Columbia May 2016

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M AY 2016

K N I G H T S O F C O L U M BU S

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS m ay 2 0 1 6 ♦ V o l u m e 9 6 ♦ N u m b e r 5

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

10 An Extraordinary Witness of Faith Inspired by the late pope’s remarkable life and teaching, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine invites pilgrims to grow in Christian discipleship.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

12 Redemption and Light Stunning church and chapel artwork make visible the glory of God and the drama of salvation history.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

24 Anointed for Worship Newly dedicated altars stand as symbols of Christ at the heart of the shrine’s sacramental life.

BY NORA HAMERMAN

28 The Legacy of St. John Paul II Through his life and holiness, the late pope left a ‘polyphonic’ legacy of faith, hope and love.

BY CARDINAL STANISŁAW DZIWISZ

30 A Journey With the Pilgrim Pope Shrine exhibit takes visitors on a pilgrimage to the heart of St. John Paul II’s life and papacy.

BY MARK ZIMMERMANN

34 Center of Pilgrimage and Renewal The Saint John Paul II National Shrine offers an array of faith-filled events for visitors.

BY KATIE SCOTT

A marble carving of St. Thomas the Apostle on the altar of the Redemptor Hominis Church at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., depicts the saint extending his hand into the altar, as if touching Christ’s pierced side. The altar, created by sculptor Edoardo Ferrari, was dedicated Oct. 2, 2015.

D E PA RT M E N T S Photo by Peter Škrlep/Tamino Petelinsek © Knights of Columbus

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Building a better world Pope Francis’ new document provides us sure guidance for building up family life.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith

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Knights of Columbus News Supreme Council Continues to Aid Victims of Genocide • Knights of Columbus Stands With Little Sisters of the Poor • Knights Mourn Death of Mother Angelica • Order Celebrates Founder’s Day

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Christians at Risk After four Missionaries of Charity were slain by ISIS, the sole surviving sister gives an eyewitness account.

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Knights in Action

The Holy Family teaches us a balanced approach to work based on selfgiving love and our call to holiness.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

M AY 2016

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‘Open Wide the Doors for Christ’ WHEN THE COLLEGE of cardinals elected the 264th bishop of Rome on Oct. 16, 1978, few people recognized the man who walked out onto the balcony.

Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła, the 58year-old archbishop of Kraków, Poland, was relatively unknown, yet he became the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years. People everywhere soon embraced Pope John Paul II, though no one could have anticipated the impact that the charismatic new pontiff would have on the Church and the world.

In terms of sheer numbers, John Paul II’s legacy is remarkable. His papacy spanned more than 26 years, making him the second-longest reigning pope in history after St. Peter. He traveled on hundreds of pastoral journeys to 129 countries and was seen by more people than anyone else in human history. He wrote more than 1,000 pages of magisterial documents and promulgated the first new catechism of the Catholic Church in four centuries. He beatified 1,338 people and canonized 482 saints — more than the combined total since the canonization process was formalized in the 16th century.

These facts are more than matters of trivia or record breaking. For example, John Paul II’s papacy was not merely long; Wojtyła was a father of the Second Vatican Council and devoted his pontificate to implementing its authentic vision. The unparalleled scope of his travels was not a matter of collecting frequentflier miles, but rather testified to his missionary heart and his closeness to people everywhere as a universal pastor. So, too,

the breadth of John Paul II’s teachings demonstrated his deep understanding of God and man, which has transformed countless lives, and his elevation of so many to sainthood reflected his conviction that all are called to holiness.

The whole of John Paul II’s life is marked by heroic virtue and exemplary witness amid the tumult of the 20th century, from his experience of the Nazi occupation of Poland to his instrumental role in the fall of Communism. Consider also his response to the sexual revolution: As poet, playwright, philosopher and theologian, this Pope of the Family wrote volumes more than his predecessors about the central importance of marriage, family and the dignity of the human person. Ultimately, this witness and all of John Paul II’s accomplishments are bound together by one common thread: his unwavering faith in Christ.

In his inaugural homily, John Paul II famously exclaimed, “Open wide the doors for Christ!” His first encyclical began: “The Redeemer of Man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.” In everything, John Paul II pointed the world to Christ. This was the primary reason why he was declared a saint April 27, 2014. It is also the primary reason why the Knights of Columbus established the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., which serves not as a museum of his legacy, but as a living place of pilgrimage and worship for generations to come.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Domestic Church Resource: Amoris Laetitia FOLLOWING TWO synods of bishops on the family, Pope Francis published a new apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), April 8. Like St. John Paul II’s 1981 document Familiaris Consortio (The Family in the Modern World), which is frequently referenced by Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia is a profound reflection on the family and the challenges facing the domestic church today. The official Vatican text is available free online at vatican.va. Several printed versions are also available.

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Logan T. Ludwig DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Anna Bninski ASSOCIATE EDITOR ________

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4210, option #3 PRAYER CARDS & SUPPLIES 203-752-4214 COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

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Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER A new mosaic in the Saint John Paul II National Shrine’s Redemptor Hominis Church depicts John Paul II with the three Magi.

COVER: Photo by Peter Škrlep/Tamino Petelinsek

E D I TO R I A L

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Our Domestic Church Guidebook Pope Francis’ new document provides us sure guidance for building up family life

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson LAST MONTH, Pope Francis re- bond between conjugal love and the leased one of the most important generation of life” (68). documents of his pontificate: Amoris The Holy Father further recalled the Laetitia (The Joy of Love). In the com- teaching of St. John Paul II, in his cating days, much will be written about echeses on human love, in his Letter to this post-synodal apostolic exhorta- Families and in Familiaris Consortio, tion, but this much can be said now: saying that through these documents Amoris Laetitia is our guidebook to his predecessor had “defined the family building up the Catholic family as a as ‘the way of the Church’” (69). domestic church. Moreover, it is the Clearly, Pope Francis, too, is presentguidebook for our Order’s new ini- ing the family as “the way of the tiative, Building the Domestic Church” while also emphasizing the Church While Strengthening Our Parish.

In the document, Pope Francis reminds us to view the Pope Francis is encouraging family as that sanctuary of life of us to redouble our efforts and love which is at the heart of the domestic church: “The strengthen family life. ability of human couples to beget life is the path along which the history of salvation progresses,” he writes. “Seen this way, need for greater pastoral care of families. the couple’s fruitful relationship beIn Amoris Laetitia, he describes the comes an image for understanding and Church as “a family of families” (87). describing the mystery of God himself, This is especially true of our parish for in the Christian vision of the Trin- churches, and this is the fundamental ity, God is contemplated as Father, Son premise underlying our Building the and Spirit of love. The triune God is a Domestic Church While Strengthencommunion of love, and the family is ing Our Parish initiative. its living reflection. St. John Paul II Last December, when the supreme shed light on this when he said, ‘Our chaplain and I discussed our BuildGod in his deepest mystery is not soli- ing the Domestic Church program tude, but a family, for he has within with Pope Francis, he encouraged us himself fatherhood, sonship and the to continue this initiative to essence of the family, which is love. strengthen family life, especially by That love, in the divine family, is the encouraging more families to be acHoly Spirit’” (Amoris Laetitia, 11). tive in their parishes.

Pope Francis also strongly reafKnights of Columbus parishfirmed the teaching of Blessed Paul VI based councils are ideally positioned in Humanae Vitae on “the intrinsic to do this. Amoris Laetitia calls us to

a new “family apostolate” based upon families’ “joy-filled witness as domestic churches” (200). This is especially important for young husbands and fathers.

Pope Francis is encouraging all of us to redouble our efforts to strengthen family life. Central to those efforts is our new initiative of family consecration to the Holy Family.

Amoris Laetitia concludes with this prayer: all “Holy Family of Nazareth, to grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic churches.

“Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division; may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.

“Holy Family of Nazareth, make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan.”

I ask that we make this prayer our own and also add: “Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Knights of Columbus may be a place where families experience the joy of the Gospel, grow as sanctuaries of love and life, and as true domestic churches witness to the beauty of the family in God’s plan.”

Vivat Jesus!

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

St. Joseph the Worker The Holy Family teaches us a balanced approach to work based on self-giving love and our call to holiness

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori WE SPEND MOST of our waking a carpenter. What can this man, whose hours on our way to work, at work words go unrecorded in Scripture, and coming home from work. How- teach fathers about their vocation? ever, some studies suggest that though On March 19, 2013, Pope Francis people are working more, they are en- asked in his inaugural homily, “How order of salvation and holiness, so too, joying it less. The conclusions vary, does Joseph exercise his role as protec- by analogy, is Jesus’ work at the side of but one thing seems clear: Many peo- tor? Discreetly, humbly and silently, Joseph the carpenter.” ple do not find much meaning in but with an unfailing presence and The pope continued, “Along with their daily work. utter fidelity, even when it is hard to the humanity of the Son of God, Moreover, long hours spent at work understand.” He added that Joseph “is work too has been taken up in the can cause discord in the home — ar- there at every moment with loving mystery of the Incarnation, and has guments between husbands and care — on the journey to Bethlehem also been redeemed in a special way. wives, a feeling of neglect on At the workbench where he the part of children. Conplied his trade together with versely, families experience fiIn the family, work must become Jesus, Joseph brought human nancial insecurity when work closer to the mystery of part of that continual self-gift of the Redemption” (Redemptoris parents are unemployed, underemployed or forced to Custos, 22). spouses for their own sake and work several part-time jobs to What do we see in the exammake ends meet. No doubt ple of St. Joseph and the Holy for the sake of their children. about it, getting the relationFamily? The work of Joseph and ship between work and home Mary was long and difficult, but right is no easy feat. for the census, in the anxious and joy- it was not all-consuming. On the conThe month of May is not only a ful hours when [Mary] gave birth; trary, Joseph and Mary engaged in special time that the Church honors amid the drama of the flight into their work with a sense of mission, Mary, but it also begins with the feast Egypt and during the frantic search namely, to do God’s will in creating a of St. Joseph the Worker. He is an ap- for their child in the Temple; and later secure and loving home for thempealing role model as we seek to bal- in the day-to-day life of the home of selves and for their child, Jesus. They ance the demands of the workplace Nazareth, in the workshop where he worked hard not merely to survive but with the vocation of establishing a se- taught his trade to Jesus.” also as an expression of service to God cure, peaceful, joyous and faith-filled As a child and as a young man, and to one another. And far from home — a true “domestic church.”

Jesus witnessed the arduous labors of working in isolation, they shared their Mary and Joseph, and he also shared labors; they worked in harmony, and PROTECTOR AND PROVIDER in their work. Or, as St. John Paul II included their son, Jesus, in their It was St. Joseph’s unique vocation to put it in his apostolic exhortation on household and in their workshop. be the husband of Mary and the adop- St. Joseph, “Having learned the work tive father of Jesus. He was appointed of his presumed father, [Jesus] was AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE

by God to be the protector and known as ‘the carpenter’s son.’ If the Further reflecting on St. Joseph’s role guardian of the Holy Family and to Family of Nazareth is an example and as protector of the Holy Family, Pope provide for them through his work as model for human families, in the Francis challenged us to be protectors 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

of our own families, which “means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then as parents, they care for their children; and children, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect and goodness.”

What a different way to approach our daily work! In the family, work must become part of that continual and mutual self-gift of spouses for their own sake and for the sake of their children. It’s not just about get-

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis UNIVERSAL: That in every country of the world, women may be honored and respected and that their essential contribution to society may be highly esteemed.

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — St. DAmIEN DE VEuStER: CNS Photo

EVANGELIZATION: That families, communities and groups may pray the holy rosary for evangelization and peace.

ting ahead, not just about survival, but rather an expression of love, care, protection and gratitude to God. Ultimately, our daily work must be directed toward holiness and salvation.

If our families are to be true domestic churches, then we must examine the question of how well we approach daily work — whether outside employment, work in the home, care for children, or even daily chores.

Is our work an expression of love?

Is it done truly for the sake of one’s spouse and children, or is it a way of escaping an unhappy home life? Is

there a proper balance between time spent at work and time spent with one’s family? Do husbands and wives share in the household tasks and set expectations that their children will help with those chores? Do families work only for their own well-being or are they also reaching out to others in need? Does our work contribute to or detract from our sanctification?

During this month of May, let us lovingly turn to St. Joseph and to the holy Mother of God and ask them to guide us, in our work and our families, closer to Christ.♦

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

St. Damien de Veuster (1840-1889) THE YOUNGEST of seven children, Jozef de Veuster was born in Tremolo, Belgium, on Jan. 3, 1840. His father hoped he would take over the family farm, but de Veuster followed two of his sisters and his brother Auguste (later Father Pamphile) into the religious life.

At age 19, he entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and received the name Damien.

In 1863, his brother was to sail on a mission to Hawaii, but he fell ill.

Brother Damien, who yearned to be a missionary, received permission to take his place and arrived in Honolulu in March 1864. Two months later, he was ordained a priest.

Joyful and energetic, Father Damien evangelized the native population on the Big Island of Hawaii for nine years. He then volunteered to serve the 800 people exiled to the Island of Moloka’i because they suffered from Hansen’s disease (historically known as leprosy). After his arrival in 1873, he wrote to Father Pamphile: “I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.”

In the years that followed, Father Damien worked for human dignity in

the settlement of outcasts. He bathed and bandaged the lepers’ wounds, washed their clothes and amputated gangrenous limbs. He taught the stronger inhabitants to build houses and roads, raise crops and livestock, and play musical instruments. He also built a chapel, instituted perpetual eucharistic adoration and founded two orphanages and a school.

Father Damien eventually contracted Hansen’s disease in 1884 and later died peacefully on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. St. Damien de Veuster was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. His feast day is May 10, the date he arrived on Moloka’i.♦

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Supreme Council Continues to Aid Victims of Genocide

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Families in Erbil, Iraq, carry bags of food emblazoned with the emblem of the Knights of Columbus. Last fall, the Order sponsored the delivery of a month’s supply of food to more than 13,500 displaced families in the region through the Christian Refugee Relief Fund. those in Iraq and Syria. To date, nearly $10 million has been raised to provide housing, food, medical aid, education and general relief.

“The survival of the individuals affected, and of Christianity as a whole in the region, depends in large measure on not turning away now, thinking that ISIS will soon conform to the norms of the international community,” said Supreme Knight Anderson.

In addition to raising funds, the Knights of Columbus has worked to raise awareness of the persecution via engagement with the media and a petition drive that drew nearly 150,000 signatures in the days prior to Secretary of State Kerry’s March 17 genocide declaration.

“In my judgment, Daesh is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including

Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims,” Kerry stated. “Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions — in what it says, what it believes and what it does.”

The secretary of state’s rationale for the genocide designation reflected many of the points urged by the Knights. In testimony in December 2015 on Capitol Hill, Supreme Knight Anderson had laid out the dangerous, genocidal conditions faced

by Christians and others, even within UN refugee camps. In cooperation with the organization In Defense of Christians, the Knights then prepared a nearly 300-page report, which was made public at a March 10 news conference in Washington, pressing for the genocide designation.

Additional information is available at www.christiansatrisk.org.♦

Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq

FOLLOWING THE U.S. State Department’s March 17 declaration that Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East face genocide at the hands of the Islamic State group (also known as ISIS or Daesh), Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson applauded the designation as “correct and truly historic.”

“For one of the few times in our history, the United States has designated an ongoing situation as genocide, and the State Department is to be commended for having the courage to say so,” the supreme knight said. “Following this declaration, America must continue to focus on those being killed in this genocide — and our country, and the international community, must make sure the slaughter ends and that these innocent people are protected.”

The Knights of Columbus then produced a new television commercial, which began airing nationwide March 30, to highlight the ongoing needs faced by Christian victims of genocide in the Middle East. The commercial points out that though the United States has joined the international consensus on the issue, persecution and displacement have not abated, and the victims remain in dire need of assistance. It quotes Secretary of State John Kerry’s March 17 statement that genocide is taking place and that ISIS is “killing Christians because they are Christians.”

The commercial concludes with an appeal by Father Douglas Bazi, who heads the Mar Elia refugee center in Erbil, Iraq, and who was himself kidnapped and tortured by terrorists in Baghdad. “Genocide is an easy word compared to what’s happened to my people,” states Father Bazi. “Help my people and save my people.”

The Knights of Columbus began its Christian Refugee Relief Fund in 2014 to aid persecuted Christians and other religious minorities, especially

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

TOP RIGHT: Photo courtesy of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — MOTHER ANGELICA: CNS photo/courtesy EWTN — BOTTOM RIGHT: Photo by Tom Serafin

Knights of Columbus Stands With Little Sisters of the Poor IN ANTICIPATION OF the recent oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case Little Sisters of the Poor v.

Burwell, the Knights of Columbus filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief on behalf of the religious order Jan. 11. The 175-year-old congregation of women first appealed for protection from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate in 2013.

“We offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they are welcomed as Christ,” said the Little Sisters’ mother provincial, Sister Loraine Marie Maguire. “We perform this loving ministry because of our faith and cannot possibly choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith — and we shouldn’t have to.”

The sisters’ legal case has been defended by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which receives financial support from the Knights of Columbus.

“The Little Sisters should not have to fight their own government to get an exemption it has already given to

Becket Fund President William P. Mumma (left), Supreme Chaplain William E. Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella join Sister Loraine Marie Maguire (center) and other members of the Little Sisters of the Poor March 23, following oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. thousands of other employers, including big companies like Exxon and Pepsi,” said Mark Rienzi, senior counsel of the Becket Fund. “It is ridiculous for the federal government to claim, in this day and age, that it can’t figure out how to distribute contraceptives without involving nuns and

their health plans.”

Following the oral arguments March 23, the Supreme Court took the unusual step of asking for additional information, urging both sides to seek a mutually agreeable resolution. A decision in the case is expected in June.♦

Knights Mourn Death of Mother Angelica

Order Celebrates Founder’s Day

MOTHER ANGELICA of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, died March 27 at age 92. Since its founding in 1980, EWTN has become one of the world’s largest religious media operations. The relationship between Knights of Columbus and Mother Angelica has grown over the years, and the Order partners regularly with EWTN on media projects today.

“Mother Angelica leaves behind a legacy of holiness and commitment to the new evangelization that should inspire us all,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson in a statement following her death. “That witness of faith was unmistakable to anyone who met and worked with her, and generations of Catholics have, and will, continue to be formed by her vision and her ‘yes’ to God’s will.”♦

Dominican Father John Paul Walker, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., prays with Knights of Columbus leaders and guests for the canonization of Venerable Michael McGivney at the Knights of Columbus founder’s tomb March 29. They had gathered for Mass to celebrate Founder’s Day, honoring Father McGivney and the 134th anniversary of the Order.

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C H R I S T I A N S AT R I S K

‘These are the martyrs of today!’

After four Missionaries of Charity were slain by ISIS, the sole surviving sister gives an eyewitness account EDITOR’S NOTE: On Friday, March 4, armed ISIS militants in Aden, Yemen, invaded a home for the elderly and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. They killed 16, including four of the five religious sisters who operated the home, and abducted Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was living there. Sister Sally, the superior of the community, survived the massacre and communicated the events to Sister Rio, a regional superior in the Middle East. Another Missionary of Charity, Sister Adriana, then wrote and circulated Sister Rio’s testimony. That text is reprinted here with permission.

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A member of the Missionaries of Charity honors the four sisters who were murdered in Yemen March 4 during a memorial Mass in New York City April 1. heads. When the sisters ran in different directions, the Superior [Sister Sally] ran to the convent to try to warn Father Tom. They caught Sister Anselm and Sister Marguerite, tied them, shot them in the head and smashed their heads in the sand.

Meanwhile, the Superior could not get to the convent. It is not clear how many ISIS men were there.

She saw all the sisters and helpers killed. The ISIS men were already getting to the convent, so she went into the refrigerator room, since the door was open. These ISIS men were everywhere, searching for her, as they knew there were five. At least three times they came into the refrigerator room.

She did not hide, but remained stand-

ing behind the door — they never saw her. This is miraculous.

Meanwhile, at the convent, Father had heard the screaming and consumed all the hosts. He had no time to consume the large host, so he threw the oil out of the sanctuary lamp and dissolved it in the water.

A neighbor saw them put Father Tom in their car. They did not find any trace of Father anywhere. All the religious articles were smashed and destroyed — Our Lady, the crucifix, altar, tabernacle, lectionary stand, even their prayer books and Bibles.

10:00 or 10:15 a.m.: The ISIS men finished and left.

Sister Sally came to get the bodies of the sisters. She got them all. She went to the patients to each one indi-

C OLUMBUS C HRISTIAN R EFUGEE R ELIEF F UND. V ISIT

CHRISTIANSATRISK . ORG

CNS photo/Ed Wilkinson

SISTERS HAD MASS, breakfast as usual. As usual, Father [Tom Uzhunnalil] stayed back in the chapel to say prayers, then to fix things around the compound.

8:00 a.m.: Said apostolate prayer and all five went to home.

8:30 a.m.: ISIS men dressed in blue came in, killed guard and driver.

Five young Ethiopian men (Christian) began running to tell the sisters that ISIS was here to kill them. They were killed one by one. They tied them to trees, shot them in the head and smashed their heads.

The sisters ran two by two in different directions, as they have men’s and ladies’ home. Four working women were screaming, “Don’t kill the sisters! Don’t kill the sisters!”

One was the cook for 15 years. They killed them as well.

They caught Sister Judith and Sister Reginette first, tied them up, shot them in the head and smashed their

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C H R I S T I A N S AT R I S K

Courtesy of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia

The four Missionary of Charity Sisters who were murdered by ISIS militants in Aten, Yemen, are pictured above, from left: Sister Anselm from India, Sister Judith from Kenya, and Sisters Reginette and Marguerite from Rwanda. In his Angelus address March 6, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the Missionaries of Charity and said, “These are the martyrs of today! ... They may not even make the news, but they gave their blood for the Church.” vidually to see if they were OK. All were OK. Not one was hurt.

The son of the woman who was the cook (who was killed) was calling her on her cellphone. Since she was not answering, he called the police, and he went with the police there and found this great massacre. The police and the son arrived at about 10:30 a.m.

The police tried to take Sister Sally out of there — she refused to leave the people who were crying, “Don’t leave us; stay with us.” But the police forced her to go with them because the ISIS men knew there were five sisters, and [the police] were convinced they will not stop until they killed her too. So finally she had to leave. She took one set of clothes and the sisters’ bodies, and the police brought them to an international hospital called “Doctors Without Borders” for protection. As there was not enough room in the mortuary of that hospital for the sisters’ bodies, the police brought their bodies to a bigger hospital mortuary.

Sister Sally told Sister Rio she is so sad because she is alone and did not die

with her sisters. Sister Rio told her God wanted a witness and told her, “Who would have found the sisters’ bodies and who would ever tell us what happened? God wants us to know.”

Pope Francis had his secretary contact the Yemen Secretary of State very often — about once a week to check up on the sisters and reassure them of his closeness. Today, the pope’s secretary sent the message: “I thank them — Little M.C. martyrs.” He said he is offering the 40-hour First Friday devotion for them.

Sister Sally told Sister Rio that Father Tom tells them every day, “Let us be ready for martyrdom.” … God wanted them there.

Aden is rich city — a port city.

Aden wanted to be its own state, so they got ISIS in to help them fight against Yemen. … That was the war last year, with all the bombing. They won, so that is over, but ISIS won’t leave. They want to take over and exterminate any Christian presence.

They did not kill the sisters in the war because they had no political reason to waste time on them. But now, they

are the only Christian presence, and ISIS wants to get rid of all Christianity. So they are real martyrs — they died because they are Christians.

They could have died so many times in the war, but God wanted it to be clear they are martyrs for the faith.

Sister Rio said that Sister Sally is fully surrendered. The police are trying to get her out because they will just keep after her until they kill her.

She is fully surrendered and told Sister Rio, “Whatever God wants.”

She said the other Muslims are so respectful of them. She said to pray that their blood will be the seeds for peace in the Middle East and to stop ISIS. She said that if they kidnapped Father Tom, most probably they will wait two days, then ask in exchange for Father Tom either money or the release of their members held in prison.

Sister Rio said they were so faithful — ISIS knew exactly when they leave and when to break in. And because of their faithfulness, they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came. …♦

READ THE K OF C REPORT ABOUT CHRISTIANS FACING GENOCIDE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. VISIT STOPTHECHRISTIANGENOCIDE.ORG M AY 2016

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An Extraordinary W Inspired by the late pope’s remarkable life and teaching, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine invites pilgrims to grow in Christian discipleship

by Columbia staff

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hree months after the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1, 2011, the Knights of Columbus embarked upon a historic initiative to establish the Western Hemisphere’s foremost shrine dedicated to celebrating and preserving the enduring legacy of the late pontiff.

On Aug. 2, 2011, in his annual report at the 129th Supreme Convention, Supreme Knight Carl. A. Anderson announced that the Order would purchase the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., and transform it into a multi-faceted pilgrimage site.

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counter the mission and legacy of one of history’s greatest popes,” the supreme knight said. “It will also be a place where our children and grandchildren will learn about their great heritage as Catholics.”

Located down the street from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Catholic University of America, the site has undergone five years of extensive renovation overseen by shrine and Supreme Council staff.

In anticipation of John Paul II’s canonization, which took place April 27, 2014, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops designated it a national shrine. Later that year, an integral component of the site was completed — a world-class,

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y Witness of Faith

The Saint John Paul II National Shrine in northeast Washington, D.C., is pictured following John Paul II’s canonization in 2014.

permanent exhibit titled “A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II” (see page 30).

One year later, in September 2015, Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik and a team of artists from the Centro Aletti in Rome installed mosaics for the shrine’s two new worship spaces — the Redemptor Hominis Church and Luminous Mysteries Chapel (see page 12). On Oct. 2, 2015, the shrine then welcomed Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków and John Paul II’s longtime personal secretary, who dedicated the altar in the Redemptor Hominis Church (see page 24).

That event, together with the dedication of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel altar April 2, marked a new chapter in the

life of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which according to its mission statement is “first and foremost a place of the worship of God who became man in Jesus Christ.” The shrine’s mission statement also affirms that it is “a place of pilgrimage,” “a place of the veneration of St. John Paul II” and “a place of genuine encounter with God that leads to a renewal of individuals, families, societies and cultures.”

While its life and programming will continue to grow and develop, the shrine has already become a vibrant place of pilgrimage, worship and evangelization, inviting visitors to heed the words of St. John Paul II’s inaugural homily: “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.”♦ M AY 2016

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Redemption and Light Stunning church and chapel artwork make visible the glory of God and the drama of salvation history

by Columbia staff, with art commentary by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik and Michelle Borras

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n 1999, Jesuit Father Marko Ivan Rupnik led the restoration of the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s priestly ordination. The first major work of art executed in the Vatican since the Renaissance, the chapel’s mosaics displayed a blend of traditional and contemporary art, characterized by pieces of marble, granite and other stones flowing together with bursts of intense, often contrasting color.

A Slovenian artist and theologian, Father Rupnik is the director of Centro Aletti, a community of artists run by Jesuits and consecrated women in Rome. John Paul II established the center in 1993 as a place of theological and artistic dialogue between the Eastern and Western Christian traditions.

Nearly two decades since the Redemptoris Mater Chapel was completed, the mosaic work of Father Rupnik and the Centro Aletti artists can be seen in more than 130 churches and chapels around the world, including the basilicas of Lourdes and Fatima.

At the 122nd Supreme Convention in Dallas in 2004, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced that Father Rupnik would install mosaics in the Holy Family Chapel at the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Conn.

“Father Rupnik’s work is not only artistically beautiful, but theologically profound in its exploration of the mysteries of our faith,” he said in his annual report. “When it is complete, it will link in a beautiful way the Knights of Columbus with the pontificate of John Paul II.” Dedicated in 2005 by the supreme chaplain, then-Bishop William E. Lori, the Holy Family Chapel became Father Rupnik’s first work in the United States.

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“I was never sure I would come to America to work, but we felt that we really must come,” Father Rupnik said after the chapel was completed. “What was started in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel was brought to fruition here.”

Today, pilgrims and visitors to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine can see similar mosaics on a much larger scale in the shrine’s two sanctuaries.

“When the Knights of Columbus came to me in Rome, they said, ‘We would like to propose something for the new evangelization and the new generations of Americans,’” Father Rupnik recalled. “Therefore, I proposed that we take the vision of the pope’s first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer of Man), which contains a vision of man that is really a new life — for man exists fully only if he is in Christ.”

On the radiant exterior wall of the main worship space, which can accommodate more than 500 people and has been named Redemptor Hominis Church, pilgrims encounter a mosaic of Christ’s face and the words of St. John Paul II: “Is it not the Church’s task to reflect the light of Christ? … Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 16).

The theme of reflecting Christ’s light is further expressed in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, which celebrates the five “mysteries of light” introduced by John Paul II into the rosary in 2002.

The following pages depict many of the mosaics Father Rupnik and the Centro Aletti team installed in the church and chapel in September 2015. They are accompanied with commentary by Father Rupnik and Michelle Borras, the shrine’s theologian in residence.

Photos by Tom Serafin

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Clockwise, from top: Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik (center, in red), sculptor Edoardo Ferrari (to his right) and artists from the Centro Aletti community in Rome break for a photo while installing mosaics in the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. • Artists carefully select stones to create the mosaics. • An artist applies gold leaf to a mosaic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha in the Redemptor Hominis Church. • Father Rupnik discusses with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson the newly installed mosaics in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel.

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Adam and Eve Clothed in Glory The first image that the pilgrim encounters depicts Adam and Eve clothed in God’s glory, just a moment before the Fall. The serpent, a fallen angel, encircles Eve’s head, tempting her to a false understanding of God. “You will be like God,” the serpent hisses (Gen 3:5). Yet God, in sheer generosity, had already created man and woman in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26). Eve’s hand is stretched out to grasp possessively a gift that can only be received.

Cain Kills His Brother Abel Eve’s possessive, grasping gesture is repeated by her son, Cain. Sin is the destruction of every relationship with God, others, oneself and creation. Man has lost his garments of glory. The fruit he has grasped becomes death: Cain picks up a stone to kill his brother. Abel, the just and powerless man who falls under the hand of the strong, is already an image of Christ.

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Photos by Peter Škrlep/Tamino Petelinsek © Knights of Columbus

The Annunciation On the wall opposite Eve stands another woman: Mary. She, too, is listening. But instead of grasping possessively, she opens her whole being to welcome the gift of God’s word in the message of the angel. She receives. In this way, she becomes the true “mother of all the living” — the ancient title of Eve (Gen 3:20).

In her hand we see the scarlet thread, a symbol of her “Yes” with which she weaves the flesh of the Word.

The Visitation Opposite the image of the first fratricide, Mary goes to meet her cousin Elizabeth, who is with child (Lk 1:39).

The arms of both women are stretched out in welcome. The mother of Jesus hastens to aid the mother of John the Baptist, and the unborn Baptist leaps with joy at the presence of the Redeemer. The first fruit of the welcome Mary extended to the Word is the encounter between these two women and their children — an encounter that is a moment of revelation and truth.

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The Tower of Babel Men again reach out to grasp, this time seeking to build an empire that will unite all the earth by eliminating differences. Carrying bricks on their shoulders, they seek to build a city and a tower that will raise them to heaven.

“Let us make a name for ourselves,” they say (Gen 11:4). But the logic of sin depersonalizes; the more man plunges into it, the more he loses his true identity, his ability to communicate, his face. The imperialistic project fails. God reacts against this plan to crush diversity and construct a false unity. Humanity, disfigured by sin, is torn apart by division and scatters.

Abraham and Sarah Welcome Three Mysterious Visitors at Mamre The tragic history of sin is a history of sterility. On his own, man cannot give life. But the God who graciously entered into a covenant with Abraham intervenes. Three mysterious visitors — a prefiguration of the Trinity, echoing Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century icon — appear to the aged couple at Mamre, and Abraham welcomes, shows hospitality, receives. The One God who is an ineffable communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit makes a promise: Abraham and Sarah will have a son, “and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Gen 22:18).

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The Nativity Man sought to ascend to heaven by his own might, but the almighty God makes himself poor, and he descends to us. In the face of the imperialistic desire to subject the world to a monolithic unity, we find the Son of God entering into the most basic human communion of man, woman and child. The messianic peace announced by the prophet Isaiah becomes a reality, as lion and wolf joyfully greet the Lamb (cf. 11:6). The child, whose swaddling bands evoke the burial cloths that will one day bind him, is the true unity between heaven and earth. He is true God and true man.

The Epiphany of the Lord The incarnate Son of God, born into a human family, is manifested to all peoples, represented by the three Magi. Just as the star guided these true seekers of God, St. John Paul II directs our attention to the Redeemer of Man by pointing to the Mother who bore him. Mary welcomes the pilgrims, offering her son.

The Son of Man welcomes man, and the Magi joyfully welcome the hope of the nations, offering gifts that acquire their true meaning only in the presence of the world’s Redeemer. The Magi are enfolded in the pope’s chasuble, since the world is united to the Father through the priesthood of Christ.

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“The whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light.”

– John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 21

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Luminous Mysteries Chapel

The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9, Mk 9:2-8, Lk 9:28-36)

The back wall of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel depicts the Transfiguration, echoing the heavenly Jerusalem of the apse. In what St. John Paul II called “the mystery of light par excellence,” Christ’s glory is revealed by the Father in the presence of Moses and Elijah, before the astonished gaze of Peter, James and John. The disciples see Christ’s humanity illumined by an incomparable, uncreated light.

He opens their eyes so that they may understand: Love is fulfilled on the path of the Paschal Triduum, on which he is about to embark. Humanity is meant to be penetrated by the life of the Son, transformed by the Spirit, and so become a luminous offering to the Father.

The Baptism of the Lord (Mt 3:13-17) In solidarity with fallen man, the Son of God takes his place in the line of sinners waiting for purification. The baptism that expresses his total humiliation for love of man already foreshadows his Passion. At the moment of his descent into the waters that symbolize death, in order to bring back straying humanity, the Holy Spirit descends and we hear the voice of the Father.

At top: The parable of the prodigal son who returns home reflects straying humanity redeemed in the Son. The younger son returns from a life of dissolution and sits at table once again with his father (cf. Lk 15:11-32).

The Wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11) The six empty jars at this wedding feast are a symbol of faith that has degenerated into a legalistic moralism, bereft of love and joy. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, says, “They have no more wine” (Jn 2:3).

At the word of the Lord, the jars are filled with water. The water, poured out, becomes wine, and the divine Bridegroom indicates the scarlet wound in his side. The steward of the feast announces, “You have kept the good wine until

now!” (Jn 2:10). With his blood, Christ establishes the new covenant, the enduring relationship of love between God and man.

At top: Reminiscent of the bride seeking her lost bridegroom in the Song of Songs, Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Lord. She looks for him in the tomb and would like to hold him fast when she finds him, but he points to the Father’s house. True love is fulfilled in knowing God the Father (cf. Jn 20:11-18).

Under the hand of the Father, the heavenly Jerusalem opens to embrace the pilgrim (cf. Rev 7:9-17; 21:9-27). Seated on the throne at the center of this new city is its only light: the Lamb. Mary and John the Baptist point to him, while the halos behind them remind us of the “great multitude which no one could number ... standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev 7:9). Three golden mountains create a single background of light, recalling the divine communion into which all mankind is invited to enter: the life of the Holy Trinity.

The divine life that Christians receive in baptism from the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit, is a life of communion. A Christian lives this life when he allows his whole person, including his body, to become a gift of love. As a husk points to the “grain of wheat” that has died and borne fruit, a relic points to the person who has been consumed in love.

Here, in the reliquary attached to the altar, an ampoule of St. John Paul II’s blood reminds us that the late pontiff now lives in the glorified body of Christ; he has passed over from death to life.

Commentary by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik and Michelle Borras Photos by Peter Škrlep/Tamino Petelinsek © Knights of Columbus

The Proclamation of the Kingdom in the Healing of the Paralytic (Mk 2:1-12) The paralytic’s friends dismantle a roof to bring him before Christ, who readmits the sick man to communion with God: “My child, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5). Focused on bodily life rather than on the life of God’s children, bystanders murmur that such forgiveness is impossible. The Lord of life responds to their hardness of heart: “Rise and walk!” (Mk 2:11).

At top: Jesus kneels before a woman caught in adultery, whom others want to put to death. He writes on stone as hard as their hearts, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone” (Jn 8:7). The woman’s faceless accusers, convicted, walk away, while she is left face to face with the mercy of God.

Jesus Is Recognized in the Breaking of the Bread at Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) The two disciples on their way to Emmaus could not accept a Messiah who had failed and died. The stranger journeying with them seeks to open their eyes, and their hearts burn within them. The path of the Son of God is self-offering. The stranger gives thanks — eucharistia — and breaks the bread.

At last, the disciples see with new eyes, and they recognize the Risen Lord.

At top: Christ heals the man born blind. Echoing the first creation of man, the God-man mixes the condensation of his breath and the dust of the earth to create the new man.

The new life that the blind man receives includes a new vision. He not only sees Christ, but sees as Christ sees; he sees with the eyes of the Son. Far from punishment for sin, his blindness was for the revelation of the glory of God (cf. Jn 9:3).

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Anointed for Worship Newly dedicated altars stand as symbols of Christ at the heart of the shrine’s sacramental life

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he steadfastness of his intellect, the warmth of his smile, the sparkle of his vitality — all these qualities of St. John Paul II are reflected in the two newly dedicated white marble altars at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. “I have always been very fond of John Paul II. There is a constant place for him in my heart,” said Edoardo Ferrari, the sculptor who created the altars for the shrine’s Redemptor Hominis Church and Luminous Mysteries Chapel.

In an interview with Columbia conducted in October 2015, Ferrari recalled meeting John Paul II several times in the sculptor’s hometown of Brescia, Italy. “For the work we did here,” Ferrari added, “you could say that I accepted a challenge following his motto: ‘Have courage, and do not be afraid.’”

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Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków and longtime personal secretary of St. John Paul II, consecrated the larger of the two altars on Oct. 2, 2015, during Mass in the Redemptor Hominis Church. Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, served as the principal celebrant of the Mass, which was attended by numerous pilgrims, Knights of Columbus leaders and special guests, including Mother M. Petra Kowalczyk, superior general of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy in Poland.

The smaller altar, which includes a unique, first-class relic of St. John Paul II as its centerpiece, was consecrated exactly six months later. Joined at the shrine by the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore celebrated the dedication Mass on the anniversary of St. John Paul II’s death, April 2.

Photo by John Whitman

by Nora Hamerman

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Photo by Matthew Barrick

Above: Italian sculptor Edoardo Ferrari and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson stand beside the newly installed ambo, behind which a mosaic depicts St. Paul proclaiming the Gospel. Designed as a symbol of Christ’s tomb, the ambo includes carvings of the three myrrh-bearing women from the Gospels.

• Opposite page: Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków, and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, anoint the Redemptor Hominis Church altar with holy chrism on Oct. 2, 2015.

‘UPON THIS ROCK’ Edoardo Ferrari is a third-generation sculptor who began learning in his grandfather’s workshop as a child before going on to earn a degree in architecture and study theology. Creating art “at the service of the liturgy” is no easy task, Ferrari said, for it requires a carefully balanced integration of theology, architecture and art.

“If any one of these three elements is missing, everything falls apart,” he said. “Art must complement the liturgy and not distract from it.”

In close collaboration with the mosaic designer, Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, and architects from the Rome-based Centro Aletti, Ferrari worked out how the shrine’s sanctuary should be balanced to achieve the intimacy of a small church and yet afford space for larger numbers of pilgrims.

Ferrari designed the two altars — together with the ambo and other liturgical furnishings such as the celebrant’s chair and holy water fonts — all from the same 33-ton block of white marble. This was not a cost-cutting measure. In fact, it was a lot trickier to cut these different elements from one stone, and a tribute to the skill and dedication of the quarrymen, he said.

Since 2009, Ferrari has created altars from single pieces of stone so as to signify the unity of Christ. For the Saint John Paul II National Shrine project, he went a step further.

“I have made many altars, but this is the first time that a

smaller altar was taken from the heart of the larger one,” Ferrari said. “I liked the idea that one altar would be the ‘child’ of the other altar, especially since they are linked by the theme of the Twelve Apostles.”

On each side of the square altar in the Redemptor Hominis Church, three apostles are shown at Pentecost, departing to evangelize the world. (A golden mosaic overhead represents 12 flames raining down on the apostles.) “The smaller altar” — in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel — “depicts the apostles at the end of their missions, when they are already saints, when they are martyrs,” he explained.

On the church altar, the middle apostle is St. Peter, identified by his crossed keys that symbolize Christ’s mandate to him. The same position on the chapel altar is occupied by John Paul II, a successor of St. Peter, in the form of a reliquary containing an ampoule of the late pope’s blood surmounted by a model of his iconic crosier.

“These two altars represent a sort of portrait of the Church from its origins to the present day,” Ferrari said, recalling that Peter is the “rock” upon which Christ built his Church (cf.

Mt 16:18). “In both cases there is a stone which is the successor of another — St. Peter represented in the larger altar and St. John Paul II, St. Peter’s successor, in the smaller altar.”

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on the night of the Passion. “It is a reminder of Christ’s infinite mercy toward mankind, in response to human fallibility,” he said.

Besides the two altars, Ferrari carved the church’s ambo — the pulpit from which the Gospel is proclaimed and homilies are preached.

“This ambo is a symbol of Christ’s tomb, where the announcement of the resurrection begins,” Ferrari explained.

The figures of the three myrrh-bearing women on the ambo are carved as if running toward the altar, so as to alert Peter and John.

“The round stone at the base of the ambo is symbolic of the stone that Christ rolled away from the tomb,” Ferrari said, adding that the ambo itself is intentionally made from two pieces of stone, which seem split in half.

“If you look closely at the crack,” Ferrari said, “it is in the shape of a cross. And through this cross, light penetrates the tomb … the light of resurrection. The message is that death has been defeated by Christ.”

DEDICATED TO CHRIST Cardinal Wuerl celebrated the first of the two altar dedication Masses last October, joined by numerous concelebrants, including Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop Lori and Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, then-apostolic nuncio to the United States.

“The altar is the preeminent symbol of Christ in every church,” Cardinal Wuerl said in his homily. “Here the altar has been beautifully designed to be the image of the Body of Christ, built upon the foundation of the Twelve Apostles.”

Noting that each apostle on the altar bears an identifying symbol, the cardinal pointed to the relief figure of St. Thomas, the “doubter,” who is extending his hand into the altar, as if touching Christ’s pierced side after the resurrection.

“The Christ whom Thomas touched, the Christ whom Thomas in this altar touches, is the Christ whom you and I touch in the mystery of the Eucharist,” he said.

Following the homily and the litany of the saints, concelebrating priests solemnly presented relics of St. John Paul II and six saints who represent the evangelization of North America

THE ALTAR RELICS OF THE SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE

IN ADDITION TO relics of St. John Paul II, the church altar contains relics of six saints from North America, and the chapel altar contains relics of four saints canonized by the late pope.

Redemptor Hominis Church Altar • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (17741821) joined the Catholic Church after her husband’s death and established a religious congregation of sisters in Emmitsburg, Md., dedicated to education and charity. In 1975, she became the first U.S.-born saint.

• St. John Nepomucene Neumann (1811-1860), a native of Bohemia (Czech Republic), was the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, where he established numerous churches and Catholic schools. Canonized in 1977, he is the first male U.S. saint.

• St. José María Robles Hurtado (1888-1927) was a priest martyred during the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s. Among 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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the 25 Mexican martyrs whom John Paul II canonized in 2000, six of them, including Robles Hurtado, were members of the Knights of Columbus.

• St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the daughter of a Mohawk chief, embraced the faith at age 20. She made a vow of perpetual virginity three years later and died of illness at age 24. Canonized in 2012, she is the first Native American saint.

• St. François de Laval (1623-1708), the first bishop of Québec, was an ardent pastor committed to evangelization, education and charity. He founded two seminaries and defended the rights of the indigenous peoples. Pope Francis canonized him in 2014.

• St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784) was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded missions in Mexico and throughout present-day California, evangelizing and serving the Native American people. He was canonized by Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., in September 2015.

Luminous Mysteries Chapel Altar • St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), a Polish Franciscan priest and fervent evangelizer, volunteered to die in the place of a fellow prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. John Paul II canonized him in 1982.

• St. Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916) was a talented artist who founded a Franciscan religious order in service to the poor in Kraków. John Paul II celebrated his beatification in 1983 and his canonization six years later.

• St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) was a Polish nun who, through a series of mystical encounters with Christ, received the message of Divine Mercy. In April 2000, Sister Faustina became the first saint of the new millennium.

• St. Gianna Beretta Molla (19221962) was an Italian pediatrician, a wife and a mother who sacrificed her own life for the sake of her unborn child. In 2004, she became the last saint who would be canonized by John Paul II.♦

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Photo by Matthew Barrick

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori incenses the Luminous Mysteries Chapel altar during the dedication Mass April 2. Concelebrating are (left to right) Bishop Jean Laffitte, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family; Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; and Father Antonio Lopez, dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. (see sidebar). Each was venerated by Cardinals Wuerl and Dziwisz and deposited within the altar.

Cardinal Dziwisz then recited prayers in Latin and, together with Cardinal Wuerl, anointed the new altar with the oil of chrism. Finally, the altar was incensed and candles lit in preparation for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Following the Mass, the concelebrants processed to the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, where relics of four saints whom St. John Paul II canonized were deposited in the altar. Mother M. Petra of the Sisters of Mercy had traveled to Washington from Poland to present the relic of St. Faustina Kowalska, who was a member of her congregation.

Cardinal Dziwisz placed a replica of St. John Paul II’s crosier above the reliquary containing an ampoule of the late pope’s blood.

“I have come at the invitation of Cardinal Wuerl and Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, but I did not come alone,” Cardinal Dziwisz said, speaking in Polish translated by his priest secretary. “I came with St. John Paul II present in this relic, in his living blood here, and I am glad that he will remain here as a sign of his great friendship with the Church in America and with the Knights of Columbus.”

Six months later, Archbishop Lori and Knights of Columbus leaders would return to the Luminous Mysteries Chapel for the consecration of its altar on Saturday, April 2.

“Eleven years ago tonight, on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, St. John Paul II went ‘to the house of his heavenly Father,’” the archbishop said in his homily. “Now, in the joy of Easter, we gather as the family of the Knights of Columbus to dedicate the altar in this chapel resplendent with images of the luminous mysteries, a living legacy of St. John Paul II’s true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

The supreme chaplain further reflected on the luminous mysteries, beginning with the last: the institution of the Eucharist.

“The Eucharist, Pope John Paul II wrote, is a mystery of light,” he said. “For as we celebrate the sacrifice of Christ offered once for all on Calvary and are nourished with his body, blood, soul and divinity, we encounter the One who is ‘the light of the world!’” (cf. Jn 8:12).

Echoing Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop Lori concluded by highlighting how St. John Paul II’s relic is a source of grace for all who visit the shrine.

“Like John Paul II, the relic of whose blood we lovingly venerate, we must allow Christ’s blood to commingle with ours,” he said. “St. John Paul II truly loved our Order, and through this shrine and chapel we express our love and devotion for him.”♦ NORA HAMERMAN writes from Virginia.

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The Legacy of St. John Paul II Through his life and holiness, the late pope left a ‘polyphonic’ legacy of faith, hope and love

by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz

EDITOR’S NOTE: At the conclusion of the Oct. 2, 2015, Mass and altar dedication at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine’s Redemptor Hominis Church, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków, presented the following remarks to those gathered. ear Brothers and Sisters! First of all I would like to thank Mr. Carl A. Anderson, supreme knight, for the invitation to visit the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. In a sense, this shrine is a symbol of the deep and mutual bond which united and continues to unite John Paul II with the American people. …

Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank the Knights of Columbus for their love for the Church. I am particularly grateful to them for their touching remembrance of John Paul II, expressed also in their fidelity to his doctrinal and moral teaching. …

John Paul II departed for eternity more than 10 years ago.

Memory of him is constantly alive in the hearts of millions of Christians around the world. Today, after his beatification and canonization, they pray to him and entrust their concerns to his intercession in heaven. For many people he is still a guide on the paths of faith, hope and love. …

Having little time, I would like to say just a few words about the legacy of faith, hope, love and holiness of John Paul II. The key to understanding the personality, attitude and achievements of Karol Wojtyła is his faith. In the center of his life there was always God. An expression of Karol Wojtyła’s faith was his prayer. I witnessed his daily prayers, not only in the chapel or during public celebrations, but in the midst of work, meetings, trips and matters filling up every day. Knowing his living faith in God’s providence, faith that the fate of the world and man are in God’s hands, I was not surprised by the words that he addressed on the day of the inauguration to all people, all cultures and political and economic systems that they open wide the doors to Christ. After all, Christ threatens no one.

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Right: Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków, affixes a replica of St. John Paul II’s iconic crosier to a reliquary containing a glass ampoule of the saint’s blood. Cardinal Dziwisz gave the relic to the Knights of Columbus for veneration in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. • Opposite page: Pope John Paul II is pictured during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 1980. everything to him. John Paul II left us with this truth.

John Paul II began his pontificate in a difficult time for the world. He personally experienced what were two totalitarian, godless and inhumane systems, Nazism and Communism, which deeply scarred the lives of the peoples of the 20th century and brought upon them untold suffering.

The Holy Father did not have any army. He faced challenges that could cause fear and a feeling of helplessness. But his weapon was truth and belief that God will claim His children, created in His image and likeness. The election of John Paul II aroused great hopes in his homeland. The nations of Central and Eastern Europe found in him a spokesman for their aspirations, their hopes to live in freedom and truth.

There is no doubt that the pope, who came to Rome “from a distant country,” from Poland, made a major contribution to the collapse of the Communist system.

He teaches us that it is worth it to entrust everything to God, that it is worth it to have hope in Him, that it is worth it to build our world upon eternal values, inscribed in natural law and the Gospel.

John Paul II followed the logic of the Gospel. It is the logic of love and mercy, the logic of merciful love. In response to the great provocations and challenges of the modern world with a hedonistic culture, a materialistic desire for possessions and a false understanding of freedom separating it from its bond with the truth and the moral norm, the Holy Father called for building a civilization of love.

He was a defender of authentic marital love, which is open to life, and is the foundation of every family. While bishop of Kraków, he published a book with the telling title Love and Responsibility. His apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio remains an important document of the modern Church’s consciousness with respect to marriage and family.

Similarly, his encyclical Evangelium Vitae is a great magna carta of the Church’s teaching on the dignity and sanctity of human life. John Paul II defended life, demanded the right to life for the unborn, those who are the most vulnerable and do not have a voice.

It is impossible to quickly present the legacy of John Paul II. It is “polyphonic,” scored for many voices, issues, aspects, achievements, testimonies, events, gestures, texts, documents, places and images related to his pontificate.

After John Paul II’s death, we were struck by the call of God’s people for the official recognition of his holiness. This desire has already been fulfilled in a very short time, also thanks to the personal involvement of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Holiness in a sense is a synthesis of all that John

Paul II was, the attitude he had, how he loved and served. It was an ordinary holiness, lived and attained day after day in prayer and service.

John Paul II was also a mystic. He was immersed in God. He would stand every day before God, to contemplate the face of God, and God led him to serve the Church and the world. In the saintly pope, prayer and service intertwined into one. Through his holiness, he drew us all to the ideal of holiness and to our calling to holiness. This is also his legacy.

Beside many titles, John Pope II earned the title of Pope of the Young. Young people were a priority in his pastoral ministry. Therefore, he made a far-reaching decision to organize World Youth Day. It is one of his greatest apostolic initiatives.

I take this opportunity of my visit on American soil to invite the young people from the United States and Canada for the 2016 World Youth Day to Poland and to Kraków, the city of John Paul II, the spiritual capital of Divine Mercy. Dear young friends, we want to share with you our faith, our culture, but we also want you to enrich us with the enthusiasm of your faith. We are very much looking forward to this mutual exchange of gifts.♦ CARDINAL STANISŁAW DZIWISZ, archbishop of Kraków since 2005, served as John Paul II’s personal secretary for nearly 40 years.

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A Journey with

the Pilgrim Pope Shrine exhibit takes visitors on a pilgrimage to the heart of St. John Paul II’s life and papacy

by Mark Zimmermann

ach year, visitors flock to Washington, D.C., to see national landmarks like the White House and Lincoln Memorial and to tour exhibits at the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums. But one of the most inspiring exhibits in the nation’s capital is not in a museum or at a presidential monument, but in a place of prayer honoring a pope — the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.

The shrine’s permanent exhibit titled “A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II” officially opened on the saint’s first feast day, Oct. 22, 2014.

On that occasion, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine — who served as Pope John Paul II’s personal secretary from 1996 until the pope’s death in 2005 — called the exhibit “a true testament to the life of St. John Paul II,” which educates its visitors and shows “the beauty of a life lived according to the Gospel.”

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mind and soul of the late pontiff.

“For us, this is not a tourist attraction. This is a place of pilgrimage,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson at the opening. “It is a place to learn what John Paul II taught us about Christian discipleship.”

THE ROOTS OF WOJTYŁA’S FAITH Located on the shrine’s lower level, the world-class “Gift of Love” exhibit was designed by Gallagher & Associates, a firm that has created other notable historical exhibits, such as those at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif.

Visitors begin their experience in a circular theater with flooring designed to imitate the cobblestones of St. Peter’s Square. A dramatic, panoramic film features the newly elected Pope John Paul II appearing on the balcony as he is introduced to the world for the first time. The narrator offers a summary of John Paul II’s life, and viewers see and hear the pope addressing crowds around the world.

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Above: Visitors at the shrine’s permanent exhibit view displays and footage about St. John Paul II’s papal election. A full-size replica of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica is seen at right. • Opposite page (from left to right): Executive Director Patrick E. Kelly; Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore; Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson; Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine; Archbishop Stefan Soroka of Philadelphia (Ukrainian), and Deputy Supreme Knight Logan Ludwig prepare to cut the ribbon at the exhibit’s opening on Oct. 22, 2014.

As the screen fades to black, viewers are invited to follow the sounds of church bells, recorded from the Holy Father’s home church of St. Mary in Wadowice, Poland, to a gallery that explores the roots of his faith. Large wall panels, designed with interlocking geometric shapes offset by striking photos and typography, present images of Karol Wojtyła’s childhood and texts that describe memories of his parents teaching him how to pray.

The exhibit also highlights the deep Catholic heritage of the future pope’s native Poland, and the horror of the 1939 invasion by Nazi Germany is brought to life by documentary footage showing buildings reduced to rubble. At listening stations, visitors can hear testimonies from Wojtyła’s lifelong friends recalling how they endured the occupation. During those years, Wojtyła belonged to a clandestine theater group, and feeling called to serve Christ as a priest, he secretly at-

tended seminary. He was ordained on All Saints’ Day in 1946, though the end of World War II had signaled a period of Communist oppression by the Soviet Union.

When Bill Newbrough, past grand knight of St. Joseph Manyanet Council 5567 in Wheaton, Md., visited the shrine with 35 fellow Knights last year, reading about John Paul II’s experience caused him to reflect on Christians persecuted for their faith today. This led him to introduce a resolution at the Maryland State Convention, urging councils to support Christians in the Middle East.

Newbrough said he is happy the exhibit preserves the story of St. John Paul II’s life, teaching and witness. “One of the shrine’s great gifts,” he added, “is the opportunity to reconnect with a much younger, vigorous John Paul who began his pontificate with the exclamation, ‘Do not be afraid!’”

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Photos by Albert Vecerka/Esto

Above: Pilgrims seated in a circular theater watch a film about the end of St. John Paul II’s life, while others read wall displays about the pope’s teachings.

• Below: The Communion of Saints gallery features the hundreds of holy men and women who were canonized and beatified by John Paul II.

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MISSIONARY TO THE WORLD Pilgrims discover how, as a young priest, Father Karol Wojtyła became a friend and mentor to groups of students, encouraging them in their faith. A nearby display case shows skis and tennis shoes that he once used, and photos show him camping and hiking with young people.

The exhibit continues with his work as a bishop, archbishop and cardinal in Poland, highlighting his important contributions to landmark documents at the Second Vatican Council dealing with religious freedom and the Church in the modern world.

After walking through a full-scale replica of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, visitors join the newly elected pope on his many apostolic journeys. Interactive screens allow pilgrims to trace the pope’s pastoral visits to 129 countries between 1979 and 2003 through photos, facts and papal quotes. Items and photos from his visits to North America are on display, and the pilgrim pope’s words from his 1987 welcoming ceremony in Miami explain the reason for his travels: “I come to tell again the story of God’s love in the world.”

Mihoko Owada, a native of Japan who entered the Church at this year’s Easter Vigil at Washington’s Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, said she was inspired by how St. John Paul II reached out to his “global Catholic family on earth.”

She has returned to the exhibit frequently, calling it her “weekend’s pilgrimage.” Noting that John Paul II’s witness has been an inspiration to her faith, she said, “He chose and kept saying ‘yes’ to God.” One of the most powerful galleries of the exhibit, titled “Faith and Forgiveness,” shows dramatic footage of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Agca, whom the pope later visited and forgave in prison. The gallery emphasizes Mary’s maternal protection and features a striking replica of the Mater Ecclesia (“Mother of the Church”) mosaic, which John Paul II had installed on a Vatican building overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Visitors also have the opportunity to reflect on John Paul II’s insights about faith and theology, with a number of displays illustrating his teachings on marriage and family life and his work on the global stage to champion human dignity.

At an interactive display devoted to the pope’s World Youth Day pilgrimages, visitors can choose a host city, follow young people’s experiences through photos and written accounts, and be inspired by the pope’s words. “You are the men and women of tomorrow,” St. John Paul II told pilgrims at the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto. “The future is in your hearts and in your hands.”

A NEW JPII GENERATION Near the conclusion of the exhibit, visitors again find themselves in St. Peter’s Square. A curved screen shows people gathered in prayerful vigil on April 2, 2005 — the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday and day of John Paul II’s death. The film

Pilgrims explore an interactive display about St. John Paul II’s many apostolic journeys throughout the world. continues with moving scenes of the pope’s funeral Mass, when crowds chanted “Santo subito!” (“Sainthood Now!”).

After the film, visitors then pass a painting of Jesus as the Divine Mercy and are invited to write down prayer intentions or personal notes, some of which are on display.

The final gallery, titled “The Communion of Saints,” lists the names of the 1,338 blesseds and 482 saints beatified and canonized during St. John Paul II’s nearly 27-year papacy.

Large portraits highlight some of the most notable saints and blesseds, such as St. Maximilian Kolbe and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who will be canonized in October. The diversity of those on display — including Blessed Luigi and Maria Quattrocchi, who in 2001 became the first husband and wife to be beatified together — is a testament to the universal call to holiness.

“As many names as are on these walls are the number of possible ways that you are called to sainthood,” said Father Michael Vannicola, who accompanied 25 of his school’s eighth graders on a field trip from Naples, Fla., to Washington in March.

Pastor of St. Ann Church and a member of St. Ann Council 11079 in Naples, the 38-year-old Oblate of St. Francis de Sales is himself a member of the John Paul II Generation.

“Journeying again through his pontificate was like a journey through such a large part of my faith life,” Father Vannicola said. “I realized more than I ever had before what an incredible influence John Paul has had on me,” He was happy to share this experience with a new generation, as the students responded with awe at John Paul II’s life.

“As we departed,” he said, “I felt that St. John Paul II would truly be a part of their lives as well.”♦ MARK ZIMMERMANN is the editor of the Catholic Standard newspaper and website of the Archdiocese of Washington.

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Center of Pilgrimage and Renewal The Saint John Paul II National Shrine offers an array of faith-filled events for visitors

by Katie Scott

A

s the last light of the day streamed through the floor-toceiling windows of the rotunda at Saint John Paul II National Shrine, Maruška Healy watched her 1-year-old alternately toddle and crawl across the expansive floor. A few steps away, in the shrine’s Redemptor Hominis Church, a choir sang motets for a Tenebrae service, a solemn Holy Week tradition dating back to the ninth century.

Together, the liturgy and everyday act of a mother caring for her baby reflect the spirit of the shrine as a space that celebrates the human as well as the sacred. With Masses, concerts, retreats and lectures, the shrine gives life to the liturgical year, the wisdom of St. John Paul II and the late pontiff ’s love for family and young people.

“There’s a deep sense of promoting the family here,” said Healy, a mother of six whose husband, Nicholas, is a member of Father Rosensteel Council 2169 in Silver Spring, Md. “As a family, we must center our life around faith, because it is what nourishes everything else,” Healy explained. Visiting the shrine bolsters that faith, she added, because “everything is infused with the beauty and truth and goodness of John Paul II.” 34 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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EVANGELIZING THE DOMESTIC CHURCH The wide variety of activities and events at the shrine are informed by the life, witness and teachings of St. John Paul II, who is remembered as “the Pope of the Family.”

Early in his priesthood, Father Karol Józef Wojtyła, the future pope and saint, served as chaplain to university students in Krákow, Poland. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he developed a close circle of young married friends and students.

Calling themselves Środowisko, (“environment” or “milieu” in Polish), the group regularly went hiking, kayaking or skiing, discussed cultural and religious topics, and attended Mass together.

While the charismatic priest ministered to the young Catholics as they discerned marriage and had children, they in turn provided the future pope with direct pastoral experience of marriage and family life.

John Paul II later wrote in his landmark document on the Christian family, Familiaris Consortio, “The little domestic church, like the greater Church, needs to be constantly and intensely evangelized.”

In many ways, his ministry to families inspires programming

Photo by Tim Saccoccia

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at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine today, which includes half-day retreats for families and engaged couples three times a year. These “Domestic Church Days” include talks for adults, activities for children, and opportunities for confession and eucharistic adoration. A highlight for many couples is the chance to touch their wedding or engagement rings to the first-class relic of St. John Paul in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel.

The most recent Domestic Church Day retreat, which took place Feb. 19, was titled “Merciful Love,” in honor of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Couples received spiritual and practical advice on how to become more merciful in their relationships while children learned how to sing Gregorian chant.

The February retreat enriched the prayer life of the Legendre family. “We learned about having a prayer corner, and so we created one at home,” said Jennifer Legendre, whose husband, Richard, is a member of St. Philip Neri Council 14612 in Linthicum, Md. “Our 6-year-old now gets excited about praying every night in the special spot.”

Kristen Lichtenwalner, who attended a Domestic Church Day with her husband, Andrew, and their three children, said the retreat was a chance to step back from their busy day-to-day lives and toward what is most important: “loving God and sharing the faith.”

“It is a time of peace and renewal,” agreed Andrew, a member of Sacred Heart Council 2577 in Bowie, Md., who serves as executive director of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“I’m also grateful that the shrine makes very intentional the identity and mission of the family,” Andrew added. “We are domestic churches. That is not an abstract concept; we are called to live out that reality when we try to love each other and God as best we can and when we are living the sacrament of marriage.”

The shrine hosts many other events for families and young people throughout the year as well.

In April, a day retreat of hope and healing was held for married couples experiencing infertility or who have suffered a miscarriage. The event included Mass, lunch, a personal testimony, eucharistic adoration and the opportunity venerate a blood relic of St. John Paul II. The previous month, a group of young men from The Catholic University of America, which is located nearby, gathered at the shrine for a retreat titled “Manliness in the Modern World.” The students found guidance from the teachings of St. John Paul II on how to live as faith-filled men in a secularized culture.

“I know that after I graduate and start working for a company, the challenge will be to not lose sight of my faith in the workplace,” said retreatant Jon-Paul Kaczmarek, a senior accounting major and member of The Catholic University Council 9542.

Noting his intention to return to the shrine, Kaczmarek added, “There are layers of things to experience there.”

A mother and her children pause to venerate the blood relic of St. John Paul II in the shrine’s Luminous Mysteries Chapel during a Domestic Church Day celebration Oct. 10, 2015. • Opposite page: Young adults participate in a candlelight vigil at the shrine in celebration of St. John Paul II’s feast day, Oct. 22, 2015.

CELEBRATIONS OF FAITH In addition to the church, chapel and permanent exhibit space, the shrine also includes an auditorium used for lectures and film screenings, a space for temporary exhibits, a lower level atrium, and a front lawn where pilgrims can gather for larger festivities. The shrine’s varied facilities make it easier to host many events that foster faith and holiness, including a variety of liturgies, lectures and retreats in observation of the liturgical year.

For example, the shrine celebrates one of the newest additions to the Church calendar, St. John Paul II’s feast day, on Oct. 22. Last October, the celebration included a candlelight procession, Mass with a full choir and violin accompaniment, veneration of John Paul II’s relics and a reading of his homily from the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978. As a tasty tribute to the pontiff ’s Polish roots, guests had a chance to eat kremówki, rich cream cakes that were John Paul II’s favorite dessert.

In December 2015, the shrine hosted an Advent concert with music and readings from Scripture, the writings of St. John Paul II, and poems and prayers.

On Holy Saturday, families visited for a special blessing of Easter baskets. The following week, they returned for a Mass and eucharistic procession in celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.

The shrine similarly plans to host a Mass, procession and reception for Our Lady of Częstochowa’s feast day, Aug. 26, and a Mass in honor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s canonization Sept. 4.

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give a meditation at a retreat on May 14 in celebration of the Year of Mercy. The next Domestic Church Day, planned for July 9, will focus on the corporal works of mercy and marriage.

Finally, two major events at the shrine this year will be a daylong celebration titled “Krákow in the Capital” and a temporary exhibit on St. Thomas More.

Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Arlington and the Archdiocese of Washington, Krákow in the Capital is to be a oneday gathering of youth mirroring the weeklong World Youth Day in Poland. The July 30 event will include talks from bishops, adoration, confession, Stations of the Cross, Polish food,

VISITING THE SHRINE The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is located at 3900 Harewood Road, N.E., in Washington, D.C. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The permanent exhibit, “A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II,” is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit jp2shrine.org or call 202-635-5400.

a late-night concert and opportunities for young pilgrims to venerate St. John Paul II’s blood relic.

The St. Thomas More exhibit, scheduled to run for six months beginning in September, will not only highlight the lawyer-saint’s life, but also serve as a timely examination of his defense of religious freedom and marriage. Canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935 as a martyr who affirmed the indissolubility of marriage, More was proclaimed patron of statesmen and politicians by John Paul II in 2000.

Although the cultural and spiritual life of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine is still in its early stages of development, it is already bearing fruit for its growing numbers of visitors and pilgrims.

In the experience of Andrew Lichtenwalner, who plans on attending several events with his family this summer, the shrine communicates one of St. John Paul II’s most powerful messages.

“God is with you in the ordinary moments, the extraordinary moments and in the suffering,” he said. “Time here really helps to put that into our minds and hearts, so we can rely on God’s grace as we live each day.”♦ KATIE SCOTT is a reporter for the Arlington Catholic Herald.

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Photo by Matthew Barrick

Seminarians from Saint John Paul II Seminary, located near the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, pray together in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel April 1.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

KNIGHTS

IN

ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

PROJECTION SYSTEM

St. Joseph the Worker Council 13359 in Maple Grove, Minn., donated $2,500 — which included matching funds from the Minnesota State Council — to help St. Joseph the Worker Church purchase a new high-definition projection system. The new system will be used for religious education classes and retreats.

PARISH CAMPING

St. Joseph Council 10891 in Asheboro, N.C., hosted its signature three-day, twonight camping event. Council members volunteered more than 80 hours to plan and execute the outing, which is designed to promote unity among parish families.

Activities included swimming, a community fire pit, Mass and a campfire rosary.

Joseph Kristofl of Christ Cathedral Assembly in Garden Grove, Calif., leads the second grade class at Holy Family Cathedral School in Orange in reciting the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance after the assembly donated flags to every student in the class.

Knights distributed flags to 350 students in eight diocesan grade schools. At each distribution, assembly members also gave a presentation on the history of the flag and the pledge.

Members of Father Floribert Blank Council 8703 in Port Sulphur, La., cut planks of wood while building a wheelchair ramp at the home of a local resident with physical disabilities.

Knights donated materials and manpower to construct the ramp for the man, who will now be able to enter and leave his home more easily.

MONASTERY RENOVATIONS

INUIT RETREAT

The Manitoba State Council donated sleeping bags with mattresses, provided two vans and presented Bishop Anthony Krótki of Churchill-Baie d’Hudson with a financial donation to help cover expenses for a retreat of Inuit leaders. The sleeping bags and mattresses will remain at St. Benedict’s Retreat Centre in Winnipeg for future use.

Salt Lake City Council 602 donated $50,000 to the Carmelite Monastery of Salt Lake City to assist with renovations at the monastery.

Funds for the donation were collected over the past several years and included proceeds from the sale of a council hall. The donation will help the sisters renovate the chapel at their monastery and add an infirmary and small events center.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY

INFANT CEMETERY

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Council 5482 in Accokeek, Md., designed, funded and built a permanent cemetery for unborn children at St. Mary Church in Piscataway.

The cemetery serves as both a memorial and a place to inter babies who are stillborn or who die shortly after birth.

Knights received additional funding for the cemetery through various parish groups.

Members of Most Precious Blood Council 9645 in Windsor, Ontario, work to dismantle a rotting shed at the home of a local citizen.

Knights removed the shed, comprising three dumpsters full of debris, after the owner was issued a citation by the town.

St. Thomas More Council 2188 in Westwood, N.J., provides ongoing support to the St. James Social Service Corporation in Newark. As a part of the corporation’s “Feeding the Hungry Program,” council members prepare and serve meals on the first Saturday of each month at the St. James Soup Kitchen. The council also donated $1,000 to the corporation for its ongoing building renovations program.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

ceived by council member Richard Brendley with help from his son, Michael, the rosary garden serves as a place of prayer and reflection on the church grounds.

Though Richard passed away before the project was complete, fellow council members solicited materials and donations and volunteered many hours to construct the garden.

LOUD & CLEAR

Shaun P. O’Brien-Prince of Peace Council 11716 in Plano, Texas, donated a new PA system to Special Olympics to use at award ceremonies.

Members of Laguna Council 11236 and St. Maria Goretti Council 15589, both in Elk Grove, Calif., repaint the exterior of a building at the Diocese of Sacramento’s Camp Pendola in preparation for the camp’s yearly opening. Approximately 75 Knights and family members removed and replaced damaged siding from the caretaker’s residence, installed new doors and made repairs to electrical wiring, disposed of brush and fallen trees, and cleaned and repainted cabins.

Volunteers also gathered for Mass at the camp’s Our Lady of the Sierra Chapel.

NEW COMPUTERS

Immaculate Conception Council 14405 in Cainta, Luzon, donated nine new desktop computers to Darigayos Elementary School to be used by grade-school students.

PLAYGROUND UPGRADE

Archbishop John L. May Council 11480 in Enterprise, Ala., upgraded the parish school playground that the council built in 2011. Knights mended and extended the fence, replaced the wooden planter box and spread shredded rubber to resurface the playground.

STORE SIGNS

Msgr. William McKune Council 14471 in Louisville, Ky., acquired two permanent signs and attached them to the parish bargain store on both corners of the building. The 38 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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store offers donated items at discounted prices or at no charge to qualified individuals.

GARDENING STATIONS

Monticello-Bement (Ill.) Council 15584 built four outdoor gardening stations for nursing home residents.

The planters are wheelchair accessible, allowing residents to enjoy planting flowers outdoors during the warmweather months.

SOUP FOR THE POOR

St. John Neumann Council 5971 in Plantation, Fla., hosted a “Soup for the Poor” benefit dinner at All Saints Church in Sunrise. More than 175 parishioners attended the event, which included homemade chicken soup, salad and cake. The dinner raised $4,700 for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

RICE DISTRIBUTION

Father Jose Ma Reyes Council 9362 in Pagadian City, Mindanao, gave 110-pound bags of rice to 22 needy families and individuals from St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

LAUNCHING A CAMPAIGN

St. James School accepted a $600 donation from St. James Council 2883 in Danielson, Conn., starting the parochial school’s $180,000 fund-raising campaign to install a new floor and roof, and to make other needed improvements to the school’s gymnasium.

SEMINARIAN SKILLET

Father Paul J. McHugh Council 6470 in Branson, Mo., prepared a bratwurst and veggie skillet meal at Our Lady of the Lakes Church for 25 seminarians and their families who were in town for a retreat.

ROSARY GARDEN

Holy Family Council 7356 in Ferndale, Wash., dedicated a new rosary garden at St. Joseph Church. Con-

Richard Bello of St. Barnabas Council 8603 in Bayville, N.J., dumps a wheelbarrow full of sand onto the site of a playground that the council helped to rebuild. Council members volunteered at a daylong project to rebuild a playground that was destroyed in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy. Knights helped to move sand and assemble play equipment, which was donated by another nonprofit organization.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION MARIAN GROTTO

Spirit Church to establish a jointly operated food pantry.

Knights help to give out approximately 600 pounds of food each month.

St. Anthony Council 1461 in Batesville, Ind., celebrated the dedication of a Marian grotto that the council built at its parish. Knights saved money for two years to purchase materials for the grotto, which includes a stone enclosure built by council members, a statue of Mary and a bench.

LIQUIDATING ASSETS

When Longview (Texas) Council 2771 sold its council hall and 8 acres of property seven years ago, the council moved the proceeds into investments. After nearly a decade, Knights decided to liquidate their council assets and divide the nearly $250,000 among four area churches as chosen by the council membership.

MATTHEW’S MINISTRY

Sacred Heart Council 12537 in Southport, N.C., donated $4,300 to Matthew’s Ministry, which provides backpacks of food to children who don’t have enough to eat.

Funds for the donation were raised at a co-sponsored “beach party” at a local amphitheater that was attended by more than 300 people.

Members of Sayre (Pa.) Council 1807 install a new wooden floor in the basement of Epiphany Church. After flooding damaged the basement, Knights removed the carpet, cleaned the area and installed new flooring.

SWEET CORN

Randy Castro of T. James O’Neil Council 10806 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., presents roses to women during a pro-life initiative on campus. Knights distributed roses to 250 women. Each was accompanied by a handwritten note that affirmed the recipient’s innate beauty and dignity, and reminded them that they are worthy of love and respect.

MASS KIT

Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly Assembly in Lynnwood, Wash., presented Father E.J. Cruz, a Filipino priest visiting relatives in the United States, with a Mass kit to use when he returns to his parish in the Philippines. The Mass kit was offered in memory of five deceased Knights and was engraved with the Fourth Degree emblem.

LAWN MOWER DONATED

Cardinal Muench Assembly in Fargo, N.D., donated a lawn mower to the Fargo Diocese Cemetery Association to help maintain the grounds of Holy Cross Cemetery, a pioneer burial ground established at the time of Fargo’s settlement.

Knights have contributed to the beautification and preservation of this historic cemetery for more than 50 years.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

In response to a request from a member of St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 in Clifton, N.J., the Knights of Columbus Patterson Federation collected 750 pounds of coffee, 2,000 pounds of sugar

and $1,250 in cash donations for Eva’s Village, which provides meals and coffee to the needy and homeless. Eva’s Village serves approximately 3,000 meals per week and provides hot coffee during the winter months.

SHED DONATED

St. Veronica Council 12579 in Chantilly, Va., partnered with St. Isidore the Farmer Council 13860 in Orange to provide a storage shed to Madison Emergency Services Association. The councils raised $2,600 for the shed, which is used to house personal items, furniture and clothes to serve the rural poor.

CLOTHING SALE

Our Lady of the Hills Council 5959 in Martinsville, N.J., organized and sold several hundred articles of clothing that were recently donated to the council. The designerlabel clothing sale took place at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and raised about $11,000 for the parish.

PANTRY ESTABLISHED

Father James A. Hyland Council 10991 in Hemet, Calif., worked with Holy

Father William W. Finley Council 4374 in St. Paul, Minn., made arrangements with a local farmer to harvest sweet corn for an area hunger organization. Over two weekends, Knights and other volunteers picked more than 11,000 pounds of corn for Second Harvest Food Bank.

BOAT SALE

When a parishioner donated a boat to St. Andrew Church, the parish partnered with Padre Balli Council 10677 in Corpus Christi, Texas, to sell the vessel for charity. Knights worked with the parish to prepare the boat for sale and advertise it.

The sale netted more than $7,000, which was split between the two groups.

PORTABLE ALTAR

Louis Smithhisler Council 9504 at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico shares the chapel on base with several different faith communities and, as a result, did not have access to a eucharistic altar during Mass. To rectify the problem, Knights constructed a portable altar and tabernacle that can be brought in and out of the chapel for Catholic services.

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

M AY 2016

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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, 2015. 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: $22,217,031,608

LIABILITIES — Actual and Contingent 2. Old System Reserve — including additional reserve: $ 215,293 3. New System Reserve — including D.I. and Dis. W. (net of reins): $ 12,496,604,511 4. Reserve for accident and health certificates: $ 388,004,095 5. Total per item 1 and 2, page 3 of Annual Statement: $ 12,884,823,899 6. Deduct liens and interest thereon, not included in Admitted Assets, and not in excess of required reserves on the corresponding individual certificates: None 7. Balance — Item 5 less item 6 above: $ 12,884,823,899 8. Liabilities of the General Account Fund, except reserve (items 3 to 22 incl. page 3 of Annual Statement): $ 7,492,634,878 9. Liabilities — Actual and Contingent — sum of items 7 and 8 above: $20,377,458,777 10. Ratio percent of Dec. 31, 2015 — 109.03% Assets — Actual and Dec. 31, 2014 — 109.70% Contingent (Item 1) Dec. 31, 2013 — 110.25% to liabilities — Actual Dec. 31, 2012 — 110.45% and Contingent (Item 9) Dec. 31, 2011 — 110.52%

A. Personalized American Flag Sandwich Cap. This cap features a repeating American flag motif in the sandwich bill and a flag-woven label on the back Velcro closure. Embroidered with the emblem of the Order or Fourth Degree emblem and personalized with your council or assembly name on the front and your name embroidered on the back. Available in blue or red. Allow 10-12 business days for production. — $22

A.

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, 2012 IAR – S G2 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 $1,839,572,831 (or 9.03%) over the above statutory standards.

STATE OF: Connecticut COUNTY OF: New Haven 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 attestation 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 18th day of February 2016.

MARIANNE PUGLIESE, Notary Public CARL A. ANDERSON, President CHARLES E. MAURER JR., Secretary MICHAEL J. O’CONNOR, Treasurer SEAL

OFFICIAL MAY 1, 2016: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

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

40 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

M AY 2016

Sportsman Hat. You can roll this hat up to stow it away when you’re not dodging the sun’s rays while wearing it. The khaki hat, made of 100% cotton, has a wide brim and a relaxed shape. The emblem of the Order is embroidered in full color on the front. It is available in one size: large, which fits 7 1/4”7 3/8.” — $15

B.

C.

B. Navy Blue Corps Cap. This official U.S. Navy Command cap is embroidered with the full-color emblem of the Order and Knights of Columbus 1882. The navy blue wool cap has an adjustable Velcro closure. Made in the U.S.A. — $15

Order these and other items online at:

knightsgear.com Questions? Call: 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562)

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K N I G H T S O F C O L UM B U S

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

TO

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW

Young members of TREPET Ukrainian Dancers of Houston perform a traditional dance at a fundraiser hosted by St. Justin Martyr Parish and St. Justin Martyr Council 8293 in Houston, Texas, March 11.

The evening program included a concert of sacred music in the church by the Protection of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church choir, followed by lively dances and an array of Ukrainian pastries in the parish hall. The event raised $2,500 to support K of C councils in Ukraine in their works of charity.

“K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” H AVEN , CT 06510-3326

PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : OR E - MAIL : COLUMBIA @ KOFC . ORG .

M AY 2016

♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 41

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

K E E P T H E F A IT H A L I V E

‘I NEVER KNEW SUCH PEACE EXISTED.’

SISTER GAUDIA SKASS Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy Kraków, Poland

Photo by Tom Serafin

Although my family lived under communism when I was a child, I was blessed to attend strong Catholic parishes. I later entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw to study painting, which was a dream come true. Still, nothing in my life satisfied me completely.

I was seeking to grow closer to God, and I met a very holy Jesuit priest who became my spiritual director and confessor. He helped my spiritual life to grow, and deep inside I felt the call to give my all to Christ. Until this time, I had planned to serve the Church as a layperson, and I was terrified by the idea of leaving my family and my dreams — painting, dancing, having children.

Then a moment came in prayer when, deep in my heart, I simply said to God, “OK, I will do it.” Suddenly, a peace entered my life like I never experienced before. I never knew such peace existed.

I soon finished my studies and my final exhibition, and two weeks later I was at the convent with my suitcase.