Columbia March 2025 by Columbia Magazine

Columbia

A detail of the west rose window of the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus surrounded by the 12 tribes of Israel. It is pictured during a Mass in honor of firefighters and restorers on Dec. 15, 2024, five years after a fire nearly destroyed the Gothic masterpiece (see page 10).

The Resurrection of Notre-Dame

Engulfed in flames five years ago, the newly restored cathedral of Paris rekindles religious fervor in France.

By Solène Tadié

PLUS: Our Lady’s Carpenter – A French Knight and his team of skilled craftsmen were instrumental in the reconstruction of the “jewel of Paris.”

In the Founder’s Footsteps

A new house of priestly formation opens where Blessed Michael McGivney completed his studies.

By Katie V. Jones

‘Why We March’

Knights of Columbus march in defense of human life alongside tens of thousands in Washington.

By Columbia staff

PLUS: For the Joy of Life – Thousands of high school and college students gather for prayer, celebration and witness at Life Fest.

Bound in Brotherhood and Charity

Three years after the Russian invasion, the Order’s solidarity with Ukraine remains steadfast.

By Columbia staff

3 For the greater glory of God

The virtue of magnanimity opens our hearts to always respond with charity, humility and gratitude to God.

By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly

4 Learning the faith, living the faith

In a society rife with competition and consumerism, we are called to live self-giving love.

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

6 Knights of Columbus News Knights Respond to California Wildfires • Order Donates New Broadcasting Unit to Vatican • College Knights Lead Rosary at Army-Navy Game • Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids Reaches New Heights • Knights in Puerto Rico Support Missionary Congress

8 Building the Domestic Church

A series of columns on family life, leadership and financial stewardship

26 Knights in Action Reports from councils and assemblies, representing Faith in Action ON THE COVER A replica of the revered statue of Our Lady of the Pillar is carried from SaintGermain l’Auxerrois Church through the streets of Paris to Notre-Dame Cathedral on Nov. 15, 2024.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church. kofc.org/join

Columbia

Remember You Are Dust

ASH WEDNESDAY, celebrated this year on March 5, may not be a holy day of obligation, but it remains one of most popular days of church attendance — rivaling even Easter and Christmas. In fact, non-practicing Christians and even non-Christians often attend Ash Wednesday liturgies each year. What might account for this popularity, and what can it teach us about the holy season of Lent?

One theory is encapsulated in the tongue-incheek term “A & P Catholics.” Whereas so-called “C & E Catholics” generally attend Mass only on Christmas and Easter, “A & P Catholics” attend on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. Why? Because people love to receive free gifts! There may be a kernel of truth to this jest, but there are no doubt much stronger reasons why people flock to Ash Wednesday liturgies than to receive free ashes and dust.

Consider the fact that most people, whether religious or not, recognize that a certain degree of discipline and self-denial is necessary to live a healthy life. They also appreciate the importance of setting goals and making resolutions toward personal growth, even if it’s easy to procrastinate. In an often-cited 2014 behavioral economics study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School demonstrated that days carrying special meaning, such as New Year’s Day or a birthday, can provide the motivation needed to overcome inertia. This phenomenon, termed the “Fresh Start Effect,” gives us a deeper clue to Ash Wednesday’s appeal.

Perhaps one reason why Ash Wednesday, like the start of a new year, is so effective in focusing our attention is that it reminds us how quickly time flies, prompting us to remember death.

Tempus fugit. Memento mori. One of the two formulas for the imposition of ashes prescribed by the Roman Missal drives this home: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The second formula, meanwhile, is a more direct wake-up call: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” Just as a person can avoid thinking about death for only so long, it’s difficult to hide from our own sinfulness and need for repentance.

Thus, while the popularity of the Ash Wednesday liturgy presents the Church with a unique opportunity for evangelization to inactive Catholics and others, it is more fundamentally a call to conversion for us all. That is, Lent gives us a “fresh start,” not to pick up our New Year’s resolutions where we left off, but to turn our eyes to God. In a 2022 interview, Father Michael Kapperman, director of vocations for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a former K of C chaplain, put it simply: “The essence of Lent is not just to deny ourselves, but to ultimately come into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We deny ourselves to follow him more closely.”

Thankfully, the Church outlines a basic program to keep us on track, inviting us to adopt simple practices of prayer, such as the Stations of the Cross; to fast, whether from a favorite food or from our smartphones; to give alms, or support works of charity; and, perhaps most importantly, to make a good confession. After all, Lent is not a competition or a challenge to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. It is, rather, an invitation to follow Christ on the road to Calvary, and to receive not merely dust and ashes but the free gift of God’s grace. B

Alton J. Pelowski, Editor

A Father’s Heart: The Life of Blessed Michael McGivney

A new richly illustrated comic book titled A Father’s Heart features the life and legacy of Blessed Michael McGivney. Perfect for young readers and families, this 40-page graphic novel describes McGivney’s journey as a son of immigrants in a factory town to his ministry as a parish priest in New Haven, Connecticut, where he founded the Knights of Columbus in March 1882. It also tells of the miraculous healing of an unborn child that led to Father McGivney’s beatification in 2020. To order, visit knightsgear.com.

PUBLISHER

Knights of Columbus

SUPREME OFFICERS

Patrick E. Kelly

Supreme Knight

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

Arthur L. Peters

Deputy Supreme Knight

John A. Marrella

Supreme Secretary

Ronald F. Schwarz

Supreme Treasurer

John A. Marrella

Supreme Advocate

EDITORIAL

Alton J. Pelowski

Editor

Andrew J. Matt

Managing Editor

Elisha Valladares-Cormier

Senior Editor

Paul Haring

Manager of Photography

Cecilia Engbert Content Producer

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

HOW TO REACH US COLUMBIA

1 Columbus Plaza

New Haven, CT 06510-3326 columbia@kofc.org kofc.org/columbia

Address changes 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org

Columbia inquiries 203-752-4398

K of C Customer Service 1-800-380-9995

Generosity of Heart

The virtue of magnanimity opens our hearts to always respond with charity, humility and gratitude to God

By Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly

SPEND ANY TIME on social media or watching political debates and you can quickly conclude that certain virtues are missing from our public discourse. Among them is the virtue of magnanimity. Often defined as a largeness or generosity of heart — from the Latin words for “great soul” — magnanimity orients us toward using our gifts in service to others. It gives us the desire to aspire to great things with the time God has given us on earth.

Magnanimity is an essential virtue if we want to effectively lead our families and our brother Knights. Why? Because it gives us a clarity of mission and purpose. It keeps us focused on striving for the highest ideals and helps us avoid the traps and snares set for us by the evil one. Whereas pride and presumption lead to envy, jealousy, rivalries and a host of other small-minded maladies, magnanimity shows us the more excellent way. St. Paul tells us: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just … if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8).

The magnanimous man is characterized by his selfless generosity of spirit. He knows that he is loved by God and is aware of the gifts and talents that God has given to him. He knows that his gifts are not for his own use but are for serving and lifting up others. And because he is confident in and grateful for these gifts, he recognizes and even celebrates the gifts of others, especially those gifts that he himself may not possess.

In other words, magnanimity gives us the mindset to always see the best in others and interpret their actions and attitudes in the most favorable light possible. It gives us the strength to practice the spiritual works of mercy — bearing wrongs patiently and responding to difficult situations with forbearance and forgiveness rather than revenge. It

can be hard to take the high road, especially when we’ve been hurt, but it’s always the better path.

How do we instill magnanimity in our children? As fathers, we should keep in mind that “more is caught than taught” — that is, our children often learn more from observing us than from our instruction. When a magnanimous father demonstrates a generous spirit and speaks well of others, his children take notice. He encourages his children, praising them for their accomplishments and gently correcting them when they need it. He measures his words carefully, for a father’s words of sincere praise are far more fruitful than words of criticism (see Eph 6:4, Col 3:21).

The magnanimous father also sees the great potential in his children. He encourages them to go beyond their comfort zones and to achieve things they may not think possible. He builds their confidence by calling attention to the gifts they have been given. He prays aloud with them and gives them a sense that they, too, have been called by God to greatness — and that they are ultimately called to be saints.

Perhaps most importantly, a father passes on the virtue of magnanimity to his children by loving their mother in thought, word and deed each day. As husbands, we are called to go the extra mile in service to our wives. That can take many forms, but it includes being lavish in our praise, quick to forgive and first to apologize.

St. Teresa of Avila often prayed that God would enlarge her heart. As husbands and fathers, we can make this prayer our own — and we can be confident that God will answer us. Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord proclaims, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ez 36:26).

Vivat Jesus!

The magnanimous man is characterized by his selfless generosity of spirit. ... He knows that his gifts are not for his own use but are for serving and lifting up others.

Let’s Not Make a Deal

In a society rife with competition and consumerism, we are called to live self-giving love

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

WE LIVE IN a transactional world. The order of the day is quid pro quo: “If you want something from me, I expect something in return.” When relationships are shaped by transactions, enduring friendships are not formed. The goal is to get the best deal possible and to move on. When the deal is done, so too is the relationship.

The same can happen in our relationship with God or with the Church. If God doesn’t respond to our requests when and how we think he should, we stop praying. A family, meanwhile, might remain active in the Church only as long as their children are in the parish school or until they receive the sacraments of initiation.

Now, we all understand the need for transactions in life. In business and commerce, deals have to be made every day. When we check out at the supermarket or purchase a car, chances are we won’t have a deeply personal relationship with the cashier or salesperson. We simply look to pay a fair price for what we’re buying.

Deals are not the problem, so long as they are ethical. The problem arises when dealmaking becomes the primary way we relate to one another. When a married couple stays together only for what each can derive from the relationship, the marriage is likely to fail. Should one or both partners become unsatisfied with the results — and they sadly deny each other the joy of mutual, self-giving love — the marriage can come to a bitter end.

Similarly, if a man seeks to be ordained in the hope of honors, glory or power, he may appear content on the surface but will be empty inside. No matter how much “profit” such a member of the clergy may derive from his ministry, he will be depriving himself of its greatest joy — sharing the glory of God’s self-giving love with those he serves.

These are obvious examples. But transactionalism can overtake us subtly. We may

find ourselves “playing chess” — always calculating the next move. What drives us onward is getting an advantage over our competitors. In a one-sided pursuit of personal success, we can create an adversarial world for ourselves. We may win more than we lose, but in the end, we still lose. We lose our capacity to enjoy friendship with others and beauty for its own sake. While we’re busy making deals, the world passes us by.

This mentality, in fact, is why some stop going to Mass: “I don’t get anything out of it,” they say. While the liturgy should be celebrated reverently and the preaching should be relevant to people’s lives, the Mass is not a consumer product. At the heart of every Mass is not a transactional exchange but an encounter between God and man.

God made us not because he needed us but because he wanted to love us and to share with us his glory. God redeemed us not because we earned it but because he is merciful. The word of life, the cross and resurrection, the Body and Blood of Christ — these are at the heart of the Mass. We are not buying something but receiving someone who loves us more than we can comprehend.

Without giving and receiving this kind of radical love in our hearts, we remain woefully incomplete human beings. We are not made simply for deals. We are made for love, and our lives make no sense without it.

Blessed Michael McGivney demonstrated this by his priestly love for his people. He continually gave of himself for the Lord and for those he served. The charity, unity and fraternity he exemplified are based not on a transaction but on living for the other. Put simply, “It is in giving that we receive.”

As we prepare to enter into Holy Week and Easter, let us rediscover the utterly beautiful self-giving love of our savior, Jesus Christ. May this encounter shape and form our hearts, now and always. B

Without giving and receiving this kind of radical love in our hearts, we remain woefully incomplete human beings. We are not made simply for deals. We are made for love, and our lives make no sense without it.

Supreme Chaplain’s Challenge

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

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.” (Gospel for March 2, Lk 6:43-44)

Scripture often reminds us that our faith must be made evident through our works, through the good that we do. If we are truly prayerful and holy in an interior way, we will also be productive in the world. Like a tree, we will be known by the fruit we produce. May we always be mindful that faith calls us to lead lives of virtue in service to God and neighbor.

Challenge: This month, I challenge you to prayerfully identify at least one area of your life where you could bear better fruit. Then, guided by the Holy Spirit, undertake at least one concrete resolution to improve.

Find accompanying reflection questions at kofc.org/monthlychallenge

Catholic Man of the Month

Servant of God Joseph Dutton (1843-1931)

IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, U.S. presidents and others took notice of the selfless witness of Joseph Dutton, a Civil War veteran who spent half his life serving lepers in Hawaii. A layman, Dutton was dubbed “Brother” by St. Damien of Molokai because, he said, “you are like a brother to everyone here.”

Born Ira Dutton in Stowe, Vermont, and raised Protestant, he joined the 13th Wisconsin Infantry in 1861 at age 18. When the Civil War ended four years later, a failed marriage and a job searching for the bodies of lost soldiers drove him to the bottle and a period he’d call his “degenerate decade.”

Dutton swore off alcohol in 1876 and, desiring to atone for his sins, entered the Catholic Church on his 40th birthday, taking the name of Joseph, his favorite saint. He spent 20 months at the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky, but discerned that God was calling him to a life of penitential action rather than contemplation. After learning of Father Damien de Veuster’s leper colony ministry in 1886, he left for Molokai.

Liturgical Calendar

March 3 St. Katharine Drexel, Virgin (USA)

March 4 St. Casimir

March 5 Ash Wednesday

March 7 Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs

March 8 St. John of God, Religious

March 17 St. Patrick, Bishop

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

March 19 St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

March 25 The Annunciation of the Lord

Dutton’s words upon arriving were simple: “I’ve come to help, and I’ve come to stay.” Working with Father Damien and later Mother Marianne Cope, another future saint, Dutton spent the next four decades caring for the colony’s patients, especially children afflicted with leprosy.

His prolific correspondence, including with several U.S. presidents, spread word of the colony’s needs and drew universal esteem. President Warren Harding, for example, called Dutton “a well-nigh perfect example of … sacrifice and service.”

Joseph Dutton died March 26, 1931, at age 87, and was buried next to Father Damien. The Diocese of Honolulu opened his cause for canonization in 2022. B

Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intention

Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.

Knights Respond to California Wildfires

WHEN DEVASTATING wildfires broke out in California in early January, local Knights took immediate action to provide food, shelter and essential aid to thousands of victims.

The wildfires, which began Jan. 7, burned over 57,000 acres in the Los Angeles area, killing at least 29 people and destroying more than 16,000 structures before being fully contained in early February.

Local councils have collaborated with the California State Council and other charitable organizations to assist victims as they rebuild their homes, churches and schools.

Supplementing these efforts through the Knights of Columbus Disaster Relief Fund, the Supreme Council sent $250,000 and 200 gift cards worth $100 each to California, plus supplies to assist about 100 people.

“It is critical that the Knights are among the first to respond with aid because that’s who we are,” said California State Deputy James Larson. “We are responding to every request that we get, and we’re spreading the news that we’re here and we’re available.” B

Javier Miranda, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council 10302 in Rowland Heights, Calif., moves a case of water during a food and supply distribution in Pasadena on Jan. 18 to assist people affected by the wildfires.

Order Donates New Broadcasting Unit to Vatican

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS recently donated a state-of-the-art mobile broadcasting unit to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, unveiling the vehicle in Rome just days before Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025.

The new broadcasting van was blessed by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, a member of the Dicastery for Communication, during a Dec. 21 ceremony attended by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, staff of the dicastery and others.

In an interview with Vatican News that day, Supreme Knight Kelly said the new broadcasting unit will “deliver the message of Jesus Christ from the Vatican to Catholics and people of goodwill around the world.”

The vehicle is the fourth broadcasting unit donated to the Vatican by the Order, which has supported various projects in partnership with the Vatican’s communication office for decades.

During a private audience with Pope Francis the previous day, Supreme Knight Kelly shared updates on the

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly (second from right) and his family, and Enrico Demajo (right), director of the Knights of Columbus office in Rome, stand with staff of the Dicastery for Communication, including prefect Paolo Ruffini (third from right), outside the dicastery’s new mobile broadcasting unit in Rome on Dec. 21.

Knights’ worldwide charitable outreach and other initiatives.

“The Knights of Columbus, since our very founding, has always enjoyed a very strong union with the Holy Father,” the

supreme knight said in an interview with Vatican Radio on Dec. 21. “That is just part of who the Knights of Columbus is, to be in unity with Rome and in unity with the Church.” B

Photo by Slav Zatoka — Photo by Vatican Media

College Knights Lead Rosary at Army-Navy Game

DURING THE 125TH ANNUAL Army-Navy football game on Dec. 14, college Knights from the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy gathered in the stadium concourse for a display of spiritual unity, praying a rosary together at halftime.

Members of Msgr. Cornelius George O’Keefe Council 8250 in West Point, New York, and Commodore Barry Council 14534 in Annapolis, Maryland, were joined by over 150 people, including a Supreme Council delegation, in their public witness to faith and fraternity.

Supreme Master Michael McCusker then addressed the cadets and midshipmen: “May you always be open … to always saying yes, not only to your country but to your Father in heaven and to the service to your Church. God bless Army, God bless Navy.” B

Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids Reaches New Heights

SUPREME CHAPLAIN Archbishop William Lori joined Maryland state officers Dec. 9 to bless and help distribute 175 coats to students at St. Agnes School in Catonsville.

In all, more than 1,200 councils throughout the United States and Canada participated in the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program this winter, giving away a record-setting 286,728 coats to children in need. Over 1.5 million new winter coats have been distributed through the program since it began 2009. B

Knights in Puerto Rico Support Missionary Congress

MORE THAN 1,300 MISSIONARIES from across the American continent gathered in Ponce, Puerto Rico, for the 6th American Missionary Congress this past November. The international event, the first of which took place in Mexico in 1977, aims to support and develop mission and evangelization efforts in the Church throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The Puerto Rico State Council, along with field agents and local Knights, assisted the Diocese of Ponce in hosting the congress Nov. 19-24, and more than 100 Knights provided volunteer support.

Delegates from 22 countries participated in talks and workshops, discussing missionary challenges and experiences in their respective nations.

José Lebrón-Sanabria, the Order’s vice president of Hispanic sales and development, said one goal of hosting the congress in Puerto Rico was “to show the powerful impact evangelization can have for the local Church.”

To this end, local councils and parishes hosted the missionaries as they visited nearby towns Nov. 22-23 to meet with people in the community and share the Gospel. B

Knights in Puerto Rico, led by State Deputy Carlos Hernández (third from right) gather with Bishop Mário Spaki (center) of Paranavaí, Brazil, and Franciscan Father Dinh Anh Nhue (right), secretary general of the Pontifical Missionary Union, in front of a portrait of Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago in the Diocese of Ponce’s Juan Diego Retreat House on Nov. 21.

LEAD WITH FAITH

Leadership Lessons From St. Joseph

By Father Nathan Cromly

The initial message of the angel to St. Joseph in his dream must have come as a jolt (see Mt 1:20). If he obeyed the angel, he would marry a woman whose heart, soul and body were entirely claimed by, and given exclusively to, God. Who was Joseph of Nazareth to lead a wife who was so holy and be the head of a family whose child was conceived by the Holy Spirit? How could he lead those who were better than him?

The Bible never says that Joseph knew how to lead his Holy Family, but he led them all the same. He made decisions that needed to be made — saving the life of the Savior from Herod’s scourge. He provided daily for his family — giving bread to feed the boy who would one day give his Body to feed the world. He loved his family — teaching the creator of the world how to live in it.

St. Joseph teaches us that leadership does not require superiority as much as it requires service. Leadership is not about giving what we do not have; rather, it is about giving everything that we do have. Like St. Joseph, sometimes we are called to just obey and lead, even if we feel unworthy or ill-equipped. B

— Father Nathan Cromly, a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver, is president of the St. John Institute, author of Coached by St. Paul: Lessons in Transformation (Scepter Press, 2024) and a member of Msgr. Omer V. Foxhoven Council 14398 in Englewood, Colo.

MISSION OF THE

FAMILY

Sharing Faith in the Little Things

Even the smallest faith-filled gestures can have an outsized impact on our children

By Mike Aquilina

WHEN MY DAD left the house, he usually had a cigar in his mouth and a hat on his head. He wasn’t the kind of guy who wore baseball caps or pullover knit caps. He wore serious hats: fedoras, porkpies, Stetsons. And it’s probably to those hats that I owe my faith in the Real Presence.

When Dad and I went out — walking or driving — he would tip his hat as we passed a Catholic church. At some point I must have asked him why he did that, and he must have explained that it was his way of honoring Jesus present in the tabernacle of that particular church.

But that conversation must have happened very early in my life, because I have no memory of it. What I remember is the gesture. Each time my father tipped his hat, I was reminded that Jesus was near — and that Jesus’ nearness was important to my father.

Dad was an almost silent man. He was as likely to talk with me about his spiritual life as about his sex life. But, really, what did he need to say about sex? I was the youngest of his seven children, and I was born when both my parents were 47. Enough said.

And as for the Real Presence … well, I watched my dad tip his hat whenever he passed a church. Enough said.

He said much, in little ways, with his body language. He spent hours on Palm Sunday weaving fronds into crosses to give to us children. He got up early every Sunday and went to Mass with us. He sat and stood and knelt.

Nor was he alone in this. In my most abiding early memory of my mother, she has a dust mop in her right hand and rosary beads in her left, whispering Hail Marys while she captures the dust bunnies behind the radiators in our apartment. Dust mops, cigars, palm fronds, rosary beads and serious hats. These are the stuff of the faith I learned from my parents. In my memory, they work as icons or medals. They’re visible signs of something invisible and profound, bringing to mind God’s love as it was mediated to me by my parents.

The fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote that the spirituality of the laity “will take its particular character from the circumstances of … married and family life” (Apostolicam actuositatem, 4).

What “little things” will bring your Catholic faith to mind for your children? B

MIKE AQUILINA is the author of numerous books and a member of Corpus Christi Council 12043 in Bridgeville, Pa. He and his wife, Terri, have six children and seven grandchildren.

FAMILY FINANCE

What is asset allocation, and why does it matter?

By Douglas Riley

“Asset allocation” is sometimes viewed as a magic formula for investing. It’s not magic, but it does involve math. It is simply the process of building a portfolio out of a specific combination of assets — equities (stocks), fixed-income investments (bonds), cash — with the goal of achieving an optimal risk/return profile. Think of asset allocation as the practical implementation of diversification, which itself is a strategy to reduce risk. The proportion allocated to one asset type or another will look different for different investors, depending on each

FOR YOUR MARRIAGE

person’s risk and return objectives, time horizons and unique constraints. But in general, asset allocation considers historical data (like market volatility) and other inputs such as interest rates, current fiscal policy and economic principles. These can have different impacts across asset classes, and the resulting portfolio will entirely depend on the inputs (assumptions) used.

A key benefit of asset allocation is that it forces discipline. Periodically reviewing the allocation in your portfolio — such as a 401(k) account — and rebalancing if needed can help you to meet your long-term financial goals (and sleep at night).

There is a familiar saying, which Yogi Berra is said to have quipped, “Making predictions is hard, especially about the future.” It is challenging to forecast

Help Your Spouse to Heaven

Amid human failings, marriage models Christ’s love on the cross for the Church

By Edward Sri

WHEN I WAS SINGLE, I heard that Christian marriage is all about getting your spouse to heaven. So, when Beth and I got engaged, the noble ideals of daily prayer and sacrifice for her spiritual welfare inspired me. Over time, however, I realized that the main way I help Beth get to heaven is actually this: Every day of her life, she has to deal with me!

I say this in a joking way, but there is a profound truth here. In marriage, God brings two fallen human beings together for an intense, lifelong union in which all our quirks, faults and sins come out. We inevitably misunderstand, hurt and let each other down. In marriage and family life, we have myriad opportunities to grow in humility, patience, generosity and forgiveness, and to love more completely, as Jesus did, even when he got nothing back in return.

Think about how Jesus felt on Good Friday, which is when he modeled love the most. He felt forgotten, misunderstood,

expected returns, given uncertainty and all the variables at play. Yet it’s important to make the best decisions we can as investors, based on the information we have.

Visit kofc.org/familyfinance for resources and more information. B — Douglas Riley, CFA, is the lead portfolio manager for Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors’ Large Cap Core equity strategies and chair of the firm’s Asset Allocation Committee.

alone, hurt, rejected, abandoned. If we’re honest, aren’t many of these same feelings experienced even in the best marriages?

Most of us have certain pain points in our spousal relationship. We can either view these merely as frustrating aspects of our marriage or we can see them also as divine encounter moments. We can ask Jesus how he is inviting us — through this hurt, frustration or disappointment — to take on his heart and love him in our beloved, to love more like he loves us. B

EDWARD SRI is senior vice president of apostolic outreach for FOCUS and a member of St. Thomas More Council 10205 in Littleton, Colo. He and his wife, Beth, are the authors of The Good, the Messy and the Beautiful: The Joys and Struggles of Real Married Life (Ascension Press, 2022).

The Resurrection of Notre-Dame

Engulfed in flames five years ago, the newly restored cathedral of Paris rekindles religious fervor in France

By Solène Tadié

2024.

The iconic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral officially reopened its doors to the public following a ceremony on the evening of Dec. 7, 2024, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Five years after a fire devoured its roof and spire as the world watched in dismay, the cathedral’s bells broke their silence and rang out under the Paris sky. Some 1,500 people, including 40 heads of state, attended the ceremony, which was broadcast live around the world.

The emotion of French Catholics had already reached its height when, a few weeks earlier, on Nov. 15, the famous statue of Our Lady of the Pillar, miraculously untouched by the flames of April 15, 2019, was the first to make its return to the heart of the cathedral. On this occasion, a torchlit procession organized in part by Knights of Columbus in France set forth through the streets of the capital from Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois Church carrying a replica of the revered 14th-century statue (while the original was driven to the cathedral). The Order was also represented in the cathedral’s reconstruction process through Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, the carpenter in charge of rebuilding the roof structure of the nave and choir, as well as two belfries (see page 15).

For Arnaud Bouthéon, territorial deputy of France, the widespread enthusiasm aroused by the reopening of Notre-Dame presents a unique opportunity for evangelization, calling the Catholic Church in France to take decisive action.

“This moment of joy confirms the vitality of Christianity in old Europe, which is only waiting to follow its Christian vocation more intensely,” said Bouthéon.

This stance was echoed by Pope Francis himself, who — in a letter read aloud by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio to France, at the reopening ceremony — called on “all the baptized who will joyfully enter this cathedral to feel a legitimate pride and reclaim their faith heritage.”

The Holy Father added: “May the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France.”

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is arrayed in light during the reopening celebration Dec. 7,

A RECOVERY OF CHRISTIAN MEMORY

If the stakes are this high, it is because the 850-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral is itself inextricably linked with the destiny of France, known as the “eldest daughter of the Church,” and its people. This masterpiece of medieval Gothic architecture, which took nearly 200 years to fully construct, has been the backdrop of many major historical events over the centuries, from the 13th-century reign of King Louis IX — who installed the Holy Crown of Thorns in the cathedral — to the 18th-century French Revolution, when the cathedral was seized and desecrated. Restored in the 19th century, Notre-Dame eventually became a national monument, with the Catholic Church designated its perpetual tenant. It was, until the 2019 fire, France’s most visited site, with some 13 million visitors a year — far ahead of the Eiffel Tower.

“For centuries, Notre-Dame has been a witness to the history of France. To see it suddenly engulfed in flames, close to collapsing, was a real trauma,” recalled Father Pierre Amar, territorial chaplain of France. “With what emotion we recited our rosary on the evening of April 15, 2019, while the firefighters were working to save the towers. Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nanterre summed up this national trauma well: ‘In one evening, France remembered that it was Christian.’”

The blaze generated an outpouring of condolences and gifts from around the world, with some 340,000 donors from 150 countries investing around 846 million euros to rebuild the Catholic monument. The ensuing five years

of work and repair involved 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the French government — which, under the 1905 law defining the separation of church and state, owns the building and was responsible for its restoration — declared its intention to create a “contemporary architectural gesture” to replace the emblematic spire designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. The proposal was met with an immediate and massive outcry, both in France and abroad, including among politicians. Encouraged by public opinion, the French Senate invalidated the executive branch’s proposal, requiring the roof and spire to be rebuilt according to their original designs.

For many Catholics, this unique sentiment around Notre-Dame, and this popular commitment to its history, represents an extraordinary opportunity for evangelization for the Church in France.

“The spire, which collapsed before the eyes of the whole world, is like a finger pointing to heaven, a reminder of God’s existence and the necessary transcendence in our lives,” reflected Father Amar, following the restoration. “By taking us from ashes to light, Notre-Dame helps us to believe that nothing is ever lost. We can turn every trial into a source of strength. This is the direction Christ points us in, through his death on the cross and his resurrection in glory.”

But the opportunity for renewal and re-evangelization is not without its own challenges, especially in a general context of increased de-Christianization and loss of confidence

Left: Flames devour the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019. • Right: Jubilant craftsmen of the Ateliers Perrault team, led

by K of C member Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, stand on the restored timber-framed roof of the cathedral’s choir Jan. 13, 2024.

in the institutional Church, following the recent sexual abuse crises. The question, Bouthéon said, is how the Church will respond.

“Will we show the unprecedented flow of tourists entering Notre-Dame that it is a holy and sacred place? Will we direct them toward prayer, or simply fill the space like entertainment professionals?” Bouthéon asked. “French writer Charles Péguy liked to speak of a ‘gentleness armed with

“From a cultural and existential point of view, people today feel lost, which reinforces the attraction effect toward Notre-Dame. As Pope Benedict XVI affirmed, the Church grows through attraction, not proselytism.”

firmness, and firmness armed with gentleness.’ If visitors are welcomed with this dual approach, this new missionary opportunity can turn the cathedral into a laboratory for what may happen in the years to come in the West. It thus represents a great responsibility, and the months and years ahead will be decisive.”

THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL

French Knights of Columbus have undertaken initiatives to respond to this missionary call, even before the 2019 fire and France’s designation as a K of C territory in 2020. The Order has been active in France since 2013, through participation in the annual International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes, while the first five councils in France were officially chartered in August 2016. To date, there are more than 1,250 Knights in France spread across 50 parishes in 22 dioceses.

The French Knights’ first major initiative at Notre-Dame took place in 2017 and 2018 in the form of a sound and light show called “Dame de Coeur” (Queen of Hearts). Produced by members of the Order to commemorate the centenary of World War I, the multicolored projection upon the façade of the cathedral was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

Since 2017, Knights in Paris have helped organize an annual daylong pilgrimage for men called the March of St. Joseph that draws hundreds of participants to walk together through Paris with a statue of St. Joseph and the Christ Child, beginning at Notre-Dame. During the Year of St. Joseph in 2021,

The construction site of Notre-Dame Cathedral with its new spire is visible from across the Seine River in February 2024.

Knights organized a Grande Marche de St. Joseph, a 70-day, 950-kilometer (590-mile) walking pilgrimage from Paris to southern France.

More recently, Knights helped organize the Nov. 15 torchlight procession with the replica of the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar to Notre-Dame.

“Around 10 Knights were present around the statue, guiding the procession forward through a crowd of great fervor,” explained Bouthéon, who was among the Knights near the statue. “Meanwhile, 10 other Knights distributed devotional images of the statue, along with the conversion prayer by French author Paul Claudel.”

Nearly 6,000 images were distributed by hand, as a direct evangelization initiative aimed at pilgrims and others. Many people the Knights met in the streets also joined the procession and stayed in front of Notre-Dame for a vigil of thanksgiving and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

On Dec. 8, during the day of the inaugural Mass of reopening, Grand Knight Hugues Desenfant of St. José Luis Sanchez del Rio Council 18407 in Paris was appointed to carry the banner of his parish into the cathedral.

For Bouthéon, the Knights of Columbus’ “adventure”

in France is just beginning, based as it is on a past that has something to say to today’s world — above all, the perennial Christian message that offers an antidote to the widespread bewilderment of people in the face of postmodern materialism.

“From a cultural and existential point of view, people today feel lost, which reinforces the attraction effect toward Notre-Dame,” said Bouthéon. “As Pope Benedict XVI affirmed, the Church grows through attraction, not proselytism.”

Recalling an opportunity to climb up Notre-Dame’s spire in December 2023, amid the scaffolding, Bouthéon added, “For me, who is afraid of heights, it was a form of spiritual challenge, even a pilgrimage. When I reached the top, I spent some time in prayer for the mission of the Knights of Columbus in France and around the world, so that from the top of Notre-Dame, from this spire, we might continue to serve in this same missionary spirit, ready for the challenges that await us.” B

SOLÈNE TADIÉ is the Europe correspondent for the National Catholic Register .

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris celebrates the inaugural Mass at the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral on Dec. 8, 2024. The 18th-century statue of the Virgin of Pity, or Pietà, by French sculptor Nicolas Coustou, stands in the background.

Our Lady’s Carpenter

A French Knight and his team of skilled craftsmen were instrumental in the reconstruction of the “jewel of Paris”

By Matthieu Noli

ON DEC. 8, 2024, the eyes of the world were riveted on Notre-Dame de Paris, restored to its full splendor after five years of painstaking labor. Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, a member of Blessed Noël Pinot Council 18406 in Béhuard, France, was present at the inauguration in his capacity as president of Ateliers Perrault, the company entrusted with the reconstruction of the nave, choir, and north and south belfries of the 850-year-old cathedral.

But it was the Mass attended a week later by the 1,500 craftsmen who had worked on this enormous restoration project, including 50 skilled carpenters and joiners from his company — a quarter of the workforce — that moved Bonhoure deeply.

“The rebuilding of the cathedral generated incredible enthusiasm within the company,” he said. “It’s not every day you get the chance to work on a building that will outlive you by centuries!”

The project was exceptional in more ways than one. The company, which specializes in the renovation of historic buildings and monuments, relied on digital modeling and design tools, together with the rediscovery of medieval construction methods. Carpenters worked in close collaboration with the foresters, who helped them select some 1,300 oak trees, each one between 150 and 200 years old, to be used in the framework of Notre-Dame’s roof. What’s more, to preserve the grain of the wood and guarantee the sturdiness of the construction, 60 medieval axes were made for squaring the trunks as done in the 13th century.

Notable milestones included the blessing of the logs by the cathedral’s rector; a papal audience in December 2023 when Pope Francis blessed 35 carpenters who had traveled to Rome and personally received an axe from Bonhoure; and, of course, the traditional final gesture, when the company’s youngest craftsman marked the completion of the team’s work in 2024 by placing a bouquet of flowers at the top of the belfry.

“All these highlights will remain engraved in our memories,” affirmed Bonhoure. “Some of our workers experienced it as a journey of conversion; others became more deeply rooted in their faith, and still others saw it as the construction site of their lives, which they will share with their children and grandchildren.”

In his everyday life as not only a craftsman but a husband and the father of six children, Bonhoure’s faith finds a special expression in his devotion to St. Joseph.

Pope Francis receives an axe from Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, president of Ateliers Perrault, during an audience at the Vatican on Dec. 6, 2023. Bonhoure’s team of craftsmen fashioned medieval tools to complete their restoration work.

“In my office, I have a statue of the saint,” he explained, “and I often leave post-it notes under it with prayer intentions.”

When he’s not busy restoring historic buildings (he previously worked on projects at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace in England) or taking care of his family, Bonhoure participates in his council’s charitable activities. For example, he frequently ventures out with brother Knights on Saturday mornings to encounter and serve homeless people in their community, and he regularly visits prisoners to bring them a glimmer of hope.

For a man of action like Bonhoure, what attracted him to join the Order in 2022 was seeing members put their faith into action through service.

“I joined the Knights to help serve the community,” he said, “while strengthening my Catholic faith with a group of men from all generations.” B

— Matthieu Noli is a novelist and journalist based in Paris, where he is a member of Saint-Martin-de-Tours Council 16910.

In the Founder’s FOOTSTEPS

A new house of priestly formation opens where Blessed Michael McGivney completed his studies

By Katie V. Jones

In June 1873, Michael J. McGivney returned home to Waterbury, Connecticut, following the sudden death of his father. His seminary studies at Collège Sainte-Marie in Montréal were abruptly cut short, and he could not afford to continue. Later that summer, however, Bishop Francis McFarland of Hartford secured funding for 21-year-old McGivney to resume his education at St. Mary’s Seminary in downtown Baltimore. For the next four years, until his ordination in 1877, McGivney’s spiritual life and intellectual and pastoral formation were nourished by daily prayer and Mass in the seminary’s Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where he also served as sacristan.

Some 150 years later, in the same historic chapel, a new house of priestly formation named in honor of this humble Connecticut priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus was formally dedicated Jan. 23 by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. The Blessed Michael J. McGivney Propaedeutic House of Formation, located adjacent to the chapel, serves first-year seminarians in a new propaedeutic, or preparatory, stage of formation required in all Catholic seminaries.

“How appropriate that this house was named for Blessed Michael McGivney,” Archbishop Lori said in his remarks, “because in the propaedeutic year we are helping seminarians … to develop a life of prayer, to develop their humanity, to develop their own unique version of God’s individual likeness.”

Among those present at the dedication ceremony were Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly; Sulpician Provincial Superior Father Daniel Moore; Sulpician Father Shawn Gould, director of the McGivney House; Oblate Father James Yeakel,

house coordinator; and the seven seminarians living at the house.

In his remarks, Supreme Knight Kelly observed that Father McGivney fulfilled his priestly duties daily with humility and simplicity.

“He always sought to work for the good of his people,” the supreme knight said. “I think he is the perfect model for young men discerning [a priestly vocation], and for young men who have committed to the seminary.”

Father McGivney’s presence can be felt throughout the grounds, according to Father Gould.

“To have him interceding for us is a great blessing,” said Father Gould, as he and the seven seminarians are learning the idiosyncrasies of the newly renovated building they now call home. “It is a beautiful thing to have this first stage of formation on the site of the original seminary.”

‘ALL IN IT TOGETHER’

St. Mary’s Seminary was founded in 1791 by the Society of St. Sulpice — a French community of diocesan priests dedicated to priestly formation — at the invitation of Bishop John Carroll, the first bishop of Baltimore, the United States’ first diocese. The first class consisted of only five seminarians, but by the time Michael McGivney arrived 82 years later, the nation’s first seminary had formed and ordained hundreds of priests.

Father McGivney was grateful for the outstanding formation he received at St. Mary’s, in particular from Sulpician Father Alphonse Magnien, with whom he maintained a warm correspondence.

In a letter to Father Magnien on Oct. 21, 1878, written during his first year as a priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, he concludes: “Wishing you and the

Virgin Mary, in the historic chapel where McGivney prayed as a seminarian. • Opposite page: Michael McGivney is pictured circa 1877, during his formative years at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore.

dear fathers of St. Mary’s all manner of blessings, I remain as ever a fond and loving son of my Alma Mater.”

By 1929, the seminary had expanded to include its current Roland Park campus 5 miles north; in 1974, the seminary was consolidated and renamed St. Mary’s Seminary & University. The old seminary building on Paca Street was demolished, but its chapel, dedicated in 1808 by then-Archbishop Carroll, remains on the historic site, as does the original Mother Seton House, where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton started her first boarding school for girls in 1809.

A former convent on the historic site that was once used as a retreat center was completely renovated and expanded to create the McGivney House, which consists of 12 individual rooms for seminarians, two suites for the director and coordinator, open spaces and an adoration chapel. The project took two years to complete.

“They were able to create a space really designed for a small community,” Father Gould, 48, explained. “It is always going to be a small program, so the seminarians get to know each other better. We’re all in it together.”

Like its new living quarters, the propaedeutic stage of formation is a new program called for by Pope Francis in 2016 and mandated in the Program of Priestly Formation (6th edition) , promulgated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2023.

Its roots lie in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II’s 1992 apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis ( I Will Give You Shepherds ), which expressed the need for a preparatory year for seminarians due to rapidly changing cultural landscapes. The Program of Priestly Formation thus emphasizes the human and spiritual grounding needed to engage in priestly formation today: “There are many generous young men open to a priestly call who nevertheless need more intensive preparation before they are ready to enter into the discipleship stage of formation; thus, a propaedeutic stage prior to the discipleship stage is essential” ( PPF § 119).

Father Gould explained that the propaedeutic stage provides formation in four key dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral.

“Through this program,” he explained, “the men become more self-aware, more self-possessed to give more of themselves.”

GROWING IN COMMUNITY

The seven seminarians in the program’s first year range in age from early 20s to 50s. They hail from the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the dioceses of Buffalo, Erie, Scranton and Wilmington.

“The culture I grew up in was so different,” said Father

Photo by Daniel Kucin Jr.

Above: Sulpician Father Shawn Gould (left), director of the Blessed Michael J. McGivney Propaedeutic House of Formation in Baltimore, prays vespers with first-year seminarians Aug. 15, 2024, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed

Yeakel, 75, the coordinator for McGivney House. “I had [the new seminarians] say what generation they were — Generation Z, Millennial, Gen X — and how they were perceived by others. For me, it was an eye-opener.”

As coordinator, Father Yeakel said his role is to aid the seminarians with both their spiritual and human development — helping them learn, for example, how to manage their feelings and to properly take care of their physical and mental health.

“In addition to some coursework, the residents devote much of their time to prayer, Scripture and spirituality,” said Father Yeakel, who is a member of Blessed Michael McGivney at St. Mary’s Council 17759, which was chartered at the seminary in 2022.

The program is longer than a normal school year, starting Aug. 1 and running until mid-June, with a break during the Christmas holiday. Days begin at 7 a.m. in the chapel for meditation, followed by morning prayers and breakfast; the residents also attend daily Mass. The rest of the day is spent in courses in formation, counseling and recreation time. Night prayer is at 9 p.m., followed by a “grand silence” from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

“Because of my experience in the Army, this lifestyle feels comfortable,” said Kaya Manizade, 28, a seminarian from the Diocese of Wilmington. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, who went on to serve five years as a military intelligence officer, Manizade entered the Church after meeting devout Catholics at West Point.

“I feel like I am where I am supposed to be,” said Manizade, a member of St. Francis de Sales Council 3489 in Salisbury, Maryland. “This environment is all about camaraderie.”

Each of the men has house chores. While their dinners are prepared for them during the week, they are responsible for their own breakfast and lunch, as well as doing their laundry and cleaning their rooms and bathrooms.

“They keep us busy,” said Tyler Smart, a seminarian from the Diocese of Erie. A physical therapist assistant for six years, he is glad he finally said yes to the Lord and applied to the seminary, though he admitted it can be challenging.

“I always remind myself to ask God to give me grace,” said Smart, 26, who is a member of Joseph J. Fitzmartin Council 1446 in Greenville, Pennsylvania. “Everything we have in life is a gift. When you surrender everything to him, it makes everything go so much more smoothly.”

The men also do mission work in Baltimore as part of the pastoral dimension of their formation. For his part, Smart volunteers at the Franciscan Center, a nonprofit that serves free meals and offers various services to its clients.

“You build relationships with them as they become comfortable talking and opening up about their struggles,” Smart said. “Being in the city, there is so much lack of community. I think Father McGivney’s example of unity and charity really applies to us as we reach out to those in need.”

PILGRIMS WITH A MISSION

Short pilgrimages have also played an important part in the McGivney House residents’ formation. This past November,

Above: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori, accompanied by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, blesses the oratory altar at the McGivney House of Formation during the dedication ceremony Jan. 23. • Opposite page: Archbishop Lori speaks with seminarians Luca LaNasa (left), Tyler Smart and Mark Boegner during a reception following the dedication and blessing.

the group made a two-day trip to Connecticut, visiting places related to Father McGivney’s life and ministry, including his birthplace in Waterbury; St. Mary’s Church in New Haven — the birthplace of the Order — and other churches where he served; and the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center.

“Pilgrimages offer a very tangible experience,” explained Father Gould, who is a member of St. Bede-Pius X Council 3788 in Ingleside, Illinois. “Part of it is learning more about the lives of saints. Everybody had heard about Father McGivney, for example, but didn’t know much about his life.”

In addition to Connecticut, the group has visited the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. At the end of the school year, the group will make a Marian pilgrimage to France to visit numerous shrines, including Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, NotreDame-de-Chartres Cathedral and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

“Going to Connecticut really helped educate us about Father McGivney,” Manizade affirmed. “I joined the Knights in Georgia while in the Army, and I enjoyed the fraternity. But I didn’t appreciate the scale of the organization. It only dawned on me after visiting the headquarters.”

Mark Boegner, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and a member of Sedes Sapientiae Council 13295 in College Park, Maryland, was likewise moved while on the pilgrimage to Connecticut.

“Now, to be in the McGivney House and pray in the original chapel he prayed in carries even more meaning,” said Boegner, 23.

Supreme Knight Kelly, in his remarks at the Jan. 23 dedication, shared an anecdote from a pilgrimage to Rome.

“Several years ago, Archbishop Lori and I were meeting with Pope Francis, and we told him about Father McGivney and about his character. Pope Francis said, ‘We need priests like this.’”

The supreme knight continued: “It is our hope on behalf of the 2.1 million members of the Knights of Columbus that you will have priests like Father McGivney. And I think this propaedeutic house is such an important building block in that formation. One priest can make an enormous difference.”

KATIE

JONES is a staff writer for the Catholic Review , the official news outlet of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Above: The Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the original chapel of St. Mary’s Seminary, stands on North Paca Street in Baltimore, adjacent to the new house of formation. • Inset: The chapel, once surmounted by a wooden steeple, is pictured circa 1890.

‘WHY WE MARCH’

Knights of Columbus march in defense of human life alongside tens of thousands in Washington

By Columbia staff

Pro-life advocates turned out by the thousands for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, to advocate for federal pro-life legislation and peacefully protest the permissive abortion laws that still exist in many states since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 — some even permitting elective abortion at any stage of pregnancy.

Knights of Columbus and families representing scores of councils around the country carried K of C “Love Life, Choose Life” signs, while Knights in Virginia served as marshals for the annual event. Andrew Hodgson, grand knight of University of Wisconsin-Madison Council 6568, led the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the pre-march rally on the National Mall.

The rally featured a wide range of speakers, including prominent lawmakers, pro-life activists, religious leaders and medical professionals.

This year’s theme — “Life: Why We March” — was a simple reminder of the pro-life movement’s mission, explained Jeanne Mancini, outgoing president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

“We’re in the business of changing hearts and minds. Our goal is to make abortion unthinkable,” she said. “Your stories will help us reach that goal. Why are you here? Why are you pro-life? Each of you has a reason, and when you share that reason, your witness makes a difference.”

Mancini, who has served as president since 2012 and will continue to serve on the March for Life board of directors,

introduced her successor, Jennie Bradley Lichter. A Catholic mother, a lawyer and a longtime advocate for the sanctity of human life, Lichter assumed her new role Feb. 1.

Addressing the March for Life rally, Lichter urged each person to build communities committed to life.

“When you get home, take a few minutes to get to know the resources available in your area for pregnant women who need a hand, because you never know when someone in your life might confide in you about an unexpected pregnancy,” she said. “Be ready to be the voice telling them that they are strong enough.”

Vice President JD Vance, making his first public appearance since taking the oath of office a few days earlier, delivered the rally’s final speech.

Across the United States, lifesaving support for women and their babies is available at over 3,400 community-based pregnancy resource centers. Since 2022, Knights have donated nearly $14 million of support through the Order’s ASAP (Aid and Support After Pregnancy) program. And since 2009, Knights in the U.S. and Canada have funded more than 1,900 ultrasound machines, which give mothers the opportunity to see their unborn babies.

“Helping vulnerable women and children is in the Knights’ DNA,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, who participated in the march with other Supreme Officers and members of the board of directors. “The Order’s mission ... will continue to guide our work, as we remind our nation’s lawmakers at every level that life is a sacred and precious gift worth protecting.” B

FROM LEFT: Photo by Matthew Barrick — Photo by Paul Haring

From left: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and Vanessa Kelly (in hat) stand outside the U.S. Capitol with Jennie Bradley Lichter, the new president of the March for Life. • Students of Wheaton College carry the March for Life banner past the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Photo by Matthew Barrick

For the Joy of Life

Thousands of high school and college students gather for prayer, celebration and witness at Life Fest

By Cecilia Engbert

IT WAS WELL BELOW freezing and barely past sunrise on Jan. 24, but that didn’t deter thousands of young people from streaming into EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, to pray and rally at Life Fest before the March for Life in nearby Washington, D.C.

The two-day event, co-hosted by the Knights of Columbus, the Sisters of Life and the Diocese of Arlington, began the previous night with musical performances, pro-life testimonies and Eucharistic adoration. On both days, long lines formed for confession and the opportunity to venerate relics of St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II and Blessed Michael McGivney, among others.

In its third year, Life Fest merged with the Diocese of Arlington’s long-standing Life is Very Good event to offer a dynamic celebration of life for young people. Emcees Sister Charity and Sister Cora Caeli of the Sisters of Life welcomed the animated crowds Thursday night before giving the stage over to the band We Are Messengers and Grammy-nominated musician Matt Maher.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, before leading the evening’s closing Eucharistic procession and Benediction, encouraged attendees to reflect on the theme of the Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope.

“Hope for us is rooted in a person, Jesus, the Son of God and the son of Mary,” he said. “Our hope is rooted in his power to transform hearts.”

On Friday morning, participants were greeted by the band Scythian, founded by Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka, both members of John Carrell Jenkins Council 7771 in Front Royal, Virginia. The brothers joked that their 8 a.m. performance was one of their earliest performances in 20 years, but they were thrilled to “open for Jesus.”

“This is the generation that forges ahead. [Their] energy is electric,” Alexander affirmed. “We feel that when we’re on stage. … There’s a joy that gives us an extra kick, that we love playing for.”

Over the events two days, several women shared their personal testimonies. One mother, Susanna, spoke about how her fear and desperation when faced with an unplanned pregnancy were met with strength and support from the Sisters of Life. Another woman, Connie, shared how the sisters accompanied her on her healing journey, leading her to receive forgiveness as she sought to overcome the shame and despair that followed abortion.

For the young Catholics in attendance, the witness of their peers was inspiring as well. John Paul Tamisiea, a senior at St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck, North Dakota,

Eric Latcheran (center), a Fourth Degree Knight in northern Virginia, joins Dan and Alex Fedoryka, founding members of the band Scythian and brother Knights, onstage Jan. 24 during Life Fest at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax.

said Life Fest was well worth the 30-hour bus ride he and his classmates made to Washington.

“Just to see a lot of young people so attracted to supporting life is powerful,” said Tamisiea.

Peter Lucas, a teacher at St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, Virginia, and a member of Mount Vernon Council 5998 in Alexandria, agreed.

“It’s really important to give young people an opportunity to experience the joy of witnessing for life,” said Lucas, who helped lead a group of students to both Life Fest and the march. “I know how much I benefited from the march when I was their age — it’s awe-inspiring and very rewarding.”

Life Fest concluded with Mass celebrated by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, joined by three concelebrating bishops and more than 50 priests. Father Scott Traynor, a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who is also a Knight, delivered the homily, sharing how his experience as a child of adoption has shaped his prolife commitment.

“I’m grateful for whoever was in [my birth mother’s] life that rallied around her, that didn’t let her be overwhelmed by fear … but helped her and supported her love in action to make a generous choice for life,” Father Traynor said. “Jesus calls us, you and me, to be instruments and witnesses of his love and love in action.” B

— Cecilia Engbert is a content producer for the Knights of Columbus Communications Department.

BOUND IN BROTHERHOOD AND CHARITY

Three years after the Russian invasion, the Order’s solidarity with Ukraine remains steadfast

By Columbia staff

“One of the great things about being a Knight,” reflected Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori during his pastoral visit to Ukraine in October 2024, “is that you know a Knight on the other side of the world is supporting you by his prayers [and] in a common sense of mission.”

This deep sense of unity and fraternity, together with charity, permeates every initiative undertaken by the Knights of Columbus to help suffering people in war-torn Ukraine, including the roughly 3,000 Ukrainian Knights and their families who hold onto the hope that their life and livelihood can be rebuilt.

The first Knights in Ukraine joined the Order in the spring of 2012, nearly two years before Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula and a decade before Russia’s full-scale

invasion Feb. 24, 2022. Among the first members were Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halyč, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, head of the Latin-rite community in Ukraine.

“We started with the first councils in Lviv and in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, right before the Revolution of Dignity started, right before the war knocked on our door,” noted Archbishop Shevchuk in an August 2018 interview, following the designation of Ukraine as a state council. “I think because of that very vibrant presence of the Knights of Columbus in our country, we were prepared by divine providence.”

Indeed, within 36 hours of the 2022 invasion, the Supreme Council committed $1 million of immediate aid and established the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, even as K of C councils in

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Solidarity in Prayer

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, leads an ecumenical prayer service at the Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv on March 10, 2022. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halyč stands at his right and Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv at his left. While in Lviv, the cardinal also visited a distribution warehouse operated by Knights. Beginning with K of C-organized Holy Hours on Jan. 26, 2022, the Knights of Columbus has continuously called its members to prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Charity Convoys Deliver Humanitarian Aid

A Knights of Columbus Charity Convoy truck loaded with care packages for displaced families heads toward Lviv from the Polish border May 16, 2022. The Charity Convoy initiative began within weeks of the Russian invasion, as the Order started working with Ukrainian trucking companies to regularly send large shipments of aid from warehouses in Poland across the border. A total of more than 10 million pounds of food, hygiene products and other supplies have been delivered.

Opening Mercy Centers

Ukrainian girls wave from inside a heated tent at the K of C Mercy Center in Hrebenne, Poland, constructed by St. Wojciech, Patron of Poland Council 15267 in Tomaszów Lubelski. Within days of the February 2022 invasion, Polish Knights established several centers near the Poland-Ukraine border to provide warmth, food and comfort to refugees during the first months of war. Local councils continue to support parish-based Mercy Centers in Poland and Ukraine.

Supreme Knight Visits Ukraine and Poland

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and then-State Deputy of Ukraine Youriy Maletskiy deliver Easter care packages April 12, 2022, to families taking refuge at a 14th-century monastery in Rava-Ruska, in western Ukraine. The previous day, Pope Francis received the supreme knight in a private audience and blessed an Easter basket representing the 10,000 Easter care packages assembled by Knights in Poland. During his trip, the supreme knight met with local Knights in Ukraine and Poland, visited with refugees and those displaced, and instituted the Fourth Degree in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Orphans Welcomed in Poland

Father Marek Bator (left), director of Caritas Częstochowa, Poland, celebrates with a group of Ukrainian children Jan. 24, 2023, opening of a new school for orphans forced to leave Ukraine. In the first weeks of the war, some 100 of the children were welcomed to a Caritas-run retreat center that was converted into an orphanage with the Order’s support. Caritas is one of many organizations the Knights has partnered with to provide children of war with education, shelter, and medical and psychological attention.

Powering Ukraine’s Parishes

Members of St. Demetrius Council 17293, including council chaplain Father Andriy Rehner, unpack a generator at Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Ivano-Frankivsk on March 13, 2023. In response to blackouts caused by Russian missile strikes, local Knights purchased backup generators for more than 40 parishes in Ukraine, thanks to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund.

K of C Coats for Kids Comes to Europe

During his visit to Poland and Ukraine Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2022, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori helps a girl try on a coat during a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution for refugee children. The Oct. 1 event, held at a parish-based Mercy Center in Częstochowa, was among the first of many such distributions in Poland. The program was later introduced in Ukraine in November 2023.

Poland mobilized to welcome refugees and deliver aid to their eastern neighbors. In the following days and weeks, K of C Mercy Centers were established at the Poland-Ukraine border where fleeing refugees could find food, warmth and medical care. This initiative eventually evolved into parish-based Mercy Centers, organized by the local councils in both countries. Since the immediate aftermath of the invasion, Knights in Poland have been untiring in their on-the-ground charitable efforts, establishing an infrastructure of support for refugees — primarily women and children — and welcoming them into their communities, sometimes their own homes. Through K of C Charity Convoys, Polish Knights provide critical assistance in getting supplies to Ukraine, while Ukrainian Knights, whose numbers have grown more than 50% during the past three years, facilitate the distribution of aid to areas in most need.

At the same time, brother Knights around the world continue to stand with and pray for those suffering. In all, the Ukraine Solidarity Fund has generated more than $24 million toward humanitarian relief. With the aid of partnerships and Knights on the ground, millions of pounds of food

and supplies have been delivered, and numerous creative initiatives have provided material, spiritual and psychological support to widows, orphans and others in need.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly visited Poland and Ukraine just six weeks after the Russian invasion, during Holy Week in April 2022. He returned during Advent, again delivering support and a message of hope and emphasized the Order’s solidarity during this time of need.

“What you are doing here really exemplifies the kind of courage that Father McGivney had when he founded the Knights in order to serve his parishioners who needed help,” Supreme Knight Kelly told Ukrainian Knights during his initial visit.

During his December 2022 trip, the supreme knight expressed a sentiment he has reiterated several times since. “You are not alone,” he told the Knights in Ukraine. “Your brothers are praying for you, continuing to donate resources for your work. You are writing the next chapter in the history of the Knights of Columbus — and you are sending a message to the Church and the world.”

To learn more, visit kofc.org/ukraine B

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Photo by Sebastian Nycz —

Photo by Tamino Petelinšek —

Photo by Andrey Gorb

Serving Widows of War

A woman holds her daughter during a Divine Liturgy organized by Holy Martyr Josaphat Council 18318 for families of fallen soldiers in the chapel of the Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Seminary on Dec. 30, 2023. Heeding Blessed Michael McGivney’s call to serve the widow and orphan, Knights have prioritized caring for families who have lost husbands, fathers and other family members due to war. This has included organizing Christmas dinners and support groups for widows.

Supreme

Chaplain

Visits

‘Hero Cities’ in Ukraine

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori pauses on Yablunska Street in Bucha, Ukraine, during his visit Oct. 19, 2024, to pray for eight men executed by Russian forces during the early days of the war. Archbishop Lori, who visited Ukraine Oct. 19-21, also prayed at a memorial to 119 victims of the 2022 Bucha massacre, which took place near the grounds of St. Andrew the First-Called Church. The same day, he visited the nearby town of Irpin, also among the first to be suffer intense attacks, and participated in a Coats for Kids distribution organized by Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky Council 16890.

Supreme Knight Returns to Poland, Ukraine

Supreme Knight Kelly delivers remarks at Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Lviv on Dec. 5, 2022, before a ribbon-cutting of new medical equipment donated by the Order. During his second visit to Poland and Ukraine since the invasion, Dec. 2-6, the supreme knight met with Knights, displaced persons and various religious and government leaders. The visit also paved the way for future K of C-supported initiatives, including a de-mining project to ensure the safety of families and to aid food production in Ukraine.

Sheltering the Homeless

Displaced families and other guests, including State Deputy Mykola Mostovyak and Past State Deputy Youriy Maletskiy, gather in front of modular homes in Briukhovychi, Ukraine, on July 12, 2024. Mudra Sprava, a charitable foundation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, built the homes for families displaced by the war. The families previously lived in a nearby rehabilitation center that housed some 100 people. Both housing initiatives were supported by the Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund.

Knights from St. Elizabeth of Hungary Council 16272 in Malolos City, Luzon North, lead a procession with sisters from the Religious Catechists of Mary after Mass on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Council 16272 also organized a novena in anticipation of the feast day celebration.

FRIENDS OF ST. FAUSTINA

Fourth Degree Knights from St. George Assembly 2943 in Apache Junction, Ariz., displayed first- and second-class relics of St. Faustina Kowalska after a prayer service on the Polish saint’s feast day at St. George Parish. About 250 people venerated the relics, prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and heard reflections from St. Faustina’s diary. Several other relics were also present at the service, which was arranged with support from the Apostolate of the Holy Relics.

SUPPORTING NEWMAN CENTER CONSTRUCTION

Msgr. Albert Thompson Assembly 1594 in Fancy Farm, Ky., organized a fundraiser that yielded $2,000 for the Newman Catholic Center at Murray State University, which is holding a capital campaign to construct a new building.

GOLDEN STATE RETREAT

The California State Council partnered with the Maris Stella Institute to organize a one-day retreat titled “Marian Eucharistic Spirituality for Our Times” at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Yuba City.

The retreat included Eucharistic adoration, spiritual talks, and a Marian procession around the church’s neighborhood for which Santa Maria Assembly 1959 in Marysville provided an honor guard. Nearly 50 people, including Knights from throughout Northern California, attended the retreat.

NEW FLOORING FOR MISSION CHURCH

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dungannon, Va., a small mission church with fewer than two dozen parishioners, suffered severe water damage that left it unusable. Msgr. James J. Hickie Council 6695 in Bristol learned of the church’s need and donated $10,000 toward repairs. New flooring has since been installed, and parishioners have returned to the church for Mass.

CORNBREAD + CHILI

Mount Hood Council 18062 in Sandy, Ore., organized a cornbread and chili cookoff for parishioners of St. Michael Catholic Church. Council 18062 raised more than $500 to support parish events and ministries.

Faith

VOCATIONS FUNDRAISER

Marquette Council 588 in Sparta, N.J., partnered with a local Krispy Kreme for a fundraiser in which the council received a portion of the proceeds of doughnut sales for charity. Knights sold more than 116 dozen doughnuts, collecting about $2,500 to support the formation of seminarians in the Diocese of Paterson. Council 588 also recently honored eight local priests during its 22nd annual Pride in Our Priests Dinner.

Father Jolly Sebastian, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and chaplain to Germantown (Tenn.) Council 7449, blesses a new statue of Blessed Michael McGivney as Grand Knight Steve Signaigo looks on. The statue replaced a similar one that was destroyed by a storm last year.

Family

Knights from Rock Creek Council 2797 in Bethesda, Md., celebrate after the council’s fun run to benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH. The event raised more than $3,700 for The Inn, which provides a temporary home to children receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health and their families.

CLASSROOM EXPANSION

St. Thomas School in Philo, Ill., received $3,500 from Father John C. Hecht Council 13103 to purchase furniture for a new kindergarten classroom. The school has grown significantly in recent years, necessitating the addition of a new classroom.

FAMILY HIKE

St. Helen of the Cross Council 15999 in Beamsville, Ontario, organized a hike for families from St. Helen Church. Hikers trekked through a section of Bruce Trail in crisp fall weather.

HOLY FAMILY CONSECRATION

More than 200 Knights and parishioners made an act of consecration to the Holy Family during a ceremony organized by St. John Marie Vianney Council 18164 at St. John Marie Vianney Parish in Silang, Luzon South. The event was part of an effort by councils in District #39 to increase devotion to the Holy Family.

PRIZE PUPILS

Msgr. Henry C. Schuyler Council 1333 in West Chester, Pa., continued its scholarship program this past year with two grants totaling $4,250. One was given to Annie Corcoran, a graduate of Sacred Heart High School now attending the University of Miami; the other to Darin Howell, a FOCUS missionary at West Chester University who is pursuing a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute.

BELIZE BIBLE SCHOOL

St. Joseph’s Council 4586 in Madison, Wis., donated $1,000 to fund a daily lunch of chicken and rice for 100 students attending a three-day vacation Bible school in Duck Run II, a village in Belize. Five Knights traveled to Belize to help with the Bible school, which is run

by St. Dennis Lighthouse Ministries, an organization that Council 4586 has long supported. Over the past decade, the council has donated about $10,000 to the village’s St. Joseph School and to families in the area; the financial assistance helped the school complete construction of its new building in 2019.

COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

Parsippany (N.J.) Council 3680 sponsored a booth at the 21st Annual Township Fall Festival, during which Knights raised money for charitable donations. The council also organized a rubber duck pond pull for children attending the festival; winners received a coupon for a free ice cream cone.

5 YEARS OF FEEDING FAMILIES

Since January 2020, St. Victor Council 4112 in San Jose, Calif., has operated St. Victor’s Food Pantry, partnering with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley to give about 25,000 pounds of food to more than 350 families each month. More than 2 million pounds of food, worth an estimated $3.3 million, has been distributed since the pantry opened. About 12% of San Jose’s population lives at or below the poverty line.

Members of five councils near Kelowna, British Columbia, assemble in front of a Nativity display they placed in the city’s Kerry Park during Advent 2024. Knights took over responsibility for the display from the city in December 2020, erecting it each year since as part of the councils’ Keep Christ in Christmas campaign.

Shane Hanson (right), a member of Msgr. Robert A. Feehan Council 1604 in Bismarck, N.D., shares a smile with a young girl as her dad helps her try on a new winter jacket at a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution at St. Mary’s Elementary School. All six councils in District #7 contributed to the annual event, which this year provided nearly 180 children with coats, gloves and knit caps.

REMEMBER THE FALLEN

Richmond (Va.) Assembly 1165 organized its annual Remembrance of the Fallen event at Holy Cross Cemetery. The Fourth Degree Knights prayed the rosary and laid memorial wreaths at the graves of five Richmond men who died while serving in World War II.

PARTNERSHIP WARMS HEARTS

For the past six years, St. Francis of Assisi Council 2146 in Welland, Ontario, has held multiple breakfasts to support the St. Vincent de Paul Council of the Diocese of St. Catharines, raising an average of CA$2,500 annually. The St. Vincent de Paul Council uses the funds to ship dried goods to Naujaat, an Inuit hamlet situated on the Arctic Circle. The two groups also partner to distribute nearly 50 winter jackets through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program each year.

LAID TO REST

Members of St. Leo the Great Council 9170 in Ava, Mo., and Trinity Council 10844 in Marshfield helped coordinate the interment of the unclaimed remains of two veterans at Missouri Veterans

Cemetery-Fort Leonard Wood. In conjunction with the Missing in America Project, the Knights located and identified the cremated remains of the two veterans — one had been unclaimed for more than 60 years — and worked with the Missouri Army National Guard and U.S. Navy to ensure they were laid to rest with full military funeral honors.

FLAGS FOR VETERANS DAY

Knights from St. Pope John Paul II Assembly 3321 in Sellersville, Pa., placed 100 flags along a half-mile stretch of trail and roadway around St. Isidore Catholic Church in observance of Veterans Day. Students from St. Isidore School joined the Knights to help place the flags.

WARMTH FOR WISCONSIN WINTER

St. Stephen the Martyr Council 16821 in Oak Creek, Wis., partnered with St. Stephen Catholic Church’s Council of Catholic Women to distribute 300 winter jackets and handknit hats and scarves to people in need. Council 16821 organized distributions at the parish’s food pantry and two local charities.

Community

Members of St. Mary Tri-Parish Council 11803 in Rifle, Colo., cut wood during a work day with Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley, helping construct a new complex of townhomes and condos. This was the council’s first time working with Habitat for Humanity.

SAFETY FIRST

After members of Msgr. William S. Bevington Council 9132 in Hendersonville, Tenn., learned that hundreds of nails installed in three bridges along the city’s Greenway Trail were popping up, creating a safety hazard, the council decided to tackle the problem. Knights consulted for two weeks with the city’s public works department to plan the service project and then spent four days hammering down about 1,000 nails and installing nearly 8,000 screws to secure the three bridges’ 2,600 boards.

TOP LEFT: Photo by Ben Gumeringer

Life

DECADES OF DONATIONS

Father Flajole Council 2986 in Pinconning, Mich., has organized six blood drives every year since 1977, collecting about 8,400 pints of blood — enough to assist more than 25,000 people.

BOCCE BOOSTERS

Father John E. Doyle Council 9715 in Lansdale, Pa., awarded four scholarships of $200 each to members of the Special Olympics bocce program at North Penn High School. This was the third year Council 9715 has supported the team.

Knights pray the rosary in front of an abortion facility in Wilmington, Del., during a monthly demonstration organized by the Delaware State Council. Since the Knights’ monthly prayer vigils outside Delaware abortion facilities began in 2009, at least two of the facilities have closed.

Supreme Master Michael McCusker (right) greets Father Jesús Alberto Tijerina Bernal (left) of the Diocese of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, before handing over a Knights of Columbus Silver Rose during the annual exchange ceremony between Knights from the United States and Mexico at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge in Laredo, Texas. Standing center, wearing vestments and also holding a Silver Rose, is Father Iden Bello, rector of San Agustín Cathedral in Laredo.

SIOUXLAND SEES LIFE

Since Guiding Star Siouxland, a pregnancy resource center in Sioux Center, Iowa, ceased full operations in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, it spent several years offering partial services out of different rented locations.

Looking to re-establish the center in a permanent facility, staff approached Granville (Iowa) Council 3810 for help replacing their outdated ultrasound machine. In less than five months, the council raised more than $22,000, part of which the Supreme Council matched toward the purchase of a new machine. Guiding Star will use the balance of the funds — about $7,000 — for other needs.

BULBS FOR BABIES

St. John XXIII Council 13624 in Fort Myers, Fla., organized a sale of amaryllis bulbs to raise money for Verity Pregnancy and Medical Resource Center and Our Mother’s Home, a residence that serves young mothers who are in the foster care system or have been affected by human trafficking.

Council 13624 sold 200 bulbs, raising a total of $4,000 that was split evenly between the organizations.

WITH THE ANGELS

For the past 10 years, members of Bishop Charles P. Greco Assembly 2093 in Metairie, La., have attended monthly burial services, organized by Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies, for children who died from abortion or stillbirth, or were abandoned. Many Knights have donated the capes of their retired Fourth Degree regalia so the silk can be used to line urns for the deceased babies, who have all been cremated. Knights also serve as pallbearers for the services, which are led by Deacon Ricky Suprean, a member of Alex Semel Council 12989 in Lacombe.

See more at www.kofc.org/knightsinaction

Please submit your council activities to knightsinaction@kofc.org

United States

Rhode Island State Deputy Joseph Carrignan (left) and District Deputy Steven Perry prepare boxes of food during a Holiday Harvest of Hope event organized by the Rhode Island State Council and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Twelve local councils collected more than 10,000 pounds of food and $1,000 in donations to help fill boxes of food for Thanksgiving, benefitting more than 600 families in need.

State Deputy Alejandro Arroyo (left) of Mexico South presents an encyclopedia on Our Lady of Guadalupe to Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, apostolic nuncio to Mexico, as Supreme Director Jorge Estrada looks on. Several current and past state deputies from Mexico, led by Supreme Director Estrada, met with the nuncio to inform him of the activities of the Order in Mexico and invite him to the national convention in May.

Members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors stand with Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Little Sisters of the Poor and guests after the blessing of a new van for the Little Sisters at the Order’s Campo Sportivo Pio XI recreation center in Rome, Italy. The dedication ceremony took place during a board meeting and pilgrimage this past fall. The sisters, longtime partners of the Knights, will use the new 2024 Fiat Scudo to transport food, furnishings and other donations, and travel to their other communities in Italy.

TOP:

Photo by Angel Valentín —

BOTTOM: Photo by Tamino Petelinšek

Mexico Rome

Father Dirk Sanchez, pastor of Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish in Magallanes, Mindanao, and a brother Knight, blesses food packages prepared by Magallanes Council 7885 for distribution to families in need. The council organizes the distribution twice a year, helping 220 families during the most recent distribution.

Knights and family members from St. Nicholas Byzantine Ukrainian Council 7659 in Calgary, Alberta, gather with a youth hockey team from Ukraine after presenting them with winter jackets donated through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program. The team, composed of girls from different regions of Ukraine, arrived in Calgary to compete in a youth hockey tournament but was unprepared for the cold weather conditions. Council 7659 gave players and coaches a total of 18 winter jackets, as well as gloves and hats.

Above: District Deputy Yevhen Perepichka (left) presents Father Taras Putko, rector of Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Seminary, with scholarships totaling 25,000 UAH (about $600) for seminarians. Also during the event, four newly ordained priests received gifts from the Ukraine State Council.

Left: Members of Merciful Jesus Council 16405 and parochial vicar Father Marcin Jędraszek solicit donations outside of Merciful Jesus Parish in Brodnica during a recent drive to support a council member’s nephew, Nicodemus, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The drive raised about $2,500 to help pay for surgery to remove the tumor.

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Knights of Charity

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

Runners take off at the start of the annual Actibong Takbo fun run organized by Ang Bagong Bayani Assembly 3655 at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, Luzon North. More than 2,300 people participated in the event, which raised 375,500 PHP (about $6,500) for the renovation of Holy Family Church in the city’s Kamuning neighborhood.

‘True love is sacrificial love.’

My family taught me the value of sacrifice. As I grew up, watching Mom give of herself to raise us boys and Dad lay down his life to provide for our needs, I observed that true love is sacrificial love.

When I left home at 18 to work, I chose to continue to practice my Catholic faith. In addition to attending Sunday Mass, I decided to read sacred Scripture and pray the rosary regularly. Eventually, this led to the discipline of going to daily Mass.

That was when I started to fall in love with Jesus in the Eucharist. Over the next several years, my heart began to revolve around Our Lord. Though I desired to be married and raise a family, I wanted more than anything to fulfill the Father’s will.

The stage was thus set for the call to the priesthood I received at the age of 28. Though the sacrifice of leaving human ambitions behind was tough, I responded out of love. This response to God’s love continues as I lay down my life daily with Christ as a Catholic priest.

Father Bryce Lungren Diocese of Cheyenne

Father De Smet Council 3332 Buffalo, Wyoming

Photo by Matt Gade