KNIGH T S O F C O L U M B U S
J ULY 2012
COLUMBIA The challenge facing you, dear friends, is
“
to increase people’s awareness of the importance
religious freedom for society; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America’s official faith.” of
Blessed John Paul II Baltimore, Oct. 8, 1995
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COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S
8 Celebrating Our Independence American Catholics should keep in mind our tradition of religious freedom as we practice and defend our faith today. BY CARDINAL TIMOTHY M. DOLAN
11 The Public Witness of Faith In boldly preaching the Gospel in word and deed, we serve the common good as loyal citizens. BY ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI, SUPREME CHAPLAIN
14 Our Lady of Guadalupe Travels Abroad The Order’s Marian Prayer Program dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe finds popularity in Poland. BY KRZYSZTOF MAZUR
18 The Truth About Natural Family Planning Beyond the myths to the mystery of married love. BY TOM HOOPES
22 What They Didn’t Tell You in Sex Ed An interview with Vicki Thorn about the negative consequences of hormonal contraception on health, relationships and society. BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI
24 The World Is Not Our Home Amid joy and suffering, Louis and Zelie Martin grew together in holiness and raised saintly children. BY ERIKA AHERN
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776. Among its opening lines are these famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
D E PA RT M E N T S
DECLARATION: Thinkstock — AD DESIGN: Justin Perillo
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Building a better world The government’s narrow definition of religion is at odds with the meaning and purpose of Christianity. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON
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Learning the faith, living the faith In our fight for religious liberty, we must recognize that freedom is grounded in moral truth, not relativism.
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Knights of Columbus News State Deputies Meeting Stresses Membership Growth and Charity • Majority of Americans Support First Amendment Conscience Rights in Health Care • Knights of Columbus Joins Legal Defense of Montana War Memorial • A.M. Best Reaffirms Top Rating for Knights of Columbus Insurance
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Reflection During his 2002 trip to Toronto, Blessed John Paul II communicated a message of joy and hope. BY FATHER THOMAS ROSICA, C.S.B.
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State Deputies
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Knights in Action
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Columbianism by Degrees
BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI
PLUS Catholic Man of the Month
JULY 2012
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Freedom Grounded in Truth THe TWO-WeeK OBSeRVAnCe of the Fortnight for Freedom, culminating with the celebration of Independence Day, has included various dimensions: prayer, study, catechesis and public action. Faced with domestic challenges to religious liberty, it is tempting for American Catholics to think first of fighting back politically. However, among the stated purposes of the Fortnight for Freedom, prayer and education are of even greater urgency. Prayer opens our hearts and minds to God, who is the source of our freedom, and allows us to step forward in both humility and fortitude. And studying what the Church teaches about religious freedom provides the wisdom to live our faith authentically and witness to the secular culture around us. Because the words “freedom” and “rights” are used frequently in public debate, it is critical for us to ask what precisely is meant by freedom and what is the source of human rights. What becomes clear, then, is that the secular culture has fundamentally different assumptions about human nature than does the Catholic Church. From the secular perspective, freedom is defined primarily in terms of self-determination and choosing between various options; rights are seen simply in terms of immunity from coercion; and both religion and society itself are thought of as a voluntary associations. From the Catholic perspective, on the other hand, freedom involves the capacity to conform one’s will toward what is good; rights are founded on human dignity and imply prior duties to God
and to others; and our origin in God and relationship to others are inseparable from who we are as human beings. In this light, the promotion of a true understanding of human nature has become a central theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate. In his message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1, the pope observed, “Only in relation to God does man come to understand also the meaning of human freedom. It is the task of education to form people in authentic freedom. This is not the absence of constraint or the supremacy of free will, it is not the absolutism of the self. When man believes himself to be absolute, to depend on nothing and no one, to be able to do anything he wants, he ends up contradicting the truth of his own being and forfeiting his freedom.” Unless all people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” and freedom is grounded in transcendent truth and goodness, then we are left with what the pope has called “the dictatorship of relativism.” In other words, if freedom is reduced to simply the assertion of the will and does not acknowledge God as its source and ultimate end, then the universality of human rights is inevitably replaced by the struggle for power of the strong over the weak. In response to this false freedom that characterizes the culture of death, Catholics are called to be witnesses of the abundant life and joy that true freedom brings to the world.♦ ALTOn J. PeLOWSKI MAnAGInG eDITOR
Supreme Convention and Guadalupe Celebration THe 130TH SUPReMe COnVenTIOn will take place in Anaheim, Calif., Aug 7-9. For more or information, or to register, visit kofc.org/reservations or call 203752-4739. The Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will also co-sponsor a Guadalupe Celebration at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sunday, Aug. 5. The event will feature prayer, speakers and performances. Reserve free tickets at guadalupecelebration.com. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
JULY 2012
COLUMBIA PUBLISHeR Knights of Columbus ________ SUPReMe OFFICeRS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William e. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Dennis A. Savoie DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles e. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Logan T. Ludwig SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ eDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR ________
Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO ReACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza new Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4580 OTHER INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.
________ Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved ________ On THe COVeR A quote from Pope John Paul II’s homily at Baltimore’s Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in October 1995 is shown above the U.S. Capitol, seen from a distance.
COVER: Thinkstock
E D I TO R I A L
BUILDING A BETTER WORLD
Defending Our Catholic Identity The government’s narrow definition of religion is at odds with the meaning and purpose of Christianity by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
neARLY 20 YeARS AGO, Blessed John Paul II visited the United States and urged us to protect our First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. Speaking in 1995 in Baltimore, he said these words, quoted by our supreme chaplain, Archbishop William Lori, at his installation as archbishop of Baltimore in May: “The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’s awareness of the importance of religious freedom for society; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America’s official faith. And it is vitally necessary, for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it.” What foresight those words show. Blessed John Paul II’s words ring true today with renewed importance. What is at stake in our current defense of religious freedom is not simply the right of Catholics to practice our faith freely and without having to become entangled and complicit in actions that violate our conscience. That would be bad enough. But what is also at stake is the question of who defines the mission and purpose of the Catholic Church itself. As I noted in my speech at the national Catholic Prayer Breakfast in April, the federal government has sought to interfere with the identity of religion twice in the past year. First, there was a case that dealt with whether the government or a church should decide who should be consid-
ered a minister. In that case — Hosanna Tabor v. EEOC — the administration argued that the definition of a minister should be restricted. It would have eliminated the “ministerial exception” that protects religions from employment laws when it comes to those in ministry. According to the government, if any “ministerial exception” in employment exists, it should be strictly “limited to those employees who perform exclusively religious functions.” Such reasoning caused Chief Justice John Roberts to ask during oral argument whether even the pope could meet the administration’s definition of a religious minister. And it caused the Supreme Court to unanimously disagree with the administration saying, “We are unsure whether any such employees exist,” because even the highest ranking churchmen have “a mix of duties.” Similarly, the HHS mandate allows only the narrowest exemption for religious institutions — covering only institutions that primarily hire and serve members of their own faith. As Cardinal Daniel Dinardo of Galveston-Houston put it: “Jesus himself, or the Good Samaritan … would not qualify as ‘religious enough’ for the exemption, since they insisted on helping people who did not share their view of God.” Christ called all Christians to reach beyond their own denominations in teaching “all nations,” considering everyone their “neighbor,” and doing “good to those who hate” them. He defined our “neighbor” as anyone in need — and in his parable of the Good Samaritan,
Christ specifically included those of other religions in his definition of neighbor. In the Hosanna Tabor case¸ the Supreme Court unanimously characterized the government’s position as allowing “government interference with an internal church decision that affects the faith and mission of the church itself.” Precisely the same can be said of the HHS mandate. The definition of religion in the exemption redefines the basic tenets and mission of Christianity. And a government willing to affect the tenets and mission of the Church is a government willing to change the identity of the Church. Secularism sees religion as something that should be limited to “freedom of worship,” as something that should happen in church buildings only, and not be brought into the public square. But our First Amendment guarantees us free exercise of religion, and fundamental to this is our ability to follow the principles of our religion as defined by Christ, not by the government. We have seen these two serious threats to religious freedom in the past year. The first lost in court, the second is unpopular in the court of public opinion. Indeed, the HHS mandate may well be reversed legislatively or legally, but there could be future threats as well. As we celebrate Independence Day, and the rights “endowed by our Creator,” we would do well to pause and recall these often quoted words: “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Vivat Jesus!
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
True and False Freedom In our fight for religious liberty, we must recognize that freedom is grounded in moral truth, not relativism by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
AS THe FORTnIGHT for Freedom The Church, together with its ecuculminates in a prayerful celebration menical and interfaith partners, is of Independence Day, this is an occa- facing an uphill battle. To be sure, ject the Church’s claim that religious sion for Americans to give thanks for there has been an outpouring of sup- freedom hangs in the balance. That the wisdom of the Founding Fathers port from across the country, and we claim has been termed “bogus” and who recognized in the Declaration of have reason to believe that lawsuits to “phony” by prominent newspapers. Is Independence that our fundamental have the mandate overturned stand this merely a knee-jerk aversion to the rights are given not by government, on firm legal ground, especially re- Catholic Church and her teachings? but by our Creator. It is also a good garding the very narrow government I would suggest that something time to reflect on how our liberties are definition of what organizations are deeper is at stake, namely, competing protected in the U.S. Constitution. religious enough to deserve an ex- notions of what freedom itself is. Preeminent among these is religious emption. To qualify under the curliberty, which is now very much TWO VISIOnS at risk in our increasingly secular OF FReeDOM culture. After all, when culture For many cultural pundits, becomes disconnected from relifreedom is simply the ability When freedom is reduced to gion and claims of moral truth, to do what one wants, to enour understanding of freedom individuals choosing whatever they hance one’s life as one sees fit. itself becomes distorted. The only limitation is that want, so long as it’s a choice one must not obstruct the CHALLenGeS ReMAIn rights of others to make the condoned by the government, By now we are all familiar with same choices. This very secureligious liberty is severely limited. lar version of freedom is dethe risks to religious freedom in the United States. Among the tached from the moral law — greatest is the U.S. Department from what is true and good — of Health and Human Services’ man- rent narrow exemption, a religious and from God, the author and giver of date that would force conscientious organization must hire and serve only freedom. It goes beyond saying that employers and religious organizations its own people. In a word, it must be our fundamental freedoms are into fund or facilitate abortion-induc- inward-looking. But our Church, scribed in our hearts by our Creator. ing drugs, sterilization and contracep- from the very beginning, has sought Rather, the secular notion of freedom tion. Keep in mind that the Church to extend itself to all nations and says that we create our own version of is not seeking to force anyone to do serve the common good through what is true and good and choose acanything; it is simply defending the schools, charities, hospitals and other cordingly, so long as we do not violate freedom to follow Catholic teaching forms of social outreach. another’s right to choose similarly. In in the workplace, a freedom that fedeven if we win these lawsuits, this view, freedom is not only highly eral law and policy has broadly ac- though, religious freedom will con- individualistic but it is also relativistic, commodated for a long time. We are tinue to be challenged by our secular since it does not acknowledge a funnot seeking to expand that freedom, culture. Many voices at the forefront damental law protecting the good and just to maintain it against the raw use of public discourse — including the true by which all human beings are of administrative power to curtail it. much of the mainstream media — re- bound. When this notion of freedom 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
prevails, it is the strong — those who have money, power and influence — who end up imposing their views on others. According to the perspective of the administration and editorialists, the Church’s freedom extends only to worship, preaching and teaching. It does not extend to putting its teachings into practice through its own institutions when they hire or serve people of other faiths. But when freedom is reduced to individuals choosing whatever they want, so long as it’s a choice condoned by the government, religious liberty is severely limited. Any notion of freedom that links
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
Offered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI GeneRAL: That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions.
POPE: CNS photo/Paul Haring — VENERAbLE SOLANuS CASEy: CNS photo
MISSIOn: That Christian volunteers in mission territories may witness to the love of Christ.
an individual’s choices with a moral law is seen as “bogus” or “phony” because it is not consistent with the secular notion of freedom. And the Church’s assertion that it is free to run its own institutions according to its own values, even when these are countercultural, is roundly rejected by pundits and power brokers. Dominican Father Servais Pinkaers (1925-2008) made the distinction between “freedom of indifference” and “freedom for excellence.” The former is the exercise of free will without regard for moral truth. Freedom for excellence, on the other hand, is the use of free will in a way that looks
toward what is true and good; it is the freedom to choose what one ought to choose. If we want to preserve the Church’s freedom to fulfill its Godgiven mission and our own freedom to choose what is true and good, then we must hold and convey to others a true notion of freedom. St. Paul wrote: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). We do well to take this advice as we celebrate the birthday of our nation.♦
C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H
Venerable Solanus Casey (1870-1957) BeRnARD “BARneY” Francis Casey was born nov. 25, 1870, to an Irish immigrant family in rural Wisconsin. The sixth of 16 children, he worked as a logger, hospital orderly, streetcar operator and prison guard before entering St. Francis High School Seminary in Milwaukee at age 21. Upon joining the Capuchin order five years later, he received the name Solanus, after the 17th-century Spanish missionary St. Francis Solanus. He was ordained to the priesthood July 24, 1904, but because he had difficulty in his seminary studies, he was made a “sacerdos simplex,” restricting some of his priestly functions. Father Casey spent the first 20 years of his priesthood in the new York City area. In 1924, he was assigned to St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit, where he spent two more decades, serving primarily as a porter, or doorkeeper. Throughout his ministry, Father Casey humbly accepted his limitations. Although he was not allowed to preach doctrinal sermons, he gained a reputation as an inspiring speaker. And although he could not
hear confessions, dozens of people would visit him daily to receive blessings and counseling. even during his life, many miraculous cures were attributed to his intercession. When failing in health, Father Casey was transferred to Huntington, Ind., in 1946 and lived there for 10 years before returning to Detroit. After he died July 31, 1957, at the age of 86, an estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial at St. Bonaventure. His last words reportedly were, “I give my soul to Jesus Christ.” The cause for his canonization was opened in 1982, and on July 11, 1995, he became the first U.S.-born male to be declared venerable.
JUNE 2012
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
State Deputies Meeting Stresses Membership Growth and Charity
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson addresses the annual meeting of state deputies. THe KnIGHTS OF COLUMBUS set new all-time records for charitable donations and volunteer service hours in 2011, according to the results of the Order’s Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. In a presentation to state deputies in new Haven, Conn., June 10, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson released the results of the survey, which indicate that total charitable contributions last fraternal year reached more than $158 million — exceeding the previous year’s total by approximately $3.4 million. Volunteer service hours to charitable causes grew to more than 70 million hours. “I don’t think there’s any other Catholic volunteer association that is making this kind of a difference day in and day out in our communities and our parishes than the Knights of Columbus,” the supreme knight said. The release of the fraternal survey results was the pinnacle of the state deputies’ annual organizational meeting, held June 6-10, in which membership growth and charitable outreach were stressed as two pillars of the Order’s ongoing success. The supreme knight also highlighted a central theme of the gathering: “The Power of One,” which underlies the Order’s membership goal of “One member, per council, per month.” “As Knights, we have something great to give, and the first thing we have to give is ourselves” in the form of charity, friendship and fraternal support, Anderson said. He then urged state deputies to take the lead in encouraging councils to become active in recruitment all year. This is important, he explained, because of the effect our members have on society at large through their charitable works, and the positive role membership in the Knights has for 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
JULY 2012
them as fathers, husbands and members of the community. To this end, the five-day state deputies’ meeting featured sessions on charitable programs, spiritual formation, and membership recruitment and retention. Attendees also came together several times for the celebration of Mass. In his homily for the opening Mass June 7, Father Gregory Gresko, chaplain of the Blessed John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C., said that the attributes of a Christian leader should serve as a model for Knights of Columbus state deputies. He said that just as Jesus said that his followers must love God with their whole hearts and their neighbor as themselves, “the calling” of a state deputy “is to be first among brothers in serving others, giving a perfect, complete gift of self to God through service to neighbor in the Order.” On June 8, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William e. Lori celebrated his first Mass in St. Mary’s Church in new Haven since being installed as the head of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He urged the state deputies to allow the Word of God to shape their hearts and minds so they may become exemplary leaders for the faith and for the Order. If the fraternal survey results are any indication, the state deputies have an important tradition to uphold. Over the past 10 years, Knights have contributed $1.4 billion and 653 million volunteer hours to charity. The supreme knight explained, “If we make the Knights stronger, we make the Church stronger. If we make the Knights stronger, we make our communities and our countries stronger. That is our mission. And we are going to grow and accomplish that mission.”♦
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Majority of Americans Support First Amendment Conscience Rights in Health Care
AS CATHOLIC dioceses and organizations throughout the United States file lawsuits to protect their First Amendment rights from the government’s health care mandate, a new survey finds that nearly three in four Americans (74 to 26 percent) say that freedom of religion should be protected, even if it conflicts with other laws. According to a Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll conducted in May, majorities would protect the First Amendment rights of hospitals, health care workers and insurers to opt out of providing certain drugs, services and procedures, including: abortion (58 to 38 percent), abortion-inducing drugs (51 to 44 percent), in vitro fertilization treatments that could result in the death of an embryo (52 to 41 percent), medication to speed the death of a terminally ill patient (55 to 41 percent) and birth control pills (51 to 46 percent). “This survey reveals that the American people are fundamentally dedicated to protecting the First Amendment conscience rights of everyone,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Allowing people to opt out of these procedures or services ― which violate their faith ― is the right thing to do.”♦
Knights of Columbus Joins Legal Defense of Montana War Memorial THe KnIGHTS OF COLUMBUS — represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — has asked to intervene in a pending lawsuit to defend a war memorial that commemorates the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and that is located on U.S. Forest Service property in Montana. The war memorial, which includes a large statue of Jesus, was erected by Montana Knights who were asked by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division to create a memorial reminiscent of the hilltop shrines they encountered in europe while fighting in World War II. It has been maintained by Knights since 1954. To erect the memorial, Kalispell (Mont.) Council 1328 leased a 25-foot by 25foot plot of land on Big Mountain, which lies within a commercial ski resort. The permit had been renewed every 10 years without incident until 2010, when a Wisconsinbased organization protested that the memorial violates the U.S. Constitution. The Knights of Columbus asked the U.S. District Court in Missoula, Mont., to allow the Order to intervene as a defendant in the case Freedom from Religion Foundation vs. Weber, so as to protect the First Amendment rights of its members in Montana and to continue honoring the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for their country. “The idea that a war memorial containing a religious symbol on a remote piece of public land somehow establishes religion in this country is at odds with the historical record, the vision of our Founding Fathers enshrined in the First Amendment and the extensive jurisprudence in this area,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “It is sad that some in America have become so intolerant of religion that they are willing to remove longstanding memorials to America’s war heroes to enforce their narrow view on the rest of us.”♦
CNS photo/Rick musacchio, Tennessee Register
A.M. Best Reaffirms Top Rating for Knights of Columbus Insurance FOR THe 37TH COnSeCUTIVe YeAR, A.M. Best Company has given the Knights of Columbus its highest financial strength rating, A++ (Superior). A.M. Best is a worldwide rating and information agency that conducts in-depth analyses and issues reports about the fiscal stability of insurance companies. In its 2012 reaffirmation, A.M. Best cited the Order’s “strong frater-
nal and insurance presence within the Catholic communities in the United States and Canada, its superior riskadjusted capitalization … and the Order’s consistently positive statutory operating results.” The report also stated that “the Order has a strong affinity with its large membership base through its charitable works and competitive portfolio of life insurance and annuity
products.” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “earning A.M. Best’s top rating for 37 consecutive years — and again this year — shows the wisdom of our sustainable business and investment models. Agents, members and their families are all part of the Knights of Columbus family. And that is another reason we are able to offer the best protection available.”♦
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Independence C E L E B R AT I N G O U R
American Catholics should keep in mind our tradition of religious freedom as we practice and defend our faith today by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan
B
y now we have heard the opening words of the Declara- churches, schools and charities, and to evangelize the broader tion of Independence so often, and they have become so culture. And we are at liberty to criticize our government, even much a part of our national identity, that they might roll past from the pulpit, without so much as a slap on the wrist from our ears or flash before our eyes without us taking much no- the authorities. Our historical moment is a rare one when we tice. If we’re not paying attention, they almost sound clichéd: consider all of the various forms of church-state relations that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cre- Christians have encountered throughout the centuries, and the ated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain persecution many encounter today in other lands. unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the The parish school, the church basement, the Catholic cemepursuit of Happiness.” tery, the local Knights of Columbus In America, these words have hall, the local shrine off the highway been part of our DnA since they — all of these are familiar to us. were first written in 1776. They inThese are the places where we had form not only our government, but our first dance, where we went to t is a question of also our entire culture, down to CCD or where our cousin had her how families relate to one another wedding reception. They may reevangelization. Do we and to how we practice religion. mind us of a time that we completed nonetheless, the independent an eagle Scout project, lost the Catholics practice the spirit at the heart of both the AmerPinewood Derby, or ate doughnuts ican Revolution and the concept of and drank hot chocolate after being faith we are working popular sovereignty poses some good at Mass. We may also recall visunique difficulties for the Church iting a Catholic nursing home, volso hard to defend?” in the United States. Too often our unteering at a soup kitchen, or people confuse liberty with license, sitting at our grandmother’s bedside value dissent for its own sake, and at the local Catholic hospital. focus too intently on our individual These institutions and our relarights instead of our duties to the common good. These are tionships with them have gained a distinctive American flavor serious and perennial challenges for Catholicism in America, since our country’s founding. They are in our hearts and in our and year after year we have to do our best to respond. blood because the people who came before us lived the words But for a moment, let’s focus on the good these words have of both the Declaration of Independence and our Catholic done for us. faith. In the United States as in perhaps no other place in the We have, to a large degree, inherited a Catholicism that has world, our faith has had the freedom to breathe, to think out been free from government interference into what gets taught loud, to build and to work tirelessly for the things we love. The from the pulpit and in the seminaries, who holds what ecclesial culture that we inherited and that comes from this freedom is office, and what lands the Church can possess. We have been so big that it may be difficult to see at times. But perhaps this free to teach our faith to our families and to others, to open Independence Day, we can look at it from a fresh perspective.
“I
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Thinkstock
A Fourth of July fireworks display is seen behind the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Consider a story I share in my book, Priests for the Third Millennium (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000), of missionaries who returned to Japan in the mid-19th century after Christian missionaries were driven out 260 years earlier. In a remote part of the country, missionaries discovered a tiny village where the hundred or so inhabitants gathered every Sunday to pray the Apostles’ Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Acts of Faith, Hope, Charity and Contrition, and recite the Ten Commandments and eight Beatitudes. The missionaries asked where this custom had come from, only to be told that, in the distant past, men whom they called “fathers” had taught those words to the people, and, anticipating their martyrdom, instructed the people to
memorize those prayers and gather every Sunday to recite them together. These courageous Catholics had kept their faith, that “pearl of great price,” for over two centuries of darkness and oppression. What a contrast! The duration of the Japanese persecution represents roughly the same amount of time between the Declaration and today. There, they could only meet in secret. Here, there are Catholics at every level of government, and our faith has helped define our culture. This is no accident; it is the result of our countrymen struggling through the years to live up to the ideals set forth in the Declaration. What part of it are we willing to give up? And what will be the Catholic culture we hand down to the next generation? JULY 2012
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The tide is turning, and Catholics must remain vigilant. Obviously, America has hardly reached the point where Christians must practice the bare-bones, survivalist (yet inspiring!) form of our faith that the Jesuit missionaries encountered in Japan. But when we consider the persecution our Church has endured under various regimes throughout the ages, we know enough to realize that things can get ominous, and fast. To the question, “What to do,?” we will respond emphatically. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and great organizations like the Knights of Columbus have provided a few helpful hints. The Fortnight for Freedom now ending has been a unique opportunity to meditate on “our most cherished liberty” and seize an opportunity to educate our fellow Americans on the importance of religious freedom. Many of our dioceses have now joined other lay organizations in advocating for our God-given rights in court. Independently, bishops have spoken to inform their flocks on the challenges at hand and our Church’s position on these developments. Our unity is both an inspiration and a reminder of the gravity of the threats we face together. But beyond the immediate struggles to overturn the unfair and un-American Health and Human Services contraception mandate, there is a broader struggle, a more fundamental challenge that we Catholics face. This mandate, and the many other recent encroachments on religious liberty, make it clear that many of our fellow citizens — Catholics among them — 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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view our faith as a threat, or at least as something that should not stand in the way of a political agenda. They see it as something distant, foreign, outdated and ebbing. In response to this, we have to change that perception. The challenge, then, concerns the face of the Catholic faith that our fellow Americans encounter every day. It is a question of evangelization. Do we Catholics practice the faith we are working so hard to defend? What about its more difficult teachings, especially the one that exhorts us to love our enemies? When done right, our Catholic faith creates a culture of true joy. People can see it in what we do, in how we talk, in the look in our eye. “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Amid the culture of death that we find all around us, our faith is something that our neighbors will find compelling and may even be something they want for themselves. We must show the culture that seeks to marginalize us that our faith is a living and life-changing reality. The more fundamental challenge needed for us to preserve our American ideals is to boldly live our faith, to boldly proclaim it, and to boldly love God and our neighbor. As Jesus taught, “Let your light shine before all.” A blessed Fourth of July!♦ CARDInAL TIMOTHY M. DOLAn is archbishop of new York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
A five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presents a draft of the document to Congress in this painting commissioned to John Trumbull in 1817. The painting hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.
THE P U B L I C W I T N E S S
OF FAITH In boldly preaching the Gospel in word and deed, we serve the common good as loyal citizens
Karl merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun
by Archbishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain
eDITOR’S nOTe: The following article was adapted from the supreme chaplain’s homily during his installation as the archbishop of Baltimore May 16 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
At the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore March 20, Archbishop Lori smiles during the official announcement that he would become the 16th archbishop of Baltimore.
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the globe proclaiming the Gospel of Christ — just as his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, continues to do. They teach us all how important it is not only to bring the Gospel into the public square, but also to defend the right to do so.
n the first century, during the height of the Roman empire, St. Paul preached in the Areopagus of Athens. He did not hesitate to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the place where ideas were discussed and debated. By pointing to the altar to an Unknown God, Paul sought to make connections between the culture of Athens and the Gospel. But never did it occur to him to present the Gospel as mere ideas, as an alternative philosophy. Rather, in that very public square, Paul preached Christ crucified and risen as the source of life itself. His words were met with skepticism and even ridicule, yet among those who heard him, some came to believe. Few people in history went to more areopagai than did Blessed John Paul II as he traveled the length and breadth of
enTeRInG THe PUBLIC SQUARe During his visit to Baltimore in October 1995, Pope John Paul II said: “The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’s awareness of the importance of religious freedom for society; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America’s official faith. And it is vitally necessary, for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious JULY 2012
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freedom and the convictions which sustain it.” When the bishops from the region including Washington, D.C., and Baltimore visited Rome in January, Pope Benedict also spoke forcefully about the need to defend religious liberty in the United States: “With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents, which,” he said, “seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth.” The pope added that “the legitimate separation of church and state cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the state may choose not to engage or be engaged by the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation.” We do not seek to defend religious liberty for partisan or political purposes, as some have suggested. no, we do this because we love human dignity, which was fashioned and imparted not by the government, but by our Creator. We defend religious liberty because we love every human person, seeing in the face of every man and woman the face of Christ, who loved us to the very end and who calls on us to love and serve our neighbors with the same love he has bestowed on us. And we do this because we seek to continue serving those in need while contributing to the common good in accord with the Church’s social teaching, and to do so with compassion and effectiveness.
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My predecessor, Cardinal James Gibbons, often withstood attacks from people who said it wasn’t possible to be a practicing Catholic and a loyal American. More than a century ago, he wrote, “I belong to a country where the civil government holds over us the aegis of its protection, without interfering with us in the legitimate exercise of our sublime mission as ministers of the Gospel of Christ. Our country has liberty without license, and authority without despotism.” now we must be loyal Americans by being bold and courageous Catholics! So, dear friends, let us be of good cheer. Let us never imagine that the faith we profess with such personal conviction is merely a private matter. By its nature, the profession of faith is a public matter. It is meant to be spread far and wide, and acted upon in and through Church institutions and in the witness of individual believers. Let us not shrink from entering the public square to proclaim the person of Christ; to teach the values that flow from reason and faith; to uphold our right to go about our daily work in accord with our teachings and values; to defend the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death; to defend the institution of marriage as between a man and a woman; and to serve effectively those in great need with convictions borne of the moral law. LIVInG THe TRUTH In LOVe It is important to note that St. Paul did not enter the public square, the Areopagus, without first carefully studying the culture and religious practices of the Athenians. He also came filled with the love of God poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit. He knew that the churches where he had preached and fostered the faith needed to be strong and vibrant, faithful and fruitful, truthful and loving. He also knew that for his witness of faith to be believed and for the Church to flourish both in times of peace and in times of persecution, that its members must not only stand fast in the truth of the Gospel, but must also live the truth in love. Can there be any doubt how challenging this is? The Church is endowed with the holiness of Christ, yet is in need of constant renewal and purification. We stand in need of God’s mercy. We should pray that, as the upcoming Year of Faith announced by Pope Benedict unfolds, we not only teach the faith but also bear witness to it in a manner that helps to heal the breach between faith and culture. We should also pray that the Lord bless our families and give us the grace to renew family life, which is the bedrock of our society and the strength of our parishes. Let us be a Church that honors our elders, sustains those in the prime of life, welcomes our young
St. Paul Preaching at Athens, ca. 1710 / Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734) / Tate, London / Art Resource, Ny / Reproduced by permission of the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul is depicted preaching in Athens, as written about in the Acts of the Apostles. • [Opposite page, from left] Gary Rolla of Rappahannock Assembly in Fredericksburg, Va., Fourth Degree Master Cy Alba, Congressman Rob Whittman and Bradford Fitch Burnett, grand commander of the Crusaders of Christ, lay a wreath at the Religious Freedom Monument in Fredericksburg in honor of Religious Freedom Day, Jan. 8.
JAP Photo/The Free Lance-Star, Suzanne Carr Rossi
with enthusiasm and joy, and supports parents in the task of educating and forming the next generation. St. Paul speaks of a variety of roles in the Church, but also of their orderly functioning for the health of the whole Body of Christ. As we enter the public square to proclaim the Gospel and to defend human rights and dignity, may our Catholic communities be marked by a deep sense of inner solidarity and harmony. In this way, we prove ourselves to be worthy ecumenical and interfaith partners, both in our search for unity in truth and in our service to the common good. We also prove ourselves to be worthy partners, together with government, the business sector and community groups, in serving the needs of all. Finally, it was only with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that the Apostles truly grasped the mystery of Christ and truth of the Gospel, and found the courage to proclaim the Gospel boldly to the ends of the earth. Let us beg the Holy Spirit to pour the love of God into our hearts so that we may be formed in Christ and proclaim the faith by living the truth in love and embracing love in truth. Through the prayers of Mary, our Queen, may God bless us and keep us always in his love!♦ SUPReMe CHAPLAIn ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM e. LORI is the 16th archbishop of Baltimore and chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.
THE BIRTHPLACE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM In 1777, a five-man committee met in Fredericksburg, Va., to revise and rewrite Virginia’s laws. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, who had drafted a document that expanded upon the “free exercise of religion” language that had previously been written into the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. The bill that was eventually passed by the committee, known as the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, served as the basis for the guarantee of religious freedom in the Bill of Rights. In 1932, a monument was erected in Fredericksburg in honor of Jefferson’s contribution to religious freedom. And from the time Fredericksburg Council 4034 was chartered in 1955 until the mid-1970s, the Knights of Columbus observed Columbus Day each year by laying a memorial wreath at the site. The city celebrated the statute’s 200th anniversary in 1977, and since that time, the Knights have participated in the annual celebration of Religious Freedom Day each January. From its humble beginnings, the event has evolved into an annual parade led by Rappahannock Assembly through downtown Fredericksburg, followed by a reception.
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T
he 6,000-mile flight from Mexico to Poland takes 10 hours and crosses seven time zones. There are few diplomatic ties between these two countries, and when the average Polish citizen thinks of Mexico, the only thoughts that come to mind are stereotypical images of tequila, sombreros and spicy Mexican cooking. So when the Knights of Columbus in Poland were invited last August to participate in a Marian Prayer Program dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe — an image that has particular meaning for Catholics in Mexico — there was a certain sense of cautiousness. “This image of Mary is little known in Poland,” said Stanisław Dziwiński, who is a member of Bishop Theodore Kubina Council 14955 in Częstochowa and the coordinator of the prayer program in Poland. “I remember the first time we displayed the image in one of the churches in Częstochowa. Many people came up to me and asked, ‘What is that portrait?’” nonetheless, Poles have responded positively over the past nine months, and participation has surpassed the organizers’ highest expectations. Since October 2011, a pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has visited more than 20 local councils and some 150,000 people have participated in the program. When one fac14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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tors in visitors who have prayed before the image between “official” prayer services, the number is likely much higher, according to Dziwiński. “The message connected to this image is intended for all,” explained Father Wiesław Lenartowicz, chaplain of Radom Council 14004. “It is also the perfect chance to show others what our Order does.” A HISTORY OF DeVOTIOn Devotion to Mary has always been a key part of Polish Catholicism. According to Father Lenartowicz, “Marian spirituality, without question, lies very strongly within our heart. It is safe to say we are open to anything that is connected with Our Lady.” Many historical events have strengthened the conviction that Poland is under Mary’s special protection. In the 16th century, for example, the Marian sanctuary in Częstochowa was one of the few places in the country that was able to defend itself against the Swedes. In 1920, the Poles were likewise able to defend against a large Soviet army in the Battle of Warsaw, known as the “Miracle at the Wisła.” A turning point in that victory occurred
Our Lady of Guadalupe Travels Abroad The Order’s Marian Prayer Program dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe finds popularity in Poland by Krzysztof Mazur
On Nov. 12, 2011, Msgr. Stanisław Pindera, a member of John Paul II Council 14023 in Starachowice, Poland, celebrated Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church as the council hosted the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. on Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Later, in 1966, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński initiated a pilgrim prayer program, using an image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, in celebration of the millennial anniversary of Poland’s baptism. As this important symbol of the Church in Poland hastened from parish to parish, the people’s participation clearly manifested their objection to communist rule and foreshadowed the Solidarity movement that would follow. Leszek Waksmundzki, coordinator of development for the Knights of Columbus in Poland, emphasized that the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Częstochowa set the stage for the Our Lady of Guadalupe prayer program. “This form of venerating Our Lady is not new to us,” he said,“and we can relate to it very well.” “It is the chaplains who are doing an amazing job,” added Poland State Deputy Krzysztof Orzechowski. “In the weeks before the image arrives at a parish, [the chaplains] are busy prepar-
ing the faithful, teaching them about the image and about the meaning of the message, using their own pastoral programs.” The themes of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message resonate in Polish parishes, and the image allows Poles to feel closer to Blessed John Paul II. The beloved Polish pope visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on four occasions and called Our Lady of Guadalupe “the star of the new evangelization.” Under her Guadalupan title, Mary is also regarded as the protector and patroness of life, because she is depicted with child. “Our Lady hits straight to our hearts with her message, reminding us who the Lord of Life is,” said Father Lenartowicz, who believes that the protection of life is a special task for the Church today and is directly related to the mission of the Knights. Indeed, Knights in Poland have found the Marian Prayer Program to be a great opportunity for people to pray together for JULY 2012
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Knights carry an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in procession in Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poland. •
the unborn, for pregnant women and for families. That prayer, in turn, has led to the launch of a new initiative called the Crusade for the Protection of Life, in which participants “spiritually adopt” a conceived child and pledge to protect all life from conception to natural death. According to Orzechowski, the initiative was inspired by the Crusade for the Liberation of Man, launched in 1979 to combat substance abuse and other forms of modern slavery. “As for the Crusade for the Protection of Life, the intention is to pray regularly for the cause and participate in other [pro-life] activities,” he said. UnDeR MARY’S CARe Thanks to the efforts of the Polish priests who have committed their time to the Marian Prayer Program, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has served as a reminder to Catholics of the different dimensions that comprise their spiritual life. Faithful pilgrims have welcomed with an open heart a Marian image from a distant culture that was previously unknown to them. Although each region of Poland has its own unique Marian image, Our Lady of Guadalupe did not become anyone’s “rival,” according to coordinator Dziwiński. Rather, she has allowed Poles to witness the universality of the Church. “Some people have joked whether Our Lady of Ludźmierz, a well-known Marian image in Poland, would learn to speak Spanish so that she could converse with Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Dziwiński. “But it is evident to everyone that there is one Mary who is represented in many images, each having their own unique message.” Since the program began, bishops have led at least seven of the celebrations in Poland, often giving the pilgrimage recognition throughout their dioceses. In Rzeszów alone, about 30,000 people visited the image in one week. “The faithful came to me and said that Our Lady came to visit them because they did not have the money to travel to Mexico,” said Father Janusz Kosior, chaplain of St. Hedwig the Queen Council 15268 in Rzeszów. “They thought of it as their holiday and they made a pilgrimage from different areas of the province.” 16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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Seeing their faith, Father Kosior suggested that the Knights look to government leaders to entrust the entire Podkarpacie province to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Local officials obliged, and on Feb. 13, the World Day of Prayer for Families, they read a declaration dedicating the province to Our Lady’s care. Bishop Kazimierz Górny of Rzeszów, rectors of local universities and military representatives were among those who took part in this unprecedented event. Interestingly, Our Lady of Guadalupe turned out to be closer to Poland than anyone could have foreseen one year ago. Orzechowski remembers his surprise when he found out that Poland is the only country in europe that has been entrusted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. During Mass at the basilica in Mexico City on May 3, 1959, Cardinal Miguel Darío Miranda y Gómez of Mexico consecrated Poland to Our Lady of Guadalupe’s care at the request of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. Finally, the Marian Prayer Program has helped the Knights in Poland to maintain a healthy perspective about the active life and contemplative life. “I can see clearly that the calling of the Knights is not only being socially active, but it is also religious development,” said Orzechowski. “Prayer must precede all other activities — without it, our activities would be barren.”♦ KRZYSZTOF MAZUR is a member of Our Lady of Mercy Council 15128 in Krakow.
ENTRUSTING POLAND TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AFTeR THe WARSAW UPRISInG in 1944, a Polish soldier named Jerzy Skoryna settled in Mexico, where he visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and noticed the flags of countries that had been consecrated to Our Lady. He learned that in order for Poland to be consecrated, too, formal requests were needed from the cardinal primate of Poland and from the Polish government. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński quickly sent the first request, but the communist regime in Poland refused to send its own request for ideological reasons. The president of the Polish Republic in exile, who at that time was recognized by the Holy See, sent the second request instead. The ceremony took place May 3, 1959 — the feast of Our Lady, Queen of Poland and the anniversary of the first Polish Constitution, the world’s oldest constitution after the United States. In his homily, Cardinal Miranda y Gómez said that when Mexican Catholics experienced persecution in the 1920s and ’30s, the people of Poland prayed for them. And through this consecration and the prayers of the Church in Mexico, the spiritual favor was being repaid. entrusting Poland to Our Lady of Guadalupe also reinforced the belief that the victory over oppressive governments and enemies of the Church comes through Mary.
REFLECTION
Canada’s World Youth Day, 10 Years Later During his 2002 trip to Toronto, Blessed John Paul II communicated a message of joy and hope by Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.
CNS photo by bill Wittman
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n the lead up to the largest gathering in Canada’s history, to any universally shared ethical values? Is it right to be the World Youth Day Cross made a 16-month pilgrim- content with provisional answers to the ultimate questions, age through more than 350 cities. The pilgrimage was and to abandon life to the impulses of instinct, to shortmade possible through the support of the Knights of lived sensations or passing fads?” Columbus as Toronto prepared to host the 17th InternaWhen the concluding papal Mass on Sunday gathered tional World Youth Day, July 23-28, 2002. 850,000 people, even the most cynical among us could not Ten years later, we still bask in the radiant memories of help but be impressed by the stream of young people who that summer. expressed their joy at being When the cross finally arrived Christians in a complex and warin Toronto in July, it was soon torn world. followed by hundreds of thouBlessed John Paul II’s personal sands of young people from 172 words in his last World Youth nations and an elderly pope who Day homily that morning still restunned critics immediately sound in my ears: “You are young, upon his arrival. Blessed Pope and the pope is old, 82 or 83 years John Paul II painstakingly of life is not the same as 22 or 23. walked down the steps of his But the pope still fully identifies plane instead of using the special with your hopes and aspirations. lift that had been prepared for Although I have lived through him, and at the official welcommuch darkness, under harsh totaling ceremony that day, he spoke itarian regimes, I have seen these words to the people of enough evidence to be unshakCanada: “Canadians are heirs to ably convinced that no difficulty, an extraordinarily rich humanno fear is so great that it can comCatholic young people carry the World Youth Day Cross ism, enriched even more by the pletely suffocate the hope that into downtown Toronto June 9, 2002, on the final leg blend of many different cultural springs eternal in the hearts of the of the cross’ journey through Canada. elements…. In a world of great young. You are our hope, the social and ethical strains, and confusion about the very pur- young are our hope. Do not let that hope die! Stake your pose of life, Canadians have an incomparable treasure to lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failcontribute — on condition that they preserve what is deep, ures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real and good, and valid in their own heritage.” capacity to become the image of his Son.” On Friday evening, Toronto’s majestic University Avenue World Youth Day in Toronto was not a show, a rave was transformed into the Via Dolorosa of Jerusalem as party, a protest or a photo opportunity. Against a backmore than half a million people participated in the ancient ground of global terror and fear, economic collapse in Stations of the Cross in the heart of a modern city. Thanks many countries, and ecclesial scandals, World Youth Day to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the event also 2002 presented a bold, alternative vision of compelling had a worldwide television audience. beauty, hope and joy, offering a Church that is alive and At the deeply moving Saturday evening candlelight vigil young. The memories of July 2002 continue to inspire and at Downsview Park, which drew together more than encourage us with hope as we strive always to build up the 600,000 people, John Paul II spoke stirring words to the Church in Canada.♦ young people: “On what foundations must we build the new historical era that is emerging from the great transfor- BASILIAn FATHeR THOMAS ROSICA, a member of Toronto mations of the 20th century? Is it enough to rely on the Council 1388, was the national director and CeO of World Youth technological revolution now taking place, which seems to Day 2002 in Toronto. He has been the CeO of Canada’s Salt and respond only to criteria of productivity and efficiency, Light Catholic Media Foundation since 2003 and is also president without reference to the individual’s spiritual dimension or of Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario.
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THE TRUTH ABOUT
N F P NATURAL
FA M I LY
P L A NN I N G
Beyond the myths to the mystery of married love by Tom Hoopes y wife, April, and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary this August, not long after the U.S. bishops’ national Family Planning Awareness Week, July 22-28. We have, in fact, been very aware of natural family planning throughout the two decades of our marriage. We learned the mechanics of natural family planning from a religious sister at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco as an engaged couple, and April learned the moral framework of it while studying at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. In the 20 years since, we have used natural family planning to space our children, to defend the Church’s teaching about sexuality and to help prepare couples for marriage. But through it all we have discovered that certain myths about natural family planning have persisted. MYTH: nATURAL FAMILY PLAnnInG IS UnSCIenTIFIC natural family planning describes a number of fertility awareness methods that married couples can use to space their children or limit their family size. It involves abstaining from sexual activity during fertile periods in a woman’s cycle and is entirely different than contraception: Couples using nFP avoid the marital act, rather than rendering the act infertile. Modern natural family planning is also far advanced and very different from the “rhythm method” of days gone by. When April and I were married in 1992, the nFP movement was already more than 20 years old. John Kippley reminded me of that when I spoke with him last spring. He and other nFP pioneers began promoting natural family planning in the late 1960s. They systematized and applied the discoveries Dr. John Billings had made in the 1950s and founded the Couple to Couple League in 1971. While working for the Melbourne Catholic Family Welfare Bureau, Kippley documented the relationship between ovulation and changes in cervical mucus — a primary physical sign that women tend to notice whether they are practicing natural family planning or not. Kippley succeeded in building a model that allows women to judge the fertile point in their cycle by observing signs exhibited by their own bodies. Dr. Marc Pecha, who has practiced medicine in San Antonio for 17 years, has seen how modern nFP methods have benefited his patients. 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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“The old rhythm method relied on an unrealistic expectation that every woman’s menstrual cycle was 28 days,” explained Pecha. “The advances in medicine and the understanding of the physiology of fertility has radically upgraded both the accuracy and the usefulness of certain physical signs which indicate when a woman is fertile or not. … This has tremendous consequences both for those trying to conceive and for those who are not.” In fact, studies have demonstrated that nFP methods are very effective for couples not seeking conception. In 2007, researchers in the medical journal Human Reproduction Today reported that nFP methods are “as effective as the contraceptive pill for avoiding unplanned pregnancies if used correctly.” natural family planning is also an accurate way to predict pregnancy, as discovered by Anthony Flott, director of communications for the University of nebraska–Omaha Alumni Association and a member of Archbishop Bergan Council 6429 in Papillion, neb. Flott was tracking his wife’s cycle on an nFP chart when he noticed an irregularity. “Based on what we were taught, I figured she was pregnant,” he said. Flott’s wife, Roberta, rejected the idea, and a pregnancy test suggested she was right. But Flott pointed to the chart and insisted the test must have been wrong. A couple of days later she took a second test. This one was positive. “not only was natural family planning so telling that I was able to ‘beat’ a pregnancy test, but I was able to tell my wife she was pregnant,” Flott said. “How many guys can say that?” MYTH: COUPLeS PReFeR COnTRACePTIOn even when they learn about modern natural family planning, many people assume that couples would prefer contraception because it seems a lot less daunting. Pecha compared natural family planning to a weight room: “It can look frightening, require too much work to master, and demand one be in it and use it to reap the benefits,” he said. But
Sergio and Jessica Castillo are pictured with their four daughters, ages 9, 6, 5 and 2. Sergio, a 2006 graduate of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, said natural family planning has become “a way of life” and “a deepening of our vocation.”
Photo by Chris Curry
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“each and every marital act is truly a renewal of our marital covenant, and continues to grow and enrich our understanding of each other, and through that, our love of God,” said John. “We experience the ‘mystery’ of matrimony — entering into something that is never exhausted in its power and ever new in its ability to satisfy our hungry hearts.” Sergio Castillo, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, also talks about how natural family planning preserves the mystery of married love. Ask him if he and his wife, Jessica, are “converts” from contraception to natural family planning, and he will tell you “it’s complicated” — partly because of bad pastoral advice the couple received before they were married. But eventually, natural family planning “went from being a rule, to a method, to a possibility, to a way of life, to a deepening in our vocation,” Castillo said. “As a man, the greatest challenge in using nFP has been learning to live the abstinence,” he added, “not as a negation of myself or my desire, but as a deeper union with my wife.” A 2006 graduate of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, Castillo added that practicing natural family has also deepened his faith. “Only Christ at the heart and center of our union can give us that true and lasting intimacy,” he said. “Living nFP has been the concrete way, precisely though my vocation, in which I am learning with Christ’s help to love, day by day.” MYTH: eVeRY nFP FAMILY IS enORMOUS What other couples are missing, say nFP users, is intimacy and self-discipline — and a more organic way to space their children.
Photo by Joe mixan/mixan media
for those who do it regularly, “the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience.” Pecha said that natural family planning requires a discipline that improves “every aspect of life … the depth of married love flourishes; and into that flourishing of marital love comes the fruit: a new soul reflecting the love of the Maker.” John and Penny Harrison of Kansas City, Mo., came to accept the Church’s teaching on contraception not just theologically, but “based on our own lived experience,” John said. When the couple married in 1983, they used contraception as a matter of course, believing it was irresponsible to do otherwise. “Our conversion away from contraception was incremental; small grace-by-grace steps, if you will,” said John. “neither of us liked the way the pill altered [Penny’s] body and her attitude.” Other contraceptive methods also negatively affected the couple’s intimacy. “Our sexual relationship — the very cause and center of our marriage — was actually a block to knowing each other better, not an aide,” John said. “We had a ‘gate-keeping’ and ‘gate-crashing’ dynamic in our approach to each other in our desires for intimacy.” Penny said her attitude started to change when she began breastfeeding, which “schooled her heart” for conversion. Discovering the Catholic apologetics movement and the Couple to Couple League also helped open the Harrisons to natural family planning. According to John, it became for them more than just a birth control practice. “We had come back from the ‘dark side,’” he said, “and saw with such clarity the gift of the Church’s teachings on human sexuality.” The Harrisons now understand marital intimacy to involve and require total self-giving.
Photo by Liz Garza Williams Photographer, LLC
Anthony Flott, a member of Archbishop Bergan Council 6429 in Papillion, Neb., and his wife Roberta have been practicing natural family planning throughout their 18-year marriage. • Dr. Marc Pecha, a physician in San Antonio, advises his patients about natural family planning. What they need not fear is another myth of natural family planning: that it inevitably leads to very large families. As Pecha put it, “I know of many couples who use nFP and some have no children; some have many. each marriage is different, and the reasons to avoid conception for a while also differ.” In addition to being a homemaker, Barb Szyszkiewicz is also a blogger and a freelancer writer. She and her husband, Stephen, a computer programmer, have three children, who range in age from 10 to 20. Szyszkiewicz first learned about natural family planning during her senior year religion class at a Catholic high school. “Our teacher asked another teacher — a young, cool, newly married, nFP-using teacher — to speak to the class about nFP. It was a wonderful witness.” not only have they used natural family planning throughout their marriage, but the Szyszkiewiczs have also taught the practice to other families in the Diocese of Trenton, n.J. “What people expect of natural family planning, in our experience, is that it will not be able to work as a method of limiting family size,” Szyszkiewicz said. even when telling people she has only three children, Szyszkiewicz said that skeptics still “want to tell us how it ‘doesn’t work.’” natural family planning does, in fact, “work” for families who use it to space children, but it is also true that nFP-using couples tend to have larger families. That is because natural family planning does something else. “It invites you to consider — daily — whether your family is open to the possibility of a child right then,” said Szyszkiewicz. For some, that means limiting family size for a while. But for many, it means more openness to children. “I don’t spend time judging folks for their lack of ‘generosity,’” said John Harrison. “I have learned that as long as they aren’t using contraception, God can mold hearts to be generously open to new life.” Unlike contraception, natural family planning goes hand in hand with periods of discernment and conversations about intimacy, Harrison added. “Decisions about family size and the timing of marital relations are integrated with all the other discussions common to marriage.” That is what April and I have found to be true. She sums up the benefits of natural family planning in one word: communication. In our 20 years together, natural family planning has opened our hearts to each other and opened our lives to the adventure of a large family. Our nine children have come every 2-3 years and have matured and deepened our hearts immeasurably. natural family planning has helped us love each other better — and love each other more. After all, that is why we got married in the first place.♦ TOM HOOPeS is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan.
COMMON NFP METHODS There are a number of different methods of natural family planning, most of which involve charting a woman’s fertility cycle according to bodily signs. Here are some of the most common. • The Billings Ovulation Method (WOOMB.org), developed by Dr. John Billings in Australia, involves observing physical changes in a woman’s body. • The Creighton Model (CreightonModel.com) is a modified version of the Billings Ovulation Method. It is used by FertilityCare centers (fertilitycare.org), which specialize in treating infertility and offering morally acceptable reproductive health services. • The Sympto-Thermal Method relies on observations as well as changes in body temperature. It is more effective and more complex than observation-only methods. The Couple to Couple League (CCLI.org) and Serena (serena.ca) teach this method. • Ecological Breast-Feeding can allow new mothers to delay the return of ovulation for weeks or months after giving birth. During this period, an nFP-using couple does not need to practice periodic abstinence to avoid pregnancy. JULY 2012
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What They Didn’t Tell You in Sex Ed An interview with Vicki Thorn about the negative consequences of hormonal contraception on health, relationships and society by Alton J. Pelowski icki Thorn, founder of the national Office for Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing and Project Rachel, has for decades helped women to heal from broken relationships and the pain of abortion. A corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, her work has also led her to study current research about the biochemistry of sex and the effects of hormonal birth control. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than four out of five women in the United States will use some form of hormonal contraception — including pills, patches, implants, injections and intrauterine devices — during their fertile years. With this in mind, Thorn recently spoke with Columbia about the dramatic influence that hormonal birth control has had on our society since the Food and Drug Administration first approved the birth control pill in 1960. COLUMBIA: How do birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraception work? VICKI THORN: They use steroid hormones that impact the pituitary gland, which in turn influences different systems in the body. There are many effects of this chemistry, but the “desired effect” is to stop ovulation. Because the dosage of steroidal hormones is lessened in oral contraceptives, there may still be ovulation breakthrough, which means that conception can still be occurring. But the hormones also aggravate the lining of the uterus, making it inadequate to sustain a newly conceived embryo and thereby preventing implantation. In this way, some forms of contraception can have an abortifacient effect. COLUMBIA: What are some of the known side effects and health risks for women? VICKI THORN: Some of the most serious side effects include the risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, stroke and certain forms of cancer. Both the Depo-Provera shot and the birth control pill can cause bone demineralization and serious nutritional 22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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deficiencies. A number of women who are chemically contracepting experience mood swings or depression, and some suffer from migraines. The health risks are numerous, but we are not well informed about them. COLUMBIA: Does hormonal birth control also adversely affect men’s health or the environment? VICKI THORN: Absolutely. We know that in countries around the world where oral contraception has been introduced, male fertility has dropped by about half. Research that began in england and now continues around the world has found that the water supply has been impacted wherever hormonal contraceptives are used. The estrogen is highly stable in a woman’s body and when it is passed out in the form of waste, it is very difficult to remove from the water system. This has already had a great impact on male fish and birds. COLUMBIA: How do these drugs affect the way men and women are attracted to each other? VICKI THORN: This is a really serious issue. While using the pill, women change what is called pheromone preference. Through nature, God equipped women with the ability to perceive through pheromones — which are hormones of affiliation — whether or not a man is a biologically good match. If they’re not contracepting, most women are first attracted to a male who is a complement in terms of their immune system. The woman who is chemically contracepting, though, is attracted to a male whose immune system is very much like her own. One speculative reason could be that her body thinks it’s in a pregnant state and now she’s looking for a protector rather than a mate. Whatever the cause, this raises some grave concerns. We are at least three generations into pill usage, affecting the ways partners are attracted to each other. Some believe we now have at least one generation of autoimmune-compromised children because of this. Moreover, when a woman chooses a partner and gets married while she is taking the pill, she likely won’t find her husband as
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attractive when she stops using it. This can cause intimacy to dissolve, significantly breaking down marital stability. As for men, they perceive different things in terms of attraction — fertile and infertile periods and pregnancy. Men have a biological response when women are ovulating, because that’s the window for the possibility of procreation. Chemical contraception flatlines this and changes a woman’s scent, communicating that she isn’t fertile. What is this doing to the males around us? It certainly could lead in some cases to the temptation to be unfaithful. A man who is no longer having a regular elevation of interest in his wife, because she is contracepting, may suddenly become very interested in another woman who is not. The pill also reduces libido, thereby countermanding one of the reasons that people use it.
The lie that abounds in our society is that recreational sex is perfectly acceptable because there are all these protective measures — the pill, the morning-after pill, abortion — which make it simple and easy. But the reality is that they leave a trail of broken hearts that it is beyond anything we could even imagine.
COLUMBIA: Some reports claim that the pill is known to have health benefits and that some doctors regard the pill as “more natural” than menstruation. Is there any truth to these claims? VICKI THORN: How can steroid hormones be more natural than a regular menstrual cycle, which is truly in sync with a woman’s body? We have to remember that there are billions of dollars made in chemical contraceptives. Much of the research that is done is funded by people who have a vested monetary interest in the whole contraceptive mindset. We’re told that it’s good for us and we trust our doctors. But COLUMBIA: In addition to affecting physical attraction, does the reality is that it is interfering with normal health. Pharmathe birth control pill also influence how a woman thinks or ceutical treatment usually has to do with illness. But fertility is acts in her daily life? not illness. Fertility is normal. And pregnancy is not a disease. VICKI THORN: There is some new research showing that the Maybe the birth control pill could be prescribed for an existing condition under some very rare cirpill seems to change the way a cumstances, but for the most part it woman’s brain develops. Under the is not good medicine. impact of these steroid hormones, a Last December, a medical journal woman’s brain starts looking a little article proposed that we ought to be more like a male brain, and emoharmaceutical giving chemical contraceptives to all tional memory is affected. When treatment usually has Catholic religious sisters because shown a picture of an accident, men they never bore children and have a tend to remember the big picture, to do with illness. But higher risk of ovarian cancer. But by what happened, whereas women injecting a major steroid into their normally remember the fine details. fertility is not illness. bodies, it would increase the risk of The woman on the pill, though, deFertility is normal. And more common cancers and other sescribes the picture more from the rious health problems. What is the male perspective and seems to lose pregnancy is not a true balance point here? some of her ability to see the details. Often, young women will tell me Because this is fairly new research, disease.” that their doctor prescribed the pill we don’t really know what the longfor medicinal purposes, such as to term implications are. help with acne. But there is no COLUMBIA: How does the experience of couples who do not switch in the human body that we can flip and say, “OK, now use contraception differ from those who do? this pill is only going to deal with acne.” The pill acts in the VICKI THORN: A husband and wife who are not using contra- same fashion within the human body regardless of the intent. ception are probably aware of the woman’s cycle using natural family planning, which means they are in dialogue with each COLUMBIA: What advice would you have for women on the pill? other about fertility on an ongoing basis. And every month there VICKI THORN: It is not what it appears to be and it is not good is this hormonal dance, as the wife moves to the point of ovula- medicine for women. Recognize its impact in terms of relationtion and the husband has a biological response that elevates his ships. It’s possible to be well informed and make good decisions. testosterone. I think we were designed by God to be in sync, For women who have been on it for a long time, I encourage through this constant hormonal exchange between man and wife. them to find a physician who is well versed in this information and in fertility care charting or natural family planning. Women COLUMBIA: Has the birth control pill and the morning-after who go off the pill may be facing some infertility issues as well. pill affected the rate of unwanted pregnancies? It’s important to find physicians who can give the honest truth VICKI THORN: Risk-taking behavior is associated with the be- and help restore women’s bodies to a normal state. lief that sex is a possibility at any time without the consequence Women talk about how much better they feel when they get of pregnancy. In my experience of working with women who off the pill. They hadn’t realized that the mood swings, depreshave had abortions, I have found that a great number of them sion, weight gain and lack of libido were all related in some way were chemically contracepting at the time they got pregnant. to an innocuous little pill.♦
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The
home
World is not our
Amid joy and suffering, Louis and Zelie Martin grew together in holiness and raised saintly children by Erika Ahern
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ouis and Zelie Martin, beatified in 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI, lie side by side in the crypt of the enormous basilica that honors their most famous child: St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Martins are not, however, simply the parents of St. Thérèse, whose “Little Way” inspired new zeal in millions of Catholics and whom Blessed John Paul II named a Doctor of the Church in 1997. St. Thérèse, in fact, once wrote of them, “God gave me a father and a mother more worthy of heaven than of earth.” Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin provide a rare and compelling witness to married couples today. Together, they brought nine children into the world, four who died in infancy and five who entered religious life. Through all their struggles and triumphs, Louis and Zelie’s heroic witness to divine providence and to the power of a marriage lived in fidelity offers profound insights into how a man and woman can reach holiness together.
FAITHFUL THROUGH TRIALS The first years of marriage are rarely easy, and the Martins were no exception to this rule. On her wedding day, July 13, 1858, Zelie Martin wept for hours. She later reflected, “I can say that on that day I cried all my tears, more than I’d ever cried in my life, and more than I would ever cry again.” She had longed to enter the same Visitation convent as her elder sister, but had discerned instead that her vocation lay in the home. Louis, too, had pursued the priesthood, but the monastic community to which he applied rejected him. Their mutual desire to live for God alone drew them closer to one another. Zelie wrote many years later that Louis “understood me and consoled me … because his inclinations were similar to mine…. Our feelings were always in accord.” Today, many couples enter marriage with disappointments from the past — failed relationships or even attempts to follow a different vocation. These crosses can be borne in companionship, as Louis and Zelie discovered. Instead of longing for what could have been, they centered themselves entirely on the promise of heaven. Pursuit of holiness in the sacraments and prayer became a regular part of their increasingly busy home. Zelie raised the children and worked as a full-time lacemaker, while Louis traveled often for business. In spite of their rigorous schedules, they found time for family prayer in the mornings and evenings, and frequently attended daily Mass and eucharistic adoration. These devotions were particularly remarkable in post-Revolutionary France. The Martins lived in a fiercely secular cul24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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ture. The enlightenment and constant civil war had left the Catholic community in normandy — as in much of europe — a small and despised minority. The Martins resisted fierce anti-clericalism, not unlike that found in much of the West today. They prayed fervently that their own children would be blessed with religious vocations. And in their home, they deliberately provided a strong antidote to the secularism that reigned in contemporary society. Families today can find encouragement in the Martins’ determination to focus not on the failures of secular culture, but on the gift of eternal life. Zelie repeatedly reminded her brother, Isidore, whose faith had grown weak at the University in Paris, that complete happiness is not possible on earth: “In his wisdom, God wanted it this way to make us remember that the world is not our true home.” Two decades later, after his wife’s death, Louis Martin would echo these sentiments: “Our heart is satisfied with nothing as long as we’re not seeing the infinite beauty that is God.” These words were not cheap piety. The Martins endured prolonged financial distress, a situation to which many families today can relate. When the Prussian army occupied and devastated the countryside around their home in Alençon from 1868 to 1870, Zelie’s lace-making business failed and the couple lived on their modest savings. The French economy was failing, and their home was periodically overrun with invading Prussian soldiers. Despite these trials, daily life continued, and Zelie and Louis took great joy in their children. Zelie wrote that, however peaceful life in the convent might have been in comparison, she would never have chosen otherwise, for the sake of her children. Likewise, although Louis had sought solitude in the monastery, he instead found God in “the intimate happiness of the family, and it’s this beauty that brings us closer to Him.” nonetheless, tragedy struck repeatedly — four children died before the age of five. Louis and Zelie spoke often of them as beloved members of their family, providing a beautiful example of healing for families who have experienced the inexpressible pain of losing a child. “When I closed the eyes of my dear little children and when I buried them, I felt great pain,” wrote Zelie. “Several people said to me, ‘It would be much better never to have had them.’ I can’t bear this kind of talk. I don’t think the sorrows and problems could be weighed against the eternal happiness of my children… We’ll see them again in Heaven.” Her
Pilgrims venerate the relics of Blessed Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse, outside of the basilica in Lisieux, France, before the couple’s Oct. 20, 2008 beatification.
Photo by Frederic SOuLOy/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
words express the convictions of many parents that each human life, no matter its duration, is irreplaceable. THe JOURneY TO HeAVen The Martins’ courage and devotion in the face of illness and death are also a moving example for husbands and wives who today face terminal illness or the death of a spouse. Zelie had suffered pain in her breast for eleven years when she was finally diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer in 1876. Pain and the accumulated years of loss and trauma developed into irritability and depression. She confessed to her sister that the sleep deprivation made her “truly not very pleasant.” She continued, “Fortunately, I’m still willing to admit it!” Louis remained at her side until her death, comforting her in the long nights. He understood that his vocation was to become the face of Christ for Zelie, and he saw her safely into the heaven that she had always kept in the center of their home. She died in his arms in 1877 at the age of 45. After Zelie’s death, Louis moved his five daughters from Alençon to Lisieux, where they could be near their cousins. The burden of raising the youngest girls fell to the two eldest, Marie and Pauline. Louis wrote to them expressing his fatherly approval and instructing them “to lead your little battalion the best you can and be more sensible than your old father….” Although his life was difficult, Louis was not depressed or despondent. He wrote to a priest friend in 1883: “The memories of my whole life are so pleasant that … there are moments when my heart overflows with joy.” The burden of single fatherhood became yet another way in which Louis drew closer to the happiness of heaven. Louis and Zelie’s prayers and example bore great fruit. Their five surviving children entered religious life: four at the Carmel
at Liseiux, while the fifth entered the Visitation convent that Zelie herself had so longed to join. For Louis, his daughters’ vocations were both the greatest sacrifice and the greatest joy of his later life. He gladly gave his daughters to Christ, whom he knew as the perfect and true Bridegroom. In spite of his deep attachment to their companionship, he willingly let them pursue the cloistered life. For Thérèse, his generosity and self-gift embodied the love of God himself. She called him her “King,” who “had offered himself as a victim to God.” near the end of his life, Louis wrote to his four Carmelite daughters, “I have the urgent desire to thank God and to make you thank God because I feel that our family, though very humble, has the honor of being among the privileged of our adorable Creator.” As Louis suffered from cerebral arteriosclerosis, he grew silent and disoriented. He died in 1892 in a mental hospital. One year later, Thérèse expressed in a letter the heart of her family’s vocation: “We are voyagers who are traveling to our homeland.… There we shall be reunited never to leave each other, there we shall taste family joys eternally. … And we shall form a crown adorning the heads of our dear parents.” Louis and Zelie won that crown. The story of their lives is a gift to all who face the illness, financial stress, secularism, and loss in a family. Their heroism and the lives of their children show that no one becomes holy by himself. Through the vocation of marriage, men and women are called to help bring each other and their children to glory.♦ eRIKA J. AHeRn is a wife and mother of three daughters. She is the campus coordinator for Regina Caeli Academy in Hartford, Conn., and writes at philosophermoms.blogspot.com. JULY 2012
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S TAT E D E P U T I E S 2012-13
ALABAMA STEPHEN F. KOACH
ALASKA JAMES C. BETTS
ALBERTA GARY H. JOHNSON
ARIZONA BRYANT R. SAYERS
ARKANSAS MICHAEL L. KIEFFER
BRITISH COLUMBIA DWIGHT C. WILMOT
CALIFORNIA RAYMOND F. WARRINER
COLORADO ROGER G. MULLER
CONNECTICUT RALPH A. GRANDPRE
DELAWARE DAVID P. HANEY
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PATRICK E. KELLY
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ROBIN E. SANTANAHIROJO
FLORIDA CHRISTOPHER E. KERNAN
GEORGIA RICHARD G. SISKO
GUAM DAVID S. DUENAS
HAWAII MICHAEL P. VICTORINO
IDAHO JOHN J. PETTINGER
ILLINOIS RICHARD C. SPADA
INDIANA LAWRENCE B. FLUHR
IOWA JOSEPH A. RAMIREZ SR.
KANSAS SCOTT A. MAURATH
KENTUCKY WILLIAM L. SCHMIDT
LOUISIANA JOHN F. BOUDREAUX
LUZON ARSENIO ISIDRO G. YAP
MAINE PHILIP A. LIZOTTE
MANITOBA MERLYN A. ONYSCHUK
MARYLAND WILLIAM C. KUCHMAS III
MASSACHUSETTS PETER K. HEALY
MEXICO CENTRAL ROBERT D. NOLAND-BLOCK
MEXICO NORTHEAST JOSÉ LUIS RODRIGUEZ SÁNCHEZ
MEXICO NORTHWEST GUSTAVO A. GUZMÁN-OLIVAS
MEXICO SOUTH CARLOS A. CARRILLOCOLORADO
MICHIGAN MICHAEL J. MALINOWSKI
MINDANAO BALBINO C. FAUNI
MINNESOTA CRAIG A. LARSON
MISSISSIPPI GERALD E. SCHMUCK
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S TAT E D E P U T I E S 2013-13
MISSOURI BRADLEY P. GRILL
MONTANA ARTHUR J. MALISANI JR.
NEBRASKA JAMES N. HAIAR
NEVADA JOHN P. LAYMAN
NEW BRUNSWICK GÉRARD J. ARSENAULT
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR BADEN L. CLOUTER
NEW HAMPSHIRE JOEL D. PLANTE
NEW JERSEY DANIEL ROSSI
NEW MEXICO PETER P. QUICHOCHO
NEW YORK SALVATORE A. RESTIVO
NORTH CAROLINA GREGORY S. KENT
NORTH DAKOTA GLENN R. WAGNER
NOVA SCOTIA ROBERT W. BROOKS
OHIO DAVID A. HELMSTETTER
OKLAHOMA DANIEL P. HOGAN
ONTARIO JOSEPH T. SALINI
OREGON PATRICK L. RICE
PENNSYLVANIA JOSEPH A. GRECCO
POLAND KRZYSZTOF ORZECHOWSKI
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND GAYE T. HOOD
PUERTO RICO LUIS-IGNACIO RIVERA-PEREZ
QUEBEC PIERRE BEAUCAGE
RHODE ISLAND JAMES E. GILCREAST JR.
SASKATCHEWAN GILLES J. DOIRON
SOUTH CAROLINA RICHARD A. GABRIEL
SOUTH DAKOTA TERRY M. SCHWEITZER
TENNESSEE MICHAEL L. WILLS
TEXAS JAMES W. COLLINS
UTAH ROBERT E. MASSÉ JR.
VERMONT THOMAS F. CURRAN
VIRGINIA TOMMY C. HARGER
VISAYAS RODRIGO N. SORONGON
WASHINGTON DONALD J. McBRIDE
WEST VIRGINIA MARK J. ACKERMANN
WISCONSIN TIMOTHY L. GENTHE
WYOMING DONALD J. SCOTT
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K NIGHTS IN ACTION
REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES
mothers can apply for assistance in paying for their classes, books or other expenditures to help them continue their education after their babies is born. GETTING A LIFT
Members of Sweetwater Council 10821 in Douglasville, Ga., stand with members of the Douglas County Fire Department and some of the teddy bears that Knights collected for the firefighters. Knights collected teddy bears for the fire department to distribute to area children who are involved in emergencies.
When members of Lions Gate Council 7095 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, learned that a fellow Knight was having mobility issues as a result of ALS, they leapt into action to offer assistance. The council raised $9,140 to assist the member in having a stair lift installed in his home. MICROLOANS
VETERANS MEMORIAL
Bishop Francis A. Marrocco Assembly and Sir Knight Aubrey Allen Assembly, both in Peterborough, Ontario, donated $500 to construct an armed forces memorial at St. Peter Cemetery that honors past, present and future service members. Knights purchased the memorial, which features a giant cross and a stone that reads “Remembering Our Veterans,” from a monument company at a reduced price. Both assemblies provided an honor guard for the memorial’s dedication. TRANSPLANT ASSISTANCE
St. Jude the Apostle Council 12637 in Wynantskill, N.Y., held a fundraiser to benefit Brian Glasser, a local man who requires a liver transplant. The event — a combination pancake breakfast, bake sale and fund drive — raised $3,553 to assist with medical expenses for Glasser, who is currently on the transplant waiting list and must travel frequently to Florida for evaluations.
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PRO-LIFE WALK
Msgr. Felix Donnelly Council 4371 in Warner Robins, Ga., and its ladies auxiliary hosted a 5K walk/run to benefit area pro-life organizations. More than 160 people participated in the event, which raised approximately $5,000. LUNCH FOR CEREMONY
When Homes for Our Troops was preparing to present the keys to a new home to a wounded veteran, Ave Maria Council 7880 in Parker, Colo., stepped in to serve lunch to all those at the ceremony. Knights prepared hot dogs and hamburgers for the 200 people who came to see an Iraqi war veteran receive the keys to his new, specially adapted home. ADOPTION SCHOLARSHIP
The Montana State Council offers a scholarship for mothers who have chosen to give their children up for adoption through Catholic Social Services of Montana. New
Father Joseph P. McNamara Council 14422 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh supports small businesses around the world by providing microloans through the website Kiva.org. The council invested $275 in 11 loans to families in need and has received nearly 100 percent loan repayment. This, in turn, will allow the council to provide additional loans in the future.
Ray Cromwell and Juan Delgado of Holy Spirit Council 15174 in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas, donate blood during a drive to support Forest Wagner, a local adolescent who is battling cancer. Knights and their wives participated in the drive, which netted 38 units of blood.
MASS AT NURSING HOME
Pope John XXIII Council 7159 in Phoenix has sponsored a monthly Mass at the Phoenix Mountain Nursing Center for the past 25 years, ensuring that residents at the center have regular access to the sacraments. Knights also arrange special music for Masses on major holidays. PGA TICKETS RAFFLED
St. Brigid Council 13204 in Alpharetta, Ga., secured four sets of four-day passes to a major PGA tournament, which the council raffled to raise funds for the Global Wheelchair Mission. The tickets helped raise $5,000, which was used to purchase 50 wheelchairs — many for the Atlanta VA Medical Center. DOWN ON PAPER
Members of Our Lady of the Ridge Council 13201 in Chicago Ridge, Ill., St. Louis de Montfort Council 14553 in Oak Lawn and Holy Family Assembly in Oak Lawn volunteered to distribute paper products valued at $25,000 to low-income members of the community. Since food stamps cannot be used to purchase tissues, diapers, feminine products and the like, needy families often pay for these items out of pocket. Knights sorted and delivered hundreds of boxes of paper products to several agencies that assist low-income residents. SMART BOARD
Father Irenee Bouchard Council 8189 in Beresford, New Brunswick, donated $5,000 to an area school for an interactive smart board for its sixth-grade class.
K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N CEMETERIES RESTORED
Pope John Paul I Council 7315 in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, restored two county cemeteries that had been neglected after their associated parishes shut down. The council donated $1,000 to erect a new monument at Codette Holy Family Cemetery and to put markers on graves that could be identified. A member of the council also cleaned the cemetery grounds. The council also restored Pinehurst Catholic Cemetery by clearing the overgrown cemetery grounds and erecting a new sign for $150. BIBLES, CATECHISMS DONATED
Santa Maria Council 4999 in West Palm Beach, Fla., donated Bibles and copies of The Catechism of the Catholic Church for the adult religious education program at St. Patrick Church.
Morden-Winkler (Manitoba) and District Council 10153 has sponsored the bingo tournament at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival since 1999. During that time, the games have raised $52,500 to help build the new St. John the Evangelist Church, which was completed in late 2011. FIRE RESPONSE
Farmington (Minn.) Council 2400 and Father Carey Council 5569 in Rosemount cosponsored a pancake breakfast to benefit Kerri Davis, a local teacher who lost her car and home in a fire. The event raised nearly $5,000 to help Davis get back on her feet. FUND DRIVE FOR SCHOOL
Marquis Louis De Montcalm Assembly in St. Jean, Quebec, hosted a fund drive to benefit Marie-Rivier School, which
MULCH SPREAD
Volunteers from St. Basil Council 4204 in Sugarland, Texas, Santa Maria Council 6065 in Plano and St. Theresa Circle 3058 spread 10 cubic yards of mulch at a playground at the Fort Bend County Women’s Center, which provides shelter to women in abusive relationships. The new mulch will provide a safer play environment for the children who live at the center with their mothers. BINGO FOR CHARITY
St. Jude Council 6052 in Oshawa, Ontario, has supported the Oshawa Hospital Foundation for the past 20 years, raising money through the council’s televised Bingo games. Knights have contributed $43,000 to the foundation, most of which has been directed to the hospital’s cancer center. Meanwhile,
Members of Msgr. Adam A. Micek Council 8410 in Harrison, Ark., look on as a cement mixer prepares to pour the base for an outdoor grill at Mary, Mother of God Church. Knights volunteered and donated materials to complete the grill for the church’s pavilion. educates young people with intellectual disabilities. The fund drive raised $1,000.
from several council-sponsored events to the organization.
FUN RUN
BOOKS FOR ORPHANAGE
St. Jude Thaddeus Council 5831 in Davao City, Mindanao, initiated a fun run to raise funds for the improvement of its parish church and the church’s air conditioning system. About 700 people joined the run, which raised 226,000 pesos (about $5,100). FOR THE PANTRY
Members of St. Jude Council 1043 in Elkhart, Ind., along with an army of nearly 200 volunteers, pack food baskets for needy families during a council-sponsored food basket drive. Through fundraising, donations and support from other area K of C units, Knights raised enough money to assemble approximately 600 food baskets, which are designed to feed a family for several weeks. The council has sponsored this program for 25 years.
When the Catholic Charities Food Pantry sent out an urgent appeal for food and funds, St. Thomas More Council 4397 in Allentown, Pa., responded with a food drive at all of the weekend Masses at St. Thomas More Church. The drive netted more than $1,400 in cash and two truckloads of food. THERAPEUTIC RIDING
St. Joseph the Provider Council 13942 in St. Joseph, Mich., provides ongoing support to the Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Watervliet. Knights partner with TEC for a number of fundraisers, including a horseshoe tournament, and have donated the proceeds
St. Niño de Molino Circle 3776 in Bahayang, Luzon, donated children’s books to an orphanage run by the Somascan Missionary Sisters. FLAGPOLE ERECTED
Kumintang Assembly in Balayan, Luzon, constructed a 25-foot flagpole at Barangay Latag Elementary School, one of the most remote schools in the region. The assembly also provided an honor guard for the flagpole’s dedication. HEALTHY TRANSITION
When Father William Brooks Council 5145 in Nederland, Texas, learned that a council member’s home had been deemed unsafe and needed to be demolished, the council raised money for the demolition efforts and volunteered to help clear the lot. The council also donated money so that the member could have the utilities connected and carpet installed in his new home, which he shares with his disabled mother.
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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N
raffle, proceeds from which are split between charitable causes and a contingency fund for parish expenses. WHEELCHAIR DONATED
Councils from Ontario District #61 raised $1,500 to purchase a specially equipped wheelchair for the ALS Society of Canada. The wheelchair was then donated to a client of the society.
Bishop John B. Brungardt of Dodge City, Kan., blesses a new pro-life sign on U.S. Highway 50 that was erected by Sacred Heart Council 2955. After realizing that the council’s existing pro-life sign could not be refurbished, artist Dennis Burghart, a council member, offered to create a new sign cut from a six-foot by 10-foot steel plate. The sign, which was funded by the council and features the words, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42), was erected with volunteer and logistical assistance from fellow council members. SHELTER DONATION
Fairfield (N.J.) Council 6380 donated $2,000 to Several Sources Shelters, an organization that provides shelter, support and education to young or unwed mothers. Funds for the donation were raised during a drive at St. Thomas More Church.
in crisis pregnancies. Knights razed a pool deck that had become a safety hazard, built a new entry to the building’s basement and relocated a partition between two bedrooms. Prior to Mother Seton purchasing the house, the building had been abandoned for several years.
STANDING FOR LIFE
PUBLIC ROSARY
Teton Council 6200 in Choteau, Mont., volunteered 90 hours creating wooden stands for several pro-life posters that were placed at the four parishes and the mission church that the council serves. The posters carry messages like “Life: What a Beautiful Choice.”
Our Lady of the Lakes Council 3359 in Denville, N.J., organized a public rosary to pray for the country. Knights and parishioners from three area churches participated in the event. The council also provided free rosaries and pamphlets on the how to pray the rosary.
HOME FOR LIFE
SHEDDING A LIGHT
Our Lady of the Mountains Council 7575 in North Conway, N.H., and Father Michael J. McGivney Council 11376 in Bridgton, Maine, crossed state lines to work at the Mother Seton House in Fryeburg, a shelter that will soon offer housing for new mothers and women
Our Lady of Mercy Council 11144 in Harborcreek, Pa., donated $10,000 to its parish to install a new energy-efficient lighting system in the church hall, gymnasium and storage areas. Funds for the donation were raised through the council’s annual “Golf Night” sports
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JULY 2012
‘CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS’
The Good Shepherd Council 10816 in Stephenville, Texas, held its annual “Challenge of Champions” soccer tournament, which saw 24 high school teams compete in boys and girls divisions. The event raised $4,500, which was donated back to area soccer organizations. FLAGS FOR CLASSROOMS
Father James Clement Council 6389 in St. Amant, La., and Msgr. Arthur J. Lieux Assembly in Gonzales purchased flags for 45 classrooms at Sorrento Primary School, which serves students from Ascension Parish. MAKING MUSIC
Burlington (Mass.) Council 4978 donated money from its Exceptional Children’s Fund to launch a music program
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Kaeley and Georgia Thurmond present a donation to Mike Ray of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council 7850 in Plano, Texas, during the council’s annual fund drive for people with disabilities. Each year, Knights direct the funds from their drive to charities that support people with hearing impairments. The latest drive netted more than $4,700. for special-need students at two area schools. The donation allowed the Burlington School System to hire a music therapist to work with students with disabilities. CLEANING UP
Villa Candida Subdivision Council 13858 in Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, received 10 garbage drums from the Philippines Air Force, which Knights placed around their community. The drums, in turn, will help with trash collection and in keeping the subdivision clean.
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K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com
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To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 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 © 2012 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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C O LU M B I A N I S M B Y D E G R E E S
Unity
Charity
Fraternity
Patriotism
MEMBERS OF Leo Council 508 in Peabody, Mass., blaze a path for the construction of a new 50-foot walkway at St. Adelaides Church. Knights assisted Boy Scout Paul Harrington, who undertook the project to meet the requirements for his Eagle Scout, and donated $700 to the project. The walkway leads to a new reflection area, complete with a statue of Mary. • Pope John Paul I Council 7243 in Apache Junction, Ariz., hosted a car show that raised $1,645 for the Boys and Girls Club.
MILTON J. CATALINA and Phil Lozano of St. Joseph Council 8954 in Richardson, Texas, set the base for a new tree house at the home of a deceased council member. Knights came to the aid of a council widow, gathering leaves and trimming trees at her home. The council also constructed a tree house for the deceased Knight’s four young children. • Lancaster (Calif.) Council 2455 in Palmdale installed a new stained-glass window with the emblem of the Order at its council hall. Knights installed the window after refurbishing one of the entryways at their council hall.
MEMBERS OF Charles Fedler Sr. Assembly in Delta stand at attention while welcoming home members of the “Witch Doctors,” a medical squadron of the Colorado National Guard that had been serving in Afghanistan. Knights were on hand to greet returning military personnel at the Montrose Airport. • Nicollet Assembly in Minneapolis, Minn., donated 850 pairs of socks for patients at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. In addition, the assembly donated $1,350 to the hospital and $1,250 to the Minneapolis Fisher House in honor of Sir Knight Robert Quigley Sr. and his wife, Kaye, for their 20 years of volunteer service at the hospital.
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JULY 2012
UNITY: Photo by J. P. Richardson — PATRIOTISM: Photo courtesy of Today’s Catholic, Diocese of Pueblo
MEMBERS OF St. Paul (Minn.) Council 397 lead approximately 100 pro-life advocates in prayer outside of a new Planned Parenthood facility in St. Paul during the council’s annual “Rosary for Love and Life” campaign. Started in 2005, the initiative encourages council members to gather at an area abortion facility to pray the rosary. At its latest event, the council was joined by Pro-Life Action Ministries and an honor guard from Msgr. Ravoux Assembly.
KNIGHT S O F C O LUM BUS
Building a better world one council at a time Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.
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Ruben Cruz of Immaculate Conception Council 14405 in Cainta, Luzon, gets participants fired up during a councilsponsored 3K road race. Knights sponsored the fun run for area young people.
“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” H AVEN , CT 06510-3326
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JUNE 2012
♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33
PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
KEEP T H E F A I T H A L I V E
‘I ALWAYS FELT THE CALL TO SERVE AND FOLLOW GOD’
Photo by Corey Hengen
I was born in Mexico in the state of Michoacán and lived there until the age of 14 when my family immigrated to Tacoma, Wash., in 1989. After high school, I worked as a machinist and studied for two years at a community college in Tacoma. As I had passed through many tribulations during my life, I became aware of God whispering in my ear and telling me to come and follow him. I always felt the call to serve and follow God and always tried to respond to the needs of others. I knew there was a need for vocations when I was discerning my call. While praying, one of the verses from the Gospel of Matthew really struck me: “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). In 2007, I applied to be a candidate for priesthood for the Archdiocese of Seattle, and I was accepted to the seminary — something I had always wanted. ARMANDO ORTIZ Sacred Heart School of Theology Hales Corner, Wisc.