41 minute read
Fathers for Good
Tithing Our Time to God
Lent is an opportunity to o er a tenth of our year, in a special way, to the Lord
By Philip Kosloski
MOST PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR with the idea of “tithing,” offering to God a tenth of one’s income. It is a biblical concept, rooted in the Book of Genesis, when Abraham gave to Melchizedek, king of Salem, “a tenth of everything” (Gen 14:20).
Christians have carried on this example for centuries, and not only in regard to money. A largely lost tradition, and one well worth recovering, is to approach the 40 days of Lent — slightly more than a tenth of the year — as a spiritual tithe of our time.
Time is more valuable than money. Giving money to God is, for many people, relatively easy, while giving him our time is more difficult. We do all that we can to safeguard our leisure, not wanting anyone or anything to invade it. Even making the time to go to Sunday Mass can feel challenging for some of us, as we would rather spend that hour sleeping in or watching sports.
When it comes to Lent, simply crossing 40 days off the calendar cannot be considered a worthy sacrifice. If we want to make a tithe of our time, we must use those days well, turning them into a meaningful offering to God. Fortunately, the Church gives us a blueprint for how to do this. It involves taking up what the Ash Wednesday liturgy calls the “arms of Christian penance”: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Prayer: Make time in your daily routine for personal prayer, whether it be five minutes, 15 minutes or an hour. To be worthwhile, prayer need not lead to ecstatic union with God, but it should be intentional. The key is to schedule prayer in our daily calendars, making it an appointment we don’t erase, and thus a priority we won’t forget.
Fasting: Observe the days of fasting and abstinence in Lent, especially abstaining from meat on Fridays. It is a simple sacrifice, but one that is intentional and reminds us of our duties to God and the agony Jesus suffered on Good Friday. In fact, we can extend this practice through the year and abstain from meat every Friday, which remains an obligatory day of penance according to canon law.
Almsgiving: The Church encourages almsgiving, an offering of money and material goods or acts of charity to the most vulnerable and those in need. Volunteering our time in service to others should come naturally for Knights and already be a part of our daily lives, but it is something we should practice with special attention during Lent.
This idea of tithing our time is a particular responsibility for all husbands and fathers. It is our vocation to lead our family, and if we don’t make God a priority in our personal lives, our family won’t either. Schedule a regular time to pray as a family — whether it involves the family rosary, reading Scripture or something else. As Father Patrick Peyton famously said, “The family that prays together stays together.” Be countercultural and challenge your family to fast from TV or smartphones, particularly on Fridays. Recall that Christ fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, doing spiritual battle with Satan. Unplug and see what spiritual fruits the Lord may have in store for your family, the domestic church.
Finally, look for opportunities to serve your parish or community together as a family. And more importantly, practice spiritual almsgiving within your own home. Make it a place of charity by routinely performing acts of kindness and the spiritual works of mercy — forgiving offenses willingly, bearing wrongs patiently, comforting the afflicted.
We are called by God to be leaders in our families and communities whether we like it or not. In the way we use our time, we can lead our domestic churches and those around us by example, both during Lent and throughout the rest of the year. B
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
CHASING GOLD
With the support of his family and strengthened by his faith, Paralympic swimmer Matthew Torres competes on the world stage
By John Burger
It’s common for kids to dream big. Ma hew Torres was 7 years old in 2008 when Michael Phelps was sweeping up gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, and he told his parents that he was going to do the same thing one day. He was unfazed by the fact that he didn’t know how to swim.
What’s more, Torres was born without the lower half of his right leg and is missing ngers on each hand as a result of a prenatal condition. Yet none of that has held him back.
Eleven years a er announcing his goal, Torres took gold in both the 400-meter S8/S9 freestyle and the 100-meter S8 backstroke at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. Two years later, in August 2021, he competed in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and won bronze in the men’s 400-meter S8 freestyle. (S8 and S9 refer to levels of disability.)
Just this past December, Torres set a new world record in the men’s 1,500-meter S8 freestyle at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Greensboro, N.C. He obliterated the previous record — set in 2020 — by half a minute and was named Swimmer of the Meet.
Matthew Torres, a member of Holy Rosary Council 10537 in Ansonia, Conn., competes in a 400-meter S8 freestyle heat at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Aug. 31, 2021.
Matthew Torres reacts — and later displays his medal — after breaking the world record in the 1,500-meter S8 freestyle at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 18, 2021.
Torres, now a finance major and Division I swimmer at Fairfield University in Connecticut, said, “That [record] was something I’ve actually had my eye on doing for a few years now.”
But such goals, he added, wouldn’t be possible without the support of his parents. “At di erent points in my life,” he said, “it didn’t ma er what I was aiming for and what my goals were; they were always there to support me 100 percent.”
He also recognizes that his talent and achievements are ultimately a gi from above.
“ e things that I do in the swimming pool should be credited to the glory of God,” said Torres, who joined the Knights of Columbus last June. “Everything that I’ve accomplished so far is because God has allowed me to. Without him, none of this is possible.”
‘FREEDOM IN THE WATER’ Matthew Torres grew up in Ansonia, Conn., where his family are active parishioners at Holy Rosary Church and his father, Gilberto, is a past grand knight of Holy Rosary Council 10537.
His disabilities stem from amniotic band syndrome, a condition in which brous bands of the amniotic sac get tangled around a developing fetus. In Ma hew’s case, the bands got wrapped around his right leg and some of his ngers.
Gilberto and his wife, Martha, were not aware of the condition until Matthew’s birth, which was about three months premature; prenatal tests had not indicated anything was wrong.
Gilberto, who was standing next to Martha during the delivery, recalled, “When he was born, he tipped his head and locked his eyes with mine; I was the very rst human being he looked at. We bonded right then and there.”
Ma hew required immediate medical a ention, including a couple of surgeries.
“But when he nally came home in June, it was wonderful,” Gilberto said. “Did it ma er to me that he had physical issues? Absolutely not. He’s my son, and I love him no ma er what. Over the years, we’ve learned as much as he has how to overcome and how to compensate for these di erences.”
Even before he received his first prosthetic leg, at 18 months, Matthew was crawling so fast that it was a challenge to keep up with him. As a young child, he tried out sports such as baseball and soccer, in spite of the difficulties they posed. He even organized soccer lessons for other kids with special needs. But everything changed when he started swimming.
“I felt freedom in the water,” he recalled. “I was able to control my movements better compared to land sports.”
Within a year, Matthew was competing for his local YMCA team, and he soon advanced to the National Junior Disability Championships.
“My mom and dad found di erent teams for me to work with and coaches that I could start learning from,” he said.
“When I initially started out, obviously everyone else was just swimming laps around me. But my mother would tell me, ‘Don’t worry about them. Just focus on yourself, beating your own times and ge ing faster.’”
It was advice coming from experience: Martha Torres had been an accomplished swimmer in her native Colombia.
“She told me that eventually I could race against everyone else with two legs,” Ma hew said. “ at kind of motivation and support was the type that I got all the time from my parents — and I still do to this day.”
Gilberto, whose parents moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico before he was born, has been a particularly important role model.
“He’s always pushed me to be a be er person. He’s always encouraged me to stick to my faith, stick to building a good relationship with God,” Ma hew said. “He’s also made sure that I stay responsible, motivated and dedicated to whatever I’m doing.”
It was natural, then, for Ma hew to follow in the footsteps of his father, a Knight for 20 years, and join Holy Rosary Council 10537 last summer.
“His being a grand knight and an o cer within the council certainly led me to wanting to join,” Ma hew a rmed. “My father has had a very positive and large in uence on my life.” GRIT AND GRACE Torres has never felt sorry for himself because of his disabilities. To the contrary, he views his physical de ciencies as a God-given opportunity.
“Personally, having a disability has really become a part of who I am. God made me this way, and I’ve embraced it, turning that into becoming a professional swimmer,” he explained. “It’s hard to say, would I even be representing Team USA if I had been a normal guy? Would I be a Division I collegiate swimmer? For all we know, I may not have been a swimmer at all.” at’s not to say Torres hasn’t done his part, of course. Aside from spending long hours in both the pool and the weight room, building up his strength and stamina and honing his talent, he regularly analyzes his performance to gure out what he needs to do to improve.
“He works really hard,” said Anthony Bruno, head coach of the swimming and diving programs at Fairfield University. “He’s a jokester, which I enjoy, but he’s also focused; he’s always thinking about the next meet: ‘How can I get better?’ He’s a very disciplined person. ”
It’s a quality that crosses over into other aspects of Torres’ young life. His father explained, “We’ve seen that a itude, that strength, stay with him. When he’s in school, he’s pushing
hard and he brings home good grades. And we’ve seen it time and time again when he’s in the pool, that drive inside of him — he doesn’t know how to quit.”
Torres is looking forward to competing in the World Championships in Portugal this coming June and the 2024 Paralympics in France. “We both think he can do something pre y special in Paris,” Coach Bruno said.
Torres has already done something special at Fair eld, where he is one of the school’s rst Para swimmers and, according to Bruno, has raised awareness of Para swimming signi cantly.
“I certainly hope that in the future, if not already, I’ve inspired someone,” Torres said. “Maybe it would be starting their own swimming career, or just reaching their own personal life goals.” is a itude of wanting to help others is a primary reason why he joined the Order.
“I’m a Knight of Columbus because I’ve always been someone who wants to give back to the community,” Torres said. “Because I’m a full-time college student and an athlete, my council involvement is a bit limited. In recent months, I helped out delivering anksgiving dinners as well as Christmas dinners, a beautiful council project showing the brotherly love we all share in Christ through our faith.”
Torres is also thankful for the support he’s received from his brother Knights, who have periodically helped his family cover travel expenses to international competitions.
“ e Knights have been a big support as far as my swimming career has gone,” he said. “When they welcomed me back from the Paralympics in Tokyo, everyone congratulated me. I’m really grateful and appreciative that they’re looking out for me.”
Members of Council 10537 will no doubt be there to welcome Torres back from Portugal and Paris as well. Until then, his desire to win gold and glorify God drives him on.
“I think the motivation for me to keep pushing through the practices, day in and day out, comes from the long-term goal I’ve always had of being a Paralympic gold medalist and a world record holder in the 400,” Torres said. “I’m still chasing those dreams.” B
JOHN BURGER writes for Aleteia.org and is a member of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Council 16253 in New Haven, Conn.
Matthew Torres talks with Anthony Bruno, his head coach at Fairfield University. Torres swims on the school’s Division I team in addition to competing internationally.
‘A BLESSING
Beyond Blessings’
An interview with Joseph McGivney about how his saintly relative’s intercession led to healing in body and soul
Joseph “Joe” McGivney, a financial advisor and father of two in Florida, was aware that he shared a name and a family connection with the founder of the Knights of Columbus. But even when Father Michael J. McGivney was beatified in October 2020, the connection wasn’t especially meaningful to Joe, since he was neither a Knight nor an active Catholic at the time. That all changed several months later, when he faced a sudden and frightening medical crisis. His unexpected recovery from that crisis led to renewed faith and trust in God; he returned to the Church and on Aug. 2, 2021, he joined the Knights of Columbus.
Joe’s son, Colin, also joined on Oct. 18, 2021, just six days after his 18th birthday. “During the ceremony, I was very excited,” recalled Colin, a high school
Joe McGivney and his son, Colin, hold cards with the prayer for the canonization of their relative, Blessed Michael McGivney. Last year, Joe made a remarkable medical recovery and returned to the Church after members of his family prayed for Father McGivney’s intercession.
senior. “Hearing references to Father McGivney, I felt very honored for me and my family to be associated with what he has done for the Church and the world.”
Joe and Colin McGivney are members of St. Peter Parish Council 13139 in Jupiter and recently joined the Fourth Degree. In the following interview for Columbia, conducted by Supreme Director Sco O’Connor, past state deputy of Florida, Joe re ects on his journey of faith and what led him and his son to become Knights.
COLUMBIA: You had a serious health issue last year — can you walk us through what happened and how it affected you? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: On Dec. 30, 2020, I was hospitalized due to a serious and dangerous neurological condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.
I was a heavy drinker, and it really became very heavy when COVID happened. The company that I worked for closed every office; my role got shut down and my income dropped dramatically. My fear and anxiety started to ramp up, and my way of medicating that was alcohol. As COVID progressed, it kept getting worse.
On Dec. 30, I collapsed and was admi ed to the hospital. But even a er I had detoxed physically, I wasn’t improving. My mental abilities were declining rapidly. A er about 10 weeks, I was released to a rehab facility with the diagnosis of acute psychosis and dementia. e prognosis was not good. Typically, 20 out of 100 persons with the condition will die, and of the remaining 80 people, 75 will have lifelong serious de cits. My family was told to prepare for 24/7 care for the remainder of my life.
One of the side effects of this condition is amnesia, and I have no recollection of events prior to the rehab facility. But a few days after I arrived at the facility, “the lights came back on.” I did not know how I had gotten there, but suddenly I was normal, and after 30 days I was released back home.
Everyone in my family told me the first person I had to call was my aunt, Geraldine McGivney Gallo. Aunt Gerry, a registered nurse, “quarterbacked” my caregiving during that time, and she filled in the blanks of what had happened to me. We also began to talk about faith, and I had this longing to turn back to my faith and family.
COLUMBIA: And your family had been praying to Blessed Michael McGivney? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: My aunt told me that she was praying fervently to Father McGivney for my recovery. My father in Chicago and the entire family were all praying to Blessed Michael McGivney to intercede on my behalf.
Then the big appointment came for me to see the neurologist. After an hourlong battery of cognitive and behavioral tests, the doctor said, “By the grace of God, I don’t need to see you again — you are 100% recovered.”
I am told that 5 out of 100 who have the condition do recover, but most have some de cit. I have no de cits. I think the medical term for it would be “remarkable,” but we like to call it a miracle around my family. e story has been submitted to the McGivney Guild.
COLUMBIA: What can you tell us about your family connection to Father McGivney? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: I have a rst cousin, Dorothea Pacini, who has been doing research on the McGivney family genealogy for many years. About 25 years ago, she and her husband traveled to Kilnaleck, County Cavan, Ireland, where my great-grandfather, Andrew McGivney, was born. ough there was not a lot to go on, since many birth records were burned or destroyed during the Irish War of Independence, my cousin believes that my great-grandfather was either a rst or second cousin to Father McGivney. is connection would occasionally come up in family conversations, especially in the last decade or so. And I do remember reading Parish Priest, which my father recommended that I get around 15 or 16 years ago. Beyond that I did not have any other real information on Father McGivney, St. Mary’s or the founding the Knights of Columbus.
Since my recovery, I’ve learned more about what Blessed Michael has done, mostly by watching videos on the K of C website. I’ve also seen the information on the miracle that led to his beati cation, which was really special.
COLUMBIA: How would you describe your life of faith before your medical crisis? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: I had been baptized Catholic, but I had just stopped going to Church. I wasn’t mad at anybody or against the Church. I always kept believing in God, but I never really knew how to pray and develop that relationship with him. Frankly, I thought that I would be the last guy God would have any interest in. I was very awed, very sel sh.
Joe and Colin McGivney volunteer with their council at Hannah’s Home, a maternity residence in Tequesta, Fla.
The experience I went through this past year has deepened my faith and brought me to God in a way I didn’t even know was possible. It is a blessing beyond blessings to me. To be alive to pray every day is awesome.
COLUMBIA: Why did you decide to join the Knights of Columbus? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: After my adventure, I felt this overwhelming desire to serve, to get involved somewhere I could truly help others. And over the years I’d had a couple of “God winks,” you might say, about Father McGivney and the Knights. For example, one time there was a workman over here, and when he saw my last name, he said, “Are you by any chance a Knight?” That happened again last summer. I was setting up a service appointment with someone, and he said, “Well, how come you’re not a Knight?” I thought about that and said, “You know, that’s a really good question.” So I went online and saw that there were a couple of local councils. I had started going back to church at St. Peter’s, so I joined the council there.
COLUMBIA: How did your son Colin come to join? Was that at your encouragement? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: It was and it wasn’t. He saw me getting involved and attending Zoom meetings and becoming more active. And we watched the video aboutFather McGivney, An American Blessed, together. Colin reached his own decision that he wanted to become a Knight. COLUMBIA: In what ways have you gotten involved? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: Initially when I joined, they weren’t doing in-person meetings, but council activities have slowly come back. Colin and I both participated in fundraising for Wheelchair Sunday and helped with the rst in-person K of C breakfast since pre-COVID. I’ve been able to volunteer twice at Hannah’s Home, which is a home for mothers in Tequesta where the Knights help out. I’ve been asked to become the council’s family program director and deputy grand knight, which I accepted gladly. I’m all in.
The fellowship is great. During my prior career, I traveled a lot. On weekends, in the evenings, if I wasn’t at one of my kids’ sporting events, I was happy to stay home or just go out and have a quiet dinner with my wife and come home. I didn’t have a lot of friends who weren’t business associates. Now that’s changed and I love it.
COLUMBIA: Do you feel a personal connection now with Father McGivney? JOSEPH MCGIVNEY: From what I know of Father McGivney, and I pray to him now very often, he favored the outcasts and the needy. Well, I was certainly needy spiritually, and some would say that I was an outcast. And reading about his ministry when he was a parish priest, I like to think that Father McGivney might have had a soft spot in his heart for a lapsed Irish Catholic boy like me. B
FORWARD WITH HOPE
March for Life returns in force as the United States awaits a ruling in Dobbs
Pro-life advocates gathered with renewed hope this year for the 49th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., their spirits buoyed by the signi cant challenge to Roe v. Wade now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Knights of Columbus from across the country, including Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and other Supreme O cers, were among the tens of thousands of people participating in demonstration on Jan. 21.
Darren Tsang, a member of Georgetown University Council 6375 in Washington, led the Pledge of Allegiance to kick o the March for Life Rally on the National Mall.
“ ere is strength in community, and we have a bigger voice as we come together, especially in the nation’s capital, to advocate for unborn,” said Tsang, who marched with several dozen college Knights from di erent universities. “It’s so invigorating to see all these people, and to be a voice for those who can’t be a voice for themselves.”
Following the rally, the massive crowd peacefully marched down Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building, where oral arguments were heard in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization less than two months earlier. The case is considered the most serious challenge to Roe — the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationally — in several decades.
“There’s an energy, a hopefulness in the crowd, because we know that this year is a crucial year for life,” Supreme Knight Kelly said. “We hope and pray for a good decision in the Dobbs case. We hope and pray for an end to Roe, and we hope and pray that our laws will protect children.”
A new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll, the supreme knight added, shows that a majority of Americans reject the central holding of Roe (see page 19).
Knights of Columbus volunteering at the march or attending with their families, councils and parishes, expressed a sense of optimism about the legal fight against abortion.
Joe Knight, grand knight of St. Louis the King Council 11898 in Clarksville, Md., has served as a marshal at the
event for years, alongside dozens of other Knights from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. He hopes he won’t need to again. “Wouldn’t it be great,” he asked, “if we didn’t need to have a 50th march?”
Yet even if Roe v. Wade is overruled, in whole or in part, the need to work for laws that protect the unborn will remain. Advocacy at the state level would become crucial, which is one reason the March for Life Education and Defense Fund is expanding its state march program.
Also vital is the continued need to build a culture of life, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore reminded attendees of the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life on Jan. 20.
Archbishop Lori, who serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, celebrated the Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and paid tribute in his homily to the many ministries that help expectant mothers choose life and support them and their children after birth.
If Roe is overturned, the supreme chaplain said, “we must redouble our efforts to accompany women and couples who are facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, offering them loving and compassionate care.”
The Knights of Columbus is prepared to answer that call, said Supreme Knight Kelly, noting the myriad ways that Knights provide material and volunteer support to pregnancy resource centers — especially through the Order’s Ultrasound Initiative (see sidebar).
“Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights to care for the family, to care for widows and orphans,” the supreme knight said. “Today, we come to expectant mothers and their unborn children with love and support to help them make a life-a rming choice.” B
Another Lifesaving Milestone
The Knights of Columbus donates 1,500th ultrasound machine, helping moms to choose life for their unborn children
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Ultrasound Initiative surpassed a major milestone on Jan. 19, placing its 1,500th ultrasound machine through its signature program in support of pregnancy centers.
With Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and other K of C leaders in attendance, Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen blessed the milestone machine at First Choice Women’s Resource Center in New Brunswick, N.J. The machine was funded by Knights in the Metuchen Diocese Chapter and the New Jersey State Council with a matching grant from the Order’s Culture of Life Fund.
“Knights of Columbus believe in the dignity and worth of every human life,” said Supreme Knight Kelly at the event. “We work tirelessly, through prayer and action, to support mothers and their children, both unborn and born.”
Since the Ultrasound Initiative began in January 2009, Knights have donated ultrasound machines valued at more than $72 million to pregnancy resource centers in all 50 U.S. states — including more than 100 machines in Florida, California and Texas. The rate of donations has accelerated in recent years, together with the number of medically certified pro-life pregnancy centers and requests, especially as centers expand and machines need updating.
The 1,500th ultrasound machine was the eighth donation to First Choice Women’s Resource Center, which has five locations in New Jersey. The organization requested a machine through the Ultrasound Initiative as it prepared to open its newest center near Rutgers University in November 2021.
“We want to give a woman all of the information she needs to make an informed decision. Offering an ultrasound is an important part of that process,” explained Aimee Huber, executive director of First Choice, which also offers counseling and material support to expectant mothers.
“Women can see the heart beating, can see the formation of the baby,” added Huber, noting that an ultrasound machine helps women perceive the life of their unborn children. “It has a profound impact on the decision they make. I can’t really imagine our ministry without it.” B
Clockwise, from top left: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, gives a blessing at the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life on Jan. 20. • Students from Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., carry the o cial March for Life banner, leading the crowd up Constitution Avenue on Jan. 21. • A young woman holds a K of C sign and cheers during the March for Life Rally on the National Mall. • Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, welcomes participants to the rally.
Survey finds a majority of Americans reject Roe, support greater restrictions on abortion
ACCORDING TO a recent Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll, released Jan. 20, more than 3 in 5 of Americans disagree with the central holding of Roe v. Wade. While Roe asserted a constitutional right to abortion, the survey showed that 61% of Americans believe either that abortion should be illegal or that the issue should be determined by each state.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly hailed the finding, which comes as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“Roe v. Wade was wrong when it was decided, and its legacy is the tragic destruction of more than 60 million unborn lives and countless wounded women,” the supreme knight said. “The time has come for America to turn the page on Roe.”
The survey, conducted by the Marist Poll and commissioned annually by the Knights of Columbus for more than a decade, has consistently shown that a majority of Americans support substantial restrictions on abortions. The most recent poll finds that 71% of Americans oppose legalizing abortion after three months except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. Only 17% think that abortion should be available at any time during a woman’s pregnancy.
The latest poll also found that 3 in 4 Americans say that doctors, nurses or other health care professionals who have religious objections to abortion should not be legally required to perform them. An even larger majority — 81% — believe laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.
On the issue of taxpayer funding of abortion, 54% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortion in the United States, while 73% — including 59% who identify as pro-choice — oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions abroad.
“This is especially relevant as the bipartisan Hyde Amendment prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion is in danger,” said Supreme Knight Kelly. “As a supermajority of Americans believe laws can protect both women and the unborn, the Knights of Columbus will continue to stand with them in supporting the dignity and worth of every human life.” B
Photo by Jeffrey Bruno Knights of Columbus Supreme Officers and other K of C leaders gather with college Knights in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building after the March for Life. Front, from center to right: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, Deputy Supreme Knight Paul O’Sullivan, Supreme Secretary Patrick Mason, Supreme Advocate John Marrella and Vice President of Public Policy Tim Saccoccia, who also serves as chairman of the board of the March for Life.
An Art Like No Other
Iconography is more than painting — it is a profound encounter with God
By Élizabeth Bergeron, with Columbia sta
The icon of St. Joseph that serves as the centerpiece of the Knights of Columbus pilgrim icon prayer program was created (or “written”) by Élizabeth Bergeron, an iconographer in Montréal. Based on a drawing by Alexandre Sobolev, the icon was originally a gift to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Saint-Hyacinthe and now resides at St. Joseph’s Oratory. The following text has been adapted from a recent interview with Bergeron about her conversion, her vocation as an iconographer and the Knights of Columbus prayer program.
For me, writing an icon is a form of prayer of thanksgiving for all that God has given me. You see, until the age of 46, I sort of lived in dribs and drabs.
When I was a child, someone heard me say, “I adore my father” and told me, “You cannot worship anyone other than God. You are going to go to hell.” In my 6-year-old head, no matter what I did next, my life was over, since I was going to burn in hell anyway. From that moment, religion repelled me. Not that I didn’t believe in God, but I believed in a God who didn’t love me.
On the outside, everything seemed to smile at me — career, family, etc. — but much was missing on the inside. I was looking for happiness and I couldn’t find it. I searched all around and finally fell back into the faith of my ancestors. When I had my conversion — that is to say, when I passed from Christian-by-heredity to Christian — it turned my life upside down.
Photo by George Hosek
Iconographer Élizabeth Bergeron, pictured here with some of her work, wrote the icon of St. Joseph and the Christ Child featured in the Order’s pilgrim icon program.
Go to Joseph
St. Joseph Pilgrim Icon Program is underway
THE ORDERWIDE PILGRIM icon prayer program in honor of St. Joseph has already drawn thousands of K of C families and other participants since it began last November, during the Year of St. Joseph. The centerpiece of the program is an icon of St. Joseph and the Christ Child created by iconographer Élizabeth Bergeron (see page 20).
In June 2021, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly knelt before a reproduction of the icon during his installation as the Order’s 14th supreme knight, consecrating his administration to St. Joseph. Later, in his first annual report, Supreme Knight Kelly urged members to participate in the forthcoming prayer program: “Seek it out. Ask for St. Joseph’s inspiration and intercession — for you, for your family and for the Order.”
Pope Francis blessed a copy of the pilgrim icon during a private audience at the Vatican on Oct. 25, and the prayer program was o cially launched two weeks later at the Midyear Meeting of State Deputies in Nashville, Tenn.
Nearly 300 copies have been distributed to K of C jurisdictions throughout the world and, for the next two years, will serve as focal points for prayer and devotion. Accompanying the icon is a prayer service featuring Scripture and catechesis related to St. Joseph, the joyful mysteries of the rosary with reflections from Pope Francis’ apostolic letter Patris Corde, the litany of St. Joseph, and other prayers.
Since 1979, the Knights of Columbus Prayer Program has featured numerous sacred images, with local prayer services drawing some 22 million participants. Learn more and find resources at kofc.org/pilgrimicon. B
Father Mark Salas, associate state chaplain of Texas, speaks about St. Joseph during Mass at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in El Paso, where he serves as pastor. Our Lady of the Assumption Council 12697 welcomed the St. Joseph pilgrim icon to the church and hosted the prayer program on Jan. 27. Jesus said: “I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you” (Jn 14:18). This knowledge changes your life. It filled a void in me.
After my conversion, I stumbled upon an icon exhibit, and right next to it was an iconography workshop. I fell in love with the technique and started taking classes.
The word “icon” comes from the Greek eikona, which means “image.” Byzantine icons are images of Christ or other holy figures from the Christian tradition: the mother of God, angels, saints. No matter what image is represented, it is always the features of Christ that are evoked. There is an important link between iconography and the Incarnation. The word of God was made flesh in Jesus, and it was Jesus who said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). The invisible made itself visible; that is why we can represent God in images.
In Russia, iconographers first study fine arts and then spend three years in iconography proper. It’s a very slow process. The technique is laborious. There are a lot of steps, and each step is very long. It is difficult to learn, but it can be learned.
An icon follows strict rules that we call the canons. We cannot change the colors, the shapes, the gestures, the symbols. Yet it is a merciful art because it leaves room for error. This is about taking our time. It is the mark of the Christian that one falls and one gets up as many times as necessary. Iconography calls upon all the dimensions of being: body, heart and soul. What better way to say thank you to God for all the blessings he has given me?
I think that to be a good iconographer, besides being a good technician, you have to be a lover of God. An icon is an artistic work like no other because its purpose is to bring us into the presence of God and the mystery of his love for humanity. It is a place where God meets man. The icon is the Word of God translated in form and color; this is why we “write” an icon, like writing a sacred text. The icon is conceived and realized through prayer and contemplation.
We start with a carved wooden board, whose rings have a particular and precise meaning. It is the heart of the tree which looks at the heart of the praying person, as if to symbolize the heart-to-heart of God
Élizabeth Bergeron works on an icon of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in her Montréal studio.
with man. Icons also have inverted perspective — that is to say, in a traditional work, the vanishing point is inside the painting; with the icon, the vanishing point is outside the image, and the background opens toward the infinite. So it is the icon that looks at the praying person, it is God who initiates the meeting. There is no shadow in the icon because it is not a star that lights it; the light of God emanates from it.
There is no naturalism in the icon; it is more symbolic than realistic. For example, in the pilgrim icon of St. Joseph, the two fingers of Christ raised in blessing represent the dual nature of Christ, human and divine; his three fingers folded inward represent the Trinity. The golden rays on Christ’s clothes represent Christ in glory; St. Joseph has rays on his clothes because he has entered into the glory of God. St. Joseph’s left hand is covered with a cloth to represent respect for Christ, and the lily represents purity, chastity and surrender to divine providence.
St. Joseph is an example of faithfulness to the will of God, and an example of fatherhood. As the adoptive father of Jesus, he taught him the value of human work and contemplative prayer. Having a devotion to St. Joseph myself, I feel privileged to have been able to collaborate with the Knights of Columbus for their icon program.
We know well the devotion of the Knights of Columbus for St. Joseph, who embodies masculine spirituality. My hope is that Knights will let themselves be looked at by the icon of St. Joseph, let themselves be touched, let themselves be transfigured by the love of God. Like Joseph, may they surrender to divine providence and discover the goodness of God. B
The Light of the Annunciation
With her “yes,” Our Lady, Star of the Sea, illumines our path through a darkened world
By Carrie Gress
Light. It is something to which we are all drawn. It punctuates our most solemn, sacred and festive events, from birthday candles and fireworks to the Easter fire. St. Bonaventure, writing in the 13th century, noted that “light cleanses, illuminates, perfects and fortifies.” It can also heat and cook. Light is vital.
There is a reason homes bathed in natural light sell well, while the cavernous do not. Add candles to a dinner table or drape a string of lights around a deck and the space feels festive and elevated. These are not new ideas or mere preferences of taste. Gothic architecture took off in the 12th century because of innovative structural elements that bathed churches in light, in sharp contrast to their Romanesque predecessors. Renaissance churches went a step further by incorporating domes to let in even more light.
Because lighting up a room has been as easy as flipping a switch for well over a century, we forget that banishing the darkness hasn’t always been so effortless. For most of human history, fires, candles and oil lamps offered the best ways to bring some relief to dim and fearful nights. It is hard for us to comprehend the darkness of old. Imagining the weight of darkness, the fear of all that lurked in its shadows, even the relief of a full moon on a clear night, helps us recall the essential comfort and importance of light.
Today, however, we live in a world obscured by a new sort of gloom. It is not due to an absence of light, but because the Light of the World has grown dim in our own hearts, minds, homes and even churches. Fear, agitation and anxiety have become common companions in the face of encroaching shadows. Many of us are searching for answers about how to navigate this new darkness. The solemn feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, which is celebrated this month, can help lead us to them.
The Church, in her wisdom, has tightly woven light into the tapestry of the liturgical year. The placement of our feasts is not accidental, but beautifully symbolic. Consider the celebrations of Christmas on Dec. 25 and the nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24. Christmas, one of the shortest days of the year, is wrapped in darkness, but this darkness diminishes a bit with each succeeding day. The feast of John the Baptist, roughly six months later, marks nearly the longest day of the year. The Baptist’s feast echoes his immortal words, “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Thereafter, the daylight diminishes as the days draw closer to Christ’s birth.
The Annunciation, celebrated March 25, is also perfectly positioned: Its place among the seasons underscores its meaning. The angel Gabriel’s visit to Our Lady, with a question upon which all our fates were fixed, is marked at the end of winter and the dawn of spring. The Annunciation, or announcement, comes as the days grow longer and winter recedes. The moment of Mary’s “yes” heralds the end of the age of darkness and the dawn of the age of light, with Christ’s arrival. In a certain way, we can think of Our Lady as the match who received and nurtured the divine spark, eventually setting the whole world on fire with the light from the holy Son of God, incarnate in her womb.
Mary’s name is often translated as Star of the Sea (Maris Stella), as St. Jerome is known for calling her. For nearly two millennia, stories have been told about the saving power of Our Lady, Star of the Sea — not only for mariners, but also for anyone tossed about in life’s rough seas. In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux promoted the devotion, writing, “She is that glorious star lighting the way across this vast ocean of life, glowing with merits, guiding by example.” He adds: “If the winds of temptation arise, if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call on Mary. If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.”
There is another translation of Mary’s name that dates back at least to St. Maximus the Confessor in the seventh century: the one who illumines. To illumine means to brighten, light up or enlighten — physically, spiritually or intellectually. Our Lady has been illuminating the world since her
first “yes” at the Annunciation, as centuries of devotion and inspiration reveal: battles won, enemies conquered, converts stirred, artists, theologians, philosophers and musicians inspired. No woman has been painted or sung about more in all of history. And she, better than any woman in all of history, has brought brightness to dark places. Appearing as Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531, she transformed a site of human sacrifice into that of the greatest mass conversion in all of history.
It is striking that both of these de nitions of Mary’s name rest squarely on the notion of light. St. Bonaventure explained that “God is properly light and whatever approaches more closely to him has more of the nature of light.” It makes sense that Our Lady, as God’s masterpiece, conceived without original sin, would be as pure a light as possible.
St. Bonaventure further described how God’s perfecting light is reflected both in Our Lady and in the souls of all who love God. “Wisdom is the light descending from the Father of Lights and shining into the soul; it makes it godlike, and the house of God, for it enlightens the intellect, inflames and rejoices the affections, and strengthens the operations.” The light from the Father transforms, renews, refreshes, and dispels even the blackest night.
The answer to the darkness that envelops us today is simple and old and woven throughout the centuries. It lies in the uncomplicated act of connecting with the source of all light. And we, like the light of one candle, can illumine the whole room. With Our Lady of Light, whose “yes” put an end to the darkness, our souls, families, homes and churches can be lit up once again, setting the world ablaze. B
CARRIE GRESS, Ph.D., is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a scholar at the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A wife and mother of five, she is also the author of several books and the editor of TheologyofHome.com.
