Columbia September 2018

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBUS

S EPTEMBER 2018

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S sEPtEmbEr 2018 ♦ VolumE 98 ♦ NumbEr 9

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

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A Lifeline for Persecuted Christians For four years running, the Knights of Columbus has championed the cause of suffering Christians in the Middle East.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

18 ‘We Will Stand With You’ An interview with Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil about the humanitarian efforts of the Church in Iraq.

BY COLUMBIA STAFF

20 Return to the Land of Modern-Day Martyrs The Knights of Columbus continues to support efforts to rebuild and resettle a Christian Iraqi town ravaged by ISIS.

BY INÉS SAN MARTÍN

24 Knights of Diplomacy The Order’s efforts on behalf of Christians targeted for genocide moved the U.S. government to take action.

BY ANDREW T. WALTHER

A portrait of Father Ragheed Ganni, who was martyred by Islamist insurgents in 2007, rests among the shattered remains of his tombstone in St. Addai Chaldean Catholic Church in his native town of Karamles, Iraq. Father Ganni’s cause for canonization was opened this past spring, and a new memorial is being built in place of the original, which was destroyed by ISIS militants.

D E PA RT M E N T S

Photo by Edward Pentin/Courtesy of National Catholic Register

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Building a better world

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Through prayer, material aid and advocacy, we stand in solidarity with Christians suffering in the Middle East.

BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

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Learning the faith, living the faith The witness of St. John Vianney encourages us to grow in holiness, fidelity and love.

Knights of Columbus News Mountaintop Mass Honors Father McGivney • New John Paul II Documentary Released • Supreme Director Named to Philippine Supreme Court

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26 Knights in Action 30 Scholarship Recipients

Fathers for Good A Knights’ connection brought my parents together during World War II.

BY GERALD KORSON

BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Saints Wanted THE CRADLE of Christianity is also a crucible of faith. In the 21st century, descendants of ancient Christian communities in the Middle East have experienced unspeakable suffering and even the threat of extinction. On June 2, 2007, Father Ragheed Ganni, a 35-year-old Chaldean Catholic priest serving in Mosul, Iraq, wrote an email message to a professor in Rome, where he had studied and was ordained just six years earlier. Father Ganni described the situation in Mosul as “worse than hell,” noting that churches continually faced attacks by Islamist extremists.

The very next morning, after celebrating Sunday Mass for his people, he and three others were followed, confronted for refusing to close the local church, and brutally murdered.

Father Ganni was well aware of the risks of his profession. Less than a year earlier, he attended the funeral of a brother priest who was kidnapped, tortured and martyred. In response, Father Ganni simply acknowledged his own human weakness and prayed for the strength “not to humiliate” the priesthood of Christ. When Father Ganni was killed, Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul had the following words written on his tombstone in Arabic: “Father, not my will but yours be done” (cf. Lk 22:42). Nine months later, Archbishop Rahho was himself kidnapped and murdered.

In August 2014, after the rise of the Islamic State group, militants invaded Father Ganni’s hometown of Karamles, 20 miles east of Mosul, and demolished his tombstone in St. Addai Chaldean Catholic Church. Never did the future of Christianity in the region look so bleak.

At precisely this time, the Knights of Columbus countered ISIS’ campaign of destruction with a campaign of charity and solidarity — establishing the Christian Refugee Relief Fund and urging prayer and advocacy for suffering Christians and other persecuted minority communities in the Middle East.

This issue of Columbia outlines the Order’s important work in the region over the past four years (see page 8) and provides updates about new and ongoing projects, including a $2 million initiative to resettle Karamles that began last year (see page 20). As the people of Karamles continue to return and rebuild with K of C support, they draw inspiration from their native son, Father Ganni, whose cause for canonization was officially opened in May. Today, Father Ganni is known as Father Ragheed of the Eucharist, and a new memorial is now being constructed in St. Addai Church.

Father Ragheed’s witness, together with that of other Christians in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere who have held firm to the faith until the end, provides a lesson to us all: When confronted by manifest evil, the only adequate response is humility, faithfulness and love — that is to say, holiness.

The Church, which is in constant need of purification and authentic reform, faces enormous challenges today, not only in the Middle East but throughout the world. It is therefore imperative that we seek to follow Christ more closely and pray that, by his grace, our faith, hope and charity might always increase.♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Solidarity Cross Program K of C councils are urged to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christian communities in the Middle East through the Solidarity Cross Program, by which they purchase 5-inch olivewood crosses crafted by Christians in the Holy Land and distribute them for a suggested donation of $10 each. Net proceeds go to the Christian Refugee Relief Fund. For more information, contact the Fraternal Mission department or visit kofc.org/christiansatrisk.

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Patrick E. Kelly DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME SECRETARY Ronald F. Schwarz SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Margaret B. Kelly 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 © 2018 All rights reserved ________ ON THE COVER An icon of Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians depicts Mary, with the Child Jesus over her heart, spreading her mantle around recent Christian martyrs.

ON THE COVER: Icon by Fabrizio Diomedi (2018)

E D I TO R I A L

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BU I L D I N G A B E T T E R WO R L D

Our Work Continues Through prayer, material aid and advocacy, we stand in solidarity with Christians suffering in the Middle East

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

THIS ISSUE of Columbia details our aid to our brothers and sisters in the faith who have been marked for extinction by ISIS and other terrorists in the Middle East.

The hard truth is that Christians are on the verge of extinction in the Middle East. We must not allow this to happen.

Since 2014, the Knights of Columbus has committed more than $20 million to aid Christians and those of other religions in their care. This money has provided food, shelter, clothing and medical care to thousands who lost everything in Iraq and Syria because they refused to give up their love of Christ.

We have supported true heroes in these countries, and several have spoken at our Supreme Conventions — including Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch, Melkite Catholic Archbishop JeanClément Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria, and Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq.

We have been proud to support the medical clinic in Erbil operated by St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Sciences in Bratislava, Slovakia. The young doctors and staff of this clinic were some of the first to treat Yazidi and Christian women escaping from sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS. Last year, we launched a special initiative to resettle the Iraqi town of Karamles. It had been a Christian town for centuries before ISIS overran it, drove out its inhabitants, destroyed

their homes and desecrated their churches.

When their land was recaptured from ISIS, the Christians were ready to return to their homes. But their towns were in ruins. Who would help them rebuild?

The first to act was the government of Hungary, which provided funds to rebuild the town of Teleskof. During a consultation with Hungarian government officials in Budapest, I discussed with them our similar effort.

Today, with $2 million from the Order, Karamles is being rebuilt and Christian families are returning home.

We have provided more than financial aid. We worked closely with thenSecretary of State John Kerry to ensure that Christians and other religious minorities were recognized as victims of genocide. We also worked with U.S. Reps. Jeff Fortenberry and Anna Eshoo to urge Congress to unanimously pass legislation declaring Christians the victims of genocide.

Similarly, we worked with Rep. Chris Smith, who has been a hero in leading the effort to make U.S. assistance available to these communities.

He was the first senior government official to go to Erbil to see firsthand the situation of the Christians there.

Now, we are working with Vice President Mike Pence to see that U.S. assistance reaches these communities.

When the conflict between Kurdistan and the government of Iraq threatened an ancient Christian town, we alerted the State Department and the

White House. We worked with them to de-escalate tensions and avoid a bloody conflict that could have ended the Christian presence in Iraq.

Archbishop Warda has said that without the support of the Knights of Columbus, Christianity might have died in Iraq.

Our work has brought a message of solidarity and of hope — that no Christian community is an island.

Every Christian is “a piece of the continent.”

Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ. No Christian has been abandoned by the Lord. And no Christian should be abandoned by us.

Their suffering continues. And our work must continue.

This year’s pilgrim icon program will focus the eyes of our Church on the sacrifice of these communities. As St. John Paul II said in 2000: “The precious heritage which these courageous witnesses have passed down to us is a patrimony. … May (their) memory … grow still stronger! Let it be passed on from generation to generation, so that from it there may blossom a profound Christian renewal!”

And to again focus the attention of our nation, this month we begin a new national awareness campaign.

My brothers, these heroic Christians have not abandoned the field. And neither will we.

Vivat Jesus!

SEPTEMBER 2018

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L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H

A Priestly Heart The witness of St. John Vianney encourages us to grow in holiness, fidelity and love

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

THE ANNUAL Supreme Convention riving there, he found that the faith was always concludes with the holy sacri- all but dead among the villagers. fice of the Mass offered for fellow Father Vianney’s priestly heart, howKnights, families and loved ones who ever, burned with love for Jesus and for died during the past fraternal year. the people he was sent to serve. This Present at that Mass are relics of saints priest, whose talents were regarded as ings as a person and as a shepherd. I also who are near and dear to the Knights mediocre, brought the parish at Ars back could not help but think of how the of Columbus. This year, for example, we to life by bringing many of his parish- Church’s mission of evangelization is venerated St. John Paul II, our beloved ioners back to the practice of the faith. harmed when her bishops and priests K of C Mexican Martyrs and St. Edith He did so not by strategic planning, but are mired in infidelity — either personal Stein. We also venerated the relics of two rather by the force of his integrity and misconduct or failures of leadership. saints who are part of the history By contrast, when in God’s of the Archdiocese of Baltimore: grace a shepherd strives, like St. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first John Vianney, for authentic Your love of the faith, your native born citizen of the United goodness and holiness, what a States to be canonized; and St. difference it makes. The faith is practice of the principle of charity, true, good and salvific — but it John Neumann, who was ordained a bishop in 1852 at St. and your support for the Church’s becomes credible when preached Alphonsus Church in downtown and borne witness to by shepbishops and priests are a great gift. herds whose deeds bear the Baltimore.

Relics are precious and holy marks of integrity, by shepherds reminders of our closeness to the who are firmly on the road to saints. They tell us that saints were flesh- holiness, the fruit of his daily prayer cen- holiness, by shepherds who are filled and-blood persons, unique individuals, tered on the Blessed Sacrament, his prac- with pastoral love. in whom and through whom God’s ho- tice of self-mortification, his untiring love In these days when the misdeeds of liness shone forth. They spur us to for his parishioners, his long hours in the shepherds are so painfully evident, may strive, in God’s grace, to lead lives of in- confessional, and his confrontation with I say a word of encouragement and tegrity, virtue and charity. evil. Soon, his remote parish began to at- thanks to you, the family of the Knights One particular relic we venerated dur- tract people from all over France and even of Columbus? Your love of the faith, ing this year’s convention touched me from other parts of Europe. It was an un- your practice of the principle of charity, very deeply. It was the heart of St. John likely place to become a center for re- and your support for the Church’s bishVianney, the patron of priests. Vianney evangelization and renewal, but God, in ops and priests are a great gift. You help was born in 1786 in Dardilly, France, to his providence, raised up a good and holy us live the vocation God has given us. parents who were poor but devout. In shepherd to lead the way.

As supreme chaplain of the Knights, I their home, the seeds of a priestly vocaSt. John Vianney, who had not been have experienced this time and again. tion were planted in their son’s heart, but regarded as promising by his superiors, Thank you. And please do pray for me, his path to the priesthood was arduous set a very high standard for every bishop for your chaplains, and for all members as he struggled with his studies. Or- and priest. Gazing upon his priestly of the clergy. Pray that we might have dained to the priesthood in 1815, Vian- heart, I was deeply moved. I was filled in us a priestly heart, like that of St. ney was soon appointed pastor of a with gratitude and hope. At the same John Vianney — that is to say, a heart parish in the remote village of Ars. Ar- time, I was struck by my own shortcom- like unto that of Christ.♦ 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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SUPREME CHAPLAIN’S CHALLENGE

A monthly reflection and practical challenge from Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: “Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’”

(Gospel for Sept. 22, Mk. 9:35) When I was in seminary, I had a roommate who was an early riser. Every morning, his loud alarm went off at 5:15 a.m., at which point he’d always say the same thing: “Gladly, Jesus. Gladly!” My comments went in a different

H O LY FAT H E R ’ S P R AY E R I N T E N T I O N

direction. Let’s be honest. In a selfish, me-first world, it’s just as hard to hear Jesus say “the first shall be last” as it was to hear my roommate at 5:15. And yet, my brothers, Jesus calls us to be servants of all; to step out of our comfort zone and say “Gladly!” as we go to serve others in our lives. “Gladly, Jesus. Gladly!”

Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: This month, I challenge you to become even more like Jesus, the “servant of all,” by making an act of charity for someone in your life from whom you have been distant, or whom you have wronged. Second, I challenge you to prayerfully reflect on these words from Scripture: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 Jn. 4:11).♦

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

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters — FATHER ATKINSON: Photo by John Shetron/© Villanova University — TOP: skodonnell/Vetta/Getty Images

Father Bill Atkinson (1946-2006)

That young people in Africa may have access to education and work in their own countries.

L I T U RG I C A L C A L E N DA R Sept. 3 St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Sept. 8 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept. 13 St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Sept. 14 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sept. 15 Our Lady of Sorrows Sept. 20 Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, Paul Chŏng Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs Sept. 21 St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Sept. 27 St. Vincent de Paul, Priest Sept. 29 Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

WILLIAM Edward Atkinson was born in Philadelphia Jan. 4, 1946. Raised in a Catholic home in Upper Darby, Pa., he was a tall, athletic boy who excelled at baseball and also volunteered at a home for children with disabilities.

In his senior year at a high school staffed by the Order of Saint Augustine, Atkinson announced his desire to become an Augustinian friar. He entered the novitiate in New Hamburg, N.Y., in the fall of 1964.

Months later, the novices went tobogganing after a heavy snowstorm, and Atkinson’s sled careened into a tree, shattering his spine.

He took a turn for the worse in the hospital, and Atkinson’s novice master asked him if he wished to profess temporary vows, which is allowed when there is danger of death. Over the next four days, Brother Bill stopped breathing several times as he battled pneumonia and high fever. His parents remained at his side, while the novices prayed a novena to Blessed John Neumann for his recovery. The 19-yearold friar’s condition suddenly stabilized on the final day of the novena, baffling doctors.

Though completely paralyzed from the neck down, Brother Bill eventually mastered a mobilized wheelchair, and he faced his condition with courage, patience and wit.

In 1973, he made his solemn religious vows, and the following year, after receiving a special dispensation from Pope Paul VI, he became the first known quadriplegic in history to be ordained a priest. Father Bill graduated from Villanova University the same year, and for the next three decades he was a beloved presence at his high school alma mater, where he taught theology.

Father Bill died Sept. 15, 2006, at the age of 60, and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia officially opened the cause for his canonization in April 2017.♦

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford, Conn., celebrates Mass in honor of the Order’s founder Aug. 11 on the crest of a hill overlooking the city of Waterbury.

UNDETERRED BY RAIN and threats of lightning, more than 1,000 people gathered in Waterbury, Conn., Aug. 11 for a “Mountaintop Mass” in honor of Venerable Michael J. McGivney.

Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford celebrated the Mass on the top of Pine Hill, the site of Holy Land USA, a former 17-acre religious theme park built in 1955.

The park was closed in 1984 due to disrepair, but the site is still illuminated at night by a massive, 57feet-tall cross.

“What a powerful thing it is for us to be gathered on this holy mountain in Waterbury, just as Christ taught the people on the mountain in today’s Gospel,” Archbishop Blair said in his homily.

“This cross that is lit up every night is a powerful spiritual reminder to everyone of the presence of God.” The event was conceived by Waterbury native Father James M. Sullivan, pastor of the Church of Assumption in nearby Ansonia, in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus. Father Sullivan said he saw the enormous evangelizing 6 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

SEPTEMBER 2018

potential of the Holy Land USA site as a way to draw Catholics together in faith and spark interest in the life of the Order’s founder, Father McGivney, who was born in Waterbury Aug. 12, 1852.

“God has revealed himself on mountains, and he will continue to do so on this mountain,” said Father Sullivan, who is a member of Valley Council 23 in Ansonia.

The Mass included a Fourth Degree honor guard and was attended by relatives of Father McGivney as well as many local Knights and their families. Supreme Advocate John Marrella and other Supreme Council representatives were also present.

“From the top of the mountain, you can see where Father McGivney was born, where he worked in the spoon factory in his early teens, where he worshipped and where he went to school,” observed Father Sullivan. On the other side of the mountain, he added, is the cemetery where Father McGivney’s remains were buried for 92 years before being transferred to St. Mary’s Church in New Haven.♦

New John Paul II Documentary Released A NEW documentary on Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Ireland in 1979 began airing on public television stations across the United States in August.

John Paul II in Ireland: A Plea for Peace traces the impact of the pope’s dramatic threeday pilgrimage, beginning with his famous words in Drogheda: “On my knees, I beg of you; turn away from the paths of violence.”

Narrated by Jim Caviezel and featuring interviews with prominent political, religious and cultural figures, including Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who also served as executive producer, the film chronicles how John Paul II’s witness contributed to the eventual peace settlement in Northern Ireland.

More information, including DVD sales and broadcast times, can be found at jp2inireland.com.♦

Supreme Director Named to Philippine Supreme Court SUPREME DIRECTOR Jose C. Reyes Jr. took the oath of office as a Supreme Court Associate Justice of the Philippines Aug. 13, three days after his appointment by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

Reyes has served on the Philippine Court of Appeals for 15 years and has been a Knight for Reyes 38 years. He has also served as Luzon North Deputy since the jurisdiction was created in 2014 and was elected to the Order’s Board of Directors in 2016. He and his wife, Maria, have three children.♦

TOP LEFT: CNS photo/Aaron Joseph, for The Catholic Transcript

Mountaintop Mass Honors Father McGivney

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

Love at First Sight A Knights’ connection brought my parents together during World War II

by Gerald Korson

Photo courtesy of Gerald Korson

I

f not for the Knights of Columbus, I might not be here.

My father, Paul Korson, was a Knight who met my mother at a K of C hall when he was preparing to go overseas during World War II. Before his death in 2006, he had spoken about this, but I discovered the whole story recently while reading my father’s memoirs after my mother passed away.

Like many young men of his day, my father enlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Following basic training, he was sent to Butler University in Indianapolis for six months of Air Force officer training.

A shy, gentlemanly, devout farm boy from Michigan, Dad was inclined to spend his free time reading on base rather than hitting the town.

He was pulled out of his shell by an airman trainee named Osgood, whom he called “a miniature dynamo” with an “overpowering interest in girls.” The two men first met while walking to Sunday Mass in July 1943, and their common faith made Osgood “an instant prospect to be a friend.”

Osgood urged my father to go with him to the Knights of Columbus hall downtown, where there was hospitality for servicemen. My dad agreed, and the next Sunday, they boarded a streetcar together to the hall. After checking out the game room, they went to the library and immersed themselves in sports magazines. When Dad dozed off, Osgood went looking for girls. He returned with glorious stories of a free buffet, a large dance hall and two nice girls sitting in a booth. Reluctantly, my dad agreed to meet the ladies, but as he approached them, his attention was diverted by something, or rather someone, else.

“Across the dance floor on the other side of the hall, I saw a dream walking, and being followed by a group of infantrymen,” my father wrote. “This was it! She is the one!” He resolved right then that this was the woman he would marry. “The die had been cast, and there was no escape. There was no wish to escape.”

The band was playing, and soldiers and their dance partners were twirling across the floor. Though shy, my

father pushed through the crowd. “May I have this dance?” he asked. She accepted, and my father and his walking dream danced to “Sunday, Monday or Always.”

The song, which was first recorded that year, would become their song.

His second question was: “Are you engaged?” He was as blunt as he was innocent. He later wrote, “I know I was agog, in seventh heaven, with a pulse to match.”

After the final dance, the two exchanged phone numbers before Dad and Osgood hitched a ride back to base.

Her name was Maryann, but my father called her “Jo,” a seldomheard synonym for “sweetheart.”

They had several dates before Dad shipped off to train as a B-17 bombardier and then onward to the European Theater. He would earn a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for bravery in completing a mission despite sustaining serious injuries from enemy flak.

Despite this and other close calls, he returned home to marry his Jo, my mother, on Armistice Day (later Veterans Day) in 1945. They had been wed nearly 61 years, with eight children, when he passed away 12 years ago. My mother continued to live in the house they had purchased in 1948 till her death last month.

In his memoirs, Dad wrote a poem about the night he met his love: Our eyes met from across the dance floor She didn’t smile, she didn’t frown and her gaze held a question….

Blindly bold, I blunder through the crowd “May I have this dance?”

And we danced and danced And have danced through a lifetime.

And it all began on a summer Sunday in 1943 at a Knights of Columbus hall in Indianapolis.♦ GERALD KORSON is a veteran Catholic journalist and a member of the Knights of Columbus in Fort Wayne, Ind.

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

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A Lifeline for Persecuted Christians For four years running, the Knights of Columbus has championed the cause of suffering Christians in the Middle East

by Columbia staff

A

s Islamic State militants swept across northern Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014, the future of Christianity in the Middle East hung in the balance.

ISIS systematically targeted Christians and other religious minorities for genocide, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands more fleeing for their lives.

The Knights of Columbus responded by establishing the Christian Refugee Relief Fund in order to provide humanitarian assistance in cooperation with local Church leaders and other allies. In addition to committing more than $20 million in aid over the past four years, the Order has also conducted campaigns to promote prayer and raise awareness, and it has successfully advanced public policy in defense of victims of religious persecution.

The timeline that follows provides a summary of some of the many ways that the Knights of Columbus has aided vulnerable communities in the Middle East during this critical time. To support the initiative, visit christiansatrisk.org.

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Aug. 11 — With an initial $500,000 and pledging to match an additional $500,000 in donations from the public, the Knights of Columbus announces the establishment of the Christian Refugee Relief Fund to aid those suffering religious persecution in Iraq and elsewhere.

“The unprovoked and systematic persecution and violent elimination of Middle East Christians, as well as other minority groups, especially in Iraq, has created an enormous humanitarian crisis,” states Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Pope Francis has asked the world for prayers and support for those affected by this terrible persecution, and we are asking our members, and all people of good will, to pray for those persecuted and to support efforts to assist them by donating to this fund.”

Displaced families flee their homeland in August 2014 following the violent invasion of ISIS in northern Iraq.

TOP: CNS photo/Rodi Said, Reuters — BOTTOM: Photo by Omar Sanadiki, Reuters

Sept. 9 — Within weeks, the Order raises more than $2 million in donations and urges Knights and their families, as well as others, to recite the “Prayer for Those Persecuted in Iraq,” written by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori.

Sept. 26 — Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria, delivers an impassioned address at Fordham University in New York, detailing the persecution of his people.

“When we consider innocent Christian victims,” he says, “we can speak without exaggeration of several hundred dead, many of them martyrs.”

Columbia reprints an adapted version of the speech in its December 2014 issue.

October — The Knights of Columbus begins sending financial assistance to the Melkite Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppo.

2014

November — The Order donates more than $2 million to the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq, to provide food, shelter and emergency medical service to thousands of internally displaced persons under its care.

Dec. 12 — Pope Francis meets with Supreme Knight Anderson, who presents the Holy Father with $400,000 to supplement the Vatican’s efforts in the Middle East.

A Syrian priest inspects the damage inside a church in May 2014.

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July — The Order begins support of St. Elizabeth University’s Project for Iraq in Need (STEP-IN), a medical initiative that serves displaced Iraqis targeted for genocide.

The Slovakian-based project includes a clinic in Erbil named for Blessed Zdenka Schelingová and a mobile clinic in Duhok named for Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko (see more on page 23).

March 24 — Members of Holy Redeemer Council 9544 in Kanata, Ontario, welcome a Melkite Greek Catholic family that was forced to flee the ancient city of Daraa, Syria.

Council 9544, together with other K of C councils and Catholic parishes, have since welcomed and assisted other refugee families as well.

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Aug. 4 — During his annual report at the 133rd Supreme Convention in Philadelphia, Supreme Knight Anderson invites delegates to stand with him in solidarity for persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria, raising olivewood crosses and reciting together a prayer for those suffering.

“The blood of these martyrs cries out to you and me for help,” he said. “It is time for a season of truth about what is happening to Christians and other minorities.”

In the months that follow, the Supreme Council would initiate the Solidarity Cross Program — inviting K of C units to purchase 5-inch olivewood crosses made by Christian artisans in the Holy Land for distribution in their parishes and communities for a suggested donation of $10 per cross, with net proceeds going to the Christian Refugee Relief Fund. To date, more than 63,000 crosses have been distributed, raising nearly $400,000.

✼✼✼ Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil and Archbishop Jeanbart of Aleppo each deliver keynote addresses at the Supreme Convention States Dinner.

“Churches and holy places where people had worshipped for centuries have now been destroyed and desecrated, the Holy Cross replaced by the flag of Daesh (ISIS),” recounts Archbishop Warda. “Many of these families fled to the relative safety of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where they wonder how their lives can go forward. These people are in our care, yours and mine.”

Archbishop Jeanbart similarly speaks of the plight of displaced Christians in Syria, adding, “By God’s grace and with the help of organizations like yours, we have been able to respond, in a significant way, to a good part of the humanitarian needs of our people.”

TOP: Photo courtesy of STEP-IN — BELOW LEFT: Photo by Jake Wright — BELOW RIGHT: Photo by Matthew Barrick

2015

Dr. Zuzana Ulman, director of the STEP-IN medical clinics, examines X-rays of an Iraqi girl.

July 25 — A K of C-produced commercial on the plight of Christians and other persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East begins airing across the United States as part of a national campaign to raise funds and awareness.

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Sept. 11 — At the second annual Solidarity Dinner of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Convention in Washington, D.C., Supreme Knight Anderson delivers a keynote address. “You and I know the truth about what is happening to Christians in the Middle East,” he says, noting that Pope Francis used the term “genocide” in relation to Christians and other minority communities in Iraq and Syria.

The dinner concludes three days of intense media and advocacy work by the Knights and conference participants. On Sept. 10, participants visited some 300 congressional offices, urging members of Congress to vote for H. Con. Res. 75, a bill introduced the previous day by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) that would designate the Islamic State’s actions in the region as genocide.

TOP: Photo courtesy of Catholic Relief Services — BOTTOM: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Erbil

August — The Order sends additional aid to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, which provides humanitarian assistance to Christian families wanting to remain in their country.

November — The Order donates to Catholic Relief Services, sponsoring the Church’s efforts to educate Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

October — A 15-year-old Chaldean Catholic girl from Iraq named Katreena recovers at the residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Enfield, Conn., after receiving treatment at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. Injured while fleeing from ISIS with her family in 2014, she was able to travel to the United States for medical care thanks to the Knights’ support.

September — The Knights of Columbus finances the delivery of one month’s supply of food to more than 13,500 refugee families in Erbil.

Dec. 9 — Supreme Knight Anderson delivers testimony during a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on “Fulfilling the Humanitarian Imperative: Assisting Victims of ISIS Violence.” He implores the U.S. State Department to “publicly acknowledge that genocide is taking place against the Christian communities of Iraq and Syria.”

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January — The Christian Refugee Relief Fund exceeds $5 million in total donations.

March 9 — The Knights of Columbus, in cooperation with In Defense of Christians, submits a major report titled Genocide Against Christians in the Middle East to the U.S. State Department. The 280page report presents comprehensive evidence that Christians in territories controlled by ISIS have been killed, kidnapped, raped, sold into slavery, driven from their homes and dispossessed. It also includes interviews with witnesses of such atrocities collected during a recent K of C fact-finding mission to Iraq.

The following day, the report is made public at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where Supreme Knight Anderson is joined by Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba Angaelos of the United Kingdom; Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom; Prof. Robert Destro of The Catholic University of America; and Father Douglas Bazi, among others.

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March 17 — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declares that Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East face genocide at the hands of ISIS. Supreme Knight Anderson applauds the designation as “correct and truly historic.”

Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart of Aleppo gives the closing blessing after celebrating Mass in the Holy Family Chapel at the Knights of Columbus headquarters May 1, 2016.

May 1 — Archbishop Jeanbart of Aleppo delivers an address to more than 350 people at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., the birthplace of the Order. He urges his listeners “to help and to save” the Christians in Syria, who “have been living for 2,000 years among hardships, difficulties and persecutions.”

The following day, Archbishop Jeanbart and the supreme knight hold a joint press conference at the Knights of Columbus headquarters.

TOP: Photo by Gregory Shemitz/Catholic News Service — BOTTOM: Photo by Tom Serafin

2016

At a U.N. conference April 28, 2016, Supreme Knight Anderson discusses the genocide report prepared by the Knights of Columbus.

April 19 — At a Congressional hearing titled “Confronting the Genocide of Religious Minorities: A Way Forward,” Supreme Knight Anderson underscores policy recommendations such as assisting genocide survivors who wish to come to the United States and ensuring stability for minorities who remain in the Middle East.

Nine days later, he delivers an address at a U.N. conference titled “Defending Religious Freedom and Other Human Rights: Stopping Mass Atrocities Against Christians and Other Believers.” Other speakers at the conference, organized by the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, include Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University and a member of Potomac Council 433 in Washington, D.C.; and Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean Catholic priest who was kidnapped and tortured by Islamist extremists before running a refugee center in Erbil.

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Aug. 2 — Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch, a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus, delivers an address on the dire situation for Christians in the Middle East during the opening business session at the 134th Supreme Convention in Toronto.

“Our Churches go back to the first Christian communities, in their liturgy, traditions, culture and language,” he says. “They are now a kind of endangered species that could be wiped out for good!”

Oct. 12 — The Path to Peace Foundation honors the Knights of Columbus and Supreme Knight Anderson with the 2016 Path to Peace Award “for their direct assistance to the victims of violence in the Middle East and their effective advocacy for the recognition of the persecution of Christians and other ethnic and religious minority groups there as genocide.”

Sept. 22 — Supreme Knight Anderson testifies before the U.S. Helsinki Commission on Capitol Hill at a hearing titled “Atrocities in Iraq and Syria: Relief for Survivors and Accountability for Perpetrators,” convened by commission chairman Rep. Chris Smith (RNJ). Anderson calls on the U.S. government to deliver aid directly to Christian and other minority communities who are victims of genocide in Iraq and Syria.

TOP: Photo by Matthew Barrick — RIGHT: Photo by Tom Serafin

June — The Christian Refugee Relief Fund exceeds $10 million in donations.

May 26 — Supreme Knight Anderson testifies before members of Congress at a hearing titled “The ISIS Genocide Declaration: What Next?”

The supreme knight’s testimony would become the basis for the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017, or H.R. 390.

Aug. 3 — At a press conference during the Supreme Convention, Patriarch Younan, Archbishop Jeanbart and Archbishop Warda speak about the ongoing suffering and needs of their people.

“If Christian families can live in a dignified way through programs like education, shelter, food and health, then we will be able really to keep our community alive,” Archbishop Warda explains. “Thanks to support from the Knights of Columbus, we are closing some camps and moving families to decent housing.”

Sept. 8 — At the third annual In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner in Washington, D.C., Supreme Knight Anderson receives the IDC Lifetime Achievement Award for his and the Order’s work on behalf of Christians and other persecuted minorities.

Also pictured (left to right) are Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), In Defense of Christians Founder and President Toufic Baaklini and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.).

December — Following the Dec. 11 bombing by an Islamic State militant of St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral complex in Cairo, Egypt, which killed 29 people during Mass, the Supreme Council sends support for the families of victims.

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Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is joined by a panel of clergy and scholars during the release of the genocide report at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., March 10, 2016. Through an established relationship with Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba Angaelos of the United Kingdom (sitting left), the Order later contributes to relief efforts following bombings at Coptic churches in December 2016 and April 2017.

March 24 — The Benedict Leadership Institute at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., presents Supreme Knight Anderson with the inaugural Benedict Leadership Award for the Order’s work on behalf of persecuted Christians.

“It is our hope that your award will bring attention and relief to persecuted Christians and move the public to act more decisively in their behalf,” states Conor Gallagher, the institute’s executive director.

Oct. 12 — Supreme Knight Anderson participates in the first government-sponsored conference on Christian persecution in Budapest, Hungary, titled “International Consultation on the Persecution of Christians — Finding the Appropriate Answers to a Long Neglected Crisis.” The Hungarian government donated $2 million in May 2017 to rebuild the predominantly Christian town of Teleskof, Iraq.

Aug. 1 — During his annual report at the 135th Supreme Convention in St. Louis, Supreme Knight Anderson announces that the Knights of Columbus will fund the resettlement and restoration of Karamles, an ancient Christian town in Iraq. The Knights of Columbus Board of Directors set a $2 million fundraising goal, which would help 1,000 families to return (see more on page 20).

The supreme knight also announces that the Knights of Columbus and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will co-sponsor a Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians on Nov. 26, followed by a Week of Awareness and Education.

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Bottom: Photo by martyn Aim

2017

April — After the bombing of two Coptic Christian churches by Islamic State militants that killed at least 47 people and wounded more than 100 in Egypt on Palm Sunday, April 9, the Order distributes $100,000 to support relief efforts.

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TOP LEFT: Photo by Paul Felters — BOTTOm: Photo by Stivan Shany/Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Erbil

Nov. 11 — In recognition of the work of the Knights of Columbus to end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, the Custody of the Holy Land, led by Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, presents Supreme Knight Anderson with its Grato Animo Award at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, D.C.

Nov. 26-Dec. 2 — The Knights of Columbus joins the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic groups in sponsoring a Week of Awareness for Persecuted Christians.

Events include a press conference with Archbishop Warda of Erbil and other leaders at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Nov. 27; a Mass celebrated Nov. 28 by Archbishop Warda at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., in memory of the victims of genocide; and a Nov. 30 conference cosponsored by the Knights and the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

Religious sisters pray at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine Nov. 28, 2017, during a memorial Mass for the victims of genocide.

Oct. 24 — By alerting the U.S. government of a developing territorial dispute in Teleskof, the Knights of Columbus is instrumental in helping de-escalate a potentially devastating armed conflict between Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

Oct. 25 — The supreme knight introduces U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the fourth annual In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner in Washington, D.C. The vice president pledges that the U.S. government will provide aid to suffering Christians in the Middle East and singles out the Knights of Columbus for “extraordinary work caring for the persecuted around the world.”

December — In time for Christmas, the Order provides a 30-day supply of food to 12,000 displaced or formerly displaced Christian families in Erbil.

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2018 March 9-10 — St. John the Baptist Parish Council 10305 in Fort Calhoun, Neb., hosts a “Rebuilding the Cradle of Christianity” event in Omaha to raise awareness as well as funds to support the K of C effort to rebuild Karamles. Coordinated by Supreme Director Mike Conrad, the event welcomed Syriac Catholic Bishop Barnaba Yousif Benham Habash, among other speakers, and raised $163,000 to help rebuild more than 80 homes for Christians in Iraq.

March — During Holy Week, the Order provides funds to support several initiatives: the Archdiocese of Erbil’s food program for internally displaced communities; programs run by the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate based in Lebanon for some 3,000 refugee families from Iraq and Syria, who are in need of food, clothing, shelter and access to education and medical care; and the ongoing commitment to rebuild and resettle the town of Karamles.

April 15 — At St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford celebrates a Mass for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

Bishop Bawai Soro of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto, a native of Iraq, delivers the homily and speaks after the Mass, which concludes a prayer, education and fundraising initiative among local Catholic high schools.

Aug. 7 — At the 136th Supreme Convention in Baltimore, the Knights of Columbus commits to complete the construction of McGivney House, a 140-unit apartment building in Erbil that will provide housing for both Syriac and Chaldean families.

A new pilgrim icon titled “Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians” is blessed at Mass the following day, inaugurating the Order’s 18th Marian Prayer Program.

The Blessed Mother’s protective mantle surrounds a representative gathering of recent Christian martyrs — men and women, young and old, from East and West; priests, religious and laypersons, including one of the six priest-members of the Knights of Columbus who were killed by the Mexican government in the first half of the 20th century — in this detail of the Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians icon. Created by Italian iconographer Fabrizio Diomedi and commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, the image also features four crosses that represent an “ecumenism of blood” among martyrs of Roman and Eastern Catholicism, as well as those of Coptic, Armenian, Syriac and Orthodox traditions.

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Prayer for Persecuted Christians

O

God of all the Nations, the One God who is and was and always will be, who in your providence willed that your Church be united to the suffering of your Son, look with mercy on your servants who are persecuted for their faith in you.

Grant them perseverance and courage to be worthy imitators of Christ.

Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations to work for peace among all peoples. May your Spirit open conversion for those who contradict your will that we live in harmony.

Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom, and to always seek your will in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians, pray for us.

Prayer composed by Archbishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain

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‘We Will Stand With You’ An interview with Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil about the humanitarian efforts of the Church in Iraq

by Columbia staff

F

or the past four years, the city of Erbil, in northeastern Iraq, has been the epicenter of one of the most significant humanitarian relief efforts of our time. A primary destination for those forced from their homes by the Islamic State, the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, led by Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, has served displaced minority communities since the summer of 2014. The Knights of Columbus has closely collaborated with the archdiocese to help ensure a continued Christian presence in Iraq.

In addition to providing food, shelter and medical care for the displaced communities in Erbil, the Order has helped Christians return to their homes in the Nineveh Plain area.

And for those unable to return, the Order has assisted with the construction of a 140-unit apartment building in Erbil.

Called the McGivney House in honor of the Knights’ founder, the building will provide housing for Syriac and Chaldean Christian families, as well as for elderly men and women left without care after their homeland was invaded by ISIS. In July, Columbia spoke with Archbishop Warda about the McGivney House and the Order’s ongoing efforts to aid Christians in the Middle East.

COLUMBIA: What impact has the Knights of Columbus had on assisting displaced Christians in Iraq?

ARCHBISHOP WARDA: The work of the Knights helping the displaced Christians from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain is a historic work. Without this support, Christianity would disappear in our region.

After the Daesh (ISIS) invasion, more than 125,000 18 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Christians and others fled Mosul and the Nineveh Plain [to Iraqi Kurdistan] — crying with no one to help, except for the Church. Neither the U.N. nor the Iraqi government was taking care of these displaced people. Then, the Knights came and worked closely with us to help ease the suffering of those displaced families — and not just Christians but Yazidis, everyone — by providing them with food, medicine, shelter.

The Knights said, “We are with you. We will stand with you. We’ll support you. We will be in this together.” That gave great hope to the Christian community. And that’s why today we have so many families returning to their liberated villages.

COLUMBIA: How did the McGivney House project in Erbil come about?

ARCHBISHOP WARDA: The archdiocese already had constructed the framework for a large hospital, but due to the crisis, we postponed the work. Then we spoke with Supreme Knight Anderson and came up with this project: to use this building to welcome more than 100 families displaced families and also accommodate the elderly people who have been left without care.

More than 5,000 families have been able to return to such towns as Karamles, Qaraqosh and Teleskof. But we still have thousands of families in Erbil who haven’t decided yet to stay or to leave because their homes have been destroyed completely. When we finish, we hope to accommodate families here and provide them safety. Among other things, we still need to install electrical generators to provide electricity for the McGivney House before people can move in.

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Photo by Claire Thomas

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Iraq, stands in front of the McGivney House, a 140-unit apartment building that the Knights of Columbus is helping complete for Christian families and elderly people unable to return to their homes elsewhere in Iraq.

COLUMBIA: What has been the experience of the people coming home to the Nineveh Plain region?

ARCHBISHOP WARDA: Everyone who returned to their village was shocked by the horror of the scene. Their houses were burned or damaged. They lacked power, a water supply, roads, medical — they needed everything. Still, they were hopeful and began reconstruction. With the help of the Church, thousands of families have been able to return home.

Today, we have families returning to Karamles, which is being rebuilt through the generous donation of $2 million from the Knights.

The most immediate need has been the renovation of the houses. That’s really a priority for us as a Church. We want as many families to go back and start life again, but they need a proper and dignified house.

Also important is renovation of medical clinics and of schools, so that our children can continue their education and have adequate health care. Another basic infrastructure need is good roads. Finally, the restoration of churches and preservation of the shrines and monasteries.

Security is also needed. We are working with the Knights to continue to put the pressure on all governments — Baghdad, Washington, Erbil — to provide the needed security for the Christians and for the Yazidis.

We must ensure that the Christians will stay in their historical lands and play an important part also in bringing stability to the region.

COLUMBIA: Can you share your perspective about the future of Christianity in the Middle East?

ARCHBISHOP WARDA: Christianity has been in the Middle East for 2,000 years. The origin of Christianity is here. St. Paul, St. Thomas, St. Peter — they were all in the Middle East. The whole Gospel started here.

I do believe that the cause of all of the trouble and violence in the Middle East today is sin. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ is forgiveness. This troubled Middle East needs reconciliation and forgiveness, and we [Christians] are the people of forgiveness, of reconciliation. We have to be here to set an example that despite all the atrocities and all this persecution, we are able to say, “We love you, we forgive you. Let’s start life again together. Let’s start the dialogue of life again together.”

So the cure for the Middle East is Jesus Christ, and we are the ones who must carry Jesus Christ to the people.

COLUMBIA: Do you have any words you would like to share with members of the Knights of Columbus worldwide?

ARCHBISHOP WARDA: Thank you for your solidarity, your love, for being a good neighbor to all the affected and persecuted Christians and Yazidis. You have given a great example to all the people in the Middle East — especially in Iraq and Syria — of what the love of Christ can do. And you have made a big difference in the lives of so many families.

We are so grateful for the work of the Knights. Because of your help, Christianity in Middle East has survived.♦ SEPTEMBER 2018

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Return to the Land of Modern-Day Martyrs The Knights of Columbus continues to support efforts to rebuild and resettle a Christian Iraqi town ravaged by ISIS

by Inés San Martín

A

fter leaving Holy Spirit Chaldean Catholic Church in FROM SHOCK TO HOPE Mosul, Iraq, on June 3, 2007, Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni Ghanim Shaba Hanna and his family are among the many and three subdeacons were shot and killed by Islamist gunmen. who have benefited from the rebuilding in Karamles. Repairs Despite being threatened with violence if he did not close the to their home were completed in February. church, Father Ganni had just celebrated Mass for Trinity SunUntil 2014, Hanna, his wife and their son lived off Hanna’s day. Facing his attackers that day, the 35-year-old native of salary as a driver, together with income from a mini-store atKaramles, Iraq, responded, “How can I close the house of God?” tached to their home. When ISIS arrived, they had three The four men’s bodies were recovered and then buried at hours to vacate, leaving their possessions behind. They fled St. Addai Church, which served a thriving Chaldean Catholic to the Kurdish-controlled city of Erbil, where most of the community in the town of Karamles, 20 miles to the east of Christians forced out of the Nineveh Plains ended up.

Mosul. When ISIS later seized Karam“My home was charcoal when we les in August 2014, homes were came back,” Hanna recalled. “The torched, the church was largely deshock of seeing it put me in the hosstroyed and Father Ganni’s tombstone pital for three days. I couldn’t believe was smashed. what they had done.”

HENEVER NEW ISIS was finally driven out in late Though still standing, the entire HELP COMES AND 2016, and last spring, the Vatican offihome was blackened by fire. In addicially opened the cause for canonization, a bomb that destroyed a neighWE RECONSTRUCT A tion of Father Ganni and his boring house had left a large hole in the companions — a decision welcomed walls of a room on their second floor.

HOUSE, HOPE GROWS with “great joy and pride” by Najat “This is my place, where my roots Sleman, Father Ganni’s aunt, who reare,” Hanna said, adding that he didn’t AND INCREASES.” turned to Karamles after reconstruc“doubt for a second” he would return tion efforts began last year. when he learned that Father Thabet Sleman’s family now lives in one of was helping people come home. more than 350 homes rebuilt thus far through a $2 million In all, more than 750 houses in Karamles were damaged initiative by the Knights of Columbus. Announced at the by ISIS, either totally or partially. Father Thabet has been 135th Supreme Convention in St. Louis in August 2017, the working against the clock to have as many homes ready as project is overseen by the Nineveh Reconstruction Commit- possible before summer ends. Some 40 houses are being retee, a coalition of local churches working together to resettle paired simultaneously, in the hope that new families can arpredominantly Christian towns in the region. rive before the start of the school year.

Father Thabet Habib Yousif, a Chaldean Catholic priest The work itself is being done by a team of some 50 people, and relative of Father Ganni, is serving at St. Addai and co- including masons, electricians and plumbers. All are locals, ordinating efforts to rebuild in Karamles. He initially re- so efforts to rebuild are also a source of employment. turned just two days after the town was liberated, and he has “Whenever new help comes and we reconstruct a house, witnessed the slow but steady transformation as hundreds of hope grows and increases,” said Father Thabet. families — some 1,000 Christians — have now returned to reclaim their ancestral homeland.

DETERMINED TO REBUILD “People are very happy to be back,” Father Thabet said. Father Thabet has also been working on finding a temporary “Their identity is in this town.” home for two Chaldean religious sisters moving to Karamles

“W

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August 2018

TOP: Photo by Claire Thomas — BOTTOM: Photo by Martyn Aim

Above: Haitham Beno (right) and his wife, Almas Shankol, stand with their four sons in front of their newly renovated home in Karamles, a town in the Nineveh Plain area of northern Iraq. The family began rebuilding efforts last year with support from the Knights of Columbus’ $2 million initiative to help residents return to their liberated hometown.

to teach children at a primary school the committee recently finished rebuilding.

A convent in the town was hit during one of many aerial strikes by the government in an effort to drive ISIS out, and there is a hole in the ground where a three-story building used to be.

“A lot of work still remains, since many houses are still burned and run-down,” said Father Thabet. “If people decide to come back home and nothing has changed from when they left, they will leave Iraq. We can’t afford for this to happen.”

Long term, Father Thabet has his mind set on opening a university, a playground and a meeting center, and on using some of the land owned by the Church to create small farms for young people to grow crops.

Other efforts are already beginning to pay off. For example, a new factory, where dozens will find employment, is being built between the historic St. Barbara Church and the skeleton of a university that never was.

“Karamles is not what it was before the war, but things are

August 2017

changing for the better,” said Almas Shankol, who returned to Karamles in August 2017 with her husband and their six children. “For instance, the town is clean again. We are very grateful for what Father Thabet and the reconstruction team has done for us.”

When visiting the United States recently to speak about their experience, Shankol’s 14-year-old son, Noah, was often asked if he wanted to stay in the United States. His response was always “No.” “Karamles is my mother,” he said. “We have deep roots there.”

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August 2018

A SAINT FROM KARAMLES In 2006, less than a year before his martyrdom, Father Ganni wrote what he called “My last prayer” after attending the funeral of a priest who had been decapitated by terrorists. In the prayer, Father Ganni did not ask God to protect him from suffering. Instead, he wrote: “Lord, give me the strength not to humiliate your priesthood, which I represent.”

A decade later, when Father Thabet first returned to Karamles in October 2016, he entered St. Addai Church and wept at the sight of Father Ganni’s grave.

“Today, when I pass in front of his grave, I greet him as a living person, recalling the memories of an active and joyful man,” Father Thabet said. “Parishioners also stand in front of his grave, speaking to him and asking for his intercession.”

Rami Sadeeq, 26, remembers the day the people of Karamles learned of Father Ganni’s martyrdom. A girl came screaming in tears to share the tragic news with a small crowd.

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August 2017

was a very kind person,” said Sadeeq, who now assists Father Thabet in his spare time. “But today we’re very proud. It’s very precious to have a saint from Karamles!”

Many Christians forced out of the region have emigrated.

However, those who have decided to remain in a land with a Christian presence since the earliest days of the Church are steadfast in their conviction, counting on those helping from abroad and those interceding from above.♦ INÉS SAN MARTÍN is an Argentinean journalist who covers the Vatican in Rome for Crux. Visit cruxnow.com.

TOP: Photo by Claire Thomas — BOTTOM: Photo by Martyn Aim

Above: Father Thabet Habib Yousif, a Chaldean Catholic priest who coordinates the K of C-supported reconstruction efforts in his hometown of Karamles, stands in the recently restored St. Addai Church, which had been desecrated and burned by Islamic State militants during their seizure of the town in 2014.

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MEDICAL TEAM STEPS IN TO PROVIDE CARE

Photos courtesy of STEP-IN — BOTTOM: Photo by Matus Duda

With K of C support, project continues to aid displaced communities in northern Iraq LAST YEAR, a medical team led by doctors from St. Elizabeth University’s Project for Iraq in Need (STEP-IN) treated nearly 20,000 patients in northern Iraq. And according to the project’s director, Dr. Zuzana Ulman, they are on track to treat even more in 2018.

The Slovakian-based initiative began in late 2014 to serve Christians, Yazidis and other internally displaced persons in need of medical care in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, with clinics in Erbil and Dohuk. The Knights of Columbus has financially supported STEP-IN since 2015, and the work of the project’s courageous staff was featured in the March 2016 and April 2017 issues of Columbia.

“Since then, the project has grown, both in quantity and quality of the services,” said Dr. Ulman, 31, who recently provided an update on STEP-IN’s ongoing work.

The team in Dohuk has set up a health center at the Dawoodiya refugee camp further north, where the need is greater. The center has a new microbiological laboratory, allowing the physicians to better treat patients with antibiotic-resistant infections. In Erbil, a physiotherapy center was recently opened, while prenatal care and nutrition screening and support has also been introduced at both clinics.

“It’s hard to assess the size of the population who have access to our services, because many of the patients travel long distances to visit our doctors,” Ulman said. “We have buses of Christians coming from Qaraqosh, near Mosul. And recently, after traveling over five hours in a minibus, a group of Yazidi patients from the Sinjar area arrived to the Dawoodiya camp.”

The clinic in Dohuk has also provided the first medical treatment for many Yazidi women who have escaped ISIS’ horrific system of sexual slavery.

Altogether, the STEP-IN team has grown to 44 members, including part-

time specialist doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians, nurses, translators and ambulance drivers. Most of the team has been recruited from the displaced Christian and Yazidi communities.

As the project coordinators continue to monitor the severity of needs throughout the Kurdistan region, which continues to evolve, they are also considering expanding or moving their services to other areas of Iraq or Syria, where the needs are even greater.

“We are very grateful to the Knights for their continuous support,” Ulman said. “Quite frankly, without it we wouldn’t be able to do half of the important work we are doing today.”♦

From top: Dr. Zuzana Ulman (right) and members of the STEP-IN team stand outside of the medical clinic in Erbil, Iraq, in October 2016. • Dr. Martina Partelova, a pediatrician working with STEP-IN, listens to the heartbeat of a young Iraqi girl in April 2017.

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Knights of Diplomacy The Order’s efforts on behalf of Christians targeted for genocide moved the U.S. government to take action

O

n Oct. 24, 2017, the Knights of Columbus received an urgent call from Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq. Due to a dispute over territory with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi Army was prepared to shell the town of Teleskof — occupied by the Peshmerga, the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan — the next morning. The town, 20 miles north of Mosul, had recently been rebuilt by the Hungarian government and resettled by approximately 1,000 Christian families. If Teleskof faced another assault, Archbishop Warda said, Christianity could come to an end in Iraq, since his people would no longer believe that Iraq was safe for them.

In response, the Knights immediately alerted the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), State Department and White House. Within hours, diplomatic interventions were underway. A senior state department official told the Knights that the U.S. Secretary of State was speaking with both the Iraqi and Kurdish prime ministers. The NSC further reported that they were contacting senior National Security leadership in Iraq. The threat of violence was de-escalated, and the Battle of Teleskof never occurred.

The Knights’ quiet but decisive role in alerting key officials was made possible by the Order’s ongoing efforts on behalf of Christians and other minority communities in the region — work that builds on the Order’s long history of coming to the aid of those who are persecuted for their faith. In addition to humanitarian relief through the Knights’ Christian Refugee Relief Fund, this work has included public awareness campaigns, such as the Week of Awareness for Persecuted Christians co-sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and several other organizations in November 2017.

Of particular significance has been the Knights’ advocacy with the U.S. government and the United Nations on behalf of Christians and other minorities targeted for genocide, and the fruits of this work have continued to unfold.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

CAMPAIGN ON CAPITOL HILL Beginning in late 2015, through meetings on Capitol Hill and in ads run in Washington newspapers, the Knights of Columbus called on U.S. lawmakers to adopt H. Con. Res. 75. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) that September, the resolution recognized that ISIS had perpetrated “crimes against humanity” and “genocide” against Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

The Knights also urged the U.S. State Department to declare ISIS’ actions genocide prior to the March 17, 2016, deadline set by Congress for such a designation. While news coverage and a report existed on what had happened to the Yazidi community, there was less media — and no formal report — on what the Christian communities had suffered.

One senior State Department official suggested that if the Knights believed Christians faced genocide at the hands of ISIS and its allies, they should try to “prove it.”

As the deadline quickly approached, the Order worked closely with In Defense of Christians, an advocacy group in Washington, and collaborated with a broad coalition of partners to write the definitive report on what ISIS and its allies had inflicted on the Christian community. ISIS survivors, various Church leaders and human rights advocates in the region were interviewed, and a nearly 300-page report was prepared. It documented the atrocities the Christian community had suffered, including first-person accounts, the names of victims, a legal brief on genocide and other documentary evidence.

The Knights delivered this report to the State Department March 9, 2016, and made it public at a news conference in Washington the next day. The Order had also collected 140,000 signatures and launched a $1 million public awareness campaign.

Photo courtesy of the White House

by Andrew T. Walther

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Opposite page: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence meets with Supreme Knight Anderson at the White House in 2017 to discuss aid to persecuted Christians, among other issues. • Above: U.S. Rep. Chris Smith visits with Iraqi Church leaders (left to right) Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Syriac Catholic Archbishop Yohanna Moshe of Mosul, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Timotheos Mousa Al-Shamani of St. Matthew’s Monastery in northern Iraq, and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Nikodimos Daoud Sharaf of Mosul in December 2016.

Photo by Stivan Shany/Archdiocese of Erbil

The campaign was effective. On March 14, Congress unanimously passed H. Con. Res. 75, and three days later, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared: “In my judgment, Daesh [ISIS] is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.

Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology, and by actions — in what it says, what it believes, and what it does. ” It was only the second time the U.S. government had recognized an ongoing situation as genocide; the first related to Darfur, Sudan.

ENSURING AID TO VICTIMS Although Secretary of State Kerry’s statement settled the debate over what ISIS was doing, it did not settle the debate over how the U.S. government should respond. Despite the genocide designation, direct aid from the U.S. government and the United Nations rarely arrived to the Christian communities in need.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson provided Congressional testimony on the dire situation caused by the lack of U.S. government assistance to these communities. His testimony in May 2016 became the basis for H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017 — a bill that unanimously passed in the House and is now awaiting action in the United States Senate.

Prior to introducing the bill in January 2017, its author, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), flew to Iraq. K of C representatives helped to arrange meetings between Smith and Church leaders, Christian refugees, and U.N. and NGO leaders there.

Several weeks later, as a new U.S. administration took office, the Knights of Columbus continued advocating for U.S. and U.N. aid to Christian and other religious minority communities targeted for genocide. Working closely with the White House, State Department, National Security Council

and Agency for International Development, the Knights made progress in helping to shape a U.S. government response that ended the de facto discrimination against victims of genocide when it came to assistance.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced changes in government policy Oct. 25, 2017, at the fourth annual In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner in Washington, D.C., where he was introduced by the supreme knight. The vice president stated clearly that U.S. government assistance would no longer exclude those religious minorities who had faced the wrath of ISIS. “My friends, those days are over,” Pence said. “This is the moment. This is the time. And America will support these people in their hour of need.”

The Knights applauded the vice president and the policy change, and continued working with the U.S. government to ensure its effective roll out, including by participating this summer in meetings between senior White House, State Department and USAID representatives and religious and humanitarian leaders in Iraq.

Most recently, Vice President Pence announced July 26 the establishment of a Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Program “to rapidly deliver aid to persecuted communities, beginning with Iraq.”

Under the new program, the U.S. State Department and USAID will partner with local faith and community leaders to bring direct aid to those targeted by genocide in the region.

Such developments are welcomed by the Knights, as we continue to support directly — and be a voice for — those in need.♦ ANDREW T. WALTHER is vice president of Communications and Strategic Planning of the Knights of Columbus. He has worked closely on this international issue since 2014.

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KNI GHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES Heart of Mary Parish. Their service that morning prompted four men to express interest in joining the council, while the blood drive netted 27 pints and the pancake breakfast raised more than $550 toward an ultrasound machine.

20 YEARS OF CHARITY

St. Therese Council 6320 in Netcong, N.J., held its 20th annual Charity Auction and Tricky Tray. With support from the local community, the council raised almost $20,000 to support local charities.

Joined by Father Dawid Kwiatkowski of Pope John Paul I Council 7366 in Thomasville, Ga., and members of Father John Kennedy Council 4913 in Valdosa, a young altar server holds a new processional crucifix at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Council 4913 donated the polished brass crucifix to complement the candlesticks at the church’s altar. The new lightweight crucifix is also easier for altar servers to carry.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND ROSARIES

Very Rev. Jeremiah Murphy Assembly 211 in Decatur, Ill., held its 10th annual St. Teresa High School Italian Night Scholarship Dinner.

Cumulatively, the assembly has raised $51,618 to award scholarships to incoming freshmen from local parishes.

The assembly also visited eight second-grade classes to provide rosaries for students preparing for their First Communion.

Ronald Rodrigue (left), a member of Red Church Council 3634 in Norco, La., and administrative assistant at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Destrehan, accepts a donation to the church from Former Deputy Grand Knight John Campo.

Council 3634 donated $2,225 toward restorations, as the parish prepares for its upcoming 300th anniversary.

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RAISING AWARENESS

Council 372 and Assembly 948, both named for President John F. Kennedy and located in Pittston, Pa., collaborated to present an informational program: the Opioid Fact Forum. The Knights partnered with television, radio, newspaper and billboard companies for publicity, drawing a full

SEPTEMBER 2018

house to the Pittston Public Library, where panelists including a mother who lost her son to opiate addition, a judge, and a coroner shared their experiences.

K OF C BUILDERS

After St. John’s Council 10176 in Folsom, La., received a request for help from a widowed parishioner whose dog had been killed by two rogue pit bulls, Knights erected a 200-foot chain-link fence around her yard. The council also purchased $1,650 of lumber and constructed new picnic tables for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

VISITING VETERANS

For five years, led by member Joseph C. Fischer and his wife, Ann, Dover Council 4182 in Camden, Del., has taken part in a monthly get-together for veteran residents of Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Smyrna. Up to 25 veterans attend, and at Christmas, the council solicits specific gift requests and shops for the veterans.

MULTI-TASKING

Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 13499 in Grand Rapids, Mich., hosted a blood drive, a pancake breakfast and a membership drive all at once at Immaculate

Members of San Antonio Council 9195 in Anaheim Hills, Calif., cook a meal as part of a monthly ministry for Isaiah House, a shelter for homeless women in Santa Ana. Each month, Knights also prepare hot meals for approximately 80 homeless men, women and children who live in the neighboring Santa Ana park.

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

Members of Ebensburg (Pa.) Council 522 gather under the council’s highway cleanup sponsorship sign. Through the Adopt-a-Highway program, the council is responsible for cleaning 2 miles of state roadway just south of Ebensburg Borough.

FLYING HIGH

FILL ’ER UP

Msgr. Edward J. Flanagan Assembly 59 in Riverside, Calif., provided a United States flag for Divine Word Seminary. After almost 10 years without a flag, the seminary gained a new flagpole, which is illuminated by solarpowered light.

Everett W. Benson Council 5515 in Norway, Maine, conducted a “Baby Bottle Boomerang” fundraiser for Mother Seton House, a pregnancy resource center. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners, who filled 75 baby bottles with change, the council raised $1,908 to help Mother Seton House continue its ministry of education, counseling and support.

DONUTS DOING GOOD

St. Thomas the Apostle Council 9287 in Phoenix, Ariz., continues to collect donations for the Don Conroy Memorial Seminarian Fund. For more than 20 years, council members have served donuts after Sunday morning Masses to raise funds for seminarians. The donuts and donations carry on the legacy of past district deputy Don Conroy.

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

St. Boniface Council 16480 in Lunenburg, Mass., presented a $500 check donation for the Lions Club Food Pantry. The donation marked Council 16480’s commitment to serving the Lunenburg community on the occasion of its first anniversary.

CHILI FUNDRAISER

Father Robert Foster Jubilee Council 12687 in Elm Creek, Neb., held a baked potato and chili bar benefit lunch to assist a member with medical and recovery costs after a four-wheeler accident. The event featured live music and silent and live auctions, which, combined with free-will offerings, raised some $14,000. More than 50 members of this 58member council invested 300-plus hours to plan the event and prepare and serve 36 gallons of chili, 500 baked potatoes and numerous desserts. Leftovers were donated to Crossroads, a homeless shelter in Kearney.

Good deeds abounded when St. Aloysius Council 15143 in Spokane, Wash., gave firstand second-grade students at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Elementary School $10 each to help them make a positive change in their community. Many students gave their money directly to food banks, and one boy purchased reusable grocery bags to conduct a successful food drive. One girl used her funds to establish a lemonade stand, raising $87 for a food bank. Students supported an array of charities, and all found that even a small amount can do good.

RUN FOR A SHELTER

Father O’Neill Council 4011 in Lutherville, Md., hosted the 10th annual Jessica Meredith Jacobsen (JMJ) 5K Memorial Run/Walk, which commemorates a local mother who left behind two young children when she died as a victim of domestic violence. Over its 10 years, the event has raised $120,000, with funds primarily supporting the House of Ruth, a domestic violence shelter that serves the Baltimore Metro area, and Immaculate Conception School,

which Jessica’s sons attended.

A smaller portion goes to the Father O’Neill Charity fund.

VEHICLES ON DISPLAY

St. Fabian Council 967 in Bridgeview, Ill., held its fifth annual charity car and bike show at St. Fabian Parish.

The show, which featured 73 vehicles, succeeded thanks to the volunteer hours of Knights and their families and the generosity of participating vendors. The $3,400 in proceeds went to children’s hospitals and the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which raises money for cancer research and provides support to children and their families battling the disease.

HELPING HISTORIC CHAPEL

Nuestra Señora del Rosario Council 10517 in Santa Fe, N.M., traveled to the village of Chamita to assist with the task of “mudding” the Capilla de San Pedro, working a mixture of clay, sand and straw into the chapel’s centuries-old adobe walls to maintain the building. The council members relished the chance to work with local parishioners in this longstanding traditional task.

Knights of Mindanao District R05 load up brush cleared from one of the major Catholic cemeteries in Cotabato City, Mindanao. One hundred Knights took part in the cleanup.

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

11381 is deeply grateful for their pro-life commitment.

FINAL RESPECTS

Mt. McLoughlin Council 2255 in Klamath Falls, Ore., and Oregon District 11 Deputy Ipo Ross worked together to provide a final resting place for the unclaimed cremated remains of 150 people. The remains were interred in a interdenominational ceremony in the potter’s field at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Officials, priests and ministers of several denominations took part in the ceremony, which included full military honors for the veterans among the deceased.

Father Raju Chebattina (left) of Father Edwin B. Steele Council 2193 in Souris, Prince Edward Island, presents a backpack to a young student at one of the eight regional Roman Catholic schools of his home parish in India. After serving as an associate pastor in Canada for five years and celebrating the 10th anniversary of his ordination by personally funding a grotto at his home parish to honor the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s appearance at Fatima, Father Raju asked his council to help him aid the poor in the region. Council 2193 committed to raising $20,000, enough to pay women in the region a decent wage to make a schoolbag and uniform for each of the 1,000 Catholic school students of the area. Working with their pastor, the Knights organized several special collections. Between the generous contributions of parish families and Council 2193’s donation, they raised $21,110 — which covered the project and provided a meal for the children during the festive dedication of the Marian grotto.

HONORING MARY

St. Anthony’s Council 11651 in Lakeland, Fla., raised $15,000 to build a Marian grotto at St. Anthony Church — a longtime dream of Father Val DeVera. Two years of fish dinners paid off with a beautiful grotto, which features a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by colorful flowers, native Florida plants and benches. The grotto provides a new space where parishioners and visitors can pray to the Blessed Mother.

the pregnancy resource center. Council 9997 covered its portion of the cost through a pancake breakfast fundraiser, and the Knights also ran a fund drive to support the Annunciation Maternity Home in nearby Georgetown, Texas. Due to generous donations from the St. Thomas More parishioners, the Knights delivered approximately $400 of baby supplies and a check for $1,100.

DONATE TO HOPE

Longmont (Colo.) Assembly 94 held its third-annual Ravioli Dinner and Silent Auction at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, raising $2,000 toward charitable work. Scores of meals were also donated to HOPE of Longmont, a local nonprofit serving homeless and at-risk people.

COALITION IN ACTION RADIO AID

PRO-LIFE RESOURCES

St. Mary’s Council 14298 in Jefferson, Mass., served dinner at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester. Assisting at a fundraiser, Knights transported all their supplies to the site and cooked pasta and meatballs for 200 sponsors of the Catholic Emmanuel Radio Station. The council typically serves two meals a month for religious education classes, its parish, and community benefits or other needs.

Father Jerome Rupprecht, OSB, Council 11381 in New Florence, Pa., presented Life Choices Pregnancy Center with $35,900 for the purchase of a 4-D ultrasound machine. In addition, the center received a $1,050 check for operating expenses.

Parishioners of Holy Family Parish in Seward donated this generous amount of money for the sole purpose of purchasing the 4-D ultrasound machine, and Council

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SEPTEMBER 2018

St. Thomas More Council 9997 in Austin, Texas, coordinated a fund drive among councils in the Diocese of Austin to replace an aging 3-D ultrasound machine at the John Paul II Life Center.

Knights in the diocese raised $55,979, and with $32,055 from the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, the fundraiser much exceeded its goal and was able to cover a maintenance contract for future repair expenses and other needs of

Louis Duer (left) and John Leone of Our Lady of Mercy Joseph F. Lamb Council 5723 in Hicksville, N.Y., pause after loading a car with food. Over the course of a year the duo, together with fellow Knight Bob Werner, have delivered more than 60,000 pounds of food for local pantries, bringing the Order’s mission of charity to those in need.

Council 5723 also installed handrails at the home of a past grand knight who suffered a stroke.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N FUN & CHARITY

Our Lady of Sorrows Council 7633 in Bernalillo, N.M., combined good works and games at its second annual softball tournament. Participants donated one toy per player and one jacket per team, yielding 130 toys and 15 jackets for people in need.

THANK YOU!

St. John XXIII Council 7302 in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, held a luncheon to thank first responders for their service to the community. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, local police officers and fire fighters enjoyed the meal, which was served by Knights and members of the Catholic Women’s League.

PASTA FOR PEOPLE

East Hanover (N.J.) Council 6504 hosted a “Pasta for People” fundraiser for hurricane victims in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Held at the East Hanover Fire Headquarters, the event served 200 people and collected more than $3,000.

Knights spent a day preparing the meal and later served pasta and meatballs in the evening.

BOTTOM LINE

Christ the King Council 12691 in Worcester, Mass., raised $5,597 through a fund drive held after Sunday Masses at Christ the King Parish. The drive funded some 43,000 diapers for Catholic Charities Worcester County to provide to families in need.

TAKING CARE

Cranford (N.J.) Council 6226 donated $10,000 from the proceeds of its 2017 Annual Golf Outing to Cranford Family Care, a local organization that assists people in need, particularly through a food pantry and assistance with utilities.

Grand Knight Tom Sullivan (right) of Don Bosco Council 7784 in Newton, N.J.; Tina Figurelli-Magarino, executive director of Birth Haven; project chairman Don Kimble; Deputy Grand Knight Tom Hudak; and Knights Gary Carlson and Bob Tiscornia stand with some of the 11,000 diapers and wipes collected by Council 7784. Thanks to the generosity of the parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Branchville, St. Joseph Church in Newton and Good Shepherd Church in Andover, the council delivered substantial donations to Birth Haven, Today's Choice and Project Self-Sufficiency.

GOOD EGGS

Dr. Edmund J. Tierney Council 5660 in Sioux City, Iowa, held an “Omelet Breakfast” to assist Father Roach Council 3217 in Dickinson, Texas, with its hurricane recovery efforts.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese had contacted the Diocese of Sioux City, his first diocese as bishop, and asked for assistance.

More than 150 breakfasts were served, raising $1,700 to help Council 3217 serve its parish and community.

DONATION BONANZA Scott Boyle (left) and Eli Gabriel of Thomas Christopher DeLalla Circle in Budd Lake, N.J., team up with Tom Rohe and John Watral of Father Joseph A. Cassidy Council 6100, also in Budd Lake, to dig postholes on the grounds of St. Jude Parish. The Squires and Knights improved the landscape by installing a fence around an electrical transformer near the parish’s prayer garden.

Our Lady of Snows Council 15366 in Pensacola, Fla., provided a dinner for parishioners at St. Ann Catholic Church following a Mass celebrated by Bishop William Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Grand Knight David

Kelly presented a check for $17,000 to Bishop Wack and Father George Sammut toward the building of a church rectory. Council 15366 also presented the $2,200 proceeds of its baby bottle drive to the Alpha Center pregnancy resource center.

CANCER BENEFIT

The seven councils of District 36 in Oshawa, Ontario, held a “Knights to Remember” prostate cancer research fundraiser gala in memory of Knight Wayne Lillie. The evening included a dinner dance with a live band and DJ, both of whom donated their time.

The evening also featured live and silent auctions of donated items. The $18,513 in proceeds were presented to the Canadian Cancer Society for prostate cancer research.

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SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Supreme Council Awards College Scholarships FOR THE 2017-2018 academic year, the Knights of Columbus awarded scholarships totaling nearly $712,000 to 450 students. Most recipients are the children of Knights, or Knights themselves, attending Catholic universities or Catholic colleges in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico or the Philippines. These figures include $278,750 in awards given to 113 seminarians in the United States and Canada.

For more information about the Order’s scholarship programs, visit kofc.org/scholarships

FOURTH DEGREE PRO DEO AND PRO PATRIA SCHOLARSHIPS

JOHN W. MCDEVITT (FOURTH DEGREE) SCHOLARSHIPS

This scholarship was established in 1998 in honor of the Order’s 11th supreme knight.

Recipients must be enrolled at a Catholic college or Catholic university in the United States and be a Knight, the wife of a Knight, or the son or daughter of a Knight. Columbian Squires and widows and children of members who died in good standing are also eligible. In addition to the 20 new recipients listed here, 86 scholarships were renewed for the current academic year.

New recipients are: Benjamin M. Arkfeld, Olivia K. Belin, Zachary D. Calvert, Pat J. Calvert, Jack Coleman, Kyle P. Fletcher, Thomas A. Gamble, Matthew S. Ginter, James R. Green, Timothy M. Koubek, Juliana M. Lynch, Patrizia M. Manziano, John J. Marcin, Veronica C. Maska, Mikayla A. Mathieu, Troy R. McFarland, Jacob P. Messineo, Kalleigh N. Perrier, Katlin R. Pistone, Molly E. Propson and Theresa W. Wood.

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A total of 46 U.S. students received Fourth Degree Pro Deo and Pro Patria scholarships of $1,500 each. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence to incoming freshmen in bachelor’s degree programs at Catholic colleges or Catholic universities. The recipients are Knights of Columbus or Columbian Squires, the son or daughter of a Knight in good standing, or the son or daughter of a Knight who was in good standing at the time of his death. Contingent on satisfactory academic performance, these scholarships are renewed for a total of four years.

This academic year, 20 new scholarships were awarded and 33 renewed. The following are first-time recipients: Benedict J. Antonyraj, Kira L. Babiarz, Robert C. Baxter III, Isabel T. Berrios, Jacob S. Brumbaugh, Stephen J. Caulfield, Robert C. Clement, Rachel A. Halberg, Michelle

SEPTEMBER 2018

Kilmer, Margaret E. McKee, Jessica Muhanyi, Kalie L. Peterson, Zachary J. Pitzl, Joseph Robben, Claire E. Russell, Theresa M. Uhlenkott, Alexis M. Wanner, John Walker and Elizabeth S. Wolfgang.

FOURTH DEGREE PRO DEO AND PRO PATRIA SCHOLARSHIPS (CANADA)

These scholarships are for students entering colleges or universities in Canada, with requirements regarding K of C membership that is the same as for their U.S. counterparts.

Ten new scholarships were awarded and 26 renewed for the current academic year.

New recipients are: Julianne M. Bittante, Emile X. Couturier, Florianne Dufour, Kaitlyn J. Hackett, Grace L. Heukshorst, Michael L. Lee, Chloe C. Murphy, Renee A. Pouliot, Grace E. Smyth and Emily M. Willette.

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

Percy J. Johnson Scholarships are awarded to young men attending U.S. Catholic colleges or Catholic universities and are funded by a 1990 bequest of Percy J. Johnson, a member of Seville Council 93 in Brockton, Mass. Five scholarships were awarded and 17 renewed for the current academic year. New recipients are: Patrick J. Dampf, Luke J. Mahon, Christopher R. McSherry, Joseph H. Stulec and Gabriel J. Volpe.

In 2000, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received a $100,000 donation from Frank L. Goularte. A scholarship fund in his name was established to provide $1,500 in need-based grants that are administered, in general, according to the rules of the Pro Deo and Pro Patria

Scholarships. Three new scholarships were awarded for the current academic year and seven were renewed. The new recipients are Cecilia M. Durando, Christine A. Schulman and Joan M. Tiller.

From 1995 to 1997, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received bequests totaling nearly $200,000 from the estate of Anthony J. LaBella. In his will, LaBella remembered the kindness shown to him by Knights when he was an orphan in Farmingdale, N.Y. The bequests have since been used to establish a scholarship fund in LaBella’s name. Earnings from the fund provide scholarships for undergraduate study in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Pro Deo and Pro Patria Scholarships. Three new scholarships were awarded to Kalleigh S. Burke, Elizabeth M. Hall and Faith E. Heery, and 10 were renewed.

In 1997, Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. received a bequest from Dr. Arthur F. Battista to establish scholarships for graduates of the Cornwall (Ontario) Collegiate and Vocational School. These $1,500 and $2,000 annual scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, financial need, community service and extracurricular activities.

Preference is given to Knights; to the children or grandchildren of members; to students recommended by the Ontario State Council; and to students bound for Catholic colleges or Catholic universities. For the current academic year, 20 new scholarships were awarded and 22 grants renewed. New recipients are: Logan Anderson, Codie Brammall, Angel Edwards-Square, Jessica Gillard, Kelsey Goodwin, Yanojan

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SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Selvanayagam, Khizer Siddiqi, Alyssa Seguin, Kabishan Manmathan, Emily Screech, Muhammad Zain, Minna Siddiqui, Lily Irwin, Waqas Ali, Alexis Lalonde, Neyha Tahir, Ashley Langelier, Ariana Roundpoint, Ben Paul and Marina St. Marseille.

SISTER THEA BOWMAN FOUNDATION – K OF C SCHOLARSHIPS

This scholarship is named for Sister Thea Bowman (1937-1990), an AfricanAmerican religious who inspired many people with her urgent and uplifting call for better education for children of the African-American community.

In December 1996, the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors, in partnership with the Sister Thea Bowman Foundation, authorized a four-year grant in the amount of $25,000 per year to support deserving African-American students pursuing a Catholic college education.

Periodically, the board has approved continuation of the grant program. For the current academic year, a $50,000 grant was allocated to the foundation for 10 new students.

GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS

The Order has an endowment at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., that provides Knights of Columbus graduate fellowships. For the current academic year the fellowship will continue to support eight returning students: Benjamin Block, Richard Raymond, Brooks Zitzmann, James Duguid, Allison Michael, Timothy Anderson, Matthew Gabay, and Brian Killackey; with

the intention of adding new students in 2019-2020.

Four fellowships for the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America were awarded for the current academic year. The recipients are: Michael Grasinski, Rebecca Williams, Donald Rooney and Aaron Williams.

MEXICO SCHOLARSHIPS

Three new scholarships were awarded in the amount of $500 each, renewable for up to four years. In addition, 17 were renewed. The new recipients are: Pablo F. Martínez-Regis, Sofía OlveraLerma and Edwin TrevizoGonzález.

PUERTO RICO SCHOLARSHIPS

For the current academic year, two new scholarships were awarded and 10 renewed. The new recipients are: Andrés Citrón Citrón and Miguel A. Torres Concepción.

PHILIPPINES SCHOLARSHIPS

For the 2018-19 academic year, 26 new scholarships of $500 were awarded and 10 renewed. The new recipients are: Gella M. Abelardo, Andrey R. Amurao, Kaela M. Añober, Hazel M. Aquino, Iresh A. Barruga, Jewel D. Bonilla, Leigh-ann D. Capuli, Cristine R. Cervantes, Christine P. Coros, Ma. Alessandra S. Francisco, Paula I. Guinto, Precious A. Gumawa, Sherilyn P. Linggayo, Judiane C. Macaldo, Maria T. Maluping, John R. Mationg, Edwin M. Nacario, Jr., John C. Nawanao, Mary P. Olaer, Jocelle C. Perez, Xylona C. Ratilla, Fritz A. Ruiz, Clauber C. Sabonsolin, Vincent R. Salcedo, Ian C. Siasat and John R. Velarde.

Educational Trust Fund THE FRANCIS P. MATTHEWS and John E. Swift Educational Trust offers scholarships to the children of members who are killed or permanently and totally disabled by hostile action while serving with the armed forces during a covered period of conflict. In Matthews 2004, the Order declared that military conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan would be covered under the trust fund. Also eligible are the children of members who are killed as a result of criminal violence directed against them while performing their duties as full-time law enforcement officers Swift or full-time firefighters. An application must be filed within two years of the member’s death or the determination of his total and permanent disability.

As of June 30, a total of 822 children have been recorded as eligible for benefits from the Francis P. Matthews and John E. Swift Educational Trust Fund scholarship program since its establishment in 1944.

Thus far, 351 eligible children have chosen not to use the scholarships, three have died, and 125 who began college either discontinued their studies or fully used their scholarship eligibility before graduation. There are 40 future candidates. To date, 297 students have completed their education through the fund. Recent graduates are Kristen M. Merchant, Melissa R. Stachowiak and James Vigiano. The following students are working toward their degrees: Mitchell J. Atkinson, Patrick L. Barta, Kellie E. Barta-Ramirez, Lucas D. Miller and Nicole F. Palazzo. Two additional students — Natalie Pelletier and Owen Pelletier — will begin their undergraduate studies with the 2018-2019 academic year, making a total of 7 scholarships overall.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Scholarship applications for the 2019-20 academic year will be available after Oct. 1, 2018. To obtain an application or request more information, visit kofc.org/scholarships, call us at (203) 7524332 or write to: Dept. of Scholarships Knights of Columbus 1 Columbus Plaza P.O. Box 1670 New Haven, CT 06507

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

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 IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC.

Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 www.roger-sauve.com

J O I N T H E FAT H E R MCGIVNEY GUILD

!

09/18

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

OFFICIAL SEPTEMBER 1, 2018: 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

Three Season Jacket – Personalized This wear-anywhere jacket has a waterresistant Taslan shell and fleece body lining. It has front zippered pockets, an interior pocket, elastic cuffs and a rib knit waistband. It is available in a variety of colors (royal, gray, black, navy) with either the emblem of the Order or the Fourth Degree emblem. Your council or assembly name and number will be embroidered around the emblem, so please allow 10-12 business days for your custom order to be produced. Optional individual name personalization is available for an additional $6 charge. S, M, L, XL: $63, 2XL: $65, 3XL: $66, 4XL: $67, 5XL: $68, 6XL: $69. This jacket also available in tall sizes. LT, XLT: $65, 2XLT: $67, 3XLT: $68, 4XLT: $69

Knit Cap Show your support with our jacquard knit beanie cap in grey with a black contrast stripe. Knights of Columbus is woven into the acrylic fabric, and a fleece lining provides no-itch comfort and warmth. $15 each

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.

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Varsity Blanket Snuggle up at a football game or enjoy a picnic lunch on this navy sweatshirt fleece blanket, made of heavyweight cotton/poly blend. It is screen printed with the emblem of the Order and Knights of Columbus in white. This blanket measures 50” x 60”. $24 each

knightsgear.com Questions? 1-855-GEAR-KOC (855-432-7562) Additional shipping costs apply to all orders.

Please call before mailing in an order.

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBU S

Knights of Charity

Members of Holy Angels Council 10948 display loaves of bread outside of Holy Angels Church in in Colma, Calif. For the last five years, the council has been collecting day-old bread from the local bakery school and distributing it to parishioners and others in need.

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 “K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR EMAIL : KNIGHTSINACTION @ 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 E E P T H E FA I T H A L I V E

‘GOD’S GRACE ALWAYS WORKS AT THE RIGHT TIME.’

FATHER EDWARD SHIKINA Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Council 11188 Columbus, Ohio

Photo by Melissa Zuk

I was 24 years old, and having fallen away from the faith, I felt broken, lost and unfulfilled in life. One Sunday morning, I decided to go back to Mass, where I felt a great peace wash over me. I suddenly fell in love with the Lord and asked him about my vocation in life.

Two months later, I received a brochure in the mail asking if I had ever considered becoming a priest. I can only explain it as God’s direct intervention. My faith life was awakened, and I slowly began my journey to the priesthood.

It would still be another 10 years before I entered seminary, but God’s grace always works at the right time. I joined the Knights of Columbus and became more involved in my parish. That initial spark of love for the Lord deepened over those years through my experience of going to Mass, confession and eucharistic adoration, preparing me to finally say yes to the priesthood. Now, as a newly ordained priest of Jesus Christ, I feel fulfilled in answering God’s call.