Columbia October 2011

OCTOBER 2011OCTOBER 2011

COLUMBIACOLUMBIAKNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

“So That The World May Know New Hope”

129th Supreme Convention

Denver, Colorado

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that recognizes the top one percent of financial professionals in the world. We salute these men for their devotion to making a difference for life.

Pierre Albert — Hearst, Ontario

Randall Atkins — Fort Myers, Florida

Ben Baca — Whittier, California

James Bertine — Arlington, Virginia

Jeremie Bornais — Amherstburg, Ontario

Daniel Bouchard — Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia

Tyler Bouchard — Red Deer, Alberta

Martin Bourgeois — Timmins, Ontario

Neil Bouvier — Hamilton, Ontario

William Buchta — Grand Island, Nebraska

Todd Cabral — Reno, Nevada

John Canter — Crownsville, Maryland

Robert Canter — Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Cleophas Castillo — Winnipeg, Manitoba

Quintin Chausse — Caledonia, Ontario

Wayne Cherney — Devils Lake, North Dakota

Jonathan Chiem — San Jose, California

Timothy Coskren — Walpole, Massachusetts

Trevor D’Mello — Mississauga, Ontario

Mark Deaton — Cypress, Texas

Justin Deges — Hill City, Kansas

Daniel del Villar — Henderson, Nevada

Joseph DeMarco — Vero Beach, Florida

John DiCalogero — East Walpole, Massachusetts

Robert DiCalogero — Canton, Massachusetts

Marvin Doerhoff — St. Peters, Missouri

Daniel Duval — Garson, Ontario

Denis Duval — Garson, Ontario

Shawn Fetter — Vancouver, British Columbia

Richard Fuentes — Lebanon, New Jersey

Perry Gaudet — Bellevue, Saskatchewan

James Grabinski — Walden, New York

Brian Graham — Kensington, Maryland

Mark Hedge — Butler, Ohio

Lawrence Messer — Westminster, Maryland

Gregory Miskiman — Calgary, Alberta

Michel Myre — London, Ontario

James Nestmann — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Edward O’Keefe — Abingdon, Maryland

Eric Ottemann — Midland, Texas

Kevin Paish — St. Albert, Alberta

Kevin Patterson — Grand Blanc, Michigan

Arturo Perchemlian — Menifee, California

Neil Pfeifer — Norfolk, Nebraska

Alan Pires — Mississauga, Ontario

Vincent Polis — Lewiston, Idaho

Daniel Reed — Garden City, Kansas

Darin Reed — Ellis, Kansas

Stephen Regan — Chattanooga, Tennessee

Robert Renaud — Sudbury, Ontario

James Rolleri — Germantown, Tennessee

Ronald Sandoval — San Gabriel, California

Sonny Sangemino — Kanata, Ontario

James Seideman — Lubbock, Texas

Thomas Sitzmann — Pueblo, Colorado

David Soukup — Leavenworth, Kansas

Joseph Spinelli III — Tallahassee, Florida

Leroy Stoecker — Houston, Texas

John Stoeckinger — Lincoln, Nebraska

Douglas Supak — La Grange, Texas

Jody Supak — La Grange, Texas

Butch Tastet — Washington, Louisiana

James Vukets — Surrey, British Columbia

Kevin Weber — Gretna, Nebraska

James White — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Joseph Wolf — Harker Heights, Texas

Mark Yubeta — San Clemente, California

Arnold Zwiers — Prince George, British Columbia

Larry Hoelscher — Jefferson City, Missouri

Daniel Huffman — San Clemente, California

David Imbriani — Monroe Township, New Jersey

Joe Jackson — Denver, Colorado

Aaron Jelinek — Prior Lake, Minnesota

Douglas Kelly — Omaha, Nebraska

Jason Lalonde — Virgil, Ontario

Paul Lalonde — Virgil, Ontario

Chuck Larter — Spencerville, Ontario

William Lewchuk — Calgary, Alberta

William Lueddemann — Anaheim, California

Jimmy Lummus — Pampa, Texas

Peter Marsico — Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Henry McCormick — Maryville, Tennessee

Michael McDonough — North Port, Florida

Michael McGranahan — Fullerton, California

-KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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An Impressive Witness to HopePapal greetings sent to the 129th Supreme Convention byVatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

129th Supreme Convention HighlightsThe Supreme Convention celebrated the Order’s accom-plishments and charged Knights to bring new hope tothe world.

‘A Single-Minded Confidence in God’Archbishop Charles J. Chaput’s homily from the conven-tion’s opening Mass.

Our Lady’s MessengersThrough a new prayer program dedicated to Our Lady ofGuadalupe, Knights will carry on the work of the newevangelization.

Honoring ExcellenceAwards session recognizes outstanding achievements incharity, unity, fraternity.

Report of the Supreme KnightIn his report to the 129th Supreme Convention,Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson highlighted theOrder’s charitable contributions and ongoing work.

The Roman MissalThe new translations of the Suscipiat, Preface and Sanc-tus invite us to deeper participation at Mass.BY ARCHBISHOP ALFRED C. HUGHES

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1 2 9 t h S U P R E M E C O N V E N T I O N

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PUBLISHERKnights of Columbus

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SUPREME OFFICERSCarl A. AndersonSUPREME KNIGHT

Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D.SUPREME CHAPLAINDennis A. Savoie

DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHTCharles E. Maurer Jr.SUPREME SECRETARYLogan T. LudwigSUPREME TREASURERJohn A. MarrellaSUPREME ADVOCATE

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EDITORIALAlton J. Pelowski

[email protected] EDITOR

Patrick [email protected] EDITORBrian Dowling

[email protected] & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

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GRAPHICSMichelle McCleary

LAYOUT

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90)Apostle to the Young,

Protector of Christian Family Life andFounder of the Knights of Columbus,

Intercede for Us.________

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INTERNETkofc.org/columbia

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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 anapplicant or member accepts the teaching authority of theCatholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires tolive in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

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Copyright © 2011All rights reserved

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ON THE COVERA scene of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

COVER: Thinkstock

PAPAL GREETINGS

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An Impressive Witness to HopePapal Greetings sent to the Supreme Convention by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

HIS HOLINESS Pope Benedict XVI was pleased tolearn that from 2-4 August 2011, the 129th SupremeConvention of the Knights of Columbus will be heldin Denver, Colorado. He has asked me to convey hiswarm greetings and good wishes to all in attendance,together with the assurance of his prayers for the fruit-fulness of these annual deliberations.

The theme of this year’s Supreme Convention —“So That The World May Know New Hope” — wasfittingly inspired bythe great prayer forfamilies with whichBlessed John Paul IIconcluded his apos-tolic exhortation Eccle-sia in America. It wasprecisely so that “theworld may know newhope” that the latepontiff tirelessly calledupon the lay faithfulto work for the spreadof the Gospel of JesusChrist and the renewalof society in accordance with its liberating message.Today, before the increasingly evident signs of a grow-ing forgetfulness of God, a rejection of the most basicprinciples of morality and a breakdown in the veryfoundations of social life, no committed follower ofChrist can fail to heed this urgent summons to workfor the rebuilding of our communities in accordancewith the enduring values grounded in the natural law,confirmed by the Gospel and enshrined in the Chris-tian vision of life’s true meaning, beauty and purpose.

For this reason, the Holy Father expresses his deepgratitude to the Knights of Columbus for their con-tinuing contribution to responsible public debateabout the great ethical issues that will shape the future

of our democratic societies. He sees in this valuedservice to the common good an outstanding exampleof the lay apostolate, which consists, as the SecondVatican Council teaches, in “building up the Church,sanctifying the world and imbuing it with the Spiritof Christ” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 16). Such a clearand courageous moral witness is all the more necessaryin the light of a proliferation of legislative initiativesthat not only undermine such basic institutions of so-

ciety as marriage and thefamily but also threatenthe fundamental humanrights of conscientiousobjection and religiousfreedom. As part of its re-sponse to these increas-ingly serious challenges,His Holiness encouragesyour Order to renew andreinforce its praiseworthyprograms of catechesisand of continuing forma-tion in the faith and theprinciples of Christian

morality, so that each Knight can be prepared to offera reasonable account of his deepest convictions.

In his Encyclical Spe Salvi, the Holy Father recalledthat the most effective testimony to Christ is given bymen and women whose closeness to the wellsprings ofdivine love in prayer and in the sacramental life of theChurch transforms them and makes them living iconsof hope. In this context he thinks especially of the im-pressive witness to hope given by the Knights ofColumbus as they help so many young men to growto Christian maturity, teaching them to let their livesbe shaped by the things that really matter (cf. Phil1:10) and offering countless quiet examples of the mas-culine virtues of fidelity, hard work, generosity and

In the local councils, in parishes and in local communities, theKnights represent a privileged

“setting of Christian hope”

PAPAL GREETINGS


CNS photo/Paul Haring

self-sacrifice. In the local councils, in parishes and inlocal communities, the Knights represent a privileged“setting of Christian hope” (cf. Spe Salvi, 32ff.), wherethe Catholic faith and its deepest values are embodiedand passed on through friendship, fraternal charity,volunteerism and good works. His Holiness encouragesall of you to reflect with gratitude on this often-hidden,yet very real charism of your Order and to foster it asa significant resource for the renewal of the Churchand society at every level.

Finally, the Holy Father expresses his profound sat-isfaction for the continuing fidelity of the Knights ofColumbus to the vision of Father Michael McGivney,who desired that the Order should be the embodimentof Christian charity through its manifold works of fra-ternal solidarity and mutual aid. This commitment hasalways been shown first and foremost on the level ofthe local councils, in the many quiet ways in whichKnights have always sought to help one another, espe-cially in difficult times such as the present economicdownturn. It has also found privileged expression inyour Order’s institutional programs of insurance andfinancial planning, which have brought stability andhope to so many individuals and families, and in yourcharitable outreach to the poor throughout the world,

particularly in the wake of disasters such as those thatrecently struck Haiti and Japan. His Holiness is like-wise grateful for the unswerving support that theKnights have given to the Successor of Peter in his min-istry to the universal Church. He sees in this great sym-phony of charity a testimony to the catholicity of ourfaith and to the breadth and depth of our hope inChrist’s saving promises.

With these sentiments, the Holy Father invokesupon all assembled in Denver the Spirit’s gifts of wis-dom, understanding and good counsel. Commendingall the Knights and their families to the loving inter-cession of Mary, Mother of the Church, he cordiallyimparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy andpeace in Jesus, her divine Son.

Adding my own prayerful good wishes for the workof the Supreme Convention, I remain

Yours sincerely,

Tarcisio Cardinal BertoneSecretary of State

129th Supreme ConventionThe Supreme Convention in Denver Aug. 2-4 celebrated the Order’s

accomplishments and charged Knights to bring new hope to the world

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As 2,500 Knights and their families arrived in Denver forthe 129th Supreme Convention in August, they were

met by Colorado Knights’ hospitality and the landscape’s un-deniable beauty. In the days immediately preceding the con-vention, families participated in tours of scenic locations anddevotional sites that reflect the more than 150 years of richCatholic history in Denver and the surrounding area.

Some 100 priests and more than 70 archbishops and bish-

ops, including 11 cardinals, concelebrated the Aug. 2 open-ing Mass. The entrance procession was led by a Fourth De-gree honor guard from Colorado’s John H. Reddin Province,named after the first Supreme Master of the Fourth Degreeand a pioneer for the Order in the Western United States inthe early 20th century.

During the opening business session, Supreme Knight CarlA. Anderson delivered his annual report, reflecting on the

past year and the Order’s record-breaking charitable givingand volunteer service. He also announced a number of im-portant initiatives that the Order will undertake in comingmonths, including the Knights of Columbus Disaster Re-sponse Program, an AIDS outreach to orphaned children inAfrica, a new military chaplain scholarship, and a shrine ded-icated to Blessed John Paul II in Washington, D.C. (See page20 for the full text of the report.)

The event’s theme — “That The World May Know NewHope” — was taken from Blessed John Paul II’s prayer forfamilies, which concluded his 1999 apostolic exhortation Ec-clesia in America. From homilies at concelebrated Masses toremarks at the States Dinner and business sessions, specialguest speakers echoed this theme, encouraging the Knightsto bring new hope to the world by participating in the newevangelization. Excerpts of many of these addresses are fea-

tured in the following pages of convention highlights. Delegates to the Supreme Convention strengthened their

resolve to be hopeful witnesses of the Gospel, adopting res-olutions in support of such issues as the culture of life, mar-riage, religious liberty and Catholic education. Theconvention also saw the launch of a new Orderwide MarianPrayer Program dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe thatwill run from 2011-13 (see page 14).

Throughout the convention, speakers recalled the teach-ings of Blessed John Paul II and the vision of VenerableMichael McGivney. Knights who have gone before us, in-cluding the late Supreme Secretary Emilio B. Moure, werealso remembered in words and in prayer.

Full texts and extended coverage can be found at kofc.org,and DVDs of the convention’s proceedings are available forpurchase (see page 47).♦

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is selected from Archbishop Charles J.Chaput’s homily delivered Aug. 2 at the Supreme Convention’sopening Mass.

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriagehe had contracted with a Cushite woman. They complained, “Is itthrough Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speakthrough us also?” And the LORD heard this.

THE DYNAMIC OF THE Moses family is not so different fromthe dynamic in the family of today’s Church. God has chosenMoses to lead his people. Miriam and Aaron, the sister andbrother of Moses, resent his taking of a Cushite wife. But the dis-puted marriage is merely a pretext for the siblings. What they re-ally resent is Moses’ elevation above themselves, his specialrelationship with God. Moses is very much a flawed human being.By this point in Scripture he may be “meek,” but he is not withoutsin. Nonetheless he is chosen by God. Therefore, Miriam’s andAaron’s criticism — which flows out of their own rebellious pride— is really a criticism of God himself. Miriam, as the instigator,

is struck with leprosy, but at least there is a kind of negative dignityto her willfulness. Aaron is almost worse; a portrait of male spine-lessness. This is the man who went along with the golden calf.Now he goes along with Miriam, and when Miriam is punished,he becomes obsequious with Moses.

Something similar can be said about conflicts in the modernChurch. Bishops, priests and deacons are too often weak and sin-ful. They need to be held to high standards. Some deserve to bechastised. The clergy’s leadership in the Church should always bemarked by humility and service, and never by a sense of entitle-ment. But men and women didn’t found the Church; they don’town her; and they have no license to reinvent her. The Churchbelongs to Jesus Christ, and the different roles within the Chris-tian community — clergy, laity and religious life — have equaldignity but different purposes. Sin and failure, including by theclergy, need to be named. But when people deride their bishopsand priests out of pride and resentment or some perverse desirefor what they perceive as “power,” they undermine the Churchherself, and they set themselves against the God whose vessel sheis. And that, as Scripture suggests, leads in a painful direction.

‘A Single-Minded Confidence in God’


All real reform in the Church requires two things. Today’s Re-sponsorial Psalm — Psalm 51 — gives us the first thing. We findit in the lines “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; washme, and I will be whiter than snow;” and “Create in me a cleanheart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Renewalbegins not in vilifying others, but in examining ourselves honestly,repenting of our own sins and changing ourselves. This applies toevery baptized person, from the pope to the average man orwoman earning a wage. We are all sinners. We are all in need ofrepentance and God’s mercy. When we really understand that, wecan speak to each other with both honesty and love, and restoringthe mission of the Church can begin.

Today’s Gospel gives us the second thing needed for any lastingChurch reform: faith. Not faith as theology, or faith as a collectionof doctrines and practices; but faith as a single-minded confidencein God; faith as the humility — and in a sense, the imprudence,the passion, the recklessness — to give ourselves entirely to JesusChrist. That kind of faith changes people. That kind of faith shiftsthe world on its axis, because nothing can stand against it. As longas Peter keeps his eyes and his heart fixed on Jesus Christ, he cando the impossible — he can walk on the water. The moment hegives in to doubt and fear, he begins to sink. So it is with our per-sonal faith, and so it is with life and health of the Church.

In light of our Gospel reading, it’s fitting that our Mass todaycommemorates the French priest and saint from the 19th century,Peter Eymard. Eymard was a friend of Sts. Peter Chanel and Jean-Marie Vianney, and the founder of the Congregation of theBlessed Sacrament. He was an intriguing man. The great Frenchsculptor, Auguste Rodin, once entered Eymard’s congregation asa lay brother, having given up art after the death of his sister. Ey-mard served as Rodin’s spiritual counselor, and eventually senthim back to his work in the world as a sculptor, because he be-lieved that Rodin glorified God more truly through the beauty ofhis art. The focus of Eymard’s life was an intense love of JesusChrist in the Blessed Sacrament. He was tireless in preaching adeep devotion to the Eucharist as a key to reigniting the vocationof Christians in the world. The Church honors him as “the Apos-tle of the Eucharist,” and his most famous line is worth remem-bering. When he decided to leave the diocesan clergy to becomea religious priest, his sisters begged him to wait and reflect just alittle longer before he acted — even just one more day. He an-swered, “God calls me now. Tomorrow will be too late.” God iscalling each of us here today — clergy, lay and religious — to lovehim with all our hearts and to renew the life of his Church. Godis calling us now. Tomorrow will be too late. So let’s pray for eachother, and support each other — and begin.♦

OPENING MASS


(Clockwise from top) Delegates raise signs of their respective jurisdictionsat a business session Aug. 3. • Deputy Supreme Knight Dennis A.Savoie addresses the convention. • A delegate from Cuba seeks to be rec-ognized during the Aug. 3 business session. • Archbishop Timothy P.Broglio, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl visitbefore the Aug 2 business session. • Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E.Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., leads delegates in prayer for the canonizationof Venerable Michael McGivney, the Order’s founder. • Cadets from theU.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs provide a color guard atthe opening of the convention’s main business session Aug. 2.

BUSINESS SESSIONS


WE LIVE in a world,which, at this time, isundergoing a profoundtransformation. Themanner in which wehave carried out ourmission of bringing theGood News of theKingdom until nowcries out for renewal,and in some instances,fundamental change. It is my belief that ourHoly Father, Pope Benedict XVI, responded tothis very need by choosing [the new evange-lization] as the theme of the next Synod ofBishops and by establishing a new PontificalCouncil for the New Evangelization. For sev-eral years now, the Canadian bishops have beenreflecting on this theme at their Plenary As-semblies. We look forward to the upcomingSynod, knowing that it will provide us withmany new avenues and strategies to strengthenour efforts in the First Evangelization and theNew Evangelization in our country. …

I am delighted to see that the Knights havechosen to reflect on this theme as well. In thisway, you remind us that, more than our spe-cific duties as bishops, priests, religious andlaypersons, the proclamation of the GoodNews has been entrusted to all the baptized. Bishop Pierre Morissette of Saint-Jérôme,

Quebec, president of the Canadian Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops

THE KNIGHTS ofColumbus is making abig difference in thelocal Church in thePhilippines. Present inall dioceses of thecountry, there are nowover 260,000 or so ac-tive members — andgrowing. They are ac-tive in pastoral pro-grams in parishes and, noticeably, in theirstrong pro-life advocacy. …

There has been no time in the Philippines’history when the Catholic Church has been sochallenged and even maligned than today. …Please continue to help us fight against this on-slaught [against] life. Bishop Nereo P. Odchimar of Tandag, pres-

ident of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference ofthe Philippines


(Clockwise from top) Past Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant speaks at the Aug. 3business session. • Colorado delegates wave their state flag during the States Dinner.• Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella presents the report of the resolutions committeeto the voting delegates Aug. 4.

I AM NOT a politi-cian. I am a pastor ofsouls — and anAmerican citizen.That is my perspec-tive on these issues. Aspastor of the largestCatholic communityin the United States, Iam deeply affected by

our nation’s immigration policy crisis. Histori-cally, the Catholic Church has always been aChurch of immigrants — just as America hasalways been a nation of immigrants. …

American Catholics form one spiritual fam-ily drawn from some 60 ethnic and nationalgroups from every continent. ...

About 70 percent of the flock I minister tois Hispanic. And Los Angeles is not an excep-tion — but a sign of the future.

The important thing for us is to approachthese political issues not as Democrats or Re-publicans, liberals or conservatives, but asCatholics. And as Catholics, we should bealarmed by the human toll of our failure to fixour broken immigration system. …

I believe comprehensive immigration reformoffers us a special moment as a nation — andas a Church. As immigrants have in every gen-eration, this new generation of immigrantspromises to make us a stronger, more virtuousand prosperous America. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles

THIS GIVES me theprovidential opportu-nity to let you, es-teemed brotherKnights, know howdeeply we bishops,your pastors, appreci-ate your charism. Youare ‘Exhibit A’ whenit comes to modelingthe effective lay apos-

tolate revived in the Church by the SecondVatican Council — a luminous example of thefaithful, enlightened, generous man on thefront lines of bringing the Gospel of JesusChrist, as impeccably passed on by his Church,to home and family, business, community, cul-ture, our beloved country, and our world.Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New

York, president of the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops


EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is excerpted from Cardinal Raymond L.Burke’s keynote address at the States Dinner.

AN EXTRAORDINARY synthesis of the teaching of BlessedJohn Paul II on the new evangelization is found in his ApostolicLetter Novo Millennio Ineunte, “At the Close of the Great Jubileeof the Year 2000.” In the face of the grave situation of the worldtoday, we are, Blessed John Paul II reminded us, like the firstdisciples who, after hearing St. Peter’s Pentecost discourse, askedhim: “What must we do?” Even as the first disciples faced apagan world which had not even heard of our Lord Jesus Christ,so we, too face a culture which is forgetful of God and hostileto his law written upon every human heart.

Before the great challenge of our time, Blessed Pope John Paulcautioned us that we will not save ourselves and our world bydiscovering “some magic formula” or by “inventing a new pro-gram.” In unmistakable terms, he declared:

“No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person, andthe assurance which he gives us: I am with you” (29).

He reminded us that the programme by which we are to ad-dress effectively the great spiritual challenges of our time is, inthe end, Jesus Christ alive for us in the Church. In short, theprogram leading to freedom and happiness is, for each of us, theholiness of life in Christ, in accord with our state in life and withcareful attention to our “time and culture.” ...

Blessed John Paul II, making reference to the Second VaticanCouncil, reminded us that “this ideal of perfection must not be

misunderstood as if it involved somekind of extraordinary existence, possi-ble only for a few ‘uncommon heroes’of holiness.”

The saintly pontiff taught us the ex-traordinary nature of our ordinary life,because it is lived in Christ and, there-fore, produces in us the incomparablebeauty of holiness of life. He declared:

“The ways of holiness are many, ac-cording to the vocation of each individ-ual. I thank the Lord that in these yearshe has enabled me to beatify and canonize a large number ofChristians, and among them many lay people who attained holi-ness in the most ordinary circumstances of life. The time has cometo re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of or-dinary Christian living: the whole life of the Christian communityand of Christian families must lead in this direction” (31).

Seeing in us the daily conversion of life by which we strive tomeet the high standard of holiness, the “high standard of ordinaryChristian living,” our brothers and sisters will discover the greatmystery of their own ordinary life in which God, in a truly ex-traordinary manner, daily showers upon them his immeasurableand ceaseless love, calling them to holiness of life in Christ, hisonly-begotten Son. They will find new hope.Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribu-

nal at the Apostolic Signatura

‘The Essence of the New Evangelization’

STATES DINNER


BROTHER KNIGHTS of Colum-bus, you are a true inspiration to somany people in your parishes andhometowns and cities. Your untir-ing commitment to serve and tolove through your actions, your loveof human life is a very positive wit-ness in a world that truly needsyour presence and your faith. I amvery grateful for the more than100,000 Knights who work in theprovince of Quebec, and the thou-

sands that are present in the Archdiocese of Quebec. I knowthe Church can always count on you to tackle the challengesbefore us. …

Even as we share in this wonderful convention, I’m sure inyour hearts so many of your neighbors, co-workers, friendsand family members also know the pangs of hunger for loveand peace, justice, hope and solidarity. “Do not be afraid!”Go out to share what you have seen and heard, go out to wit-ness the great love of your life: Jesus Christ!Archbishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec, primate

of Canada

THERE EXISTS an AmericanChristian identity: BetweenCatholics and members of otherChristian faiths, we make up themajority of the inhabitants of thehemisphere. We are a Christian con-tinent. … Our common problems,which are many and serious, mustbe confronted based on our identityand faith in Christ, which we, themajority, profess. We must seek so-

lutions in order to elevate the dignity of mankind and tostrengthen the reign of God. …

The Knights of Columbus, laymen organized and commit-ted to the causes of Christ and his Church, must familiarizethemselves with this document, Ecclesia in America. Theteachings of our late Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II, shedlight upon solutions based on faith in Christ and insist upona realistic apostolate that must contribute to solving evenproblems of a structural nature, for the good of all brothersand sisters in need.Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, archbishop of Guadalajara,

Mexico

Deputy Supreme Knight Dennis A. Savoie and Archbishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec, primate of Canada, wave flags during the States Dinner.


MAY I PROPOSE aninvigorating dedica-tion to the human per-son, most especially tothose persons mostvulnerable. In the cur-rent climate the attackon the human personstill focuses on the be-ginnings and end ofhuman personal life,the stages of greatest vulnerability. The Annun-ciation scene manifests the astounding act ofthe Eternal Word being conceived in the wombof his mother. It puts an exclamation point onthe reality of every human being made in theimage and likeness of God. ...

Certainly, we must be mindful of the poorand weak, the stranger and immigrant and thosewho have wandered away from the Father’s em-brace. Above all, though, we Knights must bemindful of the unborn, whose fragile and deli-cate beginnings the Savior himself accepted inbecoming man. The first and last stages of life,where the newly conceived may not yet have aname and the seriously ill and elderly may haveforgotten their name, are most crucial.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston

ST. JOHN Vianney’slife was consumed withsaving souls. The over-arching goal of his lifewas helping his parish-ioners and many ofthose who flocked tohis little parish in thevillage of Ars, France, toundergo conversion, togrow in holiness and to become fit for eternallife in heaven. What a powerful reminder thisfeast is for me and for my fellow bishops andpriests as we commend the beloved dead of ourOrder to the tender mercies of God. We, dearfriends, are fellow pilgrims with you on the pathof salvation, fellow pilgrims who must seek for-giveness of our sins and holiness in our ownlives. Even so, the Lord in his mercy has calledus and sent us to expend ourselves in helping youand helping many others to reject sin, to refuseto mastered by evil, and to attain that holinessof life of which Christ himself is the measure. Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori

of Bridgeport, Conn.

Above: Delegates examine proposed resolutions during a business session. • Below: A FourthDegree honor guard sits attentively during the Votive Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe.


Our Lady’s MessengersThrough a new prayer program dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Knights will carry on the work of the new evangelization

by Alton J. Pelowski

At the conclusion of a votive Mass in honor of Our Lady ofGuadalupe Aug. 3 at the 129th Supreme Convention in

Denver, the Knights of Columbus launched a new Marian PrayerProgram. The choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of theImmaculate Conception sang Totus Tuus, a choral work dedicatedto the Blessed Virgin Mary, as state deputies processed toward thealtar carrying large, framed images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Hundreds of copies of the image have been distributed andwill be used for a two-year prayer program in which local coun-cils will organize special prayer services at churches and otherlocations. The first year of the program will culminate with thesecond international Guadalupe Festival, scheduled to take placein Los Angeles in 2012, immediately prior to the 130thSupreme Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, postulator for the cause of canoniza-tion of St. Juan Diego and canon of the Basilica of Our Lady ofGuadalupe in Mexico City, introduced the program and ex-plained the uniqueness of the images. He said that the imagesheld by the state deputies received a papal blessing and wastouched to the original, miraculous image of Our Lady ofGuadalupe in Mexico City. Moreover, each bears the signatureof the rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and wassealed with soil from Mexico’s Tepeyac Hill, where Our Lady ap-peared to Juan Diego in 1531.

“My brother Knights, nearly 500 years later, you are now called,like St. Juan Diego, to be heralds of the new evangelization, car-rying Our Lady’s beautiful image and message of love far and widein all your jurisdictions,” said Msgr. Chávez, who is a member ofBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 14138.

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport,Conn., then offered a prayer of commissioning, and the statedeputies raised the images as the assembly joined in singingSalve Regina.

Before the final blessing, Cardinal James Francis Stafford, MajorPenitentiary Emeritus and principal celebrant of the Mass, calledthe prayer program “one of the most moving and challenging tasksthat I have seen given to the laity.” After serving as archbishop ofDenver for 10 years, Cardinal Stafford served as president of thePontifical Council for the Laity from 1996-2003.

“Dear brothers, this challenge is to become the royal priesthoodof the laity,” the cardinal added. “God bless you for this wonder-ful, wonderful challenge that you have been willing to accept.”

Left: Cardinal James Francis Stafford, Major Penitentiary Emeritus, cele-brates the Votive Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe Aug. 3. • Right: Bishopconcelebrants are pictured during the Votive Mass.



CONSECRATED TO OUR LADYThis two-year prayer program is the 15th initiative of its kindsince the Order’s first Marian Hour of Prayer in 1979. Most ofthe past programs have honored the Blessed Mother under var-ious titles, including the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady ofPerpetual Help, Our Lady of Częstochowa and, most recently,Our Lady of Charity. These Orderwide programs have alsobrought some 14 million people together for more than 100,000prayer services.

The last time the Knights of Columbus launched a prayer pro-gram dedicated to Mary under her title Our Lady of Guadalupewas in 2000, a year after Pope John Paul II released his apostolicexhortation Ecclesia in America, in which he invoked the Virginof Guadalupe as the “Mother and Evangelizer of America.” WhenSupreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and other officers were laterinstalled in ceremonies at the basilica in Mexico City in February2001, the supreme knight and then-Supreme Chaplain BishopThomas V. Daily led those in attendance in consecrating theOrder to the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In the evening before the current Marian Prayer Program waslaunched, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the SupremeTribunal of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican, reflected onthe meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparitions and mes-sage. During his keynote address at the States Dinner, he de-scribed the cultural environment during the time of Our Lady’sapparitions from Dec. 9-12, 1531.

“Our Lady appeared on the continent of America at a timewhen many men were drifting from God and his life-giving law,”explained Cardinal Burke, a member of Bishops Council 10490in St. Louis, Mo. “On the one hand, under a long and macabreleadership, the religion of the Native Americans, the Aztecs, wasincreasingly marked by a diabolical worship which demandedconstant and mass human sacrifice. On the other hand, the ar-rival and activity of European explorers in the same territory haddeveloped into a conflict between the Spanish and Native Amer-icans, which threatened an increasingly massive destruction ofhuman life and goods. In the context of so much and so greatsuffering and death, the Mother of God was sent to draw menonce again to the one and only source of hope and life in thelove and mercy of God the Father, made present in our midstby his incarnate Son.”

The appearance of the Virgin Mary to a humble Indian, aChristian convert named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, soonchanged the face of the continent. Our Lady appeared as a mes-tiza, or mixed-race woman, who was pregnant with the Son ofGod. Mexico’s first bishop, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, and thenative people comprehended the Gospel message contained inthe symbol-rich image that was miraculously imprinted on JuanDiego’s tilma, or cloak. And inspired by the message of divinelove, some 9 million Native Americans were baptized from thetime of the apparitions until the deaths of Bishop Zumárragaand Juan Diego in 1548.

A UNIVERSAL MESSAGEAlmost five centuries later, the message of Our Lady ofGuadalupe continues to inspire Christians not only in Mex-ico, but also throughout the Western Hemisphere.

In Ecclesia in America, which was written to commemoratethe 500th anniversary of the first evangelization of Americaand to prepare for the Jubilee Year 2000, John Paul II citedthe widespread appeal of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The in-fluence of the Virgin Mary’s appearance to St. Juan Diego,he noted, “greatly overflows the boundaries of Mexico,spreading to the whole Continent. America, which histori-cally has been, and still is, a melting-pot of peoples, has rec-ognized in the mestiza face of the Virgin of Tepeyec, ‘inBlessed Mary of Guadalupe, an impressive example of a per-fectly inculturated evangelization.’ Consequently, not onlyin Central and South America, but in North America aswell, the Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated as Queen of allAmerica” (11).

Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, postulator for the cause of canonization of St.Juan Diego, introduces the Marian Prayer Program Aug. 3.


The universality of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message wasdemonstrated in 2003, when the Order sponsored a tour of arelic of St. Juan Diego’s tilma, and tens of thousands of peopleof numerous nationalities came to express their devotion. Like-wise, more than 1,000 Knights and their families attended aMarian Congress dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whichthe Order co-sponsored with the Diocese of Phoenix and theInstitute of Guadalupan Studies in August 2009.

Following the Marian Congress, a capacity crowd of morethan 15,000 people participated in the first internationalGuadalupe Festival at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.Building on the success of that event — which featured musicalperformances, speakers, the recitation of an international rosaryand the solemn procession of the tilma relic — Knights hopeto welcome tens of thousands of the faithful to the second in-ternational Guadalupe Festival in Los Angeles next August.

Yet, before then, a multitude of people will be participatingin prayer services throughout K of C jurisdictions. As outlined

in an official prayer booklet, each service will include readings,silent reflection, intercessions, the rosary and other prayers.The goal is to spread far and wide a devotion to Our Lady ofGuadalupe and an appreciation of the enduring relevance ofthe Guadalupan message.

“We live in no less troubled times which severely test ourhope,” said Cardinal Burke in his States Dinner address. Citingmoral relativism and various manifestations of a “culture ofdeath” in the modern world, he added, “We are witnesses of asociety in which, in many respects, morality has ceased to exist.We are called ever more urgently to the new evangelization ofour culture. Our Lady of Guadalupe gives us hope, gives usJesus Christ who alone brings us truth and freedom.”

For more information about the schedule of the MarianPrayer Program in your area, contact your Knights of Colum-bus state council.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKI is the managing editor of Columbia.


A t the annual Supreme Knight’s Award Session in DenverAug. 3, awards were given for achievements in various cat-

egories, including membership recruitment, insurance and ex-emplary practice of the Order’s principles in council activities.Here is a brief account of some of the awards and recipients.

FAMILY OF YEARRon Simurdiak and his family are models of charity andCatholic values in their Wisconsin parish and community.Ron belongs to Father John Patrick Slowey Council 2963 inPhillips, and his father, Joseph, has been a member for morethan 60 years. Ron and his wife, Elizabeth, both teach reli-gious education classes.

Their son Joseph, 19, attends St. Norbert’s College in DePere, and their son John, 17, is a high school junior. Theirdaughter Jenna, 9, was born in China and was adopted whenshe was 13 months old.

The entire family participates in Knights of Columbus ac-tivities, including the annual candy drive for persons with dis-abilities, pancake breakfasts and fish fry dinners. In 2005, Ronwas elected president of the newly established St. Vincent DePaul Society in Price County. And the following year he wasone of four Knights who provided collateral for the purchaseof a former furniture store building to start a St. Vincent DePaul thrift store. The family literally “bet the farm” – takinga mortgage on their land to help fund the purchase. Proceedsfrom the store have enabled them to help 11 needy familieswith rent, utilities and prescription medicines. And last year,they launched a new St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry, whichdistributed nearly 5,000 pounds of food to 182 needy familiesin December alone.

Now as Knights of Columbus Family of the Year recipients,the Simurdiaks hope to bring the message of faith, hope andcharity to others.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES Stella Maris Council 4265 in Fort San Felipe, Luzon, assistedin building a shrine dedicated to Blessed John Paul II in orderto strengthen the faith of the local community. The shrinehonors John Paul II’s 1981 visit to the Philippines and his rolein giving hope and encouragement to thousands of Indo-Chi-nese refugees.

Council members, along with their pastor and bishop,raised funds for the project by soliciting materials or monetarydonations and by organizing a “Walk for Pope John Paul II”fundraiser.

Construction, led by council members, began Feb. 2 and

finished with a dedication May 2 — one day after BlessedJohn Paul’s beatification in Vatican City. Thirty-five Knightsvolunteered 9,800 hours to the project.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES A Quebec council raised more than $100,000 to purchase ahandicapped-accessible van for Les Amirams de la Vallée, anorganization that transports people with disabilities to edu-cational, cultural and sporting activities, as well as respite care.

Along with volunteers from Amirams, 180 members of DesLacs Council 10048 in Lac au Saumon, Quebec, volunteeredmore than 2,300 hours to raise the funds needed to purchasethe van. The new vehicle, emblazoned with the emblem ofthe Order, replaced an out-of-service van and now providestransportation for children and adults to educational, culturaland sporting activities, as well as respite care.

In addition to offering safe transportation, the van providesa permanent job to a driver and greater autonomy to theclients of Amirams.

COUNCIL ACTIVITIES When education officials approached a North Dakota councilto ask for help raising funds for a new elementary school,Knights donated $100,000 to the project.

In turn, Wahpeton Council 2205 was allotted a room inthe school — designed by council members — that could beused for gatherings and activities. The Knights contributedan additional $60,000 for materials and furnishings. Animage of Father McGivney and the council’s charter are nowdisplayed permanently in the finished meeting room, whichfeatures a large conference table, leather conference chairs em-bossed with the emblem of the Order and modern A/V equip-ment.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES Islands Council 10579 in Savannah, Ga., solicited the helpof parishioners at St. Peter the Apostle Church to collect babyand childcare supplies for a U.S. military clinic serving civil-ians in Afghanistan. Through a local contact, Capt. KimPhillips, a doctor assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division inAfghanistan, requested supplies to help care for sick and in-jured children.

The response included enough clothing, shoes, toys, stuffedanimals, baby lotion, plastic wrap, and other baby and child-care items to fill more than 100 individual packages. Knightscoordinated with the U.S. National Guard to ship the pack-ages to Capt. Phillips in Afghanistan.

HonoringExcellenceAwards session recognizes outstanding achievements in charity, unity, fraternity


Ronald and Elizabeth Simurdiak of Father John Patrick Slowey Council 2963 in Phillips, Wis., and their family were named the Order’s 2011International Family of the Year.

PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES This year, a Washington council obtained a box truck outfit-ted with a pro-life billboard that was visible at 40 Days forLife, pro-life marches, Planned Parenthood demonstrationsand other high-visibility events.

Kennewick Council 8179 has a strong history of pro-lifeservice. Knights host a biannual pro-life conference, coordi-nate trips to the state capitol for the annual march for lifethere, participate in 40 Days for Life and conduct monthlypro-life educational seminars. They also sponsor billboardsand advertisements on Catholic radio stations.

The council’s most recent endeavor — the pro-life boxtruck — was a dominant sight at the pro-life march betweenSt. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the soccer field at St. JosephSchool, where Knights staked more than 500 white crosses asa tribute to lives lost to abortion.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES St. Mary Council 4458 in Derby, Kan., contributed 475hours each month to host activities for the youth of its parishand community, providing a series of healthful activities whilepromoting a positive attitude toward the Knights of Colum-bus goals of charity and family values.

Knights held activities like a parish family golf tournament,a “Knights vs. Teens” softball game and cookout, a soccerchallenge, a fishing derby (including clean-up of the areaaround the pond), a Christmas celebration, a free throw

championship, a movie night, a vocations poster contest, anEaster egg hunt, a parochial school picnic, and a day campfor children with special needs.

Through these activities, the council kept the young peopleand their families engaged throughout the year, dramaticallyincreasing the visibility of the council and generating signifi-cant goodwill in the community.

LEADING GENERAL AGENTSMarc G. Bouchard of Alberta, Canada, was the number-onegeneral agent. He finished the year at 196 percent of quotawith a volume per member of $15,532. His total gross volumewas $262,429,000.

Kevin G. Pfeifer of Nebraska was the number-two generalagent, finishing the year at 179 percent of quota with a vol-ume per member of $11,194. His total gross volume was$176,867,000.

LEADING FIELD AGENTSMarvin J. Doerhoff of the Rackers Agency in Missouri wasthe number-one field agent in 2010. Doerhoff met 544 per-cent of his quota with a volume per member of $17,361 anda total gross volume of $19,080,000.

Neil S. Bouvier of the Marc Bouchard Agency in Alberta,Canada, was the number-two field agent in 2010. Bouviermet 427 percent of his quota with a volume per member of$17,662 and a total gross volume of $16,232,000.♦


“So that the world may know new hope”

Annual Repor t of the

SUPREME KNIGHT129TH SUPREME CONVENTION DENVER, COLORADO, AUGUST 2, 2011

IN HIS ENCYCLICAL, Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI re-minded us that, “Hope is a key word in biblical faith,” so muchso that at times, “the words ‘faith’ and ‘hope’ seem interchange-able” (2).

Catholics have always seen ourselves as people whose veryidentity is closely related to the gift of hope. As Pope Benedictput it, “The one who has hope lives differently” (2).

Along with love and the spirit of charity, hope was one of thedistinctive traits of Christians in the first century. “The self-un-derstanding of the early Christians,” the pope wrote, “was shapedby their having received the gift of a trustworthy hope” (2).

The theme of our convention this year is: “So that the worldmay know new hope.” We bring new hope to the world throughthe millions of acts of charity we perform each year. We bringnew hope to the world when we live out our principles of char-ity, unity, fraternity and patriotism in ways that change lives forthe better. Our theme is taken from a prayer composed by PopeJohn Paul II that concluded his document Ecclesia in Americafollowing the Synod of Bishops for America in 1997. John PaulII had asked the bishops of the Western Hemisphere to “reflecton America as a single entity” (5).

The nations of North, Central and South America have a


“shared Christian identity,” he said. “The decision to speak of‘America’ in the singular” was his “attempt to express ... theunity ... which the Church wishes to foster as part of her ownmission” (5).

As Knights of Columbus, we are acutely aware of the impor-tance of unity in our lives as Catholics. It is the second principleof our Order, and it has real meaning for us at many levels: inour local and state councils, within the nations in which we areorganized, and as an international fraternal society of Catholicmen that now spans three continents. It is this same unity thatguides us to solidarity with our bishops and our priests.

A significant part of our mission is to make manifest the“deeper spiritual union” and “spirit of solidarity” that John Paulsought to develop among the Catholics of the Americas (5).Knights of Columbus councils can be found throughout theAmericas: in the United States and Canada, as well as inPanama, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,St. Lucia and the Bahamas. And of course we have gone evenfarther, gathering into our fold hundreds of thousands ofCatholic men from the Philippines, the largest Catholic countryin Asia, and more than a thousand in Poland, one of the mostCatholic countries in Europe.


In a very real sense, the Knights of Columbus isat the forefront of helping to build what John PaulII called “the unity which comes from true com-munion with the Risen Lord” (7). This is the goalof the New Evangelization, promoted by BlessedJohn Paul II and carried forward with great enthu-siasm by Pope Benedict. It is grounded in St. Paul’sobservation: “In hope we are saved” (Rom 8:24).

Blessed John Paul’s long papacy will be remem-bered for many things, but perhaps the most mem-orable is the special attention he paid to youngpeople. In the prayer at the end of Ecclesia in Amer-ica, he asked God to grant that we might be “faith-ful witnesses to [Jesus’] Resurrection for theyounger generation ... so that, in knowing [him],they may follow [him] and find in [him] theirpeace and joy” (76).

Later this month [August], the Church will onceagain celebrate one of Blessed John Paul’s most re-markable innovations — World Youth Day — thistime in Madrid. And the Knights of Columbuswill play a central role in creating a powerful spir-itual experience for English-speaking pilgrims whowill travel to Spain from around the world.

As was the case at the last World Youth Day inAustralia, we will co-host the “Love and Life Cen-tre” with the Sisters of Life, this time at the Palaciode Deportes, Madrid’s premiere sports venue,which seats more than 10,000 people. We will bejoined by co-sponsors from Holy Cross FamilyMinistries, Salt + Light Television, the PontificalJohn Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage andFamily, the Fellowship of Catholic University Stu-dents, the Apostleship of Prayer, and the WorldYouth Alliance. Together, we will offer participantsthe opportunity to attend Mass, confession, eu-charistic adoration, and a wide variety of presen-tations, panel discussions, dynamic catechesis,meals and concerts — and of course an occasionto meet and get to know other Catholic youthfrom throughout the English-speaking world.

World Youth Day is a living reminder of BlessedJohn Paul’s ministry to youth during his papacy ofnearly three decades. The “John Paul II Genera-tion” has had a tremendous impact on the Church,and when Supreme Chaplain Bishop William Lori,Past Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant and I traveledto Rome for John Paul’s beatification on May 1,

In August, the Order co-hosted the “Love and Life Centre” at World Youth Day with the Sisters of Life at the Palacio de Deportes, Madrid’spremiere sports and concert venue, which has seating for more than 10,000.


we found that generation very much in evidence.We have welcomed many of them into the ranksof the Knights of Columbus, and I want to takethis opportunity to invite them to join us in ever-greater numbers as we continue to build on JohnPaul II’s legacy. Several of our newest college coun-cils, including Father Bill Nolan Council 15094 atDartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and Com-modore John Barry Council 14534 at the U.S.Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., are prime ex-amples of the rich bounty that the members of theJohn Paul II Generation bring to the Knights ofColumbus and the Church. So is our 2010 Out-standing College Council of the Year, Our Lady ofthe Skies Council 8200 at the U.S. Air Force Acad-emy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Blessed John Paul saw the Knights of Columbusas the sort of lay organization envisioned in one ofthe most important documents of the Second Vat-ican Council, Gaudium et Spes (“Joy and Hope”).The document described the way in which theChurch would engage the modern world by meansof a new evangelization. John Paul II believed thatGaudium et Spes was in many ways the theological,philosophical and pastoral summation of theCouncil. It is no accident that the highest awardof the Knights of Columbus is known as theGaudium et Spes Award — we are fully committedto this mission of the Church. Because God en-tered the world to redeem us, we are called to fillthe world with a Christian spirit and Christian val-ues through our witness, especially our witness tocharity and our faithfulness to the teaching of theChurch. In other words, as Pope Benedict has toldus, we are called to live differently.

Our work over the past year demonstrates thatwe have been faithful to this mission. Our AnnualSurvey of Fraternal Activity shows that we set newall-time records for charity last year.

Total charitable contributions by the Knights ofColumbus at all levels last year reached $154.6million, exceeding the previous year’s total by morethan $3 million. Sixty percent of these donationswent to projects at the community level. Amongthe larger donations were $1 million for our Foodfor Families program and $1 million for “HealingHaiti’s Children,” a joint project with the Univer-sity of Miami’s Project Medishare through whichwe have made available prosthetic limbs to everychild in Haiti who suffered an amputation in the2010 earthquake.

Knights of Columbus also rolled up their sleevesand provided a record 70 million hours of volun-teer service for charitable causes in 2010, an in-crease of nearly 800,000 hours.

According to Independent Sector, an organiza-tion that tracks volunteerism and estimates thevalue of volunteer service, the value of an hour of

volunteer time last year was $21.36. That meansour volunteer time last year was worth nearly $1.5billion.

Among the service programs benefiting from asignificant number of K of C volunteer hours wereSpecial Olympics, the Global Wheelchair Missionand Habitat for Humanity. Knights of Columbusblood drives drew more than 428,000 donors.

Over the past decade, the amount of volunteertime donated by Knights of Columbus has totaledmore than 653 million hours. And the value of thosevolunteer hours totals more than $12.2 billion.

Among our state jurisdictions, CanadianKnights once again led the way in charitable do-nations. Québec’s $10.4 million in donations andOntario’s $8.5 million were followed by Texas with$6.3 million, Florida with $6.1 million, Californiawith $5.8 million and Michigan with $5.2 million.

Canadians also dominated the list of jurisdic-

Supreme Secretary Emilio Moure addresses the media with Dr. Robert Gaileyof Project Medishare prior to the first shipment of prosthetic devices to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in November 2010. Moure helped lead the Order’s “Heal-ing Haiti’s Children” program, which has made prostheses available to everyHaitian child who lost a limb during the 2010 earthquake that devastated thatcountry.


tions with the highest per capita donations to char-ity, leading with seven of the top ten. British Co-lumbia took first place, with a per capita total of$209 per member, followed by Newfoundland andLabrador, Alberta, Alaska, Ontario, Nova Scotia,Virginia, Florida, Saskatchewan, and NewBrunswick. The range of our charitable activityover the past year is truly extraordinary.

In a tough economy, a startling number of peo-ple have gone from being food bank donors toneeding help themselves. Our Food for Familiesprogram has played a major role in many commu-nities where the need is great.

In addition, there are many Knights ofColumbus councils that have developed fooddonation programs that are uniquely tailored totheir communities.

Each month in Hawaii, Brother Joseph DuttonCouncil 7156 in Honolulu collects thousands ofpounds of food donated by the Navy Exchange atPearl Harbor and delivers it to food banksthroughout the area. Bishop James J. SweeneyCouncil 11485 in nearby Waianae mans a soupkitchen that feeds the homeless on a daily basis.Father Jose Reyes Nacu Council 12935 in Hon-olulu also collects food, distributes it to the needyand stocks a storage facility that is used to help re-

plenish food banks when supplies run low.In the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, Texas,

Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 8306 launched aprogram this year called “40 Cans for Lent.”Parishioners were invited to bring one can of foodfor each of the 40 days of Lent. Donors filled 114barrels with food — more than 4,300 food items— which were then distributed to food banks runby Catholic Charities, the Society of St. Vincentde Paul and the San Antonio Food Bank. The foodarrived at a critical time — just as holiday seasondonations were nearly exhausted. Suddenly, theshelves were full again, and a Lenten sacrifice be-came a path to helping people in need.

In Colorado Springs, Divine Redeemer Council4699 has been collecting, transporting and distrib-uting food items for the parish food bank for manyyears. Last year, requests for food rose dramatically,straining the council’s ability to serve all those inneed. So the council set — and reached — a goal

For many parts of this continent, this past winter was an extremely harshand cold one. It was even harder on the many poor children who had inad-equate winter clothing. But thanks to the efforts of Knights in 32 U.S. statesand six Canadian provinces, more than 17,600 needy children received abrand-new coat.

Contributions$Millions

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

144

151

155

145

150

Volunteer HoursMillion

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

68.3

69.3

70.0

68.7

68.8


of collecting 2,000 pounds of food so that its serv-ice to the community could continue. Members ofthe council also volunteer regularly at MarianHouse, the Colorado Springs Catholic Charitiessoup kitchen.

Like so many Philippine councils, members ofHoly Cross Council 4104 in Laguna, Luzon, spon-sored programs to feed children who do not haveadequate nutrition, and Immaculate ConceptionCouncil 14405 in Cainta, Luzon, went into poorsections of the city to distribute much-neededclothing to families.

Stories like these are repeated many times overevery day, thanks to Knights of Columbus councilsall over the world.

Another success story for us over the past severalyears has been the Coats for Kids program.

For many parts of this continent, this past winterwas extremely harsh. It was even harder on poorchildren who had inadequate winter clothing. Butthanks to the efforts of Knights in 32 states and sixCanadian provinces, more than 17,600 needy chil-dren received a new coat this winter. Among themany cities where Knights provided coats for kids

this season were Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterburyand New Haven, Conn.; Reno, Nev.; Worcester,Mass.; Windsor, Ontario; Denver, Colo.; Winnipeg,Manitoba; Montreal and Québec City in Québec;Fort Dodge, Iowa; and Salt Lake City, Utah. A totalof 202 councils distributed coats this year.

Our longstanding tradition of support for Spe-cial Olympics continued over the past year, duringwhich more than 74,000 Knights volunteered268,000 hours of their time at more than 10,000Special Olympics events. This is one of the mostpopular charitable activities of the Order, withmore than 3,600 councils providing support toSpecial Olympics.

As most of you know, Special Olympics wasfounded by brother Knight Sargent Shriver and hiswife, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in 1968. SargentShriver passed away in January at the age of 95.Many people know him as the founder of the PeaceCorps. He was a man who personified the ideal ofCatholic public service.

Sargent Shriver led the way in service to his fel-low man for all the right reasons. He lived by thevalues of Catholic social teaching: a love for the in-

In the wake of a devastating tornado that killed 151 people in Joplin, Mo., Knights from Father Benedict W. Harter Council 979 and St. Mary’s Council14096 turned out to set up a food and supply distribution center at St. Peter the Apostle Parish.


nate dignity of every human person and a deter-mination to help improve the lot of all who suffer.

Sargent Shriver’s son, Tim, has continued thislegacy for a number of years now, and Knightshave continued their support. Since the first Spe-cial Olympics event, the Supreme Council andstate and local councils have together contributeda total of more than $61 million to SpecialOlympics.

In many jurisdictions, the support of theKnights of Columbus for those with intellectualdisabilities goes well beyond Special Olympics. Infact, while local councils donated more than $3.3million to Special Olympics last year, they donatedmore than $13 million to programs for peoplewith intellectual handicaps in general. The com-bined contributions from the Knights of Colum-bus at all levels to programs for people withintellectual and physical disabilities since 1980total $507.6 million.

In Missouri, Knights fund the operation of theKnights of Columbus Developmental Center atthe SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s MedicalCenter. The center opened in 1981 and provides avariety of services for children with developmentaldisabilities. Missouri Knights have donated morethan $5.5 million to support the Knights of

Columbus Developmental Center since its open-ing 30 years ago.

In Oklahoma, Knights provide significant fund-ing and support for the operation of the Center ofFamily Love, a residential home and care facilityfor people with intellectual disabilities. The centerincludes a care facility and assisted-living program,two group homes, and the state’s only fully accred-ited nursing home facility for adults who are de-velopmentally delayed.

In Virginia, the Knights of Columbus KOVARprogram provides interest-free loans for purchasinggroup homes, furnishings for those homes, fundsfor buying vans to transport persons who are de-velopmentally disabled and training programs sothat they can become productive members of theircommunities. During its 40-year history, theKOVAR program has collected and distributedmore than $13 million, making the Knights ofColumbus second only to the state government asa contributor to programs for people with intellec-tual disabilities.

In New Jersey, Knights of Columbus providesupport for the operation of Calabrese House, agroup home serving persons with disabilities. Thehome is named for Past State Deputy DominickCalabrese (1988-90), who was a strong advocate

More than 74,000 Knights volunteered 268,000 hours of their time at more than 10,000 Special Olympics games and other events.Special Olympics is one of the most popular charitable activities in the Order.


for people with intellectual disabilities.Another organization with which we have

worked closely is the Global Wheelchair Mission,founded by brother Knight Chris Lewis. Over thepast year, the Knights of Columbus and theWheelchair Mission together have provided 3,565wheelchairs around the world.

In February, Knights in Southern California andBritish Columbia distributed 130 wheelchairs inNorthern Vietnam as part of a “Medical Aid forVietnam” effort organized by Father Tien Tran ofVancouver. They also delivered 150 wheelchairs inSouthern Vietnam in conjunction with CaritasSaigon, Medical Aid for Vietnam, Franciscan Out-reach for the Needy and the Saigon Association forParalyzed Persons.

Knights from California, Nevada and Floridadistributed 280 wheelchairs to the poor in andaround Manila in early March in conjunction withthe Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.

Knights in Florida and Tennessee distributedwheelchairs to veterans, retired clergy and othersin February and March, and Knights in Atlanta,San Antonio and Danville, Calif., all have contain-ers of wheelchairs on order for distribution in theircommunities later this year.

Thanks to Knights in California, Texas, Florida

and Tennessee, two containers of 560 wheelchairswill soon be on their way to the Holy Land, wherethey will be distributed in cooperation with CaritasJerusalem. San Antonio Knights have raised fundsfor wheelchairs to be distributed soon in MexicoCity at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, andDallas Knights have raised funds for a shipment of280 wheelchairs to Honduras.

Since our wheelchair efforts began in 2003,Knights at all levels have provided 30,000 wheel-chairs to people in 17 countries around the world.

For many years, Knights have volunteered tohelp build homes for Habitat for Humanity proj-ects. The latest numbers show that Knights lastyear volunteered more than 1.5 million hours toHabitat. Moreover, local councils have donatedmore than $1.1 million to Habitat projects overthe past year.

One example is St. Peter Council 7070 in Ed-monton, Alberta. The council serves as a “SilverSponsor” of a Habitat project to build 47 newhomes that will be known as Anderson Gardens.More than 25 percent of the council’s members aredevoting hundreds of hours of their time to com-pleting the project.

Natural disasters are unpredictable, but 2011 hasbeen an unusually difficult year.

For many years, Knights have been volunteering to help build homes in Habitat for Humanity projects. The latest numbers show that last year, membersof the Knights of Columbus volunteered more than 1.5 million hours of their time to Habitat builds.


In Pakistan, flooding in the Indus River Basinkilled approximately 2,000 people and directly af-fected 20 million more. The Knights respondedwith donations totaling more than $35,000, whichwere sent to Bishop Andrew Francis of the Dioceseof Multan in the heavily damaged area of SouthPunjab. The donations enabled the bishop — whosometimes had to travel on foot or by boat — todistribute food, clothing and other essentials tofamilies in all seven districts of his diocese, at atime when most other relief was unavailable.

In a message of thanks to the Knights, the dio-cese reported: “His Excellency Most Rev. BishopAndrew has gone to distribute and to give food,shelter and medicine to the flood victims, who aremostly Muslims. He thanks you for your supportwhich is making this positive understanding andbridge building in Islam and Christianity. TheDiocese of Multan is very grateful to you.”

Such bridge building is no small matter. Thebishop himself was once nearly assassinated, suf-fering a gunshot to the head at the hands of theTaliban. Like Pope John Paul II, Bishop AndrewFrancis forgave his would-be assassins, and we arepleased to help him witness to the power of charityand forgiveness halfway around the world.

In the United States, tornadoes caused unprece-

dented destruction in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin,Mo.

Tuscaloosa was at the center of a late-April stormoutbreak that brought 334 tornadoes to 21 states.The mile-wide tornado that hit Tuscaloosa onApril 27 was among 53 tornadoes that killed 241people in Alabama and injured thousands more.

Knights throughout the area supplemented therelief being offered at official government shelters,including food and clothing provided by a His-panic Roundtable at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.The round table’s contribution was especially im-portant because many of the Latino residents inthe area lost all of their personal possessions, in-cluding identification. They were understandablyreluctant to seek help at government-run shelters,but felt comfortable approaching the Knights intheir Catholic community.

In Joplin, a powerful tornado that was three-quarters of a mile wide killed 151 people and wasthe deadliest tornado since modern record keepingbegan in 1950. It completely destroyed St. Mary’sChurch, whose pastor, Father Justin D. Mon-aghan, was saved only when parishioners were ableto dig him out of the rubble. Knights from FatherBenedict W. Harter Council 979 and St. Mary’sCouncil 14096, both in Joplin, set up a food and

Bishop Andrew Francis of the Diocese of Multan delivers a relief package to a Pakistani boy whose family fell victim to the severe flooding.


supply distribution center at St. Peter the ApostleChurch, which was undamaged by the storm.More than a thousand volunteers turned out tohelp.

When one of the most powerful earthquakes inhistory struck northeastern Japan last March, thequake and the resulting tsunami caused destruc-tion on a massive scale. The Supreme Councilquickly sent $50,000 to Bishop Martin Hiraga ofthe Diocese of Sendai,and many Knights madeindividual donations aswell.

Knights in St.Bernard Parish, La., whoknow all too well thedamage that a wall ofwater can cause, decidedto raise money and col-lect supplies for the vic-tims in Japan. At theirannual Louisiana Craw-fish Festival, a steadystream of donorsstopped by to drop offdonations. Everyonethere knew that Hurri-cane Katrina had buriedthe festival site under 17feet of water, and theyhad first-hand experi-ence with the kind oflosses being endured bythe people of Japan.

So far this year, theSupreme Council hasdistributed an addi-tional $135,000 for disaster relief involving torna-does in Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina andIowa, flooding in Nebraska and South Dakota, andfires in Arizona.

Of course, we are not first responders. We can-not duplicate the work of police, firefighters, Na-tional Guard troops, the Red Cross, and otheragencies that are well-equipped and trained to as-sist in disaster recovery. But there is much we canbe doing as “second responders” — helping pro-vide food and supplies to those who suddenly havenothing and making our council halls available toemergency responders as command posts or as dis-tribution centers for food and clothing.

In order to make our outreach even more effec-tive in times of disaster, I am pleased to announcethat we are launching the Knights of ColumbusDisaster Response Program. Many of our membersare current or retired first responders — police,

firefighters and emergency medical personnel —and with their help, we will build a local councilnetwork that can better help those who need food,clothing and shelter following a disaster.

It is indeed an honor to have someone leadingthis program who exemplifies the qualities of aKnight of Columbus — a man who has put himselfin harm’s way in a manner most of us can only imag-ine: brother Knight and 9/11 hero New York City

Fire Department Capt.Alfredo Fuentes. WithCapt. Fuentes’ leader-ship, it is my hope thatevery state will develop astrong disaster responseteam, made up of cur-rent and retired first re-sponders and othervolunteers, who will beable to deliver hopewhen it is needed most.

In other parts of theworld, health care pan-demics are often theissue. Nowhere is thistruer than in sub-Saha-ran Africa, where AIDSclaims the lives of morethan 1 million peopleeach year, according toU.N. statistics. Thosenumbers show that ofthe estimated 1.8 mil-lion AIDS-related deathsworldwide in 2009,more than 7 in 10 — atotal of 1.3 million —

occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. The U.N. estimatesthat there are now nearly 15 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa as a result of the AIDS crisis.

Of course, the Knights of Columbus cannot doeverything — we cannot solve every problem. Butwhere we can help, we do so. And I believe thatwe can help alleviate the suffering of at least somechildren orphaned by AIDS. I am pleased to an-nounce that the Knights of Columbus will assistAIDS orphans in Africa by working with theApostles of Jesus, the first religious order of mis-sionary priests and brothers founded in Africa.The Apostles of Jesus work with these orphansand provide them with food, clothing, shelter, ed-ucation and counseling. In the spirit of FatherMcGivney, beginning this year, we will help themassist even more orphans who so desperately needour help so that these children, too, may knownew hope.

The Knights of Columbus will assist AIDS orphans in Africa byworking with the Apostles of Jesus, the first religious order of mis-sionary priests and brothers founded in Africa.

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

Use your smartphoneto donate to the AIDS orphans initiative.Details, page 51.


OUR CHURCH-RELATED ACTIVITIES arecentral to our work as an organization of Catholiclaymen, and over the past year, we have placedextra emphasis on helping every Knight become abetter and more well-informed Catholic. Duringour 125th anniversary year, I emphasized the needfor the Knights to be the strong right arm of ourparish priests. Supreme Chaplain Bishop WilliamLori and Father John Grace, who heads our chap-lains program, have been working diligently withour state chaplains to help them in their work withstate and local councils.

Our goal is to have each council be the strong

right arm of its local parish and to have each pastorlook to the local council for the support he needson a wide variety of projects.

At the same time, Bishop Lori and Father Gracehave been working with our state chaplains to em-phasize the faith formation of brother Knights byour chaplains.

In March, we held the first-ever State ChaplainsMeeting in New Haven, with 66 chaplains repre-senting 58 jurisdictions. Among them were fivebishops from the United States, Canada andPuerto Rico. The four-day conference focused onhow we can be at the forefront of forging a closer

STRONG RIGHT ARM OF THE CHURCH

The first-ever State Chaplains Meeting was held in March in New Haven with 66 chaplains representing 58 jurisdictions. Included among themwere five bishops from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

relationship between the clergy and the laity. In the coming year, I encourage every grand

knight to offer his pastor the council’s assistance. Iask you to welcome your pastor to your councilmeetings and to be his strong right arm for needslarge and small.

To our chaplains and to the pastors of the thou-sands of parishes where our councils are present:We welcome your involvement. We ask you tostrengthen us in faith while we strengthen yourworks of charity.

We need only look to Father McGivney and theearly days of the Order to see that our councilswork best when they support their parish.

In keeping with our tradition of a close relation-ship with clergy, our support for Catholic seminar-ians continued at a high level this year. During theacademic year, we provided $2,500 McGivney Vo-cations Scholarships to 33 new recipients and 58continuing recipients attending 24 major schoolsof theology.

We also provided $2,500 Bishop Daily Voca-tions Scholarships to eight new recipients and 21continuing recipients.

The Father McGivney Scholarship was estab-lished in 1992 and is awarded on the basis of need.It has assisted a total of 552 seminarians who havebeen ordained to the priesthood. The Bishop DailyScholarship was established in 1997 and isawarded based on merit and academic excellence.It has assisted a total of 107 seminarians who wereordained to the priesthood.

Together, the Father McGivney and BishopDaily Scholarships totaled $295,000 last year.

The largest amount of Knights of Columbus as-sistance to seminarians comes through our RefundSupport Vocations Program (RSVP). During thelast fraternal year, 2,697 councils and assembliesprovided $3 million in assistance to 4,995 semi-narians. St. Lawrence Council 2950 in Utica,Mich., has done an exceptional job implementingthe RSVP program, providing $25,000 in supportto 32 seminarians at Sacred Heart Seminary in De-troit.

Several important events have brought Knightsof Columbus to Rome over the past year. I have al-ready mentioned the beatification of Pope JohnPaul II in May.

Last October, a delegation of state officers fromQuébec attended the canonization of BrotherAndré Bessette, a trip that began in Montreal withMass at the Oratory of St. Joseph, which St. Andréfounded. He is the first male saint from Canadaand the subject of a wonderful television biographytitled “God’s Doorkeeper: St. André of Montreal”produced by our friends at Canada’s Salt + Light

Television.A few weeks after the canonization of St.

André, the Vatican took delivery of a new $6 mil-lion mobile television production truck thatbrings the Holy See into the era of high-defini-tion TV with the support of the Knights ofColumbus and Sony Corporation. We have pro-vided the Vatican with both radio and televisionbroadcast facilities for many decades, includingearlier generations of television production vansin 1985 and 1995, and were happy to join in thismost recent effort. We have funded satellite up-links of live broadcasts from the Vatican since the1970s and have also been honored to support andpromote a variety of other Vatican communica-tions initiatives, including L’Osservatore Romano,which was featured in the July issue of Columbiamagazine, and the recently launched Vaticannews portal, news.va. Our support of all of theseinitiatives is designed to bring the Good News ofthe Gospel to the entire world using the latestcommunications technology.

Pope Benedict XVI personally blessed the newTV truck on November 17, and I had the oppor-tunity to be present for the event, along with myfellow Supreme Officers.

The Knights of Columbus is proud to supportthis newest contribution to the evangelizing mis-sion of the Church, using the most advanced tech-nology available to reach billions of peoplethroughout the world.

In December, the supreme chaplain and I wereprivileged to have a private audience with PopeBenedict XVI, during which we presented himwith a gift of $1.6 million, representing last year’searnings from our Vicarius Christi Fund. Duringthe 30 years since the fund was established in1981, it has enabled us to provide $48 million forthe pope’s personal charities and causes.

The cause of Father McGivney remains underconsideration by the Vatican’s Congregation forthe Causes of Saints. As deliberations continue,public television viewers in the United States weregiven the opportunity to get to know Father Mc-Givney through a wonderful hour-long documen-tary titled “Father McGivney”, which wasdistributed just before Easter. It premiered onConnecticut Public Television and has since beenshown in more than 30 markets throughout thecountry. The program will soon be available onDVD, in English, Spanish, French and Polish.

I encourage all Knights — and especially thosein Mexico and the Philippines — to foster devo-tion to Father McGivney and to report any favorsreceived through his intercession to the Father Mc-Givney Guild.



ONE OF THE KEYS to our ability to increaseour charitable contributions each year is continuedgrowth in our membership. I am very pleased tobe able to announce to you that for the 40th con-secutive year, our membership has grown, to a newall-time record of 1,816,826.

An important part of our growth is related tosetting up new councils in parishes that previouslyhad no Knights of Columbus presence. Over thepast year we added 217 new councils, for a total of14,174 councils Orderwide.

Our most important initiative aimed at attract-ing younger members to our ranks — the estab-lishment of councils on college campuses — hasmade significant strides over the past year. Duringthe 2010-11 fraternal year, we chartered a dozennew college councils: six in the United States, twoin Mexico and four in the Philippines. We nowhave a total of 269 college councils around theworld, and college membership totals 23,837.

The number of Columbian Squires enrolled inour program for boys aged 10-18 stands at 21,812,and the number of Squires Circles has grown to1,565. Knights of Columbus councils also sponsora total of 1,452 local Boy Scout units for 32,390Scouts.

Our annual Knights of Columbus Free ThrowChampionship drew 120,901 participants thisyear, and 9,357 young people participated in ourKnights of Columbus Soccer Challenge, which waslaunched six years ago.

This has also been a big year for some of oursmaller jurisdictions.

The Board of Directors held its fall meeting inPoland in October 2010. Based on its assessmentof the growth and health of the Knights of Colum-bus there, the board voted this spring to promotethe jurisdiction from a territory to a state council.The first state convention was held in May, and Iwas pleased to personally install our new statedeputy during Mass at the Shrine of Divine Mercyin Krakow, Poland. We are very glad to welcometo this Supreme Convention the first elected statedeputy from Poland, Krzysztof Orzechowski, andhis fellow delegate, Włodzimierz Łukomski.

While the Board was in Krakow, we took the op-portunity to present our Gaudium et Spes Awardto Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the archbishop ofKrakow and former personal secretary to PopeJohn Paul II. He is the ninth person to receive ourhighest award.

Knights in Mexico held two major events overthe past year: In September [2010], their rosarycelebration dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupedrew 10,000 people to her basilica in Mexico Citywith Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera; and in

March, they sponsored a pilgrimage to the beauti-ful Shrine of Christ the King on Cubilete Hill.More than 400 Knights and their families camefrom throughout Mexico to the event, and Cardi-nal Juan Sandoval Ìñiguez, the archbishop ofGuadalajara, celebrated Mass in memory of theKnights of Columbus martyrs who were killed dur-ing the Cristero War.

In November, then-Supreme Secretary EmilioMoure and I joined Cardinal Jaime Ortega yAlamino in Cuba for the dedication of the firstCatholic seminary to be built there in more than50 years. Its construction was funded by theKnights of Columbus and was made possible bythe gradual changes that have taken place sincePope John Paul II’s 1998 visit to Cuba. It was anespecially important trip for Emilio and his wife,Rebeca, who were both born in Cuba and came to

MEMBERSHIP

Membership (June 30)

Million

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

1.74

1.81

1.82

1.76

1.79

Councils(June 30)Thousand

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

13.2

14.0

14.2

13.5

13.7


On Veterans Day, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson traveled to Annapolis to present a charter to the members of Commodore John BarryCouncil 14534 at the U.S. Naval Academy. The council’s name honors a Catholic naval officer from the American Revolutionary War.


the United States when they were children. Knights in Puerto Rico are celebrating their 100th

anniversary this year. Puerto Rico is home to 77 coun-cils and more than 3,700 members. ChristopherColumbus discovered the island on his second voyageto the New World. We look forward to continuedgrowth during our second century in Puerto Rico.

Membership in the Fourth Degree also continuedto increase last year, reaching an all-time high of323,192. That represents an increase of more than5,000 members in the patriotic degree of our Order.We created 54 new Fourth Degree assemblies last year.Among the important initiatives of the Fourth Degreeis its work with CLINIC — the Catholic Legal Immi-gration Network — in conducting citizenship semi-nars for immigrants.

In addition to the Father McGivney and BishopDaily Scholarships mentioned earlier, we also have 16other scholarship programs. During the 2010-2011academic year, these programs funded 523 scholar-ships totaling nearly $1.2 million.

The Knights of Columbus Museum in New Havenhas established a solid reputation for presenting world-class exhibitions of religious art and history. Over thepast year, exhibitions have focused on the life and spir-ituality of Mother Teresa; a tribute to Pope John PaulII on the occasion of his beatification; and a fascinat-ing display of Crowned Madonnas from the VaticanBasilica. Also on display is a full-sized bronze repro-duction of one of Michelangelo’s most famous sculp-tures, the Pieta.


Top, Left: Catholics throughout the Orange County area of Southern California had the opportunity to learn more about the Knights’long history in Mexico and to venerate the relics of the Order’s six saints who were martyred during the persecution of the Church inMexico during the 1920s and 30s. Above: More than 400 Knights and their families came from throughout Mexico on pilgrimage tothe Shrine of Christ the King on Cubilete Hill. Left: In October of last year, Knights mourned the passing of Former Supreme AdvocateRicardo H. Garcia. In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors and past state deputy of Texas, Judge Garcia also servedas the supreme knight’s Consultant for Latin America Affairs.


A NUMBER OF THE FOUNDING members ofthe Knights of Columbus were veterans, and theOrder has always had a close relationship with bothactive-duty personnel and veterans of military service.

In the United States today, there are 1.5 millionCatholic servicemen and women and their familymembers who are stationed at 220 military instal-lations in 29 countries.

Today, we have 52 active military councils andfour war zone round tables in Iraq andAfghanistan. Overseas military councils are locatedin countries where the United States has a long-es-tablished military presence, including Germany,Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan and SouthKorea. During the past year, we established newmilitary councils at Fort Bragg, N.C., and FortCarson, Colo. In each location, we work in closecooperation with the Archdiocese for the MilitaryServices, USA.

Recently, I had the opportunity to get a first-

hand look at the rigors of life aboard the aircraftcarrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. As I watchedflight qualifier tests with an assistant secretary ofthe Navy, I thought about the Catholics in uni-form who often must go weeks and even monthswithout being able to attend Mass or receive spir-itual guidance from a priest.

It can be very difficult for Catholic members ofthe armed forces when they’re on forward deploy-ments. The Military Archdiocese, which suppliesCatholic chaplains, estimates that it needs 800priests to fully serve all of the Catholic men andwomen in uniform today, but they are only able tosupply 280 — barely a third of the numberneeded. I believe the Knights of Columbus can dosomething to help, and so I’m pleased to announcethat we will establish new Father McGivney Mili-tary Chaplain Scholarships reserved exclusively forseminarians who will, once ordained, serve boththeir home diocese and the Archdiocese for the

There are 52 active military councils, 10 naval carrier roundtables, and four war zone roundtables in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HONORING KNIGHTS WHO SERVE,AND THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED


Military Services, USA, as a uniformed chaplain.The Fourth Degree assemblies in the United Stateswill also participate in providing financial supportfor this new scholarship.

Recently, the Supreme Council joined with theGeorgia State Council and FrontLine Faith to pro-vide thousands of Catholic soldiers deployed inareas where they rarely see a chaplain with a cus-tomized Knights of Columbus MP3 player con-taining many hours of Catholic programs, music,Mass, homilies and prayers. This initiative comple-ments the program in which we have providedmore than 500,000 copies of Knights of Columbusmilitary prayer books to active-duty soldiersaround the world.

We also make a special effort to serve retired mil-itary personnel, especially those who are amongthe 29,000 Catholic patients in VA medical cen-ters. Currently, we have more than 1,100 Knightsof Columbus volunteers serving regularly at 135VA medical centers. Last year, they donated morethan 98,000 hours of service to hospitalized veter-ans through the Veterans Affairs Volunteer Serviceprogram.

More than 100,000 Americans remain deployedin active war zones in the Middle East. Over thepast year, three of our own have given their livesin the line of duty.

Army Staff Sgt. Wyatt A. Goldsmith died July15 of injuries suffered when insurgents attackedhis unit in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. Hewas a medical sergeant in the 1st Special ForcesGroup based at Fort Bragg, and this was his thirddeployment to Afghanistan. He was a member ofColville (Wash.) Council 12273 where his father,John, is grand knight.

Marine Lance Cpl. Peter J. Clore was killed inaction during combat operations in AfghanistanMay 28. He was a member of New Philadelphia(Ohio) Council 2372 where his father, Clifford, isa past grand knight.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Hamski died of in-juries from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan May 26.He was a former Columbian Squire with Msgr. WalshCircle 2351 in Ottumwa, Iowa, and is survived byhis wife, Air Force Staff Sgt. Maria Hamski.

We honor the sacrifice that these men have madeand all those who have given the last full measureof devotion in our defense.

I think that President Franklin Roosevelt’s prayeron D-Day is appropriate as we remember thesemen. Roosevelt said:

For these men are lately drawn from the ways ofpeace. They fight not for the lust of conquest.They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.

They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance andgood will among all Thy people. They yearn butfor the end of battle, for their return to the havenof home. Some will never return. Embrace these,Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, intoThy kingdom.

We also take this opportunity to mourn thepassing of several other Knights who have diedsince we met last year in Washington, D.C. I notedearlier the death of Sargent Shriver, founder of thePeace Corps and co-founder of Special Olympics.

Also, it is with deep sadness that I report to youthat Supreme Secretary Emilio Moure passed awayJuly 23. Emilio was a great man and a modelknight. In addition to his day-to-day duties at theSupreme Council headquarters, he was instrumen-tal in the Order’s work in Haiti and in Cuba, aswell as with our International Marian Congressand Festival dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.He served the Order as state deputy of California,as supreme treasurer and most recently as supremesecretary.

We likewise mourn Judge Ricardo Garcia, paststate deputy of Texas and former supreme advo-cate; Darrell Beck, past state deputy of Illinois andformer supreme director and supreme master; U.S.District Court Judge John Roll, who was amongthose killed in the attack on CongresswomanGabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz.; and MaestroHenryk Górecki, the legendary Polish composerwho celebrated the establishment of the Order inhis homeland by dedicating a sacred choral workto the Knights of Columbus.

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson visits with Capt. Marcus A.Hitchcock of the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower while onboard as a guest of the assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy.


In recognition of his contributions to his country, the Knights of Columbus un-dertook the funding of restoration work at President Kennedy’s gravesite in Ar-lington National Cemetery. The restoration work was done by Gordon Ponsford,who has performed similar work at more than a dozen sites in the cemetery.

JANUARY 20 MARKED the 50th anniversary ofthe inauguration of President John F. Kennedy,America’s first Catholic president. Kennedy joinedthe Knights of Columbus soon after returningfrom service with the U.S. Navy during WorldWar II and remained a member until his assassi-nation in 1963. His inaugural address is one of themost famous speeches in American history, and wedecided last year to ensure that the anniversary wassuitably remembered.

In his address, President Kennedy recalled thatour rights come from God, not from the state. Hereminded us that on earth, God’s work must beour own. And he challenged us to ask not whatour country can do for us, but what we can do forour country. It was a monumental speech, onethat captured the heart and imagination of a gen-eration, and it remains a speech that continues toresonate today.

Many of the words of President Kennedy’s in-augural address are engraved in granite at hisgravesite in Arlington National Cemetery. A yearago, just before the opening of our Supreme Con-vention in Washington, D.C., the Supreme Offi-cers and Directors visited the site and noticed thatthe words had become weathered and very diffi-cult to read. We offered to restore the engravingsat the gravesite. The job was completed in recordtime, and President Kennedy’s words are onceagain clear and distinct.

We also sponsored an essay contest for Catholichigh school students throughout the United Stateson the topic, “Why President Kennedy’s WordsStill Matter.”

We received entries from 726 students at 171Catholic high schools. The third place winner wasSean Little of Lancaster Catholic High School inPennsylvania, and he will receive a $500 prize. Thesecond place winner was Paul Mueller of JohnPaul II Catholic High School in New Braunfels,Texas, and he will receive a $1,000 prize. And thefirst place winner was Edward Vogel of NotreDame High School in West Haven, Conn. In ad-dition to his $1,500 prize, Vogel and his parentsreceived an all-expenses-paid trip to the 129thSupreme Convention here in Denver.

We also commissioned a Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll just prior to the anniversary of theKennedy inaugural and found that Americans over-whelmingly believe that the key themes of PresidentKennedy’s speech are still important today.

Eighty-six percent said that the phrase “Here onearth God’s work must truly be our own” was stillimportant. And 85 percent said the same of thestatement, “The rights of man come not from thegenerosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”

JOHN F.KENNEDY’S LASTING WORDS


In April, I had the opportunity to deliver myown views regarding President Kennedy’s inauguraladdress at historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, only ashort distance from Bunker Hill Council 62, whereKennedy was a member.

On that occasion, I stressed that PresidentKennedy’s view about the “rights of man” comingfrom “the hand of God” provides an important in-sight into the decision by Congress just six yearsearlier to insert the words “under God” into theU.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Those words were notthe slightest bit controversial at that time. Every-one knew and understood that in the context ofthe Pledge of Allegiance, those words were makingthe point that President Kennedy was making: Ourfundamental rights are not the state’s to give ortake away. We are endowed by our Creator withthose rights, and it is the government’s responsi-bility to protect them.

I am happy to say that during the past year anda half, two United States Courts of Appeal haveseen things exactly the same way. Since 2005, wehave been directly involved in two lawsuits ad-dressing the constitutionality of the words “under

God” as defendant-intervenors — actual parties tothe lawsuit — while fighting an atheist challengeto the Pledge right in the courtroom. Thanks tothe Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which hasrepresented us in these cases, both the Ninth Cir-cuit in California and the First Circuit in Bostonagreed with us that the Pledge — with the words“under God” — is constitutional. And in June, byrefusing to hear an appeal of the First Circuit case,the U.S. Supreme Court effectively took the sameview.

My brother Knights, not only were we instru-mental in persuading Congress to place the words“under God” into the Pledge almost six decadesago, but we have also successfully defended thosewords today. The principle that this is a nationunder God is foundational to our system of gov-ernment. It is a principle expressed eloquently inthe Declaration of Independence, in President Lin-coln’s Gettysburg Address and in PresidentKennedy’s inaugural address. And now it is a prin-ciple that will continue to live in the voices of U.S.citizens from coast to coast, thanks to the Knightsof Columbus.

With the backdrop of historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivered a speech April 7 titled ‘Making God’sWork Our Own: The Importance of President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address 50 Years Later.’ More than 400 dignitaries,Knights, seminarians, and members of the public attended the event.


IN ADDITION TO OUR charitable work, thereis, of course, another aspect of our mission thatwas of vital importance to our founder, VenerableMichael McGivney. It is the way in which we helpour members provide financial protection fortheir families. In this area, the past year has beenabsolutely extraordinary.

At a time when the economy is still strugglingto recover from a deep recession, the exceptionalstrength of our insurance program is the rock onwhich a growing number of Catholic familiesbuild their futures.

Why should you protect your family withKnights of Columbus life insurance? It starts withthe fact that for all the measurements that deter-mine a company’s strength and reliability, no oneranks higher than we do. Out of more than 1,500life insurance companies in North America, onlyfive insurers have earned the highest possible rat-ing from both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s,and we are one of those five.

But even more importantly, we have earnedthat top AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s for19 consecutive years. And we’ve earned the topA++ rating from A.M. Best for 36 consecutiveyears. Our financial strength is not an occasional,once-in-a-while thing. We have built thatstrength with care and conviction by applying thesame rigorous standards to our financial steward-ship year after year.

We earn our top ratings in good times and bad,because the Knights of Columbus insurance pro-gram is run by brother Knights for brotherKnights. In this year’s report renewing our toprating, A.M. Best cited our “proven conservativeinvestment management practices, high creditquality fixed income portfolio, and sound asset li-ability management” as among the reasons for ourcontinued strength. And they recognized whatthey termed our “exceptional level of risk-ad-justed capitalization” for setting us apart.

What does that mean? It simply means that wedon’t venture into high-risk investments; thebonds that make up the vast majority of our port-folio must meet very high standards; and we main-tain a very substantial safety cushion to make surewe’ll be able to meet our obligations to you.

Only 4 percent of independent-rated insurancecompanies in the U.S. and Canada get A.M.Best’s top rating. And only five insurers in North

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America have earned the top rating from bothA.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. There is simplyno more highly rated insurer in North Americathan the Knights of Columbus.

If you’re looking for safety, security, strengthand proven performance in a life insurance com-pany, that’s where you start. And when a companyhas earned that kind of recognition for 19 con-secutive years, its exceptional strength is not indoubt.

Our life insurance in force has doubled over thepast decade, hitting $80 billion on April 21. Thistremendous growth has raised our standingamong the largest companies in America. In2011, we climbed 29 spots on the Fortune 1000list of America’s largest companies. We now havean overall rank of 900.

Such an increase is not surprising given ourperformance. Over the past five years, the life in-surance industry as a whole has seen a 6.8 percentdecrease in sales. But during that same time,Knights of Columbus life insurance sales havegrown by 20.7 percent. We are outpacing the in-dustry as a whole by more than 25 percent.

We succeed despite the poor economy for manyreasons, but central to our success is our commit-ment to ethical business practices and sound, sus-tainable, and ethical investing.

When Knights buy our insurance, more than96 percent keep our insurance, secure in theknowledge that it’s the best place to be. Our lapserate last year was just 3.6 percent, less than halfof the industry average of 7.3 percent.

The most important measure of financialstrength is an insurance company’s surplus ratio,the size of the cushion we maintain to make surethat our obligations to our policy holders are cov-ered. Our surplus ratio last year was 12.6 percent,well above the industry average of 11 percent.

Our success is due to many things, and muchof the credit goes to our exceptional sales force ofmore than 1,400 general and field agents. Thesemen are all brother Knights — men you know be-cause they’re in the pews next to you at Mass andat your council meetings and events. They are allprofessionally trained to help you make wise fi-nancial choices.

During the past year we have developed newproducts to meet the evolving needs of our fami-lies in the 21st century.

Insurance In Force$Billion

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

61.5

74.3

79.0

66.1

70.1

New Insurance Issued$Billion

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

6.5

7.6

7.8

6.6

6.7

Life CertificatesMillion

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

1.63

1.68

1.69

1.65

1.67


Among those new products are “IncomeArmor,” our new disability income insurance plan;a new “Ten-Pay” life insurance policy that offers afully paid-up policy after just ten years of premiumpayments; and an interest-only payout option forour annuities — a very valuable option for thosewho are approaching retirement age.

Another major reason for our success is theskillful work and careful strategy of our invest-ment staff.

During the past year, we invested nearly $12million every day. Overall, we invested $2.924 bil-lion in 2010, and although interest rates softened,our new purchase rate was 4.39 percent.

Our ChurchLoan program allows churches and

Catholic schools to finance construction projectsat very competitive rates. At the end of 2010, wehad outstanding ChurchLoan mortgages totalingnearly $100 million.

People sometimes think that Knights of Colum-bus Insurance provides a benefit only when youdie. In fact, our insurance members receive excel-lent returns on their policies during their life-times. We pay one of the highest dividend rates inthe industry. During 2010, we paid death benefitsof $253 million. But we paid out to our insurancemembers dividends of more than $338 million.

Since our founding in 1882, we have paid over$3.1 billion in death claims. And we have paidmore than $10.5 billion in living benefits.

Knights of Columbus life insurance in force has doubled over the past decade, hitting $80 billion on April 21. The Knights of ColumbusBoard of Directors is pictured Aug. 4 during the 129th Supreme Convention in Denver.


WHEN WE USE Knights of Columbus Insuranceto make sure that our families will be safe and se-cure in the years to come, we are taking steps toprotect and shape their future. But it is not the onlyway in which their futures will be shaped.

Today, the very nature of the family is beingthreatened in many places and in many ways. Andduring the past four decades, even our most funda-mental right — the right to life — has been under-mined.

I don’t have to tell you that in many ways, societyhas lost track of the things that are most important:the sacredness of human life and the right of everychild not only to be born, but to be raised by amother and a father.

As faithful Catholics and Knights of Columbus,we know that among the most important tasksahead of us is the need to shape our culture accord-ing to Gospel values and to bring the Christianmessage of hope to all.

To this end, we continue to work closely with ourCatholic bishops.

In May, the Minnesota legislature voted to put amarriage protection amendment on the ballot in2012. Unfortunately, in New York it was anotherstory. The narrow vote to enact same-sex “marriage”in the New York Senate came despite our deter-mined effort and that of Archbishop TimothyDolan and the other New York bishops. One of ourproudest moments was co-sponsoring, with theDiocese of Brooklyn, the Mass celebrated by PopeJohn Paul II during his visit to the United States in1995. During his homily that day, he said, “therecan be no life worthy of the human person withouta culture — and a legal system — that honors anddefends marriage and the family.” Children, he said,“need not only material support from their parents,but more importantly a secure, affectionate andmorally correct family environment.” The NewYork State Senate may have forgotten this message,but the Knights of Columbus never will.

Our position is a simple one: Trust the people.Wherever the people have had an opportunity tocast a ballot on the matter, voters have chosen toprotect traditional marriage in every single case. InMaine, they did so by overturning a vote by thestate legislature. In 30 states, including California,the people have voted to enact constitutionalamendments to protect marriage between a manand a woman. As this national debate continues,we must be well-informed and capable of discussingthe issue with our fellow citizens.

We are proud to be working with the U.S. bish-

ops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defenseof Marriage. Recently, they released the second offive videos on the subject, titled “Made for Life.”As Subcommittee Chairman Bishop SalvatoreCordileone puts it, “In contemporary debates aboutthe meaning of marriage, the rights and dignity ofthe child should be at the forefront.” Marriage, hepoints out, is about “the vital importance of amother and a father together for the life and up-bringing of their child.”

Most of all, Bishop Cordileone says, there is a“close connection between a culture of life and aculture that promotes and protects marriage. Thetwo cannot be separated.”

We have been at the forefront of promoting thepastoral care of families since 1988, when we spon-sored the establishment of the Washington sessionof the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studieson Marriage and Family. It is now located in Mc-Givney Hall at The Catholic University of America.The institute provides rigorous graduate-level edu-cation and sponsors research in bioethics, moraltheology, philosophy, culture and much more. Todate, it has conferred degrees on 417 graduates. InJune, the Washington session received full accredi-tation from the Middle States Commission onHigher Education.

Pope John Paul II founded the Central Sessionof the institute [in 1981], and I was privileged to

Rachel Owens (right), executive director of Choices Medical Clinic in IowaCity, Iowa, shares information with a young woman. The ultrasound machinewas purchased for the clinic through the Order’s Ultrasound Initiative.

PROTECTING LIFE


be in Rome in May when Pope Benedict XVIjoined many of us who have been involved in theinstitute’s creation and development to celebrate its30th anniversary. In addition to the Washingtonsession, other campuses are located around theworld in Brazil, Australia, Spain, India, Mexico andBenin.

There is other good news in our work to helpbuild a culture of life.

Several years ago, we commissioned a poll withthe Marist College Institute for Public Opinionthat revealed for the first time that views on abor-tion were shifting dramatically to the pro-life posi-tion. We found that 67 percent of those whodescribed themselves as “pro-choice” favored lawsthat would be much more restrictive than Roe v.Wade. Our subsequent polling data — and that ofother surveys — reveals that this trend is very real.More than two-thirds of Americans are deeply un-comfortable with the legacy of Roe, and our consis-tent message on the importance and dignity of allhuman life is making a real difference.

As I pointed out in my book Beyond a House Di-vided, what we found in our polling is not a clashof absolutes, but a consensus. Abortion is not ahopelessly divisive issue. It can be resolved if weoverturn Roe v. Wade and once again listen to thepeople. The reality is that people are actuallyunited: By a margin of more than three to one, peo-ple believe that abortion should be legal in only afew circumstances, if at all. In short, there is amoral consensus in America, and it is a pro-lifeconsensus. My brother Knights, there is now realhope that our decades-long effort to change heartsis causing a shift toward a culture of life. One of

our most important projects, the Knights ofColumbus Ultrasound Initiative, launched just twoand half years ago, is already a great success. Madepossible by the establishment of our Culture of LifeFund and by the efforts of state and local councils,this project provides local pregnancy centers withstate-of-the-art ultrasound machines so that preg-nant women considering an abortion can see a real-life picture of the baby developing within them.This program offers pregnant women and their un-born children new hope and will save thousands oflives. The initiative has already resulted in the pur-chase of 149 ultrasound machines in 41 states at acost of $4.4 million.

Knights in Georgia have not only partnered withthe Supreme Council to purchase four machines intheir own state, but they also bought one for theHoly Innocents Center in Kingston, Jamaica. Re-cently, Father Richard Ho Lung, the founder andsuperior general of the Missionaries of the Poor,sent a letter of thanks to [Immediate Past] StateDeputy James C. St. John. He described seeingdozens of Jamaican women “of all ages and in allstages of pregnancy using the ultrasound machinewhich the Knights of Columbus donated.”

“Women from the ghettos of Kingston,” hewrote, “see the baby in her womb. The baby turns,breathes, swims and plays, intimately bound upwith the flesh of the mother in a closeness that can-not escape the life-beat, heartbeat, moods and feel-ings of one another.”

At every one of these pregnancy centers, the storyis much the same: We are touching the hearts ofthousands of mothers and saving the lives of thou-sands of children.

Auxiliary Bishop Peter J. Uglietto of Boston, Father Antonio López and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson are shown with the 2011graduating class of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.


SIXTEEN YEARS AGO, Pope John Paul II trav-eled to New York City to speak before the Gen-eral Assembly of the United Nations. He said hecame “as a witness: a witness to human dignity, awitness to hope, a witness to the conviction thatthe destiny of all nations lies in the hands of amerciful Providence.”

In Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict put it this way: “Godis the foundation of hope: the God who has ahuman face and who has loved us to the end” (31).

That is the message that we Knights mustshare, in as many ways, in as many places, andwith as many people as we can.

“It is never too late to touch the heart of an-other,” Pope Benedict wrote. “As Christians weshould never limit ourselves to asking: How canI save myself? We should also ask: What can I doin order that others may be saved and that forthem too the star of hope may rise?” (48)

All of us have had the privilege to have seen

and heard Blessed John Paul II, in person or ontelevision. We have known him — and knownhim to be a special friend of the Knights ofColumbus. I think future generations will lookback with envy that this was so. And I think theywill also ask us what we did to keep his memory,his legacy and his vision alive.

In his message to the Knights of Columbus in2003, Pope John Paul II wrote:

“By bearing witness to ‘the faith that worksthrough love,’ the Knights can offer our world apowerful sign of the presence of God’s Kingdomand an attractive invitation to rediscover the rea-sons for the Church’s hope. This witness to a hopethat does not disappoint is especially important.”

Today, I take great pride in reporting to youthat because of the recent action of your Board ofDirectors, the Knights of Columbus will be at theforefront of preserving his legacy for generationsto come.

PRESERVING BLESSED JOHN PAUL’S LEGACY

Pope John Paul II waves as he leaves the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., on his1979 trip to the United States.

Photo by John m

cDonnell/Washington Post/Getty Images


In the coming year, working closely with Car-dinal Donald W. Wuerl of the Archdiocese ofWashington and Archbishop Allen H. Vigneronof Detroit, we will establish in Washington,D.C., a national center and Shrine of BlessedJohn Paul II. We will also establish a permanentmuseum on the life and papacy of John Paul II,and to give lasting expression of his desire tofoster unity and solidarity among all the peopleof our hemisphere, we will establish a new mu-seum to celebrate the 500-year Catholic her-itage of North America. It will be a place whereEnglish, Spanish and French-speaking pilgrimsfrom throughout North America will encounterthe mission and legacy of one of history’s great-est popes. And it will be a place where they willcontinue to experience his blessing. It will alsobe a place where our children and grandchildrenwill learn about their great heritage asCatholics. It will be a place where they will beproud to be Catholic.

To house this project, we will purchase thePope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washing-ton, D.C., located just down the street fromthree other institutions which the Knights ofColumbus has long supported: the Basilica ofthe National Shrine of the Immaculate Concep-tion, The Catholic University of America andthe U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

True to Pope John Paul II’s vision, and usingthe story of his life as an inspiration, this shrinewill be an opportunity to evangelize and spreadthe good news of the Gospel through a NewEvangelization.

Just days ago, I received a letter from Cardi-nal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary ofState, expressing his support for our project:

“I offer heartfelt good wishes for its successfulrealization. I am particularly appreciative of thedesire of the Knights not only to cultivate de-votion to the late Pontiff, but also to advancehis insightful teaching on the complex andfruitful interplay of faith and culture in theNew World. ... I am deeply gratified that yourOrder has wished to carry forward that visionas part of your commitment to the new evange-lization and to the strengthening of theChurch’s witness to Christ at every level ofAmerican society.”

Pope John Paul II came to the United Statesseven different times. Included in his trips was

his participation at World Youth Day 18 yearsago in Denver. Then, nine years ago in Toronto,he again led a World Youth Day on this conti-nent on one of his many visits to Canada. Hisfirst international trip as pope was to this con-tinent as well — to Mexico City, to visit Amer-ica’s mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe. And anestimated five million people — one the largestgatherings ever — attended John Paul II’s Massin Manila on Jan. 15, 1995.

Because of his tireless evangelization efforts,an entire generation of Catholics has becomeknown as the John Paul II Generation, and cer-tainly, we are honored to continue to spread hisprofound and powerful message of hope for ourcountry, our continent and our world.

Over the past year, I have met with PopeBenedict XVI and heard him thank the Knightsof Columbus for our many contributions to theHoly See. I visited Dartmouth College and theNaval Academy and have seen the future of theOrder in the motivated young Knights there. InLatin America, I have seen first-hand both thesacrifices and the good that the Knights ofColumbus is doing in Mexico and Cuba.

I have been honored to represent the Orderat the beatification of John Paul II in Rome andjoin with many Knights from Canada at thecanonization of Brother André. Through thecountless charitable actions of thousands oflocal councils, we know that John F. Kennedywas right when he said that here on earth, God’swork must be our own. It is witnessed to dailyin our charitable works and embraced by peoplethroughout the world who now know newhope.

Our work bears new fruit in restored hope:for Haiti’s children, for AIDS orphans in Africa,for families in Pakistan and, closer to home, forcold children in the winter, for communitiesdamaged by natural disasters, and for hungryfamilies throughout the year.

My brother Knights, we are called to be wit-nesses to hope. Not just among ourselves, notjust in our councils and parishes and commu-nities, but before the entire world. “In hope weare saved.” Let us go forth and share the hopethat saves. Let us live differently — with hope— so that we might help others and inspire oth-ers. This is the witness to which strong men arecalled. This is the witness of the Knights ofColumbus.Vivat Jesus!

Use your smartphoneto donate to the JohnPaul II Shrine.Details, page 51.


Colorado State Deputy Roger Muller introduces representatives from the Colorado State Council during the Supreme Convention in Denver.

OFFICIAL OCT. 1, 2011: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and per-

sons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Noticeis hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums dueon a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check madepayable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of thegrace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus,Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7

ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIALMATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILEDTO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIEDBY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE.PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONSBY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRESENT 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. CUR-RENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTINGDEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUB-LISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326.PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED INUSA. COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR INPART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CTAND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER:SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBER-SHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT06507-0901.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAILAGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLECANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIOL4K 4P3

PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASSMAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RE-TURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DE-PARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

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COMPLETE AND RETURN TO:Knights of Columbus Supply Dept.

78 Meadow Street New Haven, CT 06519-1759

Checks or Money Orders Payable to:KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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QUANT ITY

JOHN PAul II: AP Images

QR CODE: iStockphoto

DONATE USING YOUR SMARTPHONE

1. Download a bar code or QR codeapp for your smartphone.

2. using the app, carefully snap orscan the tag, which will direct your

mobile browser to the donation page.

You can also donate online:

AIDS ORPHANS: kofc.org/orphansJP II SHRINE: kofc.org/jpiishrine

ROMAN MISSAL

48 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of articles on the RomanMissal in anticipation of the new English-language translation, ef-fective in the United States beginning Nov. 27.

We are fast approaching the implementation date forthe new translation of the Roman Missal. The Knights

of Columbus has been a significant supporter of the work ofthe Vox Clara Committee, which has been assisting the HolySee in this effort. Through this series of articles, Columbiacontinues to offer a wonderfulopportunity to help Knights andtheir families to understand andwelcome this new translation.

Most of the changes to thetranslation affect the prayers thatthe celebrant offers. But thereare a number of smaller adjust-ments that involve all of the par-ticipating faithful. Thesemodifications are intended tomake the texts of the prayersmore accurate in doctrine ormore sacred in expression.

For example, the prayer thatconcludes the preparation of thegifts, or the offertory rite, willinvite us to pray that “the Lordaccept the sacrifice at yourhands” — the hands of the cele-brant — “for the praise andglory of his name, for our goodand the good of all his holyChurch.” Notice how this makes clear that each Mass has athreefold purpose: we offer the sacrifice of Christ so that theLord may be better known and praised (worship), so thatour own good may be realized (salvation) and so that holyChurch as a whole will benefit (the Church being most her-self at the Eucharist). In the previous translation, the word“holy” had been omitted. The restoration of that word re-minds us that the Church is holy because her head, the LordJesus, is holy and wants us to become holy in him.

The Mass then proceeds to the Eucharistic Prayer, whereinthe sacramental re-presentation of the Lord’s sacrifice takesplace. The Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer offers praise andthanksgiving to God: “We lift up our hearts to the Lord!” Inthe new introductory dialogue, we will recognize one changefor the faithful: When the celebrant invites, “Let us give

thanks to the Lord our God,” the response will be: “It is rightand just.” This is a more faithful rendition of the Latin andcaptures the truth that our worship is not optional; rather,we owe worship to God in grateful love for all that he is anddoes. This is why participation in Sunday Mass is a seriousobligation.

At the conclusion of the Preface, we are invited to pray:“Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts….” We move to themost sacred part of the Divine Liturgy by expressing awe and

reverence, just as Isaiah did inthe presence of God (Is 6:3).Note the small change in that wenow call God the “Lord God ofhosts,” instead of “Lord God ofpower and might.” We are notproclaiming here attributes ofGod (power and might), but arejoining with the hosts of angelsin heaven who adore, worshipand praise the Lord. Even whilehere on earth, we are participat-ing in heavenly worship!

At first, we may experiencethese modifications as annoyingsince we generally dislike changesto our routines in life. But eachchange has deeper significancefor faithful and sacred worship.Obviously, it is going to be nec-essary for both the priest cele-brant and the participatingfaithful to rely more closely on

liturgical aids to learn these new expressions, but the Churchinvites us to listen attentively to the prayer texts. They canhelp us to realize the principal purpose of the liturgical re-newal proposed by the Second Vatican Council that our par-ticipation be more active, conscious and fruitful. It will beactive if we are truly seeking to enter into the mystery that isbeing celebrated in the Eucharist. It will be conscious if weare growing in understanding and internally engaged. Andit will be more fruitful if we progress in virtue in daily life asa result of our participation in Mass.♦

ARCHBISHOP ALFRED C. HUGHES, emeritus of New Or-leans and a member of Baton Rouge (La.) Council 969, serves as amember of the Vox Clara Committee, which was formed to overseethe new English translation of the Roman Missal.

Sacrifice, Offering and ThanksgivingThe new translations of the Suscipiat, Preface and Sanctus

invite us to deeper participation at Mass

by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes


TO BE FEATURED HERE, SEND YOUR COUNCIL’S “KNIGHTS IN ACTION” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO: COLUMBIA, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326 OR E-MAIL: [email protected].

Members of Our Lady of Loreto Council12336 in Foxfield, Colo., stand next to theconstruction site of the new St. Joseph Cen-ter at Our Lady of Loreto Church. Withproceeds from a number of fundraisers —including the council’s annual golf tourna-ment — Knights pledged and delivered$120,000 to help make the new parishhall a reality. And as a way of recognizingthe council for its efforts, the new St. JosephCenter will feature the “Knight’s Kitchen.”

Building a better world one council

at a timeEvery day, Knights all over the world aregiven opportunities to make a difference— whether through community service,raising money or prayer. We celebrateeach and every Knight for his strength,his compassion and his dedication tobuilding a better world.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

‘IT SEEMED CLEARTHAT CHRIST WAS

INVITING ME.’There I was, a 19-year-old kneeling in church

before the Blessed Sacrament while on pilgrim-age with my parish to World Youth Day 2005in Cologne, Germany. I had just gone to con-fession, and during my prayer, I was struck witha sudden realization: “I think I want to be apriest!” That was a powerful moment for me; God

gave me incredible peace with that realization.After several months of prayer and discernment,it seemed clear that Christ was inviting me tofollow him into the seminary.My five years in the seminary so far have

deepened my desire to be a priest. Seminary, forme, has been so much more than an education— it has been a lesson in discipleship. I’m learn-ing the theological ins-and-outs of Christologyand, at the same time, the ins-and-outs of beinga follower of Christ. By his grace, Jesus willform me into the priest he wants me to be.I am thrilled at the thought of becoming a

priest and am literally counting down the daysuntil my ordination.

SCOTT BAILEYArchdiocese of Denver

Documents

Columbia October 2011