Columbia March 2023

Departments

3 For the greater glory of God

Pope Benedict XVI was a friend of the Order whose life and teachings radiated his profound faith in Christ.

By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly

4 Learning the faith, living the faith

Our Lenten penances shouldn’t simply be exercises in selfdiscipline, but rather a participation in the love of God.

The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration at Life Fest, a rally held before the March for Life on Jan. 20. Thousands of young people filled the D.C. Entertainment and Sports Arena for the event, which was co-sponsored by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus (see page 18).

8 24

‘Saying Goodbye to a Man of the Church’

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly represents the Order at the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI.

By Columbia staff

• Sincerely yours in Christ, Benedictus XVI

• Co-Workers in God’s Vineyard

50 Years and Counting

Knights join 50th annual March for Life in Washington, the first since the overturn of Roe v. Wade

By Cecilia Hadley

• ‘A Clear Consensus’

• Worldwide Witness

• ‘Love Is the Answer’

20

Here Comes Little McGivney!

Longing for a child after repeated miscarriages, a Knight and his wife entrusted their pregnancy to the Order’s founder.

By Elisha Valladares-Cormier

‘I Needed to Do More’

A Pennsylvania physician travels to Moldova and Ukraine to offer medical assistance to victims of war.

By Dr. James O’Bryon

By

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

6 Knights of Columbus News Supreme Knight Renews Consecration of Order to Our Lady of Guadalupe • Board of Directors Elects New Leaders

23 Fathers for Good Meditating on the Litany of St. Joseph and seeking his intercession can help us to grow in faith and Christian discipleship.

By Leonard J. DeLorenzo

26 Knights in Action Reports from councils and assemblies, representing the four pillars of the Faith in Action program model

ON THE COVER

Pope Benedict XVI (19272022) carries a candle during the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on April 7, 2012.

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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The Path of Discipleship

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER had no ambitions to be pope. In fact, by the time of his election as Pope Benedict XVI, he had already spent more than half of his 54 years of priestly ministry in prominent positions he never sought. He would have been content remaining a humble professor and theologian, rather than being ordained archbishop of Munich and immediately elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. Pope John Paul II was elected a year later and soon invited the young cardinal to Rome. It was only after much protest and reflection that Ratzinger would eventually accept, becoming prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981.

After nearly 24 years of collaboration, Cardinal Ratzinger, by this time dean of the college of cardinals, celebrated John Paul II’s requiem Mass and presided over the papal conclave in 2005. On April 19, the second day of the conclave and three days after his 78th birthday, Cardinal Ratzinger was elected the 264th successor of St. Peter. He immediately felt empathy for that first bishop of Rome, noting to his colleagues at the CDF, “What the Lord said to Peter has been done: There will come a day when you will be guided where you do not want to go” (cf. Jn 21:18).

Pope Benedict elaborated when speaking to a group of German pilgrims the following week: “When, little by little, the trend of the voting led me to understand that, to say it simply, the ax was going to fall on me, my head began to spin. I was convinced that I had already carried out my life’s work and could look forward to ending my days peacefully. With profound conviction I said to the Lord: Do not do this to me!” But, the pope added, he was deeply moved by a note from a brother cardinal, who reminded him of Ratzinger’s own words about his predecessor days earlier. “Were the Lord to say to you now, ‘Follow me,’ then remember what you preached,” the cardinal wrote. “Do not refuse!”

The entire arc of Pope Benedict’s life and teachings can be seen through this lens of Christian discipleship. Born in the early morning of Holy Saturday in 1927, he was the first to be baptized in the Easter water — something

“seen as a significant act of Providence,” he noted in a book of memoirs (1927-1977) titled Milestones. “I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter mystery,” he continued. “To be sure, it was not Easter Sunday, but Holy Saturday, but the more I reflect on it, the more this seems to be fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still awaiting Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust.”

Even as a child growing up in Bavaria, Joseph Ratzinger began to demonstrate the intellectual, personal and spiritual habits that would define his life. He was at the top of his class and always observed the motto “Duty comes first!” recalled his older brother, Georg, who was ordained to the priesthood with him in 1951. The restoration of their childhood home in 2012 uncovered a Christmas letter from 7-year-old Joseph. “Dear Baby Jesus, soon you will come down to earth. You will bring joy to children. Also bring me joy,” he wrote — adding that he would like a prayer book and green vestments to play Mass, and an image of the Sacred Heart. From the beginning, Ratzinger’s studies and discipline were rooted in something deeper — namely, friendship with Jesus. Pope Francis, in a preface to a collection of homilies by his predecessor published in 2017, observed: “Every time I read the works of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI, it becomes clear to me that he pursued theology ‘on his knees’ … because we see that he is not only a preeminent theologian and master of the faith, but a man who really believes, really prays. We see that he is a man who embodies holiness, a man of peace, a man of God.”

From his historic resignation, which he announced immediately before Lent in 2013, to his final breath on Dec. 31, 2022, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s life continued to be rooted in deep prayer and Christian discipleship. As we continue on the path of Lent, the path of discipleship, the path of life, may his faithful witness inspire us to bravely walk toward the light of Easter, full of trust in the Lord. B

Alton J. Pelowski, Editor

Columbia

PUBLISHER

Knights of Columbus

SUPREME OFFICERS

Patrick E. Kelly

Supreme Knight

Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. Supreme Chaplain

Paul G. O’Sullivan

Deputy Supreme Knight

Patrick T. Mason

Supreme Secretary

Ronald F. Schwarz

Supreme Treasurer

John A. Marrella

Supreme Advocate

EDITORIAL

Alton J. Pelowski

Editor

Andrew J. Matt

Managing Editor

Cecilia Hadley

Senior Editor

Elisha Valladares-Cormier

Associate Editor

Blessed Michael McGivney

(1852-90) – Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us.

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‘A Humble Worker’

Pope Benedict XVI was a friend of the Order whose life and teachings radiated his profound faith in Christ

By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly

THE DEATH of a truly holy and beloved person, especially when that person is a former pope, is an extraordinary thing. It is a personal loss for countless Catholics, but also a moment of historical significance. I am still reflecting on what it meant to attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in early January. It was certainly a sad occasion, as we said farewell to a faithful servant and spiritual father. Yet, it was also an occasion of great gratitude. I was proud to represent the Order. But I was doubly proud and grateful simply to be a Catholic — to be part of a Church that produces men of such caliber as Pope Benedict.

I was also proud of our unity as a Church — that we came together to mark the life of this great man. For three days, from early morning till night, thousands of people waited in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last respects and to pray. Tens of thousands attended the funeral Mass, presided over by Pope Francis. They were all there to honor this man who aimed to be, as he said upon his election as pope in 2005, “a humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”

Our late pope was a great friend to the Knights of Columbus. He knew us well and appreciated what we were about.

In 2008, during his visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is affectionately called “America’s parish church.” He used that unique setting to talk about America’s quintessential parish priest. He was speaking, of course, about Father Michael McGivney.

In his homily, Pope Benedict praised “the remarkable accomplishment of that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney, whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of Columbus.”

The pope knew of whom he spoke. Just one month before his visit to the United

States, he had approved the “decree of heroic virtue” for Father McGivney, opening the path to his eventual beatification in 2020.

It is fair to say that without Pope Benedict’s love for the Knights and admiration for Father McGivney, who likewise lived as “a humble worker in the vineyard,” our Founder would not yet be declared Blessed.

Pope Benedict was a man of profound faith, intelligence and natural kindness. He could have done anything with these gifts, but he put them at the service of Jesus Christ and his Church. Unlike so many intellectuals who are in love with ideas, he was in love with a person: Jesus Christ. And he spent his life teaching us how love for Christ can truly transform our lives.

In his first homily as pope, Benedict paraphrased the words of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II: “If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.”

In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), he likewise affirmed, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (1).

These are challenging times for the Church and for Catholics, but Pope Benedict has taught us to have hope in the Lord. Even against strong headwinds, the only way forward, the only way to true happiness and liberation, is through an abiding friendship with Jesus Christ. We say goodbye to a great man, but his wisdom endures, and we remain strong in our hope that we will see him again in eternity.

Vivat Jesus!

Unlike so many intellectuals who are in love with ideas, he was in love with a person: Jesus Christ. And he spent his life teaching us how love for Christ can truly transform our lives.

Photo by Laura Barisonzi

Patient Endurance

Our Lenten penances shouldn’t simply be exercises in self-discipline, but rather a participation in the love of God

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

ON MY WAY to the most recent meeting of the Knights Columbus Board of Directors, my ight was delayed. First it was an hour. en another. A er a ve-and-a-half hour delay and a four-and-a-half-hour ight, I nally arrived at my destination at 3 o’clock in the morning.

For some, Lent can feel like a lot like my travel experience: a test of one’s patience and endurance. And so often, we just give up the struggle. Our Lenten resolve weakens. We abandon bodily penance and relax our efforts to overcome our vices. Patience and endurance run out.

But Lent is not a do-it-yourself moral improvement program. Rather, it is about opening the heart anew to God’s love. It is a gift from God, a time rich in grace when he helps his children get rid of all that hinders us from sharing in his life and love. Bodily penances and spiritual exercises are the means the Holy Spirit employs to purify our hearts, enabling us to renew and deepen our relationship with God and neighbor. The more deeply we grow to love God, the more we will be like God and love like him.

God created us in love to reflect his truth, goodness and beauty, and to return freely the love he has showered on us. Yet, from the beginning, sin entered the picture, and humanity has willfully rejected God’s love, refusing to be what God created us to be: living reflections of his glory. Scripture attests that this continual infidelity deeply wounds God’s unchanging, infinite, passionate love.

One of the most beautiful attributes of God is his patient endurance. The Psalms repeatedly praise God because he is “slow to anger and abounding in mercy.” Despite the persistence of sinfulness, God has not given up on us.

In assuming our humanity, the Son of God revealed the Father’s patient and enduring love. He preached a message of repentance.

He told us the parable of the Prodigal Son. He healed the sick and raised the dead as a sign of his power over sin and death. But in the end, the Lord of glory was crucified. In his passion and death, the innocent Lamb of God patiently bore on his shoulders the sins of the world.

As Jesus underwent his agony, he revealed the enormity and ugliness of sin. Though sinless, he experienced the darkness and alienation from God produced by sin. His wounds penetrated to his heart and revealed the woundedness of the Father’s loving heart. Jesus endured all of this out of love for his Father and for us. In the end, his patient endurance unleashed the power of God’s changeless love, which alone overcame sin and death. This is the victory that we celebrate as Lent gives way to Holy Week and Easter.

If our Lenten penances are understood in this light, and undertaken in faith and with openness to God’s grace, they take us to the very heart of God’s love for us, which is revealed in Jesus’ death and resurrection. They help us come to terms with our sinfulness. They open us to the love the crucified and risen Savior continues to lavish on us in the Holy Eucharist and other sacraments. As we receive God’s patient and enduring love and are transformed by it, we become participants in Christ’s redeeming love. We too bear the cross, for the redemption of our own sins and the sins of others. We learn how to forgive. Patient and enduring love is the hallmark of a true disciple. It is also our hallmark as Knights of Columbus. Experience teaches that unity and fraternity demand charity — not merely the charity to defuse tensions but the patient and enduring charity that comes from God. “Be imitators of God, as beloved children,” Paul wrote, “and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God” (Eph 5:1-2). B

As we receive God’s patient and enduring love and are transformed by it, we become participants in Christ’s redeeming love. We too bear the cross, for the redemption of our own sins and the sins of others.

Supreme Chaplain’s Challenge

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” (Gospel for March 5, Mt 17:7)

“Do not be afraid” — we read these words often in Scripture. Here, Jesus speaks to the apostles, awestruck at his Transfiguration. In a similar way, the angel told St. Joseph, “Do not be afraid” to take Mary, who had conceived the Christ Child, as his wife. The knowledge that God is with us should encourage and strengthen us. Sometimes, as with the apostles, we are overwhelmed by the mysteries of faith; at other times the challenges of living our faith in a secular culture seem daunting. Yet Christ continually empowers us as he calls us: “Rise, and do not be afraid.”

Catholic Man of the Month

St. Artémides Zatti (1880-1951)

ZIPPING ON HIS BICYCLE through Viedma, Argentina, his white medical coat apping behind him, Artémides Za i was clearly on a mission. e Salesian brother, a pharmacist and nurse, traveled by bike to visit the sick and needy when he wasn’t working long hours in the hospital. As he rode through the streets, one hand steered and the other clutched his rosary.

Zatti was the third of eight children, born to a poor family in northern Italy. When he was 17, the family moved to Argentina in search of a better life. It was there Zatti encountered the Salesians of Don Bosco and, inspired by their founder’s life, entered the religious order at age 19.

As a novice, Zatti contracted tuberculosis while caring for a sick priest. He made a vow to Mary, Help of Christians, promising that if she interceded for his recovery, he would dedicate himself to caring for the poor and the sick. He would later say, “I believed, I promised, I was healed.”

True to his vow, for the next 40 years Brother Zatti ministered in the

Liturgical Calendar

March 3 St. Katharine Drexel, Virgin (USA)

March 4 St. Casimir

March 7 Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs

Challenge: This month, in which we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, I challenge you to watch the documentary St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father (available for free at kofc.org/stjoseph ), reflecting on St. Joseph’s courage. Second, I challenge you to participate in the Faith in Action Pilgrim Icon Program, which features an icon of St. Joseph.

March 8 St. John of God, Religious

March 9 St. Frances of Rome, Religious

March 17 St. Patrick, Bishop

March 18 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

March 20 St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

March 23 St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop

March 25 The Annunciation of the Lord

hospitals of San José and Sant’Isidro in Viedma, a city high in the Andes. Often working from 4:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., he was sustained by prayer, especially the rosary and eucharistic adoration. As one person who admired Zatti said, “Faith and medicine formed a symbiosis in him; without faith he did not cure, nor did he cure without medicine.”

Brother Zatti became known for his great joy and sympathy, and gladly spent time conversing with the patients most in need. In 1924, he was chosen to participate in the canonization of St. John Bosco in Italy.

Artémides Zatti died of liver cancer on March 15, 1951, at age 70. He was canonized in October 2022. B

Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intention

We pray for those who have suffered harm from members of the Church; may they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering.

A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

Supreme Knight Renews Consecration of Order to Our Lady of Guadalupe

ON FEB. 3, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly reconsecrated the Knights of Columbus to Mary under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, renewing the pledge of devotion made exactly 22 years before by his predecessor, Carl Anderson, during his installation as supreme knight on Feb. 3, 2001.

e event took place in the same place as the initial consecration: in front of the miraculous image of the Virgin in Mexico City’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors a ended a Mass celebrated by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori.

In his homily, the supreme chaplain re ected on the lessons Knights can learn from Our Lady of Guadalupe, saying, “Our Lady leads us with a mother’s love to the heart of our Order. … She reveals us to ourselves.”

“Her words to Juan Diego teach us true charity — the love of a mother, the love that is shown in the child of her womb, the full re ection of the Father’s love,” Archbishop Lori continued. “Her image re ects unity, the unity of the Old World and the New World, a unity that transcends divisions of language or culture. She teaches us the source of true fraternity; we are brothers and sisters to one another because we all have her as our mother.”

At the conclusion of Mass, the supreme knight delivered remarks in which he spoke of the in uence of Our Lady of

Guadalupe on Knights around the world.

“Our Lady inspires us and guides us in all of our e orts — especially those for the sake of the unborn and the most vulnerable,” he said. Echoing the words of the Blessed Mother to St. Juan Diego in 1531, he added, “We take constant solace in knowing that she is here, she who is our mother.”

Supreme Knight Kelly then led those assembled in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, before the supreme chaplain recited the Prayer of Reconsecration. e solemn reconsecration concluded with remarks by Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, postulator of St. Juan Diego’s cause for canonization and a canon at the basilica. Msgr. Chávez also presented Past Supreme Knight Anderson with the Medal of the Imperial Order of Guadalupe, which was established by Emperor Agustín I of Mexico in 1821, in recognition of his many e orts promoting devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

e Knights of Columbus has been present in Mexico since 1905, when Supreme Knight Edward Hearn visited Mexico City to install o cers of Guadalupe Council 1050. In the 1920s, the Order was a vocal critic of the Mexican government, as anti-clerical laws gave way to violent persecution. Knights were targeted and councils disbanded for their defense of the faith. Dozens of members were murdered between 1926 and 1937. Of the 25 Mexican martyrs

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly delivers remarks before the solemn reconsecration of the Knights of Columbus to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Feb. 3. The event followed Mass celebrated by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the same place where Carl Anderson led the first consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe during his installation as supreme knight 22 years earlier.

Photo by Tamino Petelinšek

canonized in 2000, six were Knights of Columbus priests. Relics of each were present at the Order’s reconsecration Feb. 3.

e initial consecration of the Knights of Columbus to Our Lady of Guadalupe took place in 2001, upon the installation of Carl Anderson as the 13th supreme knight. While the Order has a long history of Marian devotion and had been consecrated to Blessed Mother before, Anderson chose to entrust his administration and the Order to Mary under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe, inspired in part by Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America. e document, issued in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1999, acclaims Our Lady of Guadalupe as “Patroness of all America and Star of the rst and new evangelization.”

Supreme Knight Anderson said at the time of his installation that Ecclesia in America would “guide the future direction of the Knights of Columbus,” particularly in its appeal for greater unity among the peoples of America and its call for a new evangelization of the hemisphere.

e Order has seen signi cant renewal in Mexico in recent decades, expanding from one jurisdiction to ve since 2000, and growing to more than 21,000 members.

On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this past Dec. 12, Supreme Knight Kelly announced a nine-year period of preparation for the 500th anniversary of her apparitions to St. Juan Diego in 1531.

“ e Order’s dedication to Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a proud hallmark of the Knights of Columbus for more than two decades,” the supreme knight wrote in a le er to all members. “And in the coming nine-year novena leading to the 500th anniversary, we will embark on new initiatives to deepen our own devotion for Our Lady and to share her message of love with the whole world.” B

Board of Directors Elects New Leaders

THE KNIGHTS of Columbus Board of Directors elected several new international leaders to key positions during its recent quarterly meeting, held Feb. 1-5 in Mexico City. Supreme Warden Jorge C. Estrada Avilés of Mérida, Yucatán, was elected to the board of directors. A practicing lawyer and a university professor, Estrada Avilés has served the Catholic Church in a variety of capacities, including as president of the Mexican National Council of the Laity from 2013 to 2019; he has also taken on several leadership roles in the Knights of Columbus. He was installed as supreme warden in February 2022 and is currently serving his second year as state deputy of Mexico South.

Succeeding Estrada

Avilés as supreme warden is Andrzej Anasiak, who becomes the rst member of the Knights of Columbus from Europe to serve as a Supreme O cer. As supreme warden, Anasiak will a end meetings of the board as a representative of Poland, where the Knights of Columbus was established in 2006.

Anasiak served as state deputy of Poland from 2014 to 2017 and has been a prominent gure in the growth of the Order throughout his country. He currently represents the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild there, organizing regular visits of rst-class relics of the Order’s founder to parishes and dioceses. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Anasiak has been instrumental in coordinating relief e orts, including

the creation of a Knights of Columbus Mercy Center in Radom and the assembly of thousands of care packages for distribution in Ukraine.

e board also elected Supreme Director Michael McCusker, past state deputy of Tennessee and a member of Deacon Lee R. Hurst Assembly 2183 in Memphis, to lead the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus as supreme master. He will continue as a member of the board of directors as well, following his election to that position last August.

A Fourth Degree Knight since 2004, McCusker is assistant district a orney general for the 30th Judicial District of Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and then the Tennessee National Guard, for more than two decades, deploying to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service there, as well as an Army Commendation Medal for his actions during a search-and-rescue mission in 2005.

McCusker succeeds Dennis Stoddard, who retired March 1 after nearly13 years as supreme master. Stoddard has held many fraternal roles since becoming a Knight in 1977, including state deputy of Florida (1999-2001) and supreme director (2002-2011). A veteran Marine who served during the Vietnam War, he was appointed head of the Fourth Degree in 2010. In recognition of Stoddard’s distinguished record of accomplishments, the board voted to accord him the honorary title of “Supreme Master Emeritus.” B

Jorge C. Estrada Avilés

Andrzej Anasiak

Michael McCusker

Dennis Stoddard

‘Saying Goodbye

TO A MAN OF THE CHURCH’

By Columbia sta

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly represents the Order at the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, joined by other Supreme O cers, traveled to Rome in early January to honor and pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose requiem Mass was celebrated at the Vatican on Jan. 5.

Pope Benedict died Dec. 31 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery at the Vatican, where he had lived since resigning from the See of Peter in 2013 due to deteriorating strength. He was 95 years old. Benedict’s last words, according to his longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, were “ Signore, ti amo ” (“Lord, I love you”).

In a statement following Pope Benedict’s death, Supreme Knight Kelly re ected on the late ponti ’s legacy of lucid teaching and humble Christian witness.

“Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals, books, homilies and other writings form a theological treasury and profound testimony to Jesus Christ and his Church, which he served with such humility and delity,” he wrote. “ e Knights of Columbus were grateful beneciaries of the wisdom and teaching of the late ponti , including by his interventions at several symposia and gatherings sponsored by the Knights through the years.”

e Order supported and collaborated with Pope Benedict in numerous ways throughout his ponti cate, and for years before, when then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II (see page 10).

On Jan. 3 and 4, while Pope Benedict’s body lay in state, Supreme Knight Kelly and the other Supreme O cers paid their respects in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and gathered for Mass at chapels signi cant to the Knights of Columbus to pray for the late pope.

“I am humbled to represent 2 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families, to be here to show our respects to this great man of the Church,” said the supreme knight, who was interviewed in Rome by Catholic media outlets, including EWTN and Vatican Radio.

“ ese days here in Rome, yes, they are solemn days where we’re saying goodbye to a man of the Church. But I think in so many ways, in my heart and I think in many others, they’re days of gratitude,” the supreme knight noted in his interview with Vatican Radio.

“Gratitude that … this wonderful man put all his gi s, the gi s that God had given him, at the service of the Church.” B

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly kneel in prayer before the body of Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 3.

Photo by Tamino Petelinšek

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Before, during and a er his ponti cate, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Knights of Columbus on numerous occasions — at times expressing his gratitude for the Order’s support of the Church, encouraging Knights in their work and prayer, and re ecting on Father Michael McGivney’s witness of faith.

Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant wrote to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in June 1986 upon the cardinal’s appointment to oversee the dra ing of a new universal catechism. Supreme Knight Dechant congratulated him and assured him of the Order’s prayers; the cardinal replied with thanks, writing, “Your prayerful support and encouragement is deeply appreciated.”

A few years later, Cardinal Ratzinger was invited to speak to the Washington, D.C., session of the Ponti cal John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, which the Knights helped establish in 1988.

His January 1990 lecture was a ended by Supreme Knight Dechant and other Supreme O cers, together with students and faculty, including Carl Anderson, who served as dean until his election as supreme knight in 2000.

In the lecture, titled “Jesus Christ: Today, Yesterday, and Forever,” Ratzinger expounded upon a key theme of the Second Vatican Council that he would later emphasize as pope — that human beings can only fully understand themselves and the meaning of their lives in light of the life and mission of Jesus Christ (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22).

e esteemed theologian wrote Supreme Knight Dechant later that month to share his appreciation for the Institute and the Order: “ e Knights of Columbus are to be commended for the ne work they do on behalf of family life not only through the Institute but in so many other ways as well.”

Ratzinger, who was over 60 years old at the time, had expressed during his visit a hope that it would be his last time making the long trip to America. He returned, however, one year later to address U.S. bishops during a K of C-sponsored bioethics workshop. And the Holy Spirit, of course, had still more plans. A er his election to the See of Peter in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI would travel again to the United States in April 2008 — just one of more than two dozen pastoral visits outside Italy.

It was shortly before his 2008 apostolic journey that the pope approved a decree of heroic virtue for the Order’s

founder, Father Michael J. McGivney, giving him the title Venerable. During his homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Pope Benedict cited Father McGivney as an “exemplary American priest” whose vision and zeal contributed to the impressive growth of the Church in the United States.

At times, Pope Benedict directly addressed the Knights of Columbus — as in 2007, when he sent his greetings to the 125th Supreme Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. In a letter that he personally signed, the pope praised the many ways “the Knights of Columbus have actively built up the Kingdom of God on earth,” adding, “I know you will continue to devote your energies and your apostolic zeal to promoting the Church’s mission wherever you may be.”

e Holy Father also reminded Knights to constantly ground their work through prayer in a personal relationship with God. “I urge you to be ever mindful of the need to draw sustenance for the missionary endeavor from your delity to prayer,” Pope Benedict wrote. “As Blessed Teresa of Calcu a taught her followers, time devoted to God in prayer not only

Pope Benedict generously shared his wisdom and o ered his support during his long friendship with the Knights of Columbus

Pope Benedict XVI gestures during Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on April 19, 2008. During his homily, he acclaimed the exemplary witness of Father Michael McGivney, whose decree of heroic virtue he approved one month earlier, on March 15.

does not detract from e ective and loving service to our neighbor, but is in fact its inexhaustible source.”

Pope Benedict again personally addressed the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors at the Vatican in October 2008. “I express my appreciation of your e orts to provide a solid formation in the faith for young people, and to defend the moral truths necessary for a free and human society, including the fundamental right to life of every human being,”

he a rmed. “With these sentiments, dear friends, I assure you a special remembrance in my prayers. To all Knights and their families, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing, as a pledge of lasting joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

At other times, the pope’s teachings for the universal Church had a special bearing on the Order’s mission. His rst encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), was particularly meaningful. “Living Deus Caritas Est” was chosen as the theme of the 124th Supreme Convention in 2006, and Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said of the encyclical, “One can hardly imagine a document more relevant to the Knights of Columbus, dedicated as we are to the principles of Charity, Unity and Fraternity.”

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly echoed these sentiments in a statement following Pope Benedict’s death: “Deus Caritas Est remains a guiding light for the world — and for the Knights of Columbus speci cally, since one of our founding principles is charity, and our global charitable work is at the heart of our activity as Knights.”

Nor did Pope Benedict’s friendship with the Order end a er his resignation from the papacy in 2013. Later that year, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI made an unsolicited gi to the Knights of Columbus: one of his white cassocks and a zucche o worn while pope, for the Knights of Columbus Museum. In anticipation of Pope Benedict’s 90th birthday in April 2017, Supreme Knight Anderson focused his Columbia column on Benedict’s legacy of teaching and his authentic Christian witness.

Pope Benedict welcomes the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors to an audience at the Vatican on Oct. 3, 2008. The pope encouraged the Order to “discover ever new ways to serve as a leaven of the Gospel in the world and a force for the renewal of the Church in holiness and apostolic zeal.”

Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant (left) and other guests applaud Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during his 1990 visit to Washington, D.C., to address the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

In a personal letter, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI thanked the supreme knight for his kind words and “especially for the prayers of the Knights of Columbus on the occasion of my 90th birthday.”

“The witness to Faith offered to the world by the Knights of Columbus around the world is a source of joy to me,” the pope emeritus added. “May the risen Lord continue to guide you all on the journey through this life, keeping your hearts burning like those disciples of Emmaus and preserving you in the firm hope that He has prepared an everlasting Easter for us.”

In his final correspondence with the Knights, Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote to Anderson in March 2021 following his retirement as supreme knight. “Your emphasis on charity, your love for the Church and your fidelity to the Successor of Peter have been a genuine Christian witness and a true blessing for the Knights and for the Catholic community at large,” Benedict wrote. “Be sure of my ongoing prayers for you and your successor as Supreme Knight, Patrick E. Kelly and his family. Gladly invoking the Apostolic Blessing upon you, your wife Dorian and all those who are dear to you, I am sincerely yours in Christ, Benedict XVI.” B

Co-Workers in God’s Vineyard

THE RELATIONSHIP between Pope Benedict XVI and the Knights of Columbus began decades before his election in 2005 and continued after his historic resignation in 2013. In addition to annual earnings from the Order’s Vicarius Christi Fund to support the pope’s personal charities, here are some of the ways the Order was privileged to support Benedict’s papacy and benefit from his guidance.

April 19, 2005: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected as the 265th pope and takes the name Benedict XVI. The official delegation representing the United States at Benedict’s installation

Mass April 24 includes then-Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

Nov. 15, 2005: Nine martyrs of Mexico are beatified, including three Knights of Columbus. Pope Benedict addresses participants at the ceremony in Guadalajara, Mexico, via satellite. The following year, he canonizes Bishop Rafael Guízar Valencia, a Knight and outspoken defender of the Church and the poor amid the persecution of Catholics in Mexico.

Dec. 25, 2005: Pope Benedict issues his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est . Its focus on the virtue of charity illuminates the Order’s first principle, and the supreme knight urges all Knights to read and study it.

July 1-9, 2006: Thousands join Benedict for the Fifth World Meeting of Families,

convened in Valencia, Spain, and supported financially by the Order.

Aug. 7-9, 2007: Pope Benedict recognizes the 125th anniversary of the Order by writing a personal letter of greeting to the Supreme Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

March 15, 2008: Pope Benedict approves a decree of heroic virtue for Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. This significant step in Father McGivney’s cause for canonization bestows on him the title Venerable Servant of God.

April 15-21, 2008: The Knights of Columbus prepares a robust welcome for the pope during his apostolic journey to the United States. Fourth Degree Knights provide an honor guard

Pope Benedict responds to the enthusiastic crowd after celebrating Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on April 17, 2008.

Clockwise, from top: Supreme Knight Carl Anderson presents Pope Benedict with a set of medals during an audience at the Vatican on Sept. 22, 2006. The medals were struck to commemorate the 124th Supreme Convention and its theme, “Charity, Unity, Fraternity: Living Deus Caritas Est .” • Pope Benedict greets Patrick Kelly, then the Order’s vice president for public policy, at an international conference organized by the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in April 2008. • Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori receives his pallium from Pope Benedict on June 29, 2012, after being appointed archbishop of Baltimore three months earlier.

for several of the events, including the pope’s arrival at the White House and Mass in Yankee Stadium. During his homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Benedict cites the “vision and zeal” of “that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney.”

June 15-22, 2008: Canadian Knights, together with the Supreme Council, provide logistical and financial support for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Québec City. Pope Benedict delivers the homily at the congress’ closing Mass via satellite.

July 15-20, 2008: Pope Benedict joins hundreds of thousands of young people for World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. The Knights of Columbus co-sponsors a catechetical site at the event with the Sisters

of Life and the Pontifical John Paul II Institute. The Order and the Sisters of Life team up again to co-sponsor a catechetical site at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid.

Nov. 16, 2010: Continuing its tradition of supporting Vatican broadcasts, the Order presents a high-definition mobile broadcasting unit to Pope Benedict.

Nov. 27, 2011: The new English translation of the Roman Missal is implemented. The Vox Clara Committee, a group consisting primarily of English-speaking bishops, oversaw the translation and its implementation with guidance from Pope Benedict and with major financial support from the Supreme Council.

Dec. 9, 2012: Pope Benedict addresses participants of a historic congress on Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation

Ecclesia in America , co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Feb. 11, 2013: Citing deteriorating “strength of mind and body,” Benedict, 85, announces his intention to resign. Later that week, the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors publishes a resolution in honor of Pope Benedict XVI at the conclusion of his Petrine ministry, which takes place Feb. 28.

Dec. 31, 2022: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, 95, dies in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery at the Vatican. Five days later, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and other Supreme Officers attend the funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square. Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori is among the hundreds of concelebrating bishops. B

50 YEARS AND COUNTING 50 YEARS

Knights join 50th annual March for Life in Washington, the first since the overturn of Roe v. Wade

By Cecilia Hadley

The March for Life followed a new route this year, its wide opening banner making a sharp turn as participants approached the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20. Instead of continuing on Constitution Avenue and walking past the legislative building, tens of thousands of pro-life advocates processed peacefully in front of, and around, the Capitol before reaching their final destination at the Supreme Court.

The turn was symbolic of the march’s theme: “Next Steps: Marching in a Post- Roe America.” With Roe v. Wade struck down, abortion in the United States is no longer an issue for the courts, but for state and federal lawmakers and the voters who elect them.

But if the marchers’ route was different, their signs were largely the same: “Love Them Both.” “Every Person Is a Gift.” “Human Rights Begin in the Womb.” And of course,

Photo by Jeffrey Bruno

the familiar K of C “Love Life, Choose Life” signs, carried by Knights, their families and thousands of others. The legal battle has changed; the overall goal has not.

“The end of Roe represents a crucial milestone. But we cannot mistake it for the end of abortion,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, who participated in the march with other Supreme Officers and members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors. “In a post- Roe America, the Knights of Columbus will continue to show our nation’s lawmakers that life is a precious gift worth protecting, and we’ll proudly march for life until abortion is unthinkable.”

‘LIFE REMAINS FRAGILE’

March participants gathered on the National Mall through the morning for the kick-o rally at noon. Among the rally speakers were religious leaders, federal and state representatives, a pro-life obstetrician and the director of a maternity home, as well as A orney General Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, who played an instrumental role in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Fitch emphasized the work ahead, saying, “Until we can give women when they’re most vulnerable what they need and what their children need to thrive, until we can make changes in our laws that reflect compassion for all life, until we can change hearts and minds in our fellow Americans — until then, life remains fragile.”

Jonathan Roumie, star of the TV series The Chosen , delivered the keynote speech, urging people of faith, especially young people, to reshape the culture around them. “They say we live in a post-Christian culture. I reject that. You can reject that,” said Roumie, who became a Knight last year. “By honoring the life that God gave you, by bringing your gifts to the world with love and compassion, you will be creating an environment of holiness which the most impressionable in our society will draw their examples from.”

The multitude of young marchers Roumie addressed included Knights from George Washington University, The Catholic University of America, Providence College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and many other schools.

Logan Earnest, grand knight of George Washington University Council 13242, led the Pledge of Allegiance before the rally. Council 13242 received the Life award for college councils last year for their support of a D.C. pregnancy resource center. e Knights also partner with their Newman Center to pray regularly in front of an abortion facility near campus.

“To protect and to guard is an integral part of being a man, being a Knight of Columbus,” Earnest said. “When I look at who the most vulnerable are in our society, who needs the most protecting, who can’t protect themselves, it’s the unborn — they are the people who need our help the most.”

Photo by Matthew Barrick

Students from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., lead the 50th March for Life past the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. • Top right: Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, walks with the crowd of tens of thousands of pro-life advocates toward Capitol Hill.

‘A Clear Consensus’

K of C-Marist poll shows a large majority of Americans support legal limits on abortion

A KNIGHTS of Columbus-Marist Poll released Jan. 18 continues to show more nuance and consensus in Americans’ opinions about abortion than the binary labels “pro-life” and “pro-choice” might suggest.

While a majority of Americans describe themselves as “pro-choice,” according to the poll, 69% favor restricting abortion to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy.

“Nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe abortion should be limited,” said Barbara L. Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll. “After a year of contentious public debate over the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the results are comparable to the findings of a Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll conducted last January.”

The survey, commissioned annually by the Knights of Columbus since 2008, likewise confirmed that most Americans (60%) oppose the use of tax dollars to pay for abortion, while 78% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions in other countries. An even greater majority of respondents (90%) expressed agreement that laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.

“Since the start of the Knights of Columbus–Marist Poll in 2008, we’ve seen a consistent and clear consensus of Americans who support restrictions on abortion,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly. “Too often, the abortion debate is framed in the context of supporting either one or the other. The reality is, we can — and must — craft laws that protect both mothers and their children.”

Another area of substantial consensus in the abortion debate is the value of pregnancy resource centers that support women during their pregnancy and after their child is born: 91% of Americans surveyed said they support these organizations.

The Knights of Columbus has made assistance to pregnancy resource centers a key priority — including the placement of more than 1,650 ultrasound machines in such centers since January 2009 and the launch of the ASAP (Aid and Support After Pregnancy) program in June 2022.

“ASAP is a call to action for Knights across the United States and Canada to offer even more support for pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and other organizations that give direct assistance to new mothers and babies,” the supreme knight said. “The Knights will redouble our efforts to restore a culture of life and advance a culture of compassion for pregnant women in need.”

To see more of the poll’s findings, visit kofc.org/polls .

KNIGHTS ON THE MARCH

At about 1 p.m., the march began, a river of people flowing from the Mall toward Capitol Hill. Knights of Columbus acting as marshals lined the road, directing the students who carried the lead banner along the new route. Plentiful Knights of Columbus signs, flags and council banners were on display, many of them representing groups sponsored or organized by local Knights.

John Molitor, grand knight of St. Joseph Council 3792 in Milford, Delaware, and a permanent deacon at St. John the Apostle Parish, led a group of about 40 marchers from four councils and several parishes.

“A lot of people were under the impression that the march wasn’t necessary anymore, but it is — more than ever,” said Molitor, noting that counter-protestors had cursed at his group as they made their way to the rally. “The war isn’t over.”

“It’s up to every individual state now to have their fight,” said Steven Baker, a Virginia Knight who has volunteered as a marshal at the march since 2016. Baker, a member of Father Widmer Council 7877 in Stafford, was also in Richmond on Feb. 1 for the Virginia March for Life.

Michael Velasco, the pro-life chairman of the Indiana State Council, organized a bus trip from Indiana that brought about 120 Knights and other parishioners from across the state to the capital for the march. It was the 14th trip he has organized, and it won’t be the last.

“I told our Knights at the midyear meeting in December: ‘The Dobbs decision was nice, but it didn’t end anything,’” Velasco said. “Until every baby has a right to live, this never ends. Until we stop abortion completely, in every state, in the entire world, the pro-life movement has to go on.” B

CECILIA HADLEY is senior editor of Columbia .

Jonathan Roumie, star of The Chosen and the rally’s keynote speaker, urges marchers to pray the rosary, calling it “the greatest weapon we have against the devil.”

Photos by Matthew Barrick

Worldwide Witness

AGAINST ABORTION, euthanasia and other threats to the most vulnerable, Knights of Columbus around the globe publicly proclaim the dignity of every human life. In addition to the March for Life in Washington on Jan. 20, Knights took part in several other large pro-life demonstrations in early 2023, with more scheduled in the coming months.

For example, three pro-life marches were held in California in January — in San Diego on Jan. 14, and in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Jan. 21 — with a fourth march, at the state capitol in Sacramento, scheduled for March 6. In France,

Knights were among the thousands participating in the Marche pour la Vie in Paris on Jan. 22.

Two state marches sponsored by the March for Life Education and Defense Fund took place in February, with Knights and other pro-life advocates gathering in Richmond, Virginia, on Feb. 1, and Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 23. Meanwhile, Filipino Knights turned out Feb. 18 for the Walk for Life in Metro Manila, organized by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines.

Upcoming pro-life demonstrations include:

• March 22 — Connecticut March for Life in Hartford

• April 29 — Marcha por la Vida in Mexico City

• May 11 — National March for Life in Ottawa, Ontario

• May 11 — Alberta March for Life in Edmonton

Above: Supreme Officers and other members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building after participating in the March for Life.

Left: Knights and other marchers hold aloft K of C “Love Life, Choose Life” signs as they walk down Constitution Avenue.

‘LOVE IS THE ANSWER’

The Sisters of Life and the Knights welcome thousands of young people to a new pre-March rally

By Cecilia Hadley

More than 4,000 young people and other pro-life advocates lled the D.C. Entertainment and Sports Arena before the March for Life on Jan. 20 for Life Fest, an event co-sponsored by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori celebrated Mass for a crowd consisting primarily of high school and college students, who also spent time in eucharistic adoration and had the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Before Mass, Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life emceed a lineup of speakers and musical performances that included testimonies about adoption, healing a er abortion, and the dignity of every human person.

e rally’s theme, “Because Love is the Answer,” highlighted the importance of seeing the pro-life cause as more than a legal ba le.

“We are here to celebrate life, to march, to continue until every heart knows the truth that love is the answer,” Sister Bethany explained in her opening remarks. “Because love is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.”

In contrast, she said, abortion — so o en presented as an answer to di cult circumstances — is a lie that damages both men and women: “Abortion is not pro-woman; it is used to coerce and manipulate women. … And it strikes at the heart of men, men who are called to be protectors and providers.”

Adoption advocate David Sco on recounted how his birth mother decided to place him for adoption a er nearly going through with an abortion. She changed her mind in part because of the words of a woman outside the abortion facility: “Your baby has 10 ngers and 10 toes.”

“I am here because of people like you, pro-life people who do the work on the ground,” said Sco on.

Photos by Matthew Barrick

Peter and Tricia DeMaio shared the story of their conversion of heart after choosing abortion in high school and again in college. A series of family tragedies helped the couple come to a deeper understanding of love.

“If we weren’t sacrificing for each other, that love wasn’t quite real, it wasn’t quite full, it wasn’t truly authentic,” Peter DeMaio said. The onetime high school sweethearts now have seven children.

Another Sister of Life, Sister Mary Casey O’Connor, spoke with her twin sister, Casey Gunning, who has Down syndrome.

“Casey has taught me it’s OK to have weaknesses, it’s OK to have needs,” Sister Mary Casey said. “Our weaknesses are actually a place where we can learn to need God and need each other.”

“God doesn’t make mistakes,” her sister added. “He gives every life as a gift. God has given my life a meaning and a purpose and a very special mission — to love.”

Life Fest concluded with Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Lori, together with three bishops and more than 80 priests. Dominican Father Joseph Hagan, a young priest and Knight who has worked with the Sisters of Life for several years in New York City, delivered the homily.

He spoke about how important it is to listen to women who are vulnerable to abortion or have had an abortion.

“In a particular way, I want to call out all the men,” Father Hagan said, noting that most of the women served by the Sisters of Life don’t have even one man in their lives who loves them and affirms their dignity.

“I think of our beautiful mother [Our Lady of Guadalupe],” Father Hagan said. “She tells Juan Diego, ‘Am I not here, I am who am your mother?’ How often do we [men] need to say, ‘I’m here, and I’m your brother.’”

Matt Salomons, grand knight of Friar Council 5787 at Providence College in Rhode Island, was one of several college Knights volunteering at Life Fest. Arriving before sunrise, the Knights helped to set up as busloads of participants arrived and found their seats.

The presence of so many high school and college students was heartening to the college senior. “To see all those young people there gives a lot of hope for both the future of the pro-life movement and the future of the Church,” Salomons said.

Supreme Officers and members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors were also in attendance.

“We’re delighted to partner with the Sisters of Life to inspire the next generation,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said. “Together, we’ll push forward.” B

Above: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori celebrates Mass, together with three bishops and more than 80 priests.

Right: Students kneel in prayer during eucharistic adoration.

Opposite page: Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life welcomes a crowd of several thousand young people to Life Fest.

Here Comes Little McGivney!

Longing for a child after repeated miscarriages, a Knight and his wife entrusted their pregnancy to the Order’s founder

By Elisha Valladares-Cormier

In late March 2016, excitement was in the air as the due date of José Serna’s first child approached. After eight years of marriage, José and his wife, Elizabeth, were thrilled to welcome a son into the world in just a week’s time.

The journey had not been easy. The couple, who live in Guadalajara, Jalisco, had worked with doctors for years, trying to find an answer to their inability to conceive, before finally becoming pregnant. Their son, whom they named Mateo, was an answer to their prayers.

But the pregnancy took a tragic turn March 31. Elizabeth — 38 weeks pregnant at the time — woke in the middle

of the night and knew immediately that her unborn child’s heart had ceased to beat. They rushed to the hospital for an emergency cesarean section, but it was too late.

“Mateo was handed to us, fully developed but lifeless,” recalled José, now a member of Santa Rosa de Lima Council 17267 and state advocate of Mexico West. “It was heartbreaking.”

The years that followed brought more heartbreak, as the couple experienced three more miscarriages. But today, theirs is a story of faith, perseverance and the intercession of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Michael McGivney.

HEAVY CROSSES

José and Elizabeth met as co-workers in 2001 and married in 2007, eager to start a family together. But five years passed without a pregnancy.

“It seemed strange to us that after five years of marriage, we couldn’t get pregnant,” Elizabeth said.

They sought help from a specialist, but after several studies, and even surgery to rule out endometriosis, the specialist couldn’t provide them with any answers.

At the suggestion of medical professionals, Elizabeth began some fertility treatments — primarily hormonal — to assist conception. The couple stopped seeing these specialists, however, when they suggested other treatments incompatible with the Church’s teachings.

José and Elizabeth continued to pray for a child, and in August 2015, a few months after ceasing fertility treatments, they received the happy news that she was pregnant.

Everything seemed to be in order. Month after month, Elizabeth would go for a checkup and receive good news. This made the morning of March 31, 2016, that much more devastating. When the doctors performed the C-section to deliver Mateo, Elizabeth hoped against hope that her maternal intuition was wrong.

“I turned to José, hoping that he would give me a sign that there was life,” she said, recounting her experience on the operating table. “He just shook his head.”

Pain turned to anger for José and Elizabeth. After inexplicably being unable to conceive for so many years, how could God take away their son like this?

“I got angry with God,” José said. “I complained to him directly. But I never let go of him; he was the one who helped us move forward.”

The couple needed to find a place to bury their son, something unthinkable just a few days prior. They interred Mateo’s remains in a columbarium at Santa Rosa de Lima Church and began going there every Sunday for Mass and to visit his resting place.

That June, José and other men at the parish joined San Pablo Council 15284 in Jalisco in order to begin the process of establishing a new K of C council at Santa Rosa de Lima.

José and Elizabeth found strength in serving others, recalled Ricardo Sevilla, a member of Council 15284 who had invited José to join the Order.

“Elizabeth, as a nurse, was enthusiastically committed to caring for her patients,” said Sevilla, who now serves as the council’s grand knight. “José participated a lot in the council, and he told me it helped him keep his mind busy during that difficult period.”

Despite undergoing more tests and procedures, Elizabeth suffered three more miscarriages over the next few years, naming their child each time: Guadalupe in October 2016, Ángel in March 2017 and Fátima in May 2019.

Father Alejandro López, chaplain of Council 17267 and a close friend of José and Elizabeth, would often wonder, “How is it possible for them to be called over and over again to be heavenly parents?”

“They handled these difficult times of mourning with great faith,” Father López said.

TURNING TO FATHER MCGIVNEY

After asking God for so long why her pregnancies had miscarried, Elizabeth decided the question she needed to ask was “What do you want from us?”

Knights and family members of Council 17267, which was chartered in the spring of 2019, participated in prayer groups that often included prayers for José and Elizabeth’s struggle. During one of these meetings, Elizabeth felt moved to ask Blessed Michael McGivney for his intercession.

“Despite being so hurt and tired, I still wanted to be a mother, to have my son in my arms,” Elizabeth recalled. “It came from my soul to ask Father McGivney to please intercede for me. I asked him to help me, that if God didn’t have it planned for me [to be a mother], that he would remove that feeling from me. And if I was going to be a mother, to give me strength, and to help me to do it.”

Above: State Advocate José Serna of Mexico West, his wife, Elizabeth, and their son, José Miguel, visit Santa Rosa de Lima, their parish church in Zapopan. • Opposite page: José Miguel plays in his high chair in December 2022.

A few months later, in September 2021, Elizabeth learned she was pregnant for the fifth time.

“From that day, we prayed the Father McGivney prayer every night before going to bed,” said José.

With their excitement came trepidation, however. Due to the previous miscarriages, the doctors warned the couple that the pregnancy was high risk. And when Elizabeth’s mother died in October of that year, the couple worried that grief and stress would trigger another miscarriage. They prayed consistently for Blessed Michael’s aid, and other Knights and their families joined in the petition.

“When Elizabeth told us she was entrusting herself to Father McGivney, the entire community began to seek his intercession,” Sevilla said. “We began to notice a change; she continued with uncertainty and the fear of losing him, but she entrusted herself with great fervor.”

As her due date approached, Elizabeth was worried the baby had an irregular heartbeat. On the morning of April 19, 2022, doctors confirmed that the baby was in fetal distress and that an emergency C-section was needed.

“I kept asking Father McGivney to be there, to help my son be born well,” Elizabeth said. “So when I heard him cry and I could see he was alive and healthy, I was the happiest mom in the world.”

The couple named the child José Miguel after Father Michael Joseph McGivney, whom they thank for the birth of their son.

“The only thing that changed in this fifth pregnancy was that we asked for his intercession,” José affirmed.

But little José Miguel, now 10 months old, has acquired another nickname. Around Santa Rosa de Lima Parish, he is greeted with calls of “¡Ya llegó McGivinito!” — “Little McGivney has arrived!” B

Photo by Efrain Alvarado

ELISHA VALLADARES-CORMIER

is associate editor of Columbia and a member of Sandusky (Ohio) Council 546.

“Despite being so hurt and tired, I still wanted to be a mother, to have my son in my arms. It came from my soul to ask Father McGivney to please intercede for me.”

The School of Joseph

Meditating on the Litany of St. Joseph and seeking his intercession can help us to grow in faith and Christian discipleship

By Leonard J. DeLorenzo

JESUS TELLS of a nobleman who entrusts his servants with gold, or talents, before leaving on a journey. When the man returns and sees what two of his servants have gained with the riches, he says to each, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy” (Mt 25:21, 23).

While considering this parable, we can think of St. Joseph. He was entrusted with much, and God rewarded his faithfulness by entrusting him with even more. Because St. Joseph was faithful as the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, the earthly father to the Son of God, and the head of the Holy Family, he has been entrusted by God with the protection of the whole Church.

The names, titles and honors recited in the Litany of St. Joseph help us discover the good and faithful servant whom God the Father entrusted with his own Son. As “husband of the Mother of God” and “faithful guardian of Christ,” he stands as a “pillar of family life” and shines as an “example to parents.” He is invoked as the “hope of the sick,” “patron of the dying” and “comfort of the troubled.” He offers guidance as “model of workers” and power as “terror of evil spirits.” Born with our own weak and sinful nature, Joseph is the man who practices giving himself to God as “obedient and loyal,” “prudent and brave.”

e Litany of St. Joseph leads us down a path of contemplation. To contemplate Joseph requires that we contemplate the mysteries of God, because Joseph, who u ers not a word in Scripture, is directed by and responsive to the Word who tells of our salvation. Joseph not only displays for us what obedience to God’s Word looks like, but also re ects to us the wisdom of God’s ways. In this way, Joseph is a gi to all Christians who call upon him.

e task, of course, is to actually call upon him. St. Joseph never cries out for a ention; rather, he waits patiently for

those who need him to seek his aid. is is who Joseph has been from the beginning: the man who waits — a entive and ready. He hears what is needed, heeds the complexities of all circumstances, and acts in accordance with the Lord’s will. As St. Teresa of Ávila confessed: “To other saints, our Lord seems to have given grace to succor men in some special necessity; but to this glorious saint, I know by experience, he has given the power to help us in all.”

For what do we need help? As husbands we need help to honor and reverence the wives to whom we have vowed ourselves. Fathers need help to guard, teach and strengthen the children entrusted to us. Workers need help to labor with dignity, care and purpose. e Son of God himself experienced a father’s love in Joseph, witnessed a husband’s devotion in Joseph’s love for Mary, and grew in skill and competence in Joseph’s own workshop. e servant who helped raise the Son of God to manhood is the same one whom Jesus gives to us to help us become who we are called to be.

In order to grow as disciples and become ever more capable of God’s call in our lives, we would do well to turn to the intercession of St. Joseph, especially through his litany. As a concrete commitment, consider se ing aside time each day for a month to pray the Litany of St. Joseph and to re ect on one of his names, titles or honors. Keep a journal in which to write a short thought or insight at the end of your periods of prayer. By praying in this way — and by developing this habit of prayer and re ection — we stand to grow as Joseph himself grew in obedience to the Lord, becoming a man a er God’s own heart. B

LEONARD J. DELORENZO, Ph.D., works in the McGrath Institute for Church Life and teaches theology at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., where he is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He is the author of Model of Faith: Praying the Litany of Saint Joseph (OSV, 2021).

(detail), Bartolome Esteban Murillo / Bridgeman Images

‘I Needed To Do More’

victims of war

By Dr. James O’Bryon

Editor’s Note: Dr. James O’Bryon has been a Knight for 44 years; he joined when he was 21, not long before he married his high school sweetheart, Millie, and not long after he became Catholic.

It was Millie who brought O’Bryon to Mass for the first time. “I like to say she saved me from the fires of hell. I was somewhat of a rambunctious teenager,” he said. “As time went on, Millie did ask me if I would convert to Catholicism, but she really didn’t have to ask. I said yes before she finished the question. That one decision I made as a teenager has made all the difference in my life.”

O’Bryon, now a family doctor in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, has served his parish and his council — Father Raymond F. Dugan Council 935 — in various ways through the decades, including as grand knight. When war broke out in Ukraine last

year, he again felt called to serve.

The father of three and grandfather of eight traveled to Ukraine and neighboring Moldova in early September with the medical mission organization CERT International (Christian Emergency Relief Team). Dr. O’Bryon recently spoke with Columbia about his experience; this account is adapted from that interview.

When the war broke out in Ukraine, back in February, I think I was like a lot of people — saying to myself, “Boy, I wish I could do something.” We saw the images across the TV, the horrors and the suffering that people were going through.

I visited a Ukrainian priest in the town next to us; he still has family over there. I prayed with him and gave him

A Pennsylvania physician travels to Moldova and Ukraine to offer medical assistance to

Photos courtesy of James O’Bryon

a monetary donation. But I really felt like I needed to do more. So I did an internet search for short-term medical missions, and I found CERT International. I applied and was accepted for a mission trip to Moldova and Ukraine in the first two weeks of September.

We were headquartered in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, with three clinic days in Moldova and two in Ukraine. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. All of the clinics were set up through local churches there, and we would drive for hours to some pretty remote villages in Moldova, where we treated both local people in need and Ukrainian refugees. Later in the week, we crossed over into Ukraine. We were headquartered at a church in Odessa, and that’s where our clinic was set up. I’m told Odessa is a beautiful city, but we really didn’t see much; you don’t do much sightseeing right now in Ukraine.

The church had an underground bunker that we were able to sleep in. There was no fighting right around us, but there was fighting east of Odessa, in Kherson. We got an alert on our phone one day that there was fighting nearby, which I think affected the numbers that we saw that day, unfortunately, because a lot of the people didn’t want to go out.

We saw mainly elderly women and mothers with young children. We saw a lot of hypertension, a lot of diabetes. People hadn’t been taking their medications. They couldn’t afford them, and they had no way to get them. They couldn’t get to a pharmacy. So we were able to provide. The young children had many ailments just like we see in this country — acute things like ear infections, upper respiratory infections. We had antibiotics and medications for them.

We had rudimentary equipment, and we couldn’t give them everything that I wish we could. But we made the best with what we had to work with. And it was just an incredible feeling in my heart to be able to provide for them.

One particular experience impacted me very much. We were at an elder home outside of Odessa. It was sort of a nursing home, but with pretty deplorable conditions. And I saw one elderly woman who had had a stroke. I introduced myself, and the interpreter explained to her why we were there. She just broke down in tears, tears of joy. She told me through the interpreter that she couldn’t believe we came all the way from America to help them.

I feel that what the people were most thankful for was just somebody to sit with them, to listen to them, to care with them and to pray with them. You could you see the bravery and determination on their faces, but trauma as well.

And the need has only grown since I was there in September. More of the infrastructure has been destroyed. Winter is upon the country now. I emailed one of my interpreters who lives in Ukraine with her grandmother — she is now without electricity. People are without electricity, without heat, without running water.

It’s hard to find a Catholic church there, but I was fortunate to find one about a mile from us in Chișinău. I was able to walk there for Mass both weekends. And if anything made me feel at home, it was just sitting in Mass. I could not

understand any of the words they were saying — but I knew exactly what they were saying. I felt very blessed to be there. This was my first mission trip, but I definitely want to go again, and I hope I can in the future. Medical mission work ties directly to the founding mission of the Knights: serving God and serving those in need, helping the sick, helping the poor, helping the helpless. But I think any missioner will tell you that you get more out of it than the people you’re serving — and when you come back from a mission trip, you leave a piece of your heart with them. B

Featured Film: In Solidarity with Ukraine

The K of C-produced documentary

In Solidarity with Ukraine highlights the inspiring work of Knights to bring spiritual and material aid to the people of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Now airing on ABC affiliates across the United States through mid-April as a selection of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission’s Visions and Values series, this film offers a vivid example of what it means to be a Christian disciple in the midst of war. Visit ukrainefilm.com for the full broadcast schedule.

Dr. James O’Bryon, a member of Father Raymond F. Dugan Council 935 in Reynoldsville, Pa., examines patients in Moldova (opposite page) and Ukraine (above) during a medical mission trip in September 2022.

NEW HOMES FOR ROSARIES

For the last four years, members of Sagadahoc Council 249 in Bath, Maine, have collected extra and unused rosaries from parishioners and placed them in a designated section in the church for other parishioners to use or take home. So far, nearly 400 rosaries have found a new home in this way.

SERVING THE CHURCH

Members of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Council 17784 in Li lestown, Pa., spent several days building a concrete pedestal and erecting a new cross at St. Aloysius Cemetery. e cross was blessed by Father C. Anthony Miller, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish. e Knights also held a work day on the grounds of a community of Discalced Carmelite nuns who are building a new monastery in Fair eld.

KEEPING COOL

Father Edwin F. Kelley Council 5750 in Woodbridge, Va., donated $100,000 to help Our Lady of the Angels Parish renovate the 30-year-old HVAC system in the parish center and school building. e funds came from the council’s sale of its home corporation building.

PROCESSION FOR OUR LADY

For the past 20 years, Knights from Newfoundland and Labrador have held a Rosary and Light Procession at the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. e annual event was a ended this past year by Archbishop Peter Hundt of St. John’s.

CHAPLAIN VESTMENTS BLESSED

A er Father John R. Day Council 2659 in Howell, Mich., purchased K of C vestments for their chaplain, Father Gary Koenigsknecht, a council member traveling to the East Coast brought them to the tomb of Blessed Michael McGivney in St. Mary Parish in New Haven, Conn., where the vestments were blessed.

VOCATIONS APPRECIATION DINNER

Several councils in southern Indiana organized their annual vocations appreciation dinner, which featured a keynote address by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori titled “Evangelization the Father McGivney Way.” More than 600 people a ended, including Bishop Joseph Siegel of Evansville.

PARKAS FOR PRIESTS

When two new priests arrived from India to serve the four Catholic churches in Beloit and Clinton, Wis., without any winter clothes, St. Thomas Council 605 donated $200 to each priest to purchase coats and other warm clothing.

Leo Trujillo, a master carver and member of John Ivey

Smith Council 6600 in Greenville, N.C., presents a wooden statue of the Blessed Mother to Katie Stanley, the principal of John Paul II Catholic High School. Council 6600, which previously donated a chalice and paten set for the school chapel, commissioned the statue, and Trujillo donated his time to make it. The presentation was made after a school Mass celebrated by Father Jim Magee (right), pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church and council chaplain.

Knights from several Arizona assemblies stand with Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson following a memorial Mass honoring Pope Benedict XVI at St. Augustine Cathedral. The Knights provided an honor guard for the liturgy.

Family

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

For the last several years, Sacred Heart Council 2842 in Rochelle Park, N.J., has sponsored a family in need for the holidays, bringing them a full Thanksgiving dinner and providing them with a Christmas tree and Christmas gifts. This year, the council adopted a local family of six.

A DOUBLE SERVING

Brother William Kerkel Council 5866 in Midlothian, Ill., collected 16,000 pounds of food during a drive at St. Augustine Parish. The council enlisted the help of local high school students and other volunteers to deliver the food to two local food pantries.

SUPPORT FOR STORM VICTIMS

Senior Center, delivering more than 24,000 meals from the center to homebound residents and others in need.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

Knights from Msgr. John F. Callahan Council 3600 in West Hartford, Conn., and their family members worked with local Boy Scouts to prepare sandwiches for local shelters. More than 460 sandwiches were delivered to the House of Bread, the South Park Inn and the McKinney Men’s Emergency Shelter in Hartford.

SCHOOL BOOSTERS

Grand Knight Mike Franchesi of St. John Neumann Council 15090 in Waukesha, Wis., presents a poinsettia to Bernadette Grubb, the widow of one of the council’s founding members. Knights delivered a poinsettia, gift card and Christmas card to each council widow, and o ered to help them with any needs they might have.

NOURISHMENT FOR STUDENTS

Members of Resurrection

Council 13214 in Regina, Saskatchewan, prepared and served a meal for 150 students and faculty from St. Michael Community School, an annual council tradition during the Christmas season. In addition, the Knights regularly provide the school, which serves many low-income families, with snacks to give to students who arrive without an adequate lunch.

Assemblies from the Ferdinand Magellan Province in Luzon North donated 80,700 PHP (nearly $1,500) to K of C leaders in Luzon North and Mindanao to help Knights affected by Tropical Storm Paeng.

CORPORAL WORK OF MERCY

In 2022, Knights from Jacksonville (Ark.) St. Jude’s Council 11604 volunteered 500 hours with the Jacksonville

St. Joan of Arc Council 3384 in Orleans, Mass., held a spaghetti dinner to benefit the scholarship fund of St. John Paul II Catholic School in Hyannis. More than 140 people attended the event, which raised $7,000.

PROTECTORS OF THE FAMILY

More than three dozen members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Carrizo Springs, Texas, attended a men’s retreat hosted by Father Arthur N. Kaler, OMI Council 8142. The retreat encouraged men to follow St. Joseph’s example as protector of the family.

Knights from Maramag (Mindanao) Council 5862 gather around food packages that will be distributed to clients of the Happy Home Foundation, a mental health center that cares for about 50 patients a day. The center is operated by sisters from the Missionary Congregation of Mary.

WELCOMING BROTHERS BACK

Members of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Council 11971 in Kalayaan Village, Luzon South, visited homebound and inactive Knights and encouraged them to participate more in the council. Many Knights had become inactive over the past two and a half years due to restrictions and concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.

COATS FOR KIDS DRIVE

Father John Savoca Council 12633 in Lenoir City, Tenn., raised $2,500 through various fundraisers at St. omas the Apostle Catholic Church and purchased nearly 100 winter coats through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program. e garments were given to the children served by Lenoir City School Family Resource Center.

HONORING VETERANS’ GRAVES

Knights from Mary, Queen of Peace Council 12072 and Father Harry W. Tompson, S.J. Assembly 2922, in Mandeville, La., cleaned more than 30 graves of veterans buried at the Madisonville Cemetery. The Knights also placed a U.S. flag at the foot of each grave.

WEBSTER WARMTH

Trinity Council 4618 in Webster, N.Y., raised more than $11,400 to purchase 564 winter coats through the Coats for Kids program. The garments were distributed to children in need at more than 30 charitable organizations, schools and churches.

A STAR FROM ON HIGH

Two years ago, members of Frankfort (Ky.) Council 1483 revived a tradition, started by Knights in 1953, of installing a large Christmas star on a blu over the city. is year, the council worked with students from the Franklin County Career and Technical Center to build a new, sturdier “Star Over Frankfort” out of aluminum. e 20-foot-tall illuminated star is visible from downtown Frankfort, a symbol of peace throughout the Christmas season.

HELP FOR HOMELESS VETS

St. Mark’s Council 12172 in Boise, Idaho, donated 20 gi cards, each worth $25, to Boise VA Medical Center’s Volunteer Services to be distributed to veterans in need. e organization serves more than 100 veterans, including 30 who live in their cars, each month.

Michael Wanigasekera, a member of St. Martin de Porres Council 17304 in Prosper, Texas, constructs a groundwater well for families in Chrey Thom, a village in southern Cambodia. Wanigasekera, who served in Cambodia as a member of the Peace Corps, has returned to the country multiple times to share the Catholic faith and assist with community projects. His brother Knights have contributed more than $700 to support his outreach e orts.

TEDDYS FROM COPS TO TOTS

For 25 years, John Paul I Council 7165 in Dale City, Va., has made an annual donation of 350 teddy bears to the Prince William County Police Department. Police officers keep the teddy bears in their cars to comfort children at accident scenes and other traumatic incidents.

Members of St. Gianna Beretta Molla Council 14749 in Brampton, Ontario, plant native trees in Duggan Park. The council helps plant trees every year after the city removes invasive species from the forested area of the park.

Life

HOPE ON THE TEXAS COAST

Quo Vadis Council 14739 in Port Aransas, Texas, donated $1,000 to Corpus Christi Hope House, which provides housing, education, counseling, food and more to women and children in the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Since the donation was made through the Order’s ASAP initiative, the Supreme Council contributed an additional $200.

Members of Niceville (Fla.) Bluewater Bay Assembly 3236 serve as an honor guard for the 6th annual Emerald Coast Walk for Life in Pensacola. The assembly and the two councils associated with it provide $1,500 annually to the Emerald Coast Coalition for Life, which sponsors the walk. The Knights also provide financial support for Majella House, a new pregnancy resource center in Pace.

HOLY INNOCENTS IN THE WOMB

Wheaton (Ill.) Council 2601 hosted a pro-life Mass at St. Mark Parish on the feast of the Holy Innocents to honor babies who have died as a result of an abortion and to support the right to life. More than 200 people a ended the Mass, which was celebrated by Resurrectionist Father Andrew Lewandowski, pastor and council chaplain. e council also collected more than $500 for Waterleaf Women’s Center in Aurora; an additional $100 will be donated through the ASAP initiative.

THOSE BABY BOTTLES ADD UP

In the last ve years, St. Nicholas Council 7011 in Sterling Heights, Mich., has raised more than $46,000 through its annual baby bo le drive at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church. e drive has allowed the council to purchase an ultrasound machine for one nearby pregnancy resource center and support the work of two residences for pregnant and new moms and their babies.

BLOOD DRIVE VOLUNTEERS

Rob Prewitt, life director of St. Bridget, Sons of Mercy Council 13113 in Pleasant Hill, Mo., presents a used ultrasound machine to Isabelle Woodrum of Project C.U.R.E., which donates medical supplies, equipment and services to doctors and nurses serving in more than 135 countries. The council facilitated the donation of the machine, which originally belonged to a member who is a veterinarian.

SERVING NEEDS, SAVING LIVES

Father Arthur J. McCann Council 2290 in Bloomsburg, Pa., held a golf fundraiser that raised more than $1,600 for the Eos Therapeutic Riding Center, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with special needs. The council also donated more than $19,000 — matched by the Supreme Council through the Ultrasound Initiative — to purchase an ultrasound machine for Your Loving Choices, a local pregnancy resource center.

Members of Father Joseph H. Cassidy Council 5231 in Millis, Mass., volunteered at the council’s recent blood drive at St. Joseph Parish in Medway. More than 30 units of blood were collected, which can help save up to 96 lives.

See more at www.kofc.org/knightsinaction

Please submit your council activities to knightsinaction@kofc.org

Father James O’Reilly, parochial vicar of St. Bridget Catholic Church and chaplain of Msgr. Francis J. Byrne Council 5476 in Richmond, Va., blesses a Nativity scene during Christmas at the Capitol, a prayer service hosted by the council in Richmond’s Capitol Square. Dozens of people, including State Deputy Patrick Roland, joined in prayers, Scripture readings and carols.

Markus Hildebrand, a member of St. Clement Ho auer Council 17050 in Warsaw, and his wife receive a blessing during the celebration of Husband and Wife Day at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn in Skarżysko-Kamienna. Knights and their spouses from all over Poland gathered for a weekend of prayer, Mass and conferences that emphasized the importance of holy marriages.

Johnny Sy, a member of Christopher Columbus Council 10681 in Richmond, British Columbia, presents a young parishioner with a rosary following his first Communion as part of the council’s sacramental gifts program. The council also participates in the Refund Support Vocations Program — most recently raising more than $1,200 for seminarians from the Archdiocese of Vancouver — and organizes a monthly rosary.

TOP LEFT:

Photo by Daniel Sangjib

Min/TIMES-DISPATCH —

TOP

RIGHT:

Photo by Sebastian Nycz

CANADA

PHILIPPINES

Knights from Torrijos (Luzon South) Council 11203 led a procession through the streets as part of the council's Epiphany celebration for St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish. Council members reenacted the Magi’s journey to Bethlehem, while also raising more than 35,900 PHP (nearly $700) for the parish’s various projects.

Members of San Antonio de Padua Council 14558 in Panama City present a basket of food to a mother and her child during the council’s annual Christmas with Christ event. The event included games, food and gifts for 50 children at Casa Hogar el Buen Samaritano, a local facility that provides housing, food, medical attention and support for as many as 300 women and children.

FRANCE

Members of St. Georges Council 16912 in Toulon gather following a council retreat at the Spiritual Center of Bieuzy.

PANAMA

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16)

Knights of Charity

Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a di erence — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a be er world.

District Deputy Dan Sto el, a member of Prince of Peace Council 11716 in Plano, Texas, helps a girl into a wheelchair at CRIT Sonora, a children’s rehabilitation center in Hermosillo, Mexico. Texas councils have collaborated with the American Wheelchair Mission since 2006 to donate wheelchairs to people in need throughout Mexico, including 4,700 chairs in the past year. Texas Knights have also funded 16 wheelchair repair centers at CRIT (Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón) locations across the country.

Photo by Randy Hale

I was born in El Salvador and came to the United States when I was 12. My family faced many challenges: civil war, immigration, a new language and culture. Our faith held us together and provided solace during the hard times.

A er I was con rmed in 2011, I felt a deeper call to be active in the Church, and I began to teach catechism at my parish. Even so, I was reluctant to consider the priesthood until the Lord showed me the way.

One evening, I went out to measure a building for my job with an insurance company. ere was a lot of construction in the area, and I got lost. Turning into another building, I went inside, where a receptionist welcomed me to Holy Trinity Seminary. At that moment, I knew I couldn’t keep running from my desire to give more. I requested a meeting with the vocations director and entered the seminary that summer.

Being embraced by divine providence in my call to priesthood and through all the challenges of my life allows me to cry out with con dence:

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Father Elmer Herrera-Guzman Diocese of Dallas St. Monica Council 5656, Dallas

‘I couldn’t keep running.’

Photo by Ben Torres