Columbia July 2014

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J ULY 2014

K N I G H T S O F C O L U M BU S

COLUMBIA Laws can protect both the health and well-being of a woman and the life of the unborn.

84%

4% Unsure.

12% Laws must choose.

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS j u ly 2 0 1 4 ♌ V O l u M e 9 4 ♌ N u M B e R 7

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

8 America’s Steady March Toward a Culture of Life The rise in young supporters and legislative victories signals a growing pro-life consensus.

BY JEANNE MONAHAN

12 Changing Hearts, Changing Laws Three legislators offer insights on how to continue building momentum on behalf of the unborn.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

16 Death, Be Not Proud In the face of attempts to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, Catholic principles affirm an authentic culture of compassion.

BY WESLEY J. SMITH

20 Celebrating Sainthood National Mass of Thanksgiving and pilgrimage to new national shrine honors St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

24 A Pilgrimage of Joy Knights of Columbus fields host Polish pilgrims and others during historic canonization.

BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI

A liturgical procession exits the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception May 11 following the National Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonizations of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II.

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world Every Christian family is called to be a privileged place of evangelization, where love is revealed and communicated.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

TOP RIGHT: Photo by Matthew Barrick

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Learning the faith, living the faith

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Knights of Columbus News Wounded Warriors, Knights Visit Lourdes Shrine • John Paul II Institute Graduates Encouraged to Be Witnesses • Canadian Knights March for Life • Polish Knights Celebrate Continued Growth • Order Mourns Death of Former Supreme Master

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Fathers for Good Caring for your parents and your children brings trials and rewards.

BY BRIAN CAULFIELD

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State Deputies

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Knights in Action

Amid the distractions, temptations and concerns of modern life, putting God first is no easy task.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

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E D I TO R I A L

The ‘Culture of Comfort’ IT IS NOT surprising that in poll after poll, economic concerns consistently rank as the top political priority of voters. While people’s attitudes about specific economic policies may differ, they seem to be in agreement that the health of the economy is of paramount importance. This is not to say that people do not also have strong opinions about public policy issues such as the right to life. Many polls, including those conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion for the Knights of Columbus, have demonstrated that most people favor significant legal restrictions on abortion (see page 8). In the more than four decades since Roe v. Wade, Americans have become increasingly uneasy with the legacy of abortion on demand. Nonetheless, when judged alongside other political issues, the right to life often doesn’t make the list of voters’ priorities.

In this light, consider several observations that Pope Francis has made about contemporary society. First, he has often referred to a “throwaway culture” that fails to recognize the intrinsic dignity of human life. He notes that because the sick, poor, disabled, elderly and unborn are not seen as “useful,” neither are they respected and protected. At the same time, the pope has warned against what he calls a widespread “culture of comfort,” which leads to “the globalization of indifference.” In a July 2013 homily, he said that we, like those who walk by the man left for dead in the parable of the Good Samaritan, “have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters.” Thus, in his twofold diagnosis of our culture, Pope Francis has drawn urgent attention to our tendency to reduce others — as

well as ourselves — to useful and comfortable consumers.

Of course, the “throwaway culture” is not new. In a 1931 speech, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw smugly argued, “If you can’t justify your existence — if you’re not producing as much as you consume or perhaps a little more — then clearly we cannot use the society for the purpose of keeping you alive, because your life does not benefit us and it can’t be of very much use to yourself.” This atheistic philosophy of the eugenics movement led to the horrors of the World War II death camps — and it is still alive today. The only difference now is that its proponents are less brazen and its victims are more silent and defenseless.

As the United States celebrates Independence Day, we are reminded of certain self-evident truths: “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.” Yet, even if we accept these principles and reject the underlying philosophy of a throwaway culture, we are not immune to becoming a society of comfort and indifference. For this reason, we must carefully examine our lives and priorities in light of our social responsibilities. Pope Francis’ challenge to Catholic medical professionals in September 2013 applies to us all: “Be witnesses and diffusers of the culture of life. … This is a task of the new evangelization that often requires going against the tide and paying for it personally.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Resource: Following Love Poor, Chaste and Obedient THE BOOKLET Following Love Poor, Chaste and Obedient: The Consecrated Life (#408) by Adrian Walker and Michelle K. Borras is part of the New Evangelization Series published by the Order’s Catholic Information Service. Exploring how the consecrated person’s joyful embrace of poverty, chastity and obedience illumines the vocation of all Christians, this booklet offers a reminder of God’s primacy over all things. To download this and other Catholic resources, visit kofc.org/cis.

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Logan T. Ludwig DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi SENIOR 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 © 2014 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER According to a recent K of C-Marist poll, 84 percent of Americans believe that pro-life laws can protect both women and unborn children.

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Building the Domestic Church Every Christian family is called to be a privileged place of evangelization, where love is revealed and communicated

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

IN MY COLUMN last month, I dis- called to be an image of the loving cussed Pope Paul VI’s great encyclical communion that exists among the In the months ahead, the Knights on evangelization, Evangelii Nun- three persons of the Trinity. of Columbus will launch a new initiandi, in which he cites the Second Indeed, the Christian family is able tiative in which I invite every Knights Vatican Council’s description of the to reveal and communicate this love of Columbus family and council to Christian family as the domestic in a special way because it is founded participate. Titled “Building the Dochurch. For Paul VI, the title “domes- upon sacramental marriage. Christian mestic Church: The Family Fully tic church” means that “there should spouses first receive this love as a di- Alive,” this initiative will help our be found in every Christian family the vine gift — but they also receive this families better become what they are various aspects of the entire Church.” love as a task. The task of Christian called to be.

A central teaching of the Second spouses to live and communicate this Through this program, our families Vatican Council is that every can embrace more fully their Christian is called to holimission to be authentic doness. And since the family is mestic churches through the primary community in daily prayer, catechesis and Christian spouses first receive which a person matures, it is Scripture reading, as well as love as a divine gift — but they clear that the Christian famthrough monthly charitable ily should be a place in and volunteer projects that also receive this love as a task. which we are helped to grow they can do as a family. More in holiness. information will soon be As the saints have shown forthcoming in Columbia, throughout history, holiness leads in- love, first to each other and to their on kofc.org and in materials sent dievitably to witness in our daily lives. children and then to others around rectly to local councils.

In our time especially, the work of them, is at the center of the family’s In this way, the Order will underevangelization is not reserved only for mission in the world. take a yearlong preparation for the 8th an elite few, but is the responsibility For this reason, when the Christian World Meeting of Families to be held of all baptized Christians. family takes up the task “to become Sept. 22-27, 2015, in Philadelphia.

In a very real sense, we are all called what it is” — a living icon in our With this initiative, the Knights of to be missionaries. We are all called to world of God’s own communion — Columbus turns in a special way to “proclaim” the Gospel to those the family stands at the heart of the the Holy Family. We make our own around us through our lives each day, Church’s mission of evangelization the prayer of St. John Paul II that and the privileged place for most of us (cf. FC, 17). And when the family re- “every family may generously make to do this is within our own families. sponds in this way to the design of its own contribution to the coming Because of this reality, the Christian the Creator, it truly becomes a “do- of his kingdom in the world” and family is essentially missionary in char- mestic church.” “through the intercession of the Holy acter. In the words of St. John Paul II, Recently, Pope Francis reminded us Family of Nazareth, the Church may “The family has the mission to guard, that Christian families “are the do- fruitfully carry out her worldwide reveal and communicate love” (Famil- mestic church where Jesus grows in mission in the family and through iaris Consortio, 17). In living out this the love of a married couple, in the the family.” mission, the Christian family is itself lives of their children.”

Vivat Jesus!

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

Who Matters Most?

Amid the distractions, temptations and concerns of modern life, putting God first is no easy task

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

WHAT WOULD your answer be if a our secular culture. A recent piece in reporter on the street were to ask, “Who USA Today, for example, asserted that matters most in your life?” I would belief in God has no connection with technological advances, people find imagine that many of us would answer morality. The point of the article was themselves working harder than ever. the same way: “God matters most.” And that we can be good without God. With fewer people doing more jobs, we’d be right.

Even among practicing Catholics, it workdays often extend well beyond According to the Catechism of the can be a challenge to make God the top eight hours. Thanks to smart phones Catholic Church, when we say, “I be- priority. Our own Catholic athletic and tablets, we not only bring our work lieve,” we are saying, “I pledge myself to leagues sometimes schedule practices home with us, but we also take it wherwhat I believe” (185). So, when we say and games on Sunday mornings, and ever we go. we believe in God, we are pledging our Catholic families, when faced with Amid our busy lives, do we make very lives to God. The Catechism room for God each day through goes on to say, “Our profession daily prayer and by striving to live of faith begins with God, for the faith we profess? This is what God is the First and the Last, the Jesus tells us: “Where your treasbeginning and the end of every- Amid our busy lives, do we make ure is, there also will your heart thing” (198). room for God each day through be” (Lk 12:34). And “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and WHERE OUR TREASURE IS my Father will love him, and we daily prayer and by striving to We routinely say that God matwill come to him and make our live the faith we profess? ters most, but do our lives redwelling with him” (Jn 14:23). flect this statement? In a Wednesday audience in 2012, ‘PRACTICAL’ FAITH Pope Benedict XVI made the Sometimes, God takes second, following observation: “A particularly choosing between sports commitments third or fourth place in our lives because dangerous phenomenon for faith has and Mass, often choose the former. people fear that a life of faith is devoid arisen in our times: indeed a form of More than a few times, parents have of happiness and joy. They see the disciatheism exists which we define, pre- complained that the sacrament of con- pline of Christian morality as stoic, as a cisely, as ‘practical,’ in which the truths firmation, which we receive only once in matter of “keeping a stiff upper lip.” Life of faith or religious rites are not denied our lives, interfered with their child’s is short, the reasoning goes, so why not but are merely deemed irrelevant to soccer game. And nearly every pastor eat, drink and be merry? Ironically, peodaily life, detached from life, pointless. and director of religious education be- ple who think this way seldom experiSo it is that people often believe in God moans the fact that many parents drop ence deep joy in life. in a superficial manner, and live ‘as their children off at religious education Pope Francis described this attitude though God did not exist.’” classes but never bring them to church in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Sadly, Pope Benedict’s words are con- on Sunday. Does God matter most Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel): “The firmed by declining Sunday Mass atten- when we fail even to dedicate an hour or great danger in today’s world, pervaded dance and the growing number of so on Sunday morning to him? as it is by consumerism, is the desolapeople who claim no religious affiliation.

Such attitudes spill over into our daily tion and anguish born of a complacent Indeed, such attitudes are encouraged in lives. Despite modern conveniences and yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience” (2).

Mincing no words, Pope Francis warned that even believers can fall into this trap. Our lives can come to resemble a Potemkin village — a façade of religiosity concealing our flimsy relationship with God and with others.

“Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns,” Pope Francis wrote, “there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades” (2).

Among the reasons why Father Michael J. McGivney founded the

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — FRASSATI: Photo © Associazione Pier Giorgio Frassati, Rome. Used with permission.

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis GENERAL: That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.

MISSION: That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.

Knights of Columbus was to help Catholic men practice the faith and thus become better husbands and fathers. He made it a requirement that every Knight be “a practical Catholic,” yet wisely did not demand that a man be a perfect Catholic to enter the Order. Rather, membership in the Knights is meant to help men progress in making God the first priority in their lives.

Father McGivney knew that men would have a greater opportunity to put God first if they engaged in works of charity and experienced fraternity with other men who are striving to take their faith seriously. Making God a priority, in turn, would help them to find the

inner strength to love the Church and their families more deeply.

The original vision of the Knights of Columbus is perhaps even more important today, amid a culture that is far more hostile to faith than it was in the late-19th century. Father McGivney was deeply in love with God, and he would want the same for Knights and their families. But more than that, he would want us to know that God has made us — each human being and the entire human race — his top priority. God loves each of us infinitely. He sent us his Son to save us from our sins. We love because God loved us first (1 Jn 4:19). He loves us best.♦

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

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) BORN APRIL 6, 1901, in Turin, Italy, Pier Giorgio Frassati was raised with his sister in an aristocratic family. His mother was a painter, and his father, an agnostic, was founder and editor of the newspaper La Stampa.

A handsome and vibrant youth, Frassati had a passion for sports and mountain climbing. He relished laughter and practical jokes, as well as beauty and art. To the bewilderment of his parents, he developed a vibrant faith, which he shared with ease and enthusiasm. Friends described him as “an explosion of joy.”

In 1913, Frassati failed Latin and was sent to a Jesuit-run school. It was there that Frassati’s devotion to the Eucharist and to Our Lady blossomed, and he obtained permission to receive daily Communion, which was rare at the time.

In 1918, Frassati began to study mining engineering at the Royal Polytechnic Institute of Turin. Deeply committed to charity toward the poor and neglected, he wanted to “serve Christ better among the miners,” who toiled in conditions of constant danger and

misery. While dedicated to his studies, he immersed himself in social and political activities. He was an active member of the Popular Party, which promoted the social teaching of Pope Leo XIII, and he enrolled in numerous Catholic groups, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He likewise became a Third Order (Lay) Dominican and had an intense prayer life.

At age 24, Frassati suddenly contracted polio from the sick whom he cared for. Serene to the end, he died after six days of excruciating pain. His parents were astonished when thousands attended the funeral, most of them poor people whom their son had served. Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati in 1990. His feast day is July 4.♦

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Wounded Warriors, Knights Visit Lourdes Shrine

A group of 125 wounded or disabled troops and veterans, family members, chaplains and support staff attend the annual Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for Wounded or Disabled Military Personnel organized by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and supported by the Knights of Columbus.

Columbus are honored to be able to support — and pray with — these soldiers and veterans as they come to Lourdes to seek the help of the Blessed Mother in their lives, enrich their faith, and pray for peace with those in uniform from around the world.”

The supreme knight further noted the Order’s long history of support for troops and veterans. “For nearly a century, serving those who give so much for our country and our freedom has been a priority of the Knights of

Columbus, and we are pleased to continue that important tradition.”

The annual military pilgrimage was inaugurated following World War II to foster “reconciliation, peace and healing” and has grown to become a prayerful and festive occasion. In addition to Masses and other times of prayer, pilgrims were treated to an impressive display of military pageantry, including ceremonies with the color guards of the countries in attendance and performances by military bands.♦

John Paul II Institute Graduates Encouraged to Be Witnesses Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson (far left) and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore stand with 2014 graduates of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Archbishop Lori celebrated this year’s graduation Mass May 13 in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Anderson, who is vice president of the institute, told graduates, “Our hope is that through [St. John Paul II’s] intercession, your lives – like his – will be a witness of faith, of love and of courage.” Also pictured, far right, is Father Antonio López, provost/dean. Since its founding in 1988, the institute’s Washington session has granted more than 400 advanced degrees in theology.♦ 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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GRADUATION: Photo by John Whitman — LOURDES: Photo courtesy of Lacaze

MORE THAN 50 wounded or disabled U.S. troops and veterans, joined by family members, chaplains, support staff and others, participated in the annual Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for Wounded or Disabled Military Personnel May 14-19. Organized by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and supported by the Knights of Columbus, the trip was part of the 56th International Military Pilgrimage, which included delegations from more than 40 countries.

The U.S. pilgrims attended events and engaged in a number of religious and spiritual activities, including Masses, Stations of the Cross and periods of reflection. Pilgrims also had the opportunity to bathe in the waters of Lourdes, which annually draw millions of people who seek spiritual, physical or emotional healing.

Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer, who serves as episcopal vicar for Europe and Asia and is a member of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, South Korea, represented the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. A delegation of Knights of Columbus, led by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, was also present.

“No one knows the value of peace better than those who endured war,” Anderson said. “The Knights of

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Canadian Knights March for Life A sea of pro-life supporters gathers on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, May 8 for Canada’s National March for Life. Knights of Columbus and their families were among the more than 20,000 people who attended the annual march to show opposition to a measure to legalize the chemical abortion pill RU-486 and to show support for the culture of life. Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella was among the dignitaries to speak at the event.

On the same day, Knights and families likewise gathered for the sixth annual March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia. Following Mass, participants processed from Centennial Square to the B.C. Legislature.♦

Polish Knights Celebrate Continued Growth

MARCH FOR LIFE: Photo by Jake Wright

Fourth Degree Knights process with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe following the Mass that opened the 4th Poland State Convention, held May 9-11 at Gniew Castle in northern Poland.

THe 4TH Poland State Convention took place may 9-11 at Gniew Castle in northern Poland, approximately one hour south of the city of Gdańsk, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement.

The medieval castle and surrounding town of Gniew hosted more than 250 delegates, chaplains, wives and guests, including Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and his wife, Dorian, and two representatives from Lithuania.

The Supreme Knight and mrs. Anderson met with state officers and their wives to discuss the future of the jurisdiction. They were then treated to a presentation of the Polish Winged Hussars, the elite medieval cavalry of

the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Bishop Janusz Stepnowski of Łomża presided at the convention’s opening mass, which was concelebrated by more than 30 council chaplains, at the town parish of St. Nicolas.

In his remarks to Polish Knights, the supreme knight expressed his happiness with the development of the order in Poland since the first councils were established there in 2006. He said that the Polish Knights are obliged to be stewards of St. John Paul II’s legacy.

By promoting the principles of charity, unity and fraternity, he said, they can build a strong foundation for freedom, democracy, justice and peace.♦

Order Mourns Death of Former Supreme Master Former Supreme master Joseph P. Schultz died may 29 in San Diego, Calif., following a brief illness.

A dedicated Knight for more than 59 Schultz years, he served in numerous fraternal leadership positions, including California State Deputy (2000-2001), Supreme Director (2002-2005) and Supreme master of the Fourth Degree (2004-2008). For 10 years, until his retirement earlier this year, he served as consultant to the supreme knight for Poland. on Aug. 8, 2013, during the 131st Supreme Convention in San Antonio, Schultz received the inaugural Saint michael Award for exemplary service to the order.

“Today, we mourn the death of a truly exemplary Knight,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, upon learning of Schultz’s death. “His tireless efforts on behalf of the Fourth Degree, and most especially in fostering our growth in Poland, are a legacy that will make a lasting difference for the order.”♦

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America’s Steady March Toward a Culture of Life The rise in young supporters and legislative victories signals a growing pro-life consensus

by Jeanne Monahan

A

s I looked out upon the tens of thousands of youthful, YOUNG AND PRO-LIFE enthusiastic faces during the 41st March for Life rally Young March for Life participants are enormous in number this past January in Washington, D.C., I could not help but and passionately dedicated. Giovanna Romero, a young feel a tremendous sense of hope. The sheer number of March woman with Latinos por la Vida, summarized the feelings of for Life participants who travel from every corner of the young marchers as she addressed the sea of young faces in JanUnited States in the middle of winter demonstrates that the uary: “We can no longer be silent. We are the pro-life genertide is turning toward a culture of life. ation, and we will make our mark on history!”

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The pro-life moveThe pro-life convictions of young people are even having an ment is also making legislative strides, enacting more than impact on the “other side.” In a 2010 Newsweek article, former 110 life-affirming laws at the state NARAL President Nancy Keenan level in the past two years alone. was quoted as saying, “I just Perhaps most significantly, we Does not make thought, my gosh, they are so a difference.

Does more young. There are so many of them, have new evidence that hearts and harm than and they are so young.” In the four 16% minds are changing. According to good. a poll conducted by the Marist Inyears since Keenan uttered this Unsure.

6% 57% stitute for Public Opinion for the telling remark, the groundswell of Knights of Columbus, 84 percent young participants in the March for of Americans favor significant Life and related events has only conabortion restrictions. The poll retinued to grow.

21% sults, which were released last JanThere are countless youth-oriuary, also revealed that a strong Improves a ented and even youth-organized majority of Americans (62 percent) woman’s life. events surrounding the March for believe that abortion is morally Life. For instance, Georgetown Uniwrong, while almost 6 in 10 (57 versity Council 6375 sponsors the percent) say that abortion does a annual Cardinal O’Connor ConferThe most recent K of C-Marist poll about abortion reveals ence on Life, which is run entirely woman more harm than good.

To be fair, we are frequently re- that nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) Americans say that, in the by college students. The Students minded that we have our work cut long run, abortion does more harm than good to a woman. for Life of America Conference anout for us. Only a small majority of nually packs in a sold-out crowd of Americans (53 percent) recognize that life begins at concep- young activists eager to learn how to make a difference on tion, and the country remains deeply divided. their college campus. And the Archdiocese of Washington’s Notwithstanding the uphill battle we face, America is grad- Youth Rally and Mass for Life, hosted at the 20,000-seat Verually and joyfully embracing an authentic culture of life — one izon Center, sells out months in advance. in which people understand what is at stake and do not see But pro-life youth involvement is not confined to Jan. 22, abortion as an option. the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Students 8 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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Young people holding Knights of Columbus “Defend Life” signs gather for the 40th March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, 2013.

Photo by John Whitman

for Life of America is among the most prominent organizations that has worked to educate students on college campuses about the truth of abortion, helping to start more than 300 college pro-life groups since 2006.

Many Knights of Columbus college councils also have a very active pro-life presence on their campuses. In fact, the popular 40 Days for Life campaign — in which peaceful prayer vigils are organized outside of hundreds of abortion facilities worldwide — began as an initiative of Texas A & M University Council 10624 in College Station. Another notable example is Notre Dame Council 1477, whose members, through the Knights’ Ultrasound Initiative, have raised funds for three separate ultrasound machines for pregnancy resource centers in the past three years.

LEGISLATIVE VICTORIES Coinciding with the growing number of young pro-life supporters, legislation on behalf of the unborn has multiplied in recent years. In 2013 alone, 22 states enacted 70 abortion restrictions into law, up from 43 in 2012. When combined with the laws passed in 2011, the number of pro-life measures passed in these few years eclipses the number passed during the entire previous decade.

While each of these laws addresses a different problem, they all have popular support. Pro-life bills favored by a majority

of Americans in recent polling include: restrictions on the use of tax dollars to pay for abortion; ensuring that doctors who perform an abortion have hospital admitting privileges; and prohibitions on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. According to the K of C-Marist poll, the most popular policy change involves parental notification. Four out of five Americans, including 62 percent who describe themselves as pro-choice, favor the requirement that parents of a minor be notified before their daughter has an abortion.

The trend in favor of restrictions holds for abortion supporters in other cases as well. The Marist poll revealed that 84 percent of Americans believe that laws can protect both the health of women and the lives of unborn children. Even among those who identify as “strongly pro-choice,” 58 percent support a ban on abortion in the last three months of pregnancy.

Many Americans are surprised to learn that Roe v. Wade, the abortion “law of the land,” is the most liberal abortion law in the Western world, alongside the law in Canada. Both countries essentially permit abortion on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy. While the large majority of Americans support a ban on late-term abortion, legislation restricting abortions has been passed only in certain states; many areas of the United States don’t place restrictions on late-term abortion at all.

In spite of enjoying strong public support, some of the laws enacted over the past 12 months have been met with controJULY 2014

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versy. For example, I had the opportunity to travel to Texas in July 2013 to speak at a state capitol rally in support of one such bill: HB 2. That piece of legislation contained reasonable, popular provisions, such as the requirement that abortion practitioners obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals; ensuring that abortion facilities are held to the same health standards as surgical health-care centers; and banning most late-term abortions.

Still, HB 2 faced massive opposition in the state Senate, as protestors descended on the Texas state capitol, repeatedly interrupting legislative proceedings, chanting vulgar slogans, and even issuing death threats to pro-life legislators. The bill was eventually signed into law, and a very similar bill passed in Louisiana in late May 2014.

REASONS FOR HOPE Many reasons could be given for the growing consensus that abortion is morally wrong and does more harm than good: the witness of women, as well as men, who have suffered the loss of a child through abortion; pro-life centers that provide compassionate support and abortion alternatives for pregnant 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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women; and, of course, a growing number of joyful young people proclaiming the dignity of the unborn.

Another important factor has been advances in science and technology, especially ultrasound imagery, which opens up a “window” onto the reality and beauty of a developing baby at very early stages and in real time.

The increasing availability of ultrasound machines, thanks in part to the matching grant program offered by the Supreme Council, has literally brought home the truth about life. The images that these machines display have spread far and wide, from kitchen refrigerator magnets to Facebook. Since it began in January 2009, the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative has helped place more than 450 ultrasound machines in all 50 states.

There have also been significant advances in fetal medicine.

For example, physicians are able to perform life-saving and life-enhancing surgery on preterm children as never before, as Time magazine recently featured in its June 2 cover story.

Such scientific developments have helped many Americans discover that the pre-born child is a unique and living human being with human dignity.

Photo by John Whitman

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AMERICANS FAVOR ABORTION RESTRICTIONS WHILE THE UNITED STATES has among the most liberal abortion laws in the world, polls in recent years have indicated that Americans are increasingly uncomfortable with the legacy of abortion on demand. The most recent Knights of Columbus-Marist poll on the issue, released in January 2014, confirmed that Roe v. Wade is far from “settled” law.

In fact, most Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong and favor a wide variety of abortion restrictions and regulations. For more information, visit kofc.org/polls.

43% The abortion debate has gone on too long and there is nothing new to be said.

55% The issue of abortion continues to be important and needs to be debated.

Unsure

2%

morally acceptable

36%

morally wrong

2%

62%

not a moral issue

80% support

79% support

Requiring a parent to be notified before their underage daughter is allowed to have an abortion.

Requiring women who want an abortion to wait 24 hours between consulting with a health care professional and the abortion procedure.

Pro-life supporters exhibit an array of colorful signs and placards, including several K of C banners, at the annual pro-life rally in Washington, D.C. Statistics also reveal that abortion is on the decline. In 2011, the latest year for which data is available, abortions declined 3 percent to 1.1 million, a massive drop from the 1.6 million abortions performed in 1990. In 2013, 87 surgical abortion facilities closed, leaving 582 clinics open. This record low is substantially less than the high of 2,176 in 1991.

Still, even one abortion is one too many. With more than a million abortions happening in the United States each year, there is still tremendous work to be done.

Thankfully, the momentum in America is slowly but surely shifting in favor of life. From the creative involvement of young people to legislative advances to the declining abortion rate, we at the March for Life see real signs of hope as we continue working to transform our culture.♦ JEANNE MONAHAN is president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

74% support

21% support

Banning abortions after 20 weeks/ 5 months of pregnancy except to save the life of the mother.

Allowing medical professionals who are not doctors, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to perform abortions.

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Changing Hearts,

Changing Laws Three legislators offer insights on how to continue building momentum on behalf of the unborn

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ince abortion was decriminalized 41 years ago throughout the United States and 45 years ago in Canada, North Americans have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the legacy of abortion on demand. The legal landscape, particularly in the United States, suggests that abortion restrictions on the state level will continue to grow, while recent polling data confirms that even those who identify as “strongly pro12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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choice” favor significant restrictions on abortion (see page 8).

Columbia recently spoke with three lawmakers — Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth (Ontario), a member of Father Theobald Spetz Council 5135 in Waterloo — about both the signs of hope and the challenges facing the pro-life movement today.

Photo courtesy of Rep. Ann Wagner’s office

by Columbia staff

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U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), one of the nation’s most vocal pro-life lawmakers, works in her office on Capitol Hill.

COLUMBIA: What signs of encouragement do you see regarding pro-life culture and legislation today?

interested and active in the pro-life cause.

Also, I think there is a growing awareness of the legal situation in Canada, where a child is not defined as human until the moment of complete birth. In part through my own efforts and that of other pro-life members of parliament, I hope that more people are now aware of this atrocious reality.

REP. ANN WAGNER: I’m very encouraged on multiple fronts.

COLUMBIA: What are some of the hurdles you have encounEvery January, I take part in the March for Life, and one of tered in your work as a pro-life legislator? the greatest signs of hope is that there are so many young people who care deeply about the rights of the unborn. MeanREP. ANN WAGNER: The media often tries to play a “gotcha” while, advances in medical science and ultrasound technology game with pro-life legislators. I get very angry as a pro-life have really helped people to understand that life is created at woman when we are portrayed as anti-woman. I believe that conception. pro-life is pro-woman. I’ve spoken with women who have had I’m encouraged by key pieces of legislation we passed this abortions, and they say that everyone was telling them that it year. For example, I spoke out very strongly in favor of the was their body and their choice, but no one ever told them the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that the House implications of that choice: the physical risks, the emotional of Representatives passed outlawing abortion after 20 weeks, and psychological tolls, and the physical and mental difficulties when a baby can feel pain. [The measure is still pending in that they had later on in life. the Senate.] In addition to the Hyde Those who support and perform Amendment ensuring that no taxabortions are the ones waging a war payer funding goes to abortion on women and children. They’re not through appropriations bills this being truthful about that choice and year, Congress passed a bill dealing what the consequences of that choice NTIL PRO-LIFE PEOPLE with the health exchanges in the new can mean.

Affordable Care Act to ensure that ARE WILLING TO GO OUT AND no taxpayer dollars pay for abortion REP. DANIEL LIPINSKI: As a DemoINSIST THAT POLITICIANS REcoverage. crat, it’s been particularly difficult.

I’m also encouraged by the outcry Illinois has had a long tradition of SPECT HUMAN RIGHTS, THE that ensued after the Health and pro-life Democrats, but that’s been Human Services contraception mandwindling. The other side has a lot of POLITICIANS WILL CONTINUE date of the health-care reform law. money when it comes to campaigns, Americans are going to fight for their and that is always a difficulty.

TO IGNORE THEM.” country’s founding principles and This year actually was the first year their First Amendment rights — in that I did not have a primary oppoparticular, the right of conscience nent when I was running. Every year and religious freedom. up until this year, one of the biggest issues that opponents have raised against me is that I am proREP. DANIEL LIPINSKI: Public opinion polls are showing that life. That is certainly a hurdle that I continue to encounter. more people consider themselves to be pro-life. We’re also seeing progress with the younger generations — that’s good to MP STEPHEN WOODWORTH: Lack of awareness is still a probsee. There is certainly hope in terms of changing people’s lem. For example, up until 2010, nearly 80 percent of Canaminds on the issue of life. dians believed that the law limited abortion in the third Legislatively, it’s been very difficult on the federal level with trimester. This is completely untrue. the [Affordable Care Act] and the various issues that have We still have not reached critical mass in energizing pro-life hardly been supportive of life. But we’re continuing to work people. Until pro-life people are willing to go out and insist to change those. At the state levels, however, I’m very happy that politicians respect human rights, the politicians will conthat there’s been a good amount of progress. tinue to ignore them.

Finally, the pro-abortion faction has been very successful in MP STEPHEN WOODWORTH: First, I’m encouraged by the seizing positions of political power. In May, for example, the fact that growing numbers of people are willing to take the leader of the Liberal Party announced that the party will not time and effort to work for political change. Today [May 8], accept any pro-life candidates. for example, thousands will attend a pro-life rally on Parliament Hill. Every year for the last five years we have been COLUMBIA: In the face of an often-polarized political enviblessed with more and more people in attendance. In partic- ronment, how do you effectively articulate your pro-life poular, there is a growing contingent of young people who are sition and appeal to those who disagree with you?

“U

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REP. ANN WAGNER: We need to communicate from a place of love, focusing on the humanity of the unborn baby — not attacking the women or the victims. For example, I often chronicle what the child can do at three and six and 10 weeks, moving up to 20 weeks, when the baby recognizes the sound of its mother’s own voice and can feel pain.

Start from a place of love and focus on the baby — this is the best way to articulate our pro-life message and to change hearts and minds.

REP. DANIEL LIPINSKI: My way of dealing not only with the life issue, but also other issues, is to be respectful of others, yet to be very firm in what I believe. From the first day that I was running for office, I said unequivocally that I am pro-life. People know that they are not going to change my position on this. I explain why I am pro-life, but it is not the only issue that I talk about.

COLUMBIA: What do you think the future holds for the prolife cause?

REP. ANN WAGNER: I’m very hopeful. As I said, I am encouraged by advances in science and technology, the interest of youth, and the fact that the movement has continued decade after decade to stick with us both at the state and federal level, encouraging legislators to come up with ways to help the women and children and give them alternatives to abortion.

REP. DANIEL LIPINSKI: It’s great to see so many young people at the March for Life every year. Often I have gone to pro-life events and have seen an older crowd. But I have seen more activity of pro-life student groups, and the March for Life really makes me optimistic about protecting life as we move forward.

Still, it’s not going to be easy. In today’s culture, there’s such an emphasis on doing the easy thing and not respecting that life begins at conception, even though science clearly demonstrates it. If we are going to change hearts and minds, we need to continue to teach kids about why we are pro-life, and why they should be pro-life. I think that’s the most important thing.

MP STEPHEN WOODWORTH: I truly believe that history is ultimately on the side of justice and human rights. I believe 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner joins young people from her home state of Missouri on the National Mall at this year’s March for Life. that 400 years of democratic development have led us to an increasing awareness of the importance of equality and human rights. In Canada today, those opposed to universal equality and human rights have the upper hand, but I believe this is a temporary setback. What we are striving for has the force of justice, truth and freedom — and we will prevail.

COLUMBIA: What advice would you give to Knights of Columbus and others in the pro-life movement in their efforts to change public policy?

REP. ANN WAGNER: Continue to fight and be there for us. I agree with Margaret Thatcher’s famous line: “First you win the argument. Then you win the vote.”

So, you have to help us win the debate. You have to be those grassroots activists out there, bolstering and supporting our legislative efforts and all of the other good works done in the pro-life movement. Take the information we have and work at educating and changing hearts and minds in a way that is filled with love and compassion.

REP. DANIEL LIPINSKI: Pro-life candidates who are running for office need the support of pro-life people. In whatever ways they can, people have to stand up and support candidates for office who are dedicated to upholding and defending the right to life, sometimes courageously in the face of opponents who have a lot of money and power on their side.

MP STEPHEN WOODWORTH: We need to reach down through the layers of debate and start with the issues where we can find agreement, not the most contentious ones. I believe this should begin with the idea that every human being has equal worth and dignity. We have to look for these areas of consensus, develop them and then build on them.♦

Photo courtesy of Rep. Ann Wagner’s office

MP STEPHEN WOODWORTH: In facing polarization, we first have to identify the areas of consensus. The United Nations’ [1948] Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that legal recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of every member of the human family is the foundation for freedom, justice and peace. Among Canadians, I think we do generally share such a consensus. But I have been quite distressed to see that, in Parliament and largely in the media, this principle is challenged. I’ve brought some motions to recognize this principle, but they have been defeated because the pro-abortion faction regards universal human rights and equality as a threat to abortion.

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LIPINSKI: Photo by Zbignew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune — WOODWORTH: Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, a pro-life Democrat from Illinois, attends an event in his congressional district in January 2013. • Conservative Member of Parliament and pro-life supporter Stephen Woodworth takes part in Canada’s National March for Life rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

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Death, Be Not Proud In the face of attempts to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, Catholic principles affirm an authentic culture of compassion

by Wesley J. Smith

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ne of the last things my friend Frances did on Nov. 1, viding the means of death for another person to end his or 1992, was to send identical suicide letters to each of her her own life. friends: “Today is my 76th birthday,” it began. “Of my own Legally, they are distinct realities, but the Catholic Church free will, I have chosen to take my final passage.” unequivocally opposes both. The Congregation for the DocWhy would she do such a thing? Frances was not terminally trine of the Faith’s 1980 Declaration on Euthanasia states, “No ill and had years of life to look forward to. But there was a one can make an attempt on the life of an innocent person darkness always lurking nearby. She was an admirer of Dr. without opposing God’s love for that person, without violatJack Kevorkian, then just beginning his now-notorious as- ing a fundamental right, and therefore without committing a sisted suicide campaign. She was also crime of the utmost gravity.” a member of the Hemlock Society, a The international euthanasia moveso-called “right to die” organization ment made a legislative impact in the that would later merge with another United States beginning in 1990s. In group and change its name to Comthe wake of publicity campaigns by SSISTED SUICIDE ACTIVISTS passion & Choices. the Hemlock Society, Oregon legalAfter Frances’ death, we found her ized assisted suicide for the terminally CONFUSE THE PUBLIC BY CON“suicide file,” containing dog-eared ill by voter referendum in 1994. To FLATING THE UNETHICAL ACTS articles hailing suicide as an act of date, two other U.S. states have self-empowerment, a beneficial and passed similar laws: Washington, also THEY ADVOCATE WITH APPROeven uplifting experience. One chillby referendum, in 2004, and Vering article was a “how-to” piece, mont, by the state legislature in 2012.

PRIATE MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE teaching the reader how to commit Meanwhile, a muddled Montana suicide with a drug overdose and plasSupreme Court decision in 2009 SUFFERING AT THE END OF LIFE. tic bag over one’s head — an exact deruled that assisted suicide was not scription of Frances’ death. against public policy in the Big Sky Such is the face of “compassion,” as State — but the exact nature and an international movement seeks to convince our culture that meaning of the ruling remains a matter of dispute. Similarly, euthanasia and assisted suicide are in people’s best interest. in January 2014, a New Mexico trial judge declared that the However, the root meaning of “compassion” is to “suffer state’s law against assisted suicide was unconstitutional, but with.” Hence, in response to the culture of death, members that decision is in abeyance as the case is on appeal. of the Body of Christ must not only forswear killing, but also It is important to note that most states continue to explicprovide loving care — and principled defense — of the sick itly outlaw assisted suicide. Indeed, California, Maine, Michiand suffering. gan — and most recently in 2012, Massachusetts — have As Pope Francis noted in a September 2013 address, “A refused to legalize doctor-prescribed death in voter initiatives widespread mentality of the useful, the ‘throwaway culture’ in the last 20 years. that today enslaves the hearts and minds of so many, comes Advocates for assisted suicide claim that the U.S. experience at a very high cost: It asks for the elimination of human be- demonstrates thus far that doctor-facilitated death can be conings, especially if they are physically or socially weaker. Our ducted without abuses. But there have been abuses, in a sense. response to this mentality is a decisive and unreserved ‘yes’ Just ask Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup. Both were dying to life.” of cancer when their doctors prescribed a regimen of life-extending chemotherapy. Not only would Medicaid — which is LEGISLATING SUICIDE rationed in Oregon — not pay for the prescription, but an adWhereas euthanasia involves the direct and intentional killing ministrator wrote both patients telling them that the state of another person, assisted suicide is legally defined as pro- would fund their assisted suicides. An appalled Wagner said,

A

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Canadian citizens opposed to assisted suicide demonstrate outside the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Vancouver Oct. 10, 2013. The court overturned a lower court ruling that said Canada’s assisted-suicide ban violated the charter rights of gravely ill Canadians.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck

Oregon “will pay to kill me, but they will not give me medication to try and stop the growth of my cancer.” Compassion!

Americans remain deeply divided on the issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia, while most physicians remain ambivalent about engaging in a death-causing practice. The nation stands at a crossroads, as proponents of doctor-prescribed death develop sleeker ways to market their agenda.

Canada is likewise acutely threatened by euthanasia consciousness. On June 5, Quebec became the first province to legalize doctor-assisted suicide by passing Bill 52, a law redefining the lethal practice as a form of health-care called “end-of-life care.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Canada is being asked to declare the federal law against assisted suicide unconstitutional. Disturbingly — and perhaps showing the direction of the currents — the court has decided to hear the case even though it previously ruled that the law against assisted suicide was constitutional.

KILLING ON DEMAND In order to better see the choice in front of them, North Americans need only look at the depravity in several European countries where euthanasia has been accepted.

Euthanasia was decriminalized in certain cases in the Netherlands after a 1973 court ruling permitted the practice as long as doctors followed protective guidelines — requiring, for instance, repeated requests, second opinions, and unbear-

able suffering that cannot otherwise be alleviated. This system continued until 2002, at which time lethally injecting or assisting the suicides of qualified patients was formally legalized.

Over the decades, Dutch euthanasia expanded steadily — from the terminally ill who ask for it, to more seriously chronically ill who ask for it, to people with serious disabilities who ask for it, to those suffering from existential anguish or mental illness and who, in their despair, want to die.

The number of euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands is rising, including among the mentally ill, and the vulnerable elderly are increasingly at risk. Euthanasia is now permitted in the Netherlands for early dementia as well as those with nonlife-threatening conditions, even those who want to die because they are “tired of life.”

Euthanasia has even entered the pediatric wards. While it remains technically murder under Dutch law, infanticide in the name of “mercy” has become so acceptable that a pediatrics professor published a bureaucratic checklist designed to help doctors determine which terminally ill or severely disabled infants could be euthanized. The Groningen Protocol, as it is known, was ratified by the Dutch National Association of Pediatricians and even published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Belgium likewise formally legalized euthanasia in 2002. The law allows broad access to doctor-facilitated death when “the patient is in a medically futile condition of constant unbearJULY 2014

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PEDDLING DEATH As the battle of between the culture of life and the culture of death wages on, it is essential to recognize the terms of the public debate. Proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide use all sorts of propaganda to push and hide their agenda.

This is particularly true in the United States, where disingenuous advocates play word games and deploy euphemisms as honey to help the poison go down. Thus, rather than using the accurate term “assisted suicide,” they will instead call doctor-prescribed death “aid in dying” or “death with dignity.”

They even deny that the suicide of a terminally ill person is actually a suicide.

Assisted suicide activists also try to confuse the public by conflating the unethical acts they advocate with appropriate measures to alleviate suffering at the end of life. For example, some will claim that refusing unwanted medical treatment is the same as assisted suicide. But this, of course, isn’t true. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized in a unanimous 1997 decision that there is a crucial ethical and legal difference between assisting suicide — which states can outlaw — and refusing unwanted life-sustaining medical treatment.

This is also the position of the Catholic Church. As St. John Paul II wrote, citing the 1980 Declaration on Euthanasia: “When death is clearly imminent and inevitable, one can in conscience ‘refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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A couple pushes a baby in a stroller in front of the Belgian Parliament in Brussels Feb. 13. Later that day, Belgium became the first country to allow euthanasia for terminally ill children of any age. the normal care due to the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted’” (Evangelium Vitae, 65).

Assisted suicide advocates also claim that causing death by overdose is permitted under the ethical principle of “double effect” — which states that an act that produces a bad result is still considered ethical if four conditions are met: 1) The action taken (in this case, treating pain) is “good” or morally neutral; 2) The bad effect (in this case, death) is not intended; 3) The good effect (in this case, the relief of suffering) cannot be brought about by an act designed to intentionally cause the bad effect (death); 4) There is a proportionate and sufficiently grave reason to perform the act (in this case, the presence of severe pain).

Euthanasia and assisted suicide unquestionably fail the requirements of double effect, since the hoped-for good — namely, relief of suffering — is accomplished by intentionally causing the bad effect, death.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are bad medicine and even worse public policy. The Catholic Church favors a more humane, reasonable and compassionate vision that leads society toward a better way: Care, not kill. Embrace, not abandon.

Suffer with, not dispose of.

As Pope Francis cogently noted in a message to the Pontifical Academy for Life in February 2014: “The gravest deprivation experienced by the aged is not the weakening of one’s physical body, nor the disability that may result from this. Rather, it is the abandonment, exclusion and deprivation of love.”

We must therefore respond to the culture of death not only with reasoned arguments, but also with loving actions that give testimony to the dignity of life.♦ WESLEY J. SMITH is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. He also consults for the Patients Rights Council and the Center for Bioethics and Culture.

Photo by Reuters/Francois Lenoir

able physical or mental suffering.” Some Belgian doctors have interpreted this liberal license so broadly that it amounts to death-on-demand.

Consider these well-documented examples: The euthanasia of elderly couples who preferred immediate death to eventual widowhood; of deaf twins, who asked to be killed together when both began losing their eyesight; of a depressed anorexia patient who wanted to die after being sexually exploited by her psychiatrist; of a transsexual repelled by the results of a sex-change operation.

Recently, in February 2014, the Belgian parliament expanded its law to include child euthanasia — with no lower age limit.

Lastly, Switzerland has taken Jack Kevorkian as its model, creating a cottage industry of “suicide tourism” — a term that describes the flow of people traveling to the country’s legal suicide clinics to end their lives with the assistance of doctors and nurses.

Like Kevorkian in the United States in the 1990s, these clinics do not restrict their services to the terminally ill. For example, in recent months, an elderly Italian woman committed suicide at a Swiss clinic because she was upset about losing her looks. Her family only learned about her death when the clinic mailed the urn containing her ashes.

Swiss death clinics are becoming increasingly popular. Dignitas, one of the most active of the Swiss suicide clinics, recently published its death statistics for the last year. They tell an alarming story: 1,705 have died in that one clinic alone since 1998, including 204 — about four per week — in 2013.

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

Sandwich Generation Caring for your parents and your children brings trials and rewards

by Brian Caulfield

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Thinkstock

ometime during the second four-hour round-trip to New York in so many days, while leaving behind my wife and children to care for my parents, I realized the accuracy of the term “sandwich generation.” Sharing duties with my two brothers, I was traveling to the city to visit my father in the hospital and bring my mother back to the apartment where I was raised. As a son, a husband and a father, I was positioned between two generations that needed my time and attention, unsure if my divided efforts were doing much good for either.

This situation is familiar to many baby boomers, especially those who married later in life like me and still have children in grade school. We are middle-aged ourselves, committed to careers that can take long hours and business travel, yet we seek to take seriously the commandment to honor dad and mom, even in their senior years.

It is easy for us sandwichers to feel sorry for ourselves, yet we should realize that we are blessed. Ours is not the sweet blessing of spiritual ecstasy, or even the more common feeling of accomplishment for a job well done, because our duties are far from finished. The fact is, we are often stretched by travel and exhausted by long hours spent in hospitals or nursing homes. Our patience is strained while listening to our parents repeat the same story over and over, or by repeating the same thing again and again to our own children, who aren’t listening because we haven’t had time to keep the lines of communication open. No, we are not blessed in the sense of a temporally better or more satisfying life. The blessing comes from knowing what we do not always feel — that God has placed us here, between our aging parents and our growing children, for a reason, for our good and theirs.

Perhaps by our double duty we are kept from the frivolous diversions of our culture; if left to a free weekend, we would likely waste time with television, the Internet or

some self-indulgent distraction. Knowing that we are needed may boost our self-image and confidence, while realizing how little we can do to change the fact of aging keeps us humble. We may come to recognize the dignity of the human person in our father, who struggles to the bathroom on his own because he hates adult diapers, or learn the value of suffering from our mother, who still puts the comfort of others before her own. And when we come home to our own families, we long to see our spouse and our children; we appreciate the gift of their love and try to make up for the time away.

We are weighed down by the struggle and the work and the hope we pit against the stubborn fact of physical decline and death. But we are also saved from our natural presumption of good health. Watching our parents age and weaken keeps us close to our own mortality, and if we are wise, we stay mindful of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. I was privileged to be present when my dad received the sacrament of anointing and witnessed the real emotional, spiritual and even physical renewal that ensued. When I told my sons of this experience, they were sad that granddad almost died, but they were also drawn more deeply into the faith that reaches beyond the grave.

After a week in the hospital, my dad returned to the apartment to be with my mom, weak but happy to be home. On a recent Sunday, my brothers and I sat with them in the familiar living room, remembering old times and talking of the future in terms of our own children and grandchildren. Worries seemed to wash away with the laughter, yet the labors of the day remained. The sandwich generation may be stressed, but our efforts are worth it, especially if we understand that in serving two generations, we are doubly blessed.♦ BRIAN CAULFIELD is editor of the website Fathers for Good.

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

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Celebrating Sainthood National Mass of Thanksgiving and pilgrimage to new national shrine honors St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II

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Knights and other pilgrims fill the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the National Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonizations of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II May 11.

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n May 11, Knights, their families and other visitors filled the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for a solemn Mass of thanksgiving for the recent canonizations of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II. The celebration continued after Mass as pilgrims walked in procession from the basilica to the newly renamed Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which is operated by the Knights of Columbus.

Led by more than 100 Fourth Degree Knights along the half-mile pilgrimage route from the basilica, the procession included a reliquary containing St. John Paul II’s blood, which was carried by Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington. The cardinal also served as the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass.

The day’s ceremonies, which were televised internationally

by Catholic networks, took place on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson noted that it was also “appropriate that our day of thanksgiving take place on Mother’s Day, a day celebrated by the family,” since Pope Francis described St. John Paul II as the “pope of the family” during the Mass of canonization April 27.

TWO GOOD SHEPHERDS At the beginning of the May 11 eucharistic celebration, Msgr.

Walter Rossi, rector of the basilica, processed into the Great Upper Church with a relic of St. John XXIII and placed it beside the main altar for veneration. Supreme Chaplain Archbishop JULY 2014

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Clockwise from far left: Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the basilica, carries a relic of St. John XXIII into the basilica. • Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore carries a relic of St. John Paul II into the basilica. • A Fourth Degree honor guard leads the procession from the basilica to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. • Fourth Degree Knights stand at attention as pilgrims venerate the relic of St. John Paul II at the shrine. • Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, and Cardinal Adam J. Maida, archbishop emeritus of Detroit, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the shrine. • Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl delivers his homily.

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Fourth Degree Knights lead pilgrims to the new national shrine.

• Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivers remarks.

William E. Lori of Baltimore likewise carried the blood relic of St. John Paul II, which was entrusted to the Knights of Columbus by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków and longtime personal secretary to John Paul.

In his homily, Cardinal Wuerl said, “It is easy to picture both St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II stepping into the role of the shepherd depicted in the Gospel today.”

At a time when “voices all around were calling for social revolution, St. John XXIII raised his voice so that all of the faithful could find assurance,” the cardinal said. In calling for the Second Vatican Council, he added, St. John XXIII “spoke words of assurance that the Church … would prepare herself well to lead the flock into the future.”

Turning to the Polish pontiff, Cardinal Wuerl said, “St. John Paul II, whose newly christened national shrine graces this same area in our nation’s capital, saw his pontificate as the implementation of what began with St. John XXIII.” Throughout his pontificate, the cardinal said, John Paul II “nourished his flock with the consoling power of [Christ’s] words, ‘Be not afraid!’”

Cardinal Wuerl added that amid great changes taking place around the world, “St. John Paul II was calling our attention to the fact that Christ continues to be the answer — the answer to the most perplexing and pressing and perennial questions of the human mind and the human heart.”

Immediately following Mass, the Fourth Degree honor guard led the liturgical procession to the nearby Saint John Paul II National Shrine, as Cardinal Wuerl carried the relic of John Paul II and several hundred pilgrims followed.

A NEW NATIONAL SHRINE Established nearly three years ago, the Blessed John Paul II Shrine was designated a national shrine at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in March. The following month, the shrine hosted a series of events during the weekend of the canonization April 26-27, including a midnight Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday, before it was officially re-

named the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.

Once pilgrims arrived at the shrine May 11 following the Mass of Thanksgiving, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, read a papal message commending the work of the shrine, which read in part: “The Holy Father … is confident that the shrine will open wide its doors to the countless members of the faithful from the United States and abroad who remember St. John Paul with gratitude and affection, and who trustingly seek his intercession and assistance.”

In his own remarks, Supreme Knight Anderson drew attention to Pope Francis’ video message to the people of Poland on the occasion of the canonization. In that message, the Holy Father said, “John Paul II continues to inspire us. We are inspired by his words, his writings, his gestures, his style of service. We are inspired by his suffering lived with heroic hope.

We are inspired by his total entrustment to Christ, redeemer of man, and to the Mother of God.” Echoing the statement, the supreme knight said, “In the years and decades ahead, may each pilgrim be inspired by St. John Paul II. … May each pilgrim to this shrine, through his intercession, follow in his footsteps as a courageous disciple of Christ.”

Cardinal Wuerl then thanked the supreme knight for his vision in making the Saint John Paul II National Shrine a reality, and he presented a painting of the newly canonized pontiff to supreme officers and to Patrick Kelly, the shrine’s executive director.

Following the remarks and presentation, those gathered at the shrine recited together the chaplet of Divine Mercy, prayed for the intercession of St. John Paul II and received a blessing with the blood relic.

A 16,000-square-foot permanent exhibition dedicated to the late pope’s life and teachings is scheduled to open at the shrine later this year, and renovation of the worship space will follow. For further information about events and exhibitions, visit jp2shrine.org.♦ JULY 2014

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A PILGRIMAGE of JOY Knights of Columbus fields host Polish pilgrims and others during historic canonization

by Alton J. Pelowski | photos by Roberto Fiorina

From top: Polish Knights and other volunteers provide pilgrims with t-shirts and bags upon their arrival. • Father Wiesław Lenartowicz, chaplain of Radom (Poland) Council 14004, Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore are pictured at the conclusion of Mass at Benedict XV Field April 26. • Polish youth take a break to play soccer on the Knights of Columbus field. • Youth from northern Poland were among the many pilgrims who hitchhiked to Rome to celebrate the canonization.

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mid his visits to 129 countries, St. John Paul II endeared himself to people of every race and tongue. Yet, admiration for the late pontiff remains unsurpassed in his home country of Poland, where he is celebrated as a national hero. In late April, as the population of Rome swelled with pilgrims for the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, the streets were filled with Polish pilgrims eager to honor their beloved pope.

Nearly 1,000 of those pilgrims stayed at two of the Order’s five “playgrounds,” recreation facilities that have served the youth of Rome for nine decades. Established in response to a request by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, the vision for the playgrounds was inspired by the Order’s World War I Army Hut program, which served under the motto, “Everybody Welcome, Everything Free.” This same hospitality was extended to pilgrims seeking clean facilities and a safe place to camp during their time in Eternal City April 25-29.

A team of some 30 volunteers, consisting of Polish Knights and their families, joined K of C staff members to ensure that the pilgrims’ needs were met and their stay memorable. By Friday, busloads of people had arrived at the two playgrounds, located in Rome’s San Lorenzo and Ciampino districts. The sites, named after Pope Benedict XV and Count Enrico Galeazzi, the first director of the Order’s Rome Office, were soon bustling with activity as exuberant pilgrims pitched hundreds of colorful tents, cooked food, played music and enjoyed each other’s company.

On Saturday morning, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore celebrated Mass for pilgrims at Benedict XV Field, together with Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplain and spiritual development, and five Polish chaplains. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and his wife, Dorian, together with Enrico Demajo, director of the Rome Office, were also present.

In many ways, the atmosphere in Rome in the days surrounding the canonization was reminiscent of World Youth Day, an initiative that John Paul II began nearly 30 years earlier. At the K of C sites, for instance, was a group of more than 200 Polish scouts, as well as dozens of young hitchhikers who made their way to Rome. In most cases, the youth never had the opportunity to see John Paul II in person before his death in 2005, but they were still drawn to Rome to celebrate his life and holiness. Though it rained during several days of the pilgrimage and most people were unable to get anywhere near St. Peter’s Square for the April 27 Mass of canonization, a spirit of joy, fraternity and gratitude remained.

The hospitality of the Knights of Columbus volunteers, meanwhile, left a lasting impression. Many people were introduced to the Order for the first time through the pilgrimage, and their positive experience was widely reported by U.S. and Polish media. The Polish Knights even held a First Degree exemplification on site on the evening of the canonization, adding to the more than 3,300 members in Poland. And so, at the conclusion of these grace-filled days of celebration, the pilgrims returned home, thankful for the gift of friendship, countless memories and a renewed faith.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI is editor of Columbia.

HITCHHIKERS AND VATICAN GROTTOES: Photos by A. Pelowski

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Clockwise from top: Polish Knights and their family members who served as volunteers at the site hold flags of the Order and of their home jurisdiction. • Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson walks through the camping area of Benedict XV Field in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. • ThenState Deputy Krzysztof Orzechowski presents a plaque in gratitude to Enrico Demajo, director of the Order’s Rome Office. • Dr. Pietro Zander of the Fabbrica di San Pietro gives the Polish volunteers a private tour of the Vatican Grottoes. • Polish youth pose with a photo of St. John Paul II.

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S TAT E D E P U T I E S 2014-15

ALABAMA R. EVAN PARRISH

ALASKA JAMES C. BETTS

ALBERTA WILLIAM J. SMITH

ARIZONA LAURENCE J. BECKER

ARKANSAS ADRIAN DOMINGUEZ

BRITISH COLUMBIA EDWARD J. SHAWCHUK

CALIFORNIA AVELINO C. DOLIENTE

COLORADO CHARLES K. PAGE

CONNECTICUT THOMAS J. VITA

DELAWARE RALPH B. BODY

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ERNEST T. BOYKIN JR.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ROBIN E. SANTANAHIRUJO

FLORIDA PAUL M. KOPPIE

GEORGIA SANFORD B. HILLSMAN

GUAM DAVID S. DUENAS

HAWAII STEPHEN D. LOPEZ

IDAHO KERRY M. HENNESSY

ILLINOIS DONALD C. KINYON JR.

INDIANA SCOTT C. CUNNINGHAM

IOWA DANIEL J. WERNER

KANSAS PATRICK D. WINCHESTER

KENTUCKY FRANCIS J. SHAY

LOUISIANA VERNON F. DUCOTE

LUZON ARSENIO ISIDRO G. YAP

MAINE DAVID J. ROY

MANITOBA PAUL J.E. DUPRÉ

MARYLAND STEPHEN J. ADAMCZYK

MASSACHUSETTS RUSSELL A. STEINBACH

MEXICO CENTRAL GERARDO CARSTENSENVELÁZQUEZ

MEXICO NORTHEAST ANGEL A. MALDONADO-PÉREZ

MEXICO NORTHWEST HÉCTOR CATARINO CRUZ-NAVARRO

MEXICO SOUTH JULIO CÉSAR ARCINIEGA ORANTES

MICHIGAN ROBERT W. FOX

MINDANAO BALBINO C. FAUNI

MINNESOTA JOSEPH M. KONRARDY

MISSISSIPPI MARION J. McCRAW II

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S TAT E D E P U T I E S 2014-15

MISSOURI KEITH A. MILSON

MONTANA STEVEN P. ZACHMANN

NEBRASKA RICHARD W. LOWERY

NEVADA RAMIRO GARDEA

NEW BRUNSWICK ARMAND T. LEBLANC

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR BERNARD W. FLYNN

NEW HAMPSHIRE RICHARD P. MCDERMOTT

NEW JERSEY ANDREW E. LIPENTA

NEW MEXICO RICHARD J. ESPINOSA

NEW YORK CARMINE V. MUSUMECI

NORTH CAROLINA JOHN J. MURRAY

NORTH DAKOTA BRENT J. MIKKELSEN

NOVA SCOTIA GEORGE M. MCCORMACK

OHIO KENNETH J. GIRT

OKLAHOMA RONALD F. SCHWARZ

ONTARIO KEVIN O. DAUDLIN

OREGON ROBERT J. KISH JR.

PENNSYLVANIA STANLEY A. GLOWASKI

POLAND ANDRZEJ ANASIAK

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND LLOYD E. KELLY

PUERTO RICO MIGUEL A. VIDAL-LUGO

QUEBEC RICHARD DESROCHERS

RHODE ISLAND PETER N. LENTINI

SASKATCHEWAN DENIS A. F. CARIGNAN

SOUTH CAROLINA FRANKLIN L. DAVIS

SOUTH DAKOTA JOHN A. LIMOGES

TENNESSEE JOHN F. PARK JR.

TEXAS TERRY L. SIMONTON

UTAH JERALD P. HANTEN

VERMONT DANIEL G. MCAVINNEY

VIRGINIA STEPHEN A. BURNLEY

VISAYAS RODRIGO N. SORONGON

WASHINGTON GEORGE H. CZERWONKA JR.

WEST VIRGINIA MICHAEL J. MCDOUGLE

WISCONSIN RONALD F. FAUST

WYOMING CARL J. WELTE

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

cert featuring Irish entertainer Seamus Kennedy to benefit Fisher House. More than 100 people attended the event, which raised $2,400. Fisher House operates long-term residential facilities near military hospitals nationwide.

CHURCH IN BENIN

Rick Schaub (lower right) of San Salvador Council 4520 in Cedarburg, Wis., along with members of Immaculate Conception Council 4706 in Milwaukee and Pope John XXIII Council 5438 in Mequon, lift a piece of plywood into place while working at a Habitat for Humanity project. Knights helped Habitat expand its storage facility so that building materials can be sheltered and protected during cold-weather months.

COOKOUT AND CHALICE

St. Andrew Council 9901 and Father James Knight Assembly, both in Moore, Okla., co-sponsored a cookout for 125 residents from the Center of Family Love, a Knights-sponsored residential home and workshop for adults with intellectual disabilities. Following the cookout, the assembly presented the center’s chaplain with a chalice in memory of a deceased member for use at the facility’s new chapel.

operated by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Knights even applied nonskid paint to the porch floor for safety.

BENEFIT CONCERT

Palos Council 35 in Bristol, Conn., hosted a benefit con-

PORCH REBUILT

A simple painting project turned into a full-blown rebuild when Knights realized that a screened-in porch at a local convent had rotten support pillars. Members of Father Nicholas J. Habets Council 4632 and St. Benedict Council 9056, both in Virginia Beach, Va., repaired and replaced doors, lighting, doorbells, screens, pillars and cross members at a convent 28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JULY 2014

Members of Holy Trinity Council 11055 in Zamboanga City, Mindanao, level an area beside their church for use as a baptistery. At the request of their pastor, Knights put down new tile and painted the area where future parishioners will be baptized.

St. Michael the Archangel Council 14700 in Houston donated $4,500 to purchase liturgical vestments, vessels and books for the newly established St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish in the West African country of Benin. The donation was made in honor of council chaplain Father Michael Grey, who previously served in Africa.

WIDOW SERVICE PROGRAM

Msgr. Frank Howard Council 6648 in Havelock, N.C., established a “Widow Service Program” to provide ongoing assistance to the wives of deceased council members.

Knights assembled a complete list of council widows as well as a pool of council members with volunteer or repair skills. The council responds to requests for aid that range from doing chores, performing minor home repairs or making sure that widows have transportation to medical appointments.

Most recently, Knights removed a fallen tree from a widow’s property, saving her an estimated $1,200.

SUPPORTING LIFE

St. Joseph of the Three Rivers Council 11550 in North Bend, Ohio, held a pancake breakfast that raised $3,100 for Pregnancy Center West, a pro-life pregnancy resource center.

MEMORIAL BRUNCH

St. Dominic Council 3729 in New Orleans hosted a memorial champagne brunch in honor of deceased Knight Peter Compagno Sr. More than 200 people attended the event, which raised $1,000 for Ozanam Inn, a nonprofit shelter and soup kitchen that serves the homeless of New Orleans.

PERPETUAL ADORATION

In order to help fill needed slots at its parish adoration chapel, St. Michael the Archangel Council 12577 in Leawood, Kan., volunteered to cover the hour from midnight to 1 a.m. on a continual basis. Knights spend an hour in prayer each night, with the exception of midnight Sunday, helping to ensure that the chapel is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The council also leads a rosary each week prior to Saturday evening Mass.

Members of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Council 12401 in Russell, Ontario, remove shingles from the roof of a council member’s home prior to winter. With donations from parishioners and proceeds from a council breakfast, Knights raised enough money to replace the roof at the member’s home, providing manpower for the project as well.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

ho e in n e

Father Anthony Raposo, chaplain of St. Michael the Archangel Council 13227 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, blesses a new ultrasound machine that was purchased for the Pregnancy Center of Kona through the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative. Council 13227 spearheaded the drive to purchase the machine for the center, which is one of the only facilities of its kind on Big Island.

STAND DOWN EVENT

EL CAMINO

Father Maurice R. Daly Council 6076 in Spartanburg, S.C., volunteered at the Upstate South Carolina “Stand Down” event for homeless and needy veterans.

At the event, veterans had the opportunity to take advantage of medical and dental services, haircuts, hot meals, and housing and employment opportunities.

Quebec District #6 held an activity called El Camino (“The Way”), a 10-kilometer walk to raise money for Opération Enfant Soleil. The walk occurred between the six councils that comprise District #6 and raised $6,000.

treal who provide food and water to students in the Philippines. The funds will help train Filipinos to build and maintain schools, manage water supplies, and grow crops. The donation from Council 8424 will support one school for a whole year.

COASTAL CLEANUP

Tagoloan (Mindanao) Council 6610 participated in an international coastal cleanup effort. Knights worked at local beaches to remove trash and debris, spreading the message about environmental protection.

PARISH APPRECIATION

John Cocco and Steve Wagner of St. Benedict Council 14654 in Mohnton, Pa., look on as Father Philip Rogers, pastor of St. Benedict Church, blesses 75 Bibles that were donated by the council. Knights donated the Bibles for use by religious education students in seventh and eighth grade.

Lidgerwood (N.D.) Council 4778 hosted a tri-parish appreciation dinner that brought together 200 people from three area churches to share an evening of faith, fellowship and food.

FOOD FOR THE PHILIPPINES

Father O’Dea Council 8424 in Sacramento, Calif., donated $1,500 to a group of missionary priests from Mon-

Members of Medalla Milagrosa Council 8254 in Quezon City, Luzon, spoon out bowls of stew for elementary schoolchildren during a council-sponsored feeding program inspired by Pope Francis’ call to assist the poor. Knights feed up to 800 schoolchildren twice a month and provide other needs, like school supplies, to ensure that the children are prepared to learn.

Golf Season is in full swing in many parts of the world, and Knights have kept on par with tournaments for charity.

• Father John Boddie Assembly in Topping, Va. — $7,300 for wounded veterans.

• Father Nicholas Phelan Council 1875 in Grass Valley, Calif. — $10,000, for Hospitality House and St. Mary’s Academy.

• Mary, Queen of Peace Council 9575 in Spartanburg, S.C. — $7,000 for agencies that support people with intellectual disabilities.

• Sharpsburg (Ga.) Council 12862 — $13,000 for local charities like Meals on Wheels, Bridging the Gap and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

• Holy Rosary Council 869 in Harrisburg, Pa. — $4,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

• St. Florian, Patron Saint of Firefighters Council 12911 in Chicago — $23,000 for the International Association of Fire Fighters Chaplains

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

station in front of the banquet hall and parked vehicles for guests who could not easily walk the long distance from the parking lot to the building. Knights then retrieved the vehicles at the end of the event.

KNEELERS REPLACED

DRESS CODE

When the Archdiocese of Manila instituted a dress code for Mass and other liturgical functions, Kawanggawa Council 9189 in San Pedro, Luzon, made sure that the diocesan-supplied posters were visible enough for parishioners to read. Knights reproduced the posters at a larger size than initially supplied and posted them at several visible locations throughout their church.

‘CARS FOR CANCER’

Fathers Rudy and Clem Council 13035 in Muskegon, Mich., hosted a “Cars for Cancer” car and bike show.

The event raised nearly $40,000 for patient care at the Muskegon Johnson Family Cancer Center.

CHURCH PAVERS

Father Douglas J. Nohava Council 1229 in Flagstaff, Ariz., organized a fundraising initiative for San Francisco de 30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JULY 2014

Asís Parish to build a new church. Knights sold engraved memorial pavers that were installed in a pavilion outside the church. The pavilion includes two sections: one for deceased honorees and another for living persons of note. Knights sold more than 600 pavers, raising $58,000 for the parish building fund.

LIGHTNING IN A BAG

St. Joseph Council 3402 in Keyport, N.J., donated funds to purchase personalized gym bags for members of the New Jersey Lightning, the state’s first and only baseball team for athletes with visual impairments.

BANQUET VALETS

Members of James Madison University Council 9286 in Harrisonburg, Va., served as valets for the Harrisonburg Pregnancy Center’s annual fundraising banquet. Council members set up a valet

PROVIDENCE IN THE PARK

St. Francis de Sales Council 8853 in Burnaby, British Columbia, distributed socks, gloves and non-perishable food to 200 homeless people at Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver.

MACARONI DINNER

St. Matthew Council 14360 in Norwalk, Conn., held its second annual macaroni dinner. With nearly 230 guests, the event raised approximately $2,000 for the council’s charitable fund. Attendees were also encouraged to bring nonperishable food items for the food pantry at St. Matthew Church.

Members of Cardinal James Francis McIntyre Council 6332 in Mission Viejo, Calif., dismantle a stained-glass window at the old St. Killian Church while cleaning out the building of all religious artifacts. St. Killian Parish erected a new church in 2013, and Past Grand Knight Raymund Trebels discovered a needy parish in Ensenada, Mexico, that could benefit from all of the church materials. Knights dismantled an altar, baptismal font, pews with kneelers, stations of the cross, windows, speaker systems and more for the Mexican parish. Additionally, Council 6332 and Santiago de Compostela Assembly raised $5,000 to have the materials shipped.

sions and light refreshments.

Attendees also pass around a collection box, which is donated quarterly to a diocesan seminary.

50 YEARS OF PRAYERS

FUNDS FOR BOILER

Padre Antonio de Figueroa Council 3898 in Parral, Mexico Northwest, has sponsored a weekly Marian prayer program for the past 50 years.

Since 1963, council families have taken turns hosting a traveling image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a prayer service in their homes. The service includes the recitation of the rosary, petitions, discus-

Dr. Edmund J. Tierney Council 5660 in Sioux City, Iowa, donated $10,000 to Immaculate Conception Church to help replace the building’s aging boiler and air conditioning system. Funds for the donation came from a matching challenge at a special parish collection and from other council-sponsored fundraisers.

UPPER LEFT: Photo by Nick Sherrouse

Attendees at the Special Olympics Aukake Classic at the Waiau District Park in Pearl City, Hawaii, applaud as Gary K. Jose, Special Olympics chairman for the Hawaii State Council, presents Hawaii Special Olympics President Nancy Botello with a check for $3,500. In addition to the donation from the state council, Knights were heavily involved with the event itself, providing an honor guard for the opening ceremony and serving lunch to more than 400 athletes, coaches, parents and volunteers.

St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica Council 13404 in London, Ontario, donated $27,000 to help replace all of the kneelers at the 128-year-old church. Funds for the donation were raised through a number of initiatives, including charity meals, raffles and a concert by famed Canadian tenor John McDermott.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Members of Our Lady of the Rosary Council 8214 in Round Lake, Ill., stand with the electronic sign that they donated to St. Joseph Church and School. Knights donated $10,000 to help purchase and install the sign, which advertises important information and activities at the church and school.

VA GRILLIN’

Waukegan (Ill.) Council 731 donated two barbecue grills to the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.

MASS KIT FOR GHANA

Father Charles J. Watters Assembly in Dunwoody, Ga., presented a traveling Mass kit, complete with memorial chalice engraved with the name of a deceased Knight, to Father Anthony Eshun of Sekondi, Ghana. During a lengthy visit to the United States, Father Eshun learned about the Order and was exemplified into All Saints Council 11402. Before his departure, Knights presented him with the Mass kit to take home for use in his native country.

munity and an excellent fundraising strategy for the council. Offering catfish, hush puppies, fries, coleslaw and beverages, the monthly events provide the community with a great meal and offer council members an opportunity to get together in a working social environment.

COLLABORATION

St. Hubert’s Council 10341 in Marienville, Pa., installed a flagpole and memorial plaque at St. Anne’s Church.

The flag, flagpole and plaque were donated by Woodmen of the World, and the stone on which the plaque was mounted was donated by Borland Memorials of Leeper. Kane Assembly provided an honor guard for the dedication of the flagpole, which was sponsored by the local VFW post.

Columbia July 1980 cover painting by Hal Gerhardt

FIRST FRIDAY FISH FRYS

St. Stanislaus Council 10258 in Bandera, Texas, replaced its annual golf tournament with a monthly fish fry event in response to increased pressure on the council and community to organize and contribute to the tournament. The fish fries have been a big hit with the com-

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

July 1989

FEATURE ARTICLE In the issue’s cover story, journalist Prent Browning profiled Michael Sapp, a Florida Knight who ran 340 miles to raise funds for a home for expectant mothers. “Although some people thought I was lying down because I was tired, it was really like a prayer for me to just ... offer up everything we had done over the past 11 days to the Lord at the foot of the cross,” said Sapp at the end of his run.

WHAT KNIGHTS ARE DOING Canadian Knights can do anything in the snow — including a chili cook-off. Heart Lake Council 9108 in Brampton, Ontario, held one such event, brewing chili outdoors in frigid temperatures while helping to raise nearly $8,000 for the Lung Association.

ACCLAIMING THE JOHN PAUL II INSTITUTE In his monthly column, Supreme Chaplain Bishop Thomas V. Daly of Brooklyn, N.Y., spoke about the impending start of the second academic year for the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. “Here is a major intervention, aided substantially by the Knights of Columbus, to train and form ‘the teachers of the teachers’ on marriage and the family,” the supreme chaplain wrote. As of 2014, the school has given out more than 400 advanced degrees (see page 6).

AMAZING ADVERTISING As part of a 1989 membership campaign, ads in the magazine urged Knights to recruit new members and “Share the Spirit.” The ad explained, “We believe in honoring the clergy for the helping hands they extend to us every day.” Recruiters also received a John Paul II medal and a chance to win a trip to Florida.

JULY 2014

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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 © 2014 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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JULY 2014

A. Grill Master Barbecue Tools. Kit includes a sturdy nylon carrying case, a wood-handled spatula with a bottle opener, a silicone basting brush, and a set of tongs. Elastic holders store the accessories neatly in the case. The kit also features an exterior front pocket, a zippered closure, and a top grab handle. Printed with the emblem of the Order and “Knights of Columbus.” — $26 B. Party to Go! Cooler. Cooler with 32-can capacity, 16” zippered opening, and removable floor board for added stability. A metal bottle opener is attached so it’s always handy. Cooler features silver trim and the emblem of the Order and “Knights of Columbus” in silver ink. — $19 C. Barbecue Apron and Mitt Set. Vibrant red-and-black apron features plenty of pockets for stashing bottles of sauce, a retractable bottle opener and an insulated beverage holder. The emblem of the Order and “It always tastes right when it’s served by a Knight” are printed on front. Set includes black padded oven mitt. — $19 Order these and other items online at:

knightsgear.com Questions? Call: 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562)

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K N I G H T S O F C O L UM B U S

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

TO

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

Dozens of people pack the streets with K of C pro-life signs during a pro-life march organized by Santo Domingo de Guzmán Council 14383 in Yauco, Puerto Rico. The march was held under the theme “Seamos la Voz de los que No Tienen Voz” (“Let's Be the Voice of Those Who Have No Voice”).

“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326

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

JULY 2014

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

K E E P T H E F A IT H A L I V E

‘I EXPERIENCED THE GENTLE INVITATION OF CHRIST.’

SISTER MARIE CARITAS School Sisters of Christ the King Lincoln, Neb.

Photo by Allison Garrett

Wow, sisters my own age! During my sophomore year of college, I attended a retreat with the School Sisters of Christ the King.

Even though I was meeting the sisters for the first time, I experienced a real camaraderie with them. Impressed by the gift these sisters had given God, I, too, desired to give my life in the same way.

In the coming months, I prayed more ardently to know God’s will for me. I experienced the gentle invitation of Christ to belong totally to him, and I joined the community 10 years ago.

During my time in religious formation, I came to realize that my vocation is not primarily a matter of my gift to God; my gift is only a response to his free gift of spousal love for me. Knowing this, I understand more fully the words of St. John: “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us” (1 Jn 4:10). I praise and thank God for the incomparable gift he offers me in calling me to religious life.