The CrossA Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of ColumbusCBCP Monitor. Vol. 19. No. 4 February 16 - March 1, 2015

K of C Foundation Conducts Scholarship Qualifying Exam

THE 38th Fr. George J. Will-mann, SJ Annual Family Ser-vice Awards will be held on March 6 to 8 at the Bellevue Hotel and Resort , Panglao, Bohol.

With the theme “SOARING 60s”, participants are expected to wear costumes inspired by glamorous and glittering rock and roll era.

Awardees are allowed to bring their spouse while those under higher categories are entitled to l ikewise bring their two children to visit some tourist spots in Panglao Island (which is known for its diving loca-tions and tourist resorts) such as Panglao Church, Watch Tower, Bohol Bee Farm, Loboc River Cruise with lunch on-board floating restaurant. Other at-tractions include Blood Com-pact, Baclayon Church, Man-made Forest, Tarsier Sanctuary and Chocolate Hills.

The Annual Awards will be graced by the key officers of the KCFAPI and Group of Compa-nies. Dress code for the awarding ceremonies would be Barong for men and Filipiniana or evening gown for ladies.

Structural Enhancements for the Foundations

THE Knights of Columbus Philippines Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI) recently ad-ministered the scholarship qualifying examination to one hundred seventy (170) graduating high school students from all over the Philippines. The examination was conducted simultaneously at the KC-FAPI Center in Intramuros, Manila and at KCFAPI Service Offices in Cabanatuan, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City. In addition, special Testing centers were also set-up in Iloilo and Zamboanga City to accommodate applicants from said areas and nearby provinces.

The scholarship is open to graduat-

ing high school students with at least an 85% general weighted average and whose father is a Knights of Columbus member in good standing. Active members of Columbian Squires are also qualified to apply for the scholarship. The KCPFI Collegiate Scholarship Committee will have to select the new scholars based on three main criteria: 1) results of the scholarship qualifying examination, 2) financial capability of the family and 3) High School scholas-tic record. Examination results will be released by the last week of March, 2015 while the final list of scholars will be an-

nounced within the month of April. To date, the KC Philippines Foundation, Inc. has already supported a total of 311 collegiate scholars, 114 vocational and 1 high school in line with its mis-sion “to provide continued educational support to deserving children of active members of the Knights of Columbus and charitable assistance in the spirit of the founder of the Order of the Knights of Columbus, Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney, and in accordance with the social teachings of the Church.”

As for the religious scholarships under the Knights of Columbus Fr. George J.

Willmann Charities, Inc. (KCFGJWCI), the Foundation continues to accept ap-plications until the final deadline on April 15, 2015. Scholarships for Theology are open to diocesan-seminarians while Schol-arships for Local Licentiate/Doctorate Studies are open to diocesan-priests who are Chaplains or Assistant Chaplains of the Knights of Columbus. The Religious Scholarship Committee will evaluate all the applications based on household income, intellectual capability, level of formation, willingness to serve the Church as well as the economic condition of the family of the applicant, geographical

consideration, and the recommendation from the Bishop / Rector of the seminar-ies / Parish Priest and medical records. New religious scholars will be announced within the month of May 2015. To date, KCFGJWCI has 132 ordained Priests, 4 ordained Deacons, 18 Theology graduates with no schedules of ordination yet; 26 graduates of Local Licentiate/Doctorate Studies and 27 Rome scholars.

For more details interested parties may contact the office of the Knights of Colum-bus Fr. George J. Willmann Charities, Inc. at 527-2223 local 220 and 221. (Denise Ortiguerra)

In photo are scholarship applicants who took the qualifying examination at the KCFAPI Center in Intramuros, Manila last February 7, 2015.

38th Annual Family Service Awards in Bohol

Cash prizes will also be given away for those who will be ad-judged the best in costume and best in presentation.

For more information, you may contac t the KCFAPI-F B G De p a r t m e n t a t t e l e -phone number s (02 ) 527-

2243 or (02) 527-2223 and look for Jerome De Guzman or Blenda Porillo. (KCFAPI News)

KCFAPI Awards Death BenefitBRO Mauricio P. Pan-gda of the North Eastern Luzon Cavaliers (stand-ing rightmost) looks on after presenting a check to Sister Angelina Dali-pog (center) represent-ing Death Claim pro-ceeds amounting to P1,001,017.68. Sis. An-gelina is the daughter and sole beneficiary of the late Sis. Emilia Elig.

After the check was handed, Mr. and Mrs. Calixto and Angelina Dalipog thanked Bro. Pangda and said that they are thankful to the good Lord and KCFAPI for this blessing bestowed on

their family despite the demise of their mother. Mr. Dalipog also expessed his intentions in joining the Order, while Mrs. An-gelina Dalipog, said that she will join the insurance program of KCFAPI for security of her family and to show her appre-ciation for the sincerity of KCFAPI in providing its promised benefits to all its Benefit Certificate Holders.

The presentation of benefit was held during the council meeting of Loyola Council 6219 in Kalinga. (Rick Jayson Mariano)

Congratulations, Ms. Rowena “Weng” Diapolit

KCFAPI is pleased to announce the pro-motion of MS. ROWENA M. DIAPOLIT from Financial Management and Ac-counting Services Manager to Vice Presi-dent – Financial Reporting & Controls effective February 1, 2015.

As VP-Financial Reporting & Controls, Ms. Diapolit will be responsible in the Financial Reporting and Controls of KC-FAPI and its wholly-owned or majority-owned companies.

Ms. Diapolit is a Certified Public Accountant and a Cum Laude gradu-ate from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Since the time she was hired in 2005 as Accounting Supervisor, Ms. Diapolit has earned the designations as Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Associate in Customer Service (ACS) of the Life Office Management Association (LOMA) – an international

trade association for the insurance and financial services industry which provides quality employee training and develop-ment. (Annie Nicolas)

IN line with the unified thrust of the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI), the KC Philippines Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI) and the Knights of Columbus Fr. George J. Willmann Charities, Inc. (KCF-GJWCI) – all of which intend to optimize activities this 2015 in support of the Year of the Poor; both KCPFI and KCFGJWCI are now formalizing a number of structural enhancements aimed at strengthening their joint capability to pursue various projects/ endeav-ors for the Poor.

As already approved by the KCFAPI Board and Management, subject structural enhancements primarily entail the designation of selected KCFAPI Officers who will voluntarily serve and handle specific areas in the Foundations on a more formal basis. Under the new set-up, KCFAPI EVP Ma. Theresa Curia will concurrently act as EVP for both Foundations. In addition, operational functions within each Foundation will now be decentralized with the appoint-ment of additional Executive Directors in both Foundations. As such, there will now be five (5) Executive Directors (EDs) in each Foundation specializing in the fol-lowing areas, viz:

• ED – Finance & Ways and Means – KCFAPI VP Mary Mag-

dalene G. Flores• ED – Scholarships – KCFAPI

VP Angelito A. Bala• ED – Cause – KCFAPI VP

Ronulfo Antero G. Infante• ED – Promotions – KCFAPI

VP Gari M. San Sebastian• ED – Special Projects &

Museum – Executive Director Roberto T. Cruz

To handle legal concerns for both Foundations, KCFAPI Legal Manager, Atty. Neil Jerome A. Rapatan will now be designated as Foundation Legal Officer.

The Board and Management of the Foundations, in coordina-tion with KCFAPI, have already lined up various activities for both Foundations including a number of fund-raising thrusts such as a Charity Birthday Dinner, a Fun Run, a Bingo Social, a Charity cruise, the establishment of Pro-fessorial Chair Scholarships and the continuous solicitation of new Willmann Fellows.

Listed Projects for the Poor, on the other hand, include the completion of the K of C Bahayni-han (A Fr. Willmann Housing Project) in Tacloban, a Livelihood Program on Cosmetology, more scholarships funded by personal/external funds.

The Foundations will also seek to generate more participative in-volvement of its alumni-scholars -

Foundations, C3

C2 The CrossFebruary 16 - March 1, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 4

Sharing Relevant Love

TO our readers, especially our Brother Knights, may February be a month filled with love that is relevant and meaningful. With all men created as social beings, we simply cannot live our earthly lives without other people. We need our family, friends and all our acquaintances to define who we are and what our role is in this world.

We need to constantly consider our needs and as well as those of others so we can maintain an orderly and harmonious environment. This leads us to create relationships which vary according to how much we value each and every person around us. The closer one is to us, the more we say we love them.

Love is such a generic term which may refer to almost anything, from people to objects and even non-objects. Most immediate is our love for our family members whom we have nurtured all our lives and we would protect the best way we can. Over time, family becomes extended to our close friends, especially for that special someone who becomes our lifelong spouse.

In school, we were taught to love our fellowmen. This is much broader as these include not only family and friends, but even our neighbours and our countrymen. In fact, it covers everyone - all of mankind.

Last month, we were blessed with the visit of Pope Francis who dem-onstrated to us how one can love everyone. His battle cry of Mercy and Compassion made us think “out of the box” to realize that we can give love to many more men. During his brief stay, aside from the importance of family and the religious, the Pope highlighted the poor, the underprivi-leged and the unfortunate, particularly the Yolanda victims in Tacloban.

Wherever he went, no money or material goods were distributed. All he gave us were his messages of love and understanding to share mercy and compassion to each and every person. At every occasion, Pope Francis left everyone inspired to at least try to give love to our neighbour anchored on our faith in God .

This month of February, let us not forget Pope Francis’ call for love thru mercy and compassion. The Knights of Columbus and KCFAPI have been doing their part in loving our fellow brothers by providing them not only brotherhood and fraternity, but more so, important insurance protection against any sudden and costly misfortunes. Let us continue to share relevant and meaningful love to our brothers. Likewise, thru our two Foundations, we continue to reach out to the poor and desolate particularly during this whole year of the Poor as we try to offer a better environment to them. Vivat Jesus!

Alonso L. Tan

Chairman’s Message

President’s Message

Roberto T. Cruz

Ma. Theresa G. Curia

Arsenio Isidro G. Yap

Giving Love Thru Our Foundations

Michael P. Cabra

A Bigger Kind Of Love

Life Insurance – Love Insurance

Curia Settings

My Brother’s Keeper

Touching Base with the Foundations

Special Feature

NOWADAYS, young people communicate through cell phones, becoming text friends. Others go to some extent as text mate leading to a more personal relationship.

In my time, it was through letters as pen-pals and thru telephones as phone pals. My cousins and I had a lot of common phone pals whom we came to know by randomly dialing numbers. At times, we do not even know the numbers we had dialed and missed the opportunity to call them again and meet with them. Some of them would

be a tease as they’re willing to converse with us for hours but would refuse to give their numbers in the end.

Others were daring enough to give us their phone numbers and agreed to meet with us. Fifty percent of the time we’ll drop them from our list as they are not ideal for us. The other half had good or very good potentials to further explore a more than friends only relationship. Through this type of communication, I have heard and listened to all types of voices, sweet, tomboyish and very inviting or what we call then as bedroom voice.

I first came to know my first girlfriend through a phone call. She was introduced to me by a cousin of mine. Upon hearing her voice for the first time, I felt that there was something special in her. Something tells me that she could be the one I would spend the rest of my life with.

Other methods of socializing with girls were in parties. We party a lot. At least once a month. I started to party at the age of 13. The youngest of us was 11 and the oldest were in their twenties. We are either invited to parties or we organized them ourselves.

Twenty pesos would be enough to about fifty persons. We’ll have spa-ghetti, sandwiches and juices. Food was not much of a consideration then. What was important was to party and dance the night away.

While dancing in one of the parties we organized at our house, I caught a glimpse of a girl from the corner of my eye. My heart started to beat fast telling me there’s something special with this girl who just walked in. I immediately let go of the girl I was initially dancing with (me kabastusan ano?) and proceeded to approach this special girl who caused my heart to beat faster and made me uneasy.

To my surprise, she was the same girl introduced to me by my cousin over the phone. It confirmed what I felt before. There’s something special with this girl telling me she could be the one I’ll be spending my whole life with. That night was so special and so important that I was oblivious to the other people around especially girls. “Binakuran ko siya” (Fenced her off) the whole night from other kids who wanted to dance with her. Nobody could dance with her except me.

Every night thereafter, we talked for hours until I proposed to her after about a month or so. We became sweethearts in the following months. We were fourteen then. Our relationship was not without its ups and downs. We had some issues but we opted to hold on.

Our relatives and friends cautioned us that we were too young to have a serious relationship. Young as we were, time bore out that we were not too young to be responsible. We remained sweethearts until we got married ten years later on July 8, 1979. I was twenty four and she was almost of the same age. She was the former Ana Maria V. Rubio, Annie for short. We’re on our way to our 36th Anniversary come July 8 of this year.

She was my first and only girlfriend. I loved her then, I love her now and I’ll love her forevermore.

LOVE is a universal need. It is as basic to us, humans like air or water. We grow to reach our optimum humanity with all the love that we experience.

Although universal, love takes different forms, tastes, colors and shapes. At different stages of our lives, particular types of love fill up the vacuums of our beings. The unconditional love of parents for children fills the very first need that we crave for. Love for friends as we are growing up, then eros for the opposite sex, the romantic love for lovers and lifetime partners, the filial love and family love come to us at those different stages of our lives.

Not that all types of love are perfect. From love we made mistakes, we got hurt, broken, cheated, became bitter. These negative effects of wrong or lost love caused some changes in us, sometimes not good changes. Some made us learn our lessons, pushed us to our limits until we could move on despite the pain.

But the good kinds of love completed us, made us better persons, made us merciful and

compassionate. When we expe-rience forgiveness from people who love us and whom we love, we become accepting of others and even more accepting of our-selves and our limitations. They made us unselfish, brought out the best in us, made us wake up on bad days to continue serving. They put smiles on our faces, dreams in our sleep, and reasons to hope.

Psychologists tell us that as we mature, our love transcends our personal needs and experi-ences. As our souls expand, we get initiated into a wider, more unselfish kind of loving which could enter the agape stage. We become more part of a wider community, even feeling the pains of humanity and even of creation. Our concerns start to include the needs of a bigger community and our being feels that we have been part of a past and responsible for a future.

This of course happens not only when we mature psycho-logically, but more so when we grow spiritually. When we start to enter into a personal rela-tionship with God to whom we

know we will go home one day, our God reveals to us that we are truly part of a bigger whole. That if we are serious in becom-ing more into the image of God, we cannot but be part of time and space and of relationships that matter. And we find that when we are initiated into a community that does these, we become more fulfilled. Then it becomes a cause, an advocacy, a commitment to a mission. This kind of love is agapeic, even a spirituality that makes us part of the Wider Scheme of things. It makes us reconciliatory, a magnet of unity, forgiving, creative.

Love makes us human, makes us grow, makes us whole. It leads us to our mission, to our identity. And why not - it even transforms us into the image of God who is LOVE. So Love makes us also almost divine.

The Knights of Columbus Fra-ternal Association of the Philip-pines, Inc. (KCFAPI) as the lead company for its wholly-owned and majority-owned companies will strive to intensify the con-cern for the poor as it performs

its thrusts for the years ahead. Specific leaders were already identified to pursue the different inherent action plans for 2015. Last February 6, 2015, employees attended a short re-orientation on the “Year of the Poor “ from no less than KCFAPI’s Spiritual Director, Msgr. Pedro. C. Qui-torio III. We know that there is a calling. We know that we need to have personal experiences with the marginalized sector of our society. We know that we are beggars from the treasures of the poor as we enrich ourselves when we learn from their experiences. We know that we have to see the realities of life. We pray that the Lord God continue to impress upon us and direct us towards achieving true and genuine Love in the performance of our duties and responsibilities. (The au-thor, Sis. Ma. Theresa G. Curia is the Executive Vice President & COO of the Knights of Colum-bus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) and is also the Diocesan Regent of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate International (DMII) – Diocese of Malolos.)

WHAT do Love and Benefit Certificate have in common? More than you might imagine. Love is the motivation behind almost all benefit certificate availment. We avail a fraternal benefit service because we love our family and we want to protect them financially. It is commonly called Life Insurance, but it could just as easily be labeled Love Insurance. Availing a benefit certificate is really an expression of love. It allows our loved ones to know that we care so much about them and that we’ve made plans to provide for their well-being…even after we’re gone.

If we care for our loved ones, we will pro-tect our life for them. The greatest means we can prove our love to them is our ability to provide the basic needs even if we are no longer around. For this need our best solution is KC Assurance Plan. Affordable yet offers the highest amount of protection.

If we value our kids’ future we will assure their college education. The best legacy we can give to our kids is the gift of education. For this, KC Enhanced College Plan is our solution. It is like sending our kids to col-lege now while we are still strong and able. Tomorrow is uncertain. The health and income we are enjoying right now might no

longer be the same when our kids start their college education.

If we value our hard earned money we will place it in a guaranteed investment tool. The safest and surest way to grow your treasure is through the gift of investment. For this, KC Investment Plan is highly recommendable. Conservative yet gives the highest amount of earnings for your money compared to a bank time deposit. It is like our money working for us plus increasing our human economic value.

KC Investment plan is only five (5) years to invest and doubles the insurance protection starting on the third (3rd) year onwards. It offers three (3) investment options: ten years (10) or short term (ST), fifteen years (15) or medium term (MT), and twenty years (20) or long term (LT). It gives five (5) cash bonuses of twenty percent (20%) of the initial insur-ance starting at the end of the fifth (5th) year and the final bonus of one hundred percent (100%) at the end of the maturity period.

Here is a sample illustration of benefits for option 10 or ST. For an investment plan of Php100,000.00 insurance coverage, a brother knight age 40 will only invest an amount of Php32,980 yearly for the next 5 years. Beginning at the end of the fifth (5th) year

and the next 4 years thereafter (6th, 7th, 8th and 9th) he will start receiving twenty percent (20%) of Php100,000.00 or Php20,000.00. At the end of the maturity period or tenth (10th) year he will receive PhP100,000.00 together with the accumulated dividends (not guaranteed) of PhP25,396.00. His total investment is PhP164,900.00 but his total benefit at the end of the 10th year amounts to PhP225,396.00, an earning of PhP60,496.00. Our hard earned money will never achieve this if you will just leave it in our savings account. Not to mention the additional human economic value we will attain because of the insurance protection.

For Option 15 or Medium Term: total amount of investment is Php143,000.00 while total amount of benefit is PhP236,871.00 equivalent to an earning of Php93,771 for 15 years.

For Option 20 or Long Term: total amount of investment is PhP128,050 while total amount of benefit is Php248,035.00 equiva-lent to Php119,985 earning for 20 years.

Whatever is the insurance need, which-ever insurance solution you choose, it is the measure and the reflection of how much we love our family... our loved ones. Have a love month... Have a love insurance.

THE LOVE month of February is here again and once more, everybody is excited to celebrate the month’s highlight - VALEN-TINE’S DAY. The love fever is so intense that many individuals subtly “broadcast” to all that they are in love or give love by wearing bright red clothing and accessories. In fact, everywhere you go, red is the predominant color of the season.

Our Foundations, the KC Philippines Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI) and the Knights of Columbus Fr. George J. Willmann Charities, Inc. (KCFGJWCI) also give love but in their own silent ways. In fact, we can say that the Foundations simply do not limit giving love to the month of February. With its various programs and activi-ties, primarily the scholarships, KCPFI and KCFGJWCI are able to share love to the needy and the underprivileged on a more permanent basis – at times, even for a lifetime.

My parents told us long ago that the only treasure which can-not be stolen from an individual is his/her EDUCATION. With proper commitment and initia-tive, our education is the primary vehicle that will transport us to greater heights in life – for many of our scholars, a worthy escape from the clutches of poverty and hopelessness.

As in other Foundations, funds maybe limited, hence, our Foun-dations have to make sure that the biggest impact possible for the “LOVE” shared thru the

scholarships is attained. Unlike our Lord, Jesus, who performed a number of miracles such as the multiplication of bread and fish, the raising of the dead, healing of the blind and sick – to help con-vince His followers of His love for them and to encourage them to follow Him, the Foundations obviously do not have such di-vine capabilities. This is the main reason why the Foundations cannot be as generous with their scholarships. Prescribed criteria are implemented to select only the most qualified and deserving from among the many applicants who can best succeed in improv-ing their lives. Some may say that “true” love should not be selec-tive, even citing Christ’s choice of poor, uneducated fishermen and some discards of society to form His unlikely group of apostles and disciples. If the Foundations were somehow gifted with un-limited funds, we would be able to indiscriminately give schol-arships to anyone who asked, regardless if they are qualified or not. In such case, those with lower educational capabilities would probably drop out after a few semesters thereby wasting the funds already invested by the Foundations for their future. The reality however is that with limited funding resources, our Foundations CANNOT AF-FORD such wasteful losses. We therefore select those who we determine to possess both the intellectual ability and personal initiative and commitment to be able to graduate and hopefully

succeed in life.They say: “God helps those

who help themselves!” We be-lieve that both Foundations only play the role of Initiators that provide a means to start our scholars’ lifelong voyage along the Road to progress in their life or vocation. We want our voyager-scholars to be well equipped to meet and surpass the wide range of challenges in life. This supports the need to select only the best among the many that approach us for help. They must help themselves after the Foundations give the initial push to help them.

As in any farm or plantation, the Foundations pick the “most fertile ground so that the harvest will be bountiful”. We want to help the poor, the needy and the underprivileged by permanently improving their career, their vocation and their life; NOT by creating a short-lived illusion that anyone can complete a College education even without proper preparation and qualification.

The Foundations’ love for their scholars is similar to a par-ent’s love for his children which aims to instill personal develop-ment and growth, strength of character and commitment by maintaining direction and dis-cipline. Through their approved selection criteria, KCPFI and KCFGJWCI, effectively “do not spare the rod to spoil the child”. Those who fail to perform as expected and as committed for the duration of their studies face the consequences for having

“wasted” their rare opportunity. The Foundations then reallocate the limited resources to give a chance to help other poor and needy qualified applicants.

To our readers, particularly our scholars and more so, our alumni-scholars, both Collegiate and Religious, please remember that it is through all of you that the Foundations are able to reach out and spread their love and as-sistance to our society. Through your respective achievements and successes, the Foundations believe that they have given a love that counts and has somehow helped create a brighter future for each scholar and alumni concerned. Now it is your turn to generate more love that will in turn help improve the lives of other people who are poor, hopeless and underprivileged today just as some of you were entrapped in poverty and un-certainty in the past. Therefore, we invite you to help others and generate more love by possibly supporting the Foundations in any way you can.

Lastly, love should not only be during the month of Febru-ary, but must be continuous throughout the whole year. To our present scholars, study hard to fulfill your dream for a bet-ter future you have started with us. On the other hand, for our alumni-scholars, if you now have the capability, are you willing to help start the improvement in another poor kid’s life? Help give and share love thru our Foundations.

“OH Romeo, Romeo! Where-fore art thou Romeo?” See Juliet stand by the balcony and wait for her Romeo to catch her falling…falling…in love with him. Hmm, I hope I got that right or Shakespeare will exhume himself from his own grave, grab Cupid’s bow and heart-pointed arrow then shoot me.

The 14th of February had a lot of influences on how we ended up celebrating it. As a matter of fact, there’s a bunch of St. Valentine who has dif-ferent dates of feast each and were said to have influenced Valentine’s Day. There’s one St. Valentine who was said to give out cut out hearts from parch-ments that were given out to soldiers and persecuted Chris-tians “to remind these men of

their vows and God’s love”. Another is a St. Valentine who performed secret weddings for Roman soldiers who were not allowed to marry under Ro-man Emperor Claudius II for he believes married men will not make for a good soldier and by which resulted for the saint’s imprisonment. Legends also say that he healed a jailer’s daughter, and before he was beheaded he left a letter to the girl signed “Your Valentine”. There are even other celebrated patron saints of love like St. Anthony, St. Vincent, and St. Gregory. In some countries, such as Finland and Estonia, St. Valentine’s Day is mainly considered as Friendship or Friend’s Day. While in certain parts of the Middle East, Val-

Where is the Love?

Where Is The Love, C3

C3The Cross February 16 - March 1, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 4

THE Scholastics had a fire department, and a real fire engine. They were supposed to control the fires in the area around Woodstock. The Jesuits themselves would point out to visitors various heaps of charred ruins, saying: “Those are monuments to the Woodstock fire depart-ment.”

Once in June, in the hot summer, while all the philosophers and theologians were deco-rating the house for ordinations, a local boy rode up to the front door on a bicycle and said, breathlessly: “Could I see the fahr chief?” In Maryland, fire was pronounced “fahr”. The Scholastic decorating the front door said: “He’s around the back!” So the boy rode around to the back, on his bicycle. But everyone he asked gave him new directions. After about an hour he came back to the front door and said, wearily: “Do you know where I can find the fahr chief?” The Scholastic, who had first seen him an hour ago, felt sorry for the boy. He said:

“Why? Why are your looking for him?” The boy answered: “There’s a fahr!”

So the Woodstock fire department went roaring out to find the fahr……But the house was all burned down. Charred embers. Another monument to the Woodstock fire department.

The driver of the fire engine always had trouble finding the fire. Once the engine went roaring down the road, with the Jesuits Scholastics on it, looking brave and heroic. They passed a little crowd of Negroes, who waved to them, excited. The Scholastics waved back, grateful that the blacks appreciated their bravery and heroism. They roared down the road for ten more minutes, and could not find the fire. They came back. The place where the Negroes were waving – that was the fire! ….. Charred ruins….. Another monument to the Woodstock fire department.

During one fire, the driver of the engine saw the smoke! So he headed straight for it, off the road, over the field. When they reach the fire – it was on the other side of the river. The Scholastics sat on the fire engine, and watched the fire burn…..Charred ruins….. Another monument to the Woodstock fire department.

The plays presented by the Scholastics at Woodstock were notorious. The faculty was never allowed to attend these plays, be-cause the Scholastics usually portrayed all the foibles, all the faults and failures, of the administration. When Woodstock installed an elevator there was great speculation on “What rules would be made for the eleva-tor?” One night the Scholastics staged a little drama. The Jesuit Minister – the priest in charge of all things temporal – was writing rules for the elevator. The Rector, who is also very strict, came into his room and said: “What’s the matter? You looked worried!” The Minister said: “I’m making rules for the elevator. I can’t get past the first rule!”

The Rector rubbed his hands and said, with a wicked gleam in his eye: “Oh! I’ll help you! I’m very good at making rules! What’s your first rule?” The Minister held up the paper on which he was writing and read: “Rules for the Elevator…..Rule Number One…..No one shall use the elevator!”

When Dan Lord came to the Woodstock for theology, he was also notorious. When a young Jesuit is assigned to a school for regency, he usually teaches in that same school for three years. If he is changed during those three years, it means he was not satisfactory. He is mild disgrace. If he changed twice in three years, this is very bad. It is double disgrace. It is the bot-tom of the barrel. Dan Lord was changed three times. He had four different assignments in his three years of regency. It was because he was very personable, and popular, and was always becoming more important than the Rector. He had tremendous initiative, and was always trying new things, which got him into trouble.

So, during his first year of theology, the Scho-lastics dramatized the regency of Dan Lord. When the Rector is throwing you out of this community, to soften the blow, he sometimes says: “They are asking for you in this other town.” The most undesirable assignment, in the days of Dan Lord, was Buffalo. So in the Woodstock drama, in which he starred, they would portray all his troubles, and the Rec-tor throwing him out. Between each scene Dan Lord – who was a wonderful entertainer – would sing and dance in front of the main curtain, with a straw hat and a cane and spats, singing:

“They are asking for me in the Buffalo!Everywhere I go…..Everyone I know…..Is asking for me!”

(To be continued on the next issue.)

Icon of Fairest LoveUnder Our Lady’s maternal protection, we turn to the Holy Family as the perfect model of love and fidelity

By SK Carl A. Anderson

The Gentle WarriorBy James B. Reuter, SJ

Part XVI of Chapter One of “The Gentle Warrior” seriesCHAPTER ONE: Training

WE recall an extraordinary event in the history of the Knights of Columbus that occurred Dec. 12, 2014, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On that day, Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, a brother Knight and postulator of the cause for canonization of St. Juan Diego, presented the Knights of Colum-bus Silver Rose to Pope Francis at the conclusion of a Pontifical Mass celebrated in Our Lady’s honor. Upon receiving the Silver Rose, the Holy Father kissed it and then placed it before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

This occasion followed the 55th running of the Silver Rose, a pilgrimage that starts in Canada, proceeds through the United States and usually ends in Mon-terrey, Mexico. This past year, however, brother Knights carried

the rose all the way to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It is a pilgrimage made in honor of Mary, but it also expresses the dedication of the Knights of Columbus to St. John Paul II’s vision of greater unity throughout the Western Hemisphere.

In all of this, we feel a special solidarity with Pope Francis, whose own devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe is extraordinary. Earlier on Dec. 12, I had the privi-lege of personally discussing with the Holy Father the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Order’s mission.

Of course, this year as we pre-pare for the upcoming World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis in Philadelphia, Our Lady of Guadalupe has special impor-tance for us. Families throughout the world need to hear ever more clearly her message of hope, mercy

and reconciliation. And they need to take to heart her message of re-spect for the poor and indigenous peoples of the world.

During her fourth apparition in December 1531, Our Lady described Juan Diego as “my youngest son” and told him not to fear. Then she said, “Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your Mother? Are you not in my shadow and under my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more?”

Mary’s message is especially important to us as we continue our new program for families, “Building the Domestic Church: The Family Fully Alive.” As the healing of Juan Diego’s uncle Juan Bernardino makes clear, Our Lady of Guadalupe leads us to the Lord through a special concern

for families.Mary also brings our families

closer to the Holy Family, which St. John Paul II described in his 1994Letter to Families as “the icon and model of every human family.”

Likewise, St. Paul described Christian family life as a “great mystery” (Eph 5:32). According to St. John Paul II, it is because of their vocation to love that hus-bands and wives are introduced “into the realm of this ‘great mystery,’” and it is precisely here that their vocation to love may reach fulfillment in what he calls “fairest love.”

Here again, Mary is key.In his Letter to Families, St.

John Paul II wrote, “Mary was the first to enter this realm, and she introduced her husband Joseph into it. Thus they became the first models of that ‘fairest love’ which the Church continually implores

for young people, husbands and wives, and families.”

Today, the challenges facing families seem to multiply faster than we can count. What better

time, then, to turn again to Mary and the Holy Family to find that path by which each of our families may grow more fully alive?

Vivat Jesus!

CONGRATULA-TIONS KC LU-ZON. Knights of Columbus Luzon Deputy and KCFAPI President, Bro. Ar-senio Isidro G. Yap received the Circle of Honor Award last February 12, 2015 at the Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa., Grand Cayman Is-lands, British West Indies where he and his wife, Mrs. Annie Yap enjoyed an all expense paid week-long vacation as part of the incentives he received.

In line with this, Yap acknowledged

entine’s Day or merely the act of celebrating it is banned for the reason that they believe it violates and disrespects particu-lar cultural beliefs in ways such as displays of public affection and unruly choice of spouses. There were also pagan influ-ences like the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. Though it is renowned worldwide, there has been a dispute on where and how the celebration of Valentine’s Day originated. To a certain extent that it was said to spread around the globe due to commercialization.

According to BBC, Shiv Sena, a nationalist political party in India said Valentine’s Day is, “nothing but a Western on-slaught on India’s culture to attract youth for commercial purposes.” Some researchers said that the romantic associations of Valentine’s Day began with the poetry written by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer during the Middle Ages. “For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, when ev-ery bird cometh there to choose his mate.” Oh well, go figure!

The root may still be unclear on how the celebration of Feb-ruary 14 sprouted. Apparently it has been widely accepted that Valentine’s Day is about giving gifts and flowers, going out on dates. Oops! Allow me to correct that! Valentine’s Day is about love. But of what? Of who? How does one express love? How can one spread this love?

We must admit that today our news are composed mainly of consecutive violence in all forms, misunderstandings in larger scales, unending conflicts among nations and beliefs, popu-lace who go unnoticed but in fact are in need of full attention and care, groups and individuals who are deprived of equality, justice, and indispensable protection, outright neglecting and abus-ing our natural providers, and taking for granted the beautiful face of the earth. Now then tell me, when is the time that we say “Where is the love?” During the recent Grammy Awards that took place in Los Angeles in the United States, domestic violence awareness was tackled with a short speech given by Brooke Ax-tell a survivor herself. By which she shared that, “Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence, shame or abuse.” Not being pessimistic at all and we know the glass is still half full. The whole point is love is not just about flowers, greeting cards, chocolates, or saying ‘I love you’. Love itself is another one entire universe that anyone can feel, discover, show, live in, share or receive in different ways possible. Ever since God created the world and we populated it, we’ve been longing for peace. What we don’t know is that love has been stand-ing on our porches under the rain patiently waiting for us to open our doors. It’s true; it is the easiest

thing to say but the hardest thing to do. But the answer to all these darkness in our world is simply love. We can do it, one step at a time. Let’s hear it from lover boy William Shakespeare, “To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.” There is no haste but we can begin now. Let us work together on this, spread the love for “Love is not singular except in syllable.” Cheers to you Marvin Taylor. If you’ve seen the movie ‘Letters to Juliet’ you might be familiar with this one, “‘What’ and ‘If ’ are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if?...You need only the courage to follow your heart…” Let us venture the journey to seize love and bring it to everyone in the world and not wait 50 years or so before we do something.

Instead of buying grandeur bouquet of flowers, why not plant trees to show our love for our nature? How about giving potted flowers for a change and for the better? Instead of giving pricey chocolates and gifts, why not share your i-can-afford-ability by visiting and providing help to charities, feeding the hungry, and offering warmth to the homeless? “Who, being loved, is poor?” says our poetic friend Oscar Wilde. Show them that someone still cares and sees them. Instead of greeting cards, why not create messages

of awareness or of promoting peace, hope, and love around the world? Make everyone feel that love is not just a figment of our imagination. Go ahead and make that social networking site’s timeline worth reading and scrolling, let not 140 characters limit the power of your voice, and showcase how beautiful and glam the gardens of earth is. No one is stopping us the way we may want to celebrate Valen-tine’s Day. No guilt trip, you can still do the aforementioned. Hey, it’s a bit traditional and at your own expense anyway. Besides expression of love to your loved ones: parents, family, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, even pets, which can be done any day of the year or every day but again at your own expense. Let us just not fail to remember the mere essence of this day. “The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.” Mer-ci, Monsieur Blaise Pascal for those words of humility. Let the existence of St. Valentine’s Day serve as a reminder of what our main purpose here on earth is…to love and be loved. Sooner or later, love is a monster we shall not fear of feeding on everyone here on earth.

“What is the most important subject you have to learn in life? To learn how to love. And this is the challenge that life offers you.” - Pope Francis (Philippines Papal Visit 2015). (Concha Luz F. Angeles)

Where Is The Love, C2

both Collegiate and KC Priests. As a result of the successful conduct of the First KCPFI Grand Alumni Homecoming last September 13, 2014, the newly-elected officers of the KC Scholars Association of the Philippines (KCSAP) met last February 4, 2015 to start their own plans on how their Alumni Association can now give back in terms of possible charitable projects like: similarly raising funds to help other needy youth who cannot afford the cost of education.

With the stated structural enhancements, the Founda-tions aim to achieve a more significant impact in terms of their social relevance par-ticularly during this Year of the Poor. Together with the orches-trated support of the Order of the Knights of Columbus and the KCFAPI Group of Compa-nies including their retirees and even BC Holders, the KCPFI and KCFGJWCI are confident of attaining these noble goals. (Roberto T. Cruz)

the cohesive teamwork of the State Officers, State Officials, Dis-trict Deputies and Grand Knights

of the Luzon Jurisdiction to which he attributed this recognition. (KCFAPI News)

Foundations, C1

C4 The CrossFebruary 16 - March 1, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 4

Knights of Columbus’ Walk for Life on March 21COMMITTED to defending the right to life of every human being, the Knights of Columbus will once again take the streets to demonstrate their opposition against the contraceptives law.

Catholics continue to protest against the RH Law, a legislation believed to be a band-aid solution to poverty.

Now on its 8th consecutive year, the KofC’s “Walk for Life” is a simultaneous rally nationwide scheduled on March 21 to raise indignation against the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) law and other anti-life measures.

In Luzon, thousands of Knights and their families are expected to take part in the march with the theme “We Value Life” from Intramuros to San Andres Gym in Malate, Manila.

“This is a fight against the sinister laws being proposed in Congress such as same

sex marriage, abortion, divorce and eutha-nasia,” said Luzon Deputy and KCFAPI President, Bro. Arsenio Isidro Yap.

“The current RH law is not just against our faith, but also our human nature. These are the ultimate goals of the RH law,” he said.

The RH law that provides state funding for contraceptives has not been implement-ed yet due to a restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.

The KofC and other critics of the law have repeatedly warned that it was just cleverly packaged as a “health measure” when it is clearly about population control.

Brother Knights and other pro-life defenders all over the country are encour-aged to join the event. Assembly will be in front of KCFAPI Building at 5:30 A.M. (KC News)

Knights among Hundreds of Thousands at March for LifeON January 22, 2015 brav-ing the winter chill of Wash-ington, D.C., hundreds of thousands gathered to witness the sanctity of every human life by participating in the 2015 March for Life. Joining them was Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, who addressed the marchers — including thousands of Knights and their families — and thanked them for their support of the culture of life.

“Thank you for your wit-ness and your stand for life!” Supreme Knight Anderson said to the crowd. “We face new threats this year — new efforts to legalize doctor-assisted sui-cide. But we will stand up for all those at the end of life, as we do for those at the beginning of life. We must build a culture of life for all those who are vulner-able or who suffer — their life is a gift! Today, we celebrate the gift of every life.”

Knights and their fami-lies, including many college Knights from throughout the country, gathered for the march, which this year focused on the theme “Every Life is a

Gift.” Many carried council banners and flags, but these were just one indication of the Order’s presence. Scattered among the crowd were also thousands of K of C “Defend Life” signs, which the D.C. State Council distributed to marchers.

Along with the supreme knight, several other speakers addressed the crowd, includ-ing Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bish-ops, and members of congress from both parties. The march was led by Jeanne Mona-han Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

During his remarks, Su-preme Knight Anderson told participants that the latest Knights of Columbus-Marist poll ing shows that more Americans are embracing the culture of life. The January 2015 poll results indicated that:

• 84 percent of Americans want significant restrictions on abortion.

• 84 percent say laws can

protect both a mother and her unborn child.

• Two-thirds of Americans say our abortion rate is too high.

• And 60 percent of Ameri-cans say abortion is morally wrong.

“Why is public opinion turning toward life?” Supreme Knight Anderson asked. “Be-cause you stand up for life! Because no amount of propa-ganda can cover up the pain of women who regret their abortion. And because when women know the truth they choose life!”

He also spoke about the Knights of Columbus Ul-trasound Initiative, through which, over the past five years, councils have put more than 500 ultrasound machines into pregnancy resource centers throughout all 50 States. “The number of machines is more than 500. The number of chil-dren these machines save per year is at least 50,000.

The cost of each machine is $30,000. So the cost to save each life is $300,” the Supreme Knight said.

“And the value of each of those lives?” he added. “You and I know that every life is priceless.”

The March for Life Educa-tion and Defense Fund was born out of a grassroots move-ment that gathered on the first anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court deci-sion which legalized abortion in all three trimesters of preg-nancy throughout the United States. The flagship program of the organization is the annual March for Life (MFL), which has taken place in Washing-ton, D.C., every January since 1974. The MFL rally on the National Mall is an opportu-nity for people to gather from all over the country to unite and show their support for a culture of life. Following the rally, were hundreds of thou-sands of participants, majority of which were young people who marched up Constitu-tion Avenue and past the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court in peaceful protest of Roe vs. Wade and as a witness to the sanctity of every human life. (http://www.kofc.org/)

In Loving Memory of

The North Eastern Luzon Cavaliers of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) led by Area Manager Armando C. Gonzales conducted their Fraternal Service Training (FST1) last January 30 – 31, 2015 at the Diositas Hotel, Santiago, Isabela. The speaker was KCFAPI Fraternal Benefits Services Manager Michael Cabra.

The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) Bicol Express Area Manager, Efren V. Mendoza conducted an Opening Salvo and Sales Rally with this group last January 24 to 25 at the New Crown Hotel, Naga City.

Central Luzon Conquerors led by Area Manager, Manuel Naldoza recently conducted a sales rally with Fraternal Benefits Services Manager Michael Cabra of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) as guest speaker.

MEMBERS of the Knights of Columbus awarded farm equipments to the farmers of Brgy. Balet, Mambusao, Capiz. Said equipments were blessed by Rev. Fr. Gloria, Council Chaplain and Priest in charge of Our Lady of Barangay Mission Station.

Similarly, the Mission Station received a funding from the U.S. Catholic Bish-ops Conference for the construction of a church which will also serve as evacu-ation shelter in case of calamity. The Knights of Columbus Visayas Jurisdic-

tion is very happy to organize the new council in Barangay Balet to help in whatever capacity realizing the build-ing of the Church for all the people in Balet and other neighboring Barangays. (KC News)