphysical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s side Story of Roe v. Wade (Encounter Books 2013) and A Draft age — relevant to the well-being of the patient.” Thus, Roe and Opinion Overruling Roe v. Wade, published by the Georgetown Doe set the United States apart as 1 of only 4 nations (of the Journal of Law & Public Policy (September 2018).

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KNI GHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES grocery packages to 80 families, as well as gifts and sports equipment for the children of the community.

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON

Eight members of St. Mary’s Council 2326 in Storm Lake, Iowa, changed 60 light bulbs high in the ceiling of St. Mary’s Church.

Using long poles with bulb grabbers to remove old lights and install new ones, Knights upgraded the church to LED bulbs that will conserve energy, last longer and make it much brighter for parishioners.

FAITH YOUTH MINISTRY

Regina Coeli Council 4953 in Escondido, Calif., donated $10,000 to St. Mary Parish to assist families with religious education tuition and fund travel for students to a Steubenville Youth Conference.

BLUE MASS

FOOTSTEPS TO FAITH

Members of San Rafael Guízar y Valencia Council 14838 in Veracruz, Mexico, process through the streets of Minatitlán bearing the K of C Silver Rose and an image of their patron saint and fellow Knight, St. Rafael Guízar Valencia (18781938). The procession concluded with a Mass celebrated

by Bishop Rutilo Muñoz Zamora followed by a dinner and dance for participants.

PARISH PRESENCE

CALLED TO CATECHIZE

Members of St. Bernadette’s Council 10236 in Ajax, Ontario, and their spouses spent a Saturday at St. Bernadette’s Church, helping the pastor, parishioners and youth group paint a foyer in the office, repair several hundred chairs in the parish hall, lead the apologetics group and help the parish youth group make and package pies for a fundraiser. After a tiring but rewarding day, they hosted a parish coffee hour after each Sunday Mass the next morning.

To support 20 children and young people seeking baptism, St. Anthony of Padua Council 9471 in Masbate, Luzon South, provided transportation, lunch and afternoon snacks for their catechesis program. With collegiate volunteers, the Knights also cooked and served lunch at a reception after the baptism itself and provided gifts for the new Catholics. On the same day, members of the council visited Gawad Kalinga Village to deliver

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Holy Spirit Council 13447, Lubbock Council 3008 and St. Peter Chanel Assembly 3098, all in Lubbock, Texas, supported the annual Footsteps in Faith Bible Conference, which drew some 1,500 people to Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Knights set up for the lunch, hosted by the assembly; assisted in hospitality; distributed handouts and helped with cleanup for the conference.

Speakers were Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. Michael Barber and Dr. John Bergsma, each of whom are members of the Knights.

Father Solanus Casey Council 3797 in St. Clair Shores, Mich., hosted a Blue Mass at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in honor of local police and fire department personnel. The council expressed gratitude and presented donations to both departments.

MUTUAL THANKSGIVING

Five councils in Minnesota and North Dakota teamed up for a 39th annual Clergy Appreciation Dinner. More than 30 members of the clergy were individually thanked during a social hour before the dinner. The Diocese of Crookston and the Diocese of Fargo each received a $1,000 donation, and the Knights were duly thanked for their service to the Church.

Father Frank Vendor and Joel N. Francisco of Margosatubig Council 5373 in Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao, take part in a fluvial (river) parade, part of the patron feast celebration of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje Parish. Council 5373 assisted with the parade as well as a eucharistic procession.

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FAMILY HELPING NEW MOMS

Msgr. Robert G. Fitzpatrick Council 7041 in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., in conjunction with Corpus Christi Parish, raised $2,745 in donations for New Hope, Inc., an outreach organization that supports single firsttime mothers and their babies. New Hope provides subsidies for housing, day care, education and counseling, as well as a three-year mentoring program.

Members of Good Shepherd Council 7178 in Quezon City, Luzon South, and their families gather to pray the rosary and consecrate themselves to the Holy Family. Each week, a different host family receives images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Good Shepherd and opens their home to others, as parents encourage their children to participate and even lead the prayers.

CHILD IN NEED

Father Cleo Jaillet Council 6752 in LaMoure, N.D., held a breakfast fundraiser at Holy Rosary Catholic Parish to help a family with medical costs for their two-yearold daughter, who has Down syndrome and health complications. The event netted $2,000 toward hospital bills for the child.

WELCOME HOME

Immaculate Conception Council 8951 in Port Perry, Ontario, working closely with the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Project Hope for more than two years, sponsored and welcomed two Christian Syrian refugee families to the local community in early 2018. The council provided a fully furnished house for the families and also helped them obtain needed documents and health cards. Council members donated more than 500 volunteered hours and raised more than $28,000 on the families’ behalf.

FIRM FOUNDATION

Theresa M. Brodeur holds the poinsettia that was just presented to her by Casey M. Dundon of Cargill Council 64 in Putnam, Conn. Brodeur is one of 28 widows of Knights who is contacted as part of the council’s year-round widow’s program.

St. Michael Council 12617 in Sioux Falls, S.D., learned that a local couple, while facing the husband’s chemotherapy, also needed to adapt a home for their two adult children with special needs.

Council 12617 stepped up to sheetrock the entire lower

floor; stain and install seven doors; and install baseboard and trim for the entire basement, with some volunteers working late evenings to swiftly complete the project.

A WIDOWER’S WISH

Father Daniel J. Kennedy Council 1611 in Needham, Mass., hosted a trivia night led by Boston sports radio personality (and Past Grand Knight) Mike Riley. More than 175 people attended, and many more donated auction and raffle items, raising $15,000 to aid a council member whose wife had died from flu complications, leaving him to raise two young sons. The money was contributed to the educational fund set up for the boys at the time of their mother’s death.

HOLY MATRIMONY

Sto. Rosario Council 3888 in Orani, Bataan, Luzon South, collaborated with its

parish and Sto. Rosario Circle 1097 to host a wedding celebration for 11 needy couples. Council 3888 provided a reception with food and gifts for the couples after they were wed by Father Abraham P. Pantig, pastor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish. Each couple also had a pair of sponsors, who gathered with the couple’s family to witness the wedding.

FAMILY AND FELLOWSHIP

Father Patrick Power Council 4588 in Livermore, Calif., sponsored a weekend Hispanic Family Retreat.

The two days of activities included a Mass with a special consecration to the Holy Family, a rosary dedicated to Knights in need, a picnic and a K of C Soccer Challenge. With more than 100 participants on both days, the event united members, families and other Catholics in faith and fellowship.

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

COMMUNITY $60,000 to Fisher House, which provides housing for families of veterans receiving treatment at the hospital.

A NEIGHBOR’S NEW HOME

Field agents from Bob Abbate Insurance Agency in Virginia Beach, Va., and members of Father Nicholas J. Habets Council 4632, also in Virginia Beach, prepare to deliver a truckload of supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Florence.

CAR SHOW FOR A CAUSE

St. Fabian Council 967 in Bridgeview, Ill., held its fifth annual charity car and bike show at St. Fabian Parish.

The show, which featured 73 vehicles, succeeded thanks to the volunteer hours of Knights and their families and the generosity of participating vendors.

The $3,400 in proceeds went to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which raises money for cancer research and provides support to children and their families battling the disease.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY

John Cardinal Dearden Council 744 in Mount Clemens, Mich., supported Macomb County Rotating Emergency Team (MCREST) by providing two hot breakfasts for nearly 50 homeless people during their one-week stay in St. Peter Parish facilities.

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MCREST has been serving Macomb County for 24 years, starting with 12 congregations; currently, 90 congregations participate.

Overnight shelter for homeless men, women and children is provided in addition to meals, transportation and shower facilities in a warm, safe environment.

AID FOR VETERANS

Ave Maria Council 4063 in Drexel Hill, Penn., hosted its Second Annual Veterans Day Fundraiser at Maggie O’Neill’s Irish Pub. The Knights secured donations from community organizations and local companies and sold hundreds of raffle tickets, raising $6,357 to benefit Operation First Response. The organization assists disabled and wounded military veterans and their families with personal and financial needs.

JANUARY 2019

Evansville Council 565 and Auxilio Council 16454 in Mt. Vernon, Ind., led seven other councils in a “Faith Build.” A donor had offered funding to Habitat for Humanity for a build in Evansville, and the Knights teamed up to provide the necessary skills and labor to build a home for a neighbor in need.

THE GIFT OF WARMTH

Father J. Fred Reidy, SJ Council 1021 in Missoula, Mont., has adapted the Coats for Kids program to meet local needs. Throughout the year, Council 1021 buys coats of all sizes from the local Catholic school’s thrift store. Knights then take the coats to a professional cleaner, Missoula Textiles, which cleans each coat at no charge. When 50-70 coats have been processed, Knights deliver them to area schools and churches to be given to anyone in need.

KEEPING THEM CLOSE

Father Griffin Council 3586 in St. Louis donated $7,270 from the proceeds of its annual golf tournament to the Fisher House at Jefferson Barracks Veterans Hospital.

Over nine years, Council 3586 has donated more than

Robert Davis, a founding member of St. Charles Borromeo Council 14077 in Omaha, Neb., receives a quilt from members of his council at the Veterans’ Home in Bellevue. The council teamed up with the Quilts of Valor organization to present Davis with the gift in recognition for his service in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.

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

LIFE ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

St. Elizabeth’s Council 14448 in Grove, Okla., secured a gently used ultrasound machine for the Abundant Blessing Center, a pregnancy resource center that supports expectant mothers physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Three Knights obtained the machine from a donor and delivered it to the center.

LAUNCHING A CENTER

Bishop Charles P. Greco Council 1134 in Alexandria, La., spearheaded an enormous chicken dinner fundraiser for Cenla Pregnancy Center. With a team of some 100 volunteers from many area councils and

Members of St. John Paul II Council 13523 in San Antonio march and lead the rosary before the annual Texas Rally for Life at the state capitol building in Austin. The members are seminarians currently in formation at Assumption Seminary.

ministries, the Knights sold 2,000 meals to help launch the new center. Council 1134 also assisted its parish, St. Rita Church, to provide meals for the 1,200 evacuees housed at the LSUA Mega Shelter in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

INCLINED TO HELP

Bob Keating of St. Rose Council 6386 in Short Hills, N.J., collects funds during the council’s annual Alzheimer’s campaign, for which he served as co-chair. Twentyone Knights contributed 170 service hours at six local businesses during the three-week October canning drive, raising $7,000.

Little Flower Council 6605 in Sioux Falls, S.D., built a wheelchair ramp for a Knight who had suffered an infection that led to the amputation of his leg. The ramp was built in time for the Knight to return home for Christmas.

AGAINST THE EPIDEMIC

Seeing the need for education about the opioid epidemic, Council 372 and Assembly 948, both named for President John F. Kennedy and located in

Pittston, Penn., collaborated to present an informational program: the Opioid Fact Forum. The Knights partnered with local media and billboard companies for publicity, drawing a full house to the Pittston Public Library, where panelists included a judge, a coroner and a mother who had lost her son to opiate addition.

LABORERS FOR LIFE

St. Brigid of Kildare Council 10863 in Dublin, Ohio, came to the aid of Women’s Care Center, an organization providing pregnancy and parenting support.

Seven Knights removed an old examination table and a refrigerator from the center’s second and third floors, respectively. They also assembled and installed a new table and repaired other items.

WATCH YOUR HEALTH

Our Lady of Fatima Council 9636 in Las Pinas, Metro Manila, Luzon South, conducted an advanced ECG examination as part of its biannual Watch-Your-Health project, a 30-year community initiative of the council.

Nearly 600 parishioners availed themselves of inexpensive medical laboratory tests. The council provided 1,545 man-hours and subsidized free medical examinations for the parish’s priests, employees and volunteers.

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

JANUARY 2019

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P RO M OT I O NA L & G I F T I T E M S

K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC.

Official council and Fourth Degree equipment

Personalized Warm Winter Jacket This jacket has a 100% ripstop nylon shell with Taslan nylon accents and is fully seamed for added waterproof protection. Two ounces of polyfill insulation in the body with a 100% polyester Sherpa fleece lining, and three ounces of polyfill in the sleeves will keep you warm. It also includes a zipoff hood, four zippered pockets and a drop tail hem with drawcord and toggle for adjustability. And it features either the emblem of the Order or the Fourth Degree emblem, with your council or assembly name and number embroidered around it.

Please allow 10-12 business days for your custom order to be completed.

S, M, L, XL: $90, 2XL: $92 3XL: $93, 4XL: $94

1-800-444-5632 www.kofcsupplies.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC.

Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 www.roger-sauve.com

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

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01/19

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

Ogio Duffle Bag This duffle is constructed of heavyweight, 600 denier polyester and features metal hardware, a padded shoulder strap and handles, a shoe tunnel pocket, a zippered side pocket and reflective piping. “Knights of Columbus” is embroidered in white thread. $45 each

OFFICIAL JAN. 1, 2019: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2019 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

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JANUARY 2019

Classic Hooded Sweatshirt This full-zip hooded sweatshirt is made of a heavyweight cotton/polyester blend and has a double-layer hood, slash front pockets and a relaxed waistband. The weathered Knights logo across the chest gives it a comfortable, collegiate look. M, L, XL: $38, 2XL: $40, 3XL: $41, 4XL: $42

knightsgear.com Questions? Call: 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562) Additional shipping costs apply to all orders. Please call before mailing in an order.

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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.

Members of St. Gabriel Council 13170 in Chesterfield, Va., take a breather while replacing more than 50 clapboards on the house of a widow of a recently deceased member.

The widow had approached the council to help complete the necessary repairs. Council 13170 purchased the materials and enlisted a member in the construction business to assist with the labor.

TO BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S “K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR EMAIL : KNIGHTSINACTION @ KOFC . ORG .

JANUARY 2019

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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

‘GOD CAN USE ANY MEANS TO PURSUE THE HUMAN HEART.’

SISTER TRACEY DUGAS, FSP Daughters of St. Paul Metairie, La.

Photo by Ray Gorbea

The possibility of religious life was not even on the map for me until I saw a nun in a mystery movie at the age of 15. Somehow that image awakened in me a deep desire to lay down my life and trust that God would be enough to give me lasting joy.

Up to that point, all I had cared about was following the latest fashions, being liked and landing a job at the mall. Yet there was always a gnawing feeling of restlessness underlying my pursuits. I wondered if I’d ever find something that would truly fulfill me.

Even though I was raised Catholic, I had never met a religious sister. All I knew about nuns was that they gave everything to God because they loved him that much.

I began asking questions and became acquainted with the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of women religious whose mission is to share the Gospel through all forms of media. I know from experience that God can use any and every means to pursue the human heart.