Columbia October 2014

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

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We Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation to Fraternity The 132nd Supreme Convention Orlando, Aug. 5-7, 2014

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a commitment to excellence, outstanding service and the highest ethical standards. ese are traits of all Knights of Columbus field agents, but the dedication of the agents listed here has earned them membership in the Million Dollar round table (MDrt) for 2014. MDrt is an international organization that recognizes the top one percent of financial professionals in the world. We salute these men for their devotion to making a difference for life.

2014

Court of the table MeMbers

Robert Abbate Virginia Beach, Virginia (Five Consecutive Years)

Joe Sandoval Los Angeles, California

e Benchmark of Professional Excellence Steven Abeyta — Vacaville, California Pierre Albert — Hearst, Ontario Randall Atkins* — Punta Gorda, Florida Michael Aun II — St. Cloud, Florida Ben Baca* — Whittier, California Larry Bate — Carthage, Texas Mark Bateman — Towson, Maryland Cameron Beddome — Red Deer, Alberta Jeff Beller — Norfolk, Nebraska Joseph Biltz — Denver, Colorado Daniel Bouchard* — Leduc, Alberta Jason Bramley — Bloomington, Illinois Adam Bruna — Belleville, Kansas William Buchta — Grand Island, Nebraska Frank Burns — Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Daniel Cabirac — Houma, Louisiana Robert Callaway* — Laurel, Maryland Robert Canter* — Upper Marlboro, Maryland Jeffrey Carvalho — Fremont, California David Cary — Colorado Springs, Colorado Cleo Castillo — Winnipeg, Manitoba John Cesta — West Palm Beach, Florida Quintin Chausse — Caledonia, Ontario Wayne Cherney* — Devils Lake, North Dakota Jonathan Chiem — San Jose, California Damien Clark — Severna Park, Maryland omas Cowan — Yucaipa, California Wayne Crome — Greeley, Nebraska Brian Daly — Clinton, New Jersey John Day — Lake Charles, Louisiana Justin “JJ” Deges — Hill City, Kansas Ivan Delabruere — Milton, Florida Joseph DeMarco — Vero Beach, Florida Michael DeOcampo — Edmonton, Alberta John DiCalogero* — East Walpole, Massachusetts Robert DiCalogero — Canton, Massachusetts John Dillon — Spruce Grove, Alberta Glen Dobmeier — Humboldt, Saskatchewan Patrick Dolan — Fargo, North Dakota Dwain Dungen — Columbus, Texas Denis Duval — Garson, Ontario Louis Esola — Cherry Hill, New Jersey Joseph Faubert — Calgary, Alberta Jeffrey Fischer — Milton, Florida Marnie Fleming — St. John, New Brunswick

Daniel Gimpel — Sarnia, Ontario James Grabinski* — Walden, New York Brian Graham* — Kensington, Maryland Walter Guillote — Spring, Texas Carlos Gutierrez — San Leandro, California Mark Hedge* — Butler, Ohio Larry Hoelscher* — Jefferson City, Missouri John Hoolick — Hanover Township, Pennsylvania David Imbriani* — Monroe Township, New Jersey Joe Jackson* — Denver, Colorado Kurt Jackson — Madison, Nebraska Aaron Jelinek* — Prior Lake, Minnesota Douglas Kelly — Omaha, Nebraska Brian Kennon — Sedalia, Missouri Mark Kingsberry — Slidell, Louisana Steve Kluthe — Omaha, Nebraska James Krawczyk — Omaha, Nebraska Chuck Larter* — Spencerville, Ontario Brian Lawandus — Oldsmar, Florida William Lewchuk* — Calgary, Alberta Ernesto Literte — Torrance, California Archie Lobo — Mississauga, Ontario Eduardo Manrique — Lawrence, Massachusetts Chad McAuliff — Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Shaun McGovern — Wichita, Kansas Michael McGranahan — Fullerton, California Lawrence Messer — Westminster, Maryland RJ Meyer — Spearville, Kansas Gregory Miskiman — Calgary, Alberta Daryl Morrow — Coral Springs, Florida Michael Mullin — Brooklin, Ontario Michael Mulvena — Bonnyville, Alberta James Nestmann — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Timothy Nowak — Ogallala, Nebraska Douglas Nurenberg — Saint Johns, Michigan Edward O’Keefe* — Middle River, Maryland Kevin Paish* — St. Albert, Alberta Kevin Palmer — Kansas City, Missouri Craig Pfeifer — Wayne, Nebraska Neil Pfeifer* — Norfolk, Nebraska Vincent Polis* — Lewiston, Idaho Jeffrey Portelance — Garson, Ontario Paul Porter — Kanata, Ontario Keith Praski — Angola, Indiana Mark Primeau — Unionville, Virginia

Henry Rangel — Cypress, Texas Nate Raso — Phoenix, Arizona Darin Reed — Ellis, Kansas Stephen Regan — Ooltewah, Tennessee Bobby Renaud — Sudbury, Ontario Dale Robinson — White Bear Lake, Minnesota Alfredo Sanchez — Midland, Texas Ronald Sandoval — San Gabriel, California Jayme Sanford — Parker, Colorado Sonny Sangemino* — Windsor, Ontario Benjamin Santo — Milford, Nebraska James Seideman* — Lubbock, Texas Daniel Sheehan — Neoga, Illinois omas Sitzmann* — Pueblo, Colorado Jody Snowder — Edmond, Oklahoma David Soukup — Kansas City, Kansas John Spencer — Marietta, Ohio Joseph Spinelli III — Tallahassee, Florida James Stachura — Eau Claire, Wisconsin Phillip Stackowicz — South Bend, Indiana John Stewart — Bourne, Massachusetts John Stoeckinger* — Lincoln, Nebraska Stan Strope — Columbia, Missouri Blake Stubbington — Edmonton, Alberta omas Sullivan — Chicopee, Massachusetts Doug Supak* — La Grange, Texas Jody Supak* — La Grange, Texas Eric Sylvester — Windsor, Ontario Jeff Toeniskoetter — Boynton Beach, Florida Young Tran — Portland, Oregon Daniel Turnwald — Glandorf, Ohio Kevin Tuuri — Port Townsend, Washington Marcel van der Sluys — Los Angeles, California Darrel Vandeven — Whitewater, Missouri Joseph ven der Buhs — Abbotsford, British Columbia Onil Vienneau — Bas-Caraquet, New Brunswick Kevin Weber — Gretna, Nebraska James White — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Stephen White — Pelham, New Hampshire Michael Wilson — Hacienda Heights, California Joseph Wolf* — Harker Heights, Texas Mark Yubeta — San Clemente, California Stephen Znoj — Canton, Georgia * Denotes MDRT Life Members

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Logan T. Ludwig DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Charles E. Maurer Jr. SUPREME SECRETARY Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OCTObER 2014 ♦ VOlumE 94 ♦ NumbER 10

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EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Patrick Scalisi SENIOR EDITOR ________

The Supreme Officers and Knights of Columbus Board of Directors are pictured at the 132nd Supreme Convention in Orlando.

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 203-752-4580 OTHER INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 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.

COVER: Thinkstock

________ Copyright © 2014 All rights reserved ________

132nd SUPREME CONVENTION Aug. 5-7, 2014 2

Papal Greetings Greetings from Pope Francis sent to the 132nd Supreme Convention by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

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Supreme Convention Highlights Photos, news, homilies and remarks from the 132nd Supreme Convention in Orlando.

18 Building the Domestic Church The Order begins its new family initiative with a month-to-month guide for families and councils to practice prayer, charity and fellowship.

20 Report of the Supreme Knight Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson’s annual report on the Order’s charitable work and continued growth.

ON THE COVER The Columbus Monument in Barcelona, Spain, is depicted with a map of the New World in the background.

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Called to Be Brothers Greetings from Pope Francis sent to the Supreme Convention

by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin

HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS was pleased to learn cern for the common good. Conscious of the sacrifice that from 5 to 7 August 2014 the 132nd Supreme Con- that this great outpouring of charity entails, His Holiness vention of the Knights of Columbus will be held in Or- is confident that the Knights will continue to draw inlando, Florida. He has asked me to convey his warm spiration from the teaching and example of Christ in greetings to all those in attendance, together with the as- order to reach out to others, especially the poor and dissurance of his closeness in prayer. advantaged, with heartfelt empathy. If service is the soul The theme of this year’s Supreme Convention — “You of that fraternity which builds up peace (Message for the Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation to Fraternity” — is 2014 World Day of Peace, 10), then every charitable work one particularly close to the Holy Father’s heart. Faith carried out by your Order should be a reflection of the teaches us that, created in love of Christ, alive and the image and likeness of at work in the communthe triune God and reion of his body, the deemed by Christ’s sacriChurch. By dwelling in Every charitable work carried fice of atonement, the that love, we come to see out by your Order should be a Church is called to be a those whom we serve as community of brothers brothers and sisters; we reflection of the love of Christ, alive respect their innate digand sisters who accept and care for one another nity and we venerate and at work in the communion of and serve as a leaven of Jesus present in them (cf. his body, the Church. reconciliation and unity Mt 25:40). Jesus assures for the whole human us that in giving, we also family. In the complex receive (cf. Lk 6:38); our social and ecclesial situaworks of charity thus betion of late 19th-century America, this vocation found come a source of spiritual enrichment, for they open our particular expression in principles of faith, fraternity and hearts to a transforming encounter with the Lord. service that guided the establishment of the Knights of As the distinguished history of your Order clearly shows, Columbus. The fidelity of the Knights to these high the call to fraternity also finds fruitful expression in the ideals has not only ensured the continued vitality of your virtue of patriotism and in an active commitment to the Order, but has also contributed, and continues to con- growth of an ever more harmonious and just society. His tribute, to the mission of the Church at every level and, Holiness is grateful for the active role played by the in particular, to the universal ministry of the Apostolic Knights to resist efforts to restrict religion to the purely See. For this, His Holiness is profoundly grateful. personal sphere, to defend its proper place in the public Just as faith is shaped by charity and bears fruit in good square, and to encourage the lay faithful in their mission works, so the fraternal spirit inculcated by Father Michael of shaping a society that reflects the truth of Christ and McGivney and the first Knights of Columbus continues the values of his Kingdom. As he made clear in his Aposto be fruitful in the numerous charitable activities of the tolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, “The earth is our local councils, which, while meeting the needs of indi- common home, and all of us are brothers and sisters”; conviduals, also build up communities in solidarity and con- sequently, “no one can demand that religion should be rel2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead a weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

egated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal or national life, without concern for the soundness of civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society” (183).

Of particular concern in this regard are the well-known and growing threats to the integrity of marriage and the family. These call not only for vigilance and a consistent public witness, but also for convincing presentations of Christian moral teaching in the light of a sound anthropological vision centered on human dignity and the correct use of our God-given freedom. The Holy Father is grateful for the efforts of your Order to provide its members with ongoing instruction in the faith and to instill a strong sense of civic responsibility. He is likewise appreciative of the support that the Knights have given to such important ecclesial initiatives as the forthcoming Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, which will treat pastoral challenges facing the family, and the World Meeting of Families to be held next year in Philadelphia. For the

family is the ultimate teacher of that fraternity which unites and builds society on the firm foundations of mutual respect, justice, mercy and truth.

With these sentiments His Holiness commends the deliberations of the 132nd Supreme Convention to the loving prayers of Mary, Mother of the Church. Assuring the members of the Supreme Council, and all the Knights and their families, of a grateful remembrance in his prayers, he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please accept my own prayerful good wishes for the occasion.

Yours sincerely,

Pietro Cardinal Parolin Secretary of State

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132nd Supreme Convention

Our Vocation to Fraternity 132nd Supreme Convention celebrates the Order’s founding principles, continued growth and enduring mission

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pproximately 2,000 Knights and their families, representing K of C jurisdictions from throughout the world, gathered in Orlando Aug. 5-7 for the 132nd Supreme Convention. More than 80 members of the hierarchy, including eight cardinals, and some 120 priests concelebrated the opening Mass, and the events that followed bore witness to the Order’s principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

The theme of the meeting — “You Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation to Fraternity” — was inspired by Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1. In that message, the pope observed, “The family is the wellspring of all fraternity, and as such it is the foundation and the first pathway 4

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to peace.” Noting the responsibility of Christians to serve those in need, he added, “Service is the soul of that fraternity that builds up peace.”

Such a message should find a welcome audience with Knights, whose first principle is charity and who recognize the importance of building up the Christian family for the health of the Church and society. The greetings that the Holy Father sent to the convention via the Vatican secretary of state reflected still further on this theme in light of the Knights’ mission (see page 2).

In his annual report, delivered during the opening business session Aug. 5, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson addresses delegates and guests during the opening business session of the 132nd Supreme Convention in Orlando Aug. 5. noted, “Our charitable activity is all the more effective because it is supported by our fraternal brotherhood.” He reported that the Order now counts more than 1.85 million members and has set a new record in charitable contributions, with over $170 million and 70.5 million hours of voluntary service given during 2013. He likewise discussed the growth and strength of Knights of Columbus Insurance, which is protecting more Catholic families than ever before.

The meeting underscored various charitable initiatives, including the prompt relief provided by the Order following natural disasters in the Philippines and North America, the continued success of the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative and other programs, and a new partnership supporting wounded veterans (see page 9).

Also discussed at the meeting was the Knights’ new family initiative, titled “Building the Domestic Church: The Family Fully Alive,” which kicks off this month in anticipation of the Synod of Bishops on the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization (see page 18).

The program, discussed in recent issues of Columbia, was a primary topic during a meeting of K of C chaplains that preceded the convention.

The themes of fraternity and unity were particularly evident during the annual States Dinner, as Knights and

guests celebrated their unity of mission amid the diversity of jurisdictions (see page 8). Following the annual awards session the next day (see page 13), participants gathered for a film screening and prayer service celebrating the recent canonization of St. John Paul II and the significance of his teachings for the universal Church (see page 14).

As the Knights’ membership continues to grow, several milestones were highlighted during the meeting as well. In addition to growth in Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania, the supreme knight announced the Order’s expansion to South Korea (see page 7), the establishment of a fifth jurisdiction in Mexico and the growth of the Texas State Council to become the only North American jurisdiction to surpass 100,000 members.

From board resolutions affirming the centrality of religious liberty, the culture of life and the institution of marriage, to special awards recognizing outstanding service to the Order, the 132nd Supreme Convention encouraged all Knights to be steadfast in their mission of service to the Church and society.

Select photos and excerpts of the convention’s proceedings, as well as the Annual Report of the Supreme Knight (see page 20), are featured in the pages that follow.

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Opening Mass and Business Session

Above: Bishop John G. Noonan of Orlando, together with more than 75 bishops and 120 priests, celebrates the opening Mass of the 132nd Supreme Convention Aug. 5.

• The eight concelebrating cardinals are pictured during the opening Mass. • Right: Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivers his annual report Aug. 5. • Below: Chaplain Maj. Charles J. Watters Assembly from Fort Bragg, N.C., along with members of the base’s 82nd Airborne Division and Joint Special Operations Command, present the Vatican and U.S. flags. • Bishops and members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors stand while greetings to the Supreme Convention are read.

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Order Announces Expansion to South Korea

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uring his annual report Aug. 5, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced that the Order has expanded to South Korea. The chartering of St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council 16000 in Seoul extends the Order’s reach to the country’s growing Catholic population.

“There are nearly 5.5 million Catholics in South Korea today,” said Anderson. “It is among the fastestgrowing Catholic communities in the world. I am sure that South Korea, like the Philippines, will play a significant role in the future of the Knights of Columbus.”

The Order made its initial inroads into Korea in 2007 with the establishment of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 at U.S. Army Base Camp Humphreys near Osan. Since then, military Knights in Korea have provided support to fellow service members in the Middle East and have demonstrated charity to Korean communities in need.

Members of Council 14223 include Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of

Supreme Knight Anderson greets members of the Korean delegation during the Supreme Convention.

the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il of the Military Ordinariate of Korea.

In addition to the councils in Korea,

there are five military councils in Japan. But the Order’s largest presence in Asia lies in the Philippines, where there are more than 320,000 members in approximately 2,600 councils.♦ OCTOBER 2014

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States Dinner

States Dinner Highlights Partnership With Wounded Veterans Program

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peaking as a special guest at the States Dinner Aug. 5, actor Gary Sinise, who played Lt. Dan Taylor in the movie Forrest Gump, thanked the Knights of Columbus for its support of his foundation for wounded military personnel. He said, “You have shown that you can be a shining light of hope” for severely injured veterans.

During his annual report earlier in the day, Supreme Knight Anderson announced that the Order had provided $200,000 to the Gary Sinise Foundation to help build a computerequipped “smart home” for U.S. Army Cpl. Kyle Hockenberry, who lost both legs and his left arm when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his unit in Afghanistan. Located in Marietta, Ohio, the home is custom built to accommodate a wheelchair and the special challenges faced by Hockenberry and his wife, Ashley.

In an emotional and very personal talk, Sinise recalled growing up during the final years of the unpopular Vietnam War and not thinking much about the sacrifice of those who fought. Talking with family members 8

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who served in the military, however, inspired him to begin working with veterans in 1984. Ten years later, amid a successful acting career, Sinise jumped at the opportunity to play Lt. Dan, a double amputee Vietnam vet, in the popular film Forrest Gump. He said that by playing the role with depth and integrity, he saw his work as another way to pay back veterans for their sacrifices.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept.

11, 2001, Sinise became even more determined to do something for those who served their country, forming the Lt. Dan Band and entertaining troops with the USO. In 2011, he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation, which has developed numerous programs to help veterans who are injured physically or emotionally.

Sinise also shared the personal story of how he and his wife began attending Mass and eventually entered the Catholic Church. She was confirmed in 2000, and he was confirmed on Christmas Eve 2010.

“The Church has been a rock for me and my family,” Sinise said.♦

POPE FRANCIS, speaking to Mexican bishops on the occasion of their ad limina visit in May, said: “Do not hesitate to underline the invaluable contribution of the faith to ‘the city of men for their common life!’

(Lumen Fidei, 54). In this area, the role of the lay faithful is irreplaceable.”

Every day we are more aware of the action of the laity, of the practicing Catholic as leaven in the world. The vision and the founding principles of the Knights of Columbus remain in force and are realized in different actions.

– Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico City and primate of Mexico

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UNLESS “HEART SPEAKS TO HEART” in mutual respect for human dignity and rights, unless the language and grammar of mutual understanding and, yes, of love takes hold of the heart, unless a profound sense of being brothers and sisters of one another under the common Fatherhood of God reigns in the heart, centuries-old biases and prejudices can explode into active hostility and conflict.

Genuine fraternity is rooted in charity.

It is in the heart. It begets peace. Opus fraternitatis pax.

Knights of Columbus are bonded as brothers. Fraternity is our identity.

Hence, the challenge before us is to become what we are.

– Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines

YOU AND I ARE filled with good intentions, beautiful desires to do a lot of good. But the only way to accomplish all of this is by being rooted in faith in Jesus Christ. He is the One who sends us the Spirit, who continuously renews us and gives us the perseverance, the generosity, the love to build the kingdom of God in today’s world through charity, unity and fraternity. …

Brother Knights: Do not underestimate the power of fraternity. Know that every act of fraternity can produce good fruits. Do not wait just to do great things, spectacular events that are noteworthy. Love as Jesus did: every moment, every person, every day. Love every person whom you encounter on your path.

That is Jesus’ teaching: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:34-35). …

That is how we will become missionary disciples. And let us never forget that with Jesus Christ, spring is always around the corner. A new chapter in our lives, in our Order is always possible. A renewed world where fraternity reigns, where we live as brothers and sisters is possible, with God’s help and mercy. That is our vocation, and we will continue to live it out fully.

– Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix, archbishop of Québec and primate of Canada States Dinner keynote address, Aug. 5 OCTOBER 2014

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Concelebrated Mass

Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and former prefect of the papal household, celebrates Mass at the Supreme Convention Aug. 6. To his left is Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, who was the homilist for the Mass.

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‘They Saw No One Else But Jesus’ EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is an abridged version of the homily by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, delivered during the concelebrated Mass for the Solemnity of the Transfiguration Aug. 6.

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t is a joy to be here — “How good it is,” as St. Peter says.

For us bishops it is a mountaintop experience to come to the Supreme Convention each year to be inspired by the faith and the goodness of the Knights of Columbus and their families. Your witness and fidelity is a great source of spiritual blessing in our Church and in society.

You are building up the solidarity and fraternity that makes the Church real as in the first generation of Christians, whose sense of community attracted people who observed the Christians and said, “See how much they love one another.”

Today’s feast is about glimpsing Christ’s love and his glory. In discovering who he is, we discover who we are, and why we are here in this world.

In today’s Scripture readings, there are three descriptions of the Transfiguration. The ancient prophecy of Daniel, the Gospel account of the actual event in real time, and St. Peter’s second epistle sharing his dramatic recollection of the event that marked St. Peter for life. …

The Transfiguration is about connecting the dots between the suffering Christ of Good Friday and the glorious resurrected Christ of Easter. Last year, St. Francis Day was one of those mountaintop experiences for me. I traveled with Pope Francis to Assisi. Our first stop was the Istituto Serafico where the Holy Father kissed and blessed a hundred severely handicapped children, their parents and caregivers. In his remarks, the Holy Father spoke of the wounds on Christ’s body after the Resurrection, when the risen Christ appears to the apostles in the Upper Room on Easter. The first thing Christ does is to show them his wounds and say, “Peace be with you.”

The risen Lord is still the Crucified One. The Holy Father went on to say that on Ascension Thursday, the risen Christ ascends to heaven and takes the wounds with him to heaven. When we see the suffering children, we are gazing at Jesus’ wounds. The same Jesus who is hidden in the Eucharist is hidden in the wounds of the children. Their wounds need to be heard, the Holy Father says. Jesus’ wounds, which he carried to heaven, are also present to us in the suffering of the children.

In our own country, in the last 10 months, 60,000 children have left behind the violence of their homelands and risked their lives crossing the border. It was to pray for them and all those who have perished in the desert, that I joined a group of bishops who went to Nogales, Ariz., to celebrate a Eucharist for all of them. I was amazed at the response.

Most Catholics believe and understand our message, which was that of Pope Francis whose first trip as pope was to Lampedusa, Italy, where thousands of immigrants trying to

enter Europe have perished. The Holy Father warns about the “globalization of indifference.” We cannot be indifferent to the wounds of Christ that manifest in so many ways.

In our own country, 90 percent of Down syndrome children identified in the womb are aborted. As a young priest I had a funeral for a 45-year-old woman who had Down syndrome. Afterward, the mother asked to speak to me. She told me about how difficult it was for her to have this Down syndrome baby after having had four healthy children. This baby, however, taught her and her family how to love in a more unselfish way. She told me that her daughter would not let them argue, because she was always so loving. As children married and moved away for jobs, the mother was left alone when her husband died. Her daughter with Down syndrome became her constant companion and best friend, the joy of her life.

In our midst, there are so many who have a claim on our love: suffering people, so many unborn children, the elderly, sick, homeless and handicapped. A vision of faith will allow us to really see them. One of the most poignant phrases in today’s Gospel comes after the vision of the Lord’s glory has passed: “They saw no one else but Jesus” (Mt 17:8). Neminem nisi Jesum. Mother Teresa always saw Jesus in a distressing disguise in each and every suffering person.

When Pope Francis kissed that terribly disfigured man in St. Peter’s Square, the picture went viral on the Internet. The whole world took notice, including many people who would have averted their gaze from that man if they ever encountered him. People were invited to glimpse in that man a transfiguration. Before, he may have been considered an ugly creature, but in a moment, by a kiss, he is transformed into a brother who is appreciated, revered, loved and accepted.

We all need mountaintop experiences to be able to prepare us for difficult encounters with the Cross. The Transfiguration takes place when the Apostles leave behind the noise, the hustle bustle, the grinding daily routine that often absorbs us so entirely that we fail to see Christ, to experience his mercy and love.

Our instructions are simple: “This is my beloved Son. …

Listen to him” (Mt 17:5). Listen to Jesus. Then, we will see Jesus, even in the distressing disguise of those who suffer, as we discover their inner beauty, their worth, their connectedness to God. In St. Francis’ last will and testament he describes his own conversion as the moment when he kissed the leper. The leper was transfigured; the leper was now a brother, a friend, Christ. And Francis was transfigured from a self-absorbed, entertainment-addicted, spoiled rich young man into an icon of Christ, a universal brother, a saint.

May our lives be filled with transfigurations, glimpses of glory and love in surprising places and in unlikely people. We will find not strangers, but brothers, sisters — indeed, Christ.♦ OCTOBER 2014

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Business Session

Delegates participate in a business session at the Supreme Convention Aug. 6.

I’D LIKE TO TALK about two things: One is the fact that you use your freedom to serve; and secondly, core to your life is the building of strong families. …

In 1941, my brother George was born with Down syndrome. … In 1981, when George was 40 years old, he was inducted into the Knights of Columbus First Degree. In 1986, he became a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, and his fraternity with Knights, his ability to serve other people shoulder to shoulder with Knights, had a transforming effect on him.

Georgie found his place in the Church through the Knights of Columbus. The Lord Jesus worked through my brother, 12

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George, having an effect on those in his council and having an effect on those he served. He also had an effect on those who were watching. This is the way culture changes. My family became the biggest fans of the Knights of Columbus. …

No one can tell me that the work you do of serving others in the name of Christ is not having a mighty effect.

Secondly, we cannot take up the challenges of families without first seeing the beauty of marriage and family life. We need, as Pope Francis tells us, authentic, attractive witnesses.

And we need at this assembly to pledge to help brother Knights who are married and who have families; we need to pledge to support you as you seek to build strong and vibrant and faith-filled families.

– Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Aug. 6

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Awards Session

Awards Session Recognizes Outstanding Achievements

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ach fraternal year, the Supreme Council recognizes individual Knights, as well as councils, assemblies and Squires circles, for outstanding achievements related to membership growth and retention, insurance sales, and charitable work.

Here is a summary of some of the award categories, including the six international service program awards, and their recipients at the 2014 Awards Session: • International Family of the Year: James and Stefanie Bell, married for 27 years, have 10 children (nine still living), ranging in age from 2 to 24. All family members are active in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, their community and the Knights of Columbus. James has been a member of Bishop Maurice Burke Council 4031 in Cody, Wyo., since 1995. One of their most impressive traits is their deep commitment to the culture of life.

Among the many activities that the family has helped to organize or support, the Bells have raised funds to purchase an ultrasound machine for a pregnancy resource center and have sponsored pro-life programming as an alternative to events organized by a local family-planning organization.

• Church Activity: Coquitlam (British Columbia) Council 5540 for completing interior construction of a 24-hour adoration chapel at its new parish center. The project included a new altar, tabernacle, stained-glass window and relic of St. Faustina.

• Community Activity: Marysville (Ohio) Council 5534 for its “Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Project,” which netted about $16,000 for a softball team comprised of amputee veterans.

• Council Activity: Marquette Council 815 in Sioux Falls, S.D., for the Robocker Family Benefit and Home Renovation initiative. Funds from the event went to support the family of a council member who was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a pregnant wife and five children.

James and Stefanie Bell, along with their nine children and son-in-law, are pictured at the 132nd Supreme Convention after receiving the 2014 International Family of the Year Award.

• Culture of Life Activity: St. Joseph Council 12405 in San Mateo, Luzon, for offering free ultrasounds to 79 pregnant mothers, 23 of whom were teenagers. In addition to the medical care, Knights also offered food and spiritual assistance.

• Family Activity: Tillamook (Ore.) Council 2171 for its council garden, which provided 15,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Oregon Food Bank.

• Youth Activity: Roanoke (Va.) Council 562 for its “Hunger Is Not a Game” food drive to benefit needy schoolchildren.

• Leading General Agents: Ben Baca III of California (250 percent of quota) and Anthony “Tony” W. Swanson of Nebraska (239 percent of quota).

• Leading Field Agents: Ronald “Joe” Sandoval Jr. of the Baca Agency in California (824 percent of quota) and Chad McAuliff of the Pierce Agency in Oklahoma (640 percent of quota).

• Top Recruiter: Past State Deputy Walter N. Streit of Alberta was recognized as the top recruiter of 2013-2014 for having signed up 261 new members.

• Century Club: Councils that add 100 members over suspensions and withdrawals are eligible for the Order’s prestigious Century Club Award. This year’s winners are: Blessed Rev. Michał Piaszczyński Council 15652 in Lomza, Poland (165 members); Cabatuan Council 6048 in Iloilo, Visayas (103 members); and St. Hyacinth Council 12651 in Camalaniugan, Luzon (101 members).♦ OCTOBER 2014

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St. John Paul II Celebration

Convention Hosts St. John Paul II Celebration

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n Aug. 6, the 132nd Supreme Convention hosted a special celebration featuring a first-class relic of St. John Paul II, a homily by the postulator of his cause for canonization and the premiere of a new documentary about John Paul II’s life.

The celebration began with the screening of a one-hour documentary titled John Paul II in America: Uniting a Continent, which was produced by the Knights of Columbus.

Setting the stage for the prayer service that followed was an impressive backdrop depicting St. Peter’s Square and the tapestry of St. John Paul II that was present at his canonization Mass April 27.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore presided at the service, which included veneration of a first-class relic that was entrusted in 2011 to the Knights of 14

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Columbus by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków and longtime personal secretary to Pope John Paul II. The reliquary, which includes a glass ampoule that contains the late Holy Father’s blood, was given to foster devotion at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. Msgr. Sławomir Oder, postulator of the cause for the canonization of St. John Paul II, said in his homily, “We can find in the book of the life of St. John Paul II the sure road which leads, through faith, humility, prayer and love of neighbor, to full communion with God.” The prayer service also included Scripture readings and prayers, including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and sacred music performed by members of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception.♦

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Clockwise from top: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore leads the prayer service dedicated to St. John Paul II Aug. 6. The backdrop features the columns of St. Peter’s Square and the tapestry that was present at John Paul II’s canonization. • Msgr. Sławomir Oder, postulator of the cause for canonization of St. John Paul II, places on the altar a reliquary containing a vial of John Paul II’s blood, which was entrusted to the Knights of Columbus by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków. • Poland State Deputy Andrzej Anasiak and Immediate Past State Deputy Krzysztof Orzechowski process with the canonization image of St. John Paul II. • Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, holds the reliquary for veneration. • Archbishop Lori blesses the congregation with the relic.

IN HIS HOMILY at the canonization, Pope Francis recalled that John Paul II had once said, “If the world will remember me, I would like to be remembered as the Pope of the Family and of Life.” John Paul II himself was able to enjoy his own family very briefly: When he was 9 years old, his mother died; as a 14year-old boy he lost his brother, and at age 21 he lost his beloved father. But how rich and deep must have been his experience of love in his family! Years later, he talked about his family home as his first seminary, and about his father as the one who first formed his priestly identity. …

Among the many titles by which the faithful from all over the world addressed St. John Paul II in letters that I received during the canonization process, the dominant title related to a family member: they addressed him as “Father.” For many, he was and remains the embodiment of fatherhood. Not only because he was the pope, who should be addressed as “Holy Father,” but because he was simply a “father” who loved, admonished and corrected, challenged and taught the love of God and of all people.

His life invites us to make the everyday reality lived in the community of family and the experience of brotherhood a way for everyday growth in holiness.

St. John Paul II reminds us that without love man cannot live, cannot fully experience the encounter with Christ. The first school of this love is the family.

It is the place where God allows us to experience his fatherly embrace of love and teaches us to embrace others with the same love.

– Msgr. Sławomir Oder, postulator of the cause for canonization of St. John Paul II OCTOBER 2014

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Memorial Mass

Top: Archbishop Lori celebrates the annual Memorial Mass Aug. 7, as the backdrop displays images from St. James Cathedral in Orlando. • Left: Deputy Supreme Knight Logan T. Ludwig reads the necrology of bishops and K of C leaders who died during the past year. • Below right: A cruciform reliquary containing relics of the six Knights of Columbus priest-martyrs of Mexico is displayed before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. • Opposite page: The four Mexican state deputies process with the Martyrs of Christ the King reliquary, which contains first-class relics of 25 saints and 13 blesseds, including six saints and three blesseds who were Knights of Columbus.

WHENEVER YOU or I look upon a crucifix and see Our Lord, the Son of the living God, on the Cross, think of these words: “Here the price of our freedom is visible.” This is what made possible the forgiveness of our sins. This is what makes it possible for you and me to live as brothers “in the freedom of the children of God.” And this is what makes possible for us to support each other in the hope of everlasting life. …

Christ has left us with the means to be forgiven in the here and now. As he says to Peter in today’s Gospel, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19).

From that day until now, the Apostles and their successors, the bishops, and all priests have exercised this power and privilege: of loosing every bond, of reconciling sinners with the Lord. As all of us know, the peace this forgiveness gives is immeasurable.

– Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore Memorial Mass homily, Aug. 7 16

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Saint Michael Award Conferred on Former Supreme Director

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uring the closing business session Aug. 7, Supreme Knight Anderson conferred the St. Michael Award for exemplary service to the Order on Javier G. Nájera Cabrales, who has served as a special consultant to the supreme knight for Mexico.

Nájera Cabrales joined the Order in 1975 and belongs to Purísima Concepción Council 3903 and Purísima Concepción Assembly, both in Celaya. He was state deputy of Mexico Central from 1998 to 2000 and served as a supreme director for three terms, until 2009.

The St. Michael Award was inaugurated last year when it was given to Joseph P. Schultz, who served as the supreme knight’s special consultant for Poland. Schultz died this past May.♦

New Board Members Elected

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uring the Aug. 6 business session, Supreme Convention delegates elected two new members to the Order’s Board of Directors to replace two retiring members. Elected to threeKustra Harger year terms starting Sept. 1 were Larry W. Kustra, 66, past state deputy of Manitoba and a member of St. Emile Council 8221 in Winnipeg, and Tommy C. Harger, 66, past state deputy of Virginia and a member of Holy Spirit Council 11922 in Annandale. They hold the title of supreme director. Retiring are Ronald White of Maryland and Meclea “Mickey” Casavant of Alberta.♦

Former Deputy Supreme Knight Appointed Ambassador

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n Aug. 1, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Former Deputy Supreme Knight and Past State Deputy of New Brunswick Dennis A. Savoie as Ambassador of Canada to the Holy See. The following day, the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors meeting at the 132nd Supreme Convention Savoie adopted a resolution honoring Savoie and expressing prayerful best wishes on his new role. The resolution noted that Savoie “distinguished himself as a fraternal leader throughout his four decades of service to the Order.”♦ OCTOBER 2014

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BU I L D I N G T H E D O M E S T I C C H U RC H

OCTOBER Because the Lord is the God of our ancestors, we want to strengthen the relationships between our family’s generations.

Our family defines each and every one of us. Because our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents chose life, we are here today. Take this month as an opportunity to celebrate your family history and learn more about it, all while thanking God.

Psalm of the Month (Psalm 105: 1-11) Pray the Psalm of the Month during every Sunday of the month at your family prayer space. On the last Sunday of the month, discuss as a family which verse stood out most for each member.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually!

Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”

Order Launches Family Program

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t the annual Chaplains Meeting preceding the Supreme Convention Aug. 4, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop Lori spoke about the new K of C initiative for families, which begins this month. Titled “Building the Domestic Church: The Family Fully Alive,” the program seeks to develop strong Catholic families through prayer, faith formation, charitable activities and family gatherings.

Families are encouraged to set aside space in their homes for a prayer corner; to pray together “A Family Prayer,” composed by the supreme chaplain; and to display an image of the Holy Family, which is included in a new booklet. For more information, visit kofc.org/domesticchurch.♦

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Father Luis Granados (left), parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in Littleton, Colo., and Bishop Jean Laffitte, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, participate in the Chaplains Meeting.

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BU I L D I N G T H E D O M E S T I C C H U RC H

Family Projects • During this month, sit down as a family to build your family tree. See how far back you can trace. You can decorate your tree with copies of old photos and era-related items.

• Bring some joy to grandparents or some other relative who does not live nearby, or may be alone, by sending a “Thinking of You” card signed by your whole family. Consider sending a video of your family to this relative, or calling him or her to pray the rosary with you.

• Set aside a time to visit the graves of deceased relatives and pray for them.

Council-Wide Event: Movie Night October’s movie is “Up” (2009). Before the movie, offer families the chance to share the family trees they made and talk a bit about their ancestors, and also what spending the time together on the project meant to them.

Bring Song Into Your Home Sing grace before meals with your whole family.

Ubi Caritas (Taizé chant) Ubi caritas et amor, Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.

(Where there are charity and love, God is there.)

Members of Cardinal John Newman Council 8343 and its ladies auxiliary at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Ill., display some of the food and other items they collected during a charity drive.

Volunteering Together Project – Food for Families Invite families to participate in your Food for Families collection.

• Contact a local food pantry or soup kitchen to ask what their needs are and to ensure they will be able to receive the food.

• Obtain permission (either from the appropriate business owner, a government department or your pastor) to set up the drive at a local store or church entryway/foyer. Also, consider collecting food donations at your monthly Movie Night event.

• Ask stores for empty boxes that can be used for collecting donations.

Meditation For the Christian community the family is far more than a “theme”: It is life, it is the daily fabric of life, it is the journey of generations who pass on the faith together with love and with basic moral values. It is concrete solidarity, effort, patience, and also a project, hope, a future. All this which the Christian community lives out in the light of faith, hope and charity should never be kept to oneself but must become, every day, the leaven in the dough of the whole of society for its greater common good.

Hope and a future presuppose memory. The memory of our elderly people sustains us as we journey on. The future of society … is rooted in the elderly and in the young: the latter, because they have the strength and are

• If you’re running the event at your parish, on the weekend prior to the collection, display or hand out flyers and ask the pastor to make an announcement about the coming drive. Also, ask that a notice for parishioners to bring nonperishable food items to the following weekend’s Masses be included in the parish bulletin.

• Utilize family volunteers to help on the day of the collection and when delivering the food.

• For more information on the Food for Families program, please visit kofc.org/food.

of the age to carry history ahead; the former, because they are a living memory. A people that does not take care of its elderly, its children and its youth has no future, because it abuses both memory and promise.

– Message of Pope Francis, Sept. 11, 2013 Questions for Reflection 1. Who is one person in my family whose faith has shaped my own faith?

2. What are some ways that our family tries to live out belief in God and his Church?

3. Which virtue seems to be particularly strong in our family — faith, hope or charity?

4. Why is memory important to the future?

5. What strengths do the children in our family have?

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Annual Report of the

S UPREME K NIGHT 132 N D S U P R E M E C O N V E N T I O N — O R L A N D O , F LO R I DA , AU G U S T 5-7, 2014

Florida is a fitting place for us to remember the great Catholic contribution to our hemisphere.

The Great Cross of St. Augustine, Fla., is pictured at sunset.

In the Northeast, there were the Catholic Acadians. In Florida and throughout the Southwest, there were the Spanish missionaries. In the Midwest, there were the French missionaries. And Maryland — one of the original 13 colonies that formed the United States — was founded by Catholics.

The fact is that the majority of this country — including all of Florida and Maryland, much of Maine, and nearly everything west of the Mississippi River — was Catholic even before there was a United States. This was already a land under God before it was one nation.

From Florida to California the missionaries worked tirelessly — and many gave their lives — to bring the faith to this land and to its people. No hardship or sacrifice was too much for these men of God. They formed a fraternal bond with each other and with those they served. And those who

* Editor’s Note: Historical reference material is drawn primarily from The Cross in the Sand: The Early Catholic Church in Florida, 1513-1870 by Michael V. Gannon.

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ABOVE: Thinkstock — OPPOSITE PAGE: Jason E. Miczek

Even this state’s name speaks to its Catholic heritage. Florida was not named for its beautiful flowers. Ponce de León named it for Pascua Florida — the Spanish term for Easter — when he discovered this beautiful land during the Easter season more than 500 years ago.

Catholics have been a part of the very fabric of North America from the beginning. And nowhere is this more true than in Florida.

Before the colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth, the first permanent European settlement was here, and it was Catholic. Known then and now as St. Augustine, we meet today just 100 miles from that place where Christianity first took root in this country.

It was in 1565 that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed in St. Augustine. Standing on the shore to greet him was Father Francisco López, one of the priests who had accompanied him from Spain.

Father López wrote of the landing: “On Saturday, the 8th, the general landed with many banners, to the sound of trumpets and salutes of artillery. As I had gone ashore the evening before, I took a cross and went to meet him, singing the hymn, Te Deum. The general, followed by all who accompanied him, marched up to the cross, knelt, and kissed it.”* Here, Father López and his fellow priests would establish the first parish in what is now the continental United States. As a result, in the early 1600s, Florida would also be home to our country’s first Marian shrine, dedicated to Our Lady of la Leche.

The evangelization that occurred in St. Augustine was a precursor of what would take place throughout the United States. In the past five centuries much has changed, but there has also been one constant: the importance of the faith. Millions of Americans continue to embrace the cross.

Throughout our hemisphere, Catholicism took root early.

The Catholic history of Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean is well-known. Florida was first, but is by no means alone in having a long-standing Catholic presence in what we now know as the United States. From Florida, the faith was carried by missionaries to locations as far away as Texas and Virginia.

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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivers an address at the 2014 Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference March 1 at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, N.C.

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planted the faith here left a great legacy that continues to inspire us today.

This lesson of service was not lost on Father Michael J. McGivney. Like those missionaries, he created fraternal bonds with parishioners. Like those missionaries, he exemplified the power of service. Like them, he dedicated himself to charity. When he founded this Order and named it for Columbus, he did so to recall this land’s Catholic roots.

Father McGivney chose men who knew what it meant to be a band of brothers. Many of those first Knights had served in the Civil War, an experience of fraternity and unity that they carried forward into the Knights of Columbus.

From the very beginning, the Knights of Columbus responded to the needs of a country still recovering from the effects of the long and bitter Civil War. The mission of the Knights of Columbus was not unfamiliar to those who had heard the words of President Lincoln: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and

K NIGHTS

lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

We could say that the Knights of Columbus provided an inspired way for Catholic men to help rebuild a nation by living their Catholic heritage and values. Those first Knights knew the fraternity that came from being part of a tight-knit immigrant community. Many of them also knew the fraternity purified by the crucible of war. Moreover, all of them shared a fraternal unity through their Catholic faith.

With Father McGivney’s leadership, they began something that would change the world. They understood that the fraternity to which Father McGivney was calling them had a missionary spirit that could not be limited by national borders. As a result, in a few short years, there were brother Knights active in Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.

Today, as their successors, we are doubly blessed: as heirs to the great legacy of Catholicism in North America and as spiritual sons of Father McGivney.

And so, my brother Knights, I am pleased to present to you the theme of this year’s convention — a theme drawn from the message of our Holy Father for the World Day of Peace this year: “You will all be brothers: our vocation to fraternity.”

OF

C HARITY

In his message for the World Day of Peace, titled “Fraternity: the Foundation and Pathway to Peace,” Pope Francis reminded us that “without fraternity it is impossible to build a just society.”

Pope Francis called upon Catholics to cast aside the growing “globalization of indifference” and to instead build “a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another.” This, he said, is our “vocation to fraternity.” Now I say to you today, who better to respond to this call than the world’s greatest Catholic fraternal organization?

To better understand our vocation to fraternity, Pope Francis quoted the Gospel of John: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you” (13:34). In this regard, we see the extraordinary witness of Pope Francis in his love for the sick, the suffering and the poor. It is a witness that has captured the imagination of the world.

As Knights of Columbus, we are well-positioned to respond to the challenges of our day. Our charitable activity is renowned worldwide and is all the stronger because it is supported by our fraternal brotherhood.

Nearly a decade before Pope Leo XIII’s great encyclical 22

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Rerum Novarum launched the Social Doctrine of the Church, Father McGivney founded a lay Catholic organization dedicated to both the spiritual and temporal wellbeing of working families. It would reach out in charity to those on the margins. It would not only evangelize its members, but also society. It would be a Catholic fraternity, drawing men together to do good. It would show clearly to everyone in 19th-century America that Catholics could be good and loyal citizens.

Father McGivney’s vision prepared the Knights of Columbus for the laity’s role in the life of the Church proposed by the Second Vatican Council nearly a century later.

Last fall, in a private audience with the Supreme Officers and directors, Pope Francis recognized the Order’s commitment to charity. At that time, the Holy Father praised the “quiet strength, integrity and fidelity” of the Knights of Columbus. He thanked us for our commitment to charity, and he urged us to continue in our mission.

Encouraged by Pope Francis in our charitable endeavors,

GLOBAL WHEELCHAIR MISSION: Randy Hale

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and true to the vision of Father McGivney, we worked harder than ever before. For the 14th consecutive year, we set a new record in charitable giving. Our Order’s charitable contributions increased last year by more than $2.5 million to a record $170,135,754.

For the fifth year in a row, Québec led all jurisdictions with charitable donations of $11,147,599. Ontario was second, with $7.7 million, followed by Texas, California, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, Missouri and New York.

The number of hours volunteered by Knights also climbed to a new record high of 70,534,278 hours. Independent Sector values each hour donated in 2014 at $22.55.

That means that the time donated by Knights to charity last year was worth over $1.59 billion, and the value of the more than 682,950,911 hours donated in the past decade totals over $13.8 billion.

Our jurisdictions in the Philippines continued to lead the way in volunteering their time. Luzon and Mindanao took first and second place among all jurisdictions, with 5,828,879 and 4,574,746 hours, respectively. Texas, Florida, California, Ontario, Illinois, Visayas, Pennsylvania and Missouri round out the top 10.

When it comes to the amount of time volunteered per member, four Canadian jurisdictions were in the top 10, and Prince Edward Island was number one with 135.6 hours donated per member. British Columbia was number two with 113.9 hours per member, followed by Alaska, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Hawaii, Nevada, Delaware, Utah and Washington.

Last year, overall, each Knight donated an average of $91.80 and 38 hours of his time to charity with our Order.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring examples of our commitment to serving those in need is our service to people with intellectual disabilities. Beginning with our support for the very first Special Olympics games in 1968, our efforts in this area have steadily grown. Last year, not only did our councils donate $3,599,196 to Special Olympics, but more than 133,000 individual Knights collectively donated more than 250,000 hours of their time at more than 20,000 Special Olympics events.

This past February, as NFL coaches and the nation’s best college football players gathered in Indianapolis for the annual Scouting Combine, the Indiana Knights of Columbus helped Special Olympics athletes demonstrate their own impressive set of skills. Thanks to a partnership between the Indiana State Council, Special Olympics and Catholic Athletes for Christ, the first-ever “Football Clinic” for Special Olympics athletes was held at the Indianapolis Colts training complex.

Similarly, the Knights of Columbus announced on July 14 a $1.4 million sponsorship of the Special Olympics World Games to be held in July 2015 in Los Angeles. Our sponsorship will cover the costs of food, transportation and medical services for every athlete from the United States and Canada during their time in Los Angeles. We have also

Top: Project Medishare employee Emmanuel Kernand stands with two wheelchair recipients during a Global Wheelchair Mission distribution at a special needs school outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. • Above: Members of Council 8587 in Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, plant new mangrove seedlings near Taytay. Knights planted approximately 3,000 seedlings in the aftermath of a typhoon.

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asked each state jurisdiction to increase the number of volunteer hours donated to Special Olympics this year.

In addition to our work with Special Olympics, Knights of Columbus councils last year donated an additional $13.5 million to other projects benefiting people with intellectual disabilities.

Councils also donated more than $3.8 million to benefit those with physical disabilities. One of our most important projects in this area involves our decade-long partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission.

During the past year alone, we distributed nearly 5,000 wheelchairs worldwide. Knights worked with Caritas Vietnam to distribute 1,000 wheelchairs in that country. These wheelchairs were purchased by Knights throughout the United States and Canada, with representatives from Florida and Texas joining distributions earlier this year.

Additionally, Knights of Columbus councils in California, Texas and Florida began fundraising to send wheelchairs and other mobility devices to the Holy Land. His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and president of Caritas Jerusalem, enthusiastically welcomed the Knights and their mission of charity. [In August 2013], sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the Global Wheelchair Mission went on its fourth trip to the Holy Land and brought with it 280 wheelchairs.

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Thomas Serafin

Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno flashes a thumbs up with a fan after helping her try on a coat at a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution.

Finally, Knights in 13 states provided more than 1,600 wheelchairs to veterans this past year.

In all, Knights have given the gift of mobility to more than 45,000 people around the world over the past decade through this partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission.

Knights have assisted with mobility in other ways as well.

The “Knights of Columbus Stand With Boston Program” has provided assistance to three individuals who lost limbs in the Boston Marathon bombings last year. When insurance didn’t cover an upgraded prosthetic device or necessary additional device, the Knights of Columbus provided funding.

To date, we have spent more than $33,000 assisting those injured in the Boston bombing. Our program will help them regain as much mobility as possible and ensure that evil does not have the last word.

College Knights pitched in as well, with members of Notre Dame Council 1477 donating proceeds from the steaks they sold before last season’s Notre Dame-USC game to those who lost a limb in the bombing.

Knights also gave $2.3 million to benefit the elderly, $5 million to hospitals and other health care facilities, and $7.6 million for community projects.

Knights likewise helped to provide housing for those who need it most. Last year, brother Knights donated more than $870,000 and 1.5 million volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity projects.

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Jillian Rose

Archbishop José H. Gómez of Los Angeles (third from left), with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson (center) and others looking on, helps Special Olympics World Games Global Messengers Caley Versfelt and Marco Martinez unfurl a World Games flag in front of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Also pictured are, from left, actor Eduardo Verastegui, Deputy Supreme Knight Logan Ludwig, World Games CEO and President Patrick McClenahan, and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California Bill Shumard.

In New Haven, Conn., Supreme Council staff members helped build a home for the Tavarez family. The Order donated $75,000 toward the construction of the home, and more than 20 employees — many of them brother Knights — contributed more than 150 hours to help complete the project.

A great deal of planning goes into programs such as these, but not every charitable activity can be planned in advance.

And when disasters strike, Knights answer the call for help.

Typhoon Haiyan, considered to be one of the strongest recorded storms ever to make landfall, struck the Philippines with devastating results in November 2013. The typhoon killed more than 6,000 people and displaced millions more.

Various councils in the Philippines delivered food, water, clothing and other necessities. Knights from Iloilo City traveled about 50 miles north with 788 sacks filled with rice, canned goods and bottled water, while Knights from Cebu City traveled to northern Cebu to distribute sacks of rice and canned goods.

In the wake of the storm, the Supreme Council authorized an immediate grant of $250,000 for relief efforts. An additional $600,000 was donated by K of C councils and individuals from throughout North America, bringing our total commitment to relief efforts in the Philippines to more than $850,000.

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The Order assisted the Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans across the country by delivering new wheelchairs to be used by veterans. K of C councils in Maryland, Florida, California, Texas, Arizona and Tennessee have provided thousands of wheelchairs over the years to our nation’s heroes, and many states continue to hold “Wheelchair Sunday” parish drives to increase their support.

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Some of these funds were initially spent to set up food distribution centers and assist the affected dioceses in their charitable outreach.

At the beginning of this year the Knights of Columbus launched a new initiative — what we call the Livelihood Project. It helps fishermen and farmers who lost everything get back to work. The project employs carpenters who lost their businesses to build boats for fishermen who also lost their source of income. In early June, 40 newly crafted boats were delivered to the same number of fishermen in a seaside ceremony in Western Samar. The Livelihood Project is helping the recovery of two industries devastated by the typhoon. Today, the work continues, and a total of 100 boats are planned.

In addition, many farms were also destroyed by the storm, so the Knights of Columbus has bought thousands of coconut seeds to distribute in an area where nearly all the trees have been uprooted by wind and storm surges.

In sum, both of these programs are an investment in tomorrow, and they will help make a better future for many families in the Philippines.

When tornadoes struck Mississippi in late April, local Knights set up three volunteer response center teams.

Brother Knights worked with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Jackson to help with damage assessment teams and also assisted with clean-up efforts and emergency repairs. In the Winston County and Louisville area, approximately 1,125 Knights put in nearly 6,640 volunteers hours to help more than 120 families. Council 13471 in Philadelphia, Miss., delivered more than half a ton of canned food and water that they collected during their 40 Cans for Lent program, in addition to clothes and other items. Knights from Councils 802 in Meridian, 6765 in Starkville and 7974 in

Columbus volunteered to help in the relief efforts as well.

When floodwaters left more than 16,000 families homeless or with property damage in Colorado, Knights were on the front lines. Working with the American Red Cross, Knights from Colorado and the surrounding states helped provide the basic necessities of food and shelter.

In Mexico, members of Council 15531 in Iztacalco provided a truckload of food and other relief supplies to victims of recent hurricanes in the state of Guerrero.

Even if a disaster isn’t caused by nature, responding is natural for the Knights of Columbus.

On Jan. 9, a chemical spill in the Elk River contaminated the water supply for more than 300,000 residents of West Virginia. The spill was so toxic that the water was unusable for days. Before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could arrive on site with water, the West Virginia State Council had already purchased, delivered and distributed more than 6,000 bottles of water.

Overall, our councils donated over $4.2 million to help victims of disasters last year, and Knights donated more than 19 million hours of their time to these and many other community service efforts.

But even when disaster strikes a single family, the Knights of Columbus responds.

When Jeff Robocker of South Dakota was killed in an auto accident, his brother Knights from Marquette Council 815 began raising funds and completing repairs and renovations to the Robocker home to ensure that his wife, who was six months pregnant at the time, and their five young children had a comfortable and safe environment in which to rebuild their lives. The council provided a total of $20,000 in cash, materials and labor donations.

Disasters are, by their nature, unpredictable. However,

To assist the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, the Knights of Columbus launched an initiative called the Livelihood Project. The program employs carpenters who lost their businesses to build boats for fishermen whose boats were destroyed. In early June, 40 newly crafted boats were delivered to 40 fishermen in a seaside ceremony in Western Samar.

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the cold of winter is predictable. Thanks to the good work of brother Knights, the number of lower income children who didn’t have a warm winter coat was reduced by nearly 52,000 last year. The Supreme Council and 1,195 local councils purchased and distributed 51,924 coats — an increase of nearly 10,000 coats from the previous year. And since 2009, we have distributed more than 167,000 new coats to children throughout the United States and Canada.

Last year, Connecticut Knights began the Christmas season by distributing new coats to approximately 2,000 children in six cities the day after Thanksgiving. While many people were shopping on Black Friday, these brother Knights were giving. I encourage every jurisdiction where the chill of winter is felt to follow Connecticut’s lead. On Black Friday, the most famous shopping day of the year, let us as Knights give witness to the power of charity.

Distributing coats for kids can help an entire community become involved in charitable work. Last October, Colorado Knights teamed up with the Denver Broncos to provide coats to students from an inner city Catholic school.

Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and his wife, Linda, helped organize the event in collaboration with Catholic Athletes for Christ.

The Broncos also played a role in a second coats distribution held in New Jersey just before the team played in the Super Bowl. I joined the Del Rios and a number of other coaches and players to distribute coats to the children of Sacred Heart School in Jersey City.

Especially inspiring was the presence of Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers, who had been a student at that school.

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Also joining us were retired Mets All-Star catcher Mike Piazza and Ray McKenna, president of Catholic Athletes for Christ.

Cold weather comes each winter, but hunger affects many people year-round. Brother Knights throughout the Order helped make a real difference last year by providing people in need with food through our Food for Families initiative.

Councils throughout our jurisdictions help the hungry.

Some, like Council 2171 in Tillamook, Ore., grow food — in this case, approximately 7.5 tons, annually. Many other councils hold food drives or cook and serve meals.

In Colorado, Thanksgiving was brighter for hundreds of families thanks to the efforts of Council 10937 in Highlands Ranch. There, Knights organized a parish Thanksgiving dinner drive to provide dinner for 400 families.

Council 15045 in Markham, Ontario, took the Food for Families program to an international level. Through its foodforsyria.org initiative, it provided a “Free Meal of Love” for 500 children in Syria, many of whom were Syrian Christian refugees.

In Marshall, Texas, Council 1422’s main purpose with their “Remembering the Needy on Christmas Day” program is to feed the homebound, the needy, prisoners, emergency workers and the downtrodden on Christmas Day each year. For the eighth year, St. Joseph Parish and Council worked together to feed 797 people with a Christmas dinner, and then on Christmas day, they delivered 283 meals to inmates of the Harrison County Jail.

For many who are ill, life depends on donations of blood.

We have continued to provide this service ever since our

Jacqueline Halpern

Thanks to a partnership between the Indiana State Council, Special Olympics and Catholic Athletes for Christ, a football clinic for Special Olympics athletes was held February 22 at the Indianapolis Colts training complex.

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sponsorship of the first national blood drive in the United States, in 1938. During the last fraternal year, we helped provide a vital lifeline to those undergoing medical treatment by enlisting the support of more than 410,000 blood donors.

While we are most active in our own jurisdictions, our charity often reaches beyond national borders. Over the years we have helped people in need in Haiti, Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka and Chile, to name just a few.

Finally, the Knights of Columbus, working with the Apostles of Jesus, continues to provide care and shelter for

children in Uganda and Kenya who are orphaned because of AIDS. Last year, more than $300,000 was committed to build a new girls dormitory and purchase a new school bus, and to bring electricity to a school and other buildings for these children — many of whom have tested positive for HIV. Whether at home or abroad, charity is our Order’s first principle and the basis for all we do as brother Knights.

It is the tangible way that we live out that spirit of fraternity and “missionary discipleship” to which Pope Francis has called us.

M EMBERSHIP G ROWTH One of the most important tasks facing every brother Knight is to ensure that all of our councils are open to new members.

Our ability to do good in countless communities around the world is directly related to the growth and vitality of our membership. Inviting men to join us not only helps each man who joins, it also helps those in need.

It gives me great pleasure to report to you that during the

fraternal year ending June 30, membership in our Order grew for the 42nd consecutive year, to a record 1,862,774 brother Knights.

During this same period we added 270 new councils, including 10 in Mexico, 12 in Poland, 16 in Canada, 81 in the

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Fourth Degree Knights process with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as part of the 4th Poland State Convention held in May.

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Yaroslav Pavliuk

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Philippines and 151 in the United States, bringing the total number of councils to 14,871.

Our Order is also growing in Ukraine and Lithuania.

By percentage, membership grew the most in Poland, where 769 new Knights increased membership there by more than 23 percent in just one year.

I had the opportunity to experience firsthand the enthusiasm of Polish Knights while attending their 4th state convention at Gniew Castle in northern Poland. While there, I was pleased to meet with the state officers to plan for our future growth and charitable work in Poland.

I am also pleased to announce the establishment of our first council in Members of St. Volodymyr Council 15800 stand with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of South Korea, St. Andrew Kim Taegon the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Council 16000. There are nearly Kiev, Ukraine.

5.5 million Catholics in South Korea today. It is among the fastest-growing we would grow by more than 175,000 members, and the servCatholic communities in the world. Pope Francis [acknowlice we could provide to church and community would grow edged] this during his visit there [in mid-August], and I am tremendously. sure that South Korea, like the Philippines, will play a signifAnd every council should also strive to earn the designation icant role in the future of the Knights of Columbus. of Star Council. This is a clear path for sustained membership Other jurisdictions added substantially to their ranks as growth. well. Mexico Northwest grew by more than 9 percent and When he founded the Knights of Columbus, Father McMexico Northeast by 8.6 percent. The Philippines grew by Givney understood the need to protect the spiritual and fi5 percent. nancial well-being of Catholic families. As Knights, we help In the United States, New Mexico grew its membership by alleviate the effects of material poverty for millions. However, 4.6 percent, Georgia by 3.9 percent and South Dakota by this coming year, I ask you to renew your focus on alleviating 3 percent. Virginia grew by 2.5 percent, Oklahoma by 2.1 perspiritual poverty as well, by offering men the opportunity to cent and Florida by 2 percent. Texas also grew by 2 percent, grow in faith within our fraternity. This is what it means to becoming the only jurisdiction in North America to reach the have a vocation to fraternity. milestone of 100,000 members.

In keeping with our founding mission of protecting As our continued growth makes clear, the idea of a brothCatholic families, I am pleased to announce a new fraternal erhood of Catholic men committed to charity continues to be program. In October, we will launch “Building the Domestic as relevant and vital today as it was in Father McGivney’s time.

Church: The Family Fully Alive.” This program will help our But we must do more. families and parishes grow in the faith. It will also help us preThe good that we can do grows with each new member of pare for the 8th World Meeting of Families, which will be held our fraternity. Today, we number more than 1.8 million, but September 22-27, 2015, in Philadelphia. This program will there are tens of millions of Catholic men who could have offer opportunities for prayer, catechesis, Scripture reading, their lives transformed, and help transform the lives of others, charitable projects and social activities that can be done tothrough membership in the Knights of Columbus. We have a gether as a family. great responsibility.

Our Catholic Information Service (CIS) remains an imporIf a man is interested in helping those in need, or in serving tant part of our work. Since our Supreme Convention last his parish or community, or in strengthening his faith, or in year, five new publications have become available in the New protecting his family’s financial future, he should join us. No Evangelization Series. These booklets on the topics of prayer, matter what his reason is for joining, he will gain much from the Eucharist, St. John Paul II’s theology of the body, marriage the many benefits of membership. and consecrated life are vitally important for our efforts to Councils should also continue to follow the effective memstrengthen Catholic family life, and they are available in print bership program of “One Member, Per Council, Per Month.” and online.

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YOUTH Our youth are not just the future of our society — they are the future of the Knights of Columbus. When we involve young people in the Knights of Columbus, they benefit from our experience in charity and our commitment to faith, and they witness our vocation to fraternity. and over 6,000 packages of food and drinks, totaling $4,300 in value, to students throughout the area.

Along with individual service programs like these, over the past year more than 104,000 young people between the ages of 9 and 14 participated at 4,357 Knights of Columbus Free Throw competitions. Our Soccer Challenge program was also successful, drawing more than 15,834 participants at 1,152 events.

Knights also showed their support for young people by sponsoring 28,547 Scouts in 1,173 Scouting units in the United States and an additional 943 Scouts in 153 Scouting units in Canada. Local councils should work with the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and the local diocese

Supreme Knight Anderson and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore stand with 2014 graduates of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Also pictured, at far right, is Father Antonio López, F.S.C.B., provost/dean.

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John Whitman

Our programs highlight for youth the transformative power of charitable service. Participating in Knights of Columbus charitable activities can be the catalyst for a lifetime of service.

A powerful example of charity in action can be seen in the work done by Council 9195 in Anaheim, Calif. Brother Knights donated televisions, iPads and a video game system — at a combined cost of over $3,000 — for children to use while undergoing dialysis at St. Joseph Hospital.

When Virginia’s Roanoke Council 562 learned that more than 600 schoolchildren in the area belonged to homeless or low-income families, they organized the “Hunger Is Not a Game” project to provide after-school snacks and clothing for underprivileged students. The council delivered clothing

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to determine the best ways to collaborate with Scouts.

Our Columbian Squires were also very active in charity this past year. Squires concluded the fraternal year with 20,241 members in 1,785 active Squires circles, donating more than $13,000 and in excess of 313,000 volunteer hours to a variety of initiatives.

Our College Council program continues to expand as well.

College is a rite of passage for many young people, and our college councils provide students with a proper understanding of charity, unity in the faith, and the vocation to fraternity.

College councils give young men the opportunity for authentic brotherhood and fraternity based on Christian values, and they also give them the chance to evangelize their campuses by their commitment to faith and charity. Over the past year, we added 15 new college councils, including seven in the United States, one in Canada and seven in the Philippines.

We now have 27,532 college Knights who are members of councils at 302 colleges and universities.

During the 2013-2014 academic year, the Supreme Council funded 552 scholarships worth more than $1.2 million for students at institutions of higher education. One hundred and sixteen scholarships went to seminarians through the Father Michael J. McGivney and Bishop Thomas V. Daily Vocations Scholarship programs. Of the 44 who are new awardees, 39 are members of the Order. Each scholarship provides $2,500 for tuition, room and board at major schools of theology. Since the two scholarship programs began in 1992 and 1999, respectively, they have distributed more than $6.3 million in scholarship aid to a total of 1,102 seminarians, 758 of whom have been ordained to the priesthood.

Among our other scholarship programs, seven scholarships totaling more than $153,000 were provided through

the Matthews and Swift Educational Trust. Likewise, 153 scholarships worth more than $225,000 were provided through the Fourth Degree Pro Deo and Pro Patria scholarship programs.

By far, the Order’s greatest support for vocations comes from our local councils, assemblies and Squires circles participating in the Refund Support Vocations Program (RSVP). Last year alone, 3,224 local units provided direct financial support totaling $6,187,284 to 6,356 seminarians through RSVP. Since 1981, RSVP has provided more than $60 million in aid to more than 98,000 men and women pursuing their vocations to the priesthood or religious life.

In addition to providing scholarship money, Knights of Columbus councils support vocations in many creative ways.

Knights in the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., annually show their support for young people pursuing a vocation to the priesthood or religious life by inviting them to attend a minor league baseball game free of charge. This year, priests, deacons, women religious and seminarians were all in attendance, and Bishop Earl Boyea and Michigan Past State Deputy Michael Malinowski were among the dignitaries to throw out ceremonial first pitches. A Fourth Degree honor guard also presented the colors before a sellout crowd of 11,166 — which included 2,200 Knights and their families.

Father McGivney, a baseball fan himself, surely would have approved.

Local councils and assemblies together provided $6.6 million in scholarships and other forms of educational assistance, and another $1.6 million for youth athletic programs. All together, local councils and assemblies contributed more than $18 million to youth programs last year.

F OURTH D EGREE & THE A RMED F ORCES When Father McGivney founded the Knights, it was no accident that he turned to many veterans to be the first leaders of the organization.

These men understood the vocation to fraternity, the importance of unity and the virtue of self-sacrifice. Today, the Knights of Columbus continues to reach out and offer support to veterans and members of the armed services, some of whom are brother Knights. All of them deserve, and have, our respect for their service to our country.

One hundred years ago, World War I began. A few years later, when the United States entered that war, the Knights of Columbus offered enormous charitable support for those who were currently serving or had previously served with the armed forces. Service to the military and veterans has continued ever since.

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Leading the Order in support of our troops and in our commitment to patriotism are Fourth Degree Knights. They provide a visible and dignified presence through their service as honor guards at patriotic ceremonies and liturgical events.

Third Degree Knights can now immediately proceed to the Patriotic Degree, and I am happy to report that during the past year, 5,828 Knights did so, bringing Fourth Degree membership to an all-time high of 340,960. We have also added 60 new Fourth Degree assemblies, bringing the total to 3,169.

In addition to their excellent work in honor guards, Sir Knights have become an important presence in VA hospitals around the United States. They make up the vast majority of the thousands of Knights who are part of the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services program.

Led by the Fourth Degree, Knights now provide volunteer manpower at nearly all of the nation’s veterans medical centers.

We are the largest single volunteer service partner for the Veterans Administration.

In 2011, the Gary Sinise Foundation began raising funds to build computer-equipped custom “smart homes” for America’s severely wounded heroes. That same year, while stationed in Afghanistan, Cpl. Kyle Hockenberry was a victim of a roadside bomb. At only 19 years old, he lost both legs and his left arm in the blast. In June, we partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation by providing $200,000 to help com34

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plete the construction of Cpl. Hockenberry’s home in Marietta, Ohio, helping to restore independence and support him and his wife, Ashley.

It has long been the byword of America’s military that no one is left behind — everybody comes home. Now, working with the Gary Sinise Foundation, we can help make sure that the homes our heroes come back to are worthy of their sacrifice.

The Fourth Degree has also been in the vanguard of the Order’s initiative to support vocations for the military chaplaincy.

We have pledged $1 million over five years in support of the Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. The fundraising is being led by the Fourth Degree, and thus far, assemblies have raised $780,609 for this vital project.

In addition to our work with military chaplains, we also sponsored the annual AMS pilgrimage to Lourdes this May. This pilgrimage coincided with the 56th International Military Pilgrimage, which included delegations from more than 40 countries. On this pilgrimage, some 125 wounded or disabled troops and veterans, family members, chaplains and support staff joined other pilgrims at the Marian shrine of Lourdes in France.

Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the military archdiocese, who serves as the episcopal vicar for Europe and Asia, joined us for the pilgrimage.

FLAHERTY: Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archive — OPPOSITE PAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller

As part of the journey to France for the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage, Supreme Knight Anderson visited the Musée de l’Armée. Standing with the supreme knight at the desk of the French World War I hero, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch, are Gen. Christian Baptiste, director of the Musée de l’Armée, and Gen. Hervé Charpentier, military governor of Paris. They inspect the Field Marshal’s baton given to Foch by then-Supreme Knight James Flaherty (inset) during the Knights’ visit to France in 1920 following World War I. The baton, produced by Tiffany & Co., is now part of the museum’s collection.

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Fourth Degree Knights take part in Columbus Day celebrations at the Columbus Memorial in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

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As part of the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage, members of the military and a Knights of Columbus honor guard took part in a eucharistic procession.

The Knights of Columbus has a long history in Lourdes, having run an Army hospitality center there at the end of the First World War. Under the banner of “Everybody Welcome, Everything Free,” Knights provided for the needs of members of the armed forces. During our recent pilgrimage, military personnel were given the same guidebook to the shrine at Lourdes that the Knights of Columbus developed for our troops in 1919.

Our support continued even after the Great War. We provided job training for veterans of the conflict. It continues today in our current support for both active duty troops and veterans.

Following the pilgrimage to Lourdes, I visited the Musée de l’Armée in Paris, where the museum’s director arranged for us to have a special viewing of Field Marshal Foch’s ceremonial baton, given to him by Supreme Knight James Flaherty in 1920 during a Knights of Columbus pilgrimage to France.

On March 15, I was pleased to travel to Fort Bragg, N.C., for an exemplification of the Fourth Degree and the charter presentation for Chaplain (Maj.) Charles J. Watters Assembly 3459. The event was held in the Watters Family Life Center, named in honor of the council’s namesake, a proud Knight and a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed while serving as an army chaplain in Vietnam.

Then in May, I was at Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 101st Airborne Division, to present a charter to Father Francis L. Sampson Council 15914. Gen. Sampson served at Normandy during the D-Day invasion as well as in Korea and in Vietnam. A brother Knight of 55 years, he was named Army chief of chaplains.

INSURANCE & INVESTMENTS We provided more charity than ever before. More men than ever before are members of our fraternity. Our service to the Church and for evangelization has never been stronger.

Our insurance program has finished another record year, with $8.2 billion in new insurance issued — a reflection of the hard work and integrity of our brother Knights who serve as our insurance agents.

On the topic of integrity, I am pleased to announce that this year the Knights of Columbus has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, an independent center promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance, as a 2014 World’s Most Ethical Company®. We were one of only two such companies in the life insurance category, and the Knights of Columbus was one of only 144 honorees worldwide.

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For more than 130 years, we have fulfilled Father McGivney’s goal of protecting the financial future of Catholic families in the event of the tragic death of a breadwinner.

Today, we have a successful, sustainable business model precisely because we have remained committed to Father McGivney’s vision. Our Catholic values affect every aspect of our business, from our professional agency force of brother Knights, to our investments, to our corporate governance and code of ethics.

For the 39th consecutive year, the Knights of Columbus earned A.M. Best’s highest rating of A++ (Superior). This rating is reserved only for a select number of companies that have “a superior ability to meet their ongoing insurance obligations.”

Photo Courtesy of Lacaze

This past year, each of Father McGivney’s goals for the Knights of Columbus soared to new heights.

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A.M. Best noted that its top rating reflects our “strong fraternal and insurance presence within the Catholic communities,” our “strong risk-adjusted capitalizations” and “consistently positive statutory operating results.” It added that the Knights of Columbus “has a strong affinity with its large membership base through its charitable programs and competitive portfolio of life insurance and annuity products.”

We also continue to rank among America’s largest companies, ranking number 935 on this year’s Fortune 1,000 list.

Our assets grew 5.8 percent last year and now total more than $20.5 billion. Our surplus ratio is at 11.7 percent, which is higher than the industry average. And A.M. Best says our surplus provides us with “an exceptional level of risk-adjusted capitalization” which “affords the Order considerable financial strength.”

Our insurance in force reached $94.7 billion, nearly double the amount just 10 years ago. Last year alone, our insurance in force grew by $4.27 billion. We issued nearly 78,000 life certificates last year — 30,000 more than our closest fraternal benefit society competitor.

We now have more than 1,571,000 life certificates in force.

And our five-year sales growth of more than 22 percent stands in marked contrast to the industry as a whole which, during this same time, saw sales decline by nearly 13 percent.

Our professional agency force of nearly 1,500 brother Knights are the band of brothers responsible for this growth.

They serve only Knights and their families. They share our commitment to charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

Through their dedicated service, brother Knights and their families can be confident that their financial future is secure.

In order to provide financial security for young families, we launched the new Young Adult Insurance Program this spring.

This new product provides annual renewable term insurance to Knights and their spouses ages 18-29. This insurance not only offers protection for their families, but also gives them the opportunity to start building financial stability at a time in their lives when it is extremely affordable to do so.

Also, through this program, for the first time Knights will be able to obtain a personalized quote and request additional information online by visiting kofc.org/youngadultins.

Our very low lapse rate is the best measurement of customer satisfaction among our members. That lapse rate of 3.6 percent is among the lowest in the industry and well below the industry average of 5.8 percent. Put another way, 96.4 percent of our insurance members keep their policies.

This represents an outstanding level of confidence and customer satisfaction.

Although much of the insurance sector finds itself either stagnant or in a weak recovery, our insurance program continued to outpace the industry. Insurance premiums reached nearly $1.14 billion in 2013. Our 3.6 percent decrease in insurance premiums is less than one-third the industry rate of decrease, which is 11.4 percent. In addition, our annuity deposits were at $594 million.

Our members stay with our insurance products because they offer the protection they promise when it’s needed most.

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That is why we say our insurance is by brother Knights, for brother Knights.

Last year, we paid more than $314 million in death benefits.

Over the course of our history, death benefits to our Knights of Columbus families have totaled more than $4.1 billion.

Also important, last year we paid more than $276 million in dividends to our life insurance contract holders. Since the inception of our program, we have paid out more than $12.7 billion in living benefits to our insurance members.

The quality test for any insurance company is the strength of its financial platform — that is to say, the degree to which its assets exceed its liabilities and what is necessary for it to reserve in order to make future payments on death claims. Once again, our $1.9 billion surplus is the foundation of our capitalization. In this regard, Standard & Poor’s says that the Knights of Columbus is “extremely strong ... at the AAA level.” And they praise our “very strong competitive position.”

The good work of our investment department helps make these benefits possible. Despite the low interest rate environment, our investment department has found reliable, sustainable ways to maintain healthy yields. While the yield on 10-year treasury bonds last year averaged 2.3 percent, our new purchase rate was 4.23 percent.

During 2013, we invested more than $10 million each day.

Our new investments during the year totaled $3.5 billion. Our investment income last year totaled $919,968,424, an increase of 1.54 percent over 2012. That is an exceptional result in today’s economy.

We believe that how and where we invest our money must reflect our Catholic values. That is why we screen our investments according to Catholic moral principles. That is also why we are committed to helping parishes through our ChurchLoan program. Our loans provide financing to Catholic parishes and schools, enabling them to undertake important projects at very competitive rates. With this program, we invest our members’ money to help build the future of our Church.

Our insurance is both ethical and faithful to Father McGivney’s vision. It is insurance by brother Knights, for brother Knights. Our investments reflect our Catholic values. This is the Knights of Columbus difference.

This is also why a brother Knight can choose no better company for the protection of his family. In choosing Knights of Columbus Insurance, a brother Knight is making a commitment to his family’s future; he is making a commitment to ethical investment and corporate governance; and he is making a commitment that benefits his Church and community.

Pope Francis has called for a “rediscovery” of fraternity in our economic activity. He has called on people everywhere “to rediscover the fraternal bonds, which join us to one another, as the key to economic development.” He has urged us to rediscover the virtues of prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude.

My brother Knights, you can be proud that the Knights of Columbus is today a model throughout the world for these values of fraternity in economic enterprise.

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K NIGHTS & T HE C HURCH

L’Osservatore Romano

Our vocation to fraternity is an expression of our Catholic faith. In unity with our Church, Knights around the world not only engage in acts of charity that evangelize, but that also directly promote the new evangelization.

We were honored when your supreme directors were privileged to be received by Pope Francis in a private audience in Rome last October. During that audience, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to the Knights of Columbus for our “unfailing support” of the Holy See and for “the daily prayers, sacrifices and apostolic works of so many Knights in their local councils, their parishes and their communities.”

From the time of our founding by Father McGivney, our vocation to fraternity has meant a special solidarity with our priests, bishops and pope. Our support for the latter takes many forms.

Since 1981, the Order has annually supported the pope’s personal initiatives through our Vicarius Christi Fund. In a private audience with Pope Francis this past year, I presented him with a $1.6 million check for his personal charitable endeavors. Since 1981, our gifts to the Holy Father through the Vicarius Christi Fund have totaled more than $52,815,000.

To help people better know our new pope, the Knights of Columbus produced a documentary titled Francis: The Pope from the New World. This documentary has helped bring his life story to the world and has been broadcast on television in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Europe, South Korea and throughout the Middle East.

This past year was also a special one for the papacy.

Divine Mercy Sunday was the occasion of the canonization of two great popes. St. John XXIII led the Church into the Second Vatican Council and knew the Knights of Columbus well, visiting one of our playgrounds in Rome in 1959 and meeting with our supreme directors in 1961. Canonized with him was St. John Paul II, who led the Church into the third millennium and had a special connection to the Knights of Columbus, calling on us to work with him on many projects during his 26year papacy.

Throughout the days surrounding the canonization, our Saint John Paul II National Shrine served as a major center for devotion in the United States. Through this shrine, the Knights of Columbus has a central role in preserving and promoting the legacy of one of history’s greatest popes. I encourage all of you to visit this shrine and to organize parish and council pilgrimages to it.

We also provided assistance for the canonization in Rome, including nearly $100,000 in financial support to Vatican Televi-

Supreme Director James R. Scroggin, Supreme Master Dennis J. Stoddard, Former Supreme Director Javier G. Nájera and Supreme Director Paul J. Lambert (obscured) carry the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima through St. Peter’s Square. The procession took place during the Year of Faith “Marian Day” October 13, 2013, and was followed by Mass celebrated by Pope Francis. It was the first time that a Fourth Degree honor guard was invited to participate in a papal event in St. Peter’s Square.

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L’Osservatore Romano

The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is the home to relics of the newly canonized saint. In addition to liturgical and prayer life, the shrine will soon offer a world-class exhibit on the life and papacy of St. John Paul II.

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sion’s broadcast of the canonization ceremony and hosting hundreds of Polish pilgrims at two of our sports centers in Rome.

On May 11, a National Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonizations of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II concluded with a procession of hundreds of people from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. An honor guard of more than 100 Fourth Degree Knights led the procession, while Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, carried the relic of St. John Paul II. We express our gratitude to Cardinal Wuerl, through whose leadership the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated this site as a “national” shrine in time for the canonization ceremony in April.

This summer, work will be completed on the shrine’s 16,000square-foot exhibit, titled “A Gift of Love: The Life of St. John Paul II.” Here, pilgrims will walk in the footsteps of this courageous pope in a major exhibit that explores the events of his life and the themes of his papacy. St. John Paul II once said, “People try to understand me from the outside, but I can only be understood from within.” Our shrine has precisely this mission: to help pilgrims understand this great saint “from within.”

Soon construction will begin on the new “Redeemer of Man” chapel, which will be able to accommodate more than 500 pilgrims. It will be named after St. John Paul II’s first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis. The chapel will be adorned on four sides with beautiful mosaics created by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, who previously renovated the Holy Family Chapel at the Supreme Council headquarters in New Haven, Conn.

This past summer, we also made available the first-class relics of St. John Paul II for veneration in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. More than 20,000 pilgrims were able to seek St. John Paul II’s intercession during this relic tour. We take this opportunity to again express our appreciation to Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Charles Chaput and Archbishop William Lori for hosting these pilgrimage events in cooperation with the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.

At the canonization of St. John Paul II, Pope Francis said: “In his own service to the people of God, St. John Paul II was the pope of the family. He himself once said that he wanted to be remembered as the pope of the family. I am particularly happy to point this out as we are in the process of journeying with families toward the Synod on the Family. It is surely a journey which, from his place in heaven, he guides and sustains.”

As an organization dedicated to Catholic families, and following the example of Pope Francis, I would ask that brother Knights everywhere pray that St. John Paul II may guide the Synod on the Family, which will take place this [month].

One of the projects closest to the heart of this “pope of the family” was his establishment in 1981 of an international graduate school of theology dedicated to the study of marriage and family at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. It would

be named the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family after its founder. I had the privilege of teaching there as a visiting professor beginning in 1983 and of personally discussing with Pope John Paul II the work of the Institute on many occasions.

In 1988, the Knights of Columbus made possible the establishment of a session of the Institute in Washington, D.C. Now located in McGivney Hall at The Catholic University of America, approximately 500 students have graduated from the Institute and gone on to serve the Church in a variety of ministries and teaching vocations. Three of those students are now bishops in the United States.

Last March in Rome, we co-sponsored an international conference with the Institute, titled “John Paul II: The Pope of the Family.” It was held under the special patronage of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences.

Even as we give thanks for our Church’s newly canonized saints, we also pray for the beatification of our founder. I ask for your continued prayers in this regard. A possible miracle through Father McGivney’s intercession is under consideration at the Vatican, and our devotion to our beloved founder should prompt all Knights of Columbus to pray for his intercession and cause for canonization.

Father McGivney continues to capture the imagination not only of Knights, but of people everywhere. The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild continues to grow and now has 155,000 members.

A play about Father McGivney that was commissioned by the Supreme Council was published in July 2013. Written by Dominican Father Peter John Cameron, He Was Our Father was first performed at the 2005 Supreme Convention in Chicago, and then the following year in New York and New Haven.

Furthermore, our documentary on the life of Father McGivney, which has aired on PBS stations throughout the United States, is now available on DVD. And a little more than a month ago, the Vatican published a new Italian translation of Father McGivney’s biography — The New York Times bestseller Parish Priest by Douglas Brinkley and Julie Fenster.

The example of Father McGivney continues to inspire people around the world, precisely because his vision for Catholic families and his example as a parish priest remain so relevant. Father McGivney left us an example of living our faith every day. For this reason, the Knights of Columbus embraced the Year of Faith celebrated last year. More than 4,500 Knights and their family members participated in a Year of Faith pilgrimage to the Basilica of the of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on September 8, 2013.

Archbishop Lori of Baltimore presided over the pilgrimage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Knights Tower Carillon and to reconsecrate the Order to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Archbishop (now Cardinal) Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec, primate of Canada, concelebrated the Mass with our supreme chaplain and delivered a Marian reflection. The 329-foot Knights Tower was funded by a $1 million grant from the Order. Its 56-bell carillon was dedicated September 8, 1963.

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our jurisdictions, councils and assemblies have provided extraordinary levels of support to their local churches during the past year. True to our commitment to parish priests since the time of Father McGivney, Knights have stepped up to help with parish projects large and small, proving again and again that they are the strong right arm of the local parish.

Overall, Church donations from local and state councils totaled $48 million, of which $19.7 million went to church facilities, $6.3 million to Catholic schools, and $6.2 million to direct assistance for seminarians. Another $2 million went directly to seminaries.

We also continue to assist our council chaplains. Led by our supreme chaplain and assisted by DoLeft: Polish Knights and their families, who served as volunteers for the nearly 1,000 pilgrims who minican Father Jonathan Kalisch, our stayed at two of the Order’s five recreation facilities in Rome, hold up the flags of the Order and of support of council chaplains has never their homeland. been stronger. Father McGivney left us a model of cooperation between priests and the Knights of Columbus. pleased to support an initiative to refurbish the preeminent icon Our priests — especially our council chaplains — can help form of Our Lady in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Madonna del our vocation to charity and fraternity, and they can help identify Soccorso (Our Lady of Help). The painstaking project involved needs within the parish and community where our councils can extensive preliminary research and testing that allowed the rehelp. Working closely with our council chaplains, we can truly storers to reconstruct for the first time with scientific precision be the strong right arm of our parish priests. the centuries-long history of this poignant image.

At last year’s Supreme Convention in San Antonio, we inauMarian devotion has long been a hallmark of the Knights of gurated a new Marian Prayer Program featuring an image of Columbus. With members throughout North and Central Mary as the Immaculate Conception from the Cathedral-Basilica America, we have given a high priority to promoting St. John of Notre-Dame de Québec. Each state deputy was given a copy Paul II’s vision of a hemisphere united under the mantle of the of the image to bring to his home jurisdiction, where it has travBlessed Mother through her title, Our Lady of Guadalupe. eled among councils as the focus of prayer programs. To date, To help promote greater solidarity and the new evangelization 411,192 devotees have attended 2,255 services. among Catholics of this hemisphere, the Knights of Columbus This prayer program also coincides with the 350th anniversary co-sponsored a conference with the Vatican’s Commission for of Notre-Dame de Québec. During the combined state chaplain Latin America on the New Evangelization in America. Held and state deputy midyear meeting, held last November in November 2013 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Québec, the Order’s leadership made a pilgrimage to NotreMexico City, this meeting, titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Star Dame de Québec for the celebration of Mass with Archbishop of the New Evangelization on the American Continent,” Lacroix, on the threshold of the Jubilee Year. brought together hundreds of Catholics from around the hemiIn addition, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, the sphere — including nearly 80 bishops and cardinals from Québec State Council and Canadian Association teamed up to Canada, the United States and Mexico, as well as Central and underwrite the creation of the Holy Door that was installed in a South America. I was honored to be among speakers such as side chapel of the Cathedral-Basilica — the first Vatican-sancCardinals Seán O’Malley and Marc Ouellet, and Archbishop tioned Holy Door in North America. The massive bronze door Charles Chaput. bears the emblem of the Knights of Columbus in recognition of Shortly before that meeting, I also had the opportunity to adthe Order’s support for its creation. dress the Mexican Bishops Conference and to make a presentaThis has been a special year for the commemoration of the tion about the history of the Knights of Columbus in that nation evangelization of Canada, with this anniversary and also the canand the Order’s plans for future development in Mexico. onization of St. François de Laval and St. Marie of the IncarnaWhat we do at the national and international levels as Knights tion. Last spring, our board of directors made a special pilgrimage of Columbus is reflected at the local level as well. Throughout to pray at the tomb of St. André Bessette. And our Marian Prayer 42

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Roberto Fiorina

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Supreme Knight Anderson addressed the Mexican Bishops Conference in Mexico City Nov. 14, 2013. He spoke of the history of the Knights of Columbus in Mexico, the Order’s plans to further develop in Mexico in solidarity with the bishops, and the importance of the New Evangelization.

In a powerful witness of unity and faith, eight cardinals and more than 70 bishops from North, Central and South America, together with K of C leaders and some 250 invited guests from around the hemisphere, gathered in Mexico City Nov. 16-19, 2013, for a pilgrimage and meeting titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Star of the New Evangelization on the American Continent.” (Left) Cardinal Marc Ouellet, president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, delivers the opening address of the pilgrimage and meeting. (Right) Supreme Knight Carl Anderson delivers his keynote address.

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Program has helped carry forward their work of evangelization into parishes worldwide.

In addition to our programs of evangelization, we have also helped Catholics stay informed about important events. Last year we began sponsoring EWTN News Nightly. This new program provides in-depth coverage of the news of the day from a Catholic perspective. To keep up with what is really going on in the world around us, I encourage brother Knights, and all

Catholics, to tune into this excellent news show each evening.

Quality Catholic programming isn’t just important in the United States — it is important worldwide. For this reason, we’ve also continued our support for Salt and Light Television, bringing quality Catholic programming to Canada. We encourage councils in Canada and throughout the Order to promote Salt and Light Television’s new series The Church Alive on the new evangelization.

FAITHFUL C ITIZENSHIP In our role as faithful citizens, we need not compromise our values or our charity. For us, faithful citizenship means keeping faith with both. What we do, we do to help. And even if some people disagree with our positions on moral issues, let no one doubt that what we do is inspired by Christian concern and love of neighbor.

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis observed: “Religion [cannot] be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal and national life.”

Bringing key values into the public square can help make a real difference. Sixty years ago, the Knights of Columbus was successful in having the words “under God” added to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. This year, we successfully defended these words before the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

Now, someone might ask what this has to do with love of neighbor, and the answer is: everything. When we speak of the United States as a nation “under God,” we recall the Declaration of Independence and its principle that we are “endowed by our Creator” with “unalienable rights.”

Brother Knight John F. Kennedy recognized this same founding principle in his inaugural address when he said: “Our rights come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” As Pope Francis reminded us in his message for this year’s World Day of Peace on Jan. 1: “True brotherhood among people presupposes and demands a transcendent Fatherhood. Based on a recognition of this fatherhood, human fraternity is consolidated: each person becomes a ‘neighbor’ who cares for others.”

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Pope Francis also recently reminded us that religious freedom must mean the freedom to live out our faith on behalf of our neighbor. He said: “Religious freedom is not only that of private thought or worship. It is the liberty to live, both privately and publicly, according to the ethical principles resulting from found truth. This is a great challenge in the globalized world, where weak thought — which is like a disease — also lowers the general ethical level, and in the name of a false concept of tolerance, it ends in persecuting those who defend the truth about man and its ethical consequences.”

The Knights of Columbus again supported the Fortnight for Freedom campaign, which took as its theme this year: “Freedom to Serve.” Is it not natural for us, as an organization that each year donates millions of dollars and volunteer hours of service to our neighbors in need, to insist that the free exercise of religion remain free?

We are proud of the leadership of Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori, who has been a champion in defense of our first freedom as chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

One area that has become a flashpoint for religious liberty in the United States is the government’s so-called HHS contraceptive mandate. This mandate requires even religious employers to provide not only contraceptives and sterilization procedures, but also abortion-inducing drugs and devices.

The government has offered what it calls an accommodation for religious organizations. The government now says that religious organizations need not worry, because the govern-

OPPOSITE PAGE: Thomas Serafin

Our vocation to fraternity takes many forms. We are called to charity, to unity, and we are called to our patriotic duty. As it was in the time of Father McGivney, the best citizenship is faithful citizenship.

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John Whitman

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, continuing to serve as chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, has been a champion in defense of our first freedom.

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Clockwise from top: Hundreds pack the streets with K of C pro-life signs during a pro-life march organized by Santo Domingo de Guzmán Council 14383 in Yauco, Puerto Rico. The march was held under the theme “Seamos la Voz de los que No Tienen Voz” (“Let’s Be the Voice of Those Who Have No Voice”). • Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella addresses attendees at Canada’s National March for Life in Ottawa May 8. • Young people holding Knights of Columbus “Defend Life” signs gather for the 40th March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: John Whitman — OTTAWA: Jake Wright

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ment will require health care plans to provide these items at no charge.

However, anyone who provides health care coverage for their employees knows that the cost of a company’s plan is negotiated annually with the health plan provider. The cost of a plan is flexible, based upon the range of services offered and the extent to which they are used. Each year health insurance premiums increase, but somehow the government is insisting that when a health insurer is forced to provide more services, the costs somehow won’t be passed on to us when our rates go up the following year.

And if we agree today that abortifacient drugs and devices are morally acceptable because they are provided for free, then what will we say should the government insist tomorrow that abortion also be provided?

Of course, our bishops were right when they unanimously said that the government’s “accommodation” is morally unacceptable.

Others have said it is nothing more than a sleight of hand.

The United States Supreme Court rejected the government’s arguments for the HHS mandate in its Hobby Lobby decision earlier this summer. And we are hopeful that it will do so again to protect the religious liberties of entities such as the Little Sisters of the Poor.

In 1993, St. John Paul II came to the United States to celebrate World Youth Day in Denver’s Mile High Stadium. During his visit he said: “Do not stifle your conscience! Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a person. Only by listening to the voice of God will you obtain the freedom you yearn for.”

And so, my brother Knights, what are we to say today? Are we to say that this is no longer true in America? Do we say that in our country the government has become the final arbiter of conscience? That the voice of government must always have the last word?

Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archive

C ULTURE

June marked the 60th anniversary of the addition of “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. The Knights of Columbus, which played a pivotal role in adding those two words, continues to defend and preserve them against legal challenges.

Some may be tempted to think that this is only a Catholic issue. In reality, this issue reaches far beyond one religious group.

Should any of you visit Washington, D.C., in the near future, I would ask you to visit the Jefferson Memorial. There you will read the words of one of our greatest presidents: “I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”

Then ask yourself, “What would Mr. Jefferson think about all this?”

It has been said that in such national policy debates our real choice is not between left and right, but between up and down. Is not our choice today to choose to move up to a society that respects conscience, to a culture that defends life and to a civilization based on the principle of love of neighbor? Or else to choose to move down to where government has ever greater power to control how we must act and what we must think?

OF

L IFE

Today, faithful citizenship demands that we defend the truth about man. It is a truth that we have received not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. St. John Paul II taught us that only a civilization of love is worthy of human dignity and the truth about the human person. Building a civilization of love is the goal toward which our fraternal love of neighbor leads us.

At the center of the civilization of love is the culture of life.

Each is inseparable from the other because each calls us to

value and accept every human life.

Some in politics seem obsessed with publically opposing our Church’s teaching on human life. But we must differ with them. Our position is that every child should be loved, every child should be respected, and every child should be helped.

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The cold child in need of a coat, the hungry child in need of food, the poor child in need of education, and the unborn child waiting to be born. All are on the margins of society, and all deserve to be supported and protected.

In good conscience we cannot abandon some and help others. We will help all that we can.

While some politicians try to divide the American people on social issues, we seek to overcome division, to bring people together and to help everyone. Even on abortion, an issue often considered the most divisive, our polling has found great unity among Americans. Our recent Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll revealed that, more than four decades after the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, the vast majority of Americans do not accept abortion on demand. Eighty-four percent of Americans would limit abortion to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy, and so would nearly 6 in 10 Americans who identify themselves as strongly pro-choice.

A majority of Americans believe life begins at conception, and more than 6 in 10 think abortion is morally wrong. And, perhaps most importantly, more than 8 in 10 Americans say that laws can protect both the well-being of a woman and the life of her unborn child.

This principle is the basis of our Ultrasound Initiative,

which I am pleased to report continues to grow. The Knights of Columbus has donated nearly 500 ultrasound machines to pregnancy resource centers in Canada, Jamaica and all 50 of the United States. Each of these machines can save hundreds and even thousands of lives.

Knights in Texas and Missouri are leading the way, with 39 and 33 ultrasound machines, respectively, followed by California with 30, and Michigan and Florida with 29 each.

By providing ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers, the Knights of Columbus is helping turn the tide in favor of life by saving one child at a time.

Another way we are helping to promote life is through our support of marches for life around the globe. The annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., the largest human rights demonstration in the world, this year saw hundreds of thousands brave record low temperatures to make their voices heard.

In Canada, we support the March for Life in Ottawa, and brother Knights are active in marches for life throughout the Philippines, as well as in Mexico and Poland.

What continues to be remarkable about these demonstrations is that the overwhelming majority of participants are young — and getting younger each year.

In all, we supported the cause of life last year with more than $10.5 million to pro-life projects.

C ONCLUSION My brother Knights, at no time in the history of this continent has so much good been done by a single Catholic fraternity. But what we have accomplished in the past must be the prologue to future action.

So let us resolve to continue the great work which Father McGivney began, to live our vocation to fraternity as did he: with malice toward none and charity toward all. Let us continue to bind up the wounds of those who are suffering, to do right as God gives us to see the right.

Let us continue our dedication to our principles of charity,

OFFICIAL OCT. 1, 2014: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

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unity, fraternity and patriotism with the quiet strength and determination for which we have become known, so that by our example and through our service the world may better know the truth spoken by Pope Francis — that fraternity is truly the foundation and the pathway to peace.

Vivat Jesus!

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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.

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A young pet owner holds her dog and the dog’s medical card at a vaccination event co-hosted by Banal Na Sakramento Council 8753 in Quezon City, Luzon, and the Catholic Women’s League. Knights offered vaccinations to parishioners who brought their dogs to the event.

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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

‘THE HAPPINESS THAT I EXPERIENCE AS A PRIEST ASTOUNDS ME.’

FATHER SCOTT S. HOLMER Associate Pastor, Sacred Heart Church La Plata, Md.

Photo by Irving Harris

My vocation to the priesthood began when I met Jesuit Father Thomas King while studying at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. One day, I summoned the courage to talk with him after class, and he immediately invited me to attend his 11:15 p.m. weeknight Masses. In the middle of the night, in the middle of campus, Father King celebrated Mass by candlelight in Dahlgren Chapel. It was his love for the Eucharist that first made me contemplate becoming a priest.

As my faith deepened, I joined the Knights of Columbus. Father King even invited me to consider a call to the priesthood. Popular culture, however, told me that the priesthood was a lonely life. Out of fear, I delayed entering seminary for six years.

Today, those struggles feel like a distant dream. The happiness that I experience as a priest astounds me. We all want lives that are real, deep, authentic and joyful. The only thing that stands in our way is fear. If Jesus is calling you to the priesthood, have no fear — you will find joy.