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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS november 2016 ♦ volume 96 ♦ number 11
COLUMBIA
F E AT U R E S
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A Faith Worth Living and Dying For The Saint John Paul II National Shrine hosts an inspirational exhibit on the Christian witness of St. Thomas More. BY MEG T. MCDONNELL
12 The Hunger for God on the Front Line With the need for Catholic military chaplains at an alltime high, the Order continues support for vocations. BY JERRI DONOHUE
16 A Home of Mercy at WYD The K of C-sponsored Mercy Centre was the premier English-language catechesis and festival site at World Youth Day. BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI
24 The Grace to Forgive An interview with Steven McDonald, an NYPD detective who forgave the man who shot and paralyzed him. BY COLUMBIA STAFF
Sister Antoniana Maria of the Sisters of Life (right), Sister Gaudia Skass of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, superior general of the Sisters of Life, enjoy the mainstage program at the K of C-sponsored Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków. The two communities were among the Order’s principal partners in organizing the World Youth Day catechetical site July 26-31.
D E PA RT M E N T S 3
Building a better world The Church clearly teaches that faithful citizenship begins with protecting innocent human life. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON
Photo by Jakub Wawrzkowicz
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Learning the faith, living the faith A recent report by a U.S. commission calls into question people of faith and our first freedom. BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI
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Knights of Columbus News College Knights Called to Give Authentic Catholic Witness • Supreme Officers Visit Flood Victims • Mexican Knights March in Defense of Family • K of C Marketing Employees Honored
23 Fathers for Good Our responsibility to practice the works of mercy continues beyond the holy year. BY BRIAN CAULFIELD
28 Knights in Action
22 Christians at Risk ‘In Defense of Christians’ Honors Supreme Knight, Order • Supreme Knight Appeals for Aid to Persecuted Christians
PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month
NOVEMBER 2016
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The Heart of Public Witness IN THE EARLY 19th century, the French diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville reflected on both the greatness and the fragility of the United States in Democracy in America, published in two volumes in 1835 and 1840. Like the Founding Fathers, Tocqueville understood that the future of the young nation rested less on its unique structure of governance than on the virtues of its citizens. He noted, “There is almost no human action … that does not arise from a very general idea that men have conceived of God, of his relations with the human race, of the nature of their souls, and of their duties toward those like them. One cannot keep these ideas from being the common source from which all the rest flow.” Throughout American history, people of faith have lived out their religious convictions while striving to promote the common good in the public square, even as the world changed in radical ways. In the wake of the sexual and technological revolutions, Catholics confront new challenges such as the regime of abortion on demand, the legal redefinition of marriage and threats to religious liberty and conscience protection. Perhaps more than ever, there is a vital need for civil discourse and sound public policies. At its root, though, the crisis of our modern world is not primarily one of politics but one of philosophy, for it relates to our understanding of fundamental realities such as nature, freedom and truth itself. In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, St. John Paul II warned that when our idea of freedom becomes distorted to mean absolute autonomy, we find
ourselves on “the shifting sands of complete relativism.” Government, in turn, is “transformed into a tyrant State, which arrogates to itself the right to dispose of the life of the weakest and most defenseless members” (20). Pope Francis has likewise reflected on this false — yet prevalent — sense of autonomy. Citing Benedict XVI, he wrote in his second encyclical, “We have forgotten that ‘man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will, but also nature’” (Laudato Si’, 6). Pope Francis further observed that “human ecology” implies “the relationship between human life and the moral law, which is inscribed in our nature” (155). But where do we begin, when the link between human nature and moral law is increasingly met with suspicion or contempt? The faithful witness of St. Thomas More (see page 8) not only demonstrates the importance of charity, courage and good humor, but reminds us of something essential about our identity as Christians: “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). Our ultimate allegiance is not to a political party, government leader or even a country, but to a King whose “kingdom does not belong to this world” (Jn 18:36). As the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy draws to a close and we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King Nov. 20, we will do well to seek some silence amid the din of our soundbite culture and contemplate this truth.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR
Domestic Church Resource: Letter to Families Written in 1994 by the “Pope of the Family,” St. John Paul II’s Letter to Families sheds God’s light on many of the most pressing challenges facing families in the modern world. This practical letter is available as a booklet, with a preface by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, as part of the new Building the Domestic Church Series published by the Order’s Catholic Information Service. To order or download this resource, visit kofc.org/cis. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
NOVEMBER 2016
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 Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME SECRETARY Ronald F. Schwarz SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Anna M. 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 addresschange@kofc.org 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 Sir Thomas More and his Daughter, an 1844 painting by John Rogers Herbert, depicts More’s imprisonment in the Tower of London.
COVER: Tate, London / Art Resource, NY
E D I TO R I A L
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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD
Conscience and the Right to Life The Church clearly teaches that faithful citizenship begins with protecting innocent human life by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson RECENTLY, Pope Francis was asked to counsel Catholics in America on how to approach this year’s election. “During political campaigns, I never say a word,” he replied. “I would only say, study the proposals well, pray and choose with your conscience.” So, how do we choose with our conscience? “Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened,” explains the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings” (1783). Our popes have provided just such authoritative teaching to guide Catholics making moral decisions in the political process. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said this: “As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable.” He then listed those non-negotiable principles, the first of which was the “protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death.” In his exhortation on the mission of the Catholic laity, Christifideles Laici, St. John Paul II stated the reason for this primacy of the right to life: “Above all, the common outcry,
which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination” (38). And in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, St. John Paul II stated with maximum clarity the definitive teaching of the Catholic Church: “In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it’” (73). This is because, as John Paul wrote earlier in the encyclical, “the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral” (57). During last August’s Supreme Convention, I affirmed that the responsibility of faithful Catholics is to build a culture of life and a civilization of love. I also observed that I did not see how it is possible for us to do this when Catholic voters elect public officials who promote abortion, which in the United States alone has resulted in nearly 60 million deaths since 1973. Legalized abortion in the United States has become a form of killing on such a massive scale that no other political issue outweighs its human devastation. In my annual report, I said, “We
need to end the political manipulation of Catholic voters by abortion advocates. It is time to end the entanglement of Catholic people with abortion killing. It is time to stop creating excuses for voting for pro-abortion politicians.” It has been said that the legal regime of abortion established by the Supreme Court in its Roe v. Wade ruling and subsequent decisions constitutes what the Catechism calls “structures of sin.” This election presents us with candidates throughout the United States who are dedicated to building up and strengthening this “structure of sin.” They are pledged to repeal the Hyde Amendment restriction of taxpayer funding of abortion that has saved more than 2 million unborn children. And they are committed to the appointment and confirmation of judges who will oppose abortion restrictions. As a result, this election presents the greatest threat to the right to life of unborn children since the Roe v. Wade decision. I urge every brother Knight to take the words of Pope Francis to heart — study, pray and vote your conscience! And when you do, remember also these words of the pope: “Each child that is unborn, but is unjustly condemned to be aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ.” Vivat Jesus!
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
Civil Rights and Religious Liberty A recent report by a U.S. commission calls into question people of faith and our first freedom by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori THE PASSAGE OF the Civil Rights Act of 1957 marked a turning point in the epic struggle for racial justice in the United States, and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission was established “as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding federal agency.” The commission’s vitally important mission is to strengthen and develop civil rights legislation and policy and to investigate alleged discrimination “based on race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.” Its members are appointed by the president of the United States, and past members have included Holy Cross Father Theodore Hesburgh, then president of the University of Notre Dame, and our own supreme knight, Carl Anderson. The findings of this commission are not merely academic; they reflect and inform the national debate as well as policy and legislation. In its earliest years, for example, the commission found that blacks were denied their voting rights in a number of southern states, and its work helped to shape the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968. Some time ago, the commission announced that it was doing a study that would attempt to balance religious liberty with other perceived rights. That study was recently published under the title Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties. Unfortunately, this report and the chairman of the commission fail to strike a balance or point the way to peaceful coexistence. Instead, they undermine the constitutionally guar4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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anteed and God-given gift of religious freedom. STIGMATIZING FAITH Peaceful Coexistence purports to examine how the courts have handled requests for religious exemptions from generally applicable laws that are designed to prohibit discrimination. Should religious groups be granted exemptions from recent laws that allow for marriage between two people of the same sex? Should a church-run school with conscientious objections have the freedom not to hire a teacher in a same-sex relationship or a person who has undergone a transgender procedure? The report concludes that religious organizations “use the pretext of religious doctrine to discriminate.” With this assertion, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission stigmatizes tens of millions of religious Americans, their communities and their faith-based institutions, and threatens the religious freedom of all our citizens. The chair of the commission, Martin Castro, went so far as to say, “The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.” In essence, the chairman is claiming that Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox Jewish, Mormon and Muslim communities are all comparable to fringe segregationists from the civil rights era. Such statements painting those who
support religious freedom with the broad brush of bigotry are reckless and reveal a profound disregard for the religious foundation of the commission’s own work. People of faith have often been the ones to carry the full promise of America to the most forgotten peripheries when other segments of society judged it too costly. Can we imagine the civil rights movement without Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Father Hesburgh and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel? In places like St. Louis and Washington, D.C., Catholic schools were integrated seven years before the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Jesus taught us to serve and not to count the cost. The one God, maker of heaven and earth, calls each and every person into being, loves us, and commands believers to love and show mercy to all. The idea of equality, which the chairman treats as a kind of talisman, is incomprehensible apart from the very faith that he seeks to cut off from mainstream society. FREEDOM TO SERVE The Church’s record is not perfect. We could have always done more. Nevertheless, Catholic priests, religious and laity serve our most struggling communities in places abandoned by a “throwaway culture” that has too often determined that quick profits matter
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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH
more than communities. We are there offering education, health care, social services and hope, working to serve as the “field hospital” Pope Francis has called us to be. We advocate for the dignity of all persons, a dignity that includes a life free from violence and persecution and that includes fair access to good jobs and safe housing. Rest assured, if people of faith continue to be marginalized, it is the poor and the vulnerable who will suffer. Catholic social service workers, volunteers and pastors don’t count the cost in financial terms or even in personal safety.
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — BLESSED RUPERT MAYER: Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy Stock Photo
Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis UNIVERSAL: That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity. EVANGELIZATION: That within parishes, priests and lay people may collaborate in service to the community without giving in to the temptation of discouragement.
However, we must count the cost to our own faith and morality. We do not seek to impose our morality on anyone, but neither can we sacrifice it in our own lives and work. The vast majority of those who speak up for religious liberty are merely asking for the freedom to serve others as our faith asks of us. A tobacco control organization would not hire an advocate for smoking, and an animal rights group may wish to hire only vegetarians. In a similar way, we ask that the work of our institutions be carried out by people who believe in our mission and respect our Christian wit-
ness. A pluralistic and religiously diverse society should make room for people of faith, who are a source of American strength. But the chairman’s statement, suggesting that the U.S. Civil Rights Commission no longer sees the United States as a pluralistic society, may well be a harbinger of dire challenges to religious freedom. Let us keep this in mind as we join with fellow citizens in shaping our nation’s future. We respect those who disagree with what we teach. Can they respect us?♦
C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H
Blessed Rupert Mayer (1876-1945) RUPERT MAYER was born in Stuttgart, Germany, Jan. 23, 1876. One of six children in a vibrant Catholic home, he developed a lively faith and a passion for playing the violin and riding horses. After university studies, Mayer was ordained a priest in 1899 and soon entered the Jesuit order. He preached parish missions throughout the region and was later sent to Munich to minister to impoverished migrants from the countryside. During World War I, Father Mayer volunteered as a military chaplain and served on the front lines, where he crawled along the trenches consoling soldiers and administering the sacraments. “My life is in God’s hands,” he said. In 1915, he became the first chaplain to be awarded the Iron Cross, Germany’s highest military honor. Wounded by a grenade a year later, his leg had to be amputated, and he became known as the “Limping Priest.” After the war, Father Mayer resumed his charitable work in Munich. He spent hours hearing confessions, celebrated Masses at the central railway station and ministered to univer-
sity students. He also co-founded the Sisters of the Holy Family, a community dedicated to helping the indigent. A vocal opponent of Communism and Nazism, Father Mayer dubbed Hitler “hysterical.” He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1939 and sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Authorities feared that his death would make him a martyr and moved him to Ettal Abbey in 1940. He remained under house arrest there for the duration of World War II. In May 1945, he returned to Munich. On Nov. 1 of that year, while preaching at Mass about the communion of saints, he had a stroke and died at age 69. Pope John Paul II beatified Father Mayer in 1987.♦
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
College Knights Called to Give Authentic Catholic Witness
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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson joins members of Notre Dame Council 1477 at the conclusion of the Sept. 30 awards banquet. The oldest and largest K of C college council, Council 1477 was this year’s recipient of the Outstanding College Council Award. • Left: Maj. Gen. Michael R. Regner, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in February after nearly 40 years of service, speaks to college Knights in a keynote address at their annual conference. Va., concluded by telling the young Knights that they need to keep close to their families because “they’re you’re strength, your core network for the rest of your life.” At the conclusion of the banquet, awards were presented to college councils for service in the categories of Church, community, council, family, youth and culture of life, as well as for membership and insurance growth. In recognition of exemplary accomplishments and service, this year’s Outstanding College Council Award was presented to Council 1477 at the University of Notre Dame. On Saturday morning, Oct. 1, conference participants gathered for Mass at St. Mary’s Church, the birthplace of the Order. Dominican Father
Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, celebrated the Mass, which concluded with prayers at the tomb of the Order’s founder, Father Michael J. McGivney. The conference featured a series of workshops on leadership development, council management, membership growth, insurance, programming and spirituality. The Saturday business session concluded with a presentation on Into the Breach, an apostolic exhortation to Catholic men by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix. The college Knights also had the opportunity to tour the Supreme Council headquarters and visit the Knights of Columbus Museum.♦
Photos by Tom Serafin
NEARLY 200 participants from 77 colleges and universities across the Unites States and Canada gathered in New Haven, Conn., for the 51st College Council Conference Sept. 30Oct. 2. The fraternal event gave college Knights the opportunity to forge friendships, deepen their faith and develop innovative ideas and service initiatives. During the opening awards banquet Sept. 30, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson thanked the young men for their commitment to the Order and challenged them to let their lives reflect the full spectrum of Christ’s message. “Christianity grows by attraction — we choose to be Catholics because we see authentic disciples in the Church, like Mother Teresa, who saw the distressing disguise of Jesus in the poor, in the sick, in people who need our help,” the supreme knight said. “That is the charity that evangelizes, that we, as Knights of Columbus, are called to do.” The supreme knight further acknowledged that living one’s faith in college is often unpopular in today’s cultural climate. “On most campuses, you’re swimming against the stream,” he said, encouraging the college Knights to be “authentic brothers in faith” and to “show people why it’s important to be Catholic.” Retired Maj. Gen. Michael R. Regner of the United States Marine Corps also addressed the gathering, giving a keynote address on three fundamental themes: faith, friends and family. “You’re all in college and have faith, but you must own it — if you don’t own your faith now in college it’s going to get tough,” he said. “You’ve got great friends, but bring in some who may not understand the value of Christianity — that’s your challenge. Take the next step up.” Regner, a member of St. Rita of Cascia Council 15244 in Alexandria,
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Supreme Officers Visit Flood Victims From left: Supreme Secretary Michael J. O’Connor, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, Louisiana State Deputy James F. Riente Jr. and Bishop Robert W. Muench of Baton Rouge walk down a street in Denham Springs Sept. 17 amid ongoing recovery work. Unprecedented flooding devastated the region in August, damaging an estimated 60,000 homes and spurring local and national relief efforts by the Knights of Columbus. Contributions to the K of C Louisiana Flood Relief Fund can be made at kofc.org/flood or sent to Knights of Columbus Charities, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966.
K of C Marketing Employees Honored
TOP: Photo by Stephen Feiler — MEXICO: Photo courtesy of Frente Nacional por la Familia
Mexican Knights March in Defense of Family LOCAL KNIGHTS of Columbus and their families joined more than 400,000 participants in a National March for the Family in Mexico’s capital Sept. 24. The event was organized by Frente Nacional por la Familia, a coalition of Christian and secular organizations that seek to preserve the institution of natural marriage. The groups opposed a presidential bill that would legally change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples and introduce gender ideology in children’s educational materials.
The Mexican bishops’ conference blessed the initiative, which included marches Sept. 10 in some 100 cities, drawing more than 1 million participants. Pope Francis expressed his support in his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 25. “I am very happy,” he said, “to associate myself with the bishops of Mexico in supporting the commitment of the Church and of civil society in favor of the family and of life, which in this time require special pastoral and cultural attention in all the world.” ♦
Below the iconic Angel of Independence monument, more than 400,000 people march in downtown Mexico City Sept. 24 in defense of the family.
TWO K OF C employees were named among 26 “rising stars” under 40 in the marketing and communication field of the insurance industry by LIMRA, a worldwide research, learning and development organization. Jillian Kiernan and Matthew St. John, nominated together, share the recognition for their teamwork integrating the K of C message of security, personal service, financial stability and charitable outreach through traditional marketing and social media. Their nomination noted, “In a rich culture like the Knights of Columbus, Jill and Matt — both in their 20s — bring a new perspective to our communications while respecting our 134year history as well as our very traditional business model.” Nominations were open to the staffs of the 850 financial services firms that LIMRA serves, which includes the Knights of Columbus.♦
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A Faith Worth Living and Dying For The Saint John Paul II National Shrine hosts an inspirational exhibit on the Christian witness of St. Thomas More by Meg T. McDonnell 8 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦
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ir Thomas More, who served as Lord High Chancellor of for refusing to sign a paper acknowledging Henry VIII’s reliEngland from 1529 until 1532, was imprisoned and be- gious authority. headed for treason after refusing to betray his Catholic faith. The new St. Thomas More exhibit, located on the second Nearly four centuries later, in 1929, G.K. Chesterton wrote, floor of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, not only em“Thomas More is more important at this moment than at any phasizes More’s faithful witness in life and death, but also highmoment since his death, even perhaps the great moment of his lights the dynamics of political and religious life that served as dying; but he is not quite so important as he will be in about the backdrop to his martyrdom. a hundred years’ time.” Catholicism flourished in England at the time, with the More was canonized in 1935 and later commemorated on Church’s liturgical calendar an ordinary part of English life. stage and screen as “a man for all seasons.” In 2000, Pope John Prayer books on display in the exhibit reflect the fact that lay Paul II declared him patron of statesmen and politicians, and men and women often prayed in a manner similar to the faced with concerns about religious liberty and conscience monastic liturgy of hours. Nonetheless, there was a growing throughout the world, many Catholics look to him for inspi- resistance to Catholic principles. ration today. By the time More became Lord Chancellor, the Protestant At the opening of a new exhibit about St. Thomas More’s Reformation had already begun, and one of his chief concerns life and witness, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, was protecting the authority, doctrine and structure of the “I’m sure many of us wish that Chesterton had perhaps not Catholic Church. More saw anyone who opposed them as been so prophetic, as we see just how many thousands — threatening the king, the Catholic faith and civic order. perhaps millions — of Christians and others around the His extraordinary commitment to the Catholic faith, even world are suffering in defense of the in the face of death, was the result of a right of conscience and the free exerlifetime of intellectual and spiritual forcise of religion.” mation that began in his childhood. The temporary exhibit, titled “God’s “His father arranged for him to live T CAN BE SAID THAT Servant First: The Life and Legacy of in the household of John Morton, Thomas More,” will be on display at Archbishop of Canterbury,” the exhibit MORE DEMONSTRATED the Saint John Paul II National Shrine text explains, “in the hope that he in Washington, D.C., through March would catch the eye of a patron who IN A SINGULAR WAY THE 31, 2017. Unique to the exhibit, which would further his career.” VALUE OF A MORAL is sponsored by the Knights of ColumThe elder More’s hopes were fulbus and the Christian Heritage Centre filled, as Thomas was sent by Morton CONSCIENCE.” at Stonyhurst, is the breadth of artifacts to Oxford at the age of 14, which was and information about More’s personal a common age for studies at the time, and public life, including items never before returning to London for his before exhibited in the United States. legal studies at age 16. Among the distinguished guests at the Sept. 16 exhibit As visitors to the exhibit observe the skull of Cardinal Moropening was Lord David Alton of Liverpool, a member of the ton, which is on display, they are surrounded by information British House of Lords who serves as chairman of the Chris- about how Morton influenced More’s life. More’s education at tian Heritage Centre. St. Thomas More’s life and death re- Oxford introduced him to great Catholic thinkers like Augusmind us that “a faith worth dying for is a faith worth living tine and Aquinas, and upon his return to London he briefly for,” said Lord Alton in remarks during the opening. “And if considered entering monastic life. only we understood the sacrifices of so many who give their Since Morton had his own his share of struggles in serving lives for the Christian faith, maybe we’d take it more seriously both the Church and the king, More surely took inspiration ourselves.” from his mentor later in life. More distinguished himself as a lawyer, and during his servMODEL OF CONSCIENCE ice as under-sheriff of London, the king took notice. Henry The circumstances of St. Thomas More’s martyrdom are well VIII brought More into his circle of advisors and encouraged known. When Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry VIII him to speak freely “without fear of royal displeasure.” the annulment he requested in order to marry Anne Boleyn, More progressed to under-treasurer of the exchequer and with the hope that she would bear a male heir to the throne, eventually Speaker of the House of Commons, where he made the king went through with the annulment anyway and de- a specific petition for freedom of speech for all citizens, the clared himself head of the Church in England. Subsequently, first recorded request of its kind. He urged the king to give his More, who opposed the annulment on the grounds of his “most gracious permission and allowance for every man freely, Catholic faith, resigned from his position as chancellor. Though without fear of your dreaded displeasure, to speak his conMore hoped that his resignation would resolve the conflict he science and boldly declare his advice.” faced with the king, he was imprisoned and eventually executed The significance of More’s request, tied so closely to his
Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein, the Younger, 1527 / The Frick Collection, New York
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Members of the Little Sisters of the Poor examine a reliquary on display during their visit to the exhibit Sept. 15. The reliquary contains the remains of the fourth-century Roman martyr St. Gordianus, which were given to persecuted English Catholics at the College of Saint Omer (see sidebar).
eventual fate, surely resonates today in the hearts of Christians around the world who seek freedom and strength in the face of threats to conscience. St. John Paul II’s proclamation in 2000 is illuminated on the exhibit wall: “It can be said that More demonstrated in a singular way the value of a moral conscience which is ‘the witness of God himself, whose voice and judgment penetrate the depths of man’s soul.’” A STORY FOR OUR TIME Moving through the exhibit, visitors find poignant descriptions of More’s family life. He had four children — three daughters and a son — all born to his first wife, Jane Colte. After Jane’s death, More wed Alice Middleton, also widowed, and they had a happy marriage. More educated his children himself, and he taught his daughters with the same academic rigor as his son, which was
remarkable in his era. Sketches of his children gathered around him present an image of a man who was as warm as he was intelligent. One of his daughters, Margaret (Meg), showed notable intellectual gifts and was a true confidante for More in his final days — so much so that the king allowed Meg to visit More when he was held in captivity, with the intent that she might weaken his resolve. Even in his own suffering, More did not seem to lose his warmth and loyalty to family and friends. Meg later became one of the most widely published female authors of her time, and she is credited with getting her father’s works published and distributed to the wider public. In a room set up to model the cell where More was confined during his final days in the Tower of London, visitors to the exhibit encounter a prayer he wrote before the king had his pens and paper confiscated. Here he asked God to help him “gladly to bear my purgatory here; to be joyful of tribulations” and “to think my most enemies my best friends.” One of the final rooms of the exhibit displays a chopping block, much like the one on which More was beheaded. Meg, the only family member present during the execution, recounted how her father freed his beard from the block, “joking
ST. THOMAS MORE, THE CARROLLS AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICA IN 1593, amid the suppression of Catholicism in England, Jesuit Father Robert Persons founded a school for English Catholics in Saint-Omer, France, at which the legacy of Thomas More was greatly revered. The students removed their hats out of respect as his name was read aloud during the daily martyrology. Decades later, English Catholics settled in Maryland, establishing the colony as a haven of religious freedom. By 1654, however, Maryland’s Religious Toleration Act was repealed, and Catholics once again 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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faced restrictive laws by the Protestant majority. In this environment, two young cousins, Charles and John Carroll, were sent by their families to study at the College of Saint Omer in 1748. After returning to America, Charles Carroll began publishing essays in which he argued for the expansion of religious freedom. He later became the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. John Carroll entered the Society of Jesus after his studies at Saint Omer. Re-
turning to Maryland, he defended the role of Catholicism in a free society, advocated for equal citizenship for Catholics, founded Georgetown College, and went on to become the first bishop and archbishop of Baltimore. The College of Saint Omer re-established itself as Stonyhurst College in England in 1794. It is now home to the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst, which preserves the oldest surviving museum collection in the English-speaking world, with particular focus on the history of English Catholicism.♦
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Photos by Tom Serafin
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Lord David Alton of Liverpool visit the exhibit’s replica of the cell where St. Thomas More was held in the Tower of London. • Right: The exhibit features a chopping block and ax similar to those used for More’s execution in 1535. that it had done no treason and should not be harmed.” According to one contemporary account, More said that he went to his death as “the king’s good servant, and God’s first” — words echoed in the title of the exhibit. More then knelt and quietly prayed Psalm 51 as the ax descended, and with that his life on earth ended. His example is an important reminder for visitors that a wellformed conscience is inseparable from a heart open to prayer. Visitors to the exhibit have their own opportunity to pray before a relic of the saint — a part of his jawbone — and to reflect on their faith and joy in the face of threats to conscience today. Addressing those gathered for the exhibit opening, Lord Alton called St. Thomas More’s life “a story of inspiration for our own time.” He thanked the Knights of Columbus for its efforts to aid persecuted Christians, especially in the Middle East, and also referenced the “assault on conscience” in the West. Among those present were the Little Sisters of the Poor, who recently faced their own St. Thomas More moment when asked to simply “sign a piece of paper” and thereby betray their consciences in relation to the U.S. government’s contraceptive mandate.
In his own remarks, Supreme Knight Anderson said, “Our shrine is a place of worship, devotion and personal formation. It is a place where we hope to gain greater insight and the graces to follow the path of Christian discipleship with greater authenticity.” In this way, visitors to the exhibit are ultimately invited to become pilgrims, seeking not only to learn and observe but also to grow in faith, courage and charity.♦ MEG T. MCDONNELL is executive director of the Chiaroscuro Institute and a journalist in Washington, D.C. NOVEMBER 2016
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The Hunger for God on the Front Line With the need for Catholic military chaplains at an all-time high, the Order continues support for vocations
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n 2005, a small U.S. Army convoy from the 18th Airborne Corps left its remote base in northern Iraq on a special mission through combat territory. The young soldiers, who had gone without Mass for months, had decided that it was worth the risk of roadside bombs and enemy ambush to reach their objective: a base near Mosul, where they knew they would find a Catholic priest. Father Paul K. Hurley, then a lieutenant colonel in the Army’s 101st Airborne Corps, agreed to make the dangerous journey to their base in order to hear their confessions and celebrate Mass. “These young soldiers’ hungry desire for God and holy Communion was stronger than their fear of the dangers they faced,” Father Hurley later recalled in an article he wrote for The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston. “I have never encountered such profound and genuine thankfulness for the gift of the Eucharist — in combat zones or at home in the U.S. These experiences crystallize how important it is for our soldiers to have access to a priest and to the sacraments.” Recognizing the crucial need for Catholic military chaplains, the Knights of Columbus launched a special initiative five years ago — the Father McGivney Military Chaplain Scholarship program — in support of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). To date, $1.2 million in support has been provided to assist seminarians preparing to become Catholic chaplains in the U.S. armed forces. STEADFAST SUPPORT The idea for the Father McGivney Chaplain Scholarship program began during Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson’s 2011 visit aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. While touring 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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the aircraft carrier, the supreme knight encountered Catholics in uniform who often go weeks — and sometimes months — without being able to attend Mass or receive spiritual guidance due to the dire shortage of priest chaplains. When announcing the scholarship initiative, the supreme knight noted, “It can be very difficult for Catholic members of the armed forces when they’re on forward deployments. The U.S. military archdiocese, which supplies Catholic chaplains, estimates that it needs 800 priests to fully serve all of the Catholic men and women in uniform today, but they are only able to supply 280.” In 2011, Fourth Degree assemblies spearheaded nationwide fundraising efforts for the Father McGivney Military Chaplain Scholarship program, and in just three years they fulfilled the Knights’ five-year goal of raising $1 million for the AMS. Since then, the Order has extended the program, with the Fourth Degree committed to increasing the total to $1.4 million by the end of this fraternal year. These funds enable the AMS to pay its share of expenses for seminarians in its Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program, a vocations partnership between the AMS and cooperating dioceses and religious communities around the country. During his priestly formation, a co-sponsored seminarian’s diocese covers half of his costs, and the military archdiocese assumes the remaining half. Once ordained, candidates work as diocesan priests for three years before serving as active duty chaplains for five years or longer. Without the Order’s scholarships, it would be daunting for the AMS to provide its portion for each co-sponsored seminarian — between $15,000 and $18,000 a year, depending on the seminary.
Photo courtesy of Father Luke Dundon
by Jerri Donohue
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U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Young
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, administers the sacrament of confirmation to service members at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 19, 2014. • Opposite page: Father David Hammond (left) and Father Luke Dundon, both Navy chaplains and members of the Knights of Columbus, are pictured on the deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard off the coast of Japan Sept. 23 with the USS Ronald Reagan in the distance. The Knights’ support could not have come at a more crucial time, according to Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. “We are down to 207 active duty chaplains serving all three chaplain corps, which serve the five branches of the armed forces,” he said. “It is a very drastic situation.” While Catholics account for 25 percent of the U.S. military, Catholic priests make up only 8 percent of the chaplain corps. With a ratio of 1,300 Catholics on active duty to each Catholic chaplain, the shortage of priests means that enlisted Catholics can go long periods without access to the sacraments. “The Father McGivney Scholarship Program is probably the greatest source of hope that the Archdiocese for the Military Services has,” said Archbishop Broglio, a member of Potomac Council 433 in Washington, D.C. “At this point, there are some 35 co-sponsored seminarians in 19 seminaries across the United States and in Rome studying for eventual military service.” A VOCATION WITHIN A VOCATION Cistercian Father Aidan Logan, a former Navy chaplain who served from 1991 to 2010 on ships and at Navy and Marine Corps bases across the globe, watched as chaplain numbers
dwindled over the years. In 1991, he was one of 13 military priests covering Camp Lejeune, two air stations and a hospital in North Carolina. When he returned in 2010, he and only one other priest served the same area. Father Logan, who joined the Knights in 2002 as a charter member and chaplain of Father Aloysius H. Schmitt Council 13220 at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was appointed AMS vocations director in 2014. He is encouraged by the increased number of co-sponsored seminarians today, with 13 priestly ordinations since 2014, compared to eight between 2008 and 2013. In addition to organizing vocations retreats and visiting seminarians, Father Logan also works with recruiters in the chaplain’s office of each service branch and attends various vocations events and conferences presented by organizations like the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. “There are many young men in college who are attracted to both the military and the priesthood,” he said. “They feel they have to choose between the two. But they don’t.” Father Logan explained that the military chaplaincy is “a true vocation within a vocation” and further noted, “Military families and military men account for the largest single factor in vocations each year.” NOVEMBER 2016
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Father Luke Dundon, for example, grew up in a naval family and discerned a priestly vocation after graduation from the Naval Academy and several years of military service. He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., as a co-sponsored seminarian and was ordained in 2011 for the Diocese of Arlington. A member of Father Robert E. Nudd Council 7369 in Centreville, Va., Father Dundon has served aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard for the last two years. Sailing out of Sasebo, Japan, the amphibious assault ship sometimes carries as many as 3,000 sailors and Marines. In addition to celebrating Mass, hearing confessions and teaching RCIA and Bible study classes, Father Dundon provides counseling and helps arrange onshore service projects. His unique working environment also allows him to move throughout the ship, chatting and distributing snacks. “There’s a beautiful opportunity that would rarely occur in parish life — to mingle with someone who hasn’t been to church in a long time, or who hasn’t practiced their faith in a long time.” Father Dundon cited an officer who rejected Catholicism many years ago. During dinners, the man candidly aired his grievances with the Church — and Father Dundon assured him he was welcome to return. “Over time, he recognized and rediscovered a peace that came only from following Christ again,” Father Dundon said. “It’s a beautiful sight, especially since younger sailors see him as one of the saltiest and earthiest individuals on the ship.” ‘TOTAL FORCE MULTIPLIERS’ According to Father Hurley, now a major general serving as chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army, military chaplains have been an integral part of the U.S. armed forces from the very beginning. “George Washington was the first to articulate that our armed forces need clergy to provide worship services and help with morale, ethical development and counseling,” said Father Hurley, who is a member of Richard Cardinal Cushing Council 6267 in Pembroke, Mass. “If they are not spiritually nourished and cared for, military personnel and their families are going to be impacted, and this in turn will impact how they perform their jobs.” Maj. Gen. Michael Regner, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps earlier this year, insists it is essential that service men and women have access to a chaplain. “Chaplains are priceless in their support to the overall needs of the military community, service members and their families,” said Regner, a member of St. Rita of Cascia Council 15244 in Alexandria, Va. He sees chaplains as “total force multipliers” — factors that dramatically increase the effectiveness of a unit by providing courage, counsel and assistance. As a colonel, Regner was a Marine expeditionary unit commander and routinely took a Catholic chaplain wherever he went. During deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, a priest 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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accompanied Regner when he visited men on the battlefield. “Some folks wanted Mass and confession,” Regner said. “Some folks that were spiritually or psychologically challenged needed his strength, his encouragement. He provided that.” In one case, a Marine was worried about his wife and children, whom he could not contact from a combat zone. The priest chaplain was able to communicate with a chaplain back
TO DONATE to the Order’s Father McGivney Chaplain Scholarship program, visit kofc.org/militarychaplains or send a check to Knights of Columbus Charities, One Columbus Plaza, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven CT 06509. In the memo field, kindly write “military chaplain scholarship.”
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U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue
U.S. Army Chap. (Maj. Gen.) Paul K. Hurley, U.S. Army chief of chaplains, gives remarks on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery July 29. The ceremony honored the 241st anniversary of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. in the United States and reassure the young man that all was well at home. According to Gen. Regner, military personnel and their families cherish their chaplains because of such ministry and see it as essential. “Here’s the bottom line,” he said. “Everyone wants that special person who encourages, listens and assists every member of a unit in reaching their full potential when times are easy or tough — chaplains do exactly that.” Archbishop Broglio could not agree more. “When you speak with these young men, you become in-
fected with their enthusiasm, their deep faith and their desire to share that faith with others,” he said. And despite the uphill battle in fostering vocations, the archbishop pointed to the Father McGivney scholarship program as a decisive factor in closing the gap. “The Father McGivney military scholarship reflects the forward thinking of the supreme knight and his collaborators,” Archbishop Broglio said. “It’s really a great source of hope.”♦ JERRI DONOHUE is a freelance journalist whose husband, William, is a member of Brook Park (Ohio) Council 13987. NOVEMBER 2016
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A HOME OF
MERCY AT WYD The K of C-sponsored Mercy Centre was the premier English-language catechesis and festival site at World Youth Day by Alton J. Pelowski
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s reported in the September issue of Columbia, from July 26-31 the Knights of Columbus sponsored and ran the international site for English-speaking pilgrims attending World Youth Day 2016. With the help of partnering organizations, the Knights transformed Tauron Arena Kraków, one of the biggest entertainment and sports venues in Poland, into the “Mercy Centre,” welcoming more than 100,000 young pilgrims over six days. The most popular catechesis site in any language, the Mercy Centre held the largest WYD gatherings outside the mainstage papal events. And on the final day, the site hosted a meeting with Pope Francis and 12,000 WYD volunteers. The Order has played a significant role in World Youth Day celebrations since 1984, including the sponsorship of catechesis sites in Sydney (2008) and Madrid (2011), but the scope and reception of the Knights’ participation in Kraków was unprecedented. In addition to national gatherings, daily Mass and catechesis, Mercy Centre programming featured talks, performances, exhibits and countless opportunities for prayer and spiritual encounter. Of particular note were testimonies of persecuted Christians from the Middle East, the presence of the first-class relics of Poland’s most revered modern saints, and the Night of Mercy — an evening of eucharistic adoration, reflection and music. Although the arena had quickly filled to capacity with more than 18,000 people present for the Night of Mercy, the atmosphere was imbued with prayerful tranquility. Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles later reflected, “I had been asked to lead a eucharistic procession and benediction and to give a short reflection, but nothing prepared me for what I would see and feel. … I can’t remember another time in the last 30 years when I felt the presence of the Lord more vividly.” The photos in the pages that follow feature highlights of the Mercy Centre events. More photos, videos and information are available at wydenglishsite.org.♦ 16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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Clockwise from top: The Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków is filled with World Youth Day pilgrims gathered for the Night of Mercy celebration July 27. • Pope Francis is welcomed to the arena by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore July 31. Also pictured is Auxiliary Bishop Damian Muskus, O.F.M., the coordinator-general of WYD Kraków (left) and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków. • Volunteers process into the arena July 26 carrying first-class relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Albert Chmielowski, Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II. • Canadian pilgrims wave flags as they wait to enter the arena. Photos by Jakub Wawrzkowicz, Haley Scott/Spirit Juice Studios, Jaclyn Lippelmann/Archdiocese of Washington, Karol Gut, Jeffrey Bruno, Chris Adamczyk/Salt and Light TV, Maciej Maziarka, Eric Mok, Alton Pelowski, L’Osservatore Romano
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Clockwise from above: The Eucharist is processed through Tauron Arena Kraków as thousands of young people kneel in adoration. • Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles shares a reflection during eucharistic adoration July 27. • Young pilgrims are pictured in prayer at the Mercy Centre. • Catholic recording artist Matt Maher kneels while leading worship music during the Night of Mercy. Opposite page, clockwise from top: Members of the Cenacolo Community, a group of young people who have experienced God’s mercy through freedom from addiction, perform “Credo: I Believe in Mercy” at an outdoor stage adjacent to the arena. • Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, walks in procession before celebrating Mass at the Mercy Centre July 27. • Pilgrims go to confession in a section of the arena designated for the sacrament of reconciliation. • Cardinal Luis A. Tagle, archbishop of Manila, leads catechesis July 28. • English-speaking bishops process to the stage to celebrate Mass. 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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Top left: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore delivers remarks during a main-stage panel discussion on religious freedom. John Paul II biographer George Weigel, attorney Jacqueline Isaac, journalist Kathryn Jean Lopez and Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Iraq, also participated in the discussion. • Top right: Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and WYD volunteers listen attentively during the meeting with Pope Francis July 31. • Above left: Members of the Knights of Columbus in Poland man a K of C informational display. Polish Knights played a significant role volunteering during World Youth Day at the Mercy Centre, Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki and elsewhere. • Above right: Annie and Scott Powell, directors of Camp Wojtyla in Colorado, give a testimony about marriage and family life during a catechesis session.
COLLEGE KNIGHTS PARTICIPATE IN POLISH PILGRIMAGE BEFORE WORLD YOUTH DAY Before serving as World Youth Day volunteers at the Mercy Centre in Kraków, 30 college Knights from schools and seminaries throughout the United states, Canada, Mexico and Poland gathered as pilgrims in the footsteps of st. John Paul ii and st. faustina Kowalska. Accompanied by Dominican priest chaplains and members of the sisters of Life, the Knights began by visiting Wadowice, where they toured the childhood home of Karol Wojtyła, before traveling to pray at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. The following day, they visited 20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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the shrine of our Lady of Ludźmierz, where the order was first established in Poland in 2006, and proceeded to go on retreat in the Tatra Mountains, a place frequently visited by John Paul ii. The Knights also visited the sanctuary of Divine Mercy and tomb of st. faustina Kowalska in Kraków-Łagiewniki and gathered for Mass with supreme Chaplain Archbishop William e. Lori of Baltimore at the Arka Pana (Lord’s Ark) church in nowa Huta, which was built in defiance of soviet pressure while John Paul ii was archbishop of Kraków.♦
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Clockwise from top right: Pope Francis sits on the Mercy Centre stage during his meeting with World Youth Day volunteers and benefactors July 31. The papal chair was provided by Polish Knights of Columbus. • Stacks of a special World Youth Day issue of Columbia are presented on a table for visitors. College Knights and other volunteers distributed thousands of copies to WYD pilgrims. • Mother Mary Agnes and Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life stand outside the Mercy Centre, prepared to greet pilgrims. • Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine, former secretary of St. John Paul II, blesses a young woman after leading a “School of Mercy” presentation. Left: Blake Tamez of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Council 15020 in Nashville, Tenn., a student at Vanderbilt University, prays at the execution wall of the Auschwitz death camp July 21. Right: College Knights and Dominican priest chaplains gather for a group photo in the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland July 23.
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C H R I S T I A N S AT R I S K
‘In Defense of Christians’ Honors Supreme Knight, Order ON SEPT. 8, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson received the IDC Lifetime Achievement Award at the third annual Solidarity Dinner of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Convention in Washington, D.C. The award recognized the work of the supreme knight and the Order on behalf of Christians and other persecuted minorities targeted for genocide in Iraq and Syria, including a comprehensive genocide report that was instrumental in securing the U.S. State Department’s genocide designation March 17. In his remarks, Anderson outlined the need for full citizenship rights for every individual as a prerequisite to U.S. aid to governments; international affirmation of the human rights of indigenous communities; and direct funding to populations targeted for genocide. “To stop this ongoing genocidal process from happening on our watch, I call upon leaders of both political parties, as well as both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, to commit them-
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is pictured with (left to right) Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), In Defense of Christians Founder and President Toufic Baaklini and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) in Washington, D.C., Sept. 8. selves to this agenda,” he added. The situation “demands from us a new realism in our approach to issues of human rights in the region.” U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) were
likewise honored for their key roles in co-sponsoring a bipartisan resolution declaring ISIS guilty of genocide. The resolution unanimously passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 14.♦
ON SEPT. 22, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson testified before the U.S. Helsinki Commission on Capitol Hill at a hearing titled “Atrocities in Iraq and Syria: Relief for Survivors and Accountability for Perpetrators,” convened by commission chairman Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.). The supreme knight urged the commission to recognize that the vulnerable communities facing genocide and potential extinction at the hands of ISIS are not receiving adequate humanitarian aid from the U.S. government. “Here we have a fundamental inconsistency in the U.S. stance toward the genocide,” Anderson said. “On the one hand, we have the unanimous policy of the elected branches of the United States government stating that a genocide is occurring. On the other hand, we have an aid bureaucracy that is allowing the intended consequence of the genocide to continue, even though it is in our power to stop it.” In conclusion, Anderson called for an emergency appropriations package for the groups that have faced genocide.
U.S. aid to governments in the region should be conditioned on equal rights for religious minorities, he said. Such aid “must be an investment in a more peaceful future in the region. This cannot happen unless the system of religious apartheid there ends.”♦
SUPPORT THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN REFUGEE RELIEF FUND. VISIT CHRISTIANSATRISK . ORG 22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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BOTTOM: Photo by John Whitman
Supreme Knight Appeals for Aid to Persecuted Christians
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FAT H E R S F O R G O O D
Living Mercy Our responsibility to practice the works of mercy continues beyond the holy year by Brian Caulfield
Year of Mercy logo designed by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik / CNS / courtesy of Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization
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s we near the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, it is a good time to assess what effect the jubilee has had on us and on our families. Proclaimed by Pope Francis, the Year of Mercy began Dec. 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and ends this month on Nov. 20, the Solemnity of Christ the King. A central feature of the jubilee year has been the designation of a Holy Door in each diocese, usually in the cathedral, where the faithful can pass through and gain the jubilee indulgence. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pass through the Holy Doors in several dioceses, and offered prayers for family members and friends, living and deceased. But the essence of the Year of Mercy is much more than stepping through a church door — it is entry into new life, a new way of seeing and relating to others. Mercy may sound easy and even somewhat trite in a world that stresses autonomy and achievement. Some may even consider it a negation of justice and think, along with the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, that mercy is unfair. But as Pope Francis has made clear in the past year, mercy does not deny sin or wrongdoing. In fact, mercy is a response to such failures. Authentic forgiveness transcends the desire to settle scores or seek revenge — reactions that escalate tensions and ultimately skew the scales of justice. Love “can never be an abstraction,” the Holy Father said in his letter launching the Year of Mercy. Forgiveness can be difficult, he added, but “it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves” (Misericordiae Vultus, 9). On a practical level, parents understand that mercy is an indispensable part of daily family life. We could not function as husband and wife, as parents and children, without giving and receiving regular doses of mercy. “Sorry,” “Excuse me,” “Forgive me” are the small words on which a household of mercy is built. The offended party should not withhold pardon, but rather run, like the father of the
prodigal son, to forgive the beloved. Still, mercy is more than kind words and simple gestures. Mercy demands work — as in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Jesus warned that we will be judged on how we treat those in our midst who are hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick or in prison. “What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me,” he declared. Using the strongest possible words, he concluded that those who neglect the needs of others “will go off to eternal punishment” (cf. Mt 25:31-46). It’s time to wake up to the suffering of our neighbors and examine our conscience with two basic questions: “Have I learned mercy?” and “Have I done the works of mercy?” When announcing the holy year, Pope Francis expressed his “burning desire” that the Church reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In our examination of conscience, we should take an honest look at how we have responded to the call to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead; as well as to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who wrong us, and pray for the living and the dead (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2446). This jubilee year will have done us little good if we do not embrace its message by making mercy a habit of life, a lens through which we view the world and our relationships. We may not be well-versed in the language of mercy; we may need time, practice and patience as we grow in virtue. Start by recalling how often mercy has been shown to you by parents, teachers and others in authority — and most of all by God. Finally, take to heart Jesus’ mandate: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).♦ BRIAN CAULFIELD is the editor of the website Fathers for Good and the vice-postulator of the cause for canonization of Father Michael McGivney.
FIND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES AT FATHERSFORGOOD. ORG .
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THE GRACE TO FORGIVE An interview with Steven McDonald, an NYPD detective who forgave the man who shot and paralyzed him by Columbia staff teven McDonald, a New York City police officer, was questioning three youths in Central Park July 12, 1986, when one of them shot him three times. McDonald barely survived the attack, which left him paralyzed from the neck down. At the time of the shooting, the Long Island native was 29 years old and in his second year on the NYPD. He had been married eight months and his wife, Patti Ann, was three months pregnant with their son, Conor. At Conor’s baptism, McDonald surprised many with a public statement that he forgave Shavod Jones, the 15-year-old gunman. Jones eventually apologized to McDonald from prison. For the past three decades, McDonald has shared his story of forgiveness with people across the United States, as well as in places such as Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the Middle East. McDonald joined the Knights of Columbus in 1993 and is one of the people featured in the K of C-produced film titled The Face of Mercy, which is currently airing on ABC TV (see sidebar). McDonald spoke with us about his call to police work, the shooting that changed his life and how his faith enabled him to transform tragedy into a message of forgiveness and hope. COLUMBIA: What inspired you to become an NYPD officer? STEVEN MCDONALD: My dad was a police officer. My family has been involved in police work for more than 90 years. So growing up I listened to what my dad, my grandfather, my uncle Frank had to say. If you add it up, our family has given between 300 and 400 years of service to police work in New York City. Today, my little brother, Thomas, and my son, Conor, are also police officers. This work is a calling. Anybody with a Christian background can make the connection that police work is a calling. The first thing I did before I hit the streets was go to my local rectory, where the priest blessed my shield. I was assigned to work Manhattan South, from the World Trade Towers to the Empire State Building. That was my area of responsibility and it met all my expectations — helping others and doing good for others. It was everything I had dreamed about, and I was very happy. COLUMBIA: How important was your Catholic faith in your life before the shooting? MCDONALD: I’ve always believed in God, in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Faith was always a part of my young life. 24 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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In Navy boot camp I was a religious petty officer in my platoon, which meant being an altar server at Mass and leading prayers. Out in the fleet, I was a Navy corpsman — tending the sailors and Marines who were sick or injured or dying. Later, when I worked for some time in private industry, my faith became less important. And then I met Patti Ann. She reminded me that it had to be more important — attending Mass and being involved in our local parish. COLUMBIA: Could you take us to that pivotal moment in your life on July 12, 1986? MCDONALD: I was on plainclothes patrol with my supervisor, Sgt. Peter King, on a drizzly day in Central Park. There were a lot of recent bicycle thefts, and we saw three kids who fit the description of some suspects. We decided to question them. Then the boys ran, so we chased after them. I ran ahead and caught up to the boys and said, “I’m a police officer and I’d like to talk with you.” I thought I saw something in the sock of the smaller of the boys that could have been a weapon. So I knelt down to touch it, but made a tactical error: I took my eyes off of all the boys, and one of them did have a gun. He moved over me, and suddenly I was staring down the barrel of a small handgun. Before I could say “don’t shoot” and deflect the gun, the boy pulled the trigger. A bullet entered my head. As I fell backward, the boy stepped a little closer and shot me in the throat. As I lay on the ground he shot me a third time. I grew numb, and the thought in my mind was, “Please, I don’t want to die, I want to live.” I heard my boss running toward me, yelling over the police radio for help. My life was in God’s hands. COLUMBIA: How did you survive? MCDONALD: The fact that police officers found my partner and me on a lousy weather day in the park was an answer to my prayer. There was no time to wait for the ambulance, so they put me in the back of the police car and drove me to Metropolitan Hospital. A Catholic priest there gave me the
Steven McDonald, pictured with his wife, Patti Ann, and son, Conor, attends the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City on March 17, 2016.
PHOTO: Associated Press
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In the aftermath of the shooting, Steven McDonald is rushed out of Metropolitan Hospital, in transit for life-saving treatment at Bellevue Hospital July 12, 1986. • Opposite page: Cardinal John J. O’Connor, archbishop of New York, blesses baby Conor during the baptism March 1, 1987.
COLUMBIA: What was the reaction of others to your condition in the hospital? MCDONALD: It was just tremendous sadness. Patti Ann was with my little brother, Thomas, who was 15. I remember waking up and my right eye was swollen shut. I couldn’t talk and they were crying, “Steven, please, please don’t die.” And all I could do was wink with my left eye and try to smile to communicate that it was going to be OK. By this time, Mayor Koch and hundreds of police officers were there. The mayor told me later that he did something he’d never done before: He called Cardinal O’Connor’s residence and said, “Eminence, we need you here.” When the cardinal walked in he fell in love with Patti Ann and said, “Patti Ann, whatever you need; would you like the Mass to be said?” He arranged to have Mass said at my bedside 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
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every day. The priest bringing the Eucharist to my bedside was the game changer. COLUMBIA: Could you share about the impact of learning that you would be paralyzed? MCDONALD: Patti Ann was three or four months pregnant. We met with the neurosurgeon, and he said some very negative things: “Mrs. McDonald, your husband is never going to be any better. Start thinking of your future and a place to put Steven.” Then he turned and left the room. Patti Ann collapsed on the floor, and I had no way of calling for help. Looking back, it was one of those dark, dark days when I didn’t think I wanted to live much longer. I didn’t want to put Patti Ann through that. And there were many other days like it. But as I said, we had the Mass in my hospital room and the constant prayers of my family and friends. That lifted all of the darkness; it really did. There’s no other reason why I’m here speaking with you today. COLUMBIA: Do you remember the first time Patti Ann brought your newborn son to you in the hospital? MCDONALD: I was looking out a window, caught up in my thoughts. All of a sudden I felt his little face on mine, skin touching my skin. My wife was able to sneak up behind me, and there was Conor next to me. That was powerful, like the finger of God in the Sistine Chapel reaching out and touching Adam. God was touching me, and the message was that here’s this new life, and you have to live with him.
Photo by Thomas Monaster/NY Daily News via Getty Images
Anointing of the Sick. As they brought me into the ER, they decided that I wasn’t going to survive transport to the OR, so they went to work on me very quickly. Just as quickly the surgeon came out and told all the hierarchy of the NYPD standing there, “This kid’s not going to live. You’d better bring his family here to say goodbye.” Nearby was one police officer, Brian Mulheren. He had no rank or high station but stepped forward and said, “No, he’s not going to die; he just needs a second chance.” I believe that was the Holy Spirit speaking through Brian to everyone there. Just like that like they loaded me up on a special ambulance and flew down to Bellevue Hospital, where they saved my life by the grace of God.
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sister-in-law comes running to say I had a phone call. It was Shavod Jones calling from prison. “Officer McDonald, survivor,” he said. “This is Shavod Jones, and I want to apologize to you and your family for what I’ve done to you all.” I thanked him and promised him that I would be there to help him in the future. He told me prison was the worst time of his life. He did nine years of a three- to 10-year sentence. Three days after his parole release from prison he was killed in a motorcycle accident. I never had the chance to help him, but my wife encouraged me to reach out to kids like him, so they know that there’s a different way in life than the violence on the streets.
Photo courtesy of the McDonald family
COLUMBIA: Could you tell us about Conor’s baptism and the announcement afterward? MCDONALD: Cardinal O’Connor and hundreds of people were crammed into that little chapel at Bellevue, and it was very quiet and very beautiful. After the baptism, we spoke to members of the media and Patti Ann read three things we had prepared. First, I was grateful to be alive. Life is a gift from God. Then she told everyone how grateful I was to be a New York City police officer — the tradition, my family, the city, and how I wouldn’t change that for anything. Finally, she told everyone that I wanted to forgive the boy who shot me that day in Central Park. That was the message from God, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I could have said “no.” I’m very happy that I said “yes.” If I had chosen not to, I don’t think I would be alive. All the negative emotions would have overtaken me. Once I said “yes” to forgiving the teenager, it freed me of so much, of all those bad things that had happened to me. I was able to move forward with purpose in God’s plan, and that’s why I’m here today. And that’s what motivates me to share my story, to go out and speak to kids like the one who shot me, to let them know that there’s another way. COLUMBIA: And you didn’t just forgive the boy, but you reached out him, too. MCDONALD: I never thought that he and I would ever meet or speak. But I had a lot of time to pray and to think, and I’m sure God was directing me. So we made the attempt to reach out to his family. He had no father presence in his life, and his mother didn’t want any help. But his grandmother wanted any help that could benefit her grandson, so I started to communicate with her. I began to go to her church, a Baptist church in New York City, and they were very welcoming. I also started to write letters to Shavod Jones in prison. One day I was going out to speak to a group of kids and my
COLUMBIA: How did this lead you to sharing your story throughout the world? MCDONALD: I never thought that I would travel as far as I have, or that my story would mean anything to anyone except me. But God is a God of surprises, and he has used me in some wonderful ways. I ask God to use me, to speak through me. I hope that the words he inspires me to use will transmit that God made us and loves us, and that there’s a purpose and a plan to our being here. That plan is a plan of love. And our beautiful expression of love is forgiveness. That’s what I was able to do by forgiving Shavod Jones. In effect, I loved him. That’s a message people want to hear.♦
THE FACE OF MERCY INSPIRED BY the witness of Pope Francis and the Jubilee of Mercy, a new K of C-produced documentary film chronicles the dramatic impact of the message of Divine Mercy in our time. The one-hour film, The Face of Mercy, explores the history and theology of the Divine Mercy message and features testimonies of mercy and forgiveness. Narrated by Jim Caviezel, it begins by discussing the visions of God’s mercy received by St. Faustina Kowalska and the pivotal role St. John Paul II played in introducing the message onto the world stage. Interviews feature individuals who have been profoundly touched by Divine Mercy, including NYPD detective Steven McDonald, Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza, former NFL-linebacker turned missionary Eric Mahl and Jennifer Trapuzzano, a young widow who forgave her husband’s killer. The Face of Mercy will air on ABC TV affiliated stations through Dec. 16 and is available on DVD. For more information, visit faceofmercyfilm.com.
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KNI GHTS IN ACTION
REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES and assist in cleanup. The cast and crew of the show said the dedication of the St. Catherine community made the production particularly meaningful. A NEW VIEW
Holy Redeemer Assembly in Marshall, Minn., installed energy efficient windows to help renovate a closed Catholic school into a home for the Sisters of Mary Morning Star. Over five weeks, Knights and family members removed blackboards, refinished walls and reworked classroom space into sleeping quarters. Veterans enjoy a dinner hosted by Cardinal Newman Council 5324 in Matawan, N.J. The event, which welcomed and honored area veterans, including those experiencing homelessness, raised awareness of the urgent need to provide transitional housing for homeless veterans in the state. It also offered parishioners and others the opportunity to pay tribute to the veterans in attendance. After the dinner celebration, the men and women of the armed forces were saluted for their service.
MEDICAL AID
Father Platta Council 4735 in Denmark, Wis., stepped out for its 14th annual golf outing fundraiser for people facing financial hardship as
a result of health problems. This year, the $17,000 proceeds went to the family of a man in treatment for cancer. Over its 14 years, the golf outing has raised more than $100,000 for people in need due to illness.
source center, to put a down payment on a building very close to the Waukesha Planned Parenthood. Previously, the closest pro-life center was almost half an hour away. With other volunteers, the council also renovated the building.
PREGNANCY CENTER SUPPORT
Father Michael J. McGivney Council 5967 in Austin, Texas, hosted a game night to support Austin LifeCare, a pregnancy resource center. Through various fundraisers and the K of C Ultrasound Initiative, the council obtained a new ultrasound machine for the center.
PARISH OUTING
Members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Council 3425 in New Iberia, La., stand with a newly installed Ten Commandments monument at their parish. After a variety of fundraisers brought in $7,000, the Knights were able to fund the monument. 28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
Our Lady of Grace Council 13243 in Palm Bay, Fla., sponsored a parish trip to St. Augustine to visit the historic Nombre de Dios mission and shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. The trip ended with an enjoyable trolley ride and raised $600 for the council’s charitable fund. DOWN PAYMENT FOR LIFE
Michael-James Feider Council 7048 in Mukwonago, Wis., raised $35,000 for Life Connection, a pregnancy re-
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THE CROSS AND THE LIGHT
Orange Park (Fla.) Council 7399 brought “The Cross and the Light,” a traveling audio-visual rock musical presentation of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, to St. Catherine’s Church. Thirty-five Knights donated 433 hours to publicize the show, prepare the church for the production, usher for all six performances, sell tickets, load and unload the show’s tractor trailer of equipment in record time
At a fundraiser to sponsor pilgrims traveling to World Youth Day in Kraków, members of Holy Family Council 4957 in Edmonton, Alberta, serve breakfast to parishioners. The breakfast was only one of the council’s programs, which altogether raised $11,100 to help pilgrims.
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION PATRONESS OF THE AMERICAS
Martin Council 6241 in Stuart, Fla., presented St. Joseph’s Church with a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The council raised $3,800 to purchase the statue, which was dedicated and placed in a grotto built to house it during the parish’s centennial celebration. INAUGURAL OLYMPICS
St. Stephen Council 14084 in Riverview, Fla., was asked to support the Bloomingdale High School’s first Special Olympics. In addition to making a sponsorship contribution, 15 members of the council and several of their spouses assisted at the event itself, coordinating out on the field, presenting medals, and more. Bloomingdale High School plans to make it an annual event, and the council will be there with support.
A boy takes a jump shot at a Halloween (or Undas) celebration hosted by St. Vincent Ferrer Council 5119 in Bayambang, Luzon North. Following a motorcade attended by 20 masked Knights, members hold a basketball shoot-out with players in Undas costumes. The council also held a Spread the Light of Christ event, simultaneously lighting a cross and the Christmas lights at its local church.
HOSPITAL PLEDGE
Kilroy Council 1431 in Stratford, Ontario, completed the last installment of a $100,000 pledge to Stratford General Hospital. The council’s donations have provided surgical equipment, CAT scan machinery and program funds to the hospital, which named the Maternity-Child Visitors Lounge and Quiet Room after the council in thanks. Middle and high school students smile after finishing their pizza at an event hosted by Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043 in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The youth have been serving at three weekend Masses each week as well as weddings and funerals, which prompted the council to thank them with a bowling and pizza outing.
TIDIED & TRIMMED
Pope John XXIII Council 6942 in Arkadelphia, Ark., joined with parish volunteers in a cleanup day dedicated to renewing the grounds and facilities of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The outdoor grotto and sidewalks were powerwashed, shrubbery cut back, leaves raked and grass trimmed. The
parish hall lights were repaired or replaced. Volunteers reached the day tired out but pleased with the clean parish grounds. WHEECHAIRS FOR KIDS
noise and delivers audio via earbuds for parishioners who have difficulty hearing at Mass.
CORRECTION
Shaun P. O’Brien-Prince of Peace Council 11716 in Plano, Texas, organized a fund drive at its parish to benefit the American Wheelchair Mission. Thanks to a generous response, the $62,451 raised will provide 416 wheelchairs for the Teletón Children’s Rehabilitation Center in La Paz, Mexico. HEARING THE WORD
Bishop Curtis Council 2867 in Fairfax, Del., raised $1,000 to fund the purchase of 10 personal listening systems for use at St. Mary Magdalen Church. The system reduces background
On page 25 of the August issue, an incorrect geographical term, “New World,” was used in the statement: “Dominicans arrived in the New World in 1526, just two years after the Franciscans.” The correct term is “New Spain (or Mexico).” Members of the Franciscan religious order first arrived in the New World on the island of Hispaniola (modern Haiti and Dominican Republic) with Columbus’ second voyage in 1493, while Dominicans arrived there in 1509.
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SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Supreme Council Awards $1.93 Million in College Scholarships FOR THE 2015-2016 academic year, the Knights of Columbus awarded scholarships totaling more than $1.93 million to 651 students. Most recipients are the children of Knights, or Knights themselves, attending Catholic universities or Catholic colleges in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico or the Philippines. These figures include $327,500 in awards given to 131 seminarians in the United States and Canada. For more information about the Order’s scholarship programs, visit kofc.org/scholarships. JOHN W. MCDEVITT (FOURTH DEGREE) SCHOLARSHIPS
This scholarship was established in 1998 in honor of the Order’s 11th supreme knight. Recipients must be enrolled at a Catholic college or Catholic university in the United States and be a Knight, the wife of a Knight, or the son or daughter of a Knight. Widows and children of members who died in good standing are also eligible. In addition to the 30 new recipients listed here, 83 scholarships were renewed. New recipients are: Jacob M. Andress, Caitlin U. Browne, Delaney M. Coppola, Bryan T. Dammerich, Collin R. Danz, Abigail C. Dommert, Madelyn M. Dyer, Mark J. Ellman, Emmet J. Flood, Caitlin M. Head, Matthew F. Kaefer, Hannah E. Koechley, Therese M. Konopelski, Jacob Kozhipatt, Christopher 30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦
J. Kreienkamp, James R. Lamansky, Brennan T. Lee, Helen B. McGrath, Emma G. McLaughlin, Samantha R. Meneilly, John M. Murphy, Teresa J. Patten, Luke M. Ponce, William H. Rackers, Paul G. Singleton, Mary Kathleen T. Tomassi, Katharine A. Uganski, David T. Wallace, Sean E. Walton and Andrew C. Wolfe. FOURTH DEGREE PRO DEO AND PRO PATRIA SCHOLARSHIPS
A total of 82 U.S. students received Fourth Degree Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarships of $1,500 each. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence to incoming freshmen in bachelor’s degree programs at Catholic colleges or Catholic universities. The recipients are Knights of Columbus or Columbian
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Squires, the son or daughter of a Knight in good standing, or the son or daughter of a Knight who was in good standing at the time of his death. Contingent on satisfactory academic performance, these scholarships are renewed for a total of four years. This academic year, 16 new scholarships were awarded and 66 were renewed. The following are first-time recipients: Katherine Anderson, Margaret H. Anderson, Bridget Bagileo, Christopher J. Enabnit, Vincent A. Ferrucci, Will R. Jones, John T. Liu, Meraiah R. Martinez, Augustine Morris, Dana Ragone, Joseph Rose, Joshua E. Salman, John Scott III, Nathan Sequeira, Kaitlin Shanahan and Amanda R. Wucher. FOURTH DEGREE PRO DEO AND PRO PATRIA SCHOLARSHIPS (CANADA)
These scholarships are for students entering colleges or universities in Canada, with requirements regarding K of C membership that is the same as for their U.S. counterparts. Ten new scholarships were awarded and 30 renewed for the current academic year. New recipients are: Ann-Rebecca Drolet, Giselle M. Fonseca, Savana L. Gallant, Monica C. Griffin, Erica A. Jomphe, Sheree L. Mendoza, Meaghan M. O’Neill, Clara R. Ready, Erin T. Ryan and Derek A. Weiler. ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
The Percy J. Johnson Scholarships are awarded to young men attending U.S. Catholic colleges or Catholic universities and are funded by a 1990 bequest of Percy J. Johnson, a member of Seville Council 93 in Brockton, Mass. Six scholarships were awarded and 15 renewed for the current aca-
demic year. New recipients are: Rocco DeFelice, Christopher R. Hunnewell, Travis A. Nix, Jackson H. Gress, Jeremy P. Larson, and David C. Dachel. In 2000, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received a $100,000 donation from Frank L. Goularte. A scholarship fund in his name was established to provide $1,500 in need-based grants that are administered, in general, according to the rules of the Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarships. Three new scholarships were awarded for the current academic year and seven were renewed. The new recipients are Nathan C. Kabat, McKenzie J. Samson and Anna E. Snell. From 1995 to 1997, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received bequests totaling nearly $200,000 from the estate of Anthony J. LaBella. In his will, LaBella remembered the kindness shown to him by Knights when he was an orphan in Farmingdale, N.Y. The bequests have since been used to establish a scholarship fund in LaBella’s name. Earnings from the fund provide scholarships for undergraduate study in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarships. Four new scholarships were awarded, and nine were renewed for the current academic year. First-time recipients are Katherine A. Bowen, Jennifer L. Scheffel, Julia W. Spillane and Daniel J. St. Hilaire. In 1997, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received a bequest from Dr. Arthur F. Battista to establish scholarships for graduates of the Cornwall (Ontario) Collegiate and Vocational School. These $1,500 and $2,000 annual scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, financial need, community service and extracurricular activities. Preference is given to Knights; to the
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SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
children or grandchildren of members; to students recommended by the Ontario State Council; and to students bound for Catholic colleges or Catholic universities. For the current academic year, 35 new scholarships were awarded and 18 grants were renewed. New recipients are: Brianna Archambault, Antoine Barnes, Bradley Beauchemin, Lindsay Benedict, Jenessa D’Amours, Madison Delormier, Tashawna Francis, Sabrina Gatien, Brandon Hall-Rana, Nita Jacobs, Hailey-Marie Judd, Destiny Montpetit, Courtney SeguinBoisvenue, Peter van Vliet, Karolina Bramwell, Hailey Bouchard, Nicholas Dalrymple-Alford, Tasmia Dareshani, Alexander Douglas, Meghan Hubbard, Joshua Hunter, Alexandra Jasiewicz, Mifra F. Lafir Medani, Jade Marshall, Khadua Memon, Maryam Mohamed Navaz, Muhammad Wasi, Adam Oakes, Celia Ortiz Sanchez, Marian Patrick, Jakhan Ponnudurai, Madeline Roy, Kyle Skidders, Dalton Thomas and Nicholas Upper. SISTER THEA BOWMAN FOUNDATION - K OF C SCHOLARSHIPS
This scholarship is named for Sister Thea Bowman (19371990), an African-American religious who inspired many people with her urgent and uplifting call for better education for children of the African-American community. In December 1996, the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors, in partnership with the Sister Thea Bowman Foundation, authorized a four-year grant in the amount of $25,000 per year to support deserving African-American students pursuing a Catholic college education. Periodically, the board has approved continuation of the
grant program. In August 2005, the amount of the fouryear grant was increased to $37,500 per year. For the 2015-2016 academic year, no new scholarships were awarded. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS
The Order has an endowment at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., that provides Knights of Columbus Graduate Fellowships. Two new fellowships were awarded and five renewed. The new recipients are Timothy Anderson and Matthew Gabay. Two fellowships for the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America were renwed for the current academic year. The recipients are James Stanley and Bethany Wall. MEXICO SCHOLARSHIPS
Six new scholarships were awarded in the amount of $500 each, renewable for up to four years. In addition, six were renewed. The new recipients are: Daniela CarstensenOrtiz, Alexis Sánchez-Reyes, Jorge A. Espinoza-Duarte, María P. Estrada-Hernández, Frida I. Lozas-Albarrán and Monserrat Ramírez. PUERTO RICO SCHOLARSHIPS
For the 2016-17 academic year, one new scholarship of $500 was awarded and 11 were renewed. The new recipient is Adriana Velez-Abelaire. PHILIPPINES SCHOLARSHIPS
For the 2016-17 academic year, one new scholarship of $500 was awarded, and 31 were renewed. The new recipient is Mike M. Buagas.
Educational Trust Fund THE FRANCIS P. MATTHEWS and John E. Swift Educational Trust offers scholarships to the children of members who are killed or permanently and totally disabled by hostile action while serving with the armed forces during a covered period of conflict. In 2004, the Order declared that Matthews military conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan would be covered under the trust fund. Also eligible are the children of members who are killed as a result of criminal violence directed against them while performing their duties as full-time law enforcement officers or full-time firefighters. An application must be filed within two Swift years of the member’s death or the determination of his total and permanent disability. As of June 30, a total of 818 children have been recorded as eligible for benefits from the trust fund since its establishment in 1944. Thus far, 348 eligible children have chosen not to use the scholarships, three have died, and 125 who began college either discontinued their studies or fully used their scholarship eligibility before graduation. There are 42 future candidates. To date, 292 students have completed their education through the fund. During the 2015-2016 academic year, eight students pursued undergraduate degrees through the benefit of the Francis P. Matthews and John E. Swift Educational Trust Fund scholarship program. Of those, six were renewed scholarship students (including the students who graduated), and two were new recipients. The following six students are working toward their degrees: Mitchell J. Atkinson, Patrick L. Barta, Kellie E. Barta-Ramirez, Kristen M. Merchant, Nicole F. Palazzo, and Melissa R. Stachowiak. In addition to the above named, Lucas D. Miller will begin his undergraduate studies effective with the 2016-2017 academic year, making a total of seven scholarships overall. FOR MORE INFORMATION Scholarship applications for the 2016-17 academic year will be available after Oct. 1, 2016. To obtain an application or request more information, visit kofc.org/scholarships, call us at (203) 7524332 or write to: Dept. of Scholarships Knights of Columbus 1 Columbus Plaza P.O. Box 1670 New Haven, CT 06507
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P RO M OT I O NA L & G I F T I T E M S
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ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org
OFFICIAL NOV. 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 P.O. 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, P.O. 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, P.O. 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, P.O. 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, P.O. BOX 1511, MANILA.
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C. C. Knights of Columbus Commemorative Ornament. This ceramic ornament, glazed to a high gloss finish, is decorated with an image of Mary holding baby Jesus. The ornament is 2 7/8 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick, with a grey cord for hanging; it is packaged on a soft velveteen tray in a shimmering silver gift box. The blue design of the Mother and Child is surrounded by a Bible verse (Isaiah 9:6), the words “Knights of Columbus” and the year 2016. This makes a lovely start of or addition to your K of C ornament collection. $6 These Christmas items and more available at
knightsgear.com
Questions? 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562) Additional shipping costs apply to all orders. Please call before mailing in an order.
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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.
Armando Lopez (left) and Cecilio Manalo of Sts. Peter and Paul Council 16002 in Honolulu, Hawaii, move a load of staple goods at the Hawaii Food Bank, which serves 289 feeding programs on the island of Oahu. The council distributed over 200 boxes of food for families in need.
TO BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S “K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR E - MAIL :
AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : KNIGHTSINACTION @ KOFC . ORG .
NOVEMBER 2016
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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
‘A LIFE OF SERVICE TO GOD AND COUNTRY’
FATHER RYAN C. BOYLE Holy Family Council 12306 St. Petersburg, Fla.
Photo by Alex McKnight
From the beginning, the Lord taught me the value and importance of serving others. I grew up as the son and grandson of military officers. After high school, I attended the Air Force Academy and continued the family tradition by entering the Armed Forces. For the next decade, I served God by serving our country. God led me to new heights and new horizons as I flew cargo planes all over the world, including combat sorties into Iraq and Afghanistan. But I knew that the Lord was calling me to soar even higher. After many hours of prayer — often while flying at 35,000 feet — and encouragement from priests and friends, I decided to trade in the flight deck for the altar. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA co-sponsored me during my formation. Today, I serve at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., and as a reserve chaplain at MacDill Air Force Base. During a recent retreat, I was overwhelmed when a student said he thought my life as a pilot and a priest was “awesome!” He’s exactly right. A life of service to God and country truly is awesome!