Columbia January 2014

JANUARY 2014

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COLUMBIAJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 ♦ V O L U M E 9 4 ♦ N U M B E R 1

F E AT U R E S

Marching OrdersMidyear meeting of K of C leaders focuses on evangeliza-tion as key to Order’s growth and mission.BY COLUMBIA STAFF

The Gospel of LifeAccording to Pope FrancisThroughout his ministry as archbishop and pope, theHoly Father has issued a clarion call to affirm life.

Hope on WheelsMobile ultrasound units deliver life-changing images topregnant women nationwide.BY J.D. LONG-GARCÍA

Casting Out FearCouples facing prenatal diagnoses find support and con-solation from local Catholic services.BY MARYBETH T. HAGAN

ReunitedAfter 75 years, two brothers — and brother Knights —meet for the first time.BY MICHAEL C. GABRIELE

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D E P A R T M E N T S

Building a better worldPope Francis challenges all Knightsto embrace a missionary spirit ofcharity that reaches the peripheries.BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faithAs the head of the Holy Family, St.Joseph teaches us how to live out thevocation of husband and father.BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

Knights in ActionKnights of Columbus NewsKnights Provide ‘Food for Families’During Holidays • Major Arch-bishop Blesses Order in Ukraine

Fathers for GoodThe next Vatican synod will focus onchallenges for the modern family.BY BRIAN CAULFIELD

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In less than five years, Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiativehas placed at least one ultrasound machine in every state — and morethan 400 nationwide.

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EDITORIAL

AS WE ONCE AGAIN anticipate theJan. 22 anniversary of Roe v. Wade andconsider the perennial task of protectinghuman life, some will no doubt object.On the one hand, many people argue thatabortion is a religious issue, which has noplace in politics. On the other hand, oth-ers argue that abortion is a political issue,which has no place in religion. Whileholding seemingly opposite positions,both sides agree on one thing: the topicof abortion should be avoided. Last Sep-tember, each side felt vindicated when, ina widely publicized interview, Pope Fran-cis implied that some Catholics focus toomuch on certain topics, including abor-tion. Nonetheless, if we look closer atPope Francis’ teachings and actions, itdoes not take long to see that the HolyFather is very concerned with defendingand promoting human life.

Throughout his ministry as arch-bishop of Buenos Aires, and on choiceoccasions already during his pontificate,Pope Francis has spoken unequivocallyon life issues (see page 12). Most recently,in his apostolic exhortation EvangeliiGaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he madean explicit appeal to protect the unborn,“the most defenseless and innocentamong us.” He went on to say that “rea-son alone is sufficient to recognize the in-violable value of each single human life,”even if faith allows us to see this moreclearly. Moreover, although the Churchis accused of being “ideological” whenpresenting her position on life issues, “de-fense of unborn life is closely linked tothe defense of each and every otherhuman right” (213). In other words, theChurch rightly emphasizes the defense of

human life, and this emphasis cannotsimply be reduced to religious belief orpartisan politics.

What, then, did Pope Francis meanwhen he said that Catholics should notfocus exclusively on topics such as abor-tion? Well, he meant just that. While theChurch’s concern about moral issues re-lated to life, marriage and chastity goesbeyond conventional notions of religionand politics, this concern is itselfgrounded in something greater — theGospel message. As Pope Francis oftenemphasizes, Jesus sets us free from sin,emptiness and death, and invites us to livein the joyful witness of his love and salva-tion. If we stay focused on this larger pic-ture of the Church’s mission, it will affecthow we respond in word and deed to thetroubles besetting the world today.

In the face of a “throwaway culture,”Pope Francis urges Christians to “go forthfrom our own comfort zone in order toreach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of thelight of the Gospel” (EG, 20). And in ref-erence to the Gospel of life, he calls us to“accompany women in very difficult sit-uations, where abortion appears as aquick solution to their profound anguish”(214). Such challenges resonate deeplywith the Knights of Columbus, foundedon the first principle of charity. TheChurch’s mission to reach out those onthe “peripheries” was underscored at therecent midyear meeting of K of C leaders(see page 8). And this mission is likewiseevident in the efforts of councils every-where to build a culture of life.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKI

EDITOR

The Pope’s Pro-Life AppealCOLUMBIA

PUBLISHERKnights of Columbus

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SUPREME OFFICERSCarl A. AndersonSUPREME KNIGHT

Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D.SUPREME CHAPLAIN

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

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EDITORIALAlton J. Pelowski

EDITORAndrew J. MattMANAGING EDITOR

Patrick ScalisiSENIOR EDITOR

Kaitlyn LandgrafEDITORIAL ASSISTANT

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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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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,

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ON THE COVERPope Francis blesses a baby as he leaves

at the end of his Wednesday general audience in St Peter’s Square May 1, 2013.

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Culture of Life Resource: Ten Universal PrinciplesWHEN HUMAN LIFE is at stake, what principles do weuse to guide our decisions and actions? Can we find “publicarguments” that do not rest on religious grounds that bothbelievers and nonbelievers can embrace? In Ten UniversalPrinciples: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues (Ignatius Press,2011), Jesuit Father Robert J. Spitzer sets out 10 core prin-ciples for thinking and talking intelligently about moral andethical issues regarding human life today.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD


IN HIS NEW apostolic exhortation,Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of theGospel), Pope Francis has written of theneed to foster within the Church agreater “missionary spirit” and forCatholics to take more seriously theircalling to “missionary discipleship.” Inthe brief time that he has been pope,we have seen that this missionary spiritis central to Francis’ pastoral focus.

In his 1990 encyclical letter on theChurch’s mission, Redemptoris Missio,Blessed John Paul II wroteabout what is at the heart ofthis missionary spirit. He saidthat a true “missionary is a per-son of charity…. He is a sign ofGod’s love in the world” (89).

In this way, too, we see anextraordinary witness by PopeFrancis — of his love for thesick, the suffering and thepoor. It is a witness that has capturedthe imagination of the world.

As an organization, the Knights ofColumbus stands shoulder to shoulderwith our Holy Father in making thiswitness. In thousands of different ways,our councils offer the opportunity fornearly 2 million Catholic men to bepersons of charity and missionariesafter the example of Pope Francis. Andin doing this, we answer the call ofBlessed John Paul II for a “charity thatevangelizes.”

Many of our brother Knights wouldhardly think of themselves as mission-aries or evangelists. Instead, most wouldsay with humility, “We just see where aneed exists in our parish or communityand we act to meet that need.”

But when we “act to meet thatneed,” we are personifying a “charitythat evangelizes.” In this way, we arerealizing a form of “missionary disci-pleship” — a discipleship that is cen-tral to the vocation of the laity totransform society according to theGospel.

At this moment in the history ofour Church, the Knights of Colum-bus has an extraordinary opportunityto serve on the frontline with Pope

Francis in his witness of charity. St.Ignatius of Loyola once told a groupof Jesuits that “no commonplaceachievement will satisfy the great ob-ligations you have of excelling.” Thesame can be said of today’s Knights ofColumbus.

For this to become a reality, wemust not be content with the statusquo. We must embrace a missionaryspirit — one that extends the limits ofwhat we do in service to our neigh-bors. We must be willing to go to thefrontiers and reach out to those on themargins.

In an address to pilgrims last June,Pope Francis asked, “Are we really aChurch united to Christ in order to goout and proclaim him to everyone,

also and above all in what I call the ‘ex-istential peripheries’? Or are we closedin on ourselves, in our own groups, inour own little churches? Or do we lovethe great Church, Mother Church, theChurch that sends us out on missionand brings us out of ourselves?”

Pope Francis has also said that an as-pect of Jesuit life that attracted him asa young man was St. Ignatius’ “fourth

vow” of obedience: Jesuitsshould always be ready to besent on a mission by thepope. But why should this bea challenge only for Jesuits?Should not every Catholiclisten attentively to the wordsof our Holy Father? And ifwe listen carefully to PopeFrancis, will we not hear that

we are all being sent on a mission?This is especially true of the Knights

of Columbus. In a private audiencewith the supreme officers and directorsOct. 20, the Holy Father praised the“quiet strength, integrity and fidelity”of our Order. He thanked us for ourcommitment to charity, and he chal-lenged us to continue this great work.

As a new year begins, let us adopt anew missionary spirit and reaffirm —with quiet strength, integrity and fi-delity — our commitment to a charitythat evangelizes. Let us proceed in thisgreat work in the tradition of theKnights of Columbus: as a Catholicbrotherhood building greater commu-nities of charity, unity and fraternity.Vivat Jesus!

Mission to the FrontiersPope Francis challenges all Knights to embrace a missionary spirit of charity

that reaches the peripheries

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

We are realizing a form of discipleship that is central to thevocation of the laity to transformsociety according to the Gospel.

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH


EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part three ina special series on men’s spirituality.

NO WORDS spoken by St. Josephare recorded in the Gospels. But inthe words of Blessed John Paul II,“the silence of Joseph has its own spe-cial eloquence, for thanks to that si-lence we can understand the truth ofthe Gospel’s judgment that he was ‘ajust man’” (Redemptoris Custos, 17; cf.Mt 1:19).

In light of the feast of theHoly Family, which was cele-brated on the final Sunday ofDecember, and following lastmonth’s column on the spiri-tual leadership of St. Joseph,I would now like to delvedeeper into Joseph’s role asthe father of Jesus and thehead of the Holy Family.

As so many Knights ofColumbus can attest, the day-to-day role of father and headof household is complex, requiring adiverse skill set. After all, a father iscalled on to do many things — frommaking repairs around the house toprotecting his family from harm andhelping to form the faith and moralfoundation of his children. Fathers playa critical role in the stability of families,and Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, wasno exception.

JOSEPH’S FATHERHOODThe importance of St. Joseph’s exam-ple as a husband and father is perhapsbest summarized by John Paul II in

his apostolic exhortation on St.Joseph. “St. Joseph was called byGod to serve the person and missionof Jesus directly through the exerciseof his fatherhood,” the pope wrote.“In recalling that ‘the beginnings ofour redemption’ were entrusted ‘tothe faithful care of Joseph,’ theLiturgy specifies that ‘God placedhim at the head of his family, as afaithful and prudent servant, so that

with fatherly care he might watchover his only begotten Son’” (Re-demptoris Custos, 8).

Although the Gospels do not pro-vide many details about Joseph, weknow that he supported Jesus andMary by his work as a carpenter andthat he was a man of prudence, pro-tective of his family and ever attentiveto God’s voice. Like many fathers,Joseph taught his son a trade, and theSon of Man learned from his earthlyfather how to make a living throughhard work and the sweat of his brow.It was this historic fact that the Second

Vatican Council had in mind when itsaid of Jesus: “He worked with humanhands, he thought with a human mind… and loved with a human heart”(Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Joseph, as Jesus’ foster father, tookseriously his responsibility to care forall the needs of his child. Parents arethe first teachers of their children in

the ways of culture and faith.Jesus acquired much of hishuman knowledge from bothJoseph and Mary, who togetherprovided his first earthly experi-ence of love and influenced thedevelopment of his personality.Mary and Joseph also handed onto Jesus the faith of Israel, teach-ing him how to pray and to livethe Law; their home was the“seminary” for the great HighPriest.

While Scripture speaks oftenof Mary’s love for her Son, it also de-picts the quiet strength and love ofJoseph toward his foster child. Bothwere powerfully displayed when Josephand Mary, after searching for threedays, found the 12-year-old Jesus inthe temple. Mary, exasperated, asked:“Son, why have you treated us so? Be-hold, your father and I have been look-ing for you anxiously” Jesus replied,“How is it that you sought me? Didyou not know that I must be in my Fa-ther’s house?” (Lk 2:48-49). Of this fa-mous biblical scene, John Paul IIwrote, “The reply of Jesus in the Tem-

Guardian of the Mystery of God

As the head of the Holy Family, St. Josephteaches us how to live out the vocation

of husband and father

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

Not only is Joseph a model of adevoted husband and father, butthe Holy Family is rightly called“the prototype and example ofall Christian families.”


Offered inSolidarity withPope Francis

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

HOLY FATHER’SPRAYER INTENTIONS

GENERAL: That all may pro-mote authentic economic devel-opment that respects the dignityof all peoples.

MISSION: That Christians of di-verse denominations may walk to-ward the unity desired by Christ.

CATHOLIC MAN OF THE MONTH

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ple brought once again to the mind ofhis ‘presumed father’ what he hadheard on that night twelve years earlier:‘Joseph … do not fear to take Mary,your wife, for that which is conceivedin her is of the Holy Spirit’ (Mt 1:20).From that time onward he knew thathe was a guardian of the mystery ofGod” (Redemptoris Custos, 15).

ORDINARY HOLINESSNot only is Joseph a model of a de-voted husband and father, but theHoly Family is rightly called “the pro-totype and example of all Christianfamilies” (Familiaris Consortio, 86).This family lived in cultural circum-

stances vastly different from ourstoday, but Jesus, Mary and Josephteach us certain perennial truthsabout family life — truths upheld byKnights of Columbus and their fam-ilies throughout the world. One suchtruth is the importance of the ordi-nary. By becoming one of us andchoosing to live in an ordinary fam-ily, Jesus Christ demonstrated thevalue that God places on mothers, fa-thers and children attending to theirdaily responsibilities. The Lordtaught us that our salvation is workedout in our everyday life. God’s willfor us is often all too obvious.

The example of the Holy Family

also teaches us that parents are calledto take a direct and personal role in theeducation of their children, helpingthem to acquire important life skillsand to know the reality of God’s love.

As Knights of Columbus, you helpparents fulfill their vocation throughyour example and your prayers. Letus look upon the Holy Family withgratitude as we ask the intercessionof Joseph and Mary for familieseverywhere — for those that arehealthy and for those that struggle.Through these prayers, may familylife experience an authentic renewalas we meet the challenges of the newevangelization.♦

Blessed Francis XavierSeelos (1819-1867)

BORN JAN. 11, 1819, in Bavaria,Germany, Francis Xavier Seelos wasraised among 11 siblings in a devotedCatholic family. As a child, when hismother asked him what he wanted todo with his life, he pointed to a pic-ture of his patron saint and said, “I’mgoing to be another St. Francis.” Atage 23, he entered the missionaries ofthe Congregation of the Most HolyRedeemer, a society dedicated toministering to the neglected and mar-ginalized, especially immigrants toAmerica.

Francis arrived in the United Statesin April 1843 and was ordained apriest in Baltimore in 1844. The fol-lowing year, he was sent to Pittsburgh,where he assisted Father John Neu-mann, the future bishop and saint. Fa-ther Seelos became well-known for hisjoy, compassion and gift of preachingin German, English and French. Peo-ple often traveled miles to go to con-fession with him.

In 1860, it was recommended thatFather Seelos be ordained bishop ofPittsburgh. In response, he wrote toPope Pius IX requesting “to be liber-

ated from this calamity.” His requestwas honored, and he continued hiswork with the Redemptorists. A fewyears later, during the Civil War, Fa-ther Seelos traveled to Washington tomeet with President Lincoln. As supe-rior of the Redemptorist seminary, hesuccessfully petitioned that seminari-ans be exempted from military service.

After a period of itinerant missionwork through much of New Englandand the Midwest, Father Seelos was as-signed to New Orleans. His ministrythere was brief, since he contractedyellow fever from caring for victims ofthe deadly disease. He died in October1867 at the age of 48. Pope John PaulII declared him blessed in April 2000,and his feast day is celebrated Oct. 5.♦

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS


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Knights Provide ‘Food for Families’ During HolidaysAS PART OF the Order’s Food for Families initiative,Knights of Columbus councils participated in a wide rangeof programs that provided holiday meals to low-incomefamilies.

In addition, the Supreme Council donated $20,000 tothe Connecticut Food Bank in order to give Thanksgivingdinners to families in need. The donation covered the costof 1,000 turkeys and 2.5 tons of trimmings. K of C mem-bers and home office employees also participated in the an-nual “Fill the Bowl” event sponsored by the ConnecticutFood Bank at New Haven’s Yale Bowl before the annualYale-Harvard football game.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Knightsof Columbus, who are making the holiday season a bitbrighter for thousands of low-income Connecticut fami-lies,” said Nancy L. Carrington, president and CEO ofConnecticut Food Bank.

In neighboring Massachusetts, Fairview Council 4044 inChicopee conducted its annual community Thanksgivingdinner. Volunteers served more than 3,700 meals to peoplein need — a record 2,150 were delivered to the homebound— surpassing last year’s tally by 200 meals. A portion of thecost was covered by council funds, but additional fundrais-ing and donations raised nearly $10,000.

“We had tremendous support from the community,” saiddinner chairman Ronald Belair.

The Supreme Council offers financial rebates to councilsthat donate food or money — $100 for every $500 or every500 pounds of food — to a parish food pantry, communityfood bank or soup kitchen, up to a maximum refund of$500 per council per fraternal year. Visit kofc.org/food formore information.♦

For the 23rd year, Fairview Council 4044 in Chicopee, Mass.,hosted its annual Thanksgiving dinner, serving more than 3,700meals throughout the week to the needy.

ON NOV. 6, 2013, Major ArchbishopSviatoslav Shevchuk, head of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church, leda Divine Liturgy in Kiev, Ukraine, tocelebrate the creation of the firstKnights of Columbus councils in thatcountry. As announced at the 131stSupreme Convention in August 2013,the Order established two councils inUkraine and a round table in Lithua-nia, constituting the Knights’ first in-ternational expansions since councilswere established in Poland in 2006.

In his homily, Major ArchbishopShevchuk expressed joy regarding theestablishment of the Order in Ukraine.

“Knighthood has always been thebuilder of the future, for it lays the un-shakable foundations of personal, fam-ily and community life,” the majorarchbishop said. “The Knights ofColumbus was established in order tolive out the Gospel within the complexsocial structure that prevailed in the

United States in the 19th century. Werejoice that knighthood is taking rootin the life of our Church.”

To date, more than 125 Ukrainianmen have joined the Knights ofColumbus, including laity, priests and

bishops. After the liturgy, Major Arch-bishop Shevchuk participated in an or-ganizational meeting for St. VolodymyrCouncil 15800 that focused on how toeffectively communicate the Order’sprinciples to “the Ukrainian soul.”♦

Major Archbishop Blesses Order in Ukraine

Members of St. Volodymyr Council 15800 stand with Major Archbishop SviatoslavShevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of theResurrection of Christ in Kiev, Ukraine.

FATHERS FOR GOOD


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

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When bishops throughout the world gather at the Vat-ican Oct. 5-19 for a synod convoked by Pope Fran-

cis, they will address a theme that hits close to home — thefamily. In the meeting’s preparatory document, bishops areasked to respond to questions about family life, marriage,passing on the faith, and adherence to Church teaching.Laypeople have also been invited to offer input on these top-ics, providing a wonderful opportunity for Knights and theirfamilies to ponder questions that affect their lives and faithin today’s world.

The theme of the meetingis “Pastoral Challenges to theFamily in the Context ofEvangelization.” At first youmay wonder why the family isbeing considered in connec-tion to evangelization. Afterall, families face enough chal-lenges today without worry-ing about having to spread thefaith far and wide. But thesynod is approaching the con-cept in terms of the new evan-gelization, which is not solelya job for professed missionar-ies preaching in foreign lands. Laypersons are called to sharethe Gospel closer to home, in places where the Church is nolonger vibrant or plays little part in the lives of those who arebaptized. In this context, the family emerges as a central agentin evangelization, for it is here that children first learn of God,are brought to the sacraments, and are taught the values andvirtues of the Catholic faith. Families are also at the center oftheir parishes, their communities and the larger culture asthey live out their faith as public witnesses called to “give areason for (their) hope” in Christ (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).

A family living out the Catholic faith with peace, patienceand joy, even amid earthly struggles, can be a powerful wit-ness to the beauty and necessity of God’s grace. Such a family,by simple example, can bring Christ to those who are search-ing for meaning and seeking happiness in a world that offersmany pleasures that fail to satisfy.

Of course, this is not the first time a major Vatican gath-ering has discussed the family. Blessed John Paul II conveneda synod of bishops on “The Role of the Christian Family” in1980. The following year, he published Familiaris Consortio,

an apostolic exhortation that has become known as the“magna carta” for the pastoral care of marriage and families.

The task of renewing and strengthening marriage and familylife remains of utmost concern to the Church today. The up-coming synod’s preparatory document states, “The social andspiritual crisis, so evident in today’s world, is becoming a pas-toral challenge in the Church’s evangelizing mission concerningthe family, the vital building block of society and the ecclesialcommunity.”

It is all too evident howpopular culture, changes inpublic policy, and the mediaundermine the integrity anddefinition of marriage. Mate-rialism, consumerism, separa-tion and divorce threaten evenfaithful Catholic families. Inthe preparatory document, thebishops ask how the Churchcan respond pastorally to thechallenges families face and theneeds they express. How canfamilies support one anotherin dealing with these chal-lenges and living out the faith?

In addition to these questions, the synod document ad-dresses issues such as how people understand the concept ofmarriage based on the natural law; the quality of marriagepreparation in dioceses and the extent of continuing pastoralcare for married couples; the effects of cohabitation and same-sex “marriage” on society; and how a couple’s faith corre-sponds to their openness to life and the spiritual upbringingof their children.

You can access the preparatory document on the Vaticanwebsite (vatican.va). Take some time to read and discuss itwith your spouse, bringing your children into the conversa-tion when appropriate. Even if you don’t have definite an-swers, the questions will help you focus on important issuesregarding the Catholic faith and family life. The Church wepass on to the next generation will depend greatly on howwell we address these challenges today, for as John Paul IIwrote, “The future of the world and of the Church passesthrough the family” (Familiaris Consortio, 75).♦

BRIAN CAULFIELD is editor of Fathers for Good.

Families WelcomeThe next Vatican synod will focus on challenges for the modern family

by Brian Caulfield


Against the backdrop of the scenic St. Lawrence River, theleadership of the Knights of Columbus gathered in

Québec City Nov. 6-10, 2013, for their midyear meeting. Thesupreme officers, board of directors and 70 state deputies, to-gether with more than 50 state chaplains, including four bish-ops, came together to discuss the Order’s goals and prioritiesfor the remainder of the 2013-14 fraternal year.

Several speakers during the meeting made reference to PopeFrancis’ recurring call to avoid becoming a “self-referential”Church and to reach out to the “existential peripheries” ofhuman experience and suffering. The Order shares in theChurch’s mission of charity and evangelization, they said, andit is for this reason that the growth and spiritual formation ofthe membership is crucial.

“The Knights of Columbus cannot become a self-referentialorganization, closed in on itself,” said Supreme Knight CarlA. Anderson in his keynote address Nov. 7. “We must be mov-ing outward … and that must be the challenge for every oneof our councils.”

CELEBRATING OUR ROOTSThe midyear meeting began with a pilgrimage of K of C lead-ers to the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. TheArchdiocese of Québec is the oldest see in the New Worldnorth of Mexico, and Notre-Dame de Québec — one of theoldest parishes in North America — celebrates its 350th an-niversary jubilee in 2014. Meeting in Québec City during theanniversary year “expresses in a very concrete way the unityof the Knights of Columbus,” the supreme knight said.

Above the main altar of the cathedral-basilica hangs a paint-ing of the Immaculate Conception, which is the centerpieceof the Order’s latest international Marian Prayer Program. Re-productions of the image, blessed by Pope Francis, were en-trusted to state deputies during the 131st SupremeConvention in August 2013.

Archbishop Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec, primate ofCanada, welcomed the Knights to the cathedral-basilica onNov. 7 for a solemn Mass, which was concelebrated bySupreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimoreand the gathered state chaplains.

In his homily, Archbishop Lacroix exhorted the Knights torescue people from a “selfish life that leads only to sadness andemptiness” and to reach out to those who have fallen awayfrom the Church.

“Brother Knights of Columbus, the Lord Jesus counts onus today to be the ones who will go out to search and findthose who are lost,” said the archbishop, who is a member ofCharlesbourg Council 6289. “There is an urgency for us togo out to reach the growing number of people who are with-out Christ, without the Church, and often without hope,without direction for their life.”

Following Mass at the cathedral-basilica, ArchbishopLacroix, Supreme Knight Anderson and Archbishop Loripaused at the tomb of Blessed François de Laval to pray forthe Church in Québec and across Canada. In his keynote ad-dress, Anderson later called Blessed François “a man ofcourage, a man of vision, a man of evangelization.”

As the first bishop of “New France,” Blessed François set

MARCHING ORDERSMidyear meeting of K of C leaders focuses on

evangelization as key to Order’s growth and mission

by Columbia staff

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the foundation for the Knights’ founder, Venerable MichaelMcGivney, to begin his seminary studies at the Seminary ofSaint-Hyacinthe in Montreal nearly 200 years later.

“Father McGivney is a spiritual son of Blessed Bishop deLaval and the French Catholicism of his day,” the supremeknight said.

THE MISSION OF THE LAITYThe unique role of the laity, which was recognized by FatherMcGivney in the late 19th century, was a central theme of themeeting in Québec. Both the supreme knight and ArchbishopLori emphasized that the laity is essential to the Church’sevangelizing mission, citing Blessed John Paul II’s apostolicexhortation Ecclesia in America: “The renewal of the Churchin America will not be possible without the active presence ofthe laity. Therefore, the laity, the lay faithful is largely respon-sible for the future of the Church” (44).

Supreme Knight Anderson noted that Father McGivneydemonstrated the “practical and spiritual genius of giving lay-men leadership roles and [founding] an organization that ina thousand different ways every year has created means … toexpress the Christian values of charity, unity and fraternityfor all to see.”

In order to fulfill this mission, the supreme knight said, it

is essential for the Order to increase its membership. “TheGood Shepherd leaves the 99 to find one,” he said. “How canwe have councils that are happy with the one and refuse to goafter the 99?”

Speaking on behalf of the chaplains gathered at the meet-ing, Archbishop Lori highlighted how Knights of Columbusare particularly equipped to take part in the new evangeliza-tion. He observed that the Order is “the premier organizationin which laymen, together with their wives and families, canbecome equipped spiritually, morally and intellectually to bearwitness to the Gospel and to bring the Gospel out of the fourwalls of the Church and into the world.”

The supreme chaplain also discussed the Knights’ emphasison building strong marriages and families: “The Order helpsus all see how the vocation to authentic marriage and familylife is essential to the Church’s mission of evangelization —for it is in the heart of the family where the Gospel is to bereceived and lived, and it is authentically Catholic families,joyful and united, that bear witness to the Gospel and servethe common good.”

In light of cultural challenges facing the Church and de-clining religious practice, Archbishop Lori further under-scored the need for Knights to make a conscious decision toembrace their faith.

Above: After concelebrating a Mass of pilgrimage at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec Nov. 7, 2013, bishops and priests lead thecongregation in singing the Salve Regina before the image of Mary as the Immaculate Conception above the main altar. • Opposite page: SupremeKnight Carl A. Anderson delivers his keynote address to the assembled state deputies and state chaplains.

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“We find ourselves in a situation not unlike the earlyChurch — in which every Christian had to intend to be aChristian, [knowing] it would be a life-changing decision,”he said. An “intentional disciple,” he added, is “someone inwhom the Gospel has hit home, and who is willing to bearwitness to the truth and joy of his faith before others.”

OPEN DOORSSupreme Knight Anderson and Archbishop Lacroix wereamong the speakers who referenced Pope Francis’ appeal thatthe Church go out to the “peripheries” and avoid becomingself-enclosed.

Referring to the pope’s challenge, Anderson emphasized theimportance of ministering to the needs of the underprivilegedand suffering through charity, the first principle of the Order.

Quoting Pope Benedict, he stated, “The Church is a greatfamily in which no one should be hungry or lack the basicnecessities of life” (Deus Caritas Est, 25).

Among the Knights’ many charitable initiatives, thesupreme knight pointed to the Food for Families program,which included 500 million pounds of food donations lastyear, and the Supreme Council’s pledge of $250,000 to aidthe Philippines in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

The supreme knight also emphasized how important it isfor the Knights to resist stagnation and complacency. “Wecannot be accepting of councils that are happy with a statusquo, that are closed in on themselves, that are not interestedin expanding and opening their doors and bringing in newmembers,” he said.

As part of Notre-Dame de Québec’s jubilee anniversary

Clockwise from top left: Supreme Knight Anderson speaks to the meeting participants about membership recruitment. • Archbishop Gérald CyprienLacroix of Québec, primate of Canada, delivers his homily during the Mass of pilgrimage. • Archbishop Lacroix shares a prayerful moment withSupreme Knight Anderson and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore before the tomb of Québec’s first bishop, Blessed Françoisde Laval. • Mississippi State Deputy David Scott offers input during a business session. • Supreme Warden George Hanna leads a discussion ofjurisdiction progress reports. • State deputies and state chaplains work together in spiritual and membership development workshops.

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celebration, the Supreme Council, the Québec State Counciland the Canadian Association of the 10 Canadian provincialcouncils teamed up to donate $500,000 to underwrite the cre-ation of a Holy Door for a side chapel of the cathedral-basil-ica. The massive bronze door is the first Vatican-sanctionedHoly Door in North America and the seventh such door inthe world. It bears the emblem of the Order in recognition ofthe Knights’ support for its creation and will remain openthroughout the jubilee year, until Dec. 28, 2014.

“Entering through the Holy Door will most certainly bea profound spiritual experience, a public expression of com-ing to Christ, drawing closer to him,” Archbishop Lacroixsaid. “But it should also produce in us a profound desire togo out, as Jesus invites us, to meet our brothers and sistersin need.”

The archbishop likewise urged the Knights to embrace theircall to share the Gospel with those who are lost and sufferingaround them. “It would be wonderful if people around youand me, around your councils and assemblies, would say:‘These Knights of Columbus, they welcome sinners and eatwith them,’” he said. “That would mean that we resemblemore and more our Savior Jesus Christ.”♦

THE POWER OF ONE

THE “One Member Per Council Per Month” recruit-ment initiative exists because the future of the Knightsof Columbus depends on our councils growing theirmembership. How can our K of C leaders and allKnights promote membership growth? First, we need tobelieve in our councils and in the overall future of theOrder. We must also remember that charitable programsare the reason for membership. Such activities providean opportunity to serve our Church and our communi-ties, as well as an opportunity for future members to seewho we are and what we do. Lastly, working togetherwith our brother Knights, chaplains and insuranceagents, we need to commit ourselves to inviting eligibleCatholic men to join us.

Think of the initiative as a pyramid. At the summit isthe “One Member Per Council Per Month” goal. Thefollowing three steps point the way.1. One First Degree each monthDistrict deputies should make a concerted effort to en-

sure that First Degree ceremonies are held each monthand that councils bring at least one new member to eachceremony. Soon, it will be easier than ever for state anddistrict deputies to ensure that councils hold First Degreeceremonies every month. A forthcoming DVD contain-ing the entire First Degree ceremony will be available,which can be played in the council chamber without adedicated degree team.2. One new council per diocese per yearNew council development, council reactivation and

round tables will expand the Order’s base for continuedgrowth in future years. Reactivated councils are a greatsource of new members, and new councils can recruit, onaverage, 10-25 Catholic gentlemen.3. Star Council developmentStar Councils — that is, councils that achieve their

membership quotas and conduct service programs in var-ious categories — help ensure the success of their districtsand, in turn, jurisdictions. This kind of excellence risesall the way to the top to help the Order as a whole reachnew heights.— Adapted from a presentation by Lou Barbour, vice president

of membership growth, which was delivered during the midyearmeeting.

According to Pope FrancisThroughout his ministry as archbishop and pope,

the Holy Father has issued a clarion call to affirm life


Pope Francis kisses a child as he arrivesto lead his weekly audience in St. Peter’sSquare at the Vatican May 8, 2013.

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During his 15 years as archbishop of Buenos Aires and his10 months as Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has

consistently defended the dignity of human life from the mo-ment of conception to natural death. In the face of what PopeFrancis has called the “throwaway culture” of our times, a re-curring theme in his teaching has been concern for the mostvulnerable and defenseless human beings, including children— born and unborn — the disabled, and the elderly. Whilehe made it clear in a widely publicized interview that “it is notnecessary to talk about these issues all the time,” it is equallyclear that Pope Francis has not hesitated to speak out time andagain about the crucial task of building a culture of life.

In the following pages, Columbia presents excerpts fromsome key pro-life statements by Cardinal Bergoglio-PopeFrancis.

CRYING OUT TO THE LORDThe Holy Father [John Paul II] warns us that “nowadays amodel of society appears to be emerging in which the power-ful predominate, setting aside and even eliminating the pow-erless: I am thinking here of unborn children, helpless victimsof abortion; the elderly and incurablyill, subjected at times to euthanasia;and the many other people relegated tothe margins of society by consumerismand materialism. … This model of so-ciety bears the stamp of the culture ofdeath, and is therefore in opposition tothe Gospel message. Faced with thisdistressing reality, the Church commu-nity intends to commit itself all themore to the defense of the culture oflife” (Ecclesia in America, 63). ...

We are like Peter that night on thelake: On the one hand, the presence ofthe Lord encourages us to accept andface the waves of these challenges; onthe other hand, the environment ofself-sufficiency and arrogance — pure pride — that this cul-ture of death is creating threatens us, and we are afraid of sink-ing in the midst of the storm. The Lord is there: We believeit with the certainty that the power of the Holy Spirit givesto us. And, in defiance of the Lord, there is the muffledscream of countless unborn children: this daily genocide,silent and protected. There is also the cry of the dying oneswho have been abandoned and who are begging for a tendercaress that this culture of death cannot give. And there is themultitude of families reduced to shreds by the proposals ofconsumerism and materialism. In the midst of this conflictand in the presence of Jesus Christ in glory, united today asthe faithful people of God, we cry like Peter did when hebegan to sink, “Lord, save me” (Mt 14:30), and we stretchout our hand to grasp the only One who can give true mean-ing to our going into the waves. — Meeting of Latin American politicians and legislators, Aug. 3,1999.

PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITYThe [Aparecida] document asks governments, regulators andhealth care providers to defend the inalienable value of life,and to encourage conscientious objection in the face of lawsor government regulations that are unjust in the light of faithand reason. This is a matter of “eucharistic consistency,”which means “to be conscious that they cannot receive holyCommunion and at the same time act with deeds or wordsagainst the commandments, particularly when abortion, eu-thanasia and other grave crimes against life and the familyare encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly overlegislators, heads of governments and health professionals”(436). …

I want to focus in particular on two stages of life that I con-sider essential for the growth in peace of different generations:childhood and old age. They are the two extremes of life, andthey are the most vulnerable and the most forgotten. A societythat abandons its children and eliminates its elderly is mort-gaging its future.— Article titled “The Family in the Light of the Aparecida Doc-ument” (Familia et Vita, 2008).

SIGNS OF HOPEWe are aware that the tragedy of ourtime is the split between the Gospeland culture. Families, institutions andsociety in general are unable to findnew ways of sustaining themselves andgrowing. In our country, we are facedwith the loss of values that are at theroot of our identity, with the resultingrisk of the unraveling of our socialfabric. …

In spite of such social fragmenta-tion, fundamental values endure in ourhomeland: the battle for life from con-ception to natural death; the defenseof human dignity; the ability to appre-

ciate freedom, constancy and concern for the demands of jus-tice; the effort to educate children well; esteem for the family,friendship and affection; and a sense of celebration and pop-ular creativity that does not give up but seeks to firmly resolvedifficult situations in daily life. All these are signs of hope thatencourage us to proclaim Jesus Christ as we seek new ways totransmit the faith, a transmission so battered by the crisis de-scribed above.— Address during the “Ad Limina” Visit to His Holiness Bene-dict XVI, March 14, 2009.

ON EUTHANASIA AND ABORTIONOur morality also says that one has to do what is necessaryand ordinary, in those cases where the end is foreseeable.Quality of life must be ensured. The strength of medicine, interminal cases, is not so much about making someone live an-other three days or three months, but rather in making surethe body suffers as little as possible. One is not obligated to

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conserve life with extraordinary methods, which at times cango against the dignity of the person. But active euthanasia isdifferent — this is killing. I believe that today there is coverteuthanasia: Our social security pays up until a certain amountof treatment and then says, “may God help you.” The elderlyare not taken care of as they should be, but rather are treatedlike discarded material. Sometimes they are deprived of med-icine and ordinary care, and little by little this kills them. …

The moral problem with abortion is of a pre-religious na-ture because the genetic code of the person is present at themoment of conception. This means that a human being al-ready exists. I separate the issue of abortion from any religiousconcept. It is a scientific problem. To not allow furtherprogress in the development of a being that already has theentire genetic code of a human being is not ethical. The rightto life is the first human right. Abortion means killing some-one who cannot defend himself.— Book of conversations in 2010 between Cardinal Bergoglioand Rabbi Abraham Skorka, titled Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra(On Heaven and Earth).

SAVING TWO LIVESWith respect to the [veto of the] non-punishable abortion lawin Buenos Aires, we sense once again that we are deliberatelymoving toward the limitation and elimination of the supremevalue of life and ignoring the rights of unborn children. When

talking about a pregnant mother, we are talking about twolives. Both must be preserved and respected, because life hasan absolute value. …

Abortion is never a solution. For our part, we must listen,support and understand in order to save two lives: to respectthe smallest and most defenseless human being, to adoptmeasures to preserve his life, to allow him to be born andthen to be creative in finding ways that will lead to his fulldevelopment.— Message regarding the approval of the law on non-punishableabortions, Sept. 9, 2012.

SAYING “YES” TO LIFEAll too often, as we know from experience, people do notchoose life, they do not accept the “Gospel of Life” but letthemselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking thatblock life, that do not respect life, because they are dictatedby selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, andnot by love, by concern for the good of others. It is the eternaldream of wanting to build the city of man without God, with-out God’s life and love — a new Tower of Babel. ...

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look to God as the God ofLife, let us look to his law, to the Gospel message, as the wayto freedom and life.… Let us say “Yes” to life and not death.Let us say “Yes” to freedom and not enslavement to the manyidols of our time. In a word, let us say “Yes” to the God who

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Pope Francis greets pilgrims with disabilities and senior citizens after celebrating Mass for “Evangelium Vitae” Day June 16, 2013. The day calledattention to care for the aged, the unborn, the sick and those with disabilities.


is love, life and freedom, and who never disappoints. … Letus ask Mary, Mother of Life, to help us receive and bear con-stant witness to the “Gospel of Life.”— Homily for “Evangelium Vitae” Day, June 16, 2013.

CALLED TO BE WITNESSESA widespread mentality of the useful, the “throwaway culture”that today enslaves the hearts and minds of so many, comesat a very high cost: It asks for the elimination of human be-ings, especially if they are physically or socially weaker. Ourresponse to this mentality isa decisive and unreserved“yes” to life. … Things havea price and can be sold, butpeople have dignity; theyare worth more than thingsand are above price. Sooften we find ourselves insituations where we see thatwhat is valued the least islife. That is why concern forhuman life in its totality hasbecome in recent years areal priority for theChurch’s Magisterium, es-pecially for the most de-fenseless (i.e., the disabled,the sick, the newborn, chil-dren, the elderly, thosewhose lives are most de-fenseless).

In a frail human being,each one of us is invited torecognize the face of theLord, who in his humanflesh experienced the indif-ference and solitude towhich we so often condemnthe poorest of the poor,whether in developing coun-tries or in wealthy societies.Every child who, rather thanbeing born, is condemnedunjustly to being aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ, bearsthe face of the Lord, who even before he was born, and thenjust after birth, experienced the world’s rejection. … And everyelderly person, even if he is ill or at the end of his days, bearsthe face of Christ. They cannot be discarded, as the “throwawayculture” suggests! They cannot be thrown away! …Be witnesses and diffusers of the “culture of life.” Your being

Catholic entails a greater responsibility: first of all to your-selves, through a commitment consistent with your Christianvocation; and then to contemporary culture, by contributingto recognizing the transcendent dimension of human life, theimprint of God’s creative work, from the first moment of itsconception. This is a task of the new evangelization that often

requires going against the tide and paying for it personally. TheLord is also counting on you to spread the “Gospel of Life.”— Address to the International Federation of Catholic MedicalAssociations, Sept. 20, 2013.

THE FOUNDATION OF HUMAN RIGHTSAmong the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to carewith particular love and concern are unborn children, themost defenseless and innocent among us. Nowadays effortsare made to deny them their human dignity and to do with

them whatever one pleases,taking their lives and pass-ing laws preventing anyonefrom standing in the way ofthis. Frequently, as a way ofridiculing the Church’s ef-fort to defend their lives, at-tempts are made to presenther position as ideological,obscurantist and conserva-tive. Yet this defense of un-born life is closely linked tothe defense of each andevery other human right. Itinvolves the conviction thata human being is always sa-cred and inviolable, in anysituation and at every stageof development. Humanbeings are ends in them-selves and never a means ofresolving other problems.Once this conviction disap-pears, so do solid and last-ing foundations for thedefense of human rights,which would always be sub-ject to the passing whims ofthe powers that be. Reasonalone is sufficient to recog-nize the inviolable value ofeach single human life, butif we also look at the issue

from the standpoint of faith, “every violation of the personaldignity of the human being cries out in vengeance to God andis an offense against the creator of the individual” (Christifi-deles Laici, 37).— Apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Nov. 24, 2013.

Pope Francis’ statements during his time as archbishop were drawnfrom a special fall 2013 issue of Familia et Vita titled The Teachingsof Jorge Mario Bergoglio-Pope Francis on the Family and Life (1999-2013). The issue was prepared by the Pontifical Council for theFamily and published in Spanish and Italian by Libreria EditriceVaticana. Excerpts from the Holy Father’s pontificate are from theVatican website. All excerpts are used with permission.

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Pope Francis blesses the unborn baby of actress Ali Landry and her hus-band Alejandro Monteverde, director of the pro-life film Bella, at theVatican April 11, 2013.


Mobile ultrasound units deliver life-changing images to pregnant women nationwide

by J.D. Long-García

HOPE on wheels


Peter Starbuck started promoting a culture of life beforehe was even born. Two years ago, 50 teenagers gathered

at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Tucson, Ariz., to wit-ness an ultrasound firsthand, and they saw Peter in utero ona large screen. Andrew and Susana Starbuck, Peter’s motherand father, say this has had a lasting impact on the teens. An-drew is an associate youth leader at the parish, and Peter, now17 months old, often sits in on confirmation programs. Hispresence is an ongoing reminder to the teens of the person-hood of the unborn.

“We’re getting the word out about the culture of life,” An-drew said. “The thing that’s going to change their minds isif they can see a real person in there. And the ultrasound isone way to help them do that.”

It was while preparing for a pro-life march that Andrewand Susana, who was pregnant with their first son, decidedto share the ultrasound with the teens. They called Kelly andBarbara Copeland, the husband-and-wife founders of FatimaWomen’s Center in Tucson, for help. The Copelands offereduse of a mobile ultrasound machine that was made possible

Mike Mohr, a member of Deacon Raphael Longpré Council 10441 inTucson, Ariz., and a supporter of the Tucson-based Fatima Women’sCenter, stands with Barbara and Gaby Copeland in front of the center’sHope Mobile. The unit features a laptop ultrasound made possible by theKnights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.


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through the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.Since it was launched Jan. 22, 2009, the initiative has,

through the Order’s Culture of Life Fund, provided match-ing funds raised by local councils to purchase ultrasoundunits for qualifying pregnancy centers. In less than five years,Knights have placed more than 400 ultrasound machines —valued at more than $20 million — throughout the country,including at least one in every state. This includes supplyingmachines for a growing number of mobile medical units,like those used by Fatima Women’s Center and others, aspregnancy care centers seek creative ways to reach womenin need.

TAKING IT TO THE STREETSKelly Copeland, a member of Deacon Raphael LongpréCouncil 10441 in Tucson, and his wife, Barbara, foundedFatima Women’s Center in 2009. A year later, while on stageat a fund-raiser, Kelly joked about how much they neededto try a new approach and get Fatima Women’s Center outon the road. That very night, a couple who had personal ex-perience with abortion donated their $75,000 recreationalvehicle.

Getting the RV, though, was only half the battle; the centeralso needed an ultrasound machine. Our Lady of the ValleyCouncil 6842 in Green Valley, Ariz., stepped in to raise the

necessary money through breakfasts and other fund-raisers. “They say once a woman hears her child’s actual heartbeat,

they change their mind about abortion,” noted Past GrandKnight James Acitelli.

The fully equipped mobile unit, named the Hope Mobile,soon enabled Fatima Women’s Center to reach out to womenin crisis pregnancies, rather than waiting for the women tocome to them.

“Timing can be everything,” said Barbara, who serves asexecutive director of the center. “We need to get to them be-fore it’s too late. Once you have an abortion, you can’tchange that.”

This critical aspect of timing isn’t lost on New York-basedExpectant Mother Care, which has operated pregnancy cen-ters for nearly 30 years and has 12 locations in New YorkCity. Founded by Chris Slattery of Cardinal Hayes Council3995 in Yonkers, N.Y., Expectant Mother Care has receivedthree ultrasound machines through the Ultrasound Initiative,including one that is used in a full-time mobile clinic.

K of C councils have also provided ultrasound machinesfor pregnancy centers collaborating with organizations thatspecialize in mobile medical vehicles.

ICU Mobile, for example, is one of the pioneers in the cus-tom design and manufacture of mobile ultrasound vehicles.Founded in 2003, the Akron, Ohio-based organization hascreated a fleet of more than 43 mobile medical units nation-wide. Five of them have been outfitted with ultrasound ma-chines provided by K of C councils in San Diego,Minneapolis, St. Louis and Wake Forrest, N.C.

Knights have also partnered with Save the Storks, a Col-orado Springs-based group founded in 2011 to deploy itsown brand of ultrasound-equipped vehicles. Originally in-spired by the work of Expectant Mother Care, Save theStorks was founded on the belief that providing informationthrough its compact Stork Buses will “empower abortion-minded women to choose life.”

Joe Baker, founder and president of Save the Storks, saidthat pregnancy care centers cannot simply rely on traditionalmeans — like the Yellow Pages — to reach mothers facingdifficult pregnancies. “Pregnancy centers need to become cre-ative and innovative to meet the needs of pregnant mothers,”he said. “Going mobile is the future. It’s how we meet thesewomen in the first place.”

A San Diego-based initiative called Light and Life 70x7Mobile Ultrasound is helping southern California pregnancycare centers that are looking to expand their outreach.Founded in 2012 by Greg Anthony of St. Pius X Council3487 in La Jolla, Calif., and Steve Beuerle of Point LomaCouncil 3947 in San Diego, the group has placed ultrasoundmachines in two ICU Mobile units so far, and is working onplacing a third machine in cooperation with Save the Storks.

According to Beuerle, mobile units allow pregnancy care

Dr. John Graziano, who volunteers at the Fatima Women’s Center, per-forms an ultrasound.


centers to reach many women whomay not otherwise get an ultra-sound. “It’s about getting to womenearly in the process,” he said. “Theaverage woman, if she has to travelmore than eight miles to get to apregnancy center, won’t make thetrip.”

WALKING WITH WOMEN IN NEEDFrom the mobile units come storiesof life-saving changes of heart: awoman who said that hearing herbaby’s heartbeat made a difference;an abortion-minded couple, both inthe military, who changed theirmind after seeing the ultrasound; awoman, 20 weeks pregnant, whochose life and left with pictures ofher unborn daughter.

According to Beuerle, the majorityof women who see ultrasound im-ages of their unborn children chooselife. Meanwhile, people take noticeof who’s responsible for this life-sav-ing work. “It helps people see theKnights are men of action,” he said. “We don’t just makepancakes.”

Beuerle and others noted that cultivating a culture of liferequires being present early in the process and working toaddress the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancies.

“The pro-life movement isn’t just about praying in frontof abortion clinics,” Kelly Copeland said. “It’s walking withmothers all the way through.”

Barbara Copeland emphasized how important it is to “sit,listen, and make an emotional connection.” It can take morethan one visit for an abortion-minded mother to change hermind, she said, recalling a high-school student she met onthe Hope Mobile. After several visits, the young womaneventually revealed that her boyfriend, who was leaving forcollege, was pressuring her to have the abortion and threat-ened to break up with her if she didn’t go through with it.Barbara helped her realize that the father would not be a partof her life, with or without the pregnancy. That realizationallowed the woman to do what she knew was right — tochoose life.

In addition to pressure from parents, boyfriends, husbandsand others, Kelly said that financial burdens are also a strongfactor for women considering abortion. The majority ofwomen who come to Fatima Women’s Center do not havehealth insurance, he added.

“Making pregnancy affordable is key to helping pregnantmothers choose life,” said Dr. John Graziano, who volunteersat the center.

Fatima Women’s Center now operates two mobile units,

though they only have one mobile ultrasound so far. TheHope Mobile often makes successful journeys to the Univer-sity of Arizona in Tucson, as well as to 40 Days for Life andJustice for All events. Mothers in need are then referred toTucson-area pregnancy resource centers — Catholic or not— depending on their location.

The center also works with Catholic Social Services tomake sure adoption is always part of the conversation. Andit offers classes on natural family planning, Kelly said, rec-ognizing that an education in chastity plays an essential rolein both avoiding unwanted pregnancy and affirming dignity.

As pregnancy care centers strive to provide comprehensivesupport for women in need, the Knights of Columbus Ul-trasound Initiative continues to play a significant role in theirlife-saving work. Whether in medical buildings or out on thestreets, ultrasound technology is an essential tool, helpingstaff to give hope to mothers and empowering them tochoose life.

“A lot of women feel they’re alone,” Barbara said. “They’renot. We don’t turn anyone away. We want people to seeChrist through the care we give.”♦

J.D. LONG-GARCÍA is the former editor of The CatholicSun, the newspaper of the Diocese of Phoenix.

Kelly Copeland, a member of Deacon Raphael Longpré Council 10441in Tucson, holds a mobile ultrasound machine, made possible through theKnights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.


“There’s suffering and there’s joy. We had a taste ofboth.” With these words, Michael Henthorn of All

Saints Council 14475 in Lake Wylie, S.C., recounts the ex-perience of losing his daughter, Lily-Ann Rose, before she wasborn.

Just 13 weeks into the pregnancy, Michael and his wife, An-drea, received a devastating prenatal diagnosis: Lily-Ann hadTrisomy 18, a genetic disorder that creates life-threateningmedical and developmental problems.

Each time specialists at the localmaternal-fetal medical center dis-cussed the prognosis, they offeredonly one solution: “We can termi-nate.” Michael recalled how onedoctor even referred to his daugh-ter as “the throwaway baby.”

Still, such callousness was offsetby kindnesses. The Henthorns re-ceived help and encouragementfrom Michael’s K of C council andothers. The family was also referredto Be Not Afraid (BNA), aCatholic service that offers supportto parents following difficult pre-natal diagnoses.

In addition to providing a localservice in the Diocese of Charlottefor couples like the Henthorns,BNA has earned a growing positivereputation in Catholic communi-ties nationwide. In 2012, the Supreme Council donated$50,000 to BNA in support of their efforts in this often-over-looked, yet increasingly urgent, dimension of the pro-lifemovement.

THE VALUE OF SUPPORTSandy Buck and Tracy Winsor developed BNA in 2008 afterencountering parents in a parish-based perinatal bereavementministry.

“Sometimes they would come to us after aborting, some-times after the birth of a baby, but not having told anyoneabout the diagnosis,” said Buck.

Eighty percent of parents end pregnancies complicated bya serious prenatal diagnosis, Winsor noted. But that percent-age is significantly lower when parents are offered compre-hensive support, she added, since most parents experiencinga prenatal diagnosis want a better option than abortion.

When no one in the medical community in Charlotte waswilling to establish a service provid-ing support to parents carrying toterm, Buck and Winsor found amedical counseling model that fittheir needs and made the necessaryadjustments to accommodateCatholic teaching. BNA was fea-tured in a national webinar hostedby the National Catholic Partner-ship on Disability in 2010 and wasincorporated as a private nonprofittwo years later. To date, BNA hassupported service developmentand/or provided workshops for dio-ceses in 10 different states.

Monica Rafie, who serves as chairof the BNA board, explained thatthe Supreme Council’s donationcontributed to these national out-reach initiatives: “The donation al-lowed us to focus nationally on

supporting other Catholic communities developing services,as well as serving parents outside the Charlotte Diocese. Wegreatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the Knightsin support of life.”

The Henthorns know the significance BNA and theKnights’ support firsthand. When Lily-Ann’s heart stoppedbeating at 15 weeks, Andrea’s doctor would not honor herwishes to deliver Lily-Ann by way of a hospital induction sothat Andrea could meet and hold her precious daughter.

CASTING OUT FEARCouples facing prenatal diagnoses find support and consolation from local Catholic services

by Marybeth T. Hagan

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“I wanted to see her. I wanted to count her fingers and toesand see how wonderfully made she was,” said Andrea.

BNA peers, however, were able to suggest another physi-cian, and three of them spent hours with Andrea during theinduction in April 2012.

“BNA support was incalculable in our healing process,”Michael added.

In the weeks that followed, Michael’s K of C councilarranged for three Masses to be said for Lily-Ann and pre-sented the family with three K of C teddy bears that bringAndrea comfort to this day.

“When you feel like no one could possibly understand whatyou are going through,” explained Andrea, “the presence of oth-ers who care deeply makes you realize how truly good God is.”

THE LILIES OF THE FIELDThe Archdiocese of Philadelphia has long recognized the needto offer comprehensive support for parents who receive diffi-cult pregnancy diagnoses, said Immaculate Heart of Mary Sis-ter Kathleen Schipani, director of the archdiocese’s Office forPersons with Disabilities and the Deaf Apostolate. Each year,more than 100,000 couples find themselves in this heart-wrenching situation.

“We feel like we’re on the right track thanks to BNA,” SisterSchipani said of the archdiocese’s newly instituted Lily’s Giftministry for parents carrying to term following a poor prena-tal diagnosis.

Sister Schipani applied BNA’s model of care and service tothe development and launch of Lily’s Gift in November 2013.“BNA’s trainers have extensive experience, and they are en-gaging presenters,” she said.

With BNA’s help, Lily’s Gift now has 16 trained peers and10 trained auxiliary volunteers to assist parents in thePhiladelphia area. Each peer either carried her baby to termafter a prenatal diagnosis or lost her child via miscarriage, still-birth or newborn death. This personal experience aids theirwork as companions and consolers.

“I’m in awe of the generosity of the peers. It’s a remarkable,sacred experience when people share from their own grief andare able to help others,” Sister Schipani said.

Kate and Gaetano Chetta of Audubon, Pa., turned to SisterSchipani for such support after seeing a notice about the group,which did not yet have a name, in their church bulletin.

“We wanted to make the most ethical and moral decisionsfor Liliana,” Kate said, referring to the daughter she carriedfor 26 weeks.

Above: Michael Henthorn of All Saints Council 14475 in Lake Wylie, S.C., and his wife, Andrea, are pictured on the steps of All Saints Churchwith their three children. Their fourth child, Lily-Ann Rose, died from prenatal complications. • Opposite page: Gaetano and Kate Chetta look upontheir stillborn daughter Liliana, whose name inspired the Catholic prenatal support service Lily’s Gift.

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During an early pregnancy screening, the Chettas learnedthat Liliana was at high risk for Down syndrome. After an ul-trasound at 20 weeks, Kate went to Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia for further testing. Liliana was diagnosed withcongenital CMV, an infection that causes premature birth andpermanent health problems or disabilities. Doctors recom-mended terminating the pregnancy. “They actually used theword ‘interrupt,’” Kate said. “We were left numb and inshock. We knew we weren’t going to do that.”

Liliana came into the world stillborn on April 25, 2013.“Sister Kathleen came and sat with me when I was induced

in the hospital,” Kate said. “She was invaluable.” Kate’s input, in turn, inspired naming the group Lily’s Gift

after Liliana. Sister Schipani said she was led to include Lil-iana’s name after Kate offered the scriptural passage: “Con-sider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toilnor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was notclothed like one of these” (Mt 6:28-29).

A BLESSING FOR FAMILIESThough it is only three months old, Lily’s Gift is already prov-ing to be a wonderful resource for parents, including Bea andAl Martin of St. Charles, Mo.

In the case of their son, Xavier, ultrasound tests were “hugeblessings,” Bea said. These tests indicated that their baby hadcomplex congenital heart defects that had to be addressed andprovided the family with time to plan ahead. The Martinsidentified the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as the bestlocation for Xavier’s birth and cardiac care.

“Without surgery upon birth,” Bea added, “our baby wouldhave died.”

Bea was already receiving BNA support when her peer ex-plained that BNA was supporting service development inPhiladelphia. As delivery approached, the Martins connected

with Sister Schipani and a Philadelphiapeer, both of whom were available tosupport the family in their adopted city.

Together, BNA and Lily’s Gift pro-vided prenatal support in the weeksbefore Xavier’s birth and in themonths since. Sister Schipani showedthe family around the city andarranged for a late-night baptism andconfirmation on the evening Xavierwas born. The surgery, in turn, was acomplete success.

“Xavier is truly a miracle,” said hismother.

Though not every story has a happyending, the assistance of groups like Be

Not Afraid and Lily’s Gift remains a blessing for families whoexperience loss as well as joy. Kate Chetta, for one, is happythat her Liliana lives on in the good works of Lily’s Gift.

“There is hope, goodness and purpose amid the grief andloss,” she said.

The Henthorns, too, recognize that God’s hand was presentthroughout their experience of losing Lily-Ann Rose.

“It was tough on my wife. It was tough on me,” saidMichael. “But we received so many graces. It brought us closertogether.”

The loss of her daughter has led Andrea to be more activein pro-life activities, including praying outside a local abor-tion facility, participating in the parish pro-life group, and re-cently completing online training as a BNA peer.

“Our family was forever changed by Lily-Ann,” she said. “Itis amazing that a person that little can have such an impact.”Tracy Winsor, co-founder of Be Not Afraid, contributed to this

article.♦

MARYBETH T. HAGAN writes from Rose Valley, Pa. She isthe author of Abortion: A Mother’s Plea for Maternity and theUnborn (Liguori/Triumph, 2005).

CATHOLIC RESOURCES FORPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS

Parents facing a difficult prenatal diagnosis can find com-prehensive support based on the Be Not Afraid model in thefollowing Catholic dioceses: Washington, New York,Philadelphia, Omaha, Charlotte, Providence, Allentown andRaleigh. For more information, visit the Knights of Colum-bus section under the resources tab at benotafraid.net.

Bea and Al Martin hold their son, Xavier, athome. The Martins received support fromBNA and Lily’s Gift following Xavier’s life-threatening prenatal diagnosis.

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ReunitedAfter 75 years, two brothers — and brother Knights — meet for the first time

by Michael C. Gabriele


Father Chuck Fuld, a past state chaplain ofCalifornia and member of Ascension Council7902 in San Diego, and his brother RobertMate, a past state deputy of New Jersey andmember of St. Augustine Council 6345 inKendall Park, N.J., share a laugh at Mate’s homein October 2013.

It was, at first glance, just anotherlarge family gathering on a Sun-

day afternoon in the suburbs of cen-tral New Jersey. On a breezy Octoberday, guys gathered around the televi-sion to watch football; childrenplayed in the backyard, kicking ballsthrough the fallen leaves; andwomen visited throughout thehouse, talking and sharing photos.

However, this family gathering wasfar from ordinary. It was the back-drop for an incredible reunion, a cel-ebration of two long-lost brothers,reconnected after being separated formore than seven decades.

The day began with Mass atnearby St. Augustine of CanterburyChurch in Kendall Park, with FatherCharles Fuld of the Diocese of SanDiego serving as celebrant. Address-ing the parishioners, he said, “It’s anabsolute delight to celebrate thisliturgy with you today at the invita-tion of my newfound brother,Robert Mate, and his family.”

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Later, the celebration shifted to Bob Mate’s home in NorthBrunswick, and the brothers recounted the striking family re-semblances they had recently discovered. Though the brothersclearly shared physical characteristics, their fraternal bondsran even deeper. Living apart for more than 75 years, eachman had embraced the Catholic faith, joined the Knights ofColumbus and even served in leadership roles with his respec-tive state council.

DIVERGING PATHSCharles Fuld and Robert Mate were born three years apartin New York City: Charles on Nov. 4, 1933, and Robert onJuly 12, 1936. Their mother, Theresa Mate, worked as a live-in domestic and sought assistance to care for the two boys.

As a baby, Charles stayed with the Fuld family in theBronx. Robert spent time at the New York Foundling Hos-pital, run by the Sisters of Charity, before he was placed witha foster family on Long Island. For a time, Theresa did herbest to make ends meet and visited each child as often as pos-

sible. Finally, no longer able to shoulder the burden, sheagreed to have the Fuld family adopt Charles.

Charles and Robert have the same birth father, but neitherknew him, and until recently, each was completely unawareof the other’s existence.

“I never knew I had a brother — not even the slightestidea,” Father Fuld said during the October family festivitiesin New Jersey. In fact, he has only a dim memory of seeing

his mother for the last time — at acourthouse in the Bronx when theadoption agreement was finalized.“The Fuld family wanted me, but atthe time the only thing I could thinkof was: Why didn’t my mother wantto keep me? I had the idea that Iwasn’t ‘good enough.’ Today, I can ap-preciate the stress that my mothermust have gone through.”

Robert Mate noted that it was notuncommon for people during thattime to be so poor that they couldn’tafford to feed their children. Headded, “You’ll never understand ourstory — about why my brother and Iwere separated and why my motherdid what she did — unless you under-stand what it was like to be broughtup during the Great Depression.”

Theresa Mate eventually marriedand reunited with Robert when he was14 years old. But the two “lost” broth-ers set off on separate life journeys.

Charles graduated from New YorkUniversity in 1955 and entered NavalOfficer Candidate School in New-port, R.I. He was commissioned as anensign one year later. He marriedElaine Gibbons on Oct. 5, 1957, andspent 20 years in the Navy, retiringwith the rank of commander. Thecouple had three children (Theresa,Linda and Michael) and for a periodof time lived in Hawaii and LongBeach, Calif., before eventually land-ing in San Diego. Elaine died in1969, leaving Charles to raise the

children as a single father.Following his wife’s death, Charles became involved in

community organizations. One night, on his way home froma Boy Scout meeting, he drifted off into a pensive mood. “Istopped and said to myself: ‘What am I going to do with therest of my life?’ My very next thought was: ‘Well, I know I’mcertainly not going to become a priest!’”

Those curious existential reflections stuck with Charles,who soon became immersed in Church activities and feltcalled to discern a priestly vocation. He entered St. Patrick’s

Seminary and University in Menlo Park and was ordainedJuly 12, 1986 — on what happened to be his brotherRobert’s 50th birthday.

Robert Mate, on the other hand, graduated from NewYork’s Power Memorial High School in 1953 and served inthe Air Force for four years. He studied electrical engineer-ing at the RCA Institute of Technology and later graduatedfrom Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a degreein business management. He has worked the last 27 yearsas the director of sales for the New Jersey-based Allied Bev-erage Group LLC. He married Patricia Werner and adoptedher daughter, Christine, who has special needs. (Patricia’sfirst husband died suddenly after just two years of mar-riage). Patricia and Robert then had three more children:Bridget, Julie and Robert.

HIDDEN HISTORYTheresa Mate passed away in 1978, having never revealedto Robert the story of his older brother. Nonetheless, thegaps in his early childhood continued to puzzle him. In thespring of 2012, his daughter contacted the Foundling Hos-pital and was able to obtain a 111-page file. Robert read thereport and learned he had an older brother.

“Can this be true?” Robert thought, in disbelief. “Why didmy mother tell me ‘no’ when I asked her whether I ever hadany brothers or sisters?”

Additional online research followed, and Robert locatedFather Fuld in San Diego.

In June 2013, he placed a call to The Southern Cross, thenewspaper of the Diocese of San Diego, where Father Fuldserves as the managing editor.

“I said I had a good story for him,” Robert recalled with amischievous smile.

From the start, it was a peculiar phone conversation asRobert recounted details of Father Fuld’s early life in theBronx, which he had obtained from the Foundling Hospitalfile.

Finally, Father Fuld asked in astonishment: “How do youknow all these things? Who are you?”

Robert answered: “I believe I’m your brother!” Two months later, Robert flew out to San Diego, where

the two men reunited with a joyful embrace. Following thatinitial meeting, arrangements were made for Father Fuld andhis family to come to New Jersey in October.

Their faces bearing an unmistakable family resemblance,Father Fuld and Robert have shared plenty of smiles sincetheir reunion, spontaneously interacting with one anotherand dispensing one-liners without missing a beat. Both meneven drive the same type of car — a 2010 beige Ford Fusion— which had virtually the same mileage at the time they re-connected.

A past state deputy and past state chaplain of the Knightsof Columbus, respectively, the two brothers also said thatthey treasure their membership in the Knights, since it em-bodies the values of the Catholic faith and the good work ofthe Church.

Mate first joined the Knights in 1962 when he lived in Fal-mouth, Mass. A member of St. Augustine Council 6345 inKendall Park, N.J., he served as chair of the New Jersey StateCouncil’s religious and civil rights committee for 12 years, asstate deputy (1992-1994) and as vice supreme master (2005-2009).

Father Fuld, a member of Ascension Council 7902 in SanDiego, joined the Knights in July 1992 after he became a pas-tor in the Diocese of San Diego. He served as a council chap-lain for many years, until finally serving as California statechaplain (2008-2009).

“When I was a pastor, I realized the Knights were my strongright arm,” Father Fuld said. “They supported the parish andmade things happen. They also serve as the welcoming handof the Church.”

Mate, meanwhile, was drawn to the Knights’ focus onbuilding a culture of life and helping the less fortunate.

“I went to my first state convention in 1977 as New Jerseywas rallying its membership to join the battle to fight the Roev. Wade decision,” Mate recalled. “It was at this convention Ialso recognized that the poor were in need of more assistancethan they were receiving.”

In recent years, Father Fuld has compiled tales of his life inan unpublished memoir, which he hopes to pass on to hischildren and grandchildren. However, considering the mo-mentous discovery of his long-lost brother, he admits that henow must rewrite many chapters of his autobiography.

“If there’s a grand, spiritual theme to our story, it’s this:Every time you think you have it all figured out, lo and be-hold, God pulls the string on you,” he said. “We must havefaith and be prepared for the unexpected things that God re-veals to us.”♦

MICHAEL C. GABRIELE is a freelance writer based inClifton, N.J.


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Brother Knights Robert Mate and Father Chuck Fuld visit at Mate’shome in New Jersey (above) and stand before the main altar at St. Au-gustine of Canterbury Church in Kendall Park, N.J. (opposite page).


bishop. The net proceedsfrom the dinner were do-nated to programs that assistpeople with intellectual dis-abilities. At the event, stateofficers also presented BishopDiLorenzo with $15,000from the Virginia StateCouncil to support diocesanvocations.

CONCRETE WORKAs part of the council’schurch maintenance pro-gram, Archbishop Fulton J.Sheen Council 7547 in Eliz-abeth City, N.C., installedconcrete handicap ramps andreplaced portions of the side-walk at Holy Family Church.Knights broke up old piecesof concrete and hauled awaythousands of pounds of dirtand stone to complete theproject.

tended the dedication of themonument, which honorsmembers from all branches ofthe service, past and present.

PROSTATE CLINICJoseph P. Doherty Council6730 in Morristown, Tenn.,hosted a prostate screeningclinic at the HamblenCounty Health Department.More than 160 men took ad-vantage of the clinic, whichwas offered at no out-of-pocket cost for patients.

ENTERTAINMENT FOR VETERANS

Holy Cross Assembly inLynchburg, Va., collected500 music CDs and 300DVD movies at two areachurches for donation to pa-tients at the Salem VA Med-ical Center. Meanwhile, St.

John Francis Regis Council7914 in Hollywood, Md.,collected DVD videos at itsparish and at local schools tobuild up the film library atthe Charlotte Hall Veteran’sHome.

BEEF RAFFLEMsgr. Adam A. Micek Coun-cil 8410 in Harrison, Ark.,raffled two sides of beef thathad been donated by aparishioner. The raffle netted$2,554 for the council’s char-itable fund.

BISHOP’S DINNERFather Robert W. MacDon-ald Council 395 in Rich-mond, Va., hosted a dinnerfor Bishop Francis X.DiLorenzo of Richmond tocelebrate the 25th anniver-sary of his ordination as

BENEFIT BREAKFAST

Bay Council 15135 in SuttonsBay, Mich., hosted a charitybreakfast to benefit a local boywho has brain cancer. Nearly100 guests attended the event,which raised more than$1,500 to support the boyand his family.

MILITARY MONUMENT

Our Lady of the Pines Coun-cil 9852 in Whiting, N.J.,planned, funded and erecteda military monument be-tween St. Elizabeth AnnSeton Church and the Man-chester Memorial Home.Knights conceived of theproject in 2012 and formed acommittee to find a suitablesite, architect and landscaper.More than 150 people at-

[Above] Members of Our Lady of the Incarnate Word Council15199 and Our Lady of the Incarnation Assembly, both in RioRancho, N.M., along with their families, load cases of bottledwater onto a truck for delivery to the village of Magdalena,about 125 miles south. Magdalena experienced a severewater shortage when the village’s only water well went drylast summer. In response, Knights hosted a bottled waterdrive to help the town weather the shortage until a new wellcould be drilled. • [Left] Mike Ybarra and David Avalos ofRobert B. Baca Council 2664 in Socorro, N.M., stand with aload of bottled water that the council collected for Mag-dalena. In response to the crisis, Knights set up several col-lection points to gather bottled water to aid residents.

KNIGHTS ACTION REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLESIN

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


bral palsy. Similarly, St.Thomas More Council 8129in Dallas, Ore., constructed aramp at the home of councilmember Kevin Kiel. Theramp will allow Kiel’s son,Tim, to enter and exit thehouse safely in his wheelchair.

FISHING TOURNAMENT

Bishop Fenwick Council2927 in Fenwick, Ohio, heldits annual Special Olympicsfishing tournament. Each of28 athletes was paired with afishing coach, who assistedthe athlete in landing theircatch. The council provideslunch, dinner and awards forathletes and their families.

COOKING FOR CHARITY

Our Lady of the Sacred HeartCouncil 11080 in WestBrookfield, Mass., cooked fortwo community events.Knights prepared food forBrookfield Heritage Day,which included a Civil Warcamp reenactment. Knightsalso cooked hamburgers, hotdogs and sausage for thetown’s Asparagus Festival,raising $1,500 for charity.

HAITIAN HOMEBelltown Council 6190 inEast Hampton, Conn., do-nated $1,000 to the HaitianHealth Foundation to build anew home for a family inJérémie, Haiti. The councildonated an additional $150to the home recipients topurchase a pregnant goat thatwill supplement the family’sincome.

RELIGIOUS ED SUPPLIES

Alamosa (Colo.) Council2096 regularly sponsors char-ity breakfasts to benefit the re-ligious education program atSacred Heart Church. Overthe past three years, Knightshave raised $9,000 to purchasebooks and other supplies.

ALZHEIMER’SAWARENESS

Homewood Council 4304 inBirmingham, Ala., launchedan Alzheimer’s awareness andsupport program at OurLady of Sorrows Church.The group features occasionaltalks, as well as bimonthlymeetings for people who havefamily members and friendswith the disease.

HELPING POLICEAll Saints Council 9441 inClinton, Ind., hosted a char-itable spaghetti dinner toraise funds for the ClintonPolice Department. Theevent raised $1,600 to helpthe department purchase newequipment.

WHEELCHAIR RAMPS

Middleboro-Lakeview (Mass.)Council 223 used the pro-ceeds from its annual funddrive for people with intellec-tual disabilities to erect an alu-minum ramp for a local3-year-old boy who has cere-

Francisco R. Camacho of St.Patrick Council 3051 inWilmington, Calif., gives acouncil-made faith packet toa first communicant at St.Peter and Paul Church.Knights gave packets that in-cluded a rosary, a pamphleton how to pray the rosaryand a eucharistic adorationprayer card to 170 first com-municants.

KNIGHTS ARE

LETTER BLOCKS: Getty Images

THE ORDER’S commitment to the pro-life cause isalmost legendary. In the years leading up to theSupreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, the pages ofColumbia sounded a clarion call at all levels forKnights in the United States to champion life fromconception to natural death. And over the past fourdecades, Knights have offered support at the Marchfor Life in Washington, D.C., watching it grow froma protest to a national movement that attracts thou-sands of people each year.

In Canada, Knights stage prayerful vigils outside ofabortion facilities, and Canadian Knights have re-cently gotten involved in the Knights of ColumbusUltrasound Initiative for the first time. And in thePhilippines, Knights have protested legislation thatwould expand access to abortion and contraception.

At the grassroots level, Knights routinely find in-ventive ways to help the pro-life cause. Here are justa few examples:

• Whitehaven Council 5062 in Memphis, Tenn.,spearheaded a drive in the Diocese of Memphis andthe Diocese of Jackson to purchase a new ultrasoundmachine for the Care Center of Southhaven throughthe Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.Among other fundraising, Knights held a pro-life dayat Colonial Hills Baptist Church, where they distrib-uted pro-life literature to attendees and organized a“Jail and Bail” event that netted $10,000.

• Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council 7612 in Ow-ings Mills, Md., presented a check for $11,700 to theTender Care Pregnancy Center. Funds for the dona-tion came from a pro-life baby bottle drive.

• Every Wednesday, members of Temecula Valley(Calif.) Council 9964 hold a prayer vigil outside of afacility that provides abortions and abortifacientdrugs. Knights pray the rosary outside of the facility,display signs and recite the Stations of the Cross.

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


An unidentified volunteerscrubs a headstone at theSt. Boniface Church ceme-tery as part of a beautifica-tion project undertaken bySt. Anthony Council 2439 inSublimity, Ore. Knightsraised $4,200 to renovatethe burial sites of three for-mer church pastors and toerect an iron fence and stonewalkway. Knights alsoworked with parish volun-teers, students and BoyScouts to clean the head-stones at the cemetery.

stalled parking curbs at thenewly renovated parking lotat Our Lady of St. John ofthe Fields Church.

CEMETERY CLEANING

Easton (Mass.) Council 238conducted its annual cleanupat the cemetery at Immacu-late Conception Church.Knights trimmed grassaround the gravestones tomake the cemetery more pre-sentable.

HELPING THE LEGION

St. Joseph Council 3402 inKeyport, N.J., hosted aspaghetti dinner completewith salad and dessert to ben-efit the American Legion inUnion Beach. More than 140people came to the event,which raised $1,875 to helpmake repairs to the AmericanLegion building.

MEALS FOR STUDENTS

Holy Family Council 9792 inMarietta, Ga., cooks regularlyfor Catholic students at the

PROJECT NICARAGUA

Mary, Star of the Sea Council4752 in Grand Island, N.Y.,collected about eight tons ofclothing, household items,toys and more for theNicaragua Mission Project,an organization that providesoutreach to poor communi-ties in Central America. Thecouncil also purchased severalcows for poor families to sup-plement their incomes.

WHEELCHAIR DONATED

Father Howard J. LeschCouncil 7667 in Niceville,Fla., presented a new wheel-chair to Daniel Davis, a Wal-Mart employee whom thecouncil met while conduct-ing its annual fund drive forpeople with intellectual dis-abilities at the store. Knightsobtained the wheelchairthrough the Order’s partner-ship with the Global Wheel-chair Mission.

PARKING CURBSSt. John of the Fields Council10887 in Mission, Texas, in-

VETERANS’ PICNICBishop Griffin Assembly inMercer County, N.J., andBishop George W. Ahr As-sembly in Allentown co-sponsored a picnic for 100veterans and staff from theLyons VA Hospital. Theevent featured food, enter-tainment and door prizes forall those in attendance.

‘SURVIVAL PACKS’Holy Name Council 7179 inShillington, Pa., prepared“survival bags” for peoplewho participated in a pro-lifewalk from Berks CatholicHigh School to CabriniAcademy. Each survival bagcontained an apple, a granolabar and a bottle of water forparticipants of the 2-milewalk, which was held to raiseawareness of pro-life issues.Knights also manned a grill atthe walk’s conclusion.

Georgia Institute of Technol-ogy. At the request of FatherKevin Peek, the school’s cam-pus minister, Knights preparethe food at their parish centerand transport it 18 miles tothe school since the univer-sity’s Catholic center has avery small kitchen. Themeals, in turn, provide thestudents with an opportunityto socialize and strengthentheir faith community.

ROSARY MINISTRYOur Lady of Lourdes Coun-cil 8768 in Selah, Wash.,provides ongoing support forcouncil member Bill Stilwa-ter to make handmaderosaries for missions aroundthe world. Stilwater is in awheelchair and on a ventila-tor, but this does not stophim from making thousandsof rosaries each year, whichsometimes include hand-sculpted roses made frommelted glass rods. Most re-cently, the council donated$600 to Stilwater’s project,not including donationsfrom individual members.The council also donated800 of Stilwater’s rosaries tofirst communicants at fiveparishes.

MOVING HELPSt. Anne-Oratory Council6756 in Rock Hill, S.C.,helped council member Eli S.Furo Jr. and his wife, Char-lotte, move from South Car-olina to New Hampshire tobe closer to family. Knightshelped the couple load amoving truck with their be-longings in lieu of hiring pro-fessional movers.

RECOVERY AFTERBREAK-IN

Bishop Nold Council 6557in Spring, Texas, donated$500 to St. John ChrysostomByzantine Catholic Churchafter a recent break-in inwhich equipment and severalicons were stolen.

Bob Gage of Father Richard Stohr Council 12175 in Seattleand Joseph James, Special Olympics chairman for theWashington State Council, present a check for $34,000 toBarrie MacDonald, chairman of Special Olympics Washing-ton, during the opening ceremony of the state summergames at Joint Base Lewis-McCord in Tacoma. The checkrepresents the funds that the Washington State Council andall local units collected for Special Olympics.

TOP: Photo by Rod Mar, courtesy of Special Olympics Washington)

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


dinner fundraiser for a circlemember who was injured ina fire. On April 26, ShaylerKeller was burned in an acci-dent at his home. He spent27 days in the burn center atthe University of KansasHospital, undergoing severalsurgeries. When news of theaccident reached Circle 2955,members planned a sit-downdinner for 250 people withfood prepared by members ofChillicothe Council 1084.The event also featured rafflesand auctions, and raised al-most $8,000 for the Kellerfamily.

BIBLES DONATEDAlpine (Texas) Council 5096donated $700 to purchase 50Bibles for Our Lady of PeaceChurch. The Bibles will beused by parish groups, as wellas religious education classesfor adults and children.

ANNIVERSARYRESTORATION

St. Kevin Council 13881 inMontreal, Québec, hosted abenefit dinner-dance to cele-brate the 75th anniversary ofSt. Kevin Parish. Knightsprovided food, service andentertainment for the event,which raised more than$2,000 to assist with churchrestorations.

ROAD TO RECOVERYSt. Dominic Council 3729 inNew Orleans hosted a charitydinner to benefit Ben Todd,a council member who wasseriously injured in a motor-cycle accident. Since his acci-dent, Todd has undergonemultiple surgeries and physi-cal therapy. The event, whichincluded dinner and prizes,raised close to $14,000 to as-sist with Todd’s daily livingexpenses.

INTO THE DESERTMsgr. John EppenbrockCouncil 3615 in Trenton,Mich., held its annual

REVERSE AUCTIONAt a recent clergy apprecia-tion event, Knights from On-tario District #53, 89 and102 held a reverse auction tobenefit Deacon FuadNeimer-Boutros, who was in-jured in an accident andwhose therapy is not coveredby insurance. The fundrais-ing netted more than $7,500to assist with Neimer-Boutros’ medical expenses.

CHARITY BALLJohn Tatham Assembly ofBurlington County, N.J.,held its annual charity ball ata local country club. Betweentwo raffles at the event,Knights raised approximately$34,000 for seminarians inthe Diocese of Trenton.

BURN VICTIMSt. Columban Circle 2955 inChillicothe, Mo., hosted a to the Southeast Texas Veter-

ans Service Group to assistwith purchasing regalia.STVSG provides proper mil-itary honors for the funeralsof deceased veterans in south-east Texas.

PIES FOR SMILESAt its monthly family dinner,Father John M. Grady Coun-cil 503 in Port Chester, N.Y.,hosted a pie auction to bene-fit Operation Smile. Knightsand their families donated allof the pies for the auction,which raised $240 to sponsorone cleft palate surgery for aneedy child.

GUNNING FOR ITSt. Cecilia Council 13357 inHouston, Texas, hosted a gunraffle that netted more than$7,000. A portion of themoney was donated to St.Cecilia Church to offsetparish debt and to supportmultiple parish ministries.The council also participatedin the parish’s annual springshooting social, which raisedan additional $11,000 for thechurch.

“Desert Meal” to raise fundsfor seminarians at SacredHeart Major Seminary inDetroit. The inspiration forthe event came from a desireto send the seminarians on a“desert experience” pilgrim-age in order to strengthentheir faith. The event raisedmore than $2,900 to helpsend the seminarians to visitholy sites in Europe.

FLOOR WAXINGLincoln (R.I.) Council 4005stripped and re-waxed thefloor at the parish hall of St.Joseph Church. Knightsspent the day redoing thefloor in preparation for anupcoming event and for allthe events that are held at thehall. Likewise, St. ColumbaCouncil 8637 in Chester re-moved all of the pews fromits church in order to stripand refinish the floor. Beforereplacing the pews, Knightsalso made minor repairs toany pews that were damaged.

MILITARY REGALIASt. Mary’s Council 6763 inFannett, Texas, donated $500

Fourth Degree Knights from in and around Grand Junction,Colo., stand with Special Olympics athletes who receivedmedals in a gymnastics competition at the Colorado SummerGames. Immaculate Heart of Mary Council 13621 in GrandJunction enlisted members from as far away as Denver tohelp at the event. Knights provided an honor guard for theopening ceremony and presented medals to athletes.

Two girls participate in a sackrace during a children’s day or-ganized by Father GrzegorzRoszczyk of St. Padre PioCouncil 15015 in Starachow-ice, Poland, and supported bymembers of the council. Theday included a bike ride, gamesand contests. Knights servedas safety marshals during theride, ensuring that participantswere monitored and helpingyounger children on more diffi-cult stretches of the route.

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


the family’s home at a timeand date of their choosing.Occasionally, when there is alarge extended family, thedinner is served at a churchhall. Launched more than 20years ago, this initiative pro-vides an opportunity for afamily to gather and reflectduring a difficult time.

HOMELESS PROMDenver Council 539 donateduse of its council hall for theDenver Homeless Ministry’sprom for homeless children.Knights ensured that the hallwas decorated for the eventand that the youths had a liveband, finger foods andpunch.

MILITARY CHALICESouth Dakota Knights ofColumbus presented a chal-ice to Father Andrew Youngin memory of Sir KnightSteven Jones. Father Youngis the first priest to be se-lected under a recent changeto the state’s chalice programthat extends eligibility tothose who are military chap-lains or have a commitment

STOLE AND VESTMENTS

Archbishop Edward A. Mc-Carthy Assembly of WestBroward County, Fla., pre-sented a Knights of Colum-bus stole and vestments tothe assembly’s faithful friar,Father Carlos Vega.

WHEELCHAIR LIFTShepherd of the Valley Coun-cil 10788 in Canutillo, Texas,donated $475 to purchaseand install a wheelchair lifton the car owned by councilmember Manuel Galvan andhis mother. Knight Joe G.Martinez took the lead on theproject, identifying a vendorto obtain the lift and takingit to the shop to be installed.

REMEMBRANCEMEALS

Whenever a local member ofthe Knights of Columbuspasses away, Father JosephBarnes Council 5299 in Cre-ston, British Columbia, or-ganizes a dinner for thefamily of the deceased. Thedinner is a full-course, sit-down meal and is delivered to

adults and children whomade their confirmation atSt. Mary’s Church.

TESTIMONIAL DINNER

Narragansett Council 21 inWesterly, R.I., held a testimo-nial dinner “roast” in honor ofFather Francis Giudice, chair-man of St. Pius X School. Theevent raised more than$10,000 for the school.

to serve in the military (pre-vious recipients were allmissionary priests). FourthDegree Knights fromthroughout the state pro-vided an honor guard for thepresentation, which was fol-lowed by brunch.

MEN IN BLACKFather Thomas F. PriceCouncil 2546 in Raleigh,N.C., hosted Bishop MichaelF. Burbidge’s annual “Men inBlack” picnic and kickballgame. The event is held tohonor seminarians from theDiocese of Raleigh. Follow-ing Frisbee and kickballgames, seminarians and theirfamilies, along with priestsfrom across the diocese, areinvited to the council’s hallfor dinner.

CURLING FOR MUSICSt. James Council 4557 inWinnipeg, Manitoba, do-nated $1,700 to St. CharlesSchool to purchase a newelectronic keyboard for theschool’s music program.Funds for the donation wereraised at the Manitoba StateCurling Bonspiel. A portionof the funds from the bon-spiel will also be used to pro-vide ice time for students tolearn how to curl.

A PROMISE FULFILLED

St. John Vianney Council10370 in Barrie, Ontario, ful-filled a seven-year, $75,000pledge to the Cancer Treat-ment Centre at the Royal Vic-torian Hospital. The councilwas able to surpass its goal by$1,000 — for a total dona-tion of $76,000 — by raisingfunds through its regularbingo games.

ROSARIES, POUCHESDONATED

Frederick Harrington Coun-cil 7863 in Marysville,Wash., donated 105 rosariesand carrying pouches to

Gerard Occhiuzzi of Our Lady of the Highway Council 3835in Little Falls, N.J., walks to collect money from a driver dur-ing the council’s annual fund drive for people with intellectualdisabilities. Knights solicited donations at a local intersection,raising more than $12,000 for various groups that work withpeople with special needs.

TOP: Photo by Rod Mar, courtesy of Special Olympics Washington)

Brian Boutte of Sacred HeartCouncil 10407 in Gardner,Kan., demonstrates atomato trellising technique toyouth volunteers at a com-munity garden sponsored bythe council. Located on afive-acre plot next to DivineMercy Church, the GardnerCommunity Garden consistsof small plots for individualsand families, and a largecommunal garden that isused to grow and sell veg-etables for people in need.Knights received a $5,000grant from Kansas State Uni-versity to develop the gar-den, as well as donationsfrom a local carpenter’sunion and members of theparish and community.Knights, youth volunteersand other civic groups main-tain the garden.

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


brought to a power equip-ment service center to deter-mine if it could be fixed.When this was not an option,the council collected funds tohelp Father Ugochuckwupurchase a new mower.

USO DONATIONSt. Gianna Molla Assembly inAlpharetta, Ga., donated$200 to the USO at theHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta In-ternational Airport. Knightswork with the USO to assisttroops who are coming fromand going overseas.

MEETING SPACEFor the past 20 years,Robert H. Jones Council3078 in Lincoln Park,Mich., has donated use of itscouncil hall for the Down-river Association for theBlind and Visually Impairedto hold its monthly lunch-eon meetings. In 1993, thenewly formed group wasdesperate to find a meetingspace when the Knights of-fered their support.

FIGHTING FOBClyde (Ohio) Council 1175held two breakfasts and abake sale to benefit a younggirl named Ali who is fight-ing Fibrodysplasia OssificansProgressiva (FOB), a rare dis-ease that affects only about185 people in the country.The events together raisedmore than $4,000 to assistAli and her family while shewaits for a full double-lungtransplant.

CHARITY DRIVETrinity Circle 2020 inVerona, Pa., held a drive atSt. Joseph Church to benefitneedy parents who are givenassistance through CatholicCharities. Squires collected25 packs of diapers and$472 in cash donations toassist single mothers and fa-thers with much-neededbaby supplies.

DINNER CRUISESt. Andre Bessette Council15162 in Stayner/WasagaBeach, Ontario, chartered aboat for a dinner cruise inGeorgian Bay for parish-ioners and the community.More than 100 people at-tended the event, which in-cluded an evening cruise,dinner and music. Thecruise raised $1,000 for re-pairs to St. Patrick’s Churchin Stayner and St. Noel Cha-banel Church in WasagaBeach.

RIDING MOWER REPLACED

When Father SabastianUgochuckwu was scammedinto purchasing an unusableriding lawnmower, Marlbor-ough (Mass.) Council 81stepped in to help him pur-chase a new one and recouphis losses. Knights firstarranged to have the mower

COMFORT-A-VETSt. Joachim Circle 5086 inBartlett, Tenn., launched its“Comfort-A-Vet” program toprovide care packages to vet-erans. Squires collected toi-letries and packaged theminto gift bags for the Mem-phis VA Medical Center.

STATIONS REPAIRED

Brother Mathias BarrettCouncil 10560 and St.Joseph the Worker Assembly,both in Albuquerque, N.M.,repaired the outdoor Stationsof the Cross at St. Joseph onthe Rio Grande Church.Knights installed new rail-road ties and gravel at the sta-tions, which had weatheredover the years.

GARBING ALTARSERVERS

Father McRedmond Council3175 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.,donated a full set of cassocksand surplices for the altarservers at St. Mary Church.Previously, the servers hadbeen forced to wear attirethat was very old and worn.

Chuck MacDonald of Daniel Patrick Sullivan Council 10208in Hot Springs, Ark., looks on as a Special Olympics chaper-one plays the council’s ring-toss game during the ArkansasSummer Games at Harding University in Searcy. For the past10 years, Knights have run the “Olympic Town” at the games,a place where athletes, chaperones, friends and family canrelax in a non-competitive atmosphere by playing games andparticipating in other fun activities.

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Al Capuano of St. Luke theEvangelist Council 14895 inIndianapolis fits a young riderwith a bicycle helmet during acouncil-sponsored barbecueand bike inspection event.Knights provided an opportu-nity for children to have theirbikes inspected, while alsomaking sure that their helmetsfit correctly and that they knewthe proper rules for biking onthe road. The council also pro-vided helmets to children whodid not already own one.

CORRECTIONSThe November 2013 articletitled “Ringing From onHigh,” featuring the 50thanniversary of the KnightsTower Carillon at the Basil-ica of the National Shrine ofthe Immaculate Conceptionin Washington, D.C., mis-takenly omitted the fact thatthe carillon must be playedby a musician. Dr. Robert B.Grogan, who has served asthe Shrine’s carillonneursince 1964, presented aprelude and postlude ofcarillon music during theOrder’s Year of Faith pil-grimage Sept. 8, 2013.

A photo caption in the No-vember issue misidentifiesthe Knight pictured on page9. The man featured in thephoto is Tom Weber.

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PROMOTIONAL & GIFT ITEMS

A. Khaki Cap. Red Canoe™ soft-front cotton twill cap embroidered with the emblem of the Orderon the front in grey thread. — $14

B. Long-Sleeve Denim Shirt. 100% cotton denim shirt with button-down collar, horn-tone but-tons, a patch pocket, button-through sleeve plackets, adjustable cuffs and a tuck-in tail. Emblemof the Order embroidered on right breast in tan thread to match the stitching on the shirt. (Per-sonalized or Fourth Degree emblem shirts also available.) Available in M-XL: $38 each;2X: $40 each; and 3X: $41 each.

C. Knit Cap. Jacquard knit beanie cap in charcoal grey with a black contrast stripe. “Knights ofColumbus” woven into acrylic fabric. Fleece lining provides no-itch comfort and warmth. — $13

D. Ashworth® Half-Zip Jacket. Easy-care 100% polyester doeskin. Water- and wind-resistantwith a soft jersey lining and a mock neck. This jacket has set-in sleeves, partial elastic cuffs, a draw-string waistband and onseam pockets. Emblem of the Order embroidered in matching thread onthe left breast. (Personalized or Fourth Degree emblem jackets also available.) Available inM-XL: $68 each; 2X: $70 each; and 3X: $71 each.

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David (last name not given), a patient atthe pediatric dialysis unit at St. Joseph Hos-pital, plays with a tablet computer that wasdonated by San Antonio de Padua Council9195 in Anaheim, Calif., while undergo-ing treatment. During a visit to the hospi-tal, council member Jack O’Connor got theidea to donate entertainment items for useby the young patients. Knights donated tel-evisions, iPads, and a Nintendo Wii systemwith games — all valued at more than$3,000 — for children to use while under-going the three-hour dialysis procedure.

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.

J ANUARY 2 0 1 4 ♦ CO LUMB I A ♦ 33

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

‘I SIMPLY TRY TOLISTEN MORE THAN

GET IN THE WAY.’I call it the spirituality of the rearview mirror

— looking back at our lives, we can sometimessee God working more clearly than we can inthe moment. During college, I worked withthe Brothers of the Christian Schools in pro-grams for underserved youth, and there discov-ered an overwhelming sense of wholeness,peace and fulfillment. There were no grandmoments, just subtle, grace-filled instances thatkept urging me forward.The classroom is a privileged place to re-

spond to the call of the Gospel to love ourneighbor — by teaching, mentoring, listening,and walking with young people on their jour-ney of faith. Every day, my students are mani-festations of Jesus. Our founder, St. JohnBaptist de La Salle, tells us to touch the heartsof our students. But it is usually they whotouch my heart!The reason I am a brother today continues

to be God’s responsibility — I simply try to lis-ten more than get in the way. My life of prayer,community and the call to serve are clearly theways that God continues to work in my life.

BROTHER DAVID DERADOORIAN, FSCBrothers of the Christian SchoolsNapa, Calif.

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Columbia January 2014