Columbia May 2011

KNI GHT S O F CO LUMBU S

M AY 2011

COLUMBIA

may ad_Layout 1 4/19/11 4:12 PM Page 1

Ten Years

of Payments.

A Lifetime of Benefits.

A new product from the Knights of Columbus allows the purchase of a permanent life insurance plan, with cash value, that is paid for in just ten years. This unique design offers the ability to build a valuable portfolio of coverage and cash with a limited number of payments. For the first time, get whole life protection in ten years!

LIFE INSURANCE

DISABILITY INSURANCE

LO N G - T E R M CA R E

ANNUITIES

f in d a n a ge n t a t kofc .or g or c a ll 1-80 0-345-5632

AAA (Extremely Strong) Standard & Poor’s

A++ (Superior) A.M. Best

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

-

M ay 2 0 1 1 ♦ V o l u M e 9 1 ♦ N u M b e r 5

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

8 From the Field to the Altar Young men tell their stories of leaving behind promising sports careers to become priests.

BY MIKE LATONA

12 Celebrating 30 Years Past and current presidents of the John Paul II Institute reflect on the academic program’s history and purpose.

BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI

14 Love is Possible From the beginning, the family was central to the future Pope John Paul II’s pastoral ministry.

BY LUDMIŁA AND STANISŁAW GRYGIEL

19 Following a Greater Love

Of Gods and Men, a film about Trappist monks in Algeria, illuminates the meaning of the Christian vocation.

BY FATHER PETER JOHN CAMERON

22 God, Truth and the Free Society Twenty years later, Pope John Paul II’s great social encyclical is as relevant as ever.

BY FATHER RAYMOND J. DE SOUZA

24 Every Knight’s Weapon Rosary-making Knights continue the Order’s long tradition of Marian devotion.

A 65-foot tall bronze statue of Christ the King is pictured at the top of Cubilete Hill, located at the geographic center of Mexico.

BY MITCH FINLEY

D E PA RT M E N T S 3

Building a better world

6

Through our witness of charity, unity and fraternity, we can help others to encounter Christ.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

4

Learning the faith, living the faith Scripture teaches us the meaning of prayer and presents us with models of discipleship

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

16

Knights of Columbus News

18

Fathers for Good

Louisiana Knights gather aid, supplies for Japan • ‘Making God’s Work Our Own’ • Knights in Mexico Join Supreme Knight in Pilgrimage • Philippine Knights March for Life

26

Knights in Action

Columbia Conversation

32

Columbianism by Degrees

Teaching our children about life, love and morality is a challenging task in the modern world.

BY MATTHEW LICKONA

An interview about Blessed John Paul II’s teaching on the human person and its role in the new evangelization.

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

M AY 2011

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 1

Identity and Vocation FROM THE beginning of Blessed John Paul II’s priesthood, his theological, philosophical and pastoral reflections often focused on human love. In his 1981 document on the family, the pope called love “the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.” He explained that marriage and celibacy for the sake of the kingdom are in fact “two specific ways of realizing the vocation of the human person, in its entirety, to love. … Either one is, in its own proper form, an actuation of the most profound truth of man, of his being ‘created in the image of God’” (Familiaris Consortio, 11).

In articulating this “profound truth of man,” John Paul II continued the work of the Second Vatican Council, which addressed questions “about the place and role of man in the universe, about the meaning of mankind’s individual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny of reality and of humanity” (Gaudium et Spes, 3). The answers to these questions, the council taught, are ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ, who “fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (22). It is no wonder, then, that in a largely postChristian society, modern man is faced with a crisis of identity and vocation. When a person attempts to live as if God does not exist, he forgets who he is and what he is created for.

In his message for this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be observed May 15, Pope Bene-

dict XVI wrote that Catholic communities must promote and encourage religious and priestly vocations by helping young people “to grow into a genuine and affectionate friendship with the Lord” and “to understand that entering into God’s will does not crush or destroy a person, but instead leads to the discovery of the deepest truth about ourselves.” In other words, growing in a relationship with and obedience to God leads not to blindness and slavery, but to selfknowledge and self-realization. Such is the experience of those who respond to a vocation from Christ without counting the cost (see page 8).

There is perhaps no better time than this Easter season to recall the Church’s teachings about the creation, nature and vocation of the human person. During this month of May, we turn our eyes to the Virgin Mary, who embodies these teachings in a definitive way. And as we observe the anniversaries of John Paul II’s great social encyclical Centesimus Annus (see page 22) and the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (see page 12), we reflect on the significance of these teachings for the new evangelization. Through prayer, education, and especially personal witness, we can proclaim with St. Paul: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph 5:14).♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI MANAGING EDITOR

Online Exclusive — Pope John Paul II: A Blessed Legacy LEADING UP TO Blessed John Paul II’s beatification May 1, Headline Bistro, the Knights of Columbus news website, commissioned several columns in tribute to the John Paul II’s life and pontificate. “Pope John Paul II: A Blessed Legacy” includes articles by papal biographer George Weigel, Mother Agnes of the Sisters of Life, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Jim Nicholson and many others. They can all be read at www.HeadlineBistro.com/JPII. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

M AY 2011

COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SupreMe KniGht Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SupreMe Chaplain Dennis A. Savoie Deputy SupreMe KniGht Emilio B. Moure SupreMe SeCretary Charles E. Maurer Jr. SupreMe treaSurer John A. Marrella SupreMe aDvOCate ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski alton.pelowski@kofc.org ManaGinG eDitOr Patrick Scalisi patrick.scalisi@kofc.org aSSOCiate eDitOr Brian Dowling brian.dowling@kofc.org Creative & eDitOrial aSSiStant ________ GRAPHICS Michelle McCleary layOut

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US Mail COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 phOne 203-752-4398 Fax 203-752-4109 e-Mail columbia@kofc.org internet kofc.org/columbia CuStOMer ServiCe 1-800-380-9995 ________ 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.

________ Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER A detail of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, part of the fresco painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

CoVer: erich lessing / art resource, Ny — PoPe JoHN Paul II: Gianni Giansanti/Sygma/Corbis

E D I TO R I A L

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Called to Change the World Through our witness of charity, unity and fraternity, we can help others to encounter Christ

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson EARLY IN his priestly ministry, then- child is sick. He engaged not only the Father Joseph Ratzinger told a group of physical drama of human existence but university students, “In our generation, also the moral drama: How many times cially true of the ceremonials of the the Christian faith finds itself in a much do I forgive my brother? What do we do Order — the honored tradition by deeper crisis than at any other time in with the woman caught in adultery? Do which we introduce our way of practicthe past.” He added that “what really tor- we pay taxes to a corrupt and oppressive ing charity, unity and fraternity.

As Christians, we can neither blindly ments us today” is “the question about government? the Gospel of the Lord: What did he acWe, too, are called to be a part of this accept nor run away from the way tually proclaim and bring among men?” human drama in both its physical and things are. In his most recent apostolic Four decades later, with the publica- spiritual dimension by reflecting the exhortation, Verbum Domini, Pope tion of the second volume of Jesus of face of Christ to everyone we meet. This Benedict writes, “The word of God Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI provides is the “charity which evangelizes” of makes us change our concept of realism” (10). We are called to change lives us with a rich opportunity to deepen which Blessed John Paul II spoke. our understanding of and encounter As followers of Jesus, we are invited and to transform the world. As Knights of Columbus, we are called to with the person and message do so by living more comof Jesus. pletely our principles and by The pope has given the We, too, are called to be a part bringing them to life in the Church a great gift with his lives of others. new book, which is subtitled of this human drama in both its At the conclusion of Jesus of Holy Week: From the Entrance physical and spiritual dimension Nazareth, the pope reflects on into Jerusalem to the Resurrecthe power of the Lord that tion. In his introduction, Pope by reflecting the face of Christ “comes in ways that change the Benedict writes, “I have atworld” through the work of his tempted to develop a way of to everyone we meet. saints. After naming many of observing and listening to the these well-known saints, BeneJesus of the Gospels that can indeed lead to a personal encounter.” to walk this path. It is the path that dict notes that they “all opened up new Christianity is the religion of the Father Michael J. McGivney walked ways for the Lord to enter into the conWord of God who “became flesh and and the path that he encouraged us to fused history of their century as it was made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). walk as Knights of Columbus, sup- pulling away from him. His mystery, his Jesus entered the world in a way that ported by our principles of charity, figure enters anew — and most importantly, his power to transform men’s sought precisely this personal en- unity and fraternity. counter. From his first moments of life, Our journey as Knights must con- lives and to refashion history becomes born in the poverty of a manger sur- tinue this encounter with the Lord. But present in a new way.”

We pray that Father McGivney will rounded by animals, to his last, dying we can only reflect the face of Christ to in agony surrounded by criminals, Jesus those we meet if we have first deepened one day be listed as one of the saints was fully engaged in the drama of our personal encounter with him. His through whom the Lord entered history human existence. presence through Scripture and the Eu- “to transform men’s lives,” and that we, His ministry was a ministry of en- charist must illuminate our principles too, may be faithful witnesses. vivat Jesus! counter: I want to see; I want to walk; my more profoundly. This must be espe-

M AY 2011

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 3

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

Prayer: A Gift from God Scripture teaches us the meaning of prayer and presents us with models of discipleship

by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori

THE FOURTH AND FINAL sec- frequently interceded before God on tion of the Compendium of the Cate- behalf of the chosen people. Moses’ chism of the Catholic Church discusses strength as a leader, however, came Jesus and are at the heart of the the topic of prayer in Christian life. from his uniquely intimate relation- Church’s prayer (Compendium, 540).

Prayer is defined as “raising one’s ship with God. God called Moses The Old Testament also shows us mind and heart to God, or the peti- from the burning bush and spoke to how the prophets prayed. Like Moses, tion of good things from him in ac- him in a remarkably direct manner, they entered deeply into prayer before cord with his will” (534). In prayer, especially during the encounter on the living God. Overshadowed by the we turn our whole attention to God, Mt. Sinai (cf. Ex 3:1-15, 19:1-25). spirit of the Lord, they received the offer him praise and, seeking only his Because of his constant, intimate Word of the Lord so that they could will, ask for what we need. We are communication with God, Moses is speak to the people on God’s behalf. obliged to pray, but prayer is It was in Jesus Christ most also God’s gift to us. It is how of all that God our Father we grow in our friendship with taught us what prayer is and Our prayer is pleasing to the Christ, who, in the power of the how to pray. Both Son of Holy Spirit, leads us to the FaFather when, in the power of the God and Son of Mary, Jesus ther of mercies. lived in obedience with Mary Holy Spirit, it is united to the In a sense, prayer is someand Joseph in their home in thing natural. Each human Nazareth. There, in his prayer of Jesus. In this way, being is created in God’s image human nature, he learned and, in spite of original sin, prayer deepens our communion from his mother how to pray. every person retains a desire for But as the eternal Son of with the Holy Trinity.

God. Yet, it is God who seeks God, his prayer had an even our friendship and draws us to deeper source (541, Jn 1:14). himself.

In the New Testament, we seen as a model of contemplative frequently find Jesus absorbed in PRAYER IN THE BIBLE prayer. He fasted and prayed for 40 prayer (Compendium, 537).

The Old Testament presents AbraThose who shepherded the people days and nights before he began his ham — “our father in faith” — as a of Israel helped them see that God public ministry (Mt 4:2) and prayed model of prayer because he walked in dwelled in their midst. Foremost before choosing his Apostles (Lk God’s presence, listened to him and among these leaders is David, the 6:12). He often withdrew from the obeyed his will. Like Abraham, Moses shepherd and king “after God’s own crowds to pray and taught his disciheart” (Acts 13:22). Sacred tradition ples the importance of doing so (Mk holds that David’s faith was the inspi- 6:31). Jesus, who taught us to pray The 36th installment of Supreme ration for the Psalms, the greatest constantly, made his whole life a Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori’s faith prayers in the Old Testament. Inspired prayer to his Father in heaven (1 Thes formation program addresses questions by the Holy Spirit, the Psalms are the 5:17; Compendium, 542).

534-547 of the Compendium of the CatWord of God given to us as our own echism of the Catholic Church. Archived prayer. They sing of God’s goodness in ‘LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY’ articles are at kofc.org. creating the world and his promise of Jesus’ prayer reached its pinnacle in redemption. They were prayed by his passion and death. During the 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

M AY 2011

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

agony in the garden, Jesus suffered intensely as he took upon himself the sins of the world and the anguish of a suffering humanity. In obedience to the Father’s will, he laid down his life to save us. There, he experienced for us the full weight of our sinful alienation from his Father and from one another. In this moment of supreme suffering on the Cross, Jesus interceded for us, and the Father heard his prayer and answered it beyond all hope by raising his Son from the dead (543).

Jesus gave us the “Our Father” as the perfect pattern of prayer. At the same time, he showed us the interior

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

Offered in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI GENERAL: That those who work in the media may always respect truth, solidarity and the dignity of each person.

PHoToGraPH oF PoPe: CNS photo/Paul Haring — ST. ISIDore: Wikimedia Commons

MISSION: That the Lord may grant the Church in China the capacity to persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and to grow in unity.

attitudes we should have when we pray, most especially purity of heart, openness to God’s will, love even for one’s enemies, and an intrepid faith and vigilance against temptation (544). The interior dispositions needed for prayer are beautifully summarized in the Beatitudes.

This leads us back to the truth that prayer is God’s gift to us. Our prayer is pleasing to the Father when, in the power of the Holy Spirit, it is united to the prayer of Jesus. In this way, prayer deepens our communion with the Holy Trinity.

Finally, just as Mary taught Jesus to pray, so also she helps us pray. Before

she conceived the Son of God in her womb, she prayed in complete openness to the living Word of God. Thus, she was prepared to share fully in the mission of Christ. Each day, the Church repeats Mary’s beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55). Mary prayed with the Apostles at Pentecost and was present at the first eucharistic celebrations (Acts 2:42). Her prayers for us and for all our needs are loving and powerful (Compendium, 546-547).

She always leads us to Jesus. In this month of May, may Mary intercede for us that we may grow in the ways of prayer.♦

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

St. Isidore the Farmer (c. 1070-1130) Feast day: May 15 ISIDORE WAS BORN to a poor Spanish family that lived on the outskirts of 11th-century Madrid. Due to his low economic stature, he faithfully worked as a laborer in the fields of a local landowner, John de Vergas.

Isidore’s strong work ethic, which he received from his parents, was matched only by his robust faith and piety. He was known to give his food to the poor and went to Mass daily.

But the fact that he sometimes spent more time in church than in the fields was not taken lightly. His coworkers, angered when Isidore would be late for work because of daily devotions, filed a complaint with their master. According to legend, when the master returned to the fields, he discovered an angel plowing in Isidore’s place.

Isidore married a woman named Maria Torribia, and they had a son.

One day, the child tumbled into a deep, open well. It is said that when Isidore and Maria prayed for their son, the water rose to ground level, allowing him to escape. Isidore and

Maria’s son still died at a young age, but their faith continued to grow.

Centuries after Isidore died, King Philip III of Spain reportedly was cured of a disease by touching one of Isidore’s relics. In turn, Isidore was canonized in 1622, and his wife, who outlived him by more than 40 years, was beatified in 1697. Their memorial is celebrated together on May 15.

To this day, St. Isidore is venerated as the patron of peasants, day laborers and farmers.♦

M AY 2011

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 5

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Knights Gather Aid, Supplies for Japan

Knights from throughout St. Bernard Parish and surrounding Louisiana communities, who had themselves been victims of natural disaster because of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, led an effort to collect donations and supplies for victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.

WHEN LOUISIANA DISTRICT Deputy Darrel Gonzales saw the first images of homes in Fukushima, Japan, being washed away in a devastating tsunami, it was all too familiar.

Five and a half years earlier, Hurricane Katrina tore his home in Chalmette from its foundation. His loss

was total, and when he was finally able to return to St. Bernard Parish many weeks later, he and his family had to rebuild from scratch. Gonzalez noted that authorities told him “three or four weeks in advance that Katrina was coming to the Gulf,” which allowed him and his family to evacuate. “The

people in Japan had no warning.”

So as Gonzalez and other members of Archbishop Rummel Council 5747 were putting the finishing touches on preparations for their annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival during the last weekend in March, they quickly added a significant new item to the festival plans: collecting food and other supplies for the people of northeast Japan.

The Knights rented a large truck and parked it next to the festival site. As the event began Thursday evening, cars were already dropping off food and other staples, often in case-sized quantities.

The Crawfish Festival started out as a small community gathering in 1975 and grew dramatically over the years.

This year, it drew an estimated 120,000 people.

In addition to charity drives like this, numerous jurisdictions, individual councils and Knights personally have contributed to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, which was set up by the Supreme Council following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. For more information, visit kofc.org/japanrelief or call 800-694-5713.♦

‘Making God’s Work Our Own’ MORE THAN 400 dignitaries, Knights, seminarians and members of the public gathered in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall April 7, as Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivered a speech titled “Making God’s Work Our Own: The Importance of President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address 50 Years Later.” The event was co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Boston Leadership Forum.

Following an invocation by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, the supreme knight reflected on memorable themes of Kennedy’s address, including human rights, service to others and religious freedom. “Few presidential speeches in our history have so clearly presented the spirit of our nation’s historical, philosophical and moral foundation,” the supreme knight said, adding that “it is his speech and its ideas — not the particulars of Kennedy’s politics or life — that I wish to explore with you today.” For the complete remarks, visit kofc.org.♦

6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

M AY 2011

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson speaks at the historic Faneuil Hall, known as the Cradle of Liberty, in Boston April 7.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Knights in Mexico Join Supreme Knight in Pilgrimage Fourth Degree Knights align a procession into the chapel at the Shrine of Christ the King on Mexico’s Cubilete Hill.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS from throughout Mexico traveled to the Shrine of Christ the King at the top of Cerro del Cubilete (Cubilete Hill) March 27 for a special day of worship in memory of the K of C martyrs who were killed during the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s.

Approximately 400 Knights and their families, some traveling as long as 15 hours from the far ends of the country, joined Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson for the event, which included a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Juan Sandoval, archbishop of Guadalajara.

Cardinal Sandoval emphasized the

need for the Order to grow in Mexico and for Knights to give witness to their faith, following the example of the Order’s founder, Father Michael J. McGivney, and of the martyrs being commemorated.

In remarks delivered in Spanish following Mass, the supreme knight also reflected on the sacrifice of the Mexican martyrs.

“What makes these Knights holy is not that they faced death with no fear,” he said. “Rather, it is the sincere and immense love they gave to their friends and enemies, even going to the extreme of shedding their own blood for their sake, as Christ himself did.”

The martyrs’ example of love of God and neighbor, the supreme knight added, is inseparable from the Knights’ history in Mexico.

“Honoring the lives of these men, the Order must remain faithful to the promise of growing with members who, with the fruit of their testimony, will transform society,” he said.

Cubilete Hill, also known as Christ the King Mountain, is located at the geographic center of Mexico, near the town of Silao, Guanajuato. At the hill’s summit, 8,530 feet above sea level, sits a shrine whose columns support a 65foot-tall, 88-ton bronze statue of Christ the King.

The original Shrine of Christ the King was first built by Catholics of the region in the late 1920s during the Cristero War. It was destroyed with dynamite by the Mexican government in 1928. At the bottom of the hill, at the place where the head of the original statue of Christ was found after the explosion, is the chapel of Mary Queen of the Martyrs, which today houses relics of the Mexican martyrs.

The March 27 celebration marked the renewal of an annual tradition of K of C pilgrimages to the shrine. It also commemorated the 129th anniversary of the Order.♦

Philippine Knights ‘Walk for Life’ “DEFEND LIFE” was a rallying cry for Knights and other pro-life advocates who participated in simultaneous “Walk for Life” events in Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas. The activities were held through March in support of the culture of life and in opposition to House Bill No. 4244, a measure that seeks to promote the use of contraceptives.

On March 25, an interfaith rally organized by the Archdiocese of Manila against the Reproductive Health Bill drew almost 400,000 supporters. Knights sponsored several additional rallies and “Walk for Life” events in cities throughout the Philippines, each drawing thousands of participants.♦

M AY 2011

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 7

from the •field• to the •altar•

Young men tell their stories of leaving behind promising sports careers to become priests

G

rant Desme was a rising star in baseball’s minor leagues.

Chase Hilgenbrinck had reached the top rung of professional soccer. Peter Hannah was a highly skilled golfer with his mind set on a pro career. Yet, no longer do these men measure their life’s work by pennants, penalty kicks or pars.

The voices now guiding them don’t come from coaches or crowds, but from deep within their souls, as they pursue studies for the Catholic priesthood.

In his message for this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be observed May 15, Pope Benedict XVI 8 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

M AY 2011

wrote: “It is a challenging and uplifting invitation that Jesus addresses to those to whom he says: ‘Follow me!’”

For Desme, Hilgenbrinck and Hannah, their challenge was to shed careers marked by superior athletic talent, public adulation and potentially big paychecks. Through their commitment, however, each has heard and responded to the “uplifting invitation” of Jesus.

ANSWERING THE CALL In 2009, Desme was a star baseball player at California Poly-

FIelD: Photo by brian Kersey/MlS via Getty Images

by Mike Latona

SeMINary: Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post/Getty Images

technic State University in San Luis Obispo, and he appeared to be on the fast track to a career in Major League Baseball.

A second-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics that summer, he was the only player to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the entire minor leagues, and he went on to earn Arizona Fall League MVP honors.

Shortly after the fall season ended, Desme visited St. Michael’s Abbey of the Norbertine Fathers in Silverado, Calif., responding to a long-held desire to explore the priesthood.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native then announced in January

Chase Hilgenbrinck (pictured both left and above), a member of Mount St. Mary’s Council 1965 in Emmitsburg, Md., was a defender for a Major League Soccer team when he decided to enter the seminary in 2008.

2010 that he was retiring from baseball. Since entering the monastery last August, the 25-year-old novice is now known as Frater Matthew Desme.

“I just felt it was the right time. There has to be a point to actually make the step, to trust that the Lord is calling you,” Frater Matthew said. He added that it was difficult to halt his M AY 2011

♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 9

Grant Desme, pictured here when he was an outfielder for California Polytechnic State University, was a top prospect for the Oakland Athletics. Now Frater Matthew, he is a novice at St. Michael’s Abbey, home of the Norbertine Fathers in Silverado, Calif. athletic career while performing so well, but he believes that having it happen in such a fashion demonstrated how genuine his call to the priesthood was.

Likewise, Hilgenbrinck committed to entering the seminary during the peak of his soccer career. That happened in the summer of 2008, when he opted not to complete his first season as a defender with Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and instead began the process of becoming a seminarian.

A native of Bloomington, Ill., Hilgenbrinck built his soccer résumé by starting for three years at Clemson University and then playing four years professionally in Chile, competing be10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

A COUNTERCULTURAL DECISION Any young man is to be admired when pursuing a vocation to the priesthood and committing to a life of celibacy, obedience and ministry. But it is especially shocking to mainstream society when the candidate has garnered considerable public praise for his athletic accomplishments.

Brother Peter, for one, is dismayed that athletics are etched so strongly into the national consciousness. “Sports are fun in a lot of ways, but our culture is kind of skewed in what they put into it,” he said.

Observing that it would have taken years of intense commitment to hone his golf game to a professional level — with no guarantee of success — Brother Peter said he much prefers having devoted his life to service in the Lord. He is now completing a one-year parish assignment at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska, as he prepares to be a priest. “I can’t imagine a better life,” he said.

Recognizing that many people place a high value on sports and that locker rooms are unlikely spots for discussing religion, Hilgenbrinck wasn’t sure what kind of feedback he would get from his team when he announced his retirement from soccer.

“I was fearful because of how countercultural it was, especially in professional athletics,” he said.

As it turned out, Hilgenbrinck’s announcement was met by a lot of support from his teammates and many others.

“It was almost overwhelming to me, the goodness I experienced,” he said, noting that some teammates who offered positive feedback were “guys I didn’t even know had any faith or would even care one bit. It just showed me how hungry people are to practice their faith.”

The Tribune/David Middlecamp

fore crowds of up to 50,000 people. But he felt out of place and homesick, and he coped by increasing his prayer time in South American churches and chapels.

“I fell back on the two things I knew: one of those was soccer, and the other was the Catholic Church. No matter where you go in the world, Jesus Christ is there in the tabernacle,” Hilgenbrinck said.

From there he experienced anew thoughts of the priesthood that had first surfaced in college. Now 29, he is completing his third year at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Unlike Desme and Hilgenbrinck, Dominican Brother Peter Junipero Hannah, 33, bowed out of his athletic career before reaching the professional level. He won several junior golf tournaments growing up in Monterey, Calif., and then golfed for the University of California at San Diego. He was initially passionate about turning pro but had second thoughts by the time he began graduate school at St. John’s College in Maryland in 2001. “I didn’t want golf to become my idol,” he said.

Influenced by the writings of G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and Blessed John Henry Newman, the former Presbyterian was received into the Catholic Church in 2003 and began seminary in 2006 with the Order of Preachers.

Dominican Brother Peter Hannah’s studies led him to join the Order of Preachers in 2006 rather than pursue a career in professional golf.

Photo by Mark Meyer

Like Hilgenbrinck, Frater Matthew prompted surprise, curiosity and good wishes from his baseball brethren.

“They were all really supportive, thanks be to God. I just had no idea how they were going to react, because I was playing well and this was out of the blue,” he said.

One person who wished Frater Matthew well was Hilgenbrinck himself, who got in touch based on similarities that few others could share. Both young men received considerable national publicity in the wake of their athletic retirements, so Hilgenbrinck called to offer encouragement. “I was kind of telling him what to expect,” he explained.

FINDING JOY IN SACRIFICE Today, Frater Matthew is still very early in the 10-year process toward becoming a priest in the Norbertine order. He acknowledges that in some respects, the adjustment to monastic life is ongoing.

“Mopping and cleaning toilets three days a week is a lot different than playing in front of people watching a game every day,” he said. Yet, he emphasized that he willingly embraces his new lifestyle, saying it is all a part of “trying to embrace the cross and live completely for Jesus.”

Hilgenbrinck is due to be ordained in 2014 as a priest for the Diocese of Peoria, Ill. In addition to his seminary studies, he has taught high school theology, participated in confirmation preparation and Hispanic ministry, and has become an active member of the Knights of Columbus. Joining Mount St. Mary’s University Council 1965, he said, was a decision influenced by the example of several family members who are long-time Knights.

“There’s something special about these men, who wanted to do more than the ordinary, reaching out to the community,” he added.

Brother Peter’s responsibilities in Anchorage have included involvement with youth, young adult and catechetical programs at Holy Family Cathedral, as well as teaching church history at a local school. He will return this year for studies at St. Albert’s Priory in Oakland, Calif., and, like Hilgenbrinck, anticipates being ordained in 2014.

Though their direction in life has changed, these men said they maintain a love for their respective sports. Brother Peter still plays golf occasionally, and Hilgenbrinck serves as chaplain — and joins an occasional scrimmage — with the Mount St. Mary’s University men’s soccer team.

Frater Matthew, on the other hand, can’t easily play or follow baseball due to abbey regulations: television, the Internet and cell phones are not allowed. He willingly complies with these restrictions, though, saying he doesn’t deserve any different treatment than his community members just because he was a star athlete.

“Everyone here is trying to give up their entire life for the Lord,” Frater Matthew said. “My story is public because people

enjoy baseball, but I didn’t give up any more than they did.”

These sacrifices are not without rewards. Frater Matthew describes his life as “very fulfilling,” adding that in monastic life, as compared to baseball, “the joy goes a lot deeper.”

Hilgenbrinck echoes these sentiments about his own vocational journey.

“This is the only thing that I want for myself,” he said. “I can’t believe how much peace I feel in my heart, that this is what the Lord has called me to do. I would never have imagined how much I would enjoy seminary and look forward to becoming a priest.”♦ MIKE LATONA, a staff writer for the Catholic Courier in the Diocese of Rochester, is a member of Our Lady of the Cenacle Council 3892 in Greece, N.Y., and co-author of a Coach and a Miracle: life lessons from a Man Who Believed in an autistic Boy (Beacon, 2011).

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 11

Marriage & Family T L B J P II HE

EGACY OF

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

LESSED OHN AUL

of Washington and then-Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant asked the Vatican’s permission to establish a second campus, or session, of the John Paul II Institute to serve English-speakPast and current presidents of ing students. A year later, the institute the John Paul II Institute reflect began operating in Washington, D.C., on the academic program’s with current Supreme Knight Carl A. history and purpose Anderson serving as vice president and founding dean.

by Alton J. Pelowski Since 1988, the John Paul II Institute has expanded to include a total of seven n May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II sessions and four associated centers spanwas prepared to announce the esning five continents — including a tablishment of a new theological presence in Mexico, the Philipinstitute devoted to the study of pines, Brazil, Australia, India, Spain the Church’s teachings related to and Benin, Africa.

“The Holy Father was marriage and family. Shortly be“This system allows hundreds fore the announcement could be profoundly convinced that of teachers, students, clerics and made, though, shots rang out in lay people from more than 100 St. Peter’s Square. It would be the defense and promotion of countries to participate in one acmore than a year after the assassination attempt, on Oct. 7, 1982, marriage and the family was one ademic enterprise,” explained Cardinal Angelo Scola, who when the pope would formally of the most important elements served as rector of the Lateran outline the structure and purpose University and as the second presof the institute that had been of the mission of the Church ident of the John Paul II Institute founded at Rome’s Pontifical Latbefore becoming patriarch of in the third millennium.” eran University.

Venice in 2002.

The concept of such an instiThe institute’s students come tute was a fruit of the 1980 synod of bishops on the family, as well as a per- discussions about laying the program’s from a variety of backgrounds. They consist of lay people, priests and relisonal desire of John Paul II, who en- groundwork.

“The Holy Father was profoundly gious pursuing various levels of educatrusted the institute’s work to Mary, convinced that the defense and promo- tion, ranging from master’s degrees to under her title Our Lady of Fatima. tion of marriage and the family was one doctorates. of the most important elements in the AN EXPANSIVE MISSION When the Pontifical John Paul II Insti- mission of the Church in the third miltute for Studies on Marriage and Family lennium,” explained Cardinal Caffarra, Titled Pope John Paul II: Champion of was founded 30 years ago, the pope was now archbishop of Bologna, Italy. “He Marriage and Family, this painting by Anin the process of presenting his catech- also believed this defense and promotion tonella Cappuccio depicts the pope holding the esis on the theology of the body — a se- must occur at the most profound level of official document that established the Pontifical ries of talks presented from 1979 to thought and reflection — scientific, John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, as the wedding feast at Cana is 1984 that quickly became part of the in- philosophical and theological.”

In 1987, Cardinal James A. Hickey seen in the background. stitute’s curriculum.

O

12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

Meanwhile, John Paul II had attended every session of the synod of bishops in 1980 and published his reflections in his 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio, a lengthy document that is often called the “magna carta” for the family. In no uncertain terms, the pope wrote, “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family.”

When John Paul II appointed thenMsgr. Carlo Caffarra as the institute’s founding president, the two had many

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 13

Knights of Columbus Museum Collection

Supreme Knight Anderson remains the vice president of the institute in Washington, which operates from McGivney Hall on the campus of The Catholic University of America. Because of the Order’s support, the Washington session now counts hundreds of alumni who are working in various capacities throughout the English-speaking world.

“Without the Knights of Columbus, the institute would not have developed at an international level as it has,” said Cardinal Caffarra.

BEING HUMAN The John Paul II Institute was born out of the pope’s desire to develop and articulate a deeper understanding of Catholic teachings about marriage and family.

“He often repeated to me that the Church needed to build, at the intellectual level, an adequate anthropology, an internal theology of the body and a rational — philosophical and theological — foundation for Humanae Vitae,” Cardinal Caffarra said.

Indeed, John Paul II saw the widespread rejection of Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical on the regulation of birth as symptomatic of a deeper philosophical shift in modern culture. Truths about the family as the basic cell of society and about man being created in the image and likeness of God were no longer taken for granted. To the contrary, there was an increasing breakdown of marriage and family, and an increasing disregard for the value of human life. To reverse these trends, John Paul II considered it necessary to help people rediscover and answer basic questions about the human person.

“Faced with the manipulative power of biotechnology and the pervasiveness of the media attempting to change the cultural traditions of the West, founded upon Christian principles, the human person has emerged as a fragile creature: He needs a reference point from which to determine who he is really is,” said Msgr. Livio Melina, current president of the institute.

Together with a theological education, the institute’s curriculum is supplemented by philosophy, psychology and the natural sciences. This interdis14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

Msgr. Livio Melina displays an image of the Holy Family as he speaks at a conference commemorating the 25th anniversary of the John Paul II Institute in May 2006. ciplinary approach, Cardinal Scola said, has allowed the institute to develop a unique understanding of what he calls the “nuptial mystery” — an understanding of sexual difference, the gift of self and fruitfulness as integral to human identity.

“Making themes relating to the person, marriage and the family the objects of study has allowed for an uninterrupted and critical dialogue with other views that make up our pluralistic society,” the cardinal added.

The purpose of the John Paul II Institute’s academic programs, Msgr. Melina agreed, is not about “locking oneself in a safe environment,” protected from postmodern society. Rather, the institute trains students for the work of evangelization.

“The urgency of this educational challenge becomes more and more apparent as the very question of being human is at stake,” Msgr. Melina said. “Radiating God’s plan for human love, marriage and the family — in light of revelation, wisdom and the human sciences — means offering today’s man a point of reference for the future.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI is the managing editor of Columbia and a 2006 graduate of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C.

LOVE IS POSSIBLE From the beginning, the family was central to the future Pope John Paul II’s pastoral ministry

by Ludmiła and Stanisław Grygiel

O

ne winter evening in the early 1970s, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła came to dinner at our small apartment.

As he often would, he came late, and our young children, tired of waiting, fell asleep. But wanting to see Monika and Jakub, the cardinal woke them up, talked with them and started a pillow fight before sitting down with us for dinner.

The menu was simple and determined by what store supplies allowed: fish paste sandwiches and tea. The conversation, however, was rich and long.

Around 11 p.m., Father Francesco Ricci, an Italian priest who stayed with us during his visits to Kraków, arrived.

Although Father Ricci knew Cardinal Wojtyła and visited him in the curia, the scene left a significant impression on him. After Cardinal Wojtyła left, Father Ricci said, “The cardinal should become pope.” We did not treat this as prophecy, but rather as wishful thinking. But on Oct. 16, 1978, we learned that the Holy Spirit sometimes takes

Photos courtesy of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, rome

such desires into account. In a time of crisis, there entered the Holy See a cardinal who loved and understood the vocation of marriage and family.

Karol Wojtyła did not have a long experience of a happy family life. His mother died when he was 9 years old, and his older brother, a friend and role model, passed away five years later. Wojtyła was then raised by his father, who was both caring and demanding. They lived together, first in Wadowice, then in Kraków. When his father died in 1941, Wojtyła was alone. But he was never lonely, since his friends clung to him and received a lot from him. Such was the case until the end of his life. The painful absence of his own family made him more deeply aware of the family’s role as a great asset of society. This was later reflected in his teaching and pastoral ministry.

Wojtyła shared with families their joys and sorrows, which we frequently experienced ourselves. When our family was allocated a 400-square-foot cooperative apartment in 1970, the cardinal found time to bless it and would often come for a family dinner or to meet with a group of friends. We discussed the problems of philosophy, but also talked about the troubles of everyday life under a communist regime. Cardinal Wojtyła listened attentively, asked questions, gave advice, and tried to help in different ways. He knew how difficult it was for young married couples to get their own apartment, waiting many years while living in government cooperatives. Even the size of the apartments was regulated by the state: Each family member was entitled to 75 square feet.

Earlier, when Father Wojtyła was appointed auxiliary bishop of Kraków, he received a car made in the Soviet Union — a GAZ-M20 “Pobeda” — as a gift from his colleagues. He decided to sell it and use the money to build a house for the most needy young couples among his friends. But it turned out that the money received from selling the car would only cover the house’s foundation.

Since he visited and prayed with them, Wojtyła knew the spiritual needs of married couples. Together with them, he created a model of pastoral ministry for families from the time that he was a young curate at St. Florian’s Church in

Kraków. There he celebrated weddings and baptisms and preached conferences for students, preparing them for marriage. He did not abstain from participating in wedding receptions or parties held in the homes of friends. Thus, an informal community of young people emerged called Środowisko (Milieu). Father Wojtyła went with the community on trips and spent holidays, always disguised as their “uncle” to avoid repression from the communist authorities.

He was a spiritual father and teacher, but also a student. He learned the truth of love that links a man and a woman, and of motherhood and fatherhood, from the laypeople he served. This knowledge is expressed in his letters and literary works, especially in the book Love and Responsibility, and in the plays the Jeweler’s Shop and the radiation of Fatherhood. It was obvious that the knowledge he imparted, first as a priest and later as pope, was not merely a result of theological and philosophical studies, but also of pastoral ministry and personal experience. John Paul II was certain that a beautiful and pure love is possible and that Catholic married life does not require the impossible. This certainty made him a trustworthy mentor for the young around the world.

A good example of this took place in 1980, when Czesław Miłosz, a Polish

writer lecturing at the University of California, Berkeley, visited Rome with his son after receiving the Nobel Prize.

We were invited along with them to Mass with the pope in a private chapel and then to breakfast. At the end of the conversation, Milosz’s son turned to John Paul II requesting him to relax the Church’s “too strict” teaching about conjugal morality. By requiring premarital abstinence and prohibiting contraception, he argued, the pope would lose a great chance to raise young people to the Church, because these teachings were impossible to follow in the 20th century. John Paul II, after hearing this argument with a kindly smile, assured the young interlocutor that the teaching of the Church was feasible and, what is more, that he personally knew many young people who lived according to the Church’s teachings. In saying this, he certainly had before his eyes numerous friends who formed happy families in accordance with the Church’s wisdom.♦ DR. STANISŁAW GRYGIEL and his wife, LUDMIŁA, live in Rome, where Dr. Grygiel holds the Karol Wojtyła chair in philosophical anthropology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Lateran University. Dr. Grygiel is a member of John Paul II Council 14000 in Kraków, Poland.

Pope John Paul II greets his friend, Dr. Stanisław Grygiel, during a visit to the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at Rome’s Lateran University.

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 15

CREATED FOR COMMUNION An interview about Blessed John Paul II’s teaching on the human person and its role in the new evangelization

by Columbia staff

I

n his Wednesday audiences from 1979 to 1984, Pope John Paul II systematically presented what has become known as the “theology of the body.” The 129 reflections that make up this catechesis examine basic questions about human existence.

In his book the human person according to John paul ii (Pauline, 2010), Father J. Brian Bransfield presents the theology of the body in a broad context, explaining that the teaching “is not an island that can be separated from the wider teaching of John Paul and the teaching of the Church in general.”

Father Bransfield currently serves as the associate general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2006, he received his doctorate in moral theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Columbia spoke with Father Bransfield about how Pope John Paul II’s insights relate to the new evangelization.

COLUMBIA: In your book, you describe the convergence of the industrial, sexual and technological revolutions as “the perfect storm.” Why do these three revolutions present such a challenge to us today?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: Though the industrial and technological revolutions brought some good things, the three taken together — interpreted in a secular and skeptical mindset — form what might be called an anti-anthropology that leads us to say that the meaning of the human person is simply to acquire pleasure quickly. The accent on acquisition and consumerism comes from the industrial revolution; the accent on pleasure

16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

comes from the sexual revolution; and the accent on doing all of this quickly comes from the technological revolution.

We apply this mistaken understanding of the person to our education, our recreation, our occupations and our families. When we do this, we end up hurting the most voiceless and vulnerable among us, especially those at the beginning of life or at the end of life.

The call of Blessed Pope John Paul II is to reverse that, to see that the meaning of the human person comes not from acquiring pleasure quickly but from giving beauty slowly. We are each an unrepeatable, irreplaceable gift and are called to treat each other that way.

COLUMBIA: What made the pope’s theology of the body catechesis unique, and what role should it have in evangelization?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: In the theology of the body, John Paul II used a unique method, bringing together classical metaphysics and contemporary phenomenology to reveal an enlightening understanding. He started from Scripture and went on to explain the most basic realities.

The theology of the body is the cornerstone of the new evangelization, which calls us to return to the original sources and re-propose the faith to people that have heard it but have drifted. The question that is at the basis of all the others is: What does it mean to be a human person, and how is that meaning related to my everyday life as a Christian?

C OLUMBIA : How does the theology of the body relate to the rest of John Paul II’s writings?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: In a way, the theology of the body underlies all of John Paul II’s other teaching because it articulates an understanding of a communion of persons, an idea that is a key to all of his other writing. His catechesis on Genesis lays out in a detailed fashion the theological anthropology that is his abiding contribution. Throughout his plays, his lectures at Lublin, his pre-papal writings and his magisterial milestones, we see a continual line of development that comes all the way through.

COLUMBIA: According to polling by the Knights of Columbus, the majority of Americans agree that our society is facing a moral crisis. What was John Paul II’s analysis of this crisis?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: I think he saw it in much the same way that Pope Benedict is seeing it — in terms of relativism and secularism. As a philosopher-pope, John Paul II answered the question of the current crisis not simply in the moment, but by looking back to its beginning. And he pointed to the enduring hunger of the human heart for authentic communion.

The moral crisis we are seeing goes back at least to a splintering characterized by René Descartes in the 17th century. His separation of mind and body results in the reduction and isolation of each. We have seen this play out over the centuries since Descartes — especially in the 20th century — as nominalism and nihilism allowed people to say, “I am totally in charge of my body.” This dualism has led to horrible results that we see in abortion, the decline of marriage and fatherhood, and the rise in adultery, promiscuity and contraception.

John Paul II calls us to a union to show the authentic relationship between mind and body. Through a life of grace and virtue, we need to go back and heal the original divisions. It is not Cogito ergo sum — I think, therefore I am. It is totus tuus sum ego — I am totally yours in an authentic gift of self.

COLUMBIA: How has Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate complemented that of John Paul II? FATHER BRANSFIELD: One place I see a real connection is in the Christmas homilies and in the homilies of Trinity Sunday, where Pope Benedict says that God is not a solitude — emphasizing the Trinitarian relations. We also see a consistency when Pope Benedict speaks about marriage and family, and in his encyclicals, where he treats the virtues of love and hope as the actual means to unity that Pope John Paul was talking about.

COLUMBIA: As an alumnus, how would you describe the contribution of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: I think the John Paul II Institute has a very direct and immediate role in the new evangelization.

It provides a very thorough articulation of John Paul II’s anthropology and combines it with a very unique ability to read the modern age. It allows this teaching to be translated into parish programs and ministry on the local level.

The mistake that everyone makes about the John Paul II Institute and the theology of the body is thinking that they are only about marriage and family.

The theology of the body is a systematic theology of moral theology. The good thing about the institute is that you get both sound systematic and moral theology. If we don’t tie systematic theology and moral theology together, both are impoverished, and moral theology simply becomes a list of do’s and don’ts.

Then people sit back and say, “Why shouldn’t I?” or “Why should I?” The people in the pews don’t simply want to know what line they can’t cross.

In addition to the list of do’s and don’ts, they want a sense of the mystery and the deeper answers.

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson join Archbishop (now Cardinal) Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Vincentian Father (now Bishop) David M. O’Connell, then-president of The Catholic University of America, at the dedication of McGivney Hall Sept. 8, 2008.

COLUMBIA: How can parishes, families and lay organizations like the Knights of Columbus work to pass on the faith more effectively?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: We must begin by expressing the mystery of revelation in ways that people can understand. As teachers, we make the mistake of giving in to the curse of knowledge — saying what we know, but forgetting what it is like not to know it.

Our answers tend to stay at the last grade level we completed — often master’s level or beyond — while their questions are really about basic, everyday realities. Our responses often escape to the cerebral and forego touching earth. We have to remember that people very often want to hear the mystery from the very beginning, but we start in the middle or at the conclusion.

We are called to show the mystery in its original beauty in a way that is accessible to people, using words and phrases that relate to people’s daily experience.

That is our goal — not just to have all our notes prepared and know everything that we think we need to say, but also to express it in a way that can really be internalized by people, such as those who drifted, did not fully complete a religious education, or did not experience the benefit of such education.

COLUMBIA: In your book, did you find it difficult to make Pope John Paul II’s teachings accessible for everyday readers?

FATHER BRANSFIELD: I found it challenging, but I was very eager to do it. From my experience as a high school teacher and as a parish priest, I really wanted to give something to people that they could receive because I had seen their hunger. In many cases they are wounded by the culture. When you see people in those moments of hunger and woundedness, there is an eagerness to bring something that will nourish and heal.♦ M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 17

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

The Culture of Life Begins at Home Teaching our children about life, love and morality is a challenging task in the modern world

I RECENTLY FOUND MYSELF in the improbable circumstance of arguing with my 13-year-old son about the moral legitimacy of selling illegal drugs — drugs that would destroy the lives of those who bought them and that had, in all likelihood, destroyed the lives of those who manufactured and distributed them. It took some time to drill down through his adolescent logic, but I eventually got to the bloody bedrock. My son was not so much concerned about the buying or selling of drugs as he was about the logic of the culture of death. As long as abortions are legal, he reasoned, life is cheap.

Make no mistake: My son regards abortion, legal or illegal, as a moral horror. But what he has been most scandalized by is the persistence of abortion — 40 years of prayer and effort, and for what? How can we claim that prayer is efficacious and that a benevolent and omnipotent God is on our side when we can’t stop such widespread evil?

Of course, this armchair view doesn’t take into account the individual lives saved by those who work tirelessly to convert the hearts of those who support abortion. But part of the problem came from the way my son learned about abortion at 9 years old from a priest at a Catholic camp for boys. I don’t know exactly what was said, but my son came home full of uncomprehending horror — how could a woman possibly want to extinguish the precious human life she carried in her womb?

Pamphlets he snagged from the back of church hammered this question home, and he began to express resentment towards women.

I did my best to counter this, but here is the truth: You can’t really understand abortion until you have a sex drive.

As my own father used to say, “If people got pregnant by eating cucumbers, abortion wouldn’t be an issue. People who didn’t want to get pregnant wouldn’t eat cucumbers, and that would be the end of it.” But alas, the perceived need for abortion begins with the desire for sex.

Now, at 13, my son has that drive. He understands how

a woman could end up pregnant without wanting to — and the role a man plays in such a situation. He understands that the struggle to overcome abortion begins with the struggle to remain chaste. It begins with keeping sex in its proper context, one that welcomes the naturally arising consequence of new life.

Unfortunately, my son’s newfound battle with self-mastery is not doing a lot to help his attitude about prayer and God’s assistance in resisting evil. And that, I suspect, is the real heart of his trouble — the real reason he wants to argue about the persistence of abortion, the ethics of drug dealing and whether grace can renew a fallen world.

That is where I come in, because I can sympathize with his struggle. I have been there, and I can tell him so. I can show him the path he needs to walk and how to walk it. Sympathy is a huge part of the struggle for holiness because it arises from the connection to both God and neighbor. When we acknowledge that we ourselves are weak, that leads to sympathy for the weaknesses of others. And when we sympathize, we can better see how our acts work to either build up or destroy our neighbors.

Good and evil begin at home, as does the school of love.

Once the sympathy between my son and me has been established, I can show him what love looks like: this is where your desire leads, son. this is where it’s supposed to lead.

I can show him, in my love for my wife, how a man should treat a woman. I can manifest how a husband can love his wife as Christ loved the Church, by handing himself over.

I can show him the connection between love and sex, and between sex and children — not in any kind of explicit fashion, but simply by being the husband and father I am supposed to be. And I don’t have to tell him to look at me — he is already watching.♦ MATTHEW LICKONA is the author of Swimming with Scapulars: true Confessions of a young Catholic (Loyola Press, 2005).

He writes from La Mesa, Calif.

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

18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

Photo by Tomas rodriguez/Corbis

by Matthew Lickona

love F OLLOWING

A

G REATER

Of Gods and Men, a film about Trappist monks in Algeria, illuminates the meaning of the Christian vocation

Why Not Productions, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

by Dominican Father Peter John Cameron

M

ovies in which you know the ending in advance can be unappealing. This is not the case with Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men, a French film that recently enjoyed a limited release in U.S. theaters due to its critical acclaim. The film concerns the Trappist monks of the Monastery of Notre Dame of Atlas in Tibhirine, Algeria. When seven of the monks were kidnapped and martyred in 1996, their plight became international news.

The story of Of Gods and Men is driven not so much by the ending as by the beginning — the beginning, that is, of the monks’ vocation. When Algeria’s civil strife invades their lives by way of Islamist extremists, the Trappist community is faced with a terrible crisis: Do they stay or do they leave? To leave would mean averting their almost-certain murder. But it would also mean abandoning the local Muslim villagers who rely on the monks for medical help, social services, food and M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 19

20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

Why Not Productions, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

friendship. The gravity of the choice weighs on each monk’s “There’s something inside you that comes alive, the presence heart, and a line from the Gospel proclaimed during a Lenten of someone. It’s irrepressible and makes your heart beat faster. liturgy — “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but It’s an attraction, a desire.” When the girl asks Brother Luc whoever loses it will save it” (Lk 17:33) — summarizes the if he has even been in love, he answers, “Yes, several times. struggle going on inside each man. They must go back to the And then I encountered another love, even greater. And I anorigin of their vocation — to what put them there in the first swered that love.” place — in order to make a decision.

This, in essence, is why the monks choose to stay: because An initial community meeting about the issue exposes a of a greater Love that has claimed each of them. The more disturbing lack of consensus. The monks wrestle with the they return to that origin and live from it, the more they are emergency in prayer. One monk, embraced by the absolute convicalone in his cell, cries out to God tion that they are called to stay in in anguish: “Help me. Don’t Algeria despite the danger. The abandon me.” Later, when the steadfast unity of the Trappists A greater Love has claimed each that we experience through the community is close to its decision, this same monk in his cell film makes us long for it ourselves. of them. The more they return prays in a whisper, “You envelop Early on, the monks sing in me, hold me, surround me. … prayer, “Let us turn to the Man of to that origin and live from it, And I love you.” The real drama Sorrows who beckons us from the the more they are embraced by of the film is the way it makes cross.” And toward the end, Father each viewer ask: What would I Christian encourages his brothers the absolute conviction that do? How would I decide? What with these words: “Day after day, would make me stay?

I think each of us discovered that they are called to stay in Perhaps it is the faces of the vilto which Jesus Christ beckons us.

Algeria despite the danger. lagers that move the monks the It is to be born.” most. At a meeting, one local says Ultimately, Of Gods and Men to the community, “The protecshows that it is possible to give an tion is you. This village grew up authentic response to Jesus’ comwith the monastery.” When asked if the monks plan to stay, mandment: “Love one another as I love you. No one has one elusive brother quips, “We’re like birds on a branch. We greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” don’t know if we’ll leave.” To which a village woman replies, (Jn 15:13-14). It convinces us that we can live and build “We’re the birds. You’re the branch. If you go, we lose our such heroic unity and fraternity through our own obedience footing.” And instantaneously we are transported to John to the cross.♦ 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” One word DOMINICAN FATHER PETER JOHN CAMERON is editor-inchanges everything.

Why, then, do the Trappists stay? In one scene, a Muslim chief of Magnificat and author of Mysteries of the virgin Mary: living girl asks one of the monks what it is like to fall in love. But Our lady’s Graces (Servant, 2010). He is a member of St. Thomas the monk, Brother Luc, gives a most amazing answer: More Council 13500 in New Haven, Conn.

THere be DraGoNS: Photo by Michel lichtenstein — THe rITe: CNS photo/Warner bros. — CrISTIaDa: Photo by Diego Villasenor — THe Way: Photo by David alexanian

THE YEAR OF THE CATHOLIC MOVIE

♦

A striking number of Catholic-themed films will be released in 2011

MOVIES WITH CATHOLIC THEMES were more commonplace years ago than they are today. In a film landscape dominated by vigilante superheroes, transforming robots and every government conspiracy imaginable, finding a Catholic storyline at the multiplex can be a frustrating quest.

This, however, is beginning to change. Several films with Catholic subject matter have made their way to the big screen in 2011 — with several more on the way. Like the acclaimed French film Of Gods and Men (see page 21), many of the Catholic-themed movies of 2011 are, to various extents, based on real events. the rite, released in theaters Jan. 28, will be on DVD and Blu-ray May 17. The film stars Oscar-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins as veteran exorcist Father Lucas Trevant and is based on a 2009 book of the same title by journalist Matt Baglio.

Exorcisms have been a popular topic for Hollywood since the 1973 horror classic the exorcist. the rite, in turn, brings the topic to a new generation of moviegoers.

In the film, Jesuit seminarian Michael Kovak travels to Rome for an exorcism course and is introduced to exorcist-legend Father Trevant. Skeptical about this oft-misunderstood Catholic rite, Kovak’s disbelief begins to crack each time he accompanies Father Trevant on a new investigation.

A reporter in Rome, Baglio met Father Gary Thomas when the priest was taking an exorcism course at the Vatican, and based his book upon their encounter. The two later served as consultants for the movie.

“The rite of exorcism has been in effect since 1614,” said Father Thomas in the the rite’s production notes. “What really resonated with me is the fact that it is a healing ministry and gives priests like me an opportunity to help people who are truly suffering.”

Another movie opening this month has been generating buzz leading up to its May 6 release. there Be Dragons, from director Roland Joffé (the Mission, the Killing Fields), jumps between the Spanish Civil War in the 1920s and the story of a London-based journalist in 1975 who is writing a book about St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. The film is framed in Robert Torres’ quest to research the subject of his book, finding along the way that his father, Manolo, was once friends with Escrivá. But a split between Manolo and Escrivá occurred as they took, at times, opposite

From left: Scenes from the 2011 movies There Be Dragons, The Rite, Cristiada and The Way. sides during the war: Escrivá deeply immersed himself in the faith, while Manolo was drawn into the conflict.

When news of the film broke, some commentators initially expressed concern that it was a propaganda piece for Opus Dei, especially in light of how the organization was portrayed in Dan Brown’s the Da vinci Code. Although the Opus Dei Prelature was asked to provide historical materials for the film and an on-set consultant, both Joffé and Opus Dei have clarified that the project is ultimately the work of the director.

Indeed, Joffé sees his movie as having a much broader audience than Catholics alone. there Be Dragons, he said, explains “that forgiveness is possible; that seemingly meaningless acts are capable of generating responses that lead to healing.”

Another example of the apparent sea change that is taking place in some film studios is the Way, which opens in the United States Sept. 30. Starring Catholic actor Martin Sheen, the movie tells the story of four people who are walking the 500-mile pilgrimage route from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Last but not least, Cristiada tells the story of Mexican Catholics in the 1920s who rebelled against government-led persecution. Later called the Cristero War, the conflict lasted from 1926-1929 and was a reaction to changes in the Mexican constitution that required secular education and prohibited Catholics from practicing their religion. The movie is particularly relevant to members of the Knights of Columbus since several Mexican Knights were martyred during the Cristero War and later canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

The film’s all-star cast includes Peter O’Toole, Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria and Mexican actor Eduardo Verástegui, who starred in the 2006 film Bella.

A true epic, Cristiada is reportedly the largest Mexico-produced film to date. The first trailer was released on the film’s website, cristiadafilm.com, at the end of March. Scheduled for release in late 2011, Cristiada caps what will be an unprecedented year for Catholic movies and filmgoers.♦ PATRICK SCALISI is the associate editor of Columbia magazine.

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 21

G OD, T RUTH AND THE F REE S OCIETY Twenty years later, Pope John Paul II’s great social encyclical is as relevant as ever

by Father Raymond J. de Souza

I

t was for liturgical and devotional reasons that May 1 was chosen as the beatification date for Blessed John Paul II: Just as the pope died on the liturgical feast of Divine Mercy in 2005, he would be raised to the honors of the altar on the same feast this year. May is also the month of the Blessed Mother, which is fitting for a pope who was so devoted to Our Lady. But the calendar provides yet more significance for the date chosen.

This year, May 1 also marks the 20th anniversary of Centesimus annus, John Paul II’s 1991 encyclical on Catholic social doctrine. Human rights, liberty, justice, education, working conditions, wages, the alleviation of poverty, health 22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

RELIGION, CULTURE AND THE GREATEST OF MYSTERIES John Paul II dated Centesimus annus May 1 as a not-too-subtle way of dancing on communism’s grave since May 1, or May Day, was a great communist holiday. In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1 as a Christian response to communist propaganda. The publication of Centesimus annus added an exclamation point to this response.

Indeed, John Paul II spent most of his life combating the wicked ideas that animated the totalitarian empires of the 20th century. The shape of the 21st century will depend in large part on whether the humane, Christian vision of Centesimus annus can prevail against the negative alternatives that can corrupt the hearts of nations. The coincidence of John Paul II’s beatification with the anniversary of his great social encyclical provides a propitious occasion to revisit this vision. “[There are] two theses that I regard as central to Centesimus annus: first, that both politics and economics have their matrix in culture, and second, that culture is incomplete without religion,” wrote the late Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., on the fifth anniversary of the encyclical. “The political and economic orders cannot prosper without support from the order of culture, which provides the convictions and values on which the state and economy are predicated. The world of culture, moreover, touches closely on that of religion. If it attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, it impoverishes itself. It has everything to gain if it opens its doors to God and to Christ.”

In Centesimus annus, John Paul II began by asking why communism failed. The fundamental problem, he concluded, was a faulty, impoverished and erroneous vision of the human person.

The pope wrote, “It will be necessary to keep in mind that the main thread and, in a certain sense, the guiding principle … of all of the Church’s social doctrine, is a correct view of the human person and of his unique value” (11).

Against those who claimed that communism failed for practical reasons of economic inefficiency, the pope insisted that man does not live by bread alone. In a brief paragraph, he moved from the question of economics to the greatest of mysteries:

Thinkstock Photo

care, the environment — all of these topics fall under the field of Catholic social doctrine. This body of teaching looks at the social order — culture, politics and economics — through the lens of the Gospel. While deeply rooted in Catholic tradition, Catholic social teaching is generally dated in its modern form to the 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, rerum novarum — an encyclical on “capital and labor” that was written in the wake of the industrial revolution. rerum novarum was published May 15, 1891. To mark its centenary, John Paul II published Centesimus annus (literally, the “hundredth year”) in May 1991. It remains the great Christian charter of the free society, written in the immediate aftermath of the defeat of the Soviet communist empire, a historical drama in which John Paul II himself was a great protagonist.

“[I]t is not possible to understand man on the basis of ecoThe pope then concludes with a stinging observation: “As nomics alone, nor to define him simply on the basis of class history demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns membership. Man is understood in a more complete way into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism” (46). when he is situated within the sphere of culture through his With this statement, was John Paul II associating the govlanguage, history, and the position he takes toward the fun- ernments of the United States, Canada or Europe with a damental events of life, such as birth, love, work and death. “thinly disguised totalitarianism”? Surely he was not talking At the heart of every culture lies the attitude man takes to the about us, was he? In 1991, it might have been harder to step greatest mystery: the mystery of God. Different cultures are back and see the truth of the Holy Father’s observation. But basically different ways of facing the question of the meaning John Paul II saw what is now becoming more evident: The of personal existence” (24).

United States and Canada are not totalitarian nations, but the This emphasis on the human person and the meaning of totalitarian impulse is very thinly disguised indeed, and the personal existence is the characteristic twist of John Paul II. signs on the horizon are ominous.

His encyclical was the great charter of a free society because Consider political developments affecting the Catholic he insisted that religious, political and economic freedom are Church: The state pays for abortion and calls it a human right; all required so that man can give his free response to God. Catholic employers are forced to pay for insurance coverage Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian philosopher who served as a contrary to Catholic teaching; conscience protections for consultant on Centesimus annus, has said that the “general Catholic doctors, nurses and pharmacists are eroding; the freeprinciple” that undergirds the whole teaching of John Paul II dom of Catholic schools to present the ancient tradition reis that “nothing good can be done without freedom, but free- garding love, marriage and sexuality is challenged; and dom is not the highest value in itCatholic associations, including the self. Freedom is given to man in Knights of Columbus, run afoul of order to make possible the free bureaucrats enforcing a flawed noobedience to truth and free gift of tion of equality.

Centesimus Annus was the great oneself in love.”

“Can anyone doubt that this is It should not be a surprise that what is happening — in Canada, in charter of a free society because it the United States, in Europe?” the encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI — including God is love and asked Cardinal William Levada, insisted that religious, political Charity in truth — focus on love, prefect of the Congregation for the and economic freedom are all picking up where John Paul II Doctrine of the Faith, in a March left off.

2010 address in Ottawa, Canada. required so that man can give “Pope Benedict has described this THE DICTATORSHIP as ‘the dictatorship of relativism,’ his free response to God. OF RELATIVISM the phrase he made famous on the The question must still be asked: eve of his election as bishop of Is Centesimus annus still relevant Rome. The dictatorship of rela20 years later, with communism no longer a credible intellec- tivism does not so much seek to impose one view on everytual option, even if communists themselves hang on in parts body, but rather to drive from political life, academic life and of the world? Yes, more than ever. Twenty years ago, the pas- cultural life anyone who refuses to concede that all truths are sages of John Paul II’s encyclical that drew the most attention relative, or to put it more bluntly, that there is no truth which were about economics; today the most relevant passages relate can be known with certainty. Against this relativism and skepto the role of religion in public life. The questions now are: ticism, the Christian believer proclaims that Jesus Christ is the What kind of free society should we build, and is there room way, the truth and the life. It is a direct confrontation with the in a free society for the mystery of God? dictatorship of relativism.”

“Authentic democracy is possible only in a State ruled by In this way, Cardinal Levada described the challenge — as well law, and on the basis of a correct conception of the human as the solution — perceived by Pope Benedict and his predecesperson,” John Paul II wrote. “Nowadays there is a tendency sor. Freedom is preserved, rather than inhibited, when religion to claim that agnosticism and skeptical relativism are the phi- and the truth about man are professed. From “thinly disguised losophy and the basic attitude which correspond to demo- totalitarianism” to the “dictatorship of relativism,” John Paul II cratic forms of political life. Those who are convinced that and Benedict XVI are of one mind on the threats to the free sothey know the truth and firmly adhere to it are considered ciety. When the latter beatifies the former on May 1, the teaching unreliable from a democratic point of view, since they do not of the “hundredth year” will be proposed again.♦ accept that truth is determined by the majority, or that it is subject to variation according to different political trends. It FATHER RAYMOND DE SOUZA is a priest of the Archdiocese must be observed in this regard that if there is no ultimate of Kingston, Ontario, and a member of St. Paul the Apostle Council truth to guide and direct political activity, then ideas and con- 9652 in Kingston. He is a frequent contributor to the national post and the Catholic register in Canada. victions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power.”

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 23

EVERY KNIGHT’S WEAPON Rosary-making Knights continue the Order’s long tradition of Marian devotion

by Mitch Finley

T

he rosary is simple and deep. The humblest believers love the rosary, and the greatest theologians and mystics down through the centuries have loved it, too. The combination of traditional prayers, including the Our Father and Hail Mary, and meditations on sacred events, known as the “mysteries” of the rosary, makes it a deeply Christian prayer. And Knights of Columbus are among its most ardent supporters.

Ted Wozniak, a member of St. Joseph the Provider Council 13942 in St. Joseph, Mich., first made rosaries while in the Army, stationed at Camp Hulen, Texas, in 1944. “One of the soldiers there asked me where he could buy a rosary, and I told him maybe I could make him one,” he explained.

Finding beads and using a piano string for wire, Wozniak bought a pair of pliers, the points of which he filed down to 24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2011

be suitable for rosary-making. With these makeshift materials and four hours of work, he made his first rosary. Word spread about his skill, he said, and soon he had about 100 other soldiers requesting rosaries.

Wozniak was later transferred to Camp Hood, Texas, and he stopped making rosaries due to his busy schedule. But many years later, in 1995, Wozniak returned to rosary making.

“After I retired from business I had a lot of spare time,” he said. “I asked our priest if he knew where I could get supplies, and he recommended Our Lady’s Rosary Makers in Louisville, Ky.” Since that first piano-string rosary, Wozniak has made and given away nearly 10,000 others to various charities, foreign missions and first Communicants in local parishes.

Since 1977, new Knights have been given a rosary when they join the Order and encouraged to pray the rosary every day.

Laroche is not without support for his efforts of making and distributing rosaries. When he needs materials, his council provides funds to purchase whatever supplies its rosary-making brother requires.

In 1999, another dedicated Knight, Tom Laroche, reWayne Lavigne, a member of that council, recalled that a few sponded to his wife’s suggestion that he make rosaries to give years ago a local Catholic man named Paul Ryan was being away to others. “My wife tried for the longest time to get me treated for cancer. One night, a visitor to the hospital happened to make a rosary,” recalled Laroche, a past grand knight of upon Ryan in the hospital’s chapel. When asked if he had a Bishop N.Z. Lorrain Council 1531 in Pembroke, Ontario. rosary, Ryan replied that he couldn’t find his, so the visitor lo“But I didn’t have the time, or so I thought. After making my cated one of Laroche’s rosaries and gave it to him. “When Mr. first one, I was amazed at the time I had. Obviously, Our Lady Ryan passed away several months later,” Lavigne said, “that same found the time for me.” rosary was buried with him.”

Since then, schools, parishes, overseas missions and individuOne of Laroche’s recent efforts was to make and send 1,000 als have been on the receiving end of Laroche’s generosity. By rosaries to Neuestra Señora de Fatima Parish in Chincha Alta, his own estimate, he has made and given away more than Peru. The Sisters of St. Joseph heard of Laroche’s rosary-making 30,000 rosaries, which come in a variety of colors and styles. apostolate and contacted him. Laroche quickly went to work.

With each one, he includes a card giving instructions on how The rosaries were taken to Peru by Sister Pauline Coulterman, to pray the rosary. who leads a delegation to the parish there each year. Sister Pauline It should come as no surprise that Knights such as Wozniak explained that the people in the parish there are devoted to Mary and Laroche would be inclined to and that “in May they go out into take up rosary making as a form of the streets to pray the rosary.” service. Connections between the “We also give the rosaries out While their devotion to Mary Knights of Columbus and the during first Communion,” she said, rosary are deeply rooted. “and it’s common to give away 400 and to praying the rosary has While their devotion to Mary at a time.” and to praying the rosary has inWozniak has also provided inspired some Knights to spired some Knights to handrosaries for distribution in Latin hand-make rosaries and make rosaries and distribute them America. In 2010, Wozniak’s son, free of charge, the idea of Knights Tom — a member of Columbus distribute them free of charge, promoting the rosary is nothing Barney Gonyea Council 7109 in new. For example, the Order has Safety Harbor, Fla. — participated the idea of Knights promoting long supported the work of Holy in a rosary drive for a parish mission the rosary is nothing new.

Cross Family Ministries, which trip to Honduras. Tom asked his fahas encouraged praying the rosary, ther if he could help, and Wozniak especially in the family, since promptly sent his son 320 rosaries.

1942. The ministry’s founder, Holy Cross Father Patrick PeyWozniak is not just a rosary maker, however. Before that, he ton, became the first honorary Fourth Degree member of the thinks of himself as a rosary pray-er. “Whenever there have been Knights in 1956. any problems in my life I have always prayed the rosary for Mary Indeed, new Knights are given a rosary along with a “How to intercede for me,” he said. to Say the Rosary” prayer card and are encouraged to pray the For these two, the main purpose in giving away rosaries is to rosary every day. Over the years, the Order has given away ap- encourage people to pray. Probably the most popular devotional proximately 10,000 rosaries each month to new members and prayer among Catholics, the rosary has the advantage of being others. Knights have distributed rosaries at international World uncomplicated yet deeply rooted in the Gospels. It is a great way Youth Day celebrations and regularly send rosaries to military to pray when words and thoughts do not come easily, no matter personnel overseas. how a person feels at the moment. The rosary is a way to be “My most basic reason for making rosaries,” Laroche said, physically and mentally in the presence of the triune God, and “is to ensure that there is an available supply for the people it is a way to do this in the company of the Blessed Virgin Mary. who do not have access to a rosary. It gives people hope. When Laroche’s love for the rosary is rooted in his own dedication they have a rosary, they feel that they have a lifeline to God to praying it himself. “Praying the rosary is important,” he said. and Our Lady.”

“We seem to be getting away from prayer. The power of prayer Yet, despite the large number of rosaries distributed inter- is amazing. Prayer is like a direct link to God.”♦ nationally, it is sometimes difficult to keep pace with the requests.

MITCH FINLEY lives in Spokane, Wash., and is the author of more “I have received letters from missionary priests in Africa who than 30 books on Catholic themes, including the rosary handbook: a cannot keep up with the demand from the people there request- Guide for newcomers, Old-timers and those in Between (The Word ing rosaries,” Laroche added.

Among Us Press, 2007).

M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 25

­

KNIG HTS IN ACTI ON

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

Hampton Bays Fire Department to sponsor a carnival for 175 people with intellectual disabilities from Long Island adult group homes. Knights and firemen provided the guests with hats and assisted them entering and exiting carnival rides. The event also featured food and prizes for all in attendance.

CHAPEL CLEANING

Members of St. Dominic Savio Circle 5078 in Parrish, Fla., and other young people race from the starting line during a hunger walk/run to benefit Our Daily Bread Food Bank. Circle 5078 sponsored the event, which raised $675 to feed needy families in and around Bradenton.

COFFEE FOR HOSPICES

For the past 17 years, the Knights of Columbus Finger Lakes (N.Y.) Chapter has donated thousands of dollars worth of coffee to 14 hospice centers in the Finger Lakes region. An additional seven hospices receive monetary donations and supplies from the Knights. The initiative began when Donald Bixby of Our Lady of the Cenacle Council 3892 in Rochester wanted to thank local hospice workers for the care they gave to his mother. The program was so successful that the Finger Lakes Chapter adopted it as a chapter-wide project that now receives donations from approximately 40 councils and from a local grocery store.

ROSARIES FOR MISSIONS

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Council 11959 in Tulsa, Okla., provides financial support for a project to assemble and ship handmade rosaries to Catholic missions around the world. Volunteers at St. Bernard Parish assemble the rosaries, and the council cov-

26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2 0 1 1

ers the cost of materials and shipping. To date, Knights have mailed 1,900 rosaries to Nigeria, Malawi, India, Kenya and the Philippines.

SPAGHETTI FOR SCHOOL

Luke Hart Council 5558, St. Patrick Basilica Council 12158 and St. Lorenzo Ruiz Council 14337 — all located in Ottawa, Ontario — cosponsored a spaghetti dinner to benefit Immaculata High School. The dinner raised more than $800, which was used to purchase uniforms, books and other school supplies.

CLEANING FOR HEALING

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Council 5484 in Augusta, Ga., came to the aid of council members Matt and Josh Miller after their mother died. Knights helped the Miller brothers empty their late mother’s house and place her belongings into storage.

SPECIAL CARNIVAL

Hampton Bays (N.Y.) Council 7023 partnered with the

St. Elizabeth Council 13141 in Upper Uwchlan, Pa., power washed the exterior of the chapel owned and operated by the Visitation Sisters of Philadelphia. The cleaning, which restored the building closer to its original color, was undertaken shortly before the chapel’s anniversary celebration.

STUDIES IN ROME

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 9279 in Capiz, Visayas, presented Father Edsel V. Delphin with a scholarship to pursue a license in sacred liturgy at San Anselmo University in Rome.

Father Delphin is a member of Council 9279.

A LASTING GIFT

St. Pius X Council 9976 in Billings, Mont., received a $17,000 bequest from the estate of a deceased Knight, Harold Lambrecht. The funds were divided among 14 recipients, including St. Francis School, Miles City Hospital, LaVie and more.

also volunteered at the event, which raised $4,000 for two children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.

CEMETERY REPAIRS

Members of Father Louis Cyr Council 7503 in St. Joseph, New Brunswick, and their families repaired several headstones that had fallen over at their parish cemetery.

CAMP FATIMA

Union (N.J.) Council 4504 donated $15,000 to Camp Fatima of New Jersey, a nonprofit, non-sectarian organization designed to provide a free camping experience for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In addition to the donation, Knights also volunteer at Camp Fatima functions throughout the year.

PRO-LIFE PROGRAMMING

St. Nicholas Byzantine Ukrainian Council 7659 in Calgary, Alberta, hosted a Ukrainian dinner and silent auction that raised $7,000 for Birthright.

The council also hosted a “Hike for Life” that raised an additional $5,800 for pro-life activities and charities.

BROTHERHOOD IN ACTION

Campbell Council 573 in Manchester, Conn., helped organize the annual charity breakfast hosted by Brotherhood in Action, a group of area fraternal organizations that aid children with illnesses or disabilities. Knights

Members of Villa Candida Subdivision Council 13858 in Bulua, Mindanao, paint and letter a sign outside Immaculate Conception Chapel. Knights donated all materials for the project.

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N KEEPING COOL

ON THE ROAD

St. Louis Bertrand Council 10682 in Louisville, Ky., donated $50,000 to St. Louis Bertrand Church to update the building’s air conditioning system. The donation represented about half of the project’s total cost.

St. Bridget Council 9800 in Mesa, Ariz., donated a handicapped-accessible van to a local family whose daughter was injured in a serious car accident. The family needed the van to transport the injured woman to her medical appointments — instead of calling an ambulance or special service.

INDOOR PICNIC

St. Albert the Great Council 7925 in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., visited the Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home to host an indoor picnic for residents. Knights served food and beverages to all those in attendance.

BATHROOM RENOVATION

Bishop Daniel J. Curley Council 3717 in Syracuse, N.Y., renovated three restrooms at St. Rose of Lima Church at a cost of $17,000.

Knights donated all funds and manpower for the project.

SWEET CORN PLANTATION

St. Peter the Apostle Council 14648 in Barangay Telegrapho, Visayas, operates a sweet corn plantation, proceeds from which are used to subsidize council dues for needy members and to sponsor charitable activities.

BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by Randy Hale

MONASTERY HELP

Our Lady of the Mountains Council 10799 in Sierra Vista, Ariz., participated in a number of renovation projects at Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David. Knights helped repair the facility’s roof, renovate the kitchen and update the living quarters. Council members also volunteered at the monastery’s annual bazaar and arts festival.

HELPING RECOVER

When the daughter of council member Greg Gruss was injured in a snowboarding accident, St. Aloysius Council

A LIGHT IN THE DARK

Members of St. Henry Council 9467 in Buckeye, Ariz., help the Poor Clares of the Perpetual Adoration move into temporary living quarters in Tonopah. The sisters are currently in the process of building a monastery at the newly completed Our Lady of Solitude Chapel (seen in the background), which will eventually serve as a retreat site.

13142 in Yoder, Ind., stepped in to help. Knights authorized an initial donation of $1,000 to help with traveling expenses and organized a parish collection that raised an additional $1,800. Council members also sponsored a fundraiser that raised $24,000 to offset the family’s medical expenses and volunteered to build a wheelchair ramp at the family’s home.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES

Nuestra Señora de los Angeles Council 14903 in Durango, Mexico Northwest, sponsors religious education classes at the José Luis Galindo Amaya Catechism School.

FILLING THE TRUCK

Bishop Sheen Council 7487 in Jenison, Mich., held a collection drive to support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. With donations from parishioners and the community, Knights were able to fill a small box truck with new and used household items.

PANCAKES FOR EDUCATION

Queen of All Saints Council 12951 in Michigan City, Ind., hosted a pancake breakfast that raised $470 to help defray the cost of an addition to its parish school, which will add several new classrooms. The council hosts about four breakfasts each year, with proceeds donated to a variety of causes.

COMMUNITY BREAKFASTS

Father Irenee Bouchard Council 8189 in Beresford, New Brunswick, hosts nine community breakfasts throughout the year and donates the proceeds to two religious communities: the Holy Name of Jesus and St. Teresa of Ávila.

Lancaster (Ohio) Council 1016 has been associated for several years with The Lighthouse Inc., an organization that provides shelter to abused women and children. Knights have made several contributions to the organization in the form of renovations and volunteer assistance. Recently, Council 1016 donated $400 to install a handicap-accessible shower in one of the facility’s bathrooms. Knights also cultivate a crop of tomatoes at the shelter each year.

Fourth Degree Knights from St. Petersburg, Fla., look on while Bishop Robert N. Lynch blesses a traveling relic of St. John Bosco outside the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. Knights from area councils and assemblies provided continuous coverage as honor guards, ushers and security for the complete duration of the relic’s visit. Bishop Lynch is a member of St. Petersburg Council 2105.

CLASSROOM FURNITURE

Following extensive renovations at one of the buildings at Nichols College, Webster Council (Mass.)

228 arranged to have old classroom furniture donated and transported to two local Catholic schools. Knights trucked the furniture from Nichols College’s Academy Hall to St. Louis School and St. Anne School.

M AY 2 0 1 1

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 27

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N NEW SET OF WHEELS

When Father Lawrence D. Conley, pastor of St. Anne Church, announced his retirement, he mentioned that his current automobile had reached the end of its life. As Father Conley was going to spend his retirement filling in for sick or vacationing priests, St. Anne Council 10221 in Gorman, Maine, decided to provide their pastor and chaplain with a new car. By contacting parishioners secretly over several months, and by contributing to the fund themselves, council members were able to raise more than $18,000 to surprise Father Conley with a new car.

FILIPINO DINNER-DANCE

Our Lady of the Philippines Council 13585, St. Kevin Council 13881 and St. Malachy Council 14315, all in Montreal, co-sponsored a dinner-dance with authentic Filipino cuisine. About 160 people attended the event,

members also volunteer with the organization, which feeds up to 3,500 meals to homebound elderly and disabled citizens each day.

HOME RUN

Members of Tom McCarthy Circle 3611 in San Antonio stand with some of the power washing equipment they used to clean Prince of Peace Church over the course of a single day. Squires cleaned both entrances to the church, as well as the Ten Commandments monument, pro-life monument, front steps, handicapped ramp and drop-off area, walkways, and the entrance to the parish offices. which raised $1,500 to subsidize a construction project at St. Kevin Church.

FOSTER CARE PICNIC

St. Matthew Council 14360 in Norwalk, Conn., hosted a foster care picnic for the Family & Children’s Agency, donating $750 to fund the event.

In addition to their financial support, council members also volunteered at the picnic and donated a number of prizes for the raffle.

IN MEMORY OF A BROTHER

Bill Friend (right) of St. Francis de Sales Assembly in Fairdale, Ky., and his wife, Marcie, sign up riders during the Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ride for Wednesday’s Child. More than 100 motorcyclists participated in the 104-mile ride to raise approximately $3,000 for Wednesday’s Child, an organization that helps foster the adoption of children with special needs.

28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2 0 1 1

Msgr. Martin B. Power Council 14573 in Melbourne, Fla., hosted a fundraiser in honor of David W. Robinson, a council member who died of cancer. The event raised $560 for the Wuesthoff Hospice & Palliative Care Center, which cared for Robinson during his final days.

NEW SIGN AND GATES

Limay Council 10227 in Bataan, Luzon, undertook two projects at its parish to increase visibility and improve security. First, the council installed a new stainless-steel sign over the front entrance of St. Francis of Assisi Church.

The council also installed five new steel gates around the church perimeter at a cost of about 45,000 pesos (approximately $1,040).

PRIEST OUTING

Bardstown (Ky.) Council 1290 hosted a dinner outing for priests from throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Council members joined 37 priests and deacons for the event, along with Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, who is a member of Mount Mercy Council 14604 in Peewee Valley.

Epiphany Council 11033 in San Francisco donated $2,000 to School of the Epiphany to purchase new uniforms for the school’s baseball team.

VOCATIONS DINNER

Msgr. Daniel J. Bourke Council 3607 in Albany, Ga., held its annual vocations dinner, which raised more than $10,000 to support 17 seminarians in the Diocese of Savannah. The council’s ladies’ auxiliary assisted at the event by raffling three gift baskets.

DIAPER DRIVE

Cure D’Ars Council 12148 in Round Rock, Texas, hosted a diaper drive to benefit the Annunciation Maternity Home, a pregnancy resource center. The drive netted more than 3,200 diapers for needy mothers.

BULLETINS FOR THE ELDERLY

Members of Father Stephen T. Badin Council 4263 in Granger, Ind., deliver 60 bulletins from St. Pius X Church to the residents of five area retirement homes. Knights visit with residents who cannot attend Mass on a regular basis and report that some lapsed Catholics have also returned to the Church.

BINGO FOR MEALS

Bishop Dunne Council 2813 in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted a charity bingo tournament that raised $1,000 for Meals on Wheels. Some council

Ron Sperry (left) of William E. Burke Council 189 in Utica, N.Y., and his son, Craig, work to assemble an outdoor Stations of the Cross at Sacred Heart/ St. Mary’s Church in New York Mills in honor of the parish’s 100th anniversary. The stations were built on a landscaped quarter-acre lot next to the church that is lighted for evening devotion.

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

anonymous donor offered to restore the weathered fiberglass statue in return for the Knights raising $1,000 for Catholic Charities. District Deputy Nickel mustered all of the councils in his district to raise the funds.

NEW BICYCLE

Members of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Council 4352 in Bataan, Luzon, plant new seedlings along the Bataan Expressway. The council teamed with its ladies’ auxiliary and several teachers and students to plant the new saplings.

WHEELCHAIR MISSION DRIVE

Msgr. Kevin S. Mullen Council 12956 in Tampa, Fla., held a fund drive at St. Mark the Evangelist Church to benefit the American Wheelchair Mission. Following an oral and video presentation on the Wheelchair Mission, Knights collected $30,000 from parishioners. …AND THE KITCHEN SINK

For the past several years, St. Margaret Mary Council 11091 in Algonquin, Ill., has collected aluminum cans and stainless steel scrap metal to be recycled for wheelchairs for the needy. At a recent collection, Knights delivered more than 500 pounds of aluminum in a single load — and a stainless steel kitchen sink that someone had donated for recycling.

A CHALLENGE MET

District Deputy Phil Nickel of Oklahoma District #4 approached St. Bernard of Clairvaux Council 11959 in Tulsa about refinished a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was donated by Tulsaarea Knights in the 1980s. An

Pointe Claire (Quebec) Council 4832 donated a new bicycle to a young man from Pierrsfonds whose bike was stolen at school.

FUN FOR VETERANS

Tri-Cities Council 1098 in Granite City, Ill., delivered cookies, books, board games and clothing to the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.

Knights have been delivering care items to the veterans at the facility for eight years.

UNDER THE watchful eyes of Father Michael J. McGivney, All Saints Council 11402 in Atlanta transformed its council hall into pit row for the annual Dunwoody Soapbox Derby. Much like a professional racing event, the pit whirled with activity as 15 young racers and several volunteers assembled their cars from prefabricated kits before moving to the parking lot to test their vehicles.

After a weigh-in for all cars, the competition began in earnest. Cub Scout Spencer Woolson drove the car sponsored by Council 11402, joining other racers who were supported by local businesses and civic groups.

And although the K of C car did not win the race, the council gained invaluable exposure among dozens of community organizations, residents and young people.

HONORING THE FALLEN

E. T. Murphy Assembly in Vine Grove, Ky., donates three U.S. flags per year to the Central Veterans Cemetery in Radcliff. Since its opening three years ago, Knights have also provided an honor guard for every major event and ceremony at the cemetery.

FROM THE ORDER TO THE SEMINARY

Father Stephen Langlade Council 11046 in Elkton, Fla., and Sir Knight Andrew J. Dupont Jr. Circle 5367 in St. Augustine co-hosted a benefit dinner for Matthew King, a former Columbia Squire and council member who is studying for the priesthood. The dinner raised $2,000 to assist with King’s studies.

HOLY LANDMARK

St. Vincent Ferrer Council 6287 in Baguio City, Luzon, erected a large cross to serve as a landmark near the entrance to Baguio City.

[Above] Pit row inside the council hall owned by All Saints Council 11402 in Atlanta — headquarters for racers to assemble their vehicles for the Dunwoody Soapbox Derby. [Left] Joe Fuentes of Council 11402 assists council-sponsored racer and Cub Scout Spencer Woolson prior to the start of the race. Although the K of C car did not win the competition, the council gained a great amount of community recognition.

M AY 2 0 1 1

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 29

K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

cert for Life at its parish. Proceeds from the event will fund the council’s pro-life activities, including its partnership with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Maternity Shelter in Dallas.

COMMUNITY ROSARY

Members of South Plainfield (N.J.) Council 6203 display some of the food available at their “Don’t Cook on Friday” spaghetti dinner. Proceeds from the events, which are held several times each year, are added to the council’s charitable fund.

COLLECTION FOR HOPE

Bigfork (Mont.) Council 14060 sponsored a collection during three Masses at Pope John Paul II Church to benefit Hope Pregnancy Ministries, a pro-life organization that offers pro-life alternatives to abortion. The collections — along with a $500 donation from the council — totaled $2,350.

FOR A WIDOW

Powell River (British Columbia) Council 5417 painted and installed vinyl siding on a two-car garage owned by the widow of a late council member. Knights volunteered more than 100 hours to complete the project.

school’s baseball diamond.

After years of weathering, the existing backstops had fallen into serious disrepair and were further hindered by the growth of weeds and brush. Knights cleaned away any trees that were growing in the area and rebuilt the backstops with $500 worth of donated materials.

A CONCERT FOR LIFE

St. Monica Council 5656 in Irving, Texas, hosted a Con-

A DAY AT THE PARK

Repentigny (Quebec) Council 7701 led a group of disadvantaged young people to enjoy an afternoon at Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal. Each child in attendance received transportation to and from the park, admission, a commemorative sweater and lunch.

STOPPING POWER

Cashton (Wis.) Council 7096 undertook a project at Sacred Heart School to repair the backstops at the

30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2 0 1 1

Vice Supreme Master Paul Lambert displays one of the pheasants he caught during the 15th Annual Bishop’s Charity Hunt, presented by the Catholic Foundation for Eastern South Dakota at the Horseshoe “K” Ranch in Kimball. Knights from across the state participated in the event, which raised $15,000 for seminarian education.

In 2009, Marksville (La.) Council 1217 constructed a 15-foot lighted rosary to mark the 200th anniversary of the town of Marksville. Every Thursday evening, Knights and members of the community gathered to pray the rosary, which is lit bead by bead with the prayers. The program was so popular that the rosary has remained in place long after the bicentennial celebration concluded, and Knights plan to continue the weekly community prayer gathering.

CHURCH IMPROVEMENTS

James A. Hansen Council 13122 in Dassel, Minn., installed a new crucifix and modified the doors going into the education center at St. John Church in Cokato.

The center is used for religious education classes, Mass and other parish activities.

The council also purchased and installed an automatic external defibrillator (AED) at the church, funds for which were raised during a council-sponsored pancake breakfast.

MONTHLY BREAKFASTS

On months with five Sundays, Father John Halpin Council 5657 in Beckley, W. Va., holds a charity breakfast following morning Mass.

Donations are accepted for a meal of sausage, bacon, gravy, biscuits and hash brown potatoes, and the funds are donated to a variety of charitable causes. Over the

past year, the council has raised more than $2,100 for youth programs, for the victims of the mine explosion in Upper Big Branch, and for a council member who lost his wife and home in a fire.

WALL OF HONOR

With assistance from the Guadalupana Society and the lay retreat organization ACTS (Adoration Community Theology Service), Our Lady of Fatima Council 4315 in San Antonio established a memorial wall at St. Benedict Church in honor of all parishioners, past and present, who have served in the armed forces.

BINGO FOR HOCKEY

Msgr. Pierre Grenier Council 3056 in Hearst, Ontario, hosted a special bingo tournament to benefit a local peewee hockey team. The tournament raised $3,300 to support the young athletes.

LAPTOP FOR SEMINARIAN

Through council funds and contributions from individual members, Pope John XXIII Council 3743 in Baton Rouge, La., was able to purchase a new MacBook for seminarian (and council member) Michael Sanders.

And when the Apple Store found out that Sanders was set to receive the computer, the store donated addition software and training for use in his studies to become a priest.

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

P RO M OT I O NA L & G I F T I T E M S

­

VALUATION EXHIBIT OF

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS In compliance with the requirements of the laws of the various states, we publish below a Valuation Exhibit of the Knights of Columbus as of Dec. 31, 2010. The law requires that this publication shall be made of the results of the valuation with explanation as filed with the insurance departments.

ASSETS — Actual and Contingent 1. Admitted Assets of the General Account Fund, item 26, page 2 of Annual Statement: $16,861,960,910

LIABILITIES — Actual and Contingent

B.

A.

2. Old System Reserve — including additional reserve: $ 1,663,672 3. New System Reserve — including D.I. and Dis. W. $ 9,737,730,862 (net of reins): 4. Reserve for accident and health certificates: $ 165,699,585 5. Total per item 1 and 2, page 3 of Annual Statement: $ 9,905,094,119 6. Deduct liens and interest thereon, not included in Admitted Assets, and not in excess of required reserves on the corresponding None individual certificates: 7. Balance — Item 5 less item 6 above: $ 9,905,094,119 8. Liabilities of the General Account Fund, except reserve (items 3 to 22 incl. page 3 of Annual Statement): $ 5,226,913,618 9. Liabilities — Actual and Contingent — sum of $15,132,007,737 items 7 and 8 above: 10. Ratio percent of Dec. 31, 2010 — 111.43% Assets — Actual and Dec. 31, 2009 — 111.85% Contingent (Item 1) Dec. 31, 2008 — 113.02% to liabilities — Actual Dec. 31, 2007 — 114.28% Dec. 31, 2006 — 114.89% and Contingent (Item 9)

EXPLANATION The above valuation indicates that, on a basis of the A.E., A.M. (5), 1941 C.S.O., 1958 C.S.O., 1980 C.S.O., 2001 C.S.O., 1937 S.A., 1971 Individual Annuity Table, Annuity 2000 Table and 1983 “a” Tables of Mortality with interest at 9%, 8.75%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4.5%, 4%, 3.75%, 3.5%, 3%, 2.5%, the future assessments of the society, at the net rate now being collected, together with the now invested assets of the General Account Fund are sufficient to meet all certificates as they mature by their terms, with a margin of safety of $1,729,953,173 (or 111.43%) over the above statutory standards.

STATE OF: Connecticut SS. COUNTY OF: New Haven

C. A. Skagen Steel Mesh Watch. Signature Skagen Denmark® silver mesh band with enlarged brushed steel case and double-locking fold-over clasp. Gunmetal face with two-level dial, numerical indicators and date function. Emblem of the Order above date window. PG-16 — $140 B. Columbia® Fishing Vest. Made from 60% cotton/40% polyester poplin with mesh collar of 75% nylon/25% elastane. Features include: zip front, six front pockets with hook-and-loop closure, four large lower pockets with zip closure, two pigtail clip retractors, rod holder, removable sherpa fly keeper and utility D-ring for attaching gear on back. Embroidered with “Knights of Columbus” over left breast. Medium (PG-575), Large (PG-576), XL (PG-577) and XXL (PG-578) — $70 C. Deluxe Tote Bag. Classic cotton zipper boat tote. Natural color with blue trim. “Knights of Columbus” and emblem of the Order on front. 23” wide by 14” high. PG-822 — $17

The officers of this reporting entity, being duly sworn, each depose and say that they are the described officers of the said reporting entity, and that on the reporting period stated above, all of the herein described assets were the absolute property of the said reporting entity, free and clear from any liens or claims thereon, except as herein stated, and that this statement, together with related exhibits, schedules and explanations therein contained, annexed or referred to, is a full and true statement of all the assets and liabilities and of the condition and affairs of the said reporting entity as of the reporting period stated above, and of its income and deductions therefrom for the period ended, and have been completed in accordance with the NAIC annual statement instructions and accounting practices and procedure manual except to the extent that: (1) state law may differ; or, (2) that state rules or regulations require differences in reporting not related to accounting practices and procedures, according to the best of their information, knowledge and belief, respectively.

Furthermore, the scope of this attesta-tion by the described officers also includes the related corresponding electronic filing with the NAIC, when required, that is an exact copy (except for formatting differences due to electronic filing) of the enclosed statement. The electronic filing may be requested by various regulators in lieu of or in addition to the enclosed statement.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 15th day of February 2011.

ELIZABETH A. HUGHES Notary Public CARL A. ANDERSON, President EMILIO B. MOURE, Secretary CHARLES E. MAURER JR., Treasurer SEAL

OFFICIAL MAY 1, 2011:

Control No.

State Code

O F F I C E U S E O N LY

Promotional and Gift Department 78 Meadow Street New Haven, CT 06519-1759 PHONE: 203-752-4216 or 203-752-4425 FAX: 1-800-266-6340 All prices in U.S. currency — No C.O.D. Products available in the U.S. and Canada only NAME

STREET

Qty.

Item No.

Price Each

q CHECK HERE TO RECEIVE A FREE GIFT CATALOG SHIPPING AND HANDLING

DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER

q

CREDIT CARD BILLING ADDRESS CHECK IF SAME AS SHIPPING ADDRESS

TOTAL Check/Money Order No.*

Amount

* Make check or money order out to: “Knights of Columbus Supreme Council” CREDIT CARD BILLING INFORMATION DO NOT MAIL FAX ORDERS

NAME

M.C.

q

STREET CITY ZIP/POSTAL CODE

STATE/PROVINCE

$9

CT residents add 6% sales tax

CITY/STATE/PROVINCE

ZIP OR POSTAL CODE

TOTAL

Expiration Date: Month

Signature

Year

VISA

q

To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, CASE POSTALE 935, Station d’Armes, Montréal, PQ H2Y 3J4 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED

BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS

BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326.

PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

M AY 2 0 1 1

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 31

C O LU M B I A N I S M B Y D E G R E E S

Unity

Charity

Fraternity

Patriotism

KNIGHTS FROM throughout the Diocese of Lafayette, Ind., sell raffle tickets for a 1965 Corvette in support of vocations to the priesthood.

Twenty-eight councils teamed up for a four-month raffle, during which time the car appeared at 18 churches, six festivals, three automotive shows and two golf outings.

Approximately 200 Knights assisted with ticket sales, and the raffle ended up raising more than $170,000 for the diocese’s newly established Knights of Columbus Seminarian Endowment Fund.

FATHER JIM ANTIPOREK (center) looks on as Past Faithful Navigator Raymond Scott of Bishop Romeo Blancette Assembly in Naperville, Ill., presents a U.S. flag to Principal Maureen White of St. Irene School.

St. Irene Council 6710 in Warrenville donated a flag and flagpole to the school in honor of deceased council members. Students and school administrators joined Knights for a dedication ceremony shortly after the start of the academic year.

MEMBERS OF St. Lawrence Council 4169 in Toledo, Ohio, assemble care packages for troops serving in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province.

Knights packed more than 70 boxes of toiletries, stationery supplies, food treats and other personal items for the soldiers.

• Members of Mary Queen Council 8494 in League City, Texas, and the Queen Bee Quilters visited the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center to distribute handmade patriotic quilts and prayers guides to veterans.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2 0 1 1

UNITY: CNS photo/Sam Lucero, The Compass

MEMBERS OF Green Bay (Wis.) Council 617 clean a mobility scooter outside Options for Independent Living, a program that assists people with disabilities. Eleven Knights participated in the second annual free wheelchair wash, cleaning a total of 18 motorized scooters and wheelchairs.

• Bishop Denis J. O’Connell Council 12366 in Fort Mill, S.C., cleaned the properties of two parishioners who were unable to perform the work themselves. Knights cut grass, weeded, and removed trees and trash.

KNIGHT S O F CO LU MBUS

Building a better world one council at a time Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer.

We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.

TO

Jim Rolleri and David Dallas of Father John Jay Jackson Council 1101 in Jackson, Tenn., repair a donated bicycle during an initiative to distribute bikes to needy families. Knights turned up and repaired bicycles for the children of about 100 needy families.

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW

“K NIGHTS IN ACTION ” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : H AVEN, CT 06510-3326 OR E - MAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC. ORG. M AY 2011

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33

PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

KEEP T HE FAITH ALIV E

‘PUT EVERYTHING INTO THE HANDS OF GOD.’

SISTER KARUNA KISPOTTA Poor Clare Missionary Sisters Santa Ana, California

Photo by Slav Zakota

I was raised in northeast India, in the state of Orissa, and was about 10 years old when I was inspired to become a sister. At times, though, I was very afraid to respond to this particular call, which I did not really understand. Many worldly distractions almost caused me to abandon my desire to belong totally to God. Before graduating high school, I attended a weekend vocations retreat at my parish. I again felt the call from God, which I then knew meant leaving everything behind and following Jesus Christ, so that I might give my life to him by serving my brothers and sisters.

After leaving the retreat, I decided to tell my family about my vocation. They were overjoyed with this special grace, especially my loving father. Answering “yes” to Jesus was the most unforgettable experience of peace and joy.

My advice to anyone who is considering a religious vocation would be to put everything into the hands of God. He will call you where and when he knows you will be fruitful serving him, because we are called to holiness.