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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS June 2015 ♦ Volume 95 ♦ numbeR 6

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

8 Charity in the Land of the New Martyrs Christians displaced in the face of religious persecution receive aid through the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

BY ANDREW J. MATT

12 An American Hero Is Welcomed Home A wounded veteran receives a “smart home” through the Order’s partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation.

BY COLLEEN ROWAN

18 Marriage in the Balance Catholics in the United States face untold challenges as courts look to legally redefine the institution of marriage.

BY MATTHEW J. FRANCK

22 The Gift of Consecrated Life The witness of consecrated men and women provides an indispensable sign of the Church’s identity and mission.

BY BRIAN FRAGA AND COLUMBIA STAFF

Displaced Christians who fled from Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, pray at a school serving as a refugee shelter in Erbil Sept. 6, 2014.

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world Our Lady of Guadalupe inspires us, like St. Juan Diego and Blessed Junípero Serra, to evangelize and heal our culture.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith

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Knights of Columbus News Charters Presented to New Councils in Korea • Knights Mourn the Death of Cardinal Francis George • Supreme Knight, Order Honored with Pro-Life Award at Notre Dame • Presentation Marks Renewal of Historic New York Council

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Because the family is called to be a subject of the new evangelization, we want to share our faith with other families.

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Photo by Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

Fathers for Good Through my failures, I have learned important lessons about fatherhood.

The Christian family plays an essential role in our baptismal call to be disciples and missionaries.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

Building the Domestic Church

BY TOM HOOPES

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Knights in Action

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Challenge and Witness IN HIS ADDRESSES, writings and homilies, Pope Francis frequently discusses trials facing the Church throughout the world today, not the least of which is the violent persecution of Christians in areas of the Middle East and Africa, among other places. In a homily April 21, the Holy Father said, “The Church is the Church of martyrs: They give their lives, and we receive God’s blessing through their testimony.”

There are also “hidden martyrs,” the pope added, who do not face the threat of being tortured or killed, but who nonetheless encounter suffering because of their faithfulness to Christ.

Although Christians in the West can scarcely imagine the tragic plight of those facing persecution and exile, they increasingly face hostility because of their beliefs.

Extremists may not threaten them with the sword, yet the faithful confront a cultural and spiritual battle nonetheless. At the center of this modern conflict are irreconcilable differences between the secular and Judeo-Christian understandings of the human person, including how we see the body, marriage, family, freedom and the dignity of human life itself. It is in recognizing these challenges and their consequences that Pope Francis has urged the Church to renew its reverence for marriage and family on the one hand, and for consecrated life on the other.

On April 22, continuing a weekly series of catecheses on the family, the pope said, “Society’s devaluation of the stable and fruitful covenant between man and woman is certainly a loss for everyone.

We must return marriage and the family

to its place of honor!” So, too, has the pope encouraged gratitude for the witness of consecrated men and women (see page 22). After all, vocations to marriage and consecrated life are not opposed, but rather presuppose one another when properly understood. St. John Paul II put it this way: “When human sexuality is not regarded as a great value given by the Creator, the renunciation of it for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven loses its meaning” (Familiaris Consortio, 16).

In both the East and the West, the Church needs Christian witnesses now more than ever. Whereas in the East, there are a growing number of martyrs — literally, witnesses — killed for their faith and others enduring great suffering, many in the West are called to be “hidden martyrs,” swimming against the cultural tide and pursuing lives of charity, fidelity and holiness in the face of opposition.

Since establishing the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund, the Order has been extending spiritual and material support to persecuted Christians in countries like Iraq and Syria (see page 8). Meanwhile, the Order continues to vigorously promote Catholic family life and religious vocations — helping to prepare for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September and supporting initiatives associated with the Year of Consecrated Life. In our daily lives, we are likewise called to stand in solidarity with the Church universal, as tireless witnesses to the faith.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Featured Book: Called to Love In Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (Doubleday, 2009), Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Father José Granados, vice president of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome, introduce readers to St. John Paul II’s vision of man’s fundamental vocation to love. The authors explain how the “theology of the body,” rooted in the Incarnation, is a source of renewal for marriage and pastoral theology alike.

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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 203-752-4210, option #3 PRAYER CARDS & SUPPLIES 203-752-4214 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.

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Copyright © 2015 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER Three members of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church are pictured standing on a paddle board on a lake outside of Spokane, Wash.

COVER: Photo courtesy of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

E D I TO R I A L

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

A Promise of a ‘New World’ Our Lady of Guadalupe inspires us, like St. Juan Diego and Blessed Junípero Serra, to evangelize and heal our culture

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson LAST MONTH, I had the privilege of participating in an international conference at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Focused on the life and legacy of Blessed Junípero Serra, the conference was held in anticipation of the upcoming canonization of Serra, which is to take place during the visit of Pope Francis to the United States in September.

At the event, I presented a paper titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother and Guide of Father Junípero Serra.” As we know, the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico in 1531 attracted millions of native people to the Catholic faith. It also transformed the work of the missionaries. Through her, their evangelizing efforts would seek to understand the culture and affirm the dignity of the native people.

Prior to her appearance, missionaries had met with very little success in converting the native people. The Spanish had won the war for Mexico, but they had not won hearts and minds for the Christian faith. Natives and missionaries alike were demoralized.

The situation was so desperate that in 1529 the bishop of Mexico City, Juan de Zumárraga, wrote to the king of Spain: “If God does not provide the remedy from his hand, this land is about to be lost.”

God did provide an answer. “The appearance of Mary to the native Juan Diego … in 1531 had a decisive effect on evangelization,” explained St. John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America. “America, which historically has been, and still is, a

melting pot of peoples, has recognized in the mestiza face of … Blessed Mary of Guadalupe, an impressive example of a perfectly inculturated evangelization” (11).

Our Lady of Guadalupe changed the entire course of history in the Western Hemisphere, opening up the possibility of making it a truly “New World.” By appearing as “perfectly inculturated,” she offered the promise of healing the clash of civilizations that was occurring in New Spain. And her words were as important as her appearance.

To Juan Diego she said: “Am I not here? I who have the honor to be your mother? Are you not in my shadow and under my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?”

Mary herself had come, not to the European missionaries, but to the native people as mother and protector — and she said that it was her honor to do so.

Missionaries like Father Serra who evangelized the native people in her name and under her banner knew that this message was also directed at them.

Evangelization must be founded on respect for the people they encountered, and it must seek reconciliation, solidarity and unity.

Our Lady of Guadalupe left no doubt: All the baptized would form one family as the People of God. During the conference in Rome, Baltimore became the latest city to experience protests and rioting. Commentators, experts and politicians will

continue to debate why such events happen in America today, yet I cannot help but think of this question in light of Junípero Serra and his great missionary effort.

America, “which historically has been, and still is, a melting pot of peoples,” finds today that the promise of respect, solidarity and reconciliation has yet to be fulfilled. The great Catholic missionary enterprise to transform the Western Hemisphere into a truly “New World” has yet to be realized.

Mary’s words still ring clear: “Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?”

We know the answer Juan Diego and Junípero Serra gave to these questions and how their answers changed the world.

Following the conference in Rome, Pope Francis came to the college to celebrate Mass with the seminarians there. During his homily, the pope called Junípero Serra “one of the founding fathers of the United States,” and he asked whether Catholics today would “respond with the same generosity and courage.”

Pope Francis will soon be with us in the United States. He has called for a new missionary spirit among Catholics. It is indeed a time for generosity and courage — two hallmarks of the Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus!

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

Families Evangelizing Families The Christian family plays an essential role in our baptismal call to be disciples and missionaries

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori POPE FRANCIS is not only a pope of As a result, many children are vulnerasurprises, but also a pope of challenges. ble to a culture that promotes wideHe is reminding us all of our baptismal spread personal immorality and further call to be “missionary disciples,” that is, weakens the family. These dark shadfollowers and witnesses of Christ. We ows block out the light of God’s truth be brought into the world and be filled are called to kindle the spirit of the and love in our world. When this hap- with God’s truth and love. Here in this Gospel in our own parish communities pens, many people lose sight of their domestic church, parents help young and to reach out to those who no human dignity. Society itself becomes people to open their hearts in love to longer practice their faith or are search- a place of joyless injustice.

Christ; to model their lives on him; and ing for truth and love in their lives.

Despite this outlook, Pope Benedict to share in the faith, worship and service Of course, we cannot be missionary also shared good news. When the of the wider Church. In this way, the disciples on our own. Living and spread- Gospel is preached in its fullness, when family receives the love of Christ and ing the Gospel is something we becomes a little community that have to do together. The Lord rejoices in God’s saving love. showed us this when he sent out But it can’t stop there. A A home that is filled with the his disciples, not alone, but “two healthy, joyous home doesn’t light of Christ’s truth and the by two” (cf. Lk 10:1). draw the curtains and bar the Consider, then, the wisdom doors against an unfriendly warmth of his love radiates joy of the Church’s teaching on the world. A home that is filled with family. In a 2011 address to the the light of Christ’s truth and the far beyond its walls.

Pontifical Council for the Famwarmth of his love radiates joy far ily, Pope Benedict XVI echoed beyond its walls. In Familiaris St. John Paul II by saying, “The new it is preached with joy and conviction, Consortio, St. John Paul II wrote that evangelization depends largely on the then the vocation of marriage and fam- Christian married couples and parents domestic church” (see page 17). The ily comes into sharp focus. The Gospel “not only receive the love of Christ and family is essential, because discipleship itself encourages a Christian man and become a saved community, but they that bears witness to others in love be- woman to give themselves to one an- are also called upon to communicate gins at home. other in mutual, faithful, lasting and Christ’s love to their brethren, thus befruitful love. This love reflects and coming a saving community” (49).

REFLECTING TRUTH AND LOVE shares in the love of Christ for his In his 2011 address, Pope Benedict Church; it becomes a sacrament, an FAITHFUL WITNESSES spoke about the link between the outward sign of God’s passionate and There is still further good news: Famieclipse of God in our culture and the generous love for his people, God’s lies that truly take the Gospel to heart breakdown of the family. An increasing burning desire that “everyone be saved actually exist! Every year at the Knights number of young people are growing and come to a knowledge of the truth” of Columbus Supreme Convention, I up in dysfunctional and broken fami- (1 Tim 2:4, cf. Eph 5:32). watch and listen with awe as the Interlies, or without any family structure at This beautiful love of a man and national Family of the Year is anall. Without the love and guidance of a woman, caught up in God’s love for the nounced. These are families that mother and a father, many have not re- Church, in turn creates a space of virtue, generously welcome children as a gift ceived character and moral formation. peace and security where children can from God, pray at home, faithfully at4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

tend Mass every Sunday, and see to their children’s religious and moral formation. They are also the most likely to volunteer for parish activities. They respect life and love the poor and vulnerable, often welcoming them to their home and table. Such families are also good citizens, who not only work, vote and pay taxes, but also build up their country and local community by generous service and neighborly love. The silent witness of such families reverberates far and wide.

We priests give thanks to God for having so many faithful families in our

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring – BLESSED VASYL: Photo courtesy of the Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr’s Shrine, Winnipeg, Canada

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis GENERAL: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome and respect in the countries to which they come.

MISSION: That the personal encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.

parishes. Many of them, not surprisingly, are Knights of Columbus families who live out the principles of charity, unity and fraternity in their homes. In our parishes, such families are truly “the strong right arm of the Church.” The Order brings together families who are trying to live out their vocation faithfully and encourages them to bear witness to Christ.

And how important such witness is!

So many Millennials are less inclined to get married than previous generations, preferring instead cohabitation and short-term relationships. Many others

are determined to redefine marriage itself, heedless of the long-term consequences to children and society. In many of our cities, young people are growing up with scarcely any kind of a family framework, and the results are painfully evident.

The Gospel of the family is powerful and life-giving. It is best preached by families that are living that vocation in fidelity and joy. May Knights of Columbus families be in the forefront, bearing witness to Christ’s love for his Church by creating homes that are truly evangelized and evangelizing communities.♦

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

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky (1903-1973) THE ELDEST of three children, Vasyl Velychkovsky was born in western Ukraine June 1, 1903. Raised by devout parents, he and his siblings grew up in an atmosphere of prayer and charity.

After World War I, Velychkovsky entered the seminary in Lviv and joined the Redemptorists. Ordained in 1925, Father Velychkovsky served many groups in western Ukraine, from university students to Orthodox congregations who wished to join the Greek Catholic Church.

At the conclusion of World War II, Father Velychkovsky was arrested for anti-Soviet activities and offered freedom if he would deny his faith. “Never,” he replied. “You can shoot me and kill me but you will not get any other answer.”

He was tortured, interrogated and sentenced to death, but he continued to counsel and catechize his fellow inmates.

When his name was called, he learned that his sentence had been commuted to 10 years of forced labor.

Father Velychkovsky spent most of these years in the Vorkuta coal mines, where he continued his pastoral work north of the Arctic Circle. He heard confessions in mineshafts, celebrated Mass

using a spoon as a chalice and wine made from raisins, and prayed constantly with a rosary made of black bread and string.

Released in 1955, his apartment in Lviv soon became the organizational hub of the Ukrainian underground Church. Secretly ordained a bishop in 1963, he vigorously continued his ministry until his arrest in 1969. Enduring various forms of torture for the next three years, he was close to death upon his release in 1972.

Exiled from Ukraine, Bishop Velychkovsky lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, until his death June 30, 1973. Beatified

by Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2001, Blessed Vasyl is patron of prison ministry for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.♦

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Charters Presented to New Councils in Korea IN A HISTORIC ceremony that signaled the continued international expansion of the Knights of Columbus, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson presented charters to two new councils in Seoul, South Korea. Named for 19th-century Korean martyrs, the new councils are St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council 16000 and St. Paul Chong Hasang Council 16178. They are the first councils established in Korea outside of a U.S. military base, with Korean citizens as members, and the first on the mainland of Asia.

The charters were presented at the Cathedral of the Korean Military Ordinariate April 18. The ceremony took place at the conclusion of Mass celebrated by Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il and concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, both members of the Knights.

Earlier in the week, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul had welcomed the Knights to his archdiocese in a meeting with Supreme Knight Anderson and other K of C officials. The supreme knight expressed the Order’s solidarity with the cardinal and assured him of the Knights’ “desire to be of service to his pastoral ministry to the Catholic community of this great city.”

Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il of the Military Ordinariate of Korea, Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and K of C leaders join members of the two new Korean councils. Also pictured are American members of the local military council, Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223.

In remarks at the charter presentation, Anderson noted that the Order made its first expansion into Asia in 1905, with the founding of a council in Manila, Philippines. Now that country has more than 340,000 Knights.

“It is with similar expectations that we begin activities in Korea,” he said.

The Church is growing rapidly in South Korea, with about 5.3 million Catholics making up a little more than 10 percent of the nation’s total population.

Reflecting on Pope Francis’ visit to

South Korea last year, the supreme knight said, “Pope Francis has called upon Catholics throughout the world to take up a new ‘missionary spirit’ and to go out into the world with confidence.”

He added, “We hope to bring to Korea the benefits of our Catholic brotherhood and its principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. In return, we hope to receive the great gift of the faithful and courageous witness of the laity, which is the proud legacy of the Catholic people of Korea.”♦

THE KNIGHTS of Columbus mourns the death of a great friend, Cardinal Francis E. George, who died April 17 at age 78 after a prolonged and heroic battle with cancer. A member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, he served as bishop of Yakima, Wash., and archbishop of Portland, Ore., before serving as archbishop of Chicago for more than 17 years until his retirement in September 2014.

On Jan. 30, Cardinal George received the Order’s highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award, for his service to 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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the Church (see March issue of Columbia, page 7). The award citation extolled the cardinal as “a witness to the dignity of human life even in the midst of sickness and suffering” and as “a faithful shepherd and profound teacher of the faith.”

A Knight of Columbus since 1991, Cardinal George served as the Order’s state chaplain for Washington. He was later the host ordinary for the Supreme Convention in Chicago in 2005 and a keynote speaker at Supreme Conventions in 2002 and 2009.♦

CARDINAL GEORGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Catholic New World

Knights Mourn the Death of Cardinal Francis George

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Supreme Knight, Order Honored with Pro-Life Award at Notre Dame AT A CEREMONY held at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and the Knights of Columbus were honored with the fifth annual Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, one of the nation’s most prestigious pro-life awards.

The Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture conferred the award at an April 26 banquet, preceded by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend at the university’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Supreme Knight Anderson accepted the medal on behalf of the more than 1.8 million Knights and their families.

In his remarks, Anderson reflected on the importance of religious freedom, especially in relation to the identity and societal contributions of Catholic institutions. The supreme knight also announced that the monetary prize accompanying the medal

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is pictured with O. Carter Snead, director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, after receiving the 2015 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal. would be donated to the Notre Dame Law School fellowship named after the late Charles E. Rice, whom he called “a great friend, a devoted law professor and a tireless advocate for life.”

Inspired by the vision of St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical for which the award is named, the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal honors “those individuals whose outstanding work proclaims the Gospel of Life by steadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from its earliest stages.”

The citation emphasized the Knights’ pro-life witness under Supreme Knight Anderson’s leadership and lauded the Order for its long-time service to “the most vulnerable members of society: the widowed, the orphaned, the disabled, the elderly and the unborn.”

Among those in attendance at the event were members of the Notre Dame community and local Knights of Columbus, including members of Notre Dame Council 1477, the Order’s first and oldest college council.♦

TOP: Photo by Peter Ringenberg Photography

Presentation Marks Renewal of Historic New York Council A REACTIVATED Knights of Columbus council, whose original foundation dates to 1896, received a charter and a new name in a ceremony at the historic New York City church where the council will serve.

Together with state and council officers, members of Archbishop John J. Hughes Council 163 received their charter April 11 at the conclusion of Mass at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in lower Manhattan.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore was the principal celebrant of the Mass for the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

In remarks during the charter presentation, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson reflected on Archbishop Hughes, the fourth bishop and first archbishop of New York, whom he called “a true warrior for the faith behind whose shield the fledgling Catholic community of New York sought shelter and support.”

He urged the Knights to follow the example of Archbishop Hughes’ strength, vision and confidence, and to be faithful to the “great Catholic missionary heritage.”

Before his death in 1864, Archbishop Hughes began construction of the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, where his remains are entombed in the crypt beneath the high altar with other New York archbishops.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson join K of C chaplains and leaders for the charter presentation at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

Completed in 1815 as the third Catholic church in New York, the old cathedral is marking its 200th anniversary with a major renovation that will be completed later this year. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI designated the church a basilica.

At the conclusion of his remarks, the supreme knight presented a check for $100,000 to Msgr. Donald Sakano, the basilica’s pastor, for construction of a memorial to Archbishop Hughes in the cathedral’s front courtyard and the establishment of the planned Archbishop John Hughes Center for Faith Formation and Community Service.♦

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Charity in the Land of the New Martyrs Christians displaced in the face of religious persecution receive aid through the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund

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Syrian children who fled their homes gather around a vehicle to get blankets and other supplies distributed at a refugee camp in Atmeh, Syria. suffering “cries out to God and calls for our commitment to prayer and concrete efforts to help in any way possible.”

In response to the humanitarian crisis, more than $3 million has so far been distributed through the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund to help persecuted Iraqis, Syrians and other refugees. The Supreme Council has also urged members and their families to pray for those affected.

“Our twin efforts are a concrete response to Pope Francis’ request for prayers and material assistance for those affected by this terrible persecution,” explained Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “We are asking our members, and all people of good will, to pray for those persecuted and to support our efforts to assist them by donating to this fund.”

So far, the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppo, Syria, have utilized donations from the fund. Other gifts have gone to assist the Holy See’s relief efforts in the Middle East, as well as to help Catholic communities suffering from the violent conflict in Ukraine, where the Order established a formal presence in 2013.

AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen

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ince the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund launched in August 2014 to support those suffering persecution in Iraq and Syria, anti-Christian violence in the region has reached unimaginable dimensions. For more than a year, a campaign of religious cleansing by the Islamic State group has terrorized Christian communities and other religious minorities in the region. Confronted with a stark ultimatum — convert to Islam, pay jizya (a submission tax), leave or be killed — hundreds of thousands have fled their ancestral Christian homeland.

Shortly before Christmas 2014, Pope Francis dedicated a “Letter to the Christians in the Middle East,” expressing the Church’s closeness with them and remembering that their

GLOBAL PERSECUTION In his 2013 book The Global War on Christians, analyst John L. Allen Jr. explains that Christianity is stereotypically associated with the West, often as an oppressor. However, today’s demographic and social reality tells a strikingly different story. Not only do two-thirds of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians currently live outside the West, but they also tend to be poor and often belong to ethnic, linguistic and cultural minorities. As a result, they have become increasingly convenient targets of violence.

On Easter Monday, April 6, Pope Francis asked for prayers for those “who are being persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated for the sole reason that they are Christian.”

He added, “They are our martyrs of today, and they are so many, we could say that they are more numerous than in the early centuries.”

The estimated number of Christians being killed for their faith today varies widely, but according to Allen, “even the low-end estimate puts the number of Christians killed every day on the basis of religious hatred at twenty, almost one per hour.”

In order to escape persecution, many Christians have left areas where they have played a vibrant role in social, political and cultural life for centuries.

Worldwide, the number of people forced from their homes has surged past 50 million for the first time since World War II, according to a June 2014 report of the U.N. Refugee Agency.

Before the Iraq War in 2003, Christians in Iraq numbered approximately 1 million out of a population of 25 million. In JUNE 2015

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September 2014, an estimated 300,000 Christians remained in the country. In the ancient city of Mosul, where some 60,000 Christians lived prior to 2003, today there are none.

Likewise, the combined effects of five years of civil war in Syria and the Islamic State onslaught there have been devastating. The war alone has left 220,000 people killed, 7.6 million internally displaced, and 3.9 million refugees. Whereas Christians used to make up 10 percent of Syria’s 22 million people prior to the war, Islamic State militants have ensured that large swaths of the country have now become “Christianfree zones.” In Aleppo, recently dubbed “the martyr city” by Pope Francis, Christians fear that they could suffer the same fate as Mosul.

SHELTER FOR IRAQI REFUGEES In the face of the atrocities perpetrated against religious minorities and the widespread exodus of Christians from lands once evangelized by St. Paul and St. Thomas the Apostle, the Knights of Columbus Christian Relief Fund was launched in August 2014.

“It has shocked the conscience of the world that people are systematically being purged from the region where their families have lived for millennia simply for their faith,” the supreme knight said. “It is imperative that we stand in solidarity with them in defense of the freedom of religion and conscience, and provide them with whatever relief we can.”

In addition to the Supreme Council’s matching contribution of $1.1 million, the Christian Refugee Relief Fund has raised more than $2.5 million from individual Knights, K of C units 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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and others. To date, $2 million of the fund has been donated to aid refugees in Iraq while $200,000 was donated to the Archdiocese of Aleppo in Syria. In a private audience at the Vatican Dec. 12, 2014, the supreme knight also presented Pope Francis with $400,000 to supplement the Holy See’s efforts in the Middle East.

In Erbil, a Kurdish-controlled city in northern Iraq, the aid has been put to use following the influx of some 125,000 Christian refugees from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain region.

“Shelter has been the first priority,” explained Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, a member of the Redemptorist order.

“The Knights of Columbus donation is being used for a project of the Iraqi Catholic Bishops’ Conference to create permanent low-cost housing, to help Christians stay. More than 9,500 families are in need of suitable accommodation since they live in tents, trailer camps or residential units crammed with people.”

Archbishop Warda further emphasized that the housing initiative is also aimed at stemming the flow of desperate refugees trying to get out of the country.

“We are facing so many challenges, and emigration is one of them,” he said. “Today, there is no plan to liberate the towns in the Nineveh Plain and let them return to their homes, churches and jobs. After 10 months, many pay huge amounts of money to get an entry visa to Europe.”

Archbishop Warda praised the heroic faith of his people when they were confronted by militants of the Islamic State group, which is known locally as Daesh.

“Daesh gave them three options: Islam, jizya or leave,” he said. “So they preferred to leave with nothing rather than lose their faith in Christ or lose their dignity by paying the jizya. I feel really proud of my people.”

AID FOR SYRIA AND BEYOND Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and its commercial hub, has been a major battleground in the civil war, which has claimed the lives of at least 3,600 civilians in that city alone. Since 2011, more than one-third of Aleppo’s Christians — some 40,000 people — have left the city. Amid the chaos, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart has put the Christian Refugee Relief Fund aid to multiple uses, including distribution of food and medical supplies.

Photo by Gail Orenstein/NurPhoto/Sipa USA via AP Images

Christian refugees from Mosul in northern Iraq hold a prayer service at their refugee camp in August 2014 for the thousands of fellow Christians who have fled from persecution by the Islamic State group.

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Photo by Matthew Aslett/Demotix/Corbis

Refugee camps in Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Erbil, Iraq, are pictured in September 2014. More than 125,000 Christian refugees from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain region have flooded Erbil in search of relief.

“We have also been able to give a monthly stipend to 480 fathers of families who have no income because the industry and businesses have been destroyed,” Archbishop Jeanbart said.

“In addition, it was possible to give them some money so they could heat their homes this winter, and to give scholarships to 1,000 students to help them with schooling.”

In order to work toward a larger goal, namely rebuilding and restoring homes and businesses so that Christian families can stay in Aleppo, the archbishop has launched an initiative titled “Build to Stay.”

“The present stage includes the professional training of carpenters, ironworkers, electricians and plumbers,” he explained.

“The second stage involves providing support to artisans and business people with small loans, so that they can pick up their work again and not rely on alms.”

If this initiative works, Archbishop Jeanbart added, the model can be applied throughout Syria and beyond to help ensure that Christians remain a permanent presence in the Holy Land.

“I thank the Knights of Columbus for being close to us, for their awareness of what we are suffering and for helping their

brothers and sisters in Syria and the Middle East,” he said. “We will never, ever forget what you have done for us.”

In February, donations from the Christian Refugee Relief Fund were also sent to provide housing, food and medicine to refugee children and families suffering from the civil upheaval in Ukraine. Gifts of $200,000 each went to Ukrainian Greek Catholic Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev and Roman Catholic Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv, both of whom are members of the Order.

“Our support is meant to further enable the bishops of Ukraine as they help their people and implement the Holy Father’s call to aid those most in need,” said Supreme Knight Anderson.

Christian refugee communities in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere remain in great need of support. In addition to solidarity in prayer, Knights and their families are invited to contribute to the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund, which continues to collect donations.

For further updates and information about how to donate, visit the newly launched Web page: kofc.org/refugees.♦ ANDREW J. MATT is managing editor of Columbia.

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AN AMERICAN HERO IS WELCOMED HOME A wounded veteran receives a “smart home” through the Order’s partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation

by Colleen Rowan

hortly before his deployment to Afghanistan in February ‘WE CAN WORK TOGETHER’ 2011, Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry had these words tattooed on As Cpl. Hockenberry’s story of bravery, sacrifice and recovery his side: “For those I love I will sacrifice.” It was a statement reverberated throughout his community and beyond, it was filled with meaning for him — a promise to his family, to his not long before it also reached a man dedicated to supporting beloved country and to her people. the nation’s wounded veterans. Actor Gary With this seven-word promise close Sinise, known for his roles in movies such to his heart, then-19-year-old Hockenas Forest Gump and Apollo 13, contacted berry from Newport, Ohio, was dethe veteran during his recovery to let him ployed halfway around the world to know how thankful he and the rest of the serve. The sacrifice he would make country were for his service. there several months later would The Hockenberrys soon learned that change his life forever. they had been selected to receive a comOn June 15, while on patrol outside puter-equipped “smart home” to be built of Haji Rahmuddin in Kandahar in Newport Township. In partnership Province, the infantryman’s unit came with the Gary Sinise Foundation, the under fire. While moving for cover, Knights of Columbus provided a Hockenberry stepped on an impro$200,000 donation to help construct the vised explosive device (IED). He was home, which is custom built to accommocatapulted over a two-story grape hut date a wheelchair and the special chaland lost both of his legs and his left lenges that Kyle and Ashley face every day. arm in the blast. Enduring a long and Cabinets can be raised and lowered, hallgrueling recovery, the young soldier ways and doorways are wider, and the spent two and a half years at Brooke bathroom is adapted for their needs.

Army Medical Center in Texas, where “This house is … a huge deal,” Kyle Then-Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry is pictured in he was awarded the Purple Heart in said. “I would never ask for anything this 2011 before his deployment to Afghanistan.

August 2011. big. It was just crazy how big it is, but it • Opposite page: Cpl. Hockenberry and his Nevertheless, Hockenberry was still gives me back a lot of freedoms that I didwife, Ashley, approach the entrance to their more concerned about his loved ones n’t have other places. I can get around per“smart home” for the first time in June than himself. “I was more worried fectly fine here. … That’s one less thing I 2014. The home was completed by the about what my family thought and have to ask for help, so it means a lot.”

Gary Sinise Foundation with support from how they were doing,” he said. “I Completed and dedicated in June 2014, the Knights of Columbus. would always ask whoever would come the house also includes an elevator, and in and see me, ‘How’s everybody else Kyle can control the climate, lighting, teldoing? Tell them not to worry about it. evision and security system from his iPad. I’ll be fine.’”

The garage is also wider so Kyle can get in and out of his truck Hockenberry, together with his wife, Ashley, would soon safely with a lift. discover just how much the people for whom he had sacrificed Two months after the Hockenberrys received their new really cared about him. home, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson underscored the 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Photos courtesy of the Gary Sinise Foundation

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Order’s commitment to active service personnel and veterans during the Supreme Convention in Orlando.

When World War I began more than a century ago, the Knights provided “enormous charitable support for those who were currently serving or had previously served with the armed forces,” Anderson noted in his annual report Aug. 5, 2014.

“Service to the military and veterans has continued ever since.”

He noted that thousands of Knights volunteer each year through the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service program. In fact, the Order has become the single largest volunteer service partner of the Veterans Administration, with a volunteer presence at nearly every VA hospital in the United States.

“It has long been the byword of America’s military that no one is left behind — everybody comes home,” the supreme knight added. “Now, working with the Gary Sinise Foundation we can help make sure that the homes our heroes come back to are worthy of their sacrifice.”

Later that evening, the supreme knight introduced Sinise as a special guest at the annual States Dinner.

Sinise spoke of the importance of the work being done by his foundation and what can be accomplished through its partnership with the Knights of Columbus.

“It is up to us to help our defenders carry their cross, to find their steps, to make a new path as they transition to civilian life,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus has a long, proud centuries-old history of helping and supporting our veterans. In partnering with the Gary Sinise Foundation, we can work together and with communities across this nation to serve and honor the needs of our veterans and military families within those communities.”

INSPIRED TO GIVE BACK In his very personal talk at the States Dinner, Sinise recalled how he gradually became an ardent supporter of veterans.

Growing up during the final years of the unpopular Vietnam War, he did not think much about the sacrifice of those who fought. Talking to family members who served in the military, however, inspired him to begin working with veterans in 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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1984. Ten years later, when he had the opportunity to play Lt. Dan, a double amputee Vietnam veteran, in Forrest Gump, he strived to play the role with depth and integrity as a way to pay back veterans for their sacrifices.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sinise became even more determined to do something for those who served their country. “As our men and women in uniform stood to answer the call of nation to confront those dark forces,” he said, “I was extremely moved by their willingness to sacrifice, endure and overcome.”

As a result, he formed the Lt. Dan Band and traveled throughout the United States and to hospitals and war zones overseas to entertain the troops with the USO. Sinise shared how he and his family grew in their faith during this time as well. While his wife had become Catholic in 2000, he was confirmed on Christmas Eve 2010.

In 2011, Sinise brought all his charitable efforts together under one umbrella, launching the Gary Sinise Foundation with programs to help military families, first responders and severely wounded veterans.

The Hockenberrys’ smart home, for example, was provided through the foundation’s RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program. By the end of 2014, 34 such homes were completed or underway for veterans in need.

RISE also provides adapted vehicles, home modifications, trackchairs and wheelchairs for veterans.

Ashley, whose father and grandfather are members of the Knights of Columbus, said the house has made everything so much easier for them.

“This house is just an amazing gift and we cannot be thankful enough,” she said. “We would like to give a really big thanks and shout-out to the Knights of Columbus. Without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to live in this amazing adaptive home.”

Kyle likewise commended the K of C partnership that helped make his smart home a reality.

“All these vets need help,” he said. “This is a big way that you can change their lives and make their lives easier.”

Kyle and Ashley Hockenberry, who are expecting their first child in July, never expected the outpouring of support that their family has received.

“It was really surprising that so many people care,” Kyle said. “And it’s reassuring to know that there are people in the United States who care that much about those who defend our freedom.”♦ COLLEEN ROWAN is editor of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

Photo by Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes. Used with permission.

Then-Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, injured by a roadside bomb on June 15, 2011, is transported in a medevac helicopter to the medical unit at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

His tattoo reads: “For those I love I will sacrifice.”

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TOP RIGHT AND RIGHT: Photos courtesy of the Gary Sinise Foundation — TOP: Photo by Matthew Barrick

Clockwise, from top: Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson welcomes Gary Sinise to the 2014 States Dinner at the 132nd Supreme Convention in Orlando, Fla. • Kyle and Ashley Hockenberry participate in the groundbreaking for their smart home, a project organized through the Gary Sinise Foundation. • A naval officer salutes Cpl. Hockenberry as he and Ashley are welcomed to their new home.

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BU I L D I N G T H E D O M E S T I C C H U RC H

June Because the family is called to be a subject of the new evangelization, we want to share our faith with other families.

EVERY CATHOLIC is called to holiness and to reflect this holiness in his or her state of life. As the saints have shown throughout history, holiness leads inevitably to witness wherever we find ourselves.

This witness is a primary way to evangelize in our time. It is through living our vocation as Catholic families, devoted to our faith and each other and to helping those in need, that we can best evangelize in a world that often seems reluctant to hear the message of the Gospel.

As St. John Paul II wrote in his apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio, “To the extent in which the Christian family accepts the Gospel and matures in faith, it becomes an evangelizing community” (52).

Bring Song Into Your Home

Psalm of the Month (Psalm 148)

Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé chant) Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum.

Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum.

Pray the Psalm of the Month during every Sunday of the month at your family prayer space. On the last Sunday of the month, discuss as a family which verse stood out most for each member.

(Sing praise, all you people, sing praise to the Lord.)

Write down small sacrifices or offerings that you can make throughout the day and place them in a bowl at home. Every day, invite family members to take one of the notes and to make the sacrifice written on it, offering it for a relative or friend in need. At the end of the month, each family member can write a letter, email or card, telling the person how he or she was remembered in prayer and sacrifice.

Council-Wide Event: Movie Night June’s movie recommendation is Despicable Me. Before the movie begins, invite families to share their letters on the offerings or sacrifices given in remembrance of a relative or person in need.

THIS IS THE NINTH MONTH OF BUILDING THE DOMESTIC CHURCH: THE FAMILY FULLY ALIVE, A K OF C INITIATIVE FOR FAMILIES. 16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Family Project

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you his angels; give praise, all you his hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all shining stars. Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens. Let them all praise the LORD’s name; for he commanded and they were created, assigned them their station forever, set an order that will never change.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all the deeps of the sea; Lightning and hail, snow and thick clouds, storm wind that fulfills his command; Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; Animals wild and tame, creatures that crawl and birds that fly; Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young men and women too, old and young alike. Let them all praise the LORD’s name, for his name alone is exalted, His majesty above earth and heaven. ... Hallelujah!

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Volunteering Together Project: Garden for Those in Need Hunger knows no season, and there are families in need throughout the year. One way to help these families in need and promote fellowship among your council and parish families is to start a K of C family garden to grow fresh vegetables to donate to a local food pantry or soup kitchen.

First, find a sizable plot of land that you can use for the field. Then, till the soil and plant some basic crops such as potatoes, squash, tomatoes, etc. Set up a daily schedule for families to come in and weed and water the garden.

Once the crops are ready, assemble your volunteers to harvest, package and deliver the produce.

For councils in more urban settings, consider having multiple families set up smaller gardens or even container gardening with a goal of donating the combined produce.

Alternatively, your council can hold an ongoing summertime food drive to help those in need.

Photo by Curtis Miller

Knights from Tillamook (Ore.) Council 2171 harvest thousands of pounds of food each year to support local food pantries and feed hundreds of people in need.

Meditation The new evangelization depends largely on the domestic church (cf.

John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 65). In our time, as in times past, the eclipse of God, the spread of ideologies contrary to the family and the degradation of sexual ethics are connected. And just as the eclipse of God and the crisis of the family are linked, so the new evangelization is inseparable from the Christian family. The family is indeed the way of the Church because it is the “human space” of our encounter with Christ.

Spouses “not only receive the love of Christ and become a saved community, but they are also called upon to communicate Christ’s love to their brethren, thus becoming a saving community” (49).

The family founded on the sacrament of marriage is a particular realization of the Church, saved and saving, evangelized and evangelizing community. Just like the Church, it is called to welcome, radiate and show the world the love and presence of Christ. The reception and transmission of divine love are realized in the mutual commitment of the spouses, in generous and responsible procreation, in the care and education of children, work and social relationships, with attention to the needy, in participation in church activities, in commitment to civil society. The Christian family to the extent it succeeds in living love as communion and service as a reciprocal gift open to all, as a journey of permanent conversion sup-

ported by the grace of God, reflects the splendor of Christ in the world and the beauty of the divine Trinity.

— Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the Pontifical Council for the Family, Dec. 1, 2011 Questions for Reflection 1. How does a family become a “saving community” that communicates Christ’s love to others in word and action?

2. St. John Paul II said that the new evangelization is an evangelization that is not new in content but “new in ardor, methods and expression.”

What are some ways our family can evangelize, and what truths might we express?

3. Why is family such an effective voice for things that matter?

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND A COMPLETE LIST OF MONTHLY THEMES AND MEDITATIONS, VISIT KOFC.ORG/DOMESTICCHURCH. JUNE 2015

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MARRIAGE in the Balance Catholics in the United States face untold challenges as courts look to legally redefine the institution of marriage

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n what seems like a bewildering whirlwind of social and political change, the United States is now on the brink of a Supreme Court ruling that could change the legal meaning of marriage. In short, the court could reject the universal understanding of marriage that has prevailed for millennia in favor of the novel idea that two men or two women can marry each other.

On April 28, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case from Ohio, Obergefell v. Hodges. About 150 amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs have been submitted to the Court, with almost equal numbers on each side of the issue before the justices. Most observers expect a closely divided Court, with a decision anticipated in late June. All eyes are on Justice Anthony Kennedy, not an entirely predictable swing vote in this case, since he asked both sides tough questions during oral arguments.

The high court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion for any reason at any time during pregnancy, is the template for the ruling that same-sex “marriage” advocates now seek. Like Roe, a ruling against the power of states to restrict the definition of marriage to one man and one woman would privilege adult desires over the rights and needs of children on the basis of a tortured reading of the Constitution.

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IMPOSITION BY THE COURTS How did our society come to the edge of this precipice? A complete answer to that question would require a lengthy tour through the last century’s social revolution in sexual mores, marriage and family — from the introduction and acceptance of contraception to the legal “reform” that gave us no-fault unilateral divorce to changing attitudes about “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”

The shorter version of the story begins in the 1990s, when state court rulings in Hawaii and Alaska made it appear that those states would soon have same-sex marriage imposed on them by judges. In response, some states began to strengthen their marriage laws and even to embody the norm of marriage between one man and one woman in their state constitutions. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed into law, the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 in order to uphold the conjugal meaning of marriage in federal law and to ensure that no state would have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. When the high court of Massachusetts imposed same-sex marriage on that state in 2003, defenders of marriage redoubled their efforts to give constitutional protection to marriage at the state level.

In a decade and a half, voters in 35 states directly addressed the future of marriage in statewide referenda, and in 32 of

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by Matthew J. Franck

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them voted to protect the conjugal meaning of marriage, usu- and question the justice of the Constitution itself. It has dially in their state constitutions. In these referenda, U.S. vot- vided our parties like no issue since slavery. ers chose to uphold the traditional understanding of marriage A decision redefining marriage would compound all of 60 percent to 40 percent, during a period when elite voices these problems, dealing another blow to the Court’s legitiin the media and academia relentlessly preached that every- macy, the Constitution’s integrity and the rightful political one should get “on the right side of history.” authority of U.S. citizens. This could be avoided by a Court How, then, are same-sex marriages being licensed in a ma- that resolves to respect the Constitution’s limits on its own jority of states today — 35 in all, plus the District of Colum- power. bia and parts of three more states?

Same-sex marriage has been recognized by representative WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLD? or democratic lawmaking in just 11 states plus the District In practical social terms, a ruling in favor of same-sex marof Columbia. In five states (and part of a sixth), state courts riage would be disastrous for the fundamental social instituhave interpreted the language of state constitutions to recog- tions of marriage and family. It would send the message that nize same-sex marriage as a civil right. In the remaining 19 sexual complementarity, the union of man and woman as states (and parts of two more), federal judges have claimed “one flesh,” is not what makes a marriage, despite what all to be responding to the demands of the U.S. Constitution. cultures, religions and legal systems have held throughout All but one of the federal rulings redefining marriage have human history — that is, until the last 15 years. It would occurred since the Supreme Court legally endorse an understanding of struck down a major part of the Demarriage that prioritizes the oftenfense of Marriage Act in the United transient emotional desires of adults States v. Windsor case of June 2013. over the needs of the next generation.

(The one exception is a federal court’s It would send the message that chilE MUST PRAY NOW 2010 judgment against California’s dren can do without a mom and a Proposition 8, which the Supreme dad, not by unfortunate circumstance AND ALWAYS FOR JUSTICE, Court left in place in a decision on the but by the deliberate choice of adults.

FREEDOM AND THE WISDOM same day as Windsor.)

And it would further reduce children The judges in these federal cases to mere commodities that someone TO RESPOND WITH LOVING claimed to be acting on the basis of has a legal right to acquire through the Supreme Court’s precedent, demeans such as assisted reproductive KINDNESS TOWARD ALL OUR spite the fact that Windsor did not distechnologies. cuss the merits of traditional marriage Having jettisoned one of the most NEIGHBORS.” law in the states. basic norms of our marriage law, sexIn recent months the Supreme ual complementarity, it would also Court let each of those rulings stand raise the question of what is next. without further review, until the judges of the Sixth Circuit After all, norms like permanence, exclusivity and monogamy (covering Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee) decided are also tied to the conjugal understanding of marriage. Will to uphold those states’ marriage laws, forcing the justices to consensual polygamy and polyamory (group marriage), exresolve a division of opinion among the lower courts. plicitly temporary or “trial” marriages and even incestuous Will a majority of the Supreme Court justices look out at marriages eventually have to be recognized as well? It would their own handiwork — the widespread judicial imposition be hard to say what “limiting principle,” as the lawyers call of same-sex marriage — and declare that this is where “his- it, prevents us from going all the way down a slippery slope tory is going,” or will they respect the people’s right to con- to these results. trol the lawmaking process on such a momentous question?

The nationalization of same-sex marriage would be bad as If the court rules that the 14th Amendment invalidates laws well for religious freedom, as the U.S. bishops are keenly defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, aware. Recent Supreme Court decisions such as Windsor have it could be the most divisive decision since Roe v. Wade. already sent the message that those who are not on board Many have argued that the Supreme Court, by intervening with the postmodern sexual revolution in all its manifestain the politics of abortion to invent a constitutional “right” tions are “bigots” and guilty of unjust “discrimination.” This to it, went beyond its legitimate authority and did itself harm trend would worsen with a ruling for same-sex marriage. as an institution. For more than four decades, the Roe v. Wade Already, Catholic Charities in several states and localities decision has led to a widening perception that the Supreme have been driven out of the vital work of adoption services Court is not truly a court of law but rather a political insti- because they will not place a child with anyone but a family tution without the accountability of our elected officehold- headed by a married man and woman. That phenomenon ers. Roe’s legacy has poisoned the process of Supreme Court could become a national one, to the detriment of thousands nominations; it has made some good citizens grow cynical of children.

“W

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A woman supporting marriage and religious liberty stands outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., April 28 as the high court begins hearing arguments in cases involving four states that uphold the traditional definition of marriage. will still have plenty to do, not only in political life but also in our everyday Christian witness. Our country’s culture of family and faith is under siege on many fronts. All around us, starting in our own parishes, opportunities abound to do the work of the new evangelization. We are charged with nothing less than the renewal of a culture of life and love, and the proclaiming of the risen Christ, never afraid, never tiring in his service.♦ MATTHEW J. FRANCK is director of the William E. and Carol G. Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, N.J., and a member of Princeton Council 636.

CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn

Would Catholic colleges and universities also have to treat same-sex couples as married for purposes of employment benefits and student housing? Would dioceses, parishes and other arms of the Church be affected by new norms of “anti-discrimination” in employment and public accommodation? Moreover, what will happen to the many faithful lay men and women who want to live and work in the public square in accordance with what the Church teaches about marriage, family and sexual morality?

Already we see cases in which entrepreneurs in the wedding-service industry are being targeted for penalties and “re-education” if they will not bake cakes, arrange flowers, or take photos for a same-sex “wedding” ceremony. Here Catholics are in the same predicament as orthodox believers in many other faith traditions — under pressure by state power to betray their religious beliefs.

The stakes for Catholic education are particularly high, since it could be considered educational malpractice to continue teaching what we know to be true. Changing the legal definition of marriage could endanger scholarships, financial aid and the tax-exempt status of Catholic schools at every level, not to mention accreditation and the right to award diplomas and degrees.

No doubt some readers will dismiss this reasoning as alarmism, rather than as simply looking at our possible future with eyes wide open. But whether the Supreme Court gets it right or wrong, we have our work cut out for us. We must pray now and always for justice, freedom and the wisdom to respond to great cultural upheavals with loving kindness toward all our neighbors, while also living as witnesses to the truth of the human person made in the image of God. If the legal meaning of marriage is changed, we must peacefully protest with all the resources we can command — marching, persuading others and speaking the truth. We must think creatively about how to undo what has been done, politically, legally and socially. And we must always defend our right to live and speak as our Catholic consciences direct us to live and speak, as individuals and as the Church.

Even if the Supreme Court does the unexpected — that is, if five or more of the justices vindicate the right of the people to defend marriage and family in the law of the land — we

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

‘O Happy Fault’ Through my failures, I have learned important lessons about fatherhood

by Tom Hoopes

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s a father, I have made many mistakes both large and small. The key is to learn from them, to “rise again” despite falling many times (cf. Prv 24:16) and to get back to the important job of parenting. Here are five lessons that I have learned by making mistakes: Love means turning off your phone. Two years ago, one of my small children grabbed a play phone, stared at it while pressing buttons, and said, “Look, I’m like daddy!”

Ouch.

My wife and I pride ourselves on limiting the amount of television we watch, but I have been much less successful at kicking the phone habit. I even think my phone addiction is worse than having the TV blaring all day. After all, we can watch TV together, but my phone separates me from my family.

So now my phone usually gets put away as soon as I’m home, and it stays out of sight. When I forget, I simply try again.

Children imitate the shows they watch. I had a “eureka” experience after my family watched a TV skateboard show. The contestants raced through a crazy obstacle course, leaping onto slippery surfaces and dodging mechanical fists. Soon after, my kids made their own course, from couch to stairs, past siblings holding sticks.

The experience ended in tears, anger and a new rule: If we don’t want them to imitate it, we don’t let them watch it. This applies to children of all ages. Kids who watch Star Wars play Luke Skywalker; those who watch Davy Crocket play pioneers. Likewise, teens who see sexual content tend to act that out, too.

My excuses become their rule of life. One weekend, I skipped a project with my family because I “just needed to veg out” after a very tough week. Before long, my children were skipping all sorts of chores after claiming their own need to “relax.”

You see the same thing happen when a parent skips Sunday Mass without a legitimate excuse — their decision resets the child’s understanding about whether Sunday Mass is really necessary.

So now I try to make sure my children know where the lines really are, and that some responsibilities aren’t optional.

Good deeds teach far more than preaching. I clearly remember when this lesson hit home. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pope John Paul II recommended daily rosaries for peace and the family. I extolled the practice enthusiastically in my writing and conversations.

Finally, my 12-year-old daughter said, “Dad, you talk about how important the rosary is, but we hardly ever pray it.”

Around the same time, I read an article that mentioned Mother Teresa’s father, who died when she was 8. He made sure that his family always set a portion of each week’s food aside for the less fortunate. This made a deep impression, as Mother Teresa learned from him to serve the poor.

Today, our family prays a daily rosary for peace and the family, and we deliver food to the needy.

I hope it gives us a passing shot at one of my kids becoming a Mother Teresa.

Do not expect “religious” kids, just normal ones. For a while, we tried to make Sunday Mass special by saying an extra prayer after Mass, and we tried to make the rosary special by rewarding kids for paying attention. But in the end, we learned that making Sunday special with donuts did a lot more to increase interest in the Mass. And we found that allowing one child each day to set up religious figurines got them more excited about the rosary.

The Mass and rosary will never be “fun” like playtime.

Young children do have real experiences of spirituality, but they don’t look like ours. The goal is to make formal faith practices bearable for children so that religion isn’t a burden.

If you have learned similar tricks of the trade, share them with other dads. We all need help along the fatherhood path.♦ TOM HOOPES is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., and a member of Father Michael J. McGivney Council 10705 in New Haven, Conn.

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

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THE GIFT of Consecrated Life The witness of consecrated men and women provides an indispensable sign of the Church’s identity and mission

W

hen Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope in March 2013, he became not only the first pope from the Western Hemisphere, but also the first from the Jesuit order. Some commentators quipped that it would not be difficult for the new pontiff to follow the distinctive “fourth vow” that Jesuits have traditionally taken in addition to poverty, chastity and obedience — namely, special obedience to the Successor of Peter.

Pope Francis, in fact, became the first supreme pontiff to be elected from any religious order since the mid-19th century, as well as the first to take the name of the beloved 13thcentury saint who is the father of Franciscan religious communities worldwide. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Holy Father has proclaimed a Year of Consecrated Life to celebrate the vocations of men and women who dedicate themselves wholly to God. “I am counting on you ‘to wake up the world,’” Pope Francis wrote to all consecrated people in an apostolic letter announcing this special year, which began Nov. 30, 2014, the First Sunday of Advent, and will close Feb. 2, 2016, the World Day of Consecrated Life. “This is the priority that is needed right now: ‘to be prophets who witness to how Jesus lived on this earth.’”

Rooted in baptism, consecrated life takes a variety of forms and is most often characterized “by the public profession of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, in a stable state of life recognized by the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 944).

Today, even as the call to radically follow Christ becomes increasingly countercultural, consecrated life in the United States is showing signs of renewal.

CALLED BY THE ‘VOICE OF LOVE’ The Year of Consecrated Life coincides with the 50th anniversary of Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the Church, and of Perfectae Caritatis, the council’s decree on the renewal of religious life.

Religious sisters, priests and brothers no doubt account for the most visible and recognizable form of consecrated life. In the United States alone, there were 179,954 religious sisters, 22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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22,707 religious priests and 12,271 religious brothers when the Second Vatican Council concluded in 1965, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.

Generations of Catholics were educated in grade schools by religious sisters and brothers in full habits like the Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers, and many have attended high schools and universities run by religious orders such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, Benedictines and Holy Cross fathers.

But over the past 50 years, due to a variety of societal and demographic factors, the ranks of religious men and women in the United States have dwindled. In 2014, CARA counted 49,883 religious sisters, 12,010 religious priests and 4,318 brothers.

Nevertheless, these statistics do not tell the whole story, for a quiet renaissance in religious life has been underway in recent years.

Worldwide, more than 200 new religious communities have been founded since the Second Vatican Council, according to Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the National Religious Vocations Conference.

“The Holy Spirit continues to call and raise up gifts within the Church,” said Brother Bednarczyk, who is a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.

A 2012 CARA study indicated that Millennials — those born after 1981 — are much more likely to consider a religious vocation than the previous generation. The study also identified key factors commonly found among young Catholics who consider a vocation, including regular Mass attendance, a home life where faith is discussed and encouraged, and formal Catholic education at any level.

A number of religious leaders, too, say they are seeing a rising tide of interest.

“The voice of Jesus, the same voice of love that called women and men in the past to courageously and selflessly tend the poor, weak and young, is still calling young people

Sisters from various U.S. religious institutes gather for prayer in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Jeanine Roufs, courtesy of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

by Brian Fraga and Columbia staff

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today,” said Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, the superior general of the Sisters of Life, which has grown to more than 80 members since its founding in 1991.

Mother Agnes currently serves as chairperson of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, which represents 125 communities in the United States — many of them growing in numbers. Nearly 1,000 of the 6,000 sisters in CMSWR communities are in initial formation, and more than 80 percent are active in ministries.

A number of men’s religious communities are also receiving a steady flow of young vocations, even if the number of religious on the whole continues to decline.

“I’m seeing signs of renewal in groups that have a clear identity and clear ministries that are community-focused,” said Father James J. Greenfield, a priest of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales who serves as president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Among the more than 500 men being ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year, approximately 100 are members of religious orders.

A DIVERSITY OF GIFTS Within religious institutes, traditionally called orders or religious congregations, there is a wide diversity of charisms and spiritual gifts. Among those involved in active apostolic works, some religious serve in ministries like education or health care, while others are sent to the peripheries of society to minister to the marginalized and outcast. Other commu24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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nities consist of monks or nuns who live in enclosed monasteries or cloisters; there they are called to a contemplative life of intimacy with Christ and prayer for the Church and the world.

While the roots of religious institutes reach back to the first centuries of Christianity, a new form of consecrated life developed in the 20th century: secular institutes.

Formally approved by Pope Pius XII in 1947, secular institutes enable lay people to live out the evangelical counsels while working in society. In his 1996 apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata, St. John Paul II described members of secular institutes as “a leaven of wisdom and a witness of grace within cultural, economic and political life” (10).

“We’re all called to holiness, and I have a beautiful way, a structure that Holy Mother Church provides, to be right in the world, but not of the world,” said Jessica Swedzinski, a member of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in Sleepy Eye, Minn.

Swedzinski serves as secretary of the U.S. Conference of Secular Institutes, which represents the more than 30 secular institutes in the United States today. Like religious brothers and sisters, members of secular institutes live as a sign of God’s presence in the world.

“Religious life and secular institutes, in their way of leavening in society, continue to give a witness in the Church to the Gospel and the absoluteness of God, which are things we need to remember,” explained Sister Sharon Holland, a member of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who

Photo courtesy of the Institute on Religious Life (ReligiousLife.com)

Benedictine monks are pictured at the Abbey Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Conception, Mo.

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© Servizio Fotografico – L’Osservatore Romano

serves as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

In addition to religious and secular institutes, the Church also recognizes forms of individual consecrated life, such as consecrated virgins and hermits.

Dating back to apostolic times, women who discerned a gift to live in perpetual virginity for Christ alone were mystically betrothed to him through a liturgical rite of consecration. The rite of consecration of virgins, a ceremony reserved to bishops, was restored for women living in the world in 1970, following the Second Vatican Council. Today there are approximately 3,500 consecrated virgins in 40 countries, including some 230 in the United States.

“Consecrated virginity is probably the earliest form of consecrated life that existed in the Church,” said Judith M. Stegman, president of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins.

“We live our unique vocation individually and in the midst of the world,” added Stegman, who is currently studying canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

While they are not associated with communal life or particular charisms, consecrated virgins devote themselves to prayer and remain a striking sign of the Church as the Bride of Christ.

WAKING UP THE WORLD Just as Christ called the Apostles to leave everything and follow him more than 2,000 years ago, so he continues to call forth disciples to be consecrated entirely to him as witnesses to the Gospel.

“The consecrated life is about seeking Christ alone and living the life of Christ to its fullness,” said Father Thomas Nelson, O. Praem, a Norbertine priest of St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, Calif., who serves as national director of the Institute on Religious Life. “It’s a closer following or imitation of Christ. It is supernatural in its very essence, and you find that under all forms of the consecrated life.”

At the same time, consecrated persons imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom the Church recognizes as “the sublime example of perfect consecration” and “the model of the acceptance of grace by human creatures” (Vita Consecrata, 28).

In this way, consecrated men and women are called to be icons of Christian discipleship.

As Pope Francis said in his apostolic letter, consecrated life “is at the heart of the Church, a decisive element of her mission, inasmuch as it expresses the deepest nature of the Christian vocation and the yearning of the Church as the Bride for union with her sole Spouse.”

One purpose of the Year of Consecrated Life is to help the Christian faithful grow in awareness of “the gift which is the presence of our many consecrated men and women, heirs of the great saints who have written the history of Christianity.”

In addition, the Holy Father is calling on consecrated men and women to reflect on the meaning of their own vocations and to be attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis receives a report from Mother Agnes Mary Donovan (center) and other members of the executive board of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious in October 2014.

“Pope Francis is asking the religious to ‘wake up the world,’” Father Greenfield explained. “He tells us we need to be witnesses by living our lives and our vows authentically.”

In his letter, the pope underscored key ways that consecrated men and women can bear witness to Christ.

“The apostolic effectiveness of consecrated life,” he wrote, “depends on the eloquence of your lives, lives which radiate the joy and beauty of living the Gospel and following Christ to the full.”

In the face of the many challenges facing consecrated life today, Pope Francis also encouraged the Church to look to the future with hope.

“This hope is not based on statistics or accomplishments, but on the One in whom we have put our trust,” he wrote.

“Let us constantly set out anew, with trust in the Lord.”♦ BRIAN FRAGA writes from Massachusetts, where he is a member of Father John F. Hogan Council 14236 in Dartmouth.

YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE RESOURCES • U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations — usccb.org/cclv • Conference of Major Superiors of Men — cmsm.org • Leadership Conference of Women Religious — lcwr.org • Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious — cmswr.org • National Religious Vocations Conference — nrvc.net • Institute on Religious Life — religiouslife.com • U.S. Conference of Secular Institutes — secularinstitutes.org • U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins — consecratedvirgins.org

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES mother needed surgery to remove a brain tumor. Knights made repairs and improvements to the woman’s house, including new railings on the outside stairs and a new kitchen floor. Council members also provided daily meals for the woman during her rehabilitation.

FESTIVAL OF FAITH

Members of Cuba City (Wis.) Council 765 replace the facing on a pro-life sign along Highway 80 north of the city. Knights replaced the pro-life billboard after the old one had become faded and weathered after many years of use.

‘VETS AT THE METS’

St. Francis of Assisi Assembly in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., hosted its annual “Vets at the Mets” baseball outing to raise funds for the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.

Knights invited veterans from the VA facility to attend a St. Lucie Mets baseball game and to throw out the first pitch. The assembly also used the game as an opportunity to present the VA with a $2,000 donation. Elsewhere, Triad Assembly in Forsyth County, N.C., hosted seven veterans and three staff members from the W. G. Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury for an outing to a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game. Knights presented an honor guard during the national anthem, and one of the guests, a 90-year-old World War II veteran, threw out the first pitch.

BENEFIT LUAU

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Hawaii, and St. Ann Council 14620 in Kaneohe presented nearly $4,000 to the Pregnancy Problem Center to assist women in crisis pregnancies. Funds for the donation were raised at a benefit luau and a charity chicken sale.

MAINTENANCE BUILDING

Bishop Charles P. Greco Council 1134 in Alexandria, La., donated $150,000 to St. Rita Church to help the parish construct a new maintenance building. Funds for the donation came from the sale of the council’s social hall. Council 1134 is named for the Order’s former supreme chaplain, who was a member of the council and a Knight for nearly seven decades.

Fourteen councils of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., combined their talents to sponsor and coordinate the diocese’s annual “Festival of Faith” in downtown Fort Wayne. The weekend festival, opening on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, included a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades and was attended by more than 2,000 people. Following a Marian procession through downtown Fort Wayne to Headwaters Park, attendees joined together for a public celebration of their faith through prayer, spiritual talks, confession and numerous festivities. Nearly 300 volunteers, including Knights and diocesan staff, participated in organizing and volunteering at the festival.

St. Richard of Chichester Council 14940 in Sterling, Mass., came to the aid of a council member whose

TREES AS TREASURES

Zambales (Luzon) Council 3694 spearheaded the planting of 1,000 trees in Botolan.

The project, which aims to plant an additional 1,000 trees in the next year, will be a source of income for the council and employment for the Aetas, an indigenous people of the Philippines who will cultivate and nurture the trees.

BAPTISMAL FONT

St. Faustina Council 14217 in Clermont, Fla., provided funds for and built a new baptismal font at its parish.

PRAYER GARDEN

St. Joseph Council 10894 in Springfield, Neb., built a prayer garden for its parish.

Along with benches and a variety of flowers, the garden features a statue of the Blessed Mother holding the infant Jesus and a lamb, creating a peaceful place of prayer.

CARPORT UPGRADE

REHAB ASSISTANCE

Members of the council replaced his manually operated carport gate with an electronic one.

Blessed Sacrament Church Council 10939 of Laredo, Texas, came to the aid of Msgr. Stanley Silwiak after he underwent back surgery.

Members of St. Ignatius Council 13354 in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., assemble the framework for a swing set at a facility operated by Alliance Against Family Violence. The alliance provides a safe haven for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and stalking. For the past nine years, Knights have supported the group by providing financial assistance and by performing facilities maintenance.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION SUNDAY PICNIC

Father William W. Finley Council 4374 in St. Paul sponsored a Sunday picnic for the Family Readiness Group of the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment. More than 200 children and adults, including members of the St. Thomas Men’s Club and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Suburban Ramsey County, joined the council in support of the 147th Readiness Group.

BINGO BENEFIT

St. Jude Council 10413 in Laredo, Texas, held a bingo benefit for St. Jude Church, raising more than $2,000.

Members of the council and their families provided all food and prizes for the event.

REPAIR PROJECT

Blessed Trinity Council 11681 in Toronto responded on short notice to a request from Blessed Trinity Church

Members of the St. Mary’s Round Table in Edwardsville, Ill., which is sponsored by Edwardsville Council 1143, paint the exterior of a storage facility at St. Mary’s School. The storage trailer, which the Knights refreshed with a new coat of paint, holds band equipment and science project materials.

to paint and repair one of the busy meeting rooms in the church basement. Members of the council completed the project in a matter of days.

BIKING ACROSS SUMNER

Msgr. William S. Bevington Council 9132 in Hendersonville, Tenn., sponsored the 14th annual “Bikes Ride Across Scenic Sumner” event.

Members of the council prepared the routes for bicyclists, registering participants and providing refreshments throughout the day. The event raised more than $3,900.

Members of St. Joachim Council 15317 in Hayward, Calif., paint the fence at their parish as part of an outdoors beautification project. With assistance from other Knights in District #43, council members painted the fence and repaired lampposts so that the front of the church is more inviting to parishioners.

REMODELING PROJECT DONATION

John A. Hill Council 4955 in Pompano Beach, Fla., donated $5,000 toward the renovation of St. Ambrose Catholic School in Deerfield.

The donation was part of a $300,000 remodeling project to comply with new building code requirements at the

school, which serves more than 200 students.

SIGN RIGHTED

Santa Maria Council 4999 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., fixed a large sign at St. Clare Church that was leaning to one side. Knights arranged to

Members of San Antonio de Padua Council 14558 in Panama City, Panama, stand with a statue of Mary in the Marian prayer garden they created at their parish.

Knights placed the statue of Mary at their church and landscaped a small area around it.

have the 3,000-pound cement slab on which the sign is mounted hydraulically raised and leveled.

‘GET HOOKED ON FISHING’

Father John F. Hogan Council 14236 in Dartmouth, Mass., joined local police officers in sponsoring the “Get Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs” annual fishing derby.

The family event featured awards in various fishing categories for children ages 916. Knights and volunteers cleaned and prepared the area around the pond, assisted participants and provided fishing instruction.

MULCH SPREAD

St. Matthew Council 14360 in Norwalk, Conn., spread new mulch on the science playground at All Saints School. Council member A.J. Cassuto donated use of a loader to provide additional support in moving the yards of mulch to the playground.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION SPECIAL OLYMPICS SEMINAR

Westminster (Md.) Council 1393 hosted a seminar on Special Olympics conducted by gold medalist Erica Wheeler. Wheeler is a sixyear member of the Maryland Special Olympics Board of Directors and chair of the Engagement Committee of the Maryland Commission for Community Inclusion. During the event, she shared stories of her athletic journey.

WELCOME HOME

Allegany (N.Y.) Council 1220 hosted a welcomehome celebration and reception for council member Maj. Patrick Miller, who was severely wounded in the April 2014 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Knights also decked out their council hall with patriotic banners for Maj. Miller, who was hospitalized for several months and underwent multiple sur-

raised a combined $50,000 to help expand the formation house.

HELP BACK HOME

Members of Mary, Cause of Our Joy Council 8447 in Soldier’s Hill, Luzon, and Kalayaan Assembly in Muntinlupa City distribute notebooks to schoolchildren at Lakeview Integrated School in Barangay Putatan. Knights distributed 640 notebooks to underprivileged students who might otherwise not have been able to afford school supplies.

geries in the wake of the shooting.

BOMB AWARENESS SEMINAR

Cotabato (Mindanao) Council 3504 partnered with the Philippine National Police in sponsoring a Bomb Awareness Seminar. Parish staff and lay ministers from Immaculate Conception Cathedral joined 40 council members for the program. Last year, an explosion near the church wounded three bystanders.

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE

Father Gerald O’Brien blesses a new Beatitudes and Ten Commandments monument at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. At the suggestion of a member of Msgr. Corr Council 3571 in Pasadena, Calif., Knights donated the monument to the church. It features the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments and the two new commandments of the New Testament.

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St. Joseph Council 15002 in Hawthorne, Calif., provides ongoing support to retired religious who have dedicated their lives to service. Knights donated toiletries and an electric wheelchair to sisters who reside at the Carondelet Center in Los Angeles and household items to retired sisters who live in Gardena.

HOSPITAL CHAPEL

The Diocese of Manchester, N.H., along with Sacred Heart Church in Quincy, Mass., answered the call to

provide furniture and religious items to a new chapel at St. François de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The hospital, established in 1881 and destroyed in the 2010 earthquake, is set to offer state-of-the-art care as a teaching hospital, but the facility was missing a chapel. Knights of Columbus members and insurance agents in New Hampshire helped identify items that were needed and moved them from New Hampshire to a staging area in North Andover, Mass., for shipping to the Caribbean.

PLACE OF FORMATION

Daniel Patrick Sullivan Council 10208 in Hot Springs, Ark., hosted its annual fundraiser to benefit the Diocese of Little Rock’s House of Formation. Although the facility opened in 2012, it has already grown too small to house the needs to diocesan seminarians and discerners.

Over the past three years, Council 10208 has held banquet dinners that have

Troy (Ill.) Council 9266 organized a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to benefit the family of Father Kennedy Nyumba, the parochial vicar of four parishes in and around Troy. Father Nyumba is from Kenya, and his extended family back in Africa is very poor. Knights served 400 meals at the dinner, raising more than $9,000.

BUILDING WORSHIP

San Miguel de Santo Tomas Council 8926 in Santo Tomas, Mindanao, donated 20 bags of cement for the ongoing construction of a local chapel, as well as 400 pieces of tile flooring for a new parish in La Libertad.

SIGN INSTALLED

St. Joseph of Arimathea Council 14025 in Lakeway, Texas, donated $200 to purchase a Gabriel Project prolife sign for the outside of Emmaus Church. In coordination with Father Samuel Hose, pastor, and the parish’s Respect Life Committee Ministry, Knights also volunteered to install the sign.

A FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE

Hull (Québec) Council 1693 hosted a fundraising event titled Air de fête (“Festive Atmosphere”) that raised more than $1,000 for the Quebec Cancer Foundation.

FAJITA DINNER

San Angelo (Texas) Council 2136 and Father Serran R. Braun Assembly worked with the Catholic Daughters and other groups at Holy Angels Church to host a fajita dinner and auction to benefit Daniel

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

other medical or mental illnesses, or advanced age.

Under the direction of Catholic Charities, Knights filled two large dumpsters with trash. Their efforts removed an eyesore on the property, where the Missionaries of Charity also reside.

With the rest of their work crew looking on, Bernard Reznicek and Gilbert Faltin of Phil Sheridan Council 1497 in Fremont, Neb., paint the last of about 1,400 fire hydrants that the council repainted as part of a two-year service project. Over two summers, a team of approximately 20 Knights took on the task of repainting all of the hydrants in the city of Fremont. In addition to beautifying the community, the project also saved the city approximately $27,000.

Lara, a longtime council member who has been struggling with colon cancer since 2012. The event raised nearly $26,000 to assist with Lara’s medical and living expenses as he continues treatment for the disease.

FOOD FOR SEMINARIANS

Southern Bukidnon (Mindanao) Assembly planted tomato seedlings at the garden of St. John XXIII Seminary in Malaybalay City. The plants are part of an ongoing initiative to provide the seminarians better access to fresh food.

CLEANING HOUSE

Father Rosensteel Council 2169 in Silver Spring, Md., cleared trash from the grounds of Gift of Peace in Washington, D.C., a residential home for men and women with HIV/AIDS,

MEMORIAL PARK

Msgr. Peter Blessing Council 5273 in Coventry, R.I., has taken over maintenance of the town’s Memorial Park, which was previously administered

by AMVETS. Knights gather at the park weekly to rake, trim, weed and clean the area.

The council also works with the town to obtain mulch for the park and new flags.

SPIRITUAL WORKSHOP

The Poland State Council hosted a three-day Knights of Columbus spiritual workshop at the major seminary in Radom. The weekend included Masses and a variety of talks and workshops that focused on the topic of unity — unity within one’s family, council, parish and community. Stanislaw Grygiel, a world-renowned professor and friend of St. John Paul II, delivered the workshop’s keynote address.

ROOM AT THE INN

Msgr. John F Callahan Council 3600, St. Brigid Council 14216 and Pope John Paul II Assembly, all in West Hartford, Conn., hosted a luncheon for approximately 60 veterans at the South Park Inn. Established in 1982, the South Park Inn specializes in providing services for homeless veterans, including temporary and long-term housing, supportive services and an emergency shelter. Following dinner and a tour of the facil-

Two girls from the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Virginia hold up a fish they caught at Lynnhaven Pier during a fishing event sponsored by Pope Leo XIII Council 10804 in Virginia Beach. About 165 children enjoyed a morning of fishing in which they each received a fishing pole, T-shirt and lunch. For many of the participants, this was their first time fishing.

ity, the council presented a donation to support the facility’s program.

A DAY’S WAGES

Father Norbert Lukes Council 4598 in Harrah, Okla., and St. Andrew Council 9901 in Moore hosted a cookout lunch for 90 employees of a floral company who had each donated a day’s earnings to the Center of Family Love, an organization in Okarche that provides care to adults with intellectual disabilities.

men were responding to a disturbance at an apartment building when they were shot in the line of duty. Knights helped cook more than 80 pounds of pasta, 1,200 meatballs and more.

CAR WASH

HONORING FALLEN DEPUTIES

At the urging of Maryland’s state deputy to undertake initiatives in support of Special Olympics, Westminster Council 1393 and St. John’s Eagles Circle 5644 co-sponsored a benefit car wash.

Knights and Squires worked together to wash 20 cars, raising $200.

Father John J. Egan Council 10334 in Charleston, S.C., assisted South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #3 with a fundraiser benefitting the families of fallen Sheriff ’s Deputy Joseph Matuskovic and injured Deputy Michael Ackerman. Both

Immaculate Conception Council 140 in Portsmouth, N.H., joined parents and students of St. Patrick School in converting vacant space in an adjacent convent into new 7th and 8th grade classrooms.

CLASSROOM SPACE

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION PREPARING FOR WYD 2016

Father Dermot J. Dwyer Council 10379 in Colfax, Calif., sponsored an ice cream and fresh fruit social to help send pilgrims to World Youth Day 2016 in Kraków.

The event raised $200 in support of the young pilgrims.

RURAL PARISH

Fourth Degree Knights in Poland stand before an onstage Marian icon during a Christian music festival at Corpus Christi Park in Rzeszów. Knights provided an honor guard for the 12th annual festival, which attracted more than 40,000 people. The event featured a variety of musicians and singing, as well as a visit from the World Youth Day Cross, which Knights escorted on stage.

$48,000 for the New Eve Ministries Maternity Home during a council-sponsored pro-life baby bottle drive.

The funds helped New Eve move from a leased property to a facility that the organization now owns with assistance from the Knights.

SEMINARIAN DINNERS

Adam Liebe displays the trophy that he won for best paint job on his racer following the Sparwood (British Columbia) Coal Miner Days Soapbox Derby hosted by Father Anthony Council 4455. The races were divided into adult and child competitions, with 68 kids participating in the latter. Pledges from racers young and old raised nearly $13,000 for the council’s charitable fund.

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Bishop Gross Council 1019 and Bishop Gross Assembly, both in Columbus, Ga., cohosted their annual dinner to benefit seminarian education.

More than 200 people attended the event, including 15 clergy members, nine seminarians and Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah. The event, which also included a raffle, raised $7,500 for 14 diocesan seminarians and one woman in formation for religious life.

Meanwhile, Msgr. Daniel J. Bourke Council 3607 in Albany, Ga., hosted its own an-

nual seminarians dinner.

More than 275 guests feted 11 priests and seven seminarians. The event raised more than $7,000 to assist with priestly formation.

VETERANS VISIT

McGlorick Assembly in Duluth, Minn., hosted a bingo tournament and barbecue for residents at the Minnesota

USO RETURN

After a 41-year hiatus, the USO returned to Portland, Ore., with a new lounge at the Portland International Airport. In order to help refurbish the lounge prior to its opening, Msgr. Edward J. Flanagan Assembly in Gresham hosted two benefit events that raised $5,000 for renovations.

FIRE RESPONSE

St. Mary Council 14298 in Jefferson, Mass., came to the aid of a council member whose home was struck by lightning and damaged by fire. Knights raised $1,735 for the Knight to renovate his home, which became uninhabitable.

William Killion of Dedham (Mass.) Council 234 disassembles a metal shelving unit while helping the Daughters of St. Paul move their distribution center to a new facility. The Daughters, located in Jamaica Plain, distribute Catholic publications throughout the world and needed to relocate their storage facilities to a new location. Knights came to their aid, volunteering 50 hours to disassemble and move shelves.

TOP: Photo by Wojciech Dulski

MINISTRY HOME

Deacon Edward L. Christianson Council 3572 in Winchester, Va., raised more than

When Bishop Don Guillermo Ranzahuer González Council 15913 in La Nueva Victoria, Mexico South, learned that a local parish was celebrating Mass in an incomplete church structure, the council stepped in to help. Knights replaced the dirt floor with concrete and are working on installing a roof structure.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

Veterans Home in Silver Bay. Sir Knights and their wives escorted residents to and from bingo and helped them with their cards. Knights also prepared a lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs.

the service club at Shanley High School joined the assembly in their efforts, helping remove brush, leaves and dead branches from the historic site, which dates back to 19th century.

SHED ROOF

INDEPENDENCE RACE

St. Jacques le Majeur Council 10271 in Scoudouc, New Brunswick, with assistance from parishioners, replaced the roof on the storage shed at their church. Knights also installed a handrail to facilitate access to the church sanctuary. By doing the work themselves, council members saved the parish approximately $4,800.

Sunrise Council 6607 in Bohemia, N.Y., held a 5K race and walk at Hecksher State Park in East Islip to benefit the Independence Fund.

More than 100 people participated in the event, which raised $4,000 for the organization. The Independence Fund helps move severely injured veterans toward greater mobile independence.

ATTIC CLEANED

St. Thomas Aquinas Council 14209 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs cleaned the attic of the Holy Family Home and Shelter in Willimantic. Knights also assembled 24 bunk beds for the organization, which serves families whose circumstances have deprived them of adequate housing and basic necessities.

HABITAT BUILD

Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 15590 in Buckingham, Pa., organized a work crew to assist with a Habitat for Humanity build. Knights volunteered for a day of labor, working on framing and roofing for a five-unit townhouse complex that will house veterans and needy members of the community.

SPORTS DAY

For the past four years, the Saskatchewan State Council has organized a sports day at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster to give diocesan clergy and religious an opportunity to socialize and have fun. The annual event, which included Mass and prayers at the abbey, drew about 50 participants and featured soccer, volleyball, basketball and lawn game competitions.

CEMETERY STEWARDSHIP

For the past 50 years, Cardinal Muench Assembly in Fargo, N.D., has committed to caring for the grounds of the Dakota Territory Cemetery. This year, students from

BIBLES FOR PATIENTS

Charles J. Reymann Council 4664 in Akron, Ohio, and Victor Jacob Paul Assembly in Cuyahoga Falls donated Bibles for patients at Akron Children’s Hospital. Knights presented the Catholic Youth Bibles to the hospital’s chaplain to be blessed before being distributed to patients.

MCGIVNEY DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

To reenergize the council’s membership, All Saints Council 14234 in Taylorsville, Ky., hosted a screening of the documentary Father Michael Mc-

Past Grand Knight David Palardy (left) of Msgr. Daniel J. Bourke Council 3607 in Albany, Ga., and State Deputy Sanford B. Hillsman present a check for nearly $6,000 to the Graceway Recovery Residence for Women, a long-term substance abuse and addiction treatment community for women.

Proceeds from the donation came from the K of C State Charity raffle, which is divided among three charitable groups each year. Also pictured are Graceway Executive Director Liz Dixon, Program Director (and Founder) Debbie Mazur and counselor Shannon Burke.

Givney. The council rented space at a local movie theater for the showing and invited Knights from throughout the state to attend.

REPLACING STOLEN GOODS

Joplin (Mo.) Assembly presented a Knights of Columbus ciborium to Father Rahab Isidor, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Webb City, who accepted the gift on behalf of a parish in Haiti whose religious vessels were recently stolen. The ciborium was offered in memory of Father John Barth.

CORRECTIONS On page 28 of the April 2015 issue, the entry “Backpack Buddies” erroneously neglected to mention additional charitable contributions from Immaculate Conception Council 3491 in Groves, Texas.

On page 9 of the May 2015 issue, the photo credit for the image of Walter Streit should read, “Photo by Curtis Comeau Photography.”

In our May 2015 issue, Governors Island in New York was misspelled as “Governor’s Island.”

HEATING SYSTEM

St-Nicéphore (Québec) Council 15054 donated $2,080 to its parish to install a new heating system. Funds for the system were raised through various fundraising initiatives. In sum, the new system will save the church about $5,000 in energy costs.

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

JUNE 2015

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O N - TA RG E T R E C RU I T I N G

K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

‘There’s always room to give back to the Lord.’

IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com

JOIN THE FATHER MCGIVNEY GUILD

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Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild:

Michael J. McKeever joined the Knights of Columbus in 1979 and has served in a variety of council positions, including retention chair and program director for St. Louis Council 14730 in Pinecreast, Fla. During the 2014-15 Fraternal Year, his council set a goal of recruiting 100 members — a milestone that the council was more than twothirds of the way toward achieving when McKeever spoke to Columbia in May.

NAME

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

OFFICIAL JUNE 1, 2015: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2015 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.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

JUNE 2015

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE First of all, I am someone who is happy with his faith and enthusiastic about the Knights of Columbus. So, when I speak to a prospective candidate, my words and body language reflect this about me. When I put a smile on my face, and people see I am happy about the Knights and the Catholic Church, I hope that they say, “Look at this guy. I want to have what he has.”

RECRUITING AS MENTORING Part of my goal in the Knights is to help young people coming in, the 18- to 30-year-olds. This means mentoring — making them feel that they’re loved and getting them involved in the Church. Because if you don’t, they’re out the back door. Again, my premise is that you should show your faith and be enthusiastic in what you’re doing.

WILLINGNESS TO SERVE In the past three months, recruiting the Hispanic brothers has been the most rewarding experience for me. I had reached a point where I said to God, “I’m hitting a ceiling here. I need help.” And then he sent me these guys from the Spanish-speaking Emmaus group. “What do you need done?” they say. “Let us know.” They really want to serve! That’s the enthusiasm we need to spread throughout the council and the Order.

A PLACE FOR EVERYONE Every eligible Catholic man — young or old —should join the Knights.

If you’re older, you don’t have to be moving tables and chairs. You can welcome people, give them information and sign them in. There’s a spot for everybody. We need you to give back to the Lord some of what he’s given us. And if there’s too much on your plate, we make the plate bigger.

Just serve when the opportunity arises. There’s always room for you to give back to the Lord.

Photo by Mathew Duman

ADDRESS

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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

Joe Molyson, Elmer Waterman and Ron Gregory of Father Michael A. Burke Council 14488 in Kathleen, Ga., brace a floor joist while renovating an old building into a rectory for St. Michael Church in Montezuma. When Father Samuel Aniekwe was assigned to St. Michael’s in 2014, the parish lacked a rectory.

After Father Aniekwe spent several months commuting 80 miles round-trip to perform his pastoral duties there, Knights set out to transform a former thrift store on church property into a rectory. Knights and others invested more than 2,500 volunteer hours in gutting the building to make it habitable, refurbishing everything from plumbing and electrical systems to structural elements.

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW

“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR EMAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC . ORG .

JUNE 2015

TO :

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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

‘ONCE I LET GO OF MY FEAR, I FELT AT PEACE.’

PATRICK AYALA Seminarian, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Photo by Slav Zatoka Images

As early as the fourth grade, I felt drawn to the priesthood. As I grew, though, this interest began to be strained, and by the end of high school, I had plans to pursue a teaching career and start a family. But the more I tried to leave the idea of the priesthood behind, the stronger it became.

After my first year of college and much prayer, I realized that my own plans could bring me some measure of happiness, but the plans that God had for me would certainly bring joy.

Once I let go of my fear, I felt at peace.

My mother was happy to hear that I was discerning a vocation to the priesthood, but my father was a bit saddened at first, since I am an only child and he wanted grandchildren. In the end, he also respected my decision and continues to offer me his unconditional love and support.

My advice for those considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life is to prayerfully consider the words of St. John Paul II: “Be not afraid!”