Columbia
Thousands of pilgrims from more than 40 nations take part in the Marian candlelight procession during the 64th International Military Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in May (see page 7).
3 For the greater glory of God
Jesus invites us to encounter him and to be transformed through prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly
4 Learning the faith, living the faith
The Order provides resources for members to grow in spiritual health and encounter Christ.
By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
6 Knights of Columbus News State Deputies Urged to Build ‘A Culture of Invitation’ • Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrims Find Peace and Healing
8 Building the Domestic Church
A series of columns on family life, leadership and financial stewardship
28 Knights in Action Reports from councils and assemblies, representing Faith in Action
Stepping Out in Faith
Thousands of Knights and their families participate in the historic National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
By Columbia sta
Men After God’s Own Heart
Adopted by hundreds of councils Orderwide, the Cor initiative invites men to draw closer to Christ through prayer, faith formation and fraternity.
By John Burger
By Columbia sta 24 10 20 26
Welcoming Widows of War
Ukrainian women who have lost their husbands receive material, psychological and spiritual aid with the Order’s support.
By Karolina Świder
Solidarity Does Not Sleep
North American Knights provide spiritual and material support to Ukrainians su ering from war.
ON THE COVER A priest reverences the Blessed Sacrament as Fourth Degree Knights stand at attention during National Eucharistic Pilgrimage events in Emmitsburg, Md., on June 5.
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. kofc.org/join
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Font of Unity and Charity
ON THE LAST SUNDAY of August 1882, Father Michael J. McGivney celebrated a high Mass at the New Haven jail for James “Chip” Smith. Some 20 months earlier, Smith had mortally wounded a police chief during a drunken dispute. He was convicted of murder, and it was now just ve days until his execution. Father McGivney, who frequently visited the young man and would be at his side until the very end, spoke to those assembled and asked for prayers and forgiveness on Smith’s behalf. “To me this duty comes with an almost crushing weight,” he added. “If I could consistently with my duty be far away from here next Friday I should escape perhaps the most trying ordeal of my life, but this sad duty is placed in my way by providence and must be ful lled.”
Father McGivney had been ordained for less than ve years, yet his words and actions, as reported in the New Haven Daily Palladium, reveal a priest conformed to the Eucharistic heart of Jesus Christ — a heart de ned by obedience to the Father’s will and sacri cial love for his ock.
It has sometimes been said that Father McGivney was not a priest who believed his ministry “ended with the Mass” — and, in a certain sense, this is clearly true: From his rst days as assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Church, he truly had “the whole work of a parish on [his] shoulders,” as he would write the summer a er his ordination. He founded the Knights of Columbus several years later, even while a ending to the myriad needs of the church, organizing parish events, and ministering to people on the peripheries, like Chip Smith. Yet, everything Father McGivney did owed from, and was directed back to, the Mass, just as the Second Vatican Council would later a rm, “ e liturgy is the summit toward which
the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power ows” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1074).
is reality is re ected in the Order’s founding principles and Father McGivney’s mo o for the Knights: “Unity and Charity.” e Holy Eucharist is the “sacrament of charity,” Pope Benedict XVI wrote, because it “makes manifest that ‘greater’ love which led [Jesus] to ‘lay down his life for his friends.’ Jesus did indeed love them ‘to the end’” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 1; Jn 15:13, 13:1). e Eucharist is also the “sacrament of unity,” as Benedict explained in his homily for Holy ursday 2011, for it is “the mystery of the profound closeness and communion of each individual with the Lord and, at the same time, of visible union between all” (cf. 1 Cor 10:17). Pope Francis spoke similarly on Corpus Christi Sunday 2017, noting that “whoever receives [the Eucharist] cannot fail to be a builder of unity, because building unity has become part of his or her ‘spiritual DNA.’”
In 1900, a decade a er Father McGivney’s death, Father Joseph G. Daley recalled that at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, McGivney had been recognized for his good humor and piety. e Sulpician Fathers “would not be content with anyone else for the post of sacristan,” Father Daley wrote, adding, “ at piety crystallized itself in his immense charity.” Still today, Blessed Michael McGivney, whose feast we celebrate Aug. 13, inspires and intercedes for the Order he founded, as his spiritual sons seek to be conformed to Christ, our Eucharistic Lord. ✢
Alton J. Pelowski, Editor
Father Michael McGivney: An American Blessed
With Blessed Michael McGivney’s Aug. 13 feast day on the horizon, it’s a good time for Knights and others to view this 27-minute documentary produced by the Order in 2020. The film explores Father McGivney’s life and legacy, from his humble beginnings as the son of Irish immigrants to his founding of the Knights of Columbus in 1882, highlighting his witness of charity, evangelization and empowerment of the laity. It also tells the story of the miracle that paved the way to his beatification. For more information, visit fathermcgivney.org.
Columbia
PUBLISHER
Knights of Columbus
SUPREME OFFICERS
Patrick E. Kelly
Supreme Knight
Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. Supreme Chaplain
Arthur L. Peters
Deputy Supreme Knight
Patrick T. Mason
Supreme Secretary
Ronald F. Schwarz
Supreme Treasurer
John A. Marrella
Supreme Advocate
EDITORIAL
Alton J. Pelowski
Editor
Cecilia Hadley
Editorial Director
Andrew J. Matt
Managing Editor
Elisha Valladares-Cormier
Associate Editor
Paul Haring
Manager of Photography
Cecilia Engbert Content Producer
Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-90) – Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us.
HOW TO REACH US
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1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 columbia@kofc.org kofc.org/columbia
ADDRESS CHANGES
203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org
COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398
K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995
The Reality of Christ’s Presence
Jesus invites us to encounter him and to be transformed through prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist
By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly
ON MEMORIAL DAY weekend, I visited New York City with my family to join in a Eucharistic procession from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown to St. Peter’s Church in Lower Manhattan. The procession was part of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route of the 65-day National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which originated at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, and will end at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis later this month.
It was a truly amazing experience to walk with our Eucharistic Lord through the streets of New York. As the monstrance passed, residents and tourists knelt on the sidewalk and took videos. Waiters came out of restaurants and crossed themselves. Onlookers broke out in spontaneous applause. And all the while, hundreds of pilgrims sang hymns expressing their love for Jesus in the Eucharist.
These responses bear witness to Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist — body, blood, soul and divinity. And yet, it’s one thing to say we believe; it’s quite another to let that belief really sink in and change everything — our thoughts, our actions, our relationships. The challenge for us as Catholics and as Knights is to make the profound truth of Jesus’ presence a profound reality in our lives. Christ himself helps us do this, for the Eucharist is not a something, but a someone, who is living and active in our world and who desires a relationship with us.
The way we come to know Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, is the same way we come to know any other person — learning about him, listening to him, and spending time with him.
In the Gospels, we learn how Jesus acts, how he thinks, what he says. Through personal prayer, we engage in conversation with him. We can speak to the Lord from our depths of our heart, just as we would talk
to a close friend or loved one. Nothing will surprise him, for he knows us better than we know ourselves (Ps 139:1-4). And as with any conversation, we must also listen.
In his desire to teach, heal and transform us, Jesus has also given us the sacraments, through which he remains present. We become spiritually and physically united with him when we receive him in holy Communion in the Mass. He is always waiting for us to spend time with him in Eucharistic adoration. And when there is rupture in our relationship, due to our sin, we go to him in confession to offer a heartfelt apology and receive forgiveness.
But if we truly want Christ to transform us, we must actively surrender our entire will to him. Indeed, his words to the Father must become our own: “Not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). A solid help here is the Surrender Novena, a powerful prayer written by Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo. The novena stresses letting go of our own will and placing our complete trust in Jesus, with its refrain, “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!”
Likewise, through a morning offering and brief prayers throughout the day, we can foster awareness of Christ’s presence, offering our every action and every moment to God.
The question, then, is this: Are we simply going through the motions of faith, or do we have a personal, living relationship with Jesus Christ? Pope Benedict XVI put it this way: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, 1).
Jesus has given us the gift of the Eucharist so we can stay close to him. And he seeks not only to transform us, but to touch all those whom we, in turn, encounter each day.
Vivat Jesus!
The way we come to know Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, is the same way we come to know any other person — learning about him, listening to him, and spending time with him.
Photo by Michael Collopy
Core Exercises
The Order provides resources for members to grow in spiritual health and encounter Christ
By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
IN A COLUMN this time last year, I mentioned my daily exercise routine. Consider this a follow-up report.
Like others my age who exercise, it is easy to overdo it. I did just that recently. As the result of my imprudence, I woke up one morning “down in the back,” as they say. I couldn’t sit in anything but a straight chair. Getting in and out of a recliner was excruciating. Getting dressed wasn’t exactly a picnic.
I took a pain reliever, but it didn’t do much good. After a while, I began to think that I had seriously injured my spine. Reluctantly, I went to my doctor. He poked around and then he shared some good news: My bones weren’t the problem. But I had strained my back muscles in the course of my workouts. “What you need,” he said, “are core exercises,” and with that he packed me off to physical therapy.
There I learned a new set of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of my body’s core, or center — muscles that help to maintain balance and flexibility amid daily activities. I started the recommended exercise routine and soon discovered muscles I didn’t know I had. By stretching the same muscles that I had strained, the pain soon went away, and I felt much better.
You can probably see where this is going. It’s not a big stretch to see the connection between core and Cor, between exercising the core of the human body and the spiritual exercises of the Knights of Columbus initiative called Cor — the Latin word for “heart” and a biblical word for “soul” or the center of one’s existence. I hope many of you are already doing your Cor exercises or will soon begin them (see page 20).
Why do we need Cor exercises? To start with, we often experience inward, spiritual pain. It may not be excruciating — more of an annoyance, a pain we try to ignore,
deny or minimize. Or perhaps we’ve just become spiritually flabby. We tell ourselves that our spiritual life and relationship with God are in good shape and that we are pleasing in his eyes. But then something happens that causes us to think twice about our life, and the pain of guilt is harder to ignore.
What to do? When my back hurt, my first move was to medicate, but it didn’t work. Pain relievers weren’t the answer. No, I went to the doctor to find out the underlying problem and to seek a remedy. So too, when we falter spiritually or experience guilt, we shouldn’t try to medicate ourselves with food or alcohol or distractions. No, we should go to the doctor. Encountering the divine physician in the sacrament of reconciliation, we receive God’s mercy and discover that we are not broken beyond his ability to repair.
We also discover that going back to the same old sins and failings will only result in more spiritual discomfort and pain. So, a good next step is to engage in spiritual exercises. That is why the Knights of Columbus offers us Cor. Through prayer, formation and fraternity, it is designed to help us strengthen not our physical core but our spiritual “cor.”
Like the core exercises I was assigned, the spiritual exercises of Cor might be new to some. They take different forms: praying the rosary, reading Scripture, participating in spiritual discussions, to name a few. Cor aims to help Knights encounter Christ and support one another in growing in faith and virtue, in becoming better followers of Christ, better husbands and fathers. Cor is exercise for the heart!
At first, I was hesitant to start my core exercises, just as some may be reluctant to participate in Cor. But I’m glad I did, and you will be too. ✢
Cor aims to help Knights encounter Christ and support one another in growing in faith and virtue, in becoming better followers of Christ, better husbands and fathers.
State Deputies Urged to Build ‘A Culture of Invitation’
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS jurisdiction
leaders from around the world met in New Haven, Connecticut, for the annual Organizational Meeting of State Deputies June 5-9.
More than 70 state deputies participated in daily Masses, fraternal events and workshops looking ahead to the next fraternal year. More than 40 state chaplains also gathered in New Haven for meetings and other events June 5-8.
Recently elected state deputies were officially installed at the conclusion of Mass at St. Mary’s Church on June 7, the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In his homily, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore encouraged state deputies to recall that “reality is greater than ideas,” echoing a phrase often used by Pope Francis.
“As a state deputy, be a witness to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” he said. “Be a witness to the love of God that has been made flesh, to the love of God that is not an idea but a reality.”
Later that day, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly reflected in his keynote remarks on the importance of devotion to the Sacred Heart among K of C leaders.
“Every Knight, and especially the leaders of the Order, need to have the ‘heart of a father’ — a heart shaped by the love of God our Father,” he said. “If we get this right, everything we do as leaders will bear fruit.”
The supreme knight urged Knights to develop within their councils a “culture of invitation,” as modeled by Blessed Michael McGivney.
“Father McGivney created a culture for the Knights,” he explained, “in which Catholic men ask other Catholic men to join them in a great work.”
With 2.1 million members spanning 13 countries, the Order continues to grow, Supreme Knight Kelly said, with more than 81,000 men becoming Knights over the past fraternal year. Nonetheless, a recent study by the Center for Applied Research in the
Apostolate shows that in the United States alone, close to 7 million Catholic men are open to joining a Catholic men’s organization such as the Knights — but haven’t. “ ey haven’t joined for a simple reason,” the supreme knight said. “ ey have never been invited.”
Supreme Knight Kelly particularly encouraged leaders to extend invitations to Hispanic men, noting that in the U.S., about half of Catholics between 18 and 29 are Hispanic. He also stressed the importance of faith formation, especially Cor , an Orderwide initiative that launched in 2023 (see page 20).
“Every council should be doing Cor ,” the supreme knight said, adding that “it’s especially appealing to young men who are looking to lead lives of meaning and draw closer to Christ.”
Along with Cor , the Supreme Council is developing faith formation resources such as the Men of the Word Bible study and video series like Into
the Breach: The Mission of the Family .
“This is all part of the culture of invitation,” Supreme Knight Kelly said. “We aren’t just inviting men to join a group. We’re inviting them into personal and ongoing spiritual growth. This is how — in 2024 and beyond — we are continuing the work that Father McGivney began.”
Archbishop Lori likewise invoked Father McGivney’s example in his remarks to state chaplains June 6.
“To walk in Father McGivney’s footsteps, that is our calling as chaplains,” the supreme chaplain said. “No one of us can replace the Founder, but all of us can be inspired by his pastoral charity, his genius, as well as his courage and tenacity, not to mention a spirit of collaboration with the laity that was way ahead of its time.”
Earlier that day, the chaplains walked in Father McGivney’s footsteps literally, visiting Connecticut sites related to his life and ministry. ✢
Photo by Paul Haring
New Knights of Columbus state deputies stand with Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori during the Organizational Meeting of State Deputies in New Haven, Conn.
Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrims Find Peace and Healing
MORE THAN 150 wounded, ill or disabled U.S. service members and veterans participated in the Order’s annual Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage May 21-27, along with family members, chaplains, support staff and a Fourth Degree honor guard.
The U.S. pilgrims joined around 14,000 military personnel from more than 40 countries who traveled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France to pray for peace as part of the 64th International Military Pilgrimage.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA — which co-sponsors Warriors to Lourdes with the Knights of Columbus —led the pilgrims from the United States.
“At Lourdes, we have the dramatic signs of healing, of people being cured. But there’s also the experience of seeing that you’re not alone,” the archbishop said. “It puts the notion of being sick or needing healing in a whole di erent context. Because here, you’re not a burden, you’re really the center.”
The pilgrims attended Mass together, participated in the Stations of the Cross, and took part in a candlelight procession. They also had time for personal prayer and reflection, and the opportunity to wash in the waters of Lourdes, which annually draw millions of people seeking spiritual, physical or emotional healing.
In recent years, many of the pilgrimage’s presentations have focused on moral injury and other wounds to the minds, hearts and souls of service members and their families.
“We now see less of the visible and physical wounds of war, but more of the invisible wounds,” said retired Army Master Sgt. Sompaul Vorapanich, director of Warriors to Lourdes and the Order’s military councils. “The sanctuary here is perfect for healing. [The pilgrims] see others who are seeking the same, and they’re able to open up.”
The theme of this year’s Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage came from Psalm 34: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Emphasizing the hope and healing that Warriors to Lourdes pilgrims are invited to experience, Archbishop Broglio said, “Although that verse might not give witness to it immediately, it’s a festive song. Coming on pilgrimage has that notion of celebration, of being together and also raising people up.”
Army Lt. Col. Nathan Friedline, an emergency medicine physician who currently works with the 1st Special Forces Group, participated in the pilgrimage with his wife, Maria. Friedline is a Catholic convert who deployed multiple times between 2013 and 2021. After his last tour, Friedline said, he returned feeling strange and disoriented, questioning the purpose of everything he had been through.
When he first learned about Warriors to Lourdes, Friedline didn’t think it was right for him, but his wife and parish priest convinced him otherwise. Not long into the pilgrimage, Friedline realized it was just what he needed.
“There’s so much love here, there’s so much peace,” he said. “This, I feel, was a pivotal moment, a turning point, where whatever progress I had made before was still minuscule by comparison. … We’re so grateful for the invitation by the Knights of Columbus, to make this possible to bring us to this place and build our faith and let us know that we are valued, that we have purpose.” ✢
Above: A member of the U.S. Marine Corps color guard participating in the International Military Pilgrimage cups his hand in holy water from the spring discovered by St. Bernadette.
• Top left: Wounded, ill and disabled pilgrims and their companions attend Mass on May 25 at the Grotto where Mary appeared in 1858.
By Joseph McInerney LEAD WITH FAITH
MISSION OF THE FAMILY
Humility and the Heights of Leadership
“Do you want to be great? Start from the bottom,” said St. Augustine, noting that great towers have foundations of humility. “As the building is being constructed, it rises higher and higher, but the one who is digging the foundations is pushed down lower and lower. So, the building has to be humbled before it reaches its loftiest height, and its topmost pinnacle can only be erected after it has been humbled to its depths” (Sermon 69).
This insight goes to the heart of Christian leadership. Christ came to build the loftiest tower — to lead sinful humanity to the perfection and happiness that can only be experienced in God. As St. Paul asserted, Christ had to be humbled to the depths, taking the form of a slave and “becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). In doing so, Christ becomes the leader at whose name every knee must bend (2:10).
The path of humility is difficult for us who, as Christ’s followers, are called to lead others to him. Yet this is the only way to accomplish our mission. And it is through the service and suffering brought on by humbly leading others to Christ that we will experience our greatest joy. ✢
— Joseph McInerney is vice president of leadership and ethics education for the Knights of Columbus.
Adventure Marks
Turn your kids’ cuts and bruises into a way to grow in strength and share in Christ’s victory
By Jack Calcutt
AT A RECENT POTLUCK, my wife and I were relaxing with other parents around the firepit while our kids enjoyed the early summer evening. The conversation paused when a child screamed about some pain that required a hug, a Band-Aid or an apology. While one of the dads — a brother Knight — gracefully averted the “crisis,” those of us who remained discussed strategies around falls, bumps and cuts.
Our own family’s strategy is to celebrate. With all eight of our children under 14, we don’t have time to coddle too much. At a certain point, we needed another way to get emotions back on track after a tumble. When a child comes running up with a small emergency, such as a bleeding knee or a bruised arm, we get the whole family to cheer and announce a new “adventure mark.”
The immediate effect is simply to help the child feel better and stop crying more quickly. The second effect goes deeper. We want our children to be excited about taking risks and comfortable with a sense of adventure. Every adventure mark is a chance for them to learn about themselves and the world God created for them to enjoy. A minor injury, or the experience of pain, is a way to grow in strength and to enjoy a particular triumph. It’s worth a cheer.
Juxtaposed with this excitement is a concern for spiritual danger that is far scarier to our family. Dangers lurk behind screens, and the wounds are o en invisible. Our best hope is to ll our children’s
cups with the delicious drink of real life: wrestling with dad, cooking with mom, and playing in nature. In prayer before a crucifix, it came to me that when Catholics revere the wounds of Jesus, we ponder the adventure of Christ, who humbled himself to walk among us and suffer death in our place. Indeed, it is telling that he kept his wounds even in his glorified state after the resurrection. He showed them joyfully to St. Thomas and the other Apostles, as if to say, “It’s still me. See how I loved you?”
e Son of God le the “safety” of heaven to assume our humanity and love us to the end. We want to encourage boldness in our family, even at the cost of su ering. Our small triumphs point to Christ’s ultimate triumph over sin and death, which he invites all of us to share. ✢
JACK CALCUTT is a member of Most Pure Heart of Mary Council 4254 in Topeka, Kan., where he lives with his wife, Katie Scarlett, and their eight children.
Why should young adults prepare financially for the future?
By Nick Gentile FAMILY FINANCE
Young people today are bombarded with consumerist imagery across advertising and social media, fueling a “YOLO” (you only live once) mentality. But when the desire for instant gratification leads to people spending above their means, it’s disastrous for longterm financial well-being.
A disciplined budget combined with prudent and consistent investing are the building blocks for financial stability
throughout one’s life. This approach guides a person through the ups and downs of financial markets, allowing savings to grow over time.
That is where the magic happens: Time really is money when it comes to compound interest. It’s been said that the person who understands compound interest earns it, and the person who doesn’t, pays it. If you can get yourself on the right side of this equation, you will be thanking yourself, rather than growing more worried, as you age.
It’s never too late to start investing for your future. Even small, consistent deposits into an investment account will grow meaningfully over the course of your life. Each budget and investment plan will be unique, but the sooner you invest and do so consistently, the
FOR YOUR MARRIAGE
Two to Quarrel
Disagreements with your spouse are inevitable, but they don’t have to be emergencies
By Gerald Korson
CONFLICTS HAPPEN even in marriages made in heaven. Adam and Eve, who were literally made for each other by God in Chapter 2 of Genesis, were already bickering by Chapter 3. Adam blamed Eve for making him eat the forbidden fruit. Eve blamed the snake — but likely was glaring at Adam as she did so.
It has been said that what counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are but how you deal with incompatibility. Nobody’s perfect, and perhaps God gave us spouses to constantly remind us of the fact. Better communication is essential for avoiding and resolving disagreements, but there’s more to it.
The best foundation for conflict resolution exists when both spouses are fully convinced of their mutual love and commitment. Disagreements then become navigable bumps in the road rather than U-turns or roadside emergencies. Spouses must be sensitive to their beloved’s communication style. My extroverted wife likes to think out loud and
sooner you will be on the path to financial peace of mind. Visit kofc.org/familyfinance for additional information and resources. ✢ — Nick Gentile, CFA, is a portfolio manager at Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors and a member of Msgr. Joseph Fitzgerald Council 14014 in Huntington, Conn.
resolve issues immediately. I’m an introvert who prefers to think before I speak. When a discussion provokes escalating emotions and the concomitant risk of hurtful words, we take a timeout and return to the matter later in a more diplomatic mood.
Similarly, I would argue that a piece of advice often given to newly married couples — “never go to bed angry” — is bad policy. Why prolong an unfruitful discussion when you’re exhausted and punchy? Go to sleep, wake up refreshed, and address the issue anew with cooler heads over morning coffee. And always remember your unshakable love and commitment — and the profound grace available to you by virtue of your sacramental union. ✢
GERALD KORSON is a veteran Catholic journalist and a member of the Knights of Columbus in Indiana.
STEPPINGOUT IN FAITH
Thousands of Knights and their families participate in the historic National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
By Columbia sta
“Ithink it’s perfect that we’re launching this National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston said May 19 during an outdoor Mass in northern Minnesota. “A revival happens when the Holy Spirit does something greater than we can do by our human efforts.”
e same day that Bishop Cozzens kicked o the Marian Route of the pilgrimage near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Pentecost Masses were being celebrated at its three other launch points: New Haven, Connecticut (the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route); San Francisco (the St. Junípero Serra Route); and Brownsville, Texas (the St. Juan Diego Route).
Teams of young adult “perpetual pilgrims” have since traveled with the Eucharist across the United States, stopping for Mass, adoration and processions at scores of sites along the way. All four routes converge in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21.
The pilgrimage and congress are part of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival that began in 2022, an initiative of the U.S. bishops to inspire deeper love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Cozzens, who chairs the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, has witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit in shaping the National Eucharistic Revival. One example is the shape of the pilgrimage itself, initially conceived as a single route. When Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly suggested
expanding it to four routes, logistics experts were consulted. Their conclusion: “This is not possible. It can’t be done.”
A year later, two other Knights — Father Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River and Father John Anthony Boughton of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, resurrected the idea for processions from north, south, east and west, forming a cross over the country, and promised their help.
Bishop Cozzens backed the audacious plan; as he put it in his Pentecost homily, “It’s never been done. But we’re about to do it.”
The Holy Spirit has drawn tens of thousands of Catholics to Eucharistic events along each of the pilgrimage routes. Knights have played an active role in the pilgrimage, from planning logistics and providing hospitality for the perpetual pilgrims, to participating in Eucharistic processions in towns, cities and metropolises across the United States. The following pages present some of the voices and images of this once-in-a-lifetime event. ✢
Left: Father Andrés Ayala raises the Eucharist in benediction in Emmitsburg, Md., as a Fourth Degree honor guard stands at attention. • Above: A U.S. map indicates the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage converging on Indianapolis, site of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21.
Itasca State Park, Minn., May 19
MARIAN ROUTE
“ST. JUSTIN MARTYR, one of the first great apologists, writes a text in 155 A.D., and he talks in that text about the Mass and the Eucharist: ‘We do not consume the Eucharistic bread and wine as if they were ordinary food and drink.’ …
“In a few moments, I’m going to pronounce — not my words, which have very limited significance — I’m going to pronounce Jesus’ words. Who is Jesus? If he’s one more prophet, one more teacher, who cares? But if he is, as St. Justin Martyr says, the incarnate Word of God, then what he says is . God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and
there was light. God said, ‘Let the earth come forth.’ And so it happened. Jesus said, ‘Lazarus, come out,’ and so the dead man came out. ‘Little girl, get up,’ and she got up. ‘My son, your sins are forgiven,’ and they’re forgiven. “What God says is . Justin Martyr says it: ‘By the power of his own words, this ordinary bread and wine now becomes the body and blood of Jesus.’ … So the Church has taught from the earliest days.”
— Bishop Robert Barron, homily, feast day Mass of St. Justin Martyr, June 1 , at Pax Christi Catholic Church, Rochester, Minn.
“IT WAS SUCH a blessing and unifying experience to have the Eucharist come into our home in such a special way. The grounds of our community were so alive — even the birds were participating in the procession.
“I am filled with hope as the Marian Route’s perpetual pilgrims continue their journey to the Eucharistic Congress in thinking of the witness they will bring to so many on the fringes of our Catholic faith. I hope others feel empowered by the magnitude of the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, and I hope the Eucharistic Pilgrimage continues to gather us all into one body, one Church.”
— Sister Michelle Marie Ozuna, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Holy Family Convent, Manitowoc, Wis., June 14
Colby, Wis., June 11
National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., June 16
Courtesy of the Diocese
of La Crosse
OSV News
photo/Sam Lucero
SETON ROUTE
“I HAD THE HONOR of attending overnight adoration May 19 at St. Mary’s, the starting point of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s Seton Route. It happened to be my birthday, and I figured there was no better way to kick off the age of 44 than being in the presence of our Lord.
“I arrived at 1:45 a.m., and by 3 a.m. I could see and hear the other adorers start to move around. I thought that perhaps they too were starting to get a little restless. At around 3:45, this restless feeling of mine was suddenly replaced by an incredible sense of calm. The subsequent quietness of the others convinced me they felt it as well.
“Coming on the heels of two rather turbulent years in my life, this moment felt like a message from God: ‘As long as you are in the presence of the Lord, you will have peace.’ It was something I believe I was meant to experience and something I will never forget. Through this national pilgrimage, Christ is showing us that we can experience his presence in the Eucharist on a more intimate level than we ever anticipated.”
— Ma hew Ruby, San Salvador Council 1, New Haven, Conn.
St. Mary’s Church New Haven, Conn., May 19
Md., June 5
National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Emmitsburg,
St. Pius X Church Pittsburgh, June 13
“FROM THE START of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s conversion, the mystery of the Eucharist, the true presence of Christ’s body and blood, had what I might call a gravitational pull on her heart, and mind and spirit.
“Elizabeth, as a devout young woman worshiping in her own congregation, it is said, heard bells sounding from a nearby Catholic Church as holy Mass was being celebrated. e ringing of the bells rst alerted her sensitive, open heart to a Eucharistic faith that would become the foundation of her life. For when Elizabeth traveled to Livorno, Italy, with her husband, William, in the hope that he might recover from a serious illness, she encountered there a warm, full- edged Eucharistic devotion.
“Returning to New York, Elizabeth underwent a time of anguished searching, especially as her family and friends tried to dissuade her from converting. Yet her desire for the Bread of Life became ever stronger. … In 1805, she was received into the Catholic Church. She looked forward with happy anticipation to receiving the Holy Eucharist for the first time: ‘At last,’ she wrote, ‘God is mine. And I am his.’
“As we trace the Seton Route along the East Coast, may you and I be overtaken by the same Eucharistic faith that animated St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.” — Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, homily at National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, June 5
A Knightly Journey
Father Roger Landry — a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and a chaplain at Columbia University in New York City — is the only priest traveling one of the pilgrimage routes from beginning to end. Before the Seton Route kicked off May 19, Father Landry, a longtime Knight of Columbus, reflected on the significance of the route’s starting point.
“IT IS A PHENOMENAL gi that the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage starts here at the church of St. Mary’s in New Haven in the parish of Blessed Michael McGivney, right at the church that houses his tomb. Father McGivney was a Eucharistic priest, his whole life centered around Jesus in the holy Eucharist. How proud he would be, more than 140 years a er he was here, that the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage would begin at his tomb. We’re going to be asking for Blessed Michael McGivney’s intercession throughout our 65-day pilgrimage from New Haven to New York to Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C., Cincinnati and Indianapolis. All 65 days, we’re going to be counting on his help. …
“For us to be able to start everything here is going to infuse the Eucharistic pilgrimage with the real values of the Knights. Unity — the Eucharist brings about unity. Fraternity — Jesus wants us truly to become brothers and sisters with each other, made so by baptism and in the Eucharist. Charity — there’s no greater charity than in the sacrament of charity, the holy Eucharist. And finally, patriotism — there’s no greater gift that we could give our country than the Lord Jesus himself.” ✢
Above: Father Roger Landry blesses the support van and trailer for the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route on May 18, outside the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Conn.
Victoria, Texas, May 28
“ON THE PILGRIMS’ first day in the Diocese of Victoria, May 27, they had evening adoration at Presidio La Bahía, a historic fort and mission church, with the altar set up in the courtyard under some oak trees. I’ve never experienced adoration outside before.
“When they brought out the Eucharist, the whole atmosphere changed: The birds started flying everywhere, as if everything was moved in the presence of our creator and savior. And as the evening wore on and the sky got darker, it became even more intimate, more quiet, more peaceful.
“My daughter, AnaLyn, happened to be home from college then. She has an incredible connection with Jesus in the Eucharist, and when my wife, Donna, and I told her we had this opportunity to go to adoration, she didn’t think twice — she said, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re going!’ I’m so grateful we got to share the experience with her.”
— Deacon Tim Kozelsky, Knights of Columbia field agent, Flatonia (Texas) Council 3295
JUAN DIEGO ROUTE
“THE FIRST DAY of our walk [May 19] was so hot, I can’t even put it into words. We had a 9-mile walk in Brownsville from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to another church, and by the time we got there, I was soaked in sweat. It was so bad that when I sat in the front pew for adoration, the flies were buzzing around me. So, for sure, that was one way I got to practice the virtue of humility that day. …
“In a homily [our chaplain] gave us today, he talked about how we’re like the donkey that Jesus rode on his way into town before he was crucified. The donkey is a very humble animal, and I feel like I’m getting to be a donkey for Christ in this experience. …
“All the devotion that I’m seeing is very beautiful. And even if I’m suffering in a small way, it’s really beautiful to be a part of this.” — Perpetual pilgrim Camille Anigbogu, speaking May 30 at St. Laurence Catholic Church, Sugar Land, Texas
“OUR COUNCIL at McNeese State University provided three Knights to assist when the perpetual pilgrims arrived at Camp Karol in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, on June 3. Two brother Knights and I, together with some others from around the diocese, helped receive them, show them their lodging, serve them dinner and clean up afterward.
“I had just gotten back from two weeks of Marine Corps training, surrounded by testosterone and meatheads. To come home and then a day later meet these young people who are committed to this long pilgrimage was amazing. We had some awesome conversations with the pilgrims and spent time with them in Eucharistic adoration. To experience their joy and excitement was contagious.”
— Nicholas Rougeau, grand knight of McNeese State University Council 18091 in Lake Charles, La.
Long Beach, Miss., June 12
Jennings, La., June 4
Men After GOD’S OWN HEART
Adopted by hundreds of councils Orderwide, the Cor initiative invites men to draw closer to Christ through prayer, faith formation and fraternity
By John Burger
In early June, Jamey Guerrero had an unexpected encounter at a Cor gathering in the metro Vancouver area.
As the director of evangelization and faith formation for the British Columbia and Yukon Knights of Columbus, Guerrero has seen firsthand the fruits of the Order’s initiative to foster prayer, faith formation and fraternity among Knights and other men in Catholic parishes. But at this particular event, hosted by St. Joseph Council 9846 in Port Moody, Guerrero met a man, a non-Catholic, who had just moved to town.
“He had been reading about the Catholic faith and recently decided to go to his first Mass,” Guerrero explained. “At that Mass, the Cor coordinator invited the men of the parish to attend.”
The gathering included a screening of an episode of the K of C video series Into the Breach: The Mission of the Family .
“That’s where it clicked for him,” Guerrero said. “Meeting other men of faith and discussing how we can step into the breach in today’s society was a much-needed help for him.”
Guerrero gave the man his contact number, offering to stay in touch and support him through his faith journey.
“This is what Cor is all about,” Guerrero said. “This new believer needed community to help him know God, and Cor was there to help.”
Launched by the Supreme Council as a pilot program in 16 jurisdictions in early 2023, Cor expanded Orderwide later in the year, after the 141st Supreme Convention in Orlando, Florida.
by Bryce Vickmark
Photo
Above: Past State Deputy Michael Yeo (left) and Jamey Guerrero, state director of evangelization and faith formation, join other men in praying the rosary during a Cor event hosted by St. Joseph Council 9846 in Port Moody, British Columbia, on June 4.•
Opposite page: Father Nicholas Stano, chaplain of Concord (Mass.) Council 287 and St. Irene Council 13848 in Carlisle, speaks during the councils’ joint Cor gathering May 21.
“In this new era, forming Catholic men must be our top priority. … We need men who say ‘yes’ to their God-given vocation. We know what happens when men respond in faith,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly affirmed in his annual report to the convention. “ Cor will deepen our relationship with Christ, making it easier to profess and defend what we believe.”
More than 600 councils now hold regular Cor gatherings, and 4,000 have expressed interest. Participating councils have begun to see spiritual fruits and a renewed interest in the Knights as a result of the initiative.
Speaking to state deputies during their recent organizational meeting in New Haven, Connecticut, the supreme knight said, “Based on what we’ve already seen, Cor has the potential to become a major contributor to the Order’s growth.”
HEART SPEAKS TO HEART
Cor is organized around the three pillars of prayer, formation and fraternity and is designed to help Catholic men build a more intentional relationship with Jesus Christ. The name is drawn from the motto of St. John Henry Newman, Cor ad cor loquitur — “Heart speaks to heart.”
Councils are free to determine how best to tailor the three Cor pillars to the needs of the council and parish.
In Port Moody, British Columbia, St. Joseph Council 9846 has used the Into the Breach video series as a stepping stone into Cor
“I always start with a video from that series, which is just amazing,” said Grand Knight Mark Pan, who is also a K of C field agent. “We talk about masculinity, fatherhood, evangelization. All of this gets men to start opening up about the challenges they face at work or within their own families.”
Pan sees himself as just a facilitator, noting that it is the Holy Spirit who touches the men’s hearts.
“And I see that it happens,” he said, “because how often do you get guys talking about stuff like this?”
On the other side of the continent, members of St. Irene Council 13848 in Carlisle, Massachusetts, and Concord Council 287 have been having similar conversations at the joint Cor activities they launched last fall. Their Cor events begin with a fraternal gathering, often a dinner, followed by an episode of the Into the Breach video series and discussion.
“I think a lot of the conversations were lying just beneath the surface. Now those questions have been broached, and the conversations can be had,” said the councils’ chaplain, Father Nicholas Stano.
The 30-year-old priest noted that a lot of Catholic men are concerned about the crisis of faith in modern society,
citing children or grandchildren who have fallen away from the Church.
“One of the things that a lot of guys really started to understand was that we need to approach the issues that plague our society, our families, our parishes, from a di erent angle,” he said. “Let’s not just focus on the negative. Let’s focus on what it means for us to courageously step into this breach together. Let’s see this as mission territory — our opportunity to live out our faith. And this is a ractive to a lot of guys.”
District Deputy Mike Bello, who attended four of the Cor sessions this year, said that the men involved were highly engaged.
“I felt at the beginning of the year when it was introduced that it would really be a game changer for a lot of councils,” Bello affirmed.
Father Stano noted, “A lot of guys came week a er week, inviting new guys to join us as well, which is great. Because we were pre y explicit that this is not exclusive to the Knights.”
Grand Knight Robert Norton of Concord Council 287 observed that after the last Cor gathering of the fraternal year, several men asked him, “What are we doing next year?”
“There’s definitely interest in keeping Cor going,” Norton said. “There’s definitely a hunger.”
Perhaps this is because, as Father Stano explained, Cor helps men to live out their baptismal call to holiness: “It’s about being active in desiring heaven for ourselves, our family, our communities. Cor can help us all connect to what is most important — becoming a saint. It’s the desire Christ has on his heart for us.”
DYNAMIC FAITH FORMATION
Faith formation plays a pivotal role in Cor , as generations of Catholics have received different levels of religious education over the years.
“How many Catholics really understand the catechism, understand the relationship between sacred tradition and sacred Scripture?” said Christopher Lovera, grand knight of Bishop Maurice F. Burke Council 4031 in Cody, Wyoming.
Council 4031 has made education the focus of its Cor program, which is built on the foundation of an existing men’s group at St. Anthony of Padua Parish. With the help of the parish’s deacons, the men had already been deepening their formation by watching videos from well-known evangelizers like Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester or listening to podcasts like Father Mike Schmitz’s e Catechism in a Year.
“When Cor came out, I was like, ‘Wow, this is showing a lot more that we could be doing as well,’” Lovera said.
Council 4031’s Cor gatherings usually begin with a breakfast prepared by Knights, followed by what Lovera likens to a course, with upwards of 25 men participating.
“It’s almost like a theology class, learning more about what Catholicism is,” Lovera explained. “Our meetings are also quite structured, with a deacon or a priest participating 95% of the time.”
Lovera’s three sons are members of Council 4031, but when one of them, Paul, began studying at the University of Wyoming, he couldn’t make it to council events. Yet he wanted to participate in Cor and share it with his peers, so he decided to adapt the initiative and take it online.
“It’s about being active in desiring heaven for ourselves, our family, our communities. Cor can help us all connect to what is most important — becoming a saint. It’s the desire Christ has on his heart for us.”
Photo by Tami Weingartner
“I’m doing Zoom meetings with the younger generation,” said Paul Lovera, 22. “We are helping each other go to church, helping each other actively participate in Mass, not just going through the motions but actually understanding the readings.”
Knights in Myszyniec, Poland, see that same desire to go deeper among the men of their parish, Holy Trinity Basilica. Scores of men, mainly between the ages of 30 and 60, have been participating in the monthly Cor gatherings that St. Martin Council 14566 began holding last November. Some of them are Knights, but most are not.
“ ey are devout men who are not satis ed with just weekly Mass; they want something more, to educate themselves, to learn,” said Deputy Grand Knight Tomasz Kurpiewski.
Father Zbigniew Jaroszewski, the parish priest and longtime K of C chaplain who leads the gatherings, explained, “Especially in our times, there is a great need for formation of men and fathers, who are the pillar of the family.”
With Scripture, including the Men of the Word Bible study, as the primary resource, the men have discussed topics ranging from charity to the defense of human life to the role of men in various religions and cultures. When
the Holy Trinity Basilica hosted the relics of the recently beatified Ulma family, “family” was chosen as the theme of Cor that month.
“Our main goal has been to engage Catholic men and integrate them, to revitalize their involvement in the life of the parish,” said Robert Pietrzak, the council’s director of evangelization and faith formation. “We called it pre-evangelization.”
A number of participants have inquired about joining the Order.
“They knew that Cor was organized by the Knights,” Kurpiewski said. “They discovered that the Knights are good men, with families, with normal jobs, who like to meet and have fun and also talk about the Lord.”
For Father Jaroszewski, the Knights’ work to engage men through prayer, formation and fraternity is serving a vital role.
“ Cor is a solution for a very a common issue — men who are not active in the Church,” he said. “This is an answer to the Church’s needs today.” ✢
JOHN BURGER writes for Aleteia.org and is a member of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Council 16253 in New Haven, Conn.
Above: Members of the Cor group hosted by St. Martin Council 14566 in Myszyniec participate in Eucharistic adoration at Holy Trinity Basilica in June. • Opposite page: Christopher Lovera (center), grand knight of Bishop Maurice F. Burke Council 4031 in Cody, Wyo., shares a laugh with other members of the Cor group at St. Anthony of Padua Parish on June 4.
For example, during the Christmas season this past year, Knights organized a series of Christmas dinners for widows and their children. Celebrated as “Prosphora” (named for the small loaves of bread used in the liturgy) in the Greek rite and as “Wigilia” (or Christmas vigil) in the Latin rite, the dinners were an occasion not only to share a meal, but also to share their common experience of life after loss.
Halyna Batiuk, one of the widows taking part in a Christmas dinner in Ivano-Frankivsk, explained: “I am the wife of a deceased soldier. He was the most important person in my life, and meeting people who know this pain is very important for me.”
Yulia Svirska, a widow who participated in a Prosphora in Fastiv, admitted, “Since the death of my husband, the father of our four children, we have not celebrated holidays.”
Yet something changed for her this year: “Here I realized that we are united together as a family. I felt great warmth and kindness here.”
Knights in Zolochiv, Chervonohrad and Kyiv also received guests to share a Christmas meal and pray together, even amid missile attacks.
Mykhailo Tsiapych, deputy grand knight of Sts. Borys and Hlib Council 17740 in Fastiv, said, “What these women fear more than the air raid alarms is the feeling of being abandoned and alone.”
One of the Order’s most signi cant partnerships in Ukraine has been with STEP-IN, a Slovakian-based nonpro t that operates medical clinics, provides rst-aid training, and o ers psychological assistance. Following a dinner for widows hosted by the Knights in Fastiv, the Ukraine State Council invited STEP-IN to lead a family counseling program at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish of St. Demetrius.
“Our mission is to restore health and dignity to every participant,” explained Yuliia Luita, STEP-IN regional coordinator for the project.
In recent months, a group of 11 women and their 16 children, from 5 to 11 years old, have been meeting with psychologists regularly in both individual and collective sessions. Participants were carefully selected, as not everyone is able to benefit from group therapy.
The psychologists use “Tuning In to Kids,” a parenting model developed in Australia, to help mothers understand their children’s complex emotions even as they cope with their own. Hence, by helping the women, the program is also helping their children.
“No mom can replace a dad,” affirmed Iryna MusaievaLevandovska, one of the mothers participating in the meetings. “The child will grow up with scars. That’s why this communication project is so important. And the more such projects there are to resuscitate such women, the better.”
Photo by Andrey Gorb
Above: A woman holds her son during a Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Seminary Dec. 30. The liturgy for families of fallen soldiers was organized by Holy Martyr Josaphat Council 18318. • Opposite page, from left: Members of Sts. Borys and Hlib Council 17740 in Fastiv serve guests during a Christmas dinner for bereaved families Jan. 5. • Women whose husbands have died in the war participate in a K of C-sponsored counseling program in Fastiv in April.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
As crucial as psychological help is, families of the fallen in Ukraine are also in desperate need of hope — the kind of hope that surpasses death and can only be found in God.
To help widows find comfort in their faith, Ukrainian Knights began organizing prayer meetings and pilgrimages for those whose loved ones have died.
In March 2023, District Deputy Mykhailo Chipak and Grand Knight Vasyl Zvarych of St. John Bosco Council 16846 in Lviv first invited widows and parents of soldiers who have been killed to pray the rosary with the Knights.
“People experiencing loss and grief need to be supported psychologically and spiritually,” explained Zvarych.
“After participating in those meetings, I noticed that my children changed, became more open and responsive,” said Ivanna, a widow with eight children. “They somehow came to realize that life does not end with this tragedy.”
Following Council 16846’s lead, Knights in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Fastiv started forming similar prayer groups. The aim was simple — to let God heal the wounds of war and give the victims an opportunity to pray with other people for their deceased family members, and to talk with a priest.
By the third meeting in Lviv, the idea of making a pilgrimage to Krekhiv Monastery emerged. The 17thcentury monastic complex holds a special place in the hearts
Solidarity Does Not Sleep
North American Knights provide spiritual and material support to Ukrainians su ering from war
IN THE FIRST DAYS of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly pledged that the Knights would support its victims for the long haul. Two years later, that pledge was renewed: “Our commitment to the Ukrainian people runs deep because our brother Knights and their families are part of the communities that are su ering,” the supreme knight a rmed in a message to members Feb. 22, 2024, the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. “We will continue to support you and stand with you, and we will pray for you every day that Our Lady of Victory will deliver to you a lasting peace.”
Just as Ukrainian Knights continue to deliver aid to their compatriots, and Polish Knights continue to serve refugees through parish-based Mercy Centers, Knights in the United States and Canada continue to o er both spiritual and material support to those a ected by the war. Here are just a few examples:
St. Anne Council 10551 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, helped to welcome the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the city in 2022, providing food, coats and other supplies, and supporting English-language classes established by the Catholic Women’s
Father James Gould, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Purcellville, Va., leads members of St. Francis Council 11136 in a daily rosary for Ukraine in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
League. More than two years later, the council continues to donate regularly to the Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund to support brother Knights doing similar work in Poland. “The Polish Knights have done a superb job of welcoming Ukrainian women and children, so we’re very happy to contribute a little
bit of money to help,” said Grand Knight Don Dubik. Most recently, the Knights donated $4,000 raised by its 2024 Lenten fish fries at St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Father James Gould, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish and chaplain of
by Matthew
Photo
Barrick
of Ukrainian Greek Catholics, as it is known for its miraculous icon of the Mother of God.
In July 2023, approximately 50 people — widows and parents of fallen soldiers, along with Knights from Council 16846 — traveled to the monastery, some 20 miles northwest of Lviv. They offered up their pilgrimage and prayers for the souls of the loved ones they lost.
Father Roman Bodnar, a priest who accompanied the pilgrims, said that the death of a loved can sometimes tempt survivors to lose faith, but it is also an opportunity to regain it. For the people around the suffering family — and for Knights and other Catholics everywhere — it is also an opportunity to “weep with those who weep.”
Oksana Zhukovska, the voice of Ukrainian widows in the Order’s novena for peace and healing in February, agreed to participate in the video in the hopes of encouraging that prayerful solidarity.
“I want to convey to the whole world how much pain Ukraine is going through,” Zhukovska said. “And I also want to convey how much we, in Ukraine, believe in prayer, in God’s power and grace. We ask the whole world to pray for us.”
To learn more about the Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund and associated efforts, visit kofc.org/ukraine
KAROLINA ŚWIDER writes from Kraków, Poland.
St. Francis Council 11136 in Purcellville, Virginia, has led a rosary for peace in Ukraine before the Blessed Sacrament almost every night since late February 2022, livestreaming the prayer on the parish website. Knights participate regularly, assist with preparing for the livestream and help lead the rosary when Father Gould is unavailable. “Our Lady has made it clear — the rosary is the most powerful weapon we have against evil in our time,” said Pasquale DiBari, a member of the council who frequently joins Father Gould. “We’re called to solemn perseverance in prayer and solemn trust.”
Nine-year-old Vivian Vecchio, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Desert Parish in Apple Valley, California, was moved to do something for Ukrainian children after a discussion about the conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land with her father. Daniel Vecchio brought her idea for a fundraiser to Father Oliver McGovern Council 10494, setting things in motion for a parish bake sale on Pentecost Sunday. The Knights made the first donation of $500, and cupcakes poured in from council families. Vivian and her helpers — whose dads, like Daniel, belong to Council 10494 — had a busy day selling treats after three Sunday Masses, ultimately raising more than $3,000. Vivian explained that she wanted to “provide for the needs of the children of Ukraine so that they wouldn’t suffer as much.”
At the suggestion of council member Robert Hehn, the Knights of Pope John Paul I Council 7565 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, put together a “spiritual bouquet” of 222 Masses and 260 rosaries for the intentions of the Ukrainian people and the end of the war. “I couldn’t imagine how di cult it was for these people to live under that constant threat of death,” Hehn said. “We all wanted the Ukrainians to feel they had our support. We need to show our brotherly love for our fellow Knights and fellow Christians.” The Knights arranged for a card symbolizing their prayers to be given last fall to Ukraine State Deputy Youriy Maletskiy.
St. Volodymyr the Great Council 9557 in Ottawa donated $6,500 to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund at the end of 2023, proceeds from a Ukrainian dinner the Knights organized for the second year in a row. The fundraiser drew a near-sellout crowd, including many people from outside the council’s parish of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Shrine. Grand Knight Paul Kozak said, “It’s not only something near and dear to our heart because we’re a Ukrainian parish, but now we’re also a home for those who are fleeing the war.” ✢
Mary Christie contributed to this report.
Led by 9-year-old Vivian Vecchio, children of members of Father McGovern Council 10494 in Apple Valley, Calif., sell baked goods to benefit the Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund.
Knights from St. Joseph Council 17974 in Włocławek, Poland, carry a statue of Our Lady of Fatima during a rosary procession at St. Joseph Shrine. First communicants and their parents helped lead the feast day procession May 13, marking the anniversary of Mary’s first apparition to three Portuguese shepherd children in 1917.
A HOME AT THE PARISH
Boulder (Colo.) Council 1183 decided to sell its home corporation building a few years ago and moved its meeting place to St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church. Since then, the council has been able to direct its resources to more needs in the community and the parish, including regular landscaping for the church grounds and the renovation of the parish adoration chapel.
KNIGHTS OF THE EUCHARIST
In support of the National Eucharistic Revival, Knights from Paola (Kan.) Council 1149 helped lead two Eucharistic processions, one for students from Holy Trinity Catholic School and one at Holy Trinity Church.
MATER DOLOROSA, MATER MISERICORDIAE
Mater Dolorosa Council 14818 in South San Francisco, Calif., helped to organize the annual rosary rally and Marian procession at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church. Later that day, the Knights also sponsored a family movie night for the parish, screening a lm about St. érèse of Lisieux and providing snacks.
A FEAST TO THANK THE FAITHFUL
About 50 Knights from Holy Crusaders Council 9193 in Blackwood, N.J., prepared and served breakfast for more than 700 members of Our Lady of Hope Parish on Palm Sunday. e free meal is hosted annually by the council to thank parishioners and parish clergy for their support over the previous year.
CHARITY CHILI COOKOFF
A dozen K of C groups in southeast Texas — 11 councils and an assembly — participated in the rst charity chili cooko hosted by Knights of Columbus in the Diocese of Beaumont. e event, held at the Neches River Wheelhouse in Port Neches, raised more than $1,500 to support diocesan vocations.
ST. JOSEPH COMES TO STATE CAPITOL
Knights and their family members a ended a prayer service with the Order’s pilgrim icon of St. Joseph at the Minnesota State Capitol. e service, held in the historic Governor’s Dining Room, was organized by St. Paul (Minn.) Council 397.
Faith
DIVINE MERCY PILGRIMAGE
Amherst (Mass.) Council 1619 sponsored round-trip transportation for more than 20 local parishioners to visit the National Shrine of e Divine Mercy in Stockbridge. Pilgrims a ended Mass at the shrine and had time for personal prayer and Eucharistic adoration.
Dominican Father John Paul Walker, pastor of St. Gertrude Church in Cincinnati, delivers a reflection during the fourth annual Blessed Father McGivney’s Way Novena & Walk hosted by Joseph Cardinal Bernadin Council 12359 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. Participants venerated a first-class relic of the K of C founder, prayed for his canonization, and walked the Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Trail. The event raised $500 for youth ministry.
Family
Dean Hope, treasurer of Lansing (Ill.) Council 3540, prepares pasta for a dinner organized by the council at All Souls Parish. More than 130 people attended the meal, which raised more than $1,000 for Council 3540’s Brothers-inNeed program. The program, established in 2016, provides financial assistance to Knights in moments of need.
MEMORIAL MASS
Father Joe Balzer Council 12943 in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, sponsored a memorial Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church to pray for council members who have died. Before the liturgy, celebrated by pastor and council chaplain Father Francis Hengen, candles were lit for each Knight by family members and current council members.
FATHER-SON RETREAT
All Saints Council 9709 in Raleigh, N.C., held a father-son retreat, themed “God is Our Shield,” at St. Francis of Assisi Parish. More than 50 men and boys a ended the retreat, which included guest speakers and breakout sessions to discuss the theme, and concluded with Mass. Council 9709 organized the event at the suggestion of pastor Msgr. Michael Clay, to encourage men in their role as spiritual leaders of their families.
NO MILITARY FAMILY LEFT BEHIND
St. Gabriel the Archangel Council 13286 in Cave Creek, Ariz., sponsored a fundraiser with several local businesses that raised more than $5,000 to bene t six military families assigned to Luke Air Force Base. e council has conducted fundraisers to support families in need since 2012, raising about $60,000 over that time; two years ago, the council’s program shi ed to directly support families at the Air Force base.
KNIGHTS IN NEED
A er two Knights from Luzon North District #85 were injured in separate work-related accidents, councils in the district raised 5,000 PHP (about $90) for each Knight and their families.
HYGIENE CLOSETS FILLED
Last year, Page County Public Schools in Luray, Va., established clothing and hygiene closets at each of the district’s nine schools to serve students in need. When Knights from Msgr. Paul V. Heller Council 8393 learned of the initiative, they coordinated a drive at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church to stock the closets. More than 350 personal hygiene items were collected and delivered to the district in January.
FUNDING TO FIGHT CANCER
St. Francis of Assisi Council 12610 in Mocksville, N.C., held a fundraising dinner to bene t a council member diagnosed with cancer. e meal raised more than $10,000 to help pay the Knight’s medical costs.
District Deputy John D’Addario, a member of St. Gabriel’s Parish Council 10061 in Burlington, Ontario, loads his car with loaves of bread for people in need. For more than 10 years, four councils and one assembly in the Burlington area have worked with local COBS Bread bakeries to donate their unsold bread to food banks, St. Vincent de Paul Society conferences, and programs for people experiencing homelessness. Knights pick up donations five days a week, delivering about 500 loaves of bread each day.
Life
40 DAYS OF PRAYER
Oregon Knights from several councils in the Willame e Valley helped lead the annual 40 Days for Life campaign outside the Planned Parenthood facility in Salem, marking the h consecutive year they’ve participated in the e ort.
Ivan Pierre (left) and Past Grand Knight Ed Kelly of Ponce de Leon Council 8074 in Punta Gorda, Fla., gather donations during the council’s annual fund drive for people with disabilities. The Knights raised $19,000 over six months, to which they added $12,000. The funds will be distributed among four organizations serving people with special needs, including Special Olympics Florida and local special education programs.
South
annual music festival near Dawson
that supports three local pregnancy resource centers. Knights from several local councils provided volunteer and financial support to last year’s event, which raised more than $35,000. The festival has raised an estimated $205,000 since it began in 2014.
ROCK-A-BYE BABY
Church of the Nativity Council 13266 in Bethlehem, Conn., donated $3,000 to Two Hearts Pregnancy Care Center in Torrington to assist with the purchase of cribs and ma resses for the center’s clients.
SAFE AND SECURE
rough its Car Seats for Christ program, St. Elizabeth Seton Council 12144 in Sun City, Ariz., collected more than $7,500 in cash and gi cards, and $3,000 worth of baby supplies to support the Visitation Center of Phoenix, operated by the Sisters of Life. e center received an additional donation of $400 through the ASAP (Aid and Support A er Pregnancy) program.
FAMILY RECEIVES MOBILITY BOOST
e Massachuse s State Council donated $8,000 to help pay for a van with a ramp for the Medeiros family of Hull. e family’s 3-year-old son, Finian, was born with a congenital heart defect and needs a ventilator; these and
other health issues leave him unable to stand or walk. When members of Hull Council 4865 learned of the family’s need from a local nurse, they applied to the state council’s collective fund for people with disabilities.
UNBREAKABLE BOND
Mamaroneck (N.Y.) Council 2247 recently organized a blood drive at St. Vito Church that drew about 40 donors. e drive was held in honor of Grand Knight Martin Vidales, who died earlier this year at age 62 a er a short illness.
HITTING THE DANCE FLOOR
Almost every month since 2019, Milton (Fla.) Council 7027 has hosted a dance at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church for people with disabilities and their families. Each dance has a di erent theme and is a ended by nearly 100 people.
See more at www.kofc.org/knightsinaction
Please submit your council activities to knightsinaction@kofc.org
The
Union Bluegrass Band performs at Bluegrass on Lake Beshear – Pickin’ Life, an
Springs, Ky.,
OFFICIAL JULY 1, 2024:
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Photo by Matthew Barrick
Knights of Charity
Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a di erence — 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 be er world.
Knights from several councils in Michigan join athletes from Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division Senior League, which serves people with disabilities, for the dedication of McGivney Field, a new baseball diamond named for the Order’s founder, at Neil Reid Park in Clinton Township. More than 40 K of C councils in the Archdiocese of Detroit raised about $65,000 to build the accessible field, which has features like larger dugouts to accommodate wheelchairs and rubberized base paths for improved mobility. This is the second baseball field in Neil Reid Park that local Knights have helped build for the league.
Photo by Jonathan Francis