Columbia September 2016

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K N IG H T S O F C O LU M BU S

S EPTEMBER 2016

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A BROTHER K NIGHT CAN CHOOSE NO BETTER COMPANY FOR THE PROTECTION OF HIS FAMILY. I N CHOOSING K NIGHTS OF C OLUMBUS I NSURANCE , HE 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 C HURCH AND COMMUNITY. — SUPREME K NIGHT C ARL A. A NDERSON

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SePTember 2016 ♦ VoLume 96 ♦ Number 9

COLUMBIA F E AT U R E S

A Joyful Witness to Mercy

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A new book presents how Mother Teresa of Calcutta put the corporal and spiritual works of mercy into practice.

BY FATHER BRIAN KOLODIEJCHUK, M.C.

14 Korea and the Church of Martyrs Planted by laymen and cultivated by martyrs, Catholicism in Korea blossomed amid violent persecution.

BY ALEX JENSEN

18 America’s Pro-Life Consensus New K of C-Marist poll shows that most Americans — including those who identify as “pro-choice” — favor greater abortion restrictions.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

22 Caritas and Compassion An interview with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle about the Church’s mission of charity in the world today.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), canonized in Rome Sept. 4, established the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 to serve the destitute and dying in the slums of Calcutta, India. The order now lives its mission of “wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor” on six continents.

D E PA RT M E N T S

Photo by Dick Loek/Toronto Star via Getty Images

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Building a better world Catholics are called to create a culture that prioritizes and protects the most innocent among us.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Knights of Columbus News Pope Francis welcomed to K of Csponsored World Youth Day site

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Learning the faith, living the faith

26 Knights in Action

Our own small decisions and especially the way we form our families have a profound impact on others.

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

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Mother Teresa’s Little Way IN 1992, the Supreme Council chose Mother Teresa of Calcutta as the first recipient of the Knights of Columbus Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope) Award, which remains the highest honor that the Order bestows. Named after the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, it is just one of many prestigious awards received by the diminutive sister, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Nonetheless, Mother Teresa did not seek recognition for her service to “the poorest of the poor,” and accepted such awards only so that the work of her order, the Missionaries of Charity, could grow.

The presentation of the award — a specially struck gold medal and a $100,000 stipend — took place before the States Dinner during the Supreme Convention in New York. Afterward, since Mother Teresa did not attend banquets, then-Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant escorted Mother to her car. She said to him, “If you don’t mind, I will have this medal melted down,” and expressed her desire to make wedding bands for the orphaned girls whom the Missionaries of Charities serve. When Dechant suggested the Knights could purchase rings to be used as the girls’ wedding dowries instead, Mother Teresa replied, “No. If I accept that, then they are your gift. If I melt down the medal, I have given them a part of me.”

Although some of Mother Teresa’s sisters later hid the medal to preserve it in the archives, this story helps to illustrate Mother Teresa’s humility, simplicity and love. Such characteristics, shown through-

out her life in words and actions, reflected the spirituality of her namesake, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910, Mother Teresa was inspired by St. Thérèse and her “Little Way,” and asked to be named after the saint when taking her first religious vows as a Sister of Loreto in 1931. Later, in founding the Missionaries of Charity and serving the destitute with simple acts of great love, Mother Teresa lived out St. Thérèse’s charism in a remarkable way.

Mother Teresa’s words also reflected the spirituality of the Little Way. For example, in her remarks to employees at the Knights of Columbus headquarters in 1988, she said, “Now I ask you, when you are free, not to necessarily come to one of my houses but one of the many other places where you can share the joy of loving — especially first in your own family. … Let love begin at home.” In that same speech, she said, “Abortion today has become the greatest destroyer of love and of peace.”

For Mother Teresa, the Gospel message was not complex. She understood the mandate to love God and to love neighbor — and to be holy — as the simple duties of every Christian. On World Mission Sunday in 1997, just weeks after Mother Teresa’s death, Pope John Paul II declared St. Thérèse of Lisieux a doctor of the Church. Now, with the Sept. 4 canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, we celebrate the sainthood of one of St. Thérèse’s most faithful students.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Featured Book: A Call to Mercy A NEW BOOK titled A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve (Image, August 2016, ISBN 978-0451498205), edited by Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, features never before published material by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, together with testimonies of those closest to her. Coinciding with the Holy Year of Mercy and Mother Teresa’s Sept. 4 canonization, the book focuses on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

For more information, including excerpts, see page 8.♦ 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

SEPTEMBER 2016

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

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

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Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER The official canonization portrait of Mother Teresa titled “St. Teresa of Calcutta: Carrier of God’s Love” was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus as a gift for the Missionaries of Charity.

COVER: Painting by Chas Fagan, copyright Mother Teresa Center / Photo by David Ramsey

E D I TO R I A L

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Mother Teresa and the Transformation of Politics Catholics are called to create a culture that prioritizes and protects the most innocent among us

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson MOTHER TERESA knew poverty She then said, “God has given your inside and out. Having devoted her country so much. Do not be afraid of life to those living on the streets in the child now. Do not turn your back Calcutta, India — and around the to the little unborn child. Stand by that world — she daily ministered to those innocent one. My prayer for you and child, murder by the mother herself. most would consider the poorest for your whole country is that we may And if we accept that a mother can kill people on earth. realize the greatness of God’s love for us even her own child, how can we tell The poor were her passion and her and, with that love, protect the unborn other people not to kill one another?” life’s work. No one was more identified child, the greatest gift of God for each She added, “Any country that accepts with the destitute than she was. So of us and for the world.” abortion is not teaching its people to when she spoke to the Harvard graduSuch language conveyed a consistent love, but to use any violence to get what ates of 1982, they were well within theme of hers. In 1979, upon receiving they want.” their rights to expect her to By the time this issue of speak of the poor — of a Columbia reaches homes, poverty most of them could Mother Teresa will have been Mother Teresa saw abortion as not even imagine. honored with the title we the greatest poverty and as the She did speak that day of knew she deserved even while poverty, but it was not the she was alive: the title of saint. cause of other social problems, poverty of a faraway place.

Many consider her the patron Mother Teresa explained of the poor, for such she alincluding violence. that the poorest of the poor ways was. Many also point to weren’t in the slums of India; the obvious similarities bethey were our neighbors right here in the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa tween her love for the abandoned and America. Calling abortion “one of the said, “To me, the nations who have le- that of Pope Francis. greatest poverties,” the humble saint galized abortion, they are the poorest But it would be an incomplete added: “A nation, people, family that nations. They are afraid of the little one, analysis of either Mother Teresa or the allows that, that accepts that, they are they are afraid of the unborn child, and pope who canonized her if we overthe poorest of the poor.” the child must die because they don’t looked how fundamental the plight of Those who knew her were not want to feed one more child, to educate the unborn is to their broader discussurprised. one more child.” sion of poverty, marginalization and The previous year, I had the privilege Concern for unborn life was part of human dignity. of spending an entire day with Mother — indeed central to — her concern for Indeed, Pope Francis has said things Teresa in Washington, D.C. There, she the poor and the marginalized. that easily could have been said by the had spoken movingly about her work In 1994, at the National Prayer Break- woman he has raised to the honor of the in Calcutta and especially about help- fast, attended by congressional leaders of altars. For instance, in a 2014 address he ing the unborn. She related “a very bad both parties and by President and Mrs. said, “It is therefore necessary to express case,” when one of her sisters found Clinton, Mother Teresa made a direct the strongest possible opposition to eight babies that had survived abortion plea to the American people: “I feel that every direct attack on life, especially in a bucket outside a clinic. She said the greatest destroyer of peace today is against the innocent and defenseless, and she was able to save six and find loving abortion, because it is a war against the the unborn in the mother’s womb is the homes for them. child, a direct killing of the innocent example of innocence par excellence.”

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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Mother Teresa of Calcutta is pictured with Carl Anderson in 1981.

And while some argue that societal ills, such as poverty, cause abortion, Mother Teresa saw abortion as the greatest poverty and as the cause of other social problems, including violence.

I have called for withholding our votes from pro-abortion candidates of any party. In prioritizing the many issues in the United States this election season, I suggest we follow Mother Teresa and place abortion above every other consideration. It merits such priority — both as the unparalleled killing of 50 million innocents in this country, and as what Mother Teresa called the “greatest poverty” and the “greatest destroyer of peace.”

Consistent with Catholic thought on the issue, during my annual report to last month’s Supreme Convention I said that I felt called as a matter of conscience to repeat what I had stated to delegates eight years ago when the Supreme Convention met in Québec City.

Once again we meet during a presidential election campaign in the United States and once again we face the question: “How should

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Catholics exercise their responsibilities as citizens?”

Catholics often confront a dilemma in deciding how to vote: Can we support a candidate who may be attractive for many reasons but who supports abortion? Some partisan advocates have sought to excuse support for pro-abortion candidates through a complex balancing act.

They claim other issues are important enough to offset a candidate’s support for abortion. But the right to abortion is not just another political issue; it is in reality a legal regime that has resulted in more than 40 million deaths.

Imagine for a moment the largest 25 cities in the United States and Canada suddenly empty of people. This is what the loss of 40 million human beings would look like.

In fact, 40 million is greater than the entire population of Canada. What political issue could possibly outweigh this human devastation?

The answer, of course, is that there is none.

Abortion is different. Abortion is the killing of the innocent on a massive scale. We need to end the political manipulation of Catholic voters by abortion advocates.

It is time to end the entanglement of Catholic people with abortion killing. It is time to stop creating excuses for voting for pro-abortion politicians.

We will never succeed in building a culture of life if we continue to vote for politicians who support a culture of death. Catholic voters have the power to transform our politics.

We could start by heeding the words that St. Mother Teresa spoke while receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979: “And so today, let us here make a strong resolution: We are going to save every little child, every unborn child, give them a chance to be born. … Let us all pray that we have the courage to stand by the unborn child, and give the child an opportunity to love and to be loved, and I think with God’s grace we will be able to bring peace in the world.”

Vivat Jesus!

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

Pope Francis welcomed to K of C-sponsored World Youth Day site IN HIS LAST public visit before leaving Poland, Pope Francis met with 12,000 World Youth Day volunteers at the Knights of Columbus-sponsored Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków on Sunday, July 31.

Many of the volunteers had been working for months to plan World Youth Day, which drew hundreds of thousands of young people to Kraków.

From July 26-30, Knights of Columbus staff and volunteers welcomed tens of thousands of pilgrims to an international English-language catechetical and youth festival site at Tauron Arena Kraków, one of the largest entertainment and sports venues in Poland.

Known during World Youth Day as the K of C-sponsored Mercy Centre, the arena hosted an inspirational program of events, including liturgical celebrations, catechetical sessions, musical performances, talks and testimonies, in addition to exhibits and other opportunities for prayer and discussion.

Joining the Knights of Columbus as co-sponsors of the Mercy Centre were the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., and the Sisters of Life. Also partnering with the Knights were Salt + Light Television, Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Dominican Liturgical Institute, the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and the National Council of Diocesan Vocations Directors (NCDVD).

As many as 3 million people attended World Youth Day’s closing Mass with Pope Francis at Campus Misericordiae (Field of Mercy) in Brzegi, outside of Kraków, July 31.

The pope visited the Mercy Centre later that afternoon, accompanied by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków and Auxiliary Bishop Damian Muskus, O.F.M., the coordinator-general of WYD Kraków. He

Against the backdrop of the Knights of Columbus emblem, Pope Francis approaches the Mercy Centre’s main stage, accompanied by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków. was privately greeted and welcomed

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore upon his arrival.

Addressing the WYD volunteers in spontaneous remarks, Pope Francis said, “Preparing the World Youth Day is an adventure, a real adventure. I wish to thank all you volunteers for all you’ve done, for those hours you sacrificed for prayer.”

“Do you want to be the hope for the future?” he asked. “Well, there’s no need to pay an entry fee — you just have to meet some conditions. The first is to preserve your memory: of your people, your family and where you come from, the memory of your journey and what you received from those closest to you.”

The pope added, “But the second condition for the future of hope, aside from memory of the past, is to have courage.”

Among those who volunteered for World Youth Day were members of the Knights of Columbus in Poland, as well as a group of 30 Knights representing colleges and seminaries throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the days leading up to the event, the college Knights, together with Sisters of Life, went on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. John Paul II. Look for extended coverage of World Youth Day in the November issue of Columbia. For more information, as well as photos and videos of the Mercy Centre events, visit wydenglishsite.org.♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

Healthy Families, Healthy Society Our own small decisions and especially the way we form our families have a profound impact on others

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori GROWING UP, I would sometimes to do with the common good of any sothrow stones into a nearby pond and ciety we are a part of. watch the ripples. Whenever a stone At times, though, some people do not hit the water, a series of rings radiated stop to consider the broader impact of from the point of contact. The ripples their lives; others do not care, because requires respect for the dignity, rights flowed outward from the center, ring they are focused only on what they see and freedoms of the human person. after ring. as their personal fulfillment in terms of There also has to be a concern on the This widely observable phenomenon money, power and pleasure. When chal- part of all to see to the well-being and helps us understand the wide-ranging lenged about the consequences of their development of others, including acimpact of decisions. Newly enacted decisions, they may say, “It’s none of cess to the necessities of life and a good laws, for example, often have far-reach- your business!” or “What’s the problem? education. Lastly, the common good ing consequences unintended by those What difference does it make?” requires that society be just, stable and who crafted the legislation. In secure (cf. Catechism of the our own lives, when we give Catholic Church, 1906-1909). good example, our actions have The greatest contributor to the a positive “ripple effect” on othONE FAMILY AT A TIME ers, including people we may common good is the family. Indeed, So, how does our society measure not even know. Conversely, the family is the glue that holds our up? The answer to that question when we behave scandalously, hinges on answers to questions our behavior can tear down the like these: Does the culture value culture and our society together. faith and undermine the virtue life itself? Are fundamental freeof others. Our personal lives, doms protected? Do conditions even our private thoughts, attitudes and Today, many people aren’t sure what favor the search for truth and openness decisions, can have an impact on those to make of the phrase “the common to God? Can individuals develop their closest to us — family members, friends good.” For some, sadly, it is a foreign talents and lead a productive life that and co-workers — but also on the com- term. Others think that the idea of the contributes to the overall good of socimon good of our communities, our common good has outlived its useful- ety? Do individuals have access to life’s countries and even the world. ness. They fear that too much emphasis necessities, such as housing and health on the common good will spell the loss care? Is there concern for the poor, the WORKING FOR of personal freedom and autonomy. stranger and the outcast? And what is THE COMMON GOOD However, the common good is not the state of the family in society?

History and experience suggest that our the enemy of legitimate autonomy; it These are important questions, and private thoughts, attitudes and deci- is in fact very much connected to the some societies answer them better sions are like rivulets, very small streams good of individuals. The Church’s so- than others. Each of us should ask that come together to form the flowing cial teaching speaks of the common how well they are answered in our own river that we call a society. The good- good as “the sum total of social condi- communities. ness of that massive river will depend tions which allow people, either as Many institutions contribute to the on the goodness of the little streams groups or as individuals, to reach their common good of society. We naturally that flow into it. Thus the truth and fulfillment more fully and more eas- think of churches, schools, hospitals goodness of our personal lives have a lot ily.” Bringing about such conditions and social service agencies. Yet the 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

greatest contributor to the common good is the family, in which children are brought into the world by the faithful and lasting love of a man and a woman.

In a loving and stable home, built on faith and virtue, parents model for their children how to love, how to seek the truth, how to be considerate and forgiving, how to work together, how to grow in virtue and the right use of freedom, and how to be generous to those in need. In such homes, young people have the greatest opportunity to become those men and women God is calling them to be.

HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — BLESSED OZANAM: Courtesy of the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul, Paris

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis UNIVERSAL: That each may contribute to the common good and to the building of a society that places the human person at the center.

EVANGELIZATION: That by participating in the sacraments and meditating on Scripture, Christians may become more aware of their mission to evangelize.

Indeed, the family is the glue that holds our culture and our society together. It’s where patriots, public servants, social workers, teachers, scientists, skilled workers and ethical businesspersons come from. It’s where future priests, sisters and spouses are first formed. It’s where young people first acquire the knowledge and skill needed for a happy and productive life. It’s also where young people learn how to handle disagreements, disappointment and even tragedy. It is the first and indispensable school of love, and when a majority of its citizens are deprived of it,

society itself becomes chaotic and angry.

The more good families a society has, the better suited it will be to help all its citizens attain their potential.

This is how a civilization of truth and love is created: one family at a time.

The Knights of Columbus’ Building the Domestic Church While Strengthening Our Parish initiative is well suited not only to help strengthen parishes, but also to contribute to the development of all. If this program is wisely and vigorously implemented, it has the potential to create powerful ripples in our society.♦

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

Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813-1853) THE FIFTH of 14 children, Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was born April 23, 1813, in Milan, Italy. When he was 2, his Catholic family moved to Lyon, France, where his father practiced medicine and often treated patients without charge, while his mother aided poor families.

Eleven of Ozanam’s siblings did not survive to adulthood, and at age 16 he overcame a crisis of faith with the support of his philosophy teacher, Father Noirot. “From then on, I believed with an assured faith,” Ozanam later wrote, “and I promised God to devote my life to the service of the truth.”

In 1831, following his father’s wishes, he enrolled to study law at the Sorbonne in Paris. As rampant poverty beset the city, which faced a cholera epidemic in 1832, religious skepticism thrived. Ozanam spoke and wrote in defense of the Church, and, challenged by critics of the faith to show its relevance, he co-founded a “Conference of Charity” in 1833.

Later named the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and dedicated to serving the concrete needs of the poor, the society soon expanded internationally.

A man of thought as well as action, Ozanam earned a doctorate in law (1836) and later in literature (1839), with a groundbreaking thesis on the Italian poet Dante. After a law professorship in Lyon, he taught literature at the Sorbonne. In 1841, he married Amélie Soulacroix; four years later they had a daughter, Marie.

Ozanam was acutely aware that charity and justice go hand in hand, and his Christian social doctrine was echoed in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum. He died Sept. 8, 1853, at the age of 40, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997 at World Youth Day in Paris.♦

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A Joyful Witness to Mercy A new book presents how Mother Teresa of Calcutta put the corporal and spiritual works of mercy into practice

by Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk | introduction by Columbia staff

O

n Sept. 4, Pope Francis canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), the Albanian founder of the Missionaries of Charity religious order dedicated to giving wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor.

To coincide with the canonization celebration, which Pope Francis wished to take place during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator of the cause for canonization of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, recently published a book titled A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve (Image, 2016).

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Misericordiae Vultus, the declaration that opened the Year of Mercy, “to rediscover these corporal works of mercy” and not to “forget the spiritual works of mercy” (MV, 15).

In 14 chapters, each focused on one of these works of mercy, Father Kolodiejchuk provides a brief introduction, followed by a selection of quotes from Mother Teresa’s writings. There is also a selection of testimony given by her close collaborators and friends, followed by questions for reflection and a prayer.

The excerpts below are drawn from Father Kolodiejchuk’s introductions and Mother Teresa’s own reflections on three of the works mercy, each followed by testimonies.

Photo by Calogero Cascio/Getty Images

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FEED THE HUNGRY Mother Teresa is known not for setting up great programs that resolve world hunger (worthy and necessary as they are) but for “feeding the hungry,” one by one, one at a time. Yet in doing so she made a great difference first in the lives of these individuals, and ultimately in the world.

There is another type of hunger that Mother Teresa began to speak of, especially after opening her houses in the West.

She often repeated that people are “not only hungry for bread but hungry for love.” Though suffering from this need is not commonly referred to as poverty, she realized that this type of

poverty was “so much more difficult to remove.” Thus it was also this “hunger for love” that she wanted to alleviate. …

Finally, Mother Teresa found another type of hunger, in countries both poor and rich, among people of all classes and religious backgrounds. “People are hungry for God,” she used to say. This reality of “spiritual hunger,” which she experienced deeply and encountered wherever she went, she addressed in a simple and timely manner. She wanted to be “God’s love, his compassion, his presence” wherever she went, so that people looking at her might come to know the God whom she wished to reflect.

Excerpts adapted from A CALL TO MERCY: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve Copyright © 2016 by The Mother Teresa Center.

Foreword by Brian Kolodiejchuk. Published by Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

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Mother Teresa serves food to the poor in Calcutta, India, in October 1979.

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These are beautiful examples of the hunger I see in these people, the poorest of the poor, the ignorant and unwanted, the unloved, the rejected, and the forgotten. They are hungry for God. This is something you priests must meet continually; not only a hunger in people suffering physically, but also a great hunger in people suffering spiritually and emotionally — people suffering in their hearts and souls, especially young people. (Speech in Rome, undated) TESTIMONIES Sister Agnes and I went with Mother to Oslo and witnessed her Nobel Prize speech. … Through all the ceremony and applause, Mother sat there quietly as if it was all for someone else. … The banquet that usually followed had been canceled at Mother’s request, and the expense of the dinner was given to Mother as a gift for the poor. … “I am myself unworthy of the prize. I do not want it, personally. But by this award the Norwegian people have recognized the existence of the poor. It is on their behalf that I have come.” (Testimony of an MC sister) The way she fed people in the home for the dying was so edifying and so exemplary that she clearly did not treat them like recipients of her mercy, but rather she approached them with due dignity, love and tender care. … She used to say that just as the priest handles the Body of Christ at the altar, so we who receive the Body of Jesus so respectfully, must also treat the broken bodies of the poor with the same respect and reverence. (Testimony of a member of the Missionaries of Charity Contemplative Brothers, who had frequent personal contact with Mother Teresa)

Photo by Jean-Claude Francolon/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

MOTHER TERESA’S WORDS The other day I picked up a child in Calcutta. From her dark eyes I saw she was hungry. And I gave her some bread and she was eating crumb by crumb. I told her, “Eat the bread, you are hungry.” I asked her why she eats so slowly. She replied: “I am afraid to eat faster. When I finish this piece, soon I will be hungry again.”

I told her: “Eat faster then I will give you more.” That small child already knows the pain of hunger. “I am afraid.” See — we don’t know. As you can see we do not know what hunger is. We do not know how it is to feel pain because of hunger.

I have seen small children dying for [lack of ] a cup of milk. I have seen mothers in awful pain because children were dying in their own hands out of hunger. Don’t forget! I am not asking for money. I want you to give of your sacrifice. I want you to sacrifice something you like, something you would like to have for yourself. (Speech in Zagreb, Croatia, April 1978) Another time I was walking through the streets of London in a poor area where our sisters also work. I saw a man in a truly terrible condition sitting there looking so sad and alone.

So I walked up to him and took him by the hand and asked him how he was. When I did this he looked up at me and said, “Oh, after such a long time, I feel the warmth of a human hand. After such a long time, someone is touching me.” And then his eyes brightened, and he started to sit up straight. Such a tiny attention had brought Jesus into his life.

He had been waiting so long for a show of human love, but it was actually a show of God’s love.

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GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY This act of mercy had a special resonance in Mother Teresa’s life. Jesus’s words from the cross — “I thirst” (Jn 19:28) — succinctly summed up her call to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the cross for love and souls. …

Always attentive to the needs of the poor, especially their basic physical needs, Mother Teresa took practical and necessary steps to help them. Supplying drinking water with the help of civic authorities or charitable associations wherever there was a shortage was one of her many efforts among the poor. …

Following Mother Teresa’s example, we are challenged to recognize the thirsty around us, and to do all in our power to satiate their thirst, endeavoring like her to give drink to those who thirst for water but “not only for water, but for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love.”

Photo by Charles Johnson

MOTHER TERESA’S WORDS When Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried, “I thirst.” [We are] to quench the thirst of Jesus for souls, for love, for kindness, for compassion, for delicate love. By each action done to the sick and the dying, I quench the thirst of Jesus for love of that person. (Instructions to the MC sisters, Sept. 29, 1977) I have seen terrible bodily suffering, terrible, and to see those people in Ethiopia, just when you open the gate in the morning, they’re just in front of our gate, just gasping for a glass of water; they have not touched food; they come all the way just to get a little bit of tender love and care and some food. (Undated speech) [Jesus] is saying: “I am hungry. I am thirsty. I have no place.

I have nobody. You did it unto me.” I am always saying that we are not social workers, but contemplatives in the heart of the world. In the heart of the world we are feeding Jesus who is hungry. We are giving the water of mercy and joy to our people, to Jesus. (Speech in Zagreb, Croatia, April 1978) TESTIMONY Sister called Mother [from Ethiopia] and informed her of what she had seen. Mother said in anguish, “Sister, do something before they die.” Sister said, “Mother we need food, medicine, clothing, and most of all water.” Mother said, “I will call you back.” … Mother [phoned] President [Ronald Reagan]: “I had a call from Ethiopia just now saying thousands are dying of hunger and thirst. Please do something. They need food, water, clothing and medicines.” The president was moved and said to Mother that he would call her back.

Within a day the USA was involved, and through CRS (Catholic Relief Services) [large] amounts of food were arranged for the MCs in Ethiopia. … Mother reached Ethiopia with four sisters. … She met a pop singer in the airport. He [greeted] Mother and exclaimed, “Ethiopia is an open hell.” Mother looked into his eyes and said, “Ethiopia is an open Calvary, not an open hell. You and I can do our little part and then life will be saved.” …

She saw hundreds of dying skeleton patients…. She took a bucket of water and went around giving it to them to drink.

THE CANONIZATION PORTRAIT

Artist Chas Fagan completes the portrait in his Charlotte, N.C., studio.

THE OFFICIAL canonization image of Mother Teresa of Calcutta originated in January 2016 when Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson approached Chas Fagan, an acclaimed painter and sculptor based in Charlotte, N.C., to commission a painting of Mother Teresa as a gift for the Missionaries of Charity.

Fagan knew it would be difficult to paint such a recognizable face. “The challenge,” he said, “would be not just satisfying the accuracy of a likeness, but satisfying everyone’s memory and love.”

Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of Mother Teresa’s cause for canonization, was also in conversations with the Knights about the possibility of using the new portrait as the official canonization image. As he and others provided input about the painting, Fagan’s challenge began to look like an impossible task.

“There was a long list of requirements, and we thought, ‘Whoa, we’re being really demanding!’” Father Kolodiejchuk quipped. “We wanted to show someone joyful; serious but not too serious; not too young, not too old; also prayerful and conveying holiness — good luck! Maybe more like good providence!”

In collaboration with renowned photographer Michael Collopy, Fagan selected source images and proceeded to make a series of pencil sketches for consideration.

The completed painting, titled St. Teresa of Calcutta: Carrier of God’s Love, was very well received by the Missionaries of Charity and the Knights. The Supreme Council printed reproductions to be given to every Missionaries of Charity convent and the poor they serve, as well as 1 million holy cards featuring the image for free distribution at the canonization Mass.♦ SEPTEMBER 2016

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During his apostolic pilgrimage to India, Pope John Paul II visits with Mother Teresa at Nirmal Hriday in Calcutta Feb. 3, 1986. giving was that she was aware of her own sinfulness and need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. She also knew that she could be hurting others unintentionally, and that she would be happy to receive forgiveness. ...

“Be the first one to say sorry,” she would advise her sisters, being herself usually the one to take the first steps toward reconciliation, even when she was the one who had been wronged. … “Have the love to forgive and the humility to forget” was her advice when anyone was faced with any offense. There are hurts that one might not be able to literally forget, but the desire to “forget” was the expression of her desire to “wipe it out” from her mind, leaving the rest to God.

With a big smile she said to the sisters, “You are privileged because you are quenching the thirst of Jesus in the poor.”

(Testimony of an MC sister) FORGIVE OFFENSES WILLINGLY Mother Teresa’s capacity to forgive was one of her qualities that impressed even those who did not share her religious convictions. … One of the principal reasons that she was so for-

MOTHER TERESA’S WORDS Even on the cross he has nothing to say but words of forgiveness, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). The Passion of Christ is the surest proof of the humility of God. (Instruction to MC sisters, April 15, 1981) Suffering makes it important, first of all, that we pray. Because we need courage to forgive. And to be able to forgive we need lots of love in our hearts. Forgive! And also we must know that we need to be forgiven. And for that we need a humble heart. So humility and love will help us to forgive each other; and instead of hurting each other we will begin to love each other and to see what is beautiful in each other. Every one of us has something beautiful. If we only take the trouble to see it, we will be able to love that person — even that person who hurts us most. (Address in Nagasaki, April 26, 1982)

BEGINNING IN 1970s, the Knights of Columbus has shared in both large and small ways in Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s apostolate of charity. While the founder of the Missionaries of Charity willingly accepted — and even requested — financial assistance for various concrete missionary needs, she also challenged Knights to give hands-on service to poorest of the poor.

In 1987, after the K of C Board of Directors voted to donate $10,000 a month to her congregation, Mother Teresa returned these checks, explaining that it would make her sisters too dependent on regular support rather than depending on the providence of God. 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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“Send us your Knights and their families,” she told then-Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant. “Let them help us with the soup kitchens and our work with the poorest of the poor.” From these words was born Operation Share, an Orderwide program to collaborate with Missionaries of Charity at soup kitchens and other apostolates.

In 1988, Mother Teresa turned to the Order for assistance in printing the congregation’s constitutions. Insisting that she personally deliver the constitutions to the printing plant in New Haven, Conn., Mother Teresa gave a surprise speech to nearly 600 K of C employees June 16.

The Supreme Council subsequently printed and shipped numerous copies of the Missionaries of Charity’s prayer book and hymnal, prayer cards, and volumes of Mother Teresa’s letters and instructions to her congregation. In addition, the Order provided support for vocations and missionary activity for the congregation around the world.

In 1992, Mother Teresa was chosen as the first recipient of the Gaudium et Spes Award. The highest honor that the Order bestows, it was presented during the 110th Supreme Convention in New York City.

The following are excerpts from remarks Mother Teresa made to K of C audiences in 1988 and 1992.

Photo by Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

MOTHER TERESA AND THE KNIGHTS

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Mother Teresa prays with members of her religious community, the Missionaries of Charity, during a dedication of one of the order’s convents July 27, 1982.

Make your family something beautiful for God in love, peace, unity, and joy. Even if you pray ten minutes together, it is worthwhile. It is worthwhile. Get together, always together, always together, even when you have misunderstandings, get together. Forgive and forget and you will be really filled with God’s love, really have the peace of God in your heart. This is very, very important. (Talk to volunteers in Calcutta, Dec. 21, 1995)

TOP RIGHT: Photo by Robert Karp / (c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images

TESTIMONIES If we had done something wrong we could go to Mother and say sorry. She would forgive and forget at once, and never bring it up again, even if we committed the same fault again and again. …

Mother, at the beginning, never neglected to correct us.

And sometimes her corrections were quite strong. She wanted us to grow spiritually. As the years went on, we found Mother more gentle in her corrections and more quick to forget and forgive. Mother always used to tell us, “Don’t hurt Jesus. He loves you.” This helped us a lot. (Testimony of an MC sister) [In India, there was a TV program because of ] Christopher Hitchens’s first TV program, which I saw. I told [Mother]

MAKE IT A POINT of being together, of praying together. You are like a big family here.

Pray together; you will obtain many graces for this beautiful city where there is so much suffering, so much pain. Many people here hunger for love, hunger for the Word of God, and you can be that love, that compassion.

I am very grateful to the Knights of Columbus for what they have offered to do for us, in sharing their love for Jesus. I never ask people for this or that; I always tell them, “I want to give you a gift.” And they reply, “Mother Teresa, what gift can you give?” I tell them, “I give you a chance to do something for the poor.”

Perhaps some of you cannot go directly to the poor but through our work you can come very close to the poorest of the poor.

— Remarks to employees of the K of C headquarters in New Haven, Conn., June 16, 1988

about it. I have to say her first reaction was that of anguish.

And she said to me, “I have done so much work in this country. Is there nobody who will speak up for me?” …

The next time I mentioned this to her when I met her, she said, “I forgive him.” It was an incident that [she had put out of ] her mind. She had forgiven him completely. It was as if she didn’t know, like a child, what he had said. (Testimony of a collaborator who knew Mother Teresa for more than 20 years)♦ FATHER BRIAN KOLODIEJCHUK, M.C., is the postulator of the cause for canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and director of the Mother Teresa Center.

Then-Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant introduces Mother Teresa during the presentation of the inaugural Gaudium et Spes Award at the States Dinner of the 110th Supreme Convention in New York City Aug. 4, 1992.

LET US THANK GOD for his great love in giving us this beautiful opportunity to thank the Knights of Columbus for all the good things they have done for the people of God. I accepted to come out of sheer gratitude, for they have done so much for our congregation and for our poor. We have no other way of showing our gratitude to them, only by our lives of prayer and fidelity to the works of love that we have every chance, every opportunity to do for our poor. …

So, pray for us that we continue God’s work with great love. … Holiness is not the luxury of the few. It is a simple duty for you and for me. ... This is my prayer for you, that you grow in holiness, to want that love for one another and that you share this love with all you meet. God bless you.

— Gaudium et Spes remarks, Aug. 4, 1992

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Korea and the Church of Martyrs Planted by laymen and cultivated by martyrs, Catholicism in Korea blossomed amid violent persecution

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Photo courtesy of the Research Foundation of Korean Church History

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O

n a warm Sunday afternoon in Seoul, people gather in there, and described him as “a person whom God has perhaps serene gardens sculpted into a hillside overlooking the raised up to spread the light of the Gospel in a kingdom where Han River where it winds westward out of the South Korean it is not known that any missionary has ever penetrated.” Upon capital. Cars form an endless procession along a highway that his return home, Yi Seung-hun began evangelizing and baphugs the Han, their passengers seemingly oblivious to the steep tizing others, even though Catholicism had been outlawed in promontory that rises above them. This is Jeoldusan — the Joseon by King Yeongjo in 1758 and western texts had been Mountain of Beheading — where in 1866 the Byeongin per- banned in 1776. secution turned the waters below red with martyrs’ blood.

Yi Seung-hun’s lay Catholic community thrived, though it Visitors to Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine pose for photos along- would have to wait a decade before having a single priest to side a towering statue depicting St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the minister to them. country’s first indigenous priest. Beheaded at the age of 25 in “It was a sanctified movement,” said Maryknoll Father 1846, he and 102 fellow martyrs are honored annually during Gerald Hammond, who has been based in South Korea since the Korean Martyrs’ feast day Sept. 20.

1960 and serves as chaplain of Bishop John J. Kaising CounBeginning in 1791, an estimated 10,000 Koreans were killed cil 14223 at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul. “They for their faith in five major periods of persecution over the read the Scriptures and tried to put them into practice. Even course of nearly a century. The land’s first Christian was bap- though they didn’t have a formal structure, it was something tized in China in 1784, and there were already thousands of that was deeply spiritual.”

Korean believers by the time the first priest arrived in 1795.

To the Kingdom of Joseon, Christianity posed the double “From this good seed was born the first Christian commu- threat of being both foreign and a challenge to a society built nity in Korea, a community unique in on Neo-Confucian ideals. The first ofthe history of the Church by reason of ficial record of oppression relates to the the fact that it was founded entirely by break-up of a private gathering in 1785, lay people,” said Pope John Paul II in when Ministry of Justice officials seized his canonization homily for the 103 a crucifix and other items from a home HIS FLEDGLING Korean martyrs in Seoul in 1984. in the capital near the present location “This fledgling Church, so young and of Myeongdong Cathedral.

CHURCH WITHSTOOD yet so strong in faith, withstood wave Six years later, the kingdom executed WAVE AFTER WAVE OF after wave of fierce persecution.”

Catholics for their faith for the first Today, the Church in South Korea time. Cousins Paul Yun Ji-chung and FIERCE PERSECUTION.” is home to more than 5.6 million bapJames Kwon Sang-yeon were reported tized Catholics. And the country’s rapby their relatives for failing to perform idly growing Catholic population, ancestral rites, which was considered a including members of recently charshocking act of rebellion. tered Knights of Columbus councils, Pope Francis beatified Yun, Kwon continues to be inspired by the witness of the martyrs. and 122 others during his visit to Korea in August 2014. More than 800,000 witnesses watched as the pope led the ceremony THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE HERMIT KINGDOM directly in front of the main gate to what had been Joseon’s The advent of Catholicism in the Kingdom of Joseon, as Korea principal royal palace, Gyeongbokgung. was called until 1897, occurred in spite of very inhospitable “The victory of the martyrs, their witness to the power of circumstances. Korea was known as the “hermit kingdom” for God’s love, continues to bear fruit today in Korea, in the its isolationist policies following Japanese and Manchu inva- Church which received growth from their sacrifice,” the Holy sions during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Father told the crowd.

Despite this isolation, books from China reached Korean Yun and Kwon’s martyrdom also had an immediate impact. scholars. Catholic works, brought by European missionaries After receiving a blood-soaked towel from their executions, and translated in China, were among those that lit the spark Beijing’s bishop dispatched Chinese priest James Zhou Wenof Catholicism. In 1784, Peter Yi Seung-hun, the first Korean mo in time to say Joseon’s first Mass on Easter Sunday in 1795. to be baptized, sought the sacrament from missionaries in The new century heralded an even more perilous time for Peking (Beijing).

Korean Catholics and their missionary priests. A new monarch Jesuit Father Jean-Mathieu de Ventavon met Yi Seung-hun sat on the throne: 11-year-old King Sunjo. Spurred by Queen Dowager Jeongsun, a royal decree in 1801 demanded that Catholics across Joseon be reported, leading to a merciless seA painting portrays the 103 Korean martyrs who were canonized by Pope ries of executions and expulsions.

Father Zhou — also beatified by Pope Francis — was beJohn Paul II in Seoul, Korea, May 6, 1984. The martyr-saints include 92 laymen and women, 10 French missionaries and Korea’s first indige- headed that year along with Peter Yi Seung-hun and hundreds nous priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon, pictured with hands folded at center. of others.

“T

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The faithful scattered to form isolated villages, where some lived according to an egalitarian structure more in line with Acts of the Apostles than Joseon’s social structure. Nobility and peasants found equal footing for the first time, but also suffered indiscriminate persecution. Men, women and children were killed in further purges until the late 19th century.

Beginning in 1836, these lay communities were strengthened by members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Father Hammond retains great admiration for those first French priests.

“They knew they would be martyred,” he said. “It influenced us. Not everybody has the great grace of martyrdom, but we should have the sense of the martyrs and be willing to make a sacrifice.”

AGONY IN THE GARDEN This year, the Church in Korea commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Byeongin persecution, the last and deadliest period of Joseon oppression, which claimed thousands of lives over seven years. Depictions of the killing at Jeoldusan show martyrs lined up at the mount’s peak, awaiting a blade while the headless corpses of those who came before them float in the river beneath.

A pastoral letter released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in March notes that this anniversary coincides with the Jubilee Year of Mercy: “It is very significant that the Catholic Church in Korea celebrates this jubilee because the 16 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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martyrs are those who have forgiven their persecutors and prayed for them. They deeply experienced the economy of divine love and mercy even in the face of their death.”

The martyrs’ love of Christ is exemplified by St. Andrew Kim Taegon, one of the 103 Korean Catholics canonized in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. Days before his execution, the young priest addressed one of his final prison letters to fellow Catholics.

“My friends! In this difficult time, we must be steadfast like brave soldiers fully armed in the battlefield,” he wrote.

“Though you are separated, make one rope. … God will soon send you a much better pastor than I. So do not grieve but practice greater charity and serve the Lord so that we may meet again in God’s eternal mansion.”

This sacrifice serves as a timeless inspiration, according to Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il of the Military Ordinariate in Korea and a charter member of St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council 16000.

“We are profoundly indebted to his martyrdom and his spirituality,” said Bishop Yu. “Of course, the Korean Church was constructed by lay Catholics, which is very special, but St. Andrew Kim Taegon is in a sense the second founder.”

The saint’s legacy of charity continues to grow, as the first nonmilitary Knights of Columbus council in South Korea was named after him.

Photos by Stephen Feiler

Pictured left to right following a Mass and charter presentation at the Cathedral of the Military Ordinariate in Korea April 18, 2015: Deacon Joseph Pak; Charter Grand Knight Jacob Lim Young Kyu of St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council 16000; Columban Father Patrick Anthony O’Brien; Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer, vicar for Europe and Asia, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA; Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson; Bishop Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il of the Korean Military Ordinariate; Father Dennis Callan, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word; Charter Grand Knight Luca Suh Hoon of St. Paul Chong Hasang Council 16178; and Deacon Roy Mellon.

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Paul Moon Chan-woong, financial secretary for Council 16000, helps to oversee the council’s wide range of local charitable efforts.

“Two-hundred years ago, Rev. Kim inspired strong faith, unity and charity in his people,” he said. “His words about ‘one rope’ remind us of the Order’s principle of unity, and our council members are always armed with these wonderful spiritual values.”

Among its charitable initiatives, Council 16000 gives rice to institutions that take care of migrant workers and offers scholarships and school uniforms each semester to students whose families are struggling after coming to Korea from abroad.

“One of our members volunteers with the blind,” Moon added. “We also offer friendship to retired priests who need companionship.”

Korea’s current challenges follow a difficult history. After Catholics were granted religious freedom in 1882, the region fell under Japanese rule in the early 20th century. Then came the tearing apart of the peninsula and the 1950-53 Korean War, a conflict that remains unresolved today.

The Church earned great credit for shining a light through the 20th century’s troubles, including South Korea’s post-war democratization process. It may be hoped that Catholics can continue to do so for those living in the North.

Father Hammond has visited North Korea more than 50 times since the mid-1990s, despite the reclusive state’s notorious

lack of religious freedom. The Church in the South asserts that there are 52,000 lay Catholics maintaining their faith silently there — mirroring the experience of 19th-century Joseon.

“Catholics in North Korea go to prison along with their whole families,” Father Hammond said. “They can’t even go to confession. But you can see by their faces if they are real Catholics. Or when they shake your hand, they might really squeeze it or might even be crying.”

Father Hammond, who has been thanked personally by Pope Francis for his efforts, has occasionally negotiated the right to say prayers when visiting the sick during what he calls an “apostolate of presence.”

During a car journey on one occasion, his North Korean driver broke from protocol by recognizing a rosary as “something he once saw in the possession of his grandmother.”

Aside from the challenges of reaching north of the border, the South Korean Church has flourished, with its own missionaries now in 75 countries, thousands of clergymen at home and three successive cardinals.

The latest of those, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, wrote in 2010 that the history of the Korean Church is a record of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”♦ ALEX JENSEN is a broadcast journalist and writer based in Seoul. A married father of four, he converted to Catholicism after moving to South Korea from Great Britain in 2010.

A painting in the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul depicts a meeting of Korean Catholic laymen, who established the first Catholic community in the country in the late 18th century, before the arrival of foreign missionary priests.

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America’s Pro-Life Consensus New K of C-Marist poll shows that most Americans — including those who identify as “pro-choice” — favor greater abortion restrictions

by Columbia staff 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

SEPTEMBER 2016

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Thousands of participants at a recent March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C., hold K of C “Defend Life” signs and other pro-life placards.

Photo by Matthew Barrick

I

n the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June striking down Texas requirements that abortion facilities comply with the same health and safety standards as other outpatient surgery centers, the Knights of Columbus released a new poll confirming that most Americans remain highly supportive of restrictions on abortion.

The K of C-commissioned survey conducted July 5-12 by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and revealed that strong majorities also oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, support

the right of conscientious objectors to opt out of abortion, and would generally limit the procedure — at most — to the first trimester. In each case, this includes a majority or substantial minority of those who identify themselves as “pro-choice.”

“The American people have spoken clearly on their desire for abortion restrictions, less taxpayer funding of it, and commonsense regulations on this industry to protect women’s health,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Our courts, politicians, candidates and parties should heed this consensus.”

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3%

unsure

5%

10%

12%

strongly support

31%

strongly oppose

25%

strongly oppose

unsure

support

29% strongly support

12% oppose

31%

41%

oppose

support

“Using tax dollars to pay for a woman’s abortion.”

“Requiring doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges to a hospital or emergency room within 30 miles.”

COMMONSENSE RESTRICTIONS On Feb. 1, the Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court on behalf of the USCCB, the Texas Catholic Conference and several Christian partners in support of a 2013 Texas state law, H.B. 2, mandating health and safety standards protecting women who undergo abortions. Specifically, the law required abortion facilities to abide by the same standards that apply to similar surgical centers, and required abortionists to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the businesses where they worked.

The Texas law, together with similar state statutes enacted across the country, marked an effort to tighten regulations governing abortion businesses following the grisly case of Kermit Gosnell, who in 2013 was found guilty of murder in the deaths of babies born alive during abortions in his Philadelphia facility.

On June 27, the Supreme Court issued a 5-3 ruling in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case, overturning the Texas law. Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote the opinion, said the restrictions on the abortion facilities “provide few if any health benefits for women, pose a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions and constitute an ‘undue burden’ on their constitutional right to do so.”

Following the court’s decision, a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities said, “The court has rejected a commonsense law protecting women from abortion facilities that put profits above patient safety. Abortion claims the lives of unborn children, and too often endangers their mothers as well. This ruling contradicts

the consensus among medical groups that such measures protect women’s lives.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a co-chairman of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, stated that this ruling “shields the abortion industry from accountability and minimal medical standards.”

He added: “Abortionists should not get a free pass on commonsense safety standards. Women deserve better than this decision that prioritizes the abortion industry’s profit margin.”

Pro-life advocates and legislators understand that similar health and safety statutes enacted in other states will now be at risk. Currently, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama maintain similar restrictions on abortion businesses.

Despite the court’s decision, the Marist Poll findings show that nearly 8 in 10 Americans (78 percent) believe abortion facilities should be held to the same standards as any outpatient surgery center. This bipartisan supermajority includes 77 percent of all women polled and nearly 75 percent of those individuals who identify as pro-choice. Likewise, 70 percent of Americans want doctors who perform abortions to be required to have hospital admitting privileges. This includes 71 percent of women and 70 percent of those who identify as pro-choice.

The new polling data is a reminder that the amplification of “pro-choice” rhetoric common during an election season rings all the more hollow as abortion advocates cheer a court decision that effectively insists on lowering the standards of medical care for women.

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7%

10%

strongly oppose

5%

7%

unsure

unsure

37% 43%

oppose

should be legally required

strongly support

35% support

“Requiring all abortion clinics to meet the same standards as other outpatient surgery centers.”

STRONG CONSENSUS While most polls will only ask whether an individual is “prolife” or “pro-choice,” the new Marist poll dug much deeper into opinions on abortion. The survey found that while 51 percent of Americans describe themselves as pro-choice, 78 percent of all Americans support limiting elective abortion to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy. This number includes two-thirds of those individuals who had identified themselves as pro-choice.

These numbers are noteworthy given the rhetoric of the campaign season that would have us believe that a sharp divide exists among voters and that it is only a stubborn few who hold a pro-life view. Not only is this not the case today, but it has not been the case in at least the last five election cycles.

“The majority of Americans in favor of abortion restrictions has been consistently around 8 in 10 for the better part of a decade,” said Dr. Barbara Carvalho, the director of the Marist Poll. “Though self-identification as ‘pro-life’ or ‘pro-choice’ can vary substantially from year to year, the support for restrictions is quite stable.”

In addition, taxpayer funding for abortion is opposed by 62 percent of Americans. This includes 45 percent of those who say they are pro-choice and 61 percent who identify as “independent.” Likewise, 56 percent of Americans do not believe that health care providers should be forced to perform abortions against their conscience or religious beliefs.

Such statistics indicate a strong consensus in the United States for policies that favor a more pro-life position than is reflected in federal law and by many candidates for public office.

Most Americans support simple and commonsense legislation

56% should not be legally required

“Doctors, nurses or organizations who have moral objections to abortion should or should not be legally required to perform or provide insurance coverage for abortions.”

proposals currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress, including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7), which would permanently ban taxpayer funding for abortion across all federal government programs. (Currently, Congress must approve individual bans on taxpayer-funded programs each year.) Similarly, the Conscience Protection Act (H.R. 4828) would allow doctors, nurses and health insurance plans that object to abortion to stay out of the business. Although both of these pieces of legislation have passed the U.S. House of Representatives, they have never received a vote in the U.S. Senate and have received threats of presidential veto.

Legislation, outreach and other factors have contributed to a relative decline in the number of abortions and abortion facilities in the United States in recent years. However, many legislators seek to reverse this trend, even as the number of abortions nationwide since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 approaches 60 million and the abortion laws in the United States remain among the most liberal in the world. In many states, as in Canada, China and North Korea, abortion is legal at any time and for any reason.

In the face of ongoing legislative battles and challenges to a culture of life, year after year, large percentages of Americans respond to polling with a clear consensus in opposition to the abortionon-demand regime of Roe v. Wade. While the labels “pro-life” and “pro-choice” may be manipulated by news reports and political stump speeches, the reality of the situation is undeniable: Americans of both sexes and of all races, creeds and ages believe there should be greater legal protection of unborn human life.

Additional information and polling data is available at kofc.org/polls.♦ SEPTEMBER 2016

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CARITAS and

Compassion An interview with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle about the Church’s mission of charity in the world today

by Columbia staff ardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, has become internationally renowned for his charitable work and outreach to youth. He also has a long association with the Knights of Columbus, which now counts more than 360,000 members in the Philippines.

Born in 1957, Tagle served as chief squire of Rajah Soliman Circle 2180 in Imus, Philippines, while his father served as grand knight of Imus Council 5896. The first recipient of the Knights’ Father George Willmann, S.J., Scholarship, as a seminarian at San Jose Seminary in Quezon City, Tagle later earned a doctorate in theology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is currently a member of Mary, Mother of God Council 15427 in Imus, where he served as bishop beginning in 2001.

He was appointed archbishop of Manila by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 and elevated to cardinal the following year, at age 55. On March 5, 2015, Pope Francis confirmed him as president of the Catholic Biblical Federation. Two months later, Cardinal Tagle was elected president of Caritas Internationalis, becoming the first person from Asia to lead the network of 165 Catholic national charities, which operates in 200 countries worldwide.

During World Youth Day 2016 in Kraków, Poland, where Cardinal Tagle led catechesis and celebrated Mass at the Knights of Columbus-sponsored English-language site July 29, Columbia had the opportunity to speak with him about his ministry.

COLUMBIA: Can you tell us a bit about your family history and familiarity with the Knights of Columbus?

CARDINAL TAGLE: My father is a Fourth Degree member and a past grand knight, and my brother is also a member in Vir22 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

SEPTEMBER 2016

ginia. My memories of the Knights have always been associated with two things: brotherhood and service. There was brotherhood among ourselves and also in the communion with families. We felt like we were really members of the families of every Knight of Columbus member.

In terms of service, the big projects of the parish were given to the Knights. Why? Not because they were favored, but because they would certainly do the job and do it well. The Knights of Columbus is one of the most vibrant organizations for men in the parish.

CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

C

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Pope Francis and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle meet with young residents of a home for former street children in Manila during the Holy Father’s apostolic visit to the Philippines in January 2015.

When I was 13 years old, members of our cathedral parish council of Imus decided to start a Columbian Squires circle, beginning with their sons. I hesitated to join, but my friends elected me president so I would have to be present at all the meetings. It turned out to be God’s subtle way of getting me more immersed in the life of the parish, and it was my initia-

tion into ministry in the Church. We did a lot for poor children, we organized sports fests and May flower events. We were the group that sponsored electric fans in the church.

I did not know that the Squires would lead me to a friend: our spiritual director who was a young, newly ordained priest. He became my mentor, and I was inspired to become a priest.

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Cardinal Tagle greets participants at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City, Philippines, Jan. 27.

COLUMBIA: Both the Philippines and Poland are known as very Catholic countries. Do you see similarities between them?

CARDINAL TAGLE: In terms of numbers, I think there are similarities. Poland is probably one of the most Catholic in Europe, while it is said that 80 percent of the Filipinos are Catholic. But the second thing I would say is much more difficult: not only being Catholic in numbers, but Catholic in attitude, in values, in engagement with the world. That is a work in progress. I think no country could claim, “We are the Catholic country, the most Catholic country.”

I also see other similarities between the people of Poland and the Philippines. We are a people of deep faith but also of deep suffering. For years, Poland disappeared from the map. I was trying to imagine, how does that feel, what is the impact on the people? The Philippines was ruled for 300 years under the Spaniards, almost 60 years under the Americans, a few years under Japan, and now we’re supposed to be independent. But through the history of pain, the source of strength and perseverance has always been the faith. And so in that sense I think we share a lot in common.

COLUMBIA: What are some of the biggest issues that you see facing the Church in Asia today?

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CARDINAL TAGLE: Asia is the largest continent, with nearly two thirds of the world’s population. Imagine the billions of people teeming with different traditions and cultures and languages.

But a common experience of the people is poverty — poverty that causes many to work abroad in order to support their children, who then grow up with one or both parents absent. And so our concern is a poverty that impoverishes the fabric of the family. This is a big concern not only for the Church but for society.

How do you keep the family strong when necessity — not divorce, not fighting, but love — forces them to leave behind their loved ones? How can we make our parishes really homes?

In my country, we send priests, sisters and lay missionaries to countries where there are big Filipino communities so that we can provide pastoral care, especially helping them remain faithful to their families back home.

Related to that is the whole question of refugees. The refugee problem is very much highlighted in Europe but, sad to say, an equally disastrous situation among refugees in Asia is not getting the attention it deserves. On the border of Thailand and Myanmar is a big refugee camp, which no country claims as its own. So the people there are stateless, no country to protect them, no country to claim them.

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That’s where the Church enters. As president of Caritas, I visit refugee camps. One moving experience was in a refugee camp in Lebanon; that camp was 100 percent Muslim. When I arrived, the elderly leader welcomed me. I could not understand what he was saying, but he was so animated I thought he was singing and dancing. I was with a Lebanese priest, who told me, “He just wants to let you know that this community thanks the Church for its kindness. He said you’re the only ones thinking of us.”

COLUMBIA: Can you speak more about Caritas Internationalis and some of the fruitful work you’ve seen from the organization?

CARDINAL TAGLE: Caritas, which means charity or love, is the humanitarian arm, the social action arm of dioceses all over the world. Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of national Caritas organizations. The work of Caritas varies from country to country, where there are typhoons, storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, like in the Philippines and other parts of Asia.

The work of Caritas is mainly being prepared to respond to emergency needs. So in many parishes in the Philippines, for example, especially in disaster-prone areas, there are always care bags ready with food, water, blankets, a flashlight, so you can send it wherever a disaster strikes. It’s a quick response.

But in some parts of the world the work of Caritas is taking care of refugees, taking care of migrants who have been abused by their employers, those who have become illegal workers, people who have nowhere to turn. Caritas provides legal assistance, medical assistance and necessary help for them.

As president, I thought that I would be asked to inspire and to set directions. But now I am the one learning, not just from the experts but from the poor, from the migrants, the refugees, the survivors. They’re teaching me what faith is all about; they’re teaching me about hope.

Yesterday, we had a Caritas youth celebration in one of the parishes here in Kraków. It was difficult to control my emotions; young people volunteering for Caritas, and the testimonies, the stories I heard from Senegal, El Salvador, Venezuela, New Zealand, Poland, Lebanon. These young people are testifying to the power of love and solidarity.

COLUMBIA: What impact have the visit of Pope Francis in 2015 and the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City earlier this year had on the Church in the Philippines?

CARDINAL TAGLE: Let me tell you a secret, which will now not be a secret. In the conclave that elected Francis, before he appeared on the balcony to greet the people, I congratulated him and assured him of the prayers of the Filipino people. And I said, “Pope Benedict was unable to come to Asia because of health reasons and age. Pope John Paul II frequented Asia.

Maybe you would consider coming to Asia, to the Philippines.” He said, “Yes, yes, I will visit.”

But I thought he said that to all the cardinals who invited him, so I dismissed it.

Then two months later, I was back in Rome and he asked

me, “How about my visit to the Philippines? Have you started planning that?”

I said, “Well, we are hosting the Eucharistic Congress in 2016. That’s a good time to go.” And he said, “That’s three years from now. I’m not sure if I will still be alive in 2016. Can we do it earlier?”

So it was originally planned for November 2014. Then a typhoon came, and we thought the visit would be canceled, but no; the theme of the visit just got changed. Because of the destruction it became a mission of “Mercy and Compassion.”

And we were very touched by that choice, calling for the international community to live compassion and mercy not only to the victims of the typhoon but the many victims of ecological events. And after that came Laudato Si’. A few months later Pope Francis announced there will be a Jubilee Year of Mercy.

So people ask me, “Was the visit to the Philippines instrumental in that?” I don’t know, but as a Filipino I want to think it was.

With the International Eucharistic Congress, I think things are falling into place. How does our eucharistic spirituality become not just devotional but also the force for acts of mercy?

The simple bread, the simple wine becoming the Bread of Life, becoming the Cup of Salvation — how could this translate into feeding the hungry as a eucharistic lifestyle? We are still trying to live out the messages of those two great events.

COLUMBIA: What do you see as the challenges and opportunities related to building a culture of life and promoting faithful citizenship today?

CARDINAL TAGLE: The challenges that the world is facing are immense and very complex, but they are also interconnected. Of course, we begin with the most vulnerable: the unborn. There are also very many other vulnerable people right now, and the pro-life stance of the Church must embrace all of them.

To give an example, in a refugee camp in Greece, I saw how precious families were to the refugees, who had only the clothes on their backs. That the family is still the most important for many people, it is good news. But then your heart breaks to see some young people, even children, walking alone, because their parents would not leave them in a war-torn place and sacrificed their own safety to save them.

Being good citizens... I think this is where the Church has the so-called secret, the social teachings of the Church — founded on the dignity of the human person and the promotion of the common good. This means an economy and political life that is not about power but about service, promoting peace rooted in truth, goodness, justice, respect, love. And now very clearly it involves caring not only for creation but caring for what we call human ecology.

In the social teachings of the Church we have all the foundations of good citizenship. They are the best-kept secret of the Church. Can we rediscover them and translate them into Gospel involvement in society as good citizens? The foundations are there.♦ SEPTEMBER 2016

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES ROSES FOR PROJECT RACHEL

St. Louis Council 15833 in Pittsford, N.Y., held a chocolate rose sale during Pro-Life Week. The project raised $550, supporting a Spanish-language call service for the local Project Rachel and for Elizabeth Ministries, a parish initiative that provides supplies for new mothers.

MEMORY SCREENING

Participants are poised to begin the second annual charity 5K run/walk sponsored by St. Peter Chanel Council 13217 in Roswell, Ga. Forty local sponsors and 465 registrants took part in the event, which raised $24,000 to benefit local Special Olympics and other special needs programs.

RELIEF FUNDRAISER

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Council 11959 in Tulsa, Okla., served parishioners a fundraiser breakfast for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Between donations and a matching gift from the parish, the event brought more than $10,000 to the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

OUTREACH

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Council 13570 Council in Valle Hermoso, Mexico Northeast, gathered 250 items of food, worth 15,000 pesos, for members of a marginalized fishing community. The council delivered the food to the community’s priest for him to distribute to those in need.

MEDICAL EXPENSES

Mt. Shasta (Calif.) Council 2599, inspired by the Knights’ 26 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation, decided to help out a local veteran.

The council raised $1,230 to help the man with the expenses of medical treatment.

nated $850 to the Maclellan Shelter for Families, which provides housing that allows families experiencing homelessness to stay together.

DAILY BREAD

Calvary Council 8144 in South Portland, Maine, and St. Maximilian Kolbe Council 11747 in Scarborough teamed up to beat the cold with an indoor barbecue in January. The event raised $800 for the South Portland Food Cupboard.

St. Anne-Oratory Council 6756 in Rock Hill, S.C., loads loaves for delivery in a frequent service project. A grocery store and an outlet donate the loaves, which the Knights pick up three times a week and take to the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen and local homeless shelters.

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP

Tennessee District 14 in Hixson and District 15 in Chattanooga teamed up to create a bowling league. Though the fraternal initiative began small, nine teams of Knights and family members now engage in friendly competition, and as a league they have do-

SEPTEMBER 2016

St. Mary of the Lake Council 11527 in Lakewood, N.J., partnered with Meridian Health to provide memory screening. The council invited all parishioners to a seminar on memory loss accompanied by a free breakfast after a morning Mass.

The Meridian staff then offered professional screening for memory problems.

WINTER BARBECUE

FOOD BLITZ

Father Marquette Council 1775 in Utica, Ill., collected food and donations in its 18th annual Food Blitz Drive. Over eight hours the event gathered 4,400 pounds of food and $2,700 in donations to help the Illinois Valley Food Pantry in La Salle provide for those in need after the Christmas season.

Members of Albany (Ore.) Council 1577 team up with a school official to transport coats to children in need.

Seventy-two students at the local Catholic school and Albany public schools received warm coats.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION SYMBOLIC CHALICE

Orange Park (Fla.) Council 7399 presented a chalice to be passed among prayer communities in the local parish, representing Christ’s presence. The council also thanked the youth who serve as altar servers, readers and choir members with a delicious ice cream social.

WATER DAMAGE

Members of Father William F. Welch Council 11756 in Port Huron, Mich., install siding on the side of a storage barn at St. Mary Church. Knights raised $2,500 to purchase siding materials and donated the labor needed to complete the project.

CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR TROOPS

The Maryland District Fourth Degree coordinated a statewide program in which assemblies partnered with councils to send 5,732 patriotic Christmas cards to troops deployed abroad. The cards, with a message of gratitude on the inside, were available after Masses for parishioners to sign and add personal thanks. The initiative brought attention to the “Keep Christ in Christmas” cards councils had on sale, and raised membership interest in many parishes.

TEAMWORK IN TEXAS

John Paul II Council 16393 in Denton, Texas, coordinated collaboration between the state council and four councils in District 16 to raise a total of $188,000 for a new chapel at the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University.

The bulk of the funds came from a fish fry and auction

spearheaded by Muenster Council 1459, at which some 800 people gathered to bid on items donated by Knights or solicited from the community.

Queen of Angels Assembly in Wexford, Pa., came to the aid of a retired chaplain whose hot water heater exploded, causing extensive damage and endangering his home. Over several days the assembly repaired flooring, cabinets and walls. The assembly took care of an estimated $32,000 in damage with less than $5,000 spent on materials.

GARLIC FOR GOOD

Gilroy (Calif.) Council 2469 brought the maximum allowed number of volunteers to the 37th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. The event

benefits a wide number of local nonprofits, which team up to provide food, entertainment and garlic. Gilroy Council serves 160 hours each year to bring in $1,200 for council charities.

FLAG HISTORY

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Assembly in Zionsville, Ind., contributed a history lesson to the National Catholic Youth Convention in Indianapolis. Using 13 replicas of historical flags, the assembly staged a presentation next to its information booth, describing the development of the American flag from the Revolutionary War version to the current stars and stripes.

SUBSTANCE EDUCATION

St. Paul Council 10775 in Inabanga Bohol, Visayas, partnered with St. Joseph Council 13783 and local police to host an Anti-Illegal Drugs Campaign. Students at four different high schools received information about the risks of drug use.

SOUPER BOWL

Holy Cross Council 15482 in Springfield, Pa., teamed up with the parochial school’s 8th grade class for a Souper Bowl of Caring food drive. The drive brought in 1,408 food items for the parish food pantry.

ULTRASOUND BLESSED

Holy Eucharist Council 4198 in Reading, Pa., contributed $14,000 to the cost of a new ultrasound machine at Lifeline, a pregnancy and family resource center.

Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown blessed the machine, escorted by a color guard from the Pius IX Assembly. The ultrasound was the 20th in the state to be largely funded by the Knights of Columbus.

Members of Mary, Cause of Our Joy Council 8447 in Soldiers Hill and Kalayaan Assembly in Muntinlupa City in Luzon South stand with students from a local public school that received a donation of new desks and other classroom materials from the K of C. Knights distributed 160 desks — along with overhead projectors, projector screens and music players — to four schools attended by displaced students.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION ORPHANAGE FUNDRAISER

people attended a breakfast cooked by the Knights and learned about issues of human trafficking on the east coast of Florida.

Jesus the King Arab Christian Council 15045 in Markham, Ontario, sold out seats for a fundraiser dinner.

The $20,000 raised at the event went toward the rebuilding of the Orphanage of Our Lady of the Assumption, run by the Salvatorian Sisters in Ferzol, Lebanon.

SAFETY BREAKFAST

SCHOOL REPURPOSED

Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon Council 937 in St. John, New Brunswick, donated $100,000 to St. Vincent’s Apartments Inc. The money will go toward renovating an old Catholic school into mixed-income housing in the city’s Cathedral District.

CHURCH REDEDICATED

St. Matthew Council 14360 in Norwalk, Conn., assisted Coney Island’s Our Lady of Solace Parish on the road to rededication after flooding and the destruction of its flooring by Hurricane Sandy.

Following up gifts of toys

Bishop Clarence R. Silva of Honolulu blesses a K of C memorial that Hawaii Knights placed at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific while State Deputy Stephen D. Lopez and Knights look on. The bronze and stone memorial, which was erected in honor of all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, was dedicated during a ceremony that included a U.S. Navy flyover, prayers offered by military chaplains and remarks from K of C officials.

and other supplies, the council donated a new chalice on the occasion of the rededication and delivered a letter of good wishes from the Bridgeport Diocese.

CHALICES FOR NEW PRIESTS

Bishop Popp Assembly in San Antonio, Texas, memorialized deceased members by donating chalices engraved with their names to newly ordained priests in the Homa Bay Diocese in Kenya. A local Kenyan priest delivered the chalices while visiting his home.

FUN RUN FOR PEWS

Members of Cletus Bindl Council 10027 in Fort Bridger, Wyo., install a new pro-life billboard along the local interstate. The sign also displays the Sunday Mass schedule of St. Helen’s Catholic Church.

28 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

Banal na Sakramento Council 8753 in Quezon City, Luzon North, organized a 5K fundraiser run. More than 300 runners participated, and out of the 76,000 pesos raised, 20,000 went toward new pews for the parish. The council also commemorated Filipina heroine Melchora Aquino with a wreath laying.

SEPTEMBER 2016

COMPETE IN CHARITY

St. Clement Council 12407 in Dunlap, Ill., energized its yearly food drive by joining forces with a Catholic school and coordinating a food-collecting competition between classes. With the 8th grade in first place and kindergarten in second, the drive brought in more than 5,500 pounds of goods for the parish food pantry.

SANDWICHES GALORE

Monsignor John F. Callahan Council 3600 in West Hartford, Conn., and friends made a record 950 sandwiches for House of Bread Shelter in Hartford. Every other month the council and volunteers gather to make a wide variety of sandwiches for the shelter’s lunch.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING EDUCATION

Our Lady of Grace Council 13243 in Palm Bay, Fla., hosted a presentation by the East Coast Human Trafficking Task Force. Roughly 100

St. James Council 10651 in Rocky Hill, Conn., hosted a Public Safety Appreciation Pancake Breakfast for local police, fire and ambulance departments. Approximately 200 attendees, public servants and their families enjoyed the event for free, while the attendance of parishioners raised nearly $300 for the Rocky Hill Food Pantry.

MOBILE ULTRASOUND

Father Christopher S. Rooney Council 3618 in Portsmouth, R.I., contributed $5,000 toward the Rhode Island Right to Life Committee’s mobile ultrasound fund. The mobile unit will serve women throughout the state.

CLOTHING REUSED

For the past four years, St. Margaret Council 13259 in Woodbury Heights, N.J., has made weekly pickups of used clothing at a large uniform rental facility. The pickup averages 160 garments per week, which the council delivers to charities serving the homeless population. This project has brought over 37,000 items of clothing to organizations that need them.

KNIGHTS IN CONTEMPLATION

St. Joseph Council 9905 in Lino Lakes, Minn., invited men of the parish to a silent retreat. Twelve men attended, spending the weekend in prayer and reflection on the theme “Sowing Seeds of Mercy,” in observation of the jubilee year.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION FAMILY OF FAITH BREAKFAST

St. Joseph Council 11525 in Toronto, Ontario, held a pancake breakfast attended by over 200 parishioners that raised more than $1,000. The proceeds added to the council’s second annual donation to the Toronto Archdiocese’s Family of Faith campaign, which finances the strengthening both of physical church facilities and parish life.

NEW PATIO

Holy Rosary Council 1055 in Paducah, Ky., built a patio for a nondenominational Christian rehabilitation center for victims of human trafficking. After demolishing an old patio, Knights removed bricks, leveled the area, and relocated a holly bush before pouring fresh concrete.

Tom Geraci, 12, flashes a thumbs-up while riding his new adaptive bicycle, which was donated by Crozier Council 3973 in Newton Center, Mass. Geraci has intellectual and visual impairments, and the bike will help him enjoy physical and outdoor activities. Knights even worked with a local bicycle store to order, assemble and provide the bicycle tax-free.

Members of Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar Assembly in Lucena City, Luzon, look on as Faithful Navigator Mark Anthony R. Rivera lays a wreath at the memorial site of Apolinario de la Cruz, also known as “Hermano Puli.” De la Cruz was a Filipino hero during the Spanish colonial years who was dedicated to freedom and a devout Catholic.

NEW SHRINE

BOOTS FOR TOTS

Father Grover Tipton Council 13037 in High Springs, Fla., assisted its parish with a new shrine to Our Lady of La Leche, a long-standing devotion in the St. Augustine Diocese. Members contributed roughly $40,000 toward the shrine’s cost. At the dedication, the council helped with parking and refreshments, with Father Paul V. Donnelly Assembly providing an honor guard.

Holy Family/Spirit of Christ Council 13022 in Missoula, Mont., expanded in its third year to provide 56 pairs of winter boots to elementary school students in need. The program took place in November, distributing the boots in time for the winter cold.

GOOD GAME

Prince of Peace Council 13457 in Flowery Branch, Ga., partnered with the Atlanta Gladiators ice hockey team to raise funds for a new parish ministry serving people with physical or intellectual disabilities. The council sold 223 hockey game tickets, netting $1,100 for activities and support services.

HOUSEFIRE FUNDRAISER

donated $215 each to A Simple House and Jerusalem Farms, two Catholic intentional communities serving populations in need. A Simple House runs a ministry of friendship and assistance for the homeless, and Jerusalem Farms offers home repair to the elderly and hosts retreats and community prayer.

GUADALUPE HOME

St. Mary Pinckney (Mich.)

Council 11761 responded rapidly to assist a Knight whose home burned down.

The council quickly organized a spaghetti dinner at the local parish, where donations for the meal totaled over $9,000.

INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Cardinal Glennon Council 4613 in Kansas City, Mo.,

St. Mark the Evangelist Council 7613 in San Antonio, Texas, donated $2,500 from a skeet shoot fundraiser to Guadalupe Home, a Catholic Charities home for expectant mothers and women with infants who are experiencing homelessness.

The donation continued a tradition of support, as the council helped to renovate Guadalupe Home’s facilities back when the organization was founded.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION RECRUITMENT FUNDRAISER

Notre-Dame-des-Pins Council 8955 in Québec launched a recruitment drive with a successful fundraising dinner. The “banker party” drew 215 attendees for a steak dinner, music by a local orchestra and a game of “The Golden Egg.” As well as raising $2,000 for the council’s charity fund, the event served as outreach to prospective members.

TEAMING UP FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Members of Parkersburg (W. Va.) Council 594 roll new sheathing onto the roof of a garage at St. Francis Xavier Church. Knights installed a new roof at the rectory garage to repair a major water leak.

FIESTA FOR MARY

Dr. John M. McLoughlin Council 2325 in Oregon City, Ore., sponsored a Mexican Fiesta Dinner that raised $1,556 for the construction of a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Grotto of Our Lady of Sorrows in Portland. Fifteen Knights, with help from their families, worked to put on the dinner at St. John the Apostle Church. Not just a fundraiser, the event also fostered brotherhood within the council, which has welcomed many new members of Mexican heritage.

VETERAN SERVICES

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Council 12006 in Setauket, N.Y., hosted a patriotic dinner and concert that raised $3,000. The proceeds supported America’s VetDogs, an organization that provides service dogs for disabled veterans, and Donald J. Burns Council 13588 of the Long Island State Veterans Home.

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CASTING A NEW LIGHT

MISSALS FOR KIDS

Archbishop Hennessy Council 959 in Dewitt, Iowa, assisted St. Joseph Church to install new LED lamps in the church, gathering space, and hall. The change brought energy efficiency and savings to the parish, reducing energy use from over 8,000 watts per month to about 1,500 watts and increasing lamp life from 2,000 to 20,000 hours of operating time.

Saint Jude Council 12092 in Bellmawr, N.J., published My First Missal, a prayer book to help children follow the Mass. It was written by council member Amam Acholonu and his wife, Margaret, and subsequently approved by Bishop Sullivan of the Diocese of Camden and the USCCB. Many area councils have purchased the booklet for First Communion classes at their parishes.

KNIGHTS IN SONG

Members of Bishop N.Z. Lorrain Council 1531 in Pembroke, Ontario, formed the “Singing Knights,” a group that visits retirement homes and long-term care facilities to provide musical entertainment. The Singing Knights performed several dozen times in 2015 and especially enjoyed bringing cheer to the St. Patrick’s Pub Night at Carefor Health & Community Services retirement residence.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Father Maurice R. Daly Council 6076 in Spartanburg, S.C., raised $10,475 for the County Area 12 Special Olympics. The funds were a result of generous public response to a fund drive that the council conducts annually in conjunction with the Columbus Hope Foundation, and from the support of local businesses.

WREATH LAYING

San Isidro Magasaka Council 13150 in Lucena City, Luzon South, honored Dr. José Rizal with a wreath laying accompanied by a color guard at a monument. Two hundred people gathered to commemorate the life of Dr. Rizal, an ophthalmologist who was executed by the Spanish colonial government after his patriotic writing contributed to a rebellion against colonial power.

Suzanne Bigelow and Lily Pertzborn smile as they receive a best-in-show trophy from Paul Martin and Rob denHartog of St. Augustine Council 10558 in Des Moines, Iowa, following a council-sponsored chili cook-off to raise funds for the Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund. The event raised more than $1,600 to assist Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

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KNIGHTS IN ACTION ABUNDANT HELP

George C. Shields Council 420 in Mansfield, Mass., led a community-wide fundraiser for Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center of Attleboro. What originally began with a collection of spare change from students in the faith formation program at St. Mary’s Parish soon spread to other churches and charityminded individuals who heard of the council’s efforts.

The $26,044 raised was matched by the K of C Ultrasound Initiative, enabling Abundant Hope to purchase a new ultrasound machine.

DISTRICT CLEANS UP

The four councils of District 34 in New Port Richey, Port Richey and Hudson, Fla., joined forces to refurbish the exterior of St. Anne’s Church in New Port Richey. The councils shared the labor and cost of cleaning, pressure washing and painting the church, residence, hall and pavilion. They also replaced several windows and a portion of roofing.

WILD NIGHT

Bishop Dingman Council 10805 and Father John F. O’Neill Council 10722 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, held a very successful evening of fundraising at their annual wild game feed. The dinner features menu items ranging from deer sausage to elk meatloaf, and a wide array of games and auction items contributed to the $30,000 in proceeds, which were divided among more than 20 charities.

CANDLELIGHT DINNER

Carroll Council 504 in Wheeling, W.Va., and the Carol ladies’ auxiliary hosted

the 34th annual Candlelight Dinner at the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center, a comprehensive social service center. In place of the usual cafeteria line, the volunteers served a meal of steak, potatoes, greens and dessert to 75 of the center’s clients, who were seated at tables with tablecloths, candles and flowers. The event recognized the dignity of people in need.

BOOK FUNDRAISER

Webster Groves (Mo.) Council 2119 purchased 400 children’s books, published by crisis pregnancy center Our Lady’s Inn, at a cost of $1,000. Proceeds from book sales assist the center in its service to economically disadvantaged women in need of care and support during their pregnancy. The books, which tell the story of the Nativity, will be distributed as a gift from the Knights of Columbus to children at area parish schools during the Advent season.

VAN FOR VETS

Father Novatus Assembly of Scottsdale, Ariz., presented the proceeds of a “Pennies for Vets” campaign, to Disabled American Veterans Chapter #22. The $712 contribution will aid the chapter to purchase a new van to transport disabled veterans to and from medical appointments.

EXTENDED CARE

Father Brunet Council 3198 in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, donated $5,000 to the Meno Ya Win Health Centre’s goal of expanding the extended care facility beyond its current capacity of 20 beds. The donation followed the council’s previous $22,000 contribution to the center’s health care work for local

Members of Father John F. Hogan Council 14236 in Dartmouth, Mass., stand with one of the community war memorials that council members help to maintain. Knights assist with roughly 14 sites throughout town by raking, clearing weeds and scrubbing the stone memorials.

residents, which includes service to members of the First Nations.

GOLFING FOR GOOD

Holy Trinity Council 4400 in Joliet, Ill., used the proceeds of its annual golf outing to purchase diapers, baby wipes and other necessities for Birthright of Joliet, which provides resources for women with unplanned pregnancies. The council was proud to assist Birthright in its service to the community.

PATRIOTIC BALL

San Damiano Assembly in Bradenton, Fla., welcomed nearly 200 guests to a patriotic military ball. A star guest at the night of music and merriment was Foley, a service dog provided to U.S. Air Force veteran Morgan Watt by the Paws for Patriots program at Southeastern Guide Dogs. Watt described the benefits a service dog provides, and the assembly made a $1,000 donation from the ball’s proceeds to Southeastern Guide Dogs in order to assist other veterans.

CORRECTIONS In the Catholic Man of the Month column on page 5 of the July 2016 issue, the location of Our Lady of the Angels Seminary, where Venerable Nelson Baker and Venerable Michael J. McGivney were both students, was incorrectly identified as Buffalo, N.Y. The seminary had moved from Buffalo to neighboring Lewiston in 1857. The age of Msgr. Baker at his death was also misidentified as 95 years. He died at age 94.

On page 21 of the August 2016 issue, the place where Olympic champion James B. Connolly died was mistakenly identified as New York. Mr. Connolly died in Brookline, Mass.

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

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P RO M OT I O NA L

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K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com

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Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org

BAGGO ® Bean Bag Toss Game BAGGO ® is a portable bean bag toss game that is fun for all ages. The game can be played anywhere – indoors and out – and is great for council meetings, tailgating, family outings, festivals and other social gatherings. The portable set includes two 2’ x 3’ lightweight high-impact polystyrene boards decorated with the Emblem of the Order. The boards snap together for easy carrying. The whole set, including 8 bean bags, weighs only 22 pounds. Please note this is not a regulation-size cornhole game. $130 Persona™ Wave Vacuum Tumbler This 14 oz. stainless steel dual wall tumbler has a black matte finish and full color Emblem of the Order with white text. It features a copper-lined vacuum insulation, which provides optimum heat retention; a leak proof screw-on lid, which comes apart for easy cleaning; and a visual open/close push button locking closure. $13

OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 1, 2016:

To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7

ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

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

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

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

SEPTEMBER 2016

Under Armour® Performance Polo Feel cool and look cool in this navy blue Under Armour® performance polo. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS is heatsealed in white on the left chest and matches the style of the UA logo on the left sleeve. The smooth, soft anti-pill fabric has a clean, snag-free finish with a durable rib-knit collar. The anti-odor technology prevents the growth of odor-causing microbes while the 30+ UPF protects your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. This polo features 4-way stretch fabrication which allows greater Order these and other items online at: mobility in any direction and is made knightsgear.com of 95% Polyester and 5% Elastane for Questions? 1-855-GEAR-KOC a nice performance fit. M, L, XL: $48; (855-432-7562) 2X: $50; 3X: $51; 4X: $52 Additional shipping costs apply to all orders.

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

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

TO

BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S

C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW

Members of St. Francis the Poverello Council 8222 at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., take a break during a Knights vs. Friars basketball scrimmage at the university’s DeGol Arena. The public event gave the Knights the opportunity to raise awareness of their charitable initiatives and collect donations for the Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund.

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

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

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

K EEP T H E FA IT H A LIV E

‘CHRIST, THE GOOD TEACHER,

DIRECTED MY PATH.’

FRIAR MARIO SERRANO, O.F.M. CONV. Terre Haute, Ind.

Photo by Zach Dobson Photography

As a child I learned about Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose image was in the living room of our family home. Through the Franciscan Friars at our church and parish celebrations, I gained a greater appreciation of Our Lady, and I learned about how Juan Diego struggled to accept his call.

When a friar later asked me if I had ever considered becoming a Franciscan, at first I squirmed at the idea. Then I began to ponder his question, and Christ, the Good Teacher, directed my path. In no way was it my personal doing to choose the life of a Franciscan friar or the priesthood, but an acceptance to a call. It was saying “yes” to an invitation.

Like St. Juan Diego, I am amazed at how God has transformed my understanding of who I am meant to be through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I have become a witness to God’s marvelous works. To be a Franciscan is a great joy!