Columbia September 2012

transcript

SEPTEMBER 2012SEPTEMBER 2012

COLUMBIACOLUMBIAKNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

L I F E I N S U R A N C E D I S A B I L I T Y I N S U R A N C E LO N G - T E R M CA R E A N N U I T I E S

PROTECT WHAT MATTERS MOSTYOUR LIFE . YOUR FAMILY. YOUR FUTURE .

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Find an agent at kofc.org or call 1-800-345-5632

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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

COLUMBIAS E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 ♦ V O L U M E 9 2 ♦ N U M B E R 9

F E AT U R E S

Religious Faith in the Public ForumAs Catholics, we must be ever vigilant against a secularview of life that is being imposed on people of faith.BY CARDINAL DONALD W. WUERL

The Year of Faith and Vatican Council IIFollowing the authentic teachings of the Second VaticanCouncil, the Church works to communicate her peren-nial message to the modern world.BY MSGR. PETER J. VAGHI

A Lily for All NationsCatholics celebrate Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who willsoon become the first Native American saint.BY ANGELA CAVE

High Stakes for Life in MassachusettsAs doctor-prescribed suicide is sold as “compassion,”Catholics and others witness to the true dignity of life.BY JUSTIN BELL

The Real Social NetworkSt. Joseph’s Youth Camp gives kids a place to disconnectfrom technology and reconnect to each other.BY J.D. LONG-GARCÍA

D E P A R T M E N T S

Building a better worldThe Knights will continue to build aculture of life and respond to threatsagainst the free exercise of religion.BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faithThe Second Vatican Council did notreinvent the Church but instead wasrooted in sacred tradition.BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

Star Council Winners

Columbianism by Degrees

Knights of Columbus NewsNew Order-sponsored Petition Callsfor Civility in Politics • Knights ofColumbus Files Formal Commenton HHS Mandate • Pope PresentsPallium to Supreme Chaplain •Looking to the Future in Haiti

Fathers for GoodThe defending Super Bowl cham-pion coach credits Catholic rootswith teaching him how to be a goodleader.BY WALLY CAREW

Pope John Paul II greets Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Bene-dict XVI, in this photo dated Oct. 22, 1978. The two were present ateach session of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s and proceededto implement and articulate the council’s teachings.

AD DESIGN: Justin Perillo —

POPES: CNS photo/L

’Oss

EDITORIAL

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

ON OCT. 21, Pope Benedict XVI willcanonize seven new saints, includingBlessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th-cen-tury Native American woman who fledher home to freely practice her faith (seepage 16). Ten days earlier, the Church willcelebrate the 50th anniversary of theopening of the Second Vatican Council,the 20th anniversary of the new Cate-chism of the Catholic Church and the be-ginning of the Year of Faith called for byPope Benedict. The pope first announced the Year of

Faith in October 2011, a year after estab-lishing the Pontifical Council for Pro-moting the New Evangelization. HisSeptember 2010 letter inaugurating thenew Vatican department began withthese words: “It is the duty of the Churchto proclaim always and everywhere theGospel of Jesus Christ.” This simplestatement summarizes the purpose ofVatican II, the Catechism, the Year ofFaith and the new evangelization itself.During the past 50 years, many have

interpreted the Second Vatican Councilin terms of their own ideas of what theChurch should look like. Certainly, Vati-can II brought authentic developments toCatholic teaching, but it did not overturnall that came before (see pages 4, 12). Forexample, the council’s Declaration on Re-ligious Freedom articulated the right to re-ligious freedom, stating that no oneshould be “forced to act in a manner con-trary to his own beliefs, whether privatelyor publicly” (Dignitatis Humanae, 2).This right is founded on respect forhuman dignity and the valuable contri-bution of religion to society (see pages 3,8). At the same time, the council affirmed

the “traditional Catholic doctrine on themoral duty of men and societies towardthe true religion and toward the oneChurch of Christ” and the “moral obliga-tion to seek the truth, especially religioustruth” (DH, 1-2).The freedom espoused by Vatican II is

not the freedom to disregard Catholicteachings and tradition, nor is it discon-nected from the truth of human nature.Rather, authentic freedom is compatiblewith authority and obedience, and therights affirmed by the Church are foundedon prior duties. At the heart of the SecondVatican Council’s teachings lie the univer-sal call to holiness and the responsibilitiesof baptized believers: “All the faithful ofChrist are invited to strive for the holinessand perfection of their own proper state.Indeed they have an obligation to sostrive” (Lumen Gentium, 42). The coun-cil’s Decree on the Mission Activity of theChurch further states, “The principal dutyof both men and women is to bear witnessto Christ, and this they are obliged to doby their life and their words, in the family,in their social group, and in the sphere oftheir profession” (Ad Gentes, 21).In the end, the full implementation of

the Second Vatican Council and thework of the new evangelization must takeplace wherever Christians are present.Following the example of the saints, weare called to embrace the sacred duty toworship God, to practice charity, to seekthe truth, to be holy, and to witness toChrist in all we say and do. In so doing,we will find lasting joy.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKIMANAGING EDITOR

Our Christian DutyCOLUMBIA

PUBLISHERKnights of Columbus

________

SUPREME OFFICERSCarl A. AndersonSUPREME KNIGHT

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

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

EDITORIALAlton J. Pelowski

alton.pelowski@kofc.orgMANAGING EDITORPatrick Scalisi

patrick.scalisi@kofc.orgASSOCIATE EDITORSteve JamesDESIGN________

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

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

Intercede for Us.________

HOWTO REACHUSMAIL

COLUMBIA1 Columbus Plaza

New Haven, CT 06510-3326ADDRESS CHANGES203-752-4580OTHER INQUIRIES203-752-4398

FAX203-752-4109CUSTOMER SERVICE1-800-380-9995

E-MAILcolumbia@kofc.org

INTERNETkofc.org/columbia________

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing)Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that anapplicant or member accepts the teaching authority of theCatholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires tolive in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

________

ON THE COVERA painting of Kateri Tekakwitha titled

“Holding on to Faith” by artist Nellie Edwards. COVER: “Holding on to Faith” by Nellie Edwards, distributed by NelsonG

ifts.com

Protecting Human Dignity and Religious LibertyA CONCISE EBOOK by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, arch-bishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops, challenges the secular mindset that devaluesreligious freedom and human life. Published June 19, TrueFreedom: On Protecting Human Dignity and Religious Liberty(Image, 2012) explores the need to transform our cultureinto a culture of life. The 37-page book is available onlinefor just 99 cents.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

DURING THIS year’s SupremeConvention, we were privileged to re-ceive an extraordinary message fromthe Holy Father conveyed by VaticanSecretary of State Cardinal TarcisioBertone.Responding to the theme of our con-

vention, “Proclaim Liberty ThroughoutAll the Land,” the message said: “At a time when concerted efforts are

being made to redefine and restrict theexercise of the right to religious free-dom, the Knights of Columbus [has]worked tirelessly to help the Catholiccommunity recognize and respond tothe unprecedented gravity of these newthreats to the Church’s liberty and pub-lic moral witness. By defending theright of all religious believers, as indi-vidual citizens and in their institutions,to work responsibly in shaping a dem-ocratic society inspired by their deepestbeliefs, values and aspirations, yourOrder has proudly lived up to the highreligious and patriotic principles whichinspired its founding.”Of course, the concern of the Holy

Father regarding “unprecedented” and“new threats” to the free exercise of re-ligion in America must be understoodin light of the administration’s actionsfirst in the Supreme Court case ofHosanna-Tabor vs. E.E.O.C. and thenin its more recent U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services’ mandaterequiring health insurance to cover con-traceptives, sterilization and abortifa-cient drugs.We have opposed the HHS man-

date because it forces Catholics and allAmericans to participate in actions

that violate our conscience. The man-date also violates the right of Catholicemployers — including the Knightsof Columbus — not to be forced topay for or be complicit with proce-dures and prescriptions that are in-trinsically evil.The Knights of Columbus is com-

mitted to ethical and sustainable busi-ness practices. As a company, we willnot invest in other companies that arenot morally or economically sustain-able. If an investment does not workmorally, we should not invest in it.The HHS mandate, however, would

force the Knights of Columbus as anemployer to provide services and prod-ucts as part of our employees’ health in-surance that we would never invest in.Ironically, the administration has ex-

empted more than 190 million healthplan participants and beneficiariesfrom its health insurance mandate —but it refuses to do so on the basis ofreligious liberty and rights of con-science.Religious liberty is not simply an-

other political issue. It cannot be com-promised or recognized for some anddenied to others. It is fundamental tothe dignity of the human person and abasic human right. And like the rightto life it, too, is inviolable.Restricting the free exercise of reli-

gion for individuals and institutions isnot just politics as usual; it is, like abor-tion, intrinsically evil, and no compet-ing political consideration can make itless evil.The U.S. bishops have made clear in

their document Faithful Citizenship

that we have a duty to avoid being com-plicit with intrinsic evil. They have evensaid, “It is important to be clear that thepolitical choices faced by citizens …may affect the individual’s salvation.”As Knights, we have been steadfast in

refusing to invest in companies thatprovide intrinsically evil products. Weneed to follow those same values whenwe vote. It is time that, as voters, we re-fuse to support politicians who pro-mote intrinsically evil policies. And it istime for us to apply such a standarduniversally, to every candidate in everyrace for every office.As I stated in my annual report to the

convention, the Knights of Columbuswill continue to pursue its great missionof building up a new culture of life anda civilization of love through its witnessto our principles of charity, unity andfraternity.We will continue to be what our

Holy Father’s message described whenit recognized the Knights of Columbusas “a pioneer in the development of themodern lay apostolate.”But to do this we must continue

to have the freedom of religious exer-cise that is guaranteed by the FirstAmendment.It is my sincere hope that Catholics

will defend our fundamental humanrights to life and religious liberty in thecourts and at the ballot box againstthose who would seek to make faithfulCatholics complicit with intrinsicallyevil actions and policies.Vivat Jesus!

Defending Our Inviolable Rights

The Knights will continue to build a culture of life and respond to threats

against the free exercise of religion

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

IN OCTOBER 2012, the Churchwill observe the 50th anniversary ofthe opening of the Second VaticanCouncil. Like any anniversary, this isa time to both look back and lookahead.Among those who took a leading

part in the council was a youngbishop named Karol Wojtyła, wholater became Pope John Paul II.When he was archbishop of Krakow,Wojtyła referred to the council as“the seminary of the HolySpirit,” adding that it is “histor-ically a thing of the past, butspiritually still in being.” Inother words, this momentousgathering of bishops from allover the world was not just a gi-gantic strategic planning meet-ing for the future of theChurch, but was overshadowedby the Holy Spirit and, in thepower of the Holy Spirit, con-tinues to shape the life of theChurch going forward.

BUILDING ON, NOT BREAKING WITH THE PASTMany remember the years just afterthe Second Vatican Council, but fewpeople actually read the council’s 16documents. All too often, the impor-tance of the council was reduced toone little phrase: “the changes.” Onechange that everyone noticed wasthat, beginning in 1969, Mass was nolonger regularly celebrated in Latin,but rather in one’s native tongue.The council is also associated with

less formality in the Church.Catholics were told that, thanks tothe council, the Church would nowbe more open to the world — that is,to the spirit of the times. Priests wereto be regular guys; sisters donned layclothes; family life began to change,often drastically; and strict doctrinewas often replaced by a variety of the-ological opinions.To be sure, the Second Vatican

Council did open the door to various

practical changes in the life of theChurch and called upon all Catholicsto engage the world more robustly.But sometimes that was taken tomean that the council constituted acomplete break with the past. Every-thing prior was deemed by some tobe old and outdated. Everythinggoing forward was new and fresh andof the Holy Spirit. In fact, a phrasewas coined to express this point ofview: “the spirit of the council.” Wewere sometimes told to pay little at-tention to what the Vatican II docu-ments actually said and instead be

more attentive to the council’s“spirit.”Actually, there is a better way for us

to appreciate the council. Pope Bene-dict XVI calls it a “hermeneutic ofcontinuity.” What he means by thisphrase is that the best way to delveinto the authentic meaning of thecouncil is to see its connections withChrist, the Scriptures and the whole

of the Church’s tradition.The Second Vatican Councildoesn’t represent a break withthe past, but rather an or-ganic development flowingfrom all that the Church hasbelieved and taught throughthe centuries. You can see thisclearly if you consider howmany times the Second Vati-can Council refers to thecouncils that preceded it, aswell as the teachings of popes

and doctors of the Church, ancientliturgical texts, and masters of thespiritual life.

A JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORYIn their wisdom, the fathers of theSecond Vatican Council understoodthat the best way to respond to themodern world was to understand andtreasure the heritage of the Churchmore deeply. The council’s documentGaudium et Spes makes it clear thatwe are best equipped “to read thesigns of the times” by opening our-

In their wisdom, the fathers of theSecond Vatican Council understoodthat the best way to respond to themodern world was to understandand treasure the heritage of the

Church more deeply.

Continuity and the Second Vatican Council

Vatican II did not reinvent the Church but instead was rooted in sacred tradition

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

Offered insolidarity with

Pope Benedict XVI

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

POPE: CNS photo/Paul H

aring —

ST. ISAAC JOGUES: CNS photo/Crosiers

selves to the fullness of the Church’stradition and to the person of Christ.Let’s think about it this way: What

if we, as members of the Knights ofColumbus, suddenly stopped talkingabout Father McGivney because helived a long time ago under very dif-ferent conditions? What if we saidthat our principles of charity, unity,fraternity and patriotism are old-fash-ioned and should be traded in fornew principles? Or suppose we radi-cally reorganized the insurance pro-gram so that it bore no resemblanceto Father McGivney’s original vision?What would become of the “new andimproved” Knights of Columbus? Of

course, the Order has changed withthe times so as to meet new needsand varying conditions — but alwaysthose changes have been in continu-ity with our deepest roots.In a similar way, the Catholic

Church has been journeying throughhistory for some 2,000 years and,obedient to the mandate of Christ,has proclaimed the Gospel in everyepoch, culture, language and place.To be sure, the Church has grown,and her teaching, worship and disci-pline have developed — but organi-cally. What is new is integrated withwhat went before; we don’t get to “re-make” the Church’s teaching with

each passing generation.This has nothing to do with being

“liberal” or “conservative.” In fact,those terms, which are borrowedfrom politics, have done a lot of dam-age to the Church’s unity. St. Paul re-minds us there is “one Lord, onefaith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5). TheSecond Vatican Council and the Cat-echism of the Catholic Church have setforth the teaching of the Church in away that is complete, reliable, life-giving and beautiful. In the Year ofFaith that lies ahead, let us open ourhearts to Christ and to all he teachesus in and through our belovedChurch.♦

HOLY FATHER’SPRAYER INTENTIONS

CATHOLIC MAN OF THE MONTH

St. Isaac Jogues (1607-1646)

GENERAL: That politicians mayalways act with honesty, integrityand love for the truth.

MISSION: That Christian com-munities may have a growing will-ingness to send missionaries,priests and lay people, along withconcrete resources, to the poorestChurches.

ISAAC JOGUES was born in 1607to a bourgeois family in Orleans,France. He attended Jesuit schoolsfrom an early age and entered the re-ligious order at age 17. After years ofstudy and teaching, during which heshowed an aptitude for language andfor reaching his students, Jogues wasordained in 1636.Father Jogues longed to undertake

missionary work, following in thefootsteps of others who launched mis-sions in New France a decade earlier.He and a number of companions weresent to Canada and began to ministeramong the Huron Indians. In 1642,returning from an expedition to Que-bec, Jogues and others were capturedby Mohawk Iroquois, enslaved andtortured. Over the next 13 months,Jogues endured gruesome suffering,losing several fingers before being res-cued by the Dutch. Returning to Eu-rope, Jogues was greeted as a “livingmartyr” for the unimaginable pain hehad suffered and was granted dispen-sation by Pope Urban VII to celebrateMass with his mutilated hands.Despite his experience in the New

World, Father Jogues chose to con-

tinue his missionary work. He re-turned to Canada and even served asan ambassador to his former captors.Amid an uneasy truce betweenFrance and the natives, a doublecalamity of famine and disease struckthe Indians and was blamed on theJesuits’ presence. The Iroquois cap-tured Father Jogues and his compan-ions, and Jogues was killed with atomahawk on Oct. 18. Devotion tothe French priest spread widely afterhis martyrdom. Pope Pius XI canonized Isaac Jogues

in 1930 with seven other North Amer-ican martyrs. Their collective feast dayis celebrated on Sept. 26 in Canadaand October 19 elsewhere.♦

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

RESPONDING TO AMERICANS’ growing frustrationwith campaign rhetoric and the tone of the national dis-course, the Knights of Columbus launched on July 24 anational, non-partisan initiative to give voice to Ameri-cans’ desire for civility in politics.A series of full-page national newspaper ads — begin-

ning with an ad in the July 24 issue of USA Today— en-couraged readers to sign an online petition atcivilityinamerica.org. Facebook users can likewise showtheir support by “liking” the petition at facebook.com/ci-vilityinamerica.The petition reads: “We, the undersigned citizens of the

United States of America, respectfully request that candi-dates, the media and other advocates and commentatorsinvolved in the public policy arena employ a more civiltone in public discourse on political and social issues, fo-cusing on policies rather than on individual personalities.For our part, we pledge to make these principles our own.”The campaign finds support in a Knights of Columbus-

Marist Poll conducted in July that shows that nearly 8 in10 Americans (78 percent) are frustrated with the tone inpolitics today. The survey also found that:• Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that campaigns

have gotten more negative over the years (74 percent).• Two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) believe that can-

didates spend more time attacking their opponents thantalking about the issues.

• By an almost 20-point margin, Americans believe thatcampaigns are mostly uncivil and disrespectful (56 to 37percent).• Nearly two-thirds of Americans say that negative cam-

paigning harms our political process a great deal or by asignificant amount (64 percent). “The American people want and deserve civility and a

conversation on the issues rather than personal attacks,”said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson at the time thecampaign was launched. “In our own lives, all of us havefriends with whom we disagree, and we long ago learnedhow to have civil relationships despite our differences.Since our elected officials work for and represent theAmerican people, this petition is a step forward in makingour voice heard and in making clear to our public servantshow we would like them to conduct themselves.”By the time the Supreme Convention began in Ana-

heim, Calif., Aug. 7, more than 15,000 people alreadysigned the petition.The supreme knight discussed the initiative in his An-

nual Report and said, “Catholics can transform politics....We can raise the level of our national political discourse.We can transform politics, too often disfigured by personalattacks and partisan divisiveness, and we can do it startingnow. The American people want and deserve civility. Ournation needs a conversation on the issues, not the personalvilification of political opponents.”♦

New Order-sponsored Petition Calls for Civility in Politics

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

HHS: Douglas Deas/

ny, Diocese of Charleston, S.C.

BISHOP LORI: CNS photo/L

’Oss

Knights of Columbus Files Formal Comment on HHS Mandate

Pope Presents Pallium to Supreme Chaplain

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS filed a formal com-ment with the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices June 19, calling on the government to rethink thehealth care mandate that seeks to force many Catholic em-ployers to provide coverage of contraception and proceduresthat violate Catholic teaching.The letter, signed by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson,

urged “the administration to rescind the mandate alto-gether,” or at least “expand the religious exemption so thatit covers all objecting individuals and organizations from co-operating in actions that genuinely offend their religious be-liefs and moral convictions.”The letter continued, “To exempt only some institutions

on the principle of respect for religious liberty, as the govern-ment seems to contemplate, and to refuse to exempt individ-uals makes no sense. The right to the free exercise of religionenshrined in the First Amendment extends to the people.”In sum, the letter urges that “whatever the intent of the man-

date, and whatever form it takes, it should not compel religiousindividuals to pay for what they believe is morally wrong. It istime for this administration to chart another course.”The full text of the letter is available at kofc.org/mandate.

For the past century, the Knights of Columbus has workeddiligently to protect the right to religious freedom both inthe United States and abroad.♦

OVER THE PAST two years, the Order’s “Healing Haiti’sChildren” program — in conjunction with ProjectMedishare — has been an overwhelming success. Throughthe program, the Knights committed to provide each childwho lost a limb in the 2010 Haitian earthquake with a seriesof prosthetic devices.More than 800 prosthetic and orthotic patients and thou-

sands of rehabilitation patients have traveled from all oversouthern Haiti to the Emilio Moure Clinic for Hope to re-ceive treatment of the highest standards.According to Dr. Robert Gailey, director of rehabilitation

services for Project Medishare, the program is now ready tomove onto its next phase: a transitional program of educa-tion, practical training and long-term employment for localHaitian staff. “We feel the Haitian people are now ready for a restruc-

tured strategy focused on sustainability,” Dr. Gailey said. Theprogram’s extension will allow the Knights of Columbus andProject Medishare to continue their joint mission in Haitiby creating a lasting program for our Haitian techniciansand the people they serve, he added.♦

Msgr. Steven L. Brovey and Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone ofCharleston, S.C., process with the Blessed Sacrament, assisted byFourth Degree Knights carrying a canopy. The eucharistic processionto Battery Park marked the launch of the Fortnight for Freedom.Knights throughout the country participated in similar Fortnight forFreedom events from June 21-July 4.

Pope Benedict XVI presents a pallium to Supreme Chaplain Arch-bishop William E. Lori of Baltimore during a Mass at St. Peter’sBasilica June 29. Symbolizing the light yoke of Christ while also re-calling a lamb borne upon the shoulders of a shepherd, the pallium isthe premier symbol of an archbishop’s pastoral ministry, jurisdictionand communion with the Apostolic See. Among the 44 new archbishopswho received pallia, 11 are Knights.

Looking to the Future in Haiti

From time to time in my responsibilities as the archbishopof Washington, I have occasion to pass through the ro-tunda of our nation’s Capitol, where there is a statue repre-sentative of the history of each state. When I served as anauxiliary bishop of Seattle, I was always proud of the fact thatthe statue allotted to Washington state was of Mother Joseph,a Sister of Charity of Providence who was considered one ofthe pioneers in the formation of the state.Representing California in the same expanse of space is a

statue of Junipero Serra. It is hard to imagine another personwho has left such an impact on any state as this quiet, modest,faith-filled Franciscan, whose footsteps left in their wake com-munities along most of California’s coast. Traveling northfrom San Diego, through San Clemente and San Juan Capis-trano to Los Angeles, and onward to Santa Barbara,Guadalupe, San Jose, San Francisco and beyond, it is as if onewere reciting the Litany of the Saints. Interwoven into thevery geography of California is its religious history and theCatholic faith that played such an important part in both itsfounding and its spiritual and moral identity. The highwaysigns do not simply remind us of our faith history; they alsoproclaim how deeply imbedded the faith is in our culture andin our vision of human dignity, morality and purpose of life.

THE EXPERIENCE OF RELIGION IN OUR NATIONAL HISTORYNot long ago, during a visit to a Catholic high school, a stu-dent asked me what exactly it is that the Church brings to oursociety or, as she put it, “What does the Church bring to me?”The answer to that question is as significant today as it was

when Junipero Serra began his journey in the late 18th cen-tury. It is heard when Catholics stand up today to speak indefense of human life and human dignity, and when we ex-tend a hand to immigrants, the less fortunate, the needy andall of those who turn to the Church for the great works ofCatholic health care, education, social service and charities.This is how we answer who we are and what we bring.What the Catholic Church brings to the world, to our so-

ciety and to each one of us is Jesus Christ, his Gospel, his vi-sion, his way of life and his promise of a world of truth,justice, compassion, kindness, understanding, peace and love.We speak of a good and just society. With the eyes of faith,we see God’s kingdom coming to be among us.Today, however, we have witnessed a movement in recent

years away from the appreciation of the basic religious valuesthat underpin our culture, our society and our laws. In placeof the religious values accepted and expressed by a great vari-

As Catholics, we must be ever vigilant against a secular view of life that is being imposed on people of faith

by Cardinal Donald Wuerl

ReligiousFaithinthe

PublicForum

SIGN: iStockPhoto —

ROSARY: Thinkstock

ety of faith communities, we face today the assertion of theneed to substitute a so-called secular frame of reference withinwhich public policy should be articulated. It is as if we weresupposed to paint over all of those road signs, erase all of ourroots and start over — this time with-out God.Among the earliest European

colonists to arrive in the New Worldwere the pilgrims who landed on thecoast of Massachusetts. Before theyventured to shore to establish whatwould be for them a new society, theyreached an agreement known as theMayflower Compact. In 1620, theseintrepid women and men seeking a lifeof freedom determined that theywould recognize two principles bywhich their freedom would be guided:the law of God and the common good.They began this first written articu-

lation of a political philosophy in theEnglish Colonies, which has served asa foundation for the American political experience for almost400 years, with the words, “In the name of God, Amen.” Atthe heart of this formula is the understanding that God andGod’s law — however it is known — is normative for humanaction, and that in the application of that basic belief intopositive civil law, the common good would also exercise a nor-mative function.

We recognize that same vision among the first Catholiccolonists who arrived in Maryland in 1634 and set about es-tablishing a civil government based on religious freedom andGod’s law, believing them normative elements of a truly goodand just society.This theme is repeated over and over again in a whole series

of founding documents, including the Fundamental Ordersof 1639, which was an effort at the first written Constitutionthat set permanent limitations on government power; the Vir-ginia Bill of Rights, authored by Thomas Jefferson, and theDeclaration of Independence in 1776; and the U.S. Consti-tution in 1787.We are a free people who recognize the sovereignty of God

and God’s law in our personal and societal life. This is a cor-nerstone of the American expe-rience, and it finds expressionin our deep-seated conviction,expressed in the Declaration ofIndependence, that we have in-alienable rights from “the Lawsof Nature and Nature’s God.”Indeed, Jefferson stated that

the ideas set forth in the Decla-ration were not original to him,but were the common opinionof his day. In a letter to HenryLee, dated May 8, 1825, hewrote that the Declaration is“intended to be an expressionof the American mind and togive that expression proper toneand spirit.”

Jefferson recognized no distinction between public and pri-vate morality. There is little room in his thought for the ideathat one can be personally against gravely wrong actions butpublicly in favor of them. He wrote in a letter to James Madi-son, dated Aug. 28, 1789, “I know but one code of moralityfor all, whether acting singly or collectively.” Out of all of these many threads, there is woven one com-

“We should look to

our most deeply held

convictions when we

address matters that affect

our nation’s activities at

home or abroad.

In drafting the Declara-tion of Independence andother founding documents,Thomas Jefferson recog-nized the public nature ofmorality and the impor-tance of religious freedom.

Thinkstock

mon principle: the belief in the binding character of morallaw is fundamental to any understanding of Americanthought. Government must be guided by foundationalmoral principles. All human government must be limited. The understanding that God’s law is at work and discern-

able through our rational nature and human reason alsofinds resonance in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,which speaks not only of the foundational nature of the nat-ural moral law, but also describes the commandments them-selves as privileged expressions of the natural law.

RELIGIOUS FAITH AS THE CONSCIENCE OF SOCIETYWe have become accustomed over centuries to the voice ofthe Church as the voice of conscience. Today, that voice ischallenged in so many matters: abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, physician-assisted suicide, immigration reformand so many other issues that touch on the common good.This explains the Church’s defense of family, marriage andhuman rights.As believers, we look to our faith. We are both citizens of

the nation and members of the Church. We should look toour most deeply held convictions when we address mattersthat affect our nation’s activities at home or abroad.Our choices in the political arena must be conscientious

ones. As Catholics, we also look to our Church for guidancethat can only come from God. Christ promised that hewould not leave us orphans. He established the Church ashis new body so that he would remain present with us, andhe sent the gift of the Spirit, who guides us and reminds us ofall he taught. As members of Christ’s Church, we look to herteaching — guided by the Holy Spirit — to help form ourconscience. The bishops are not just one more voice; theyspeak with Christ’s authority. Jesus told his Apostles, “Who-ever listens to you listens to me.” (Luke 10:16). The bishops,the successors of the Apostles, continue to speak with author-ity today.The voice of faith today is still the voice of conscience. It is

the echo of God within us. As faithful citizens, we must speakout in defense of Gospel values, our faith heritage; we mustproclaim the dignity of each person; and we must insist onthe obligation of the state to foster such values. To do this isto give voice to our own identity. We are a people of faith,and faith counts in life.The secular view of life being imposed on our diverse society

does not reflect the reality of a nation made up almost entirelyof people of faith. The recently espoused and increasingly im-posed secular view of separation of God from public life doesall of us a disservice because it is not reflective of the actualsituation in which people live and institutions thrive. Indeed, the secular model as the sole model for public po-

litical discourse fails us. The secular model is not sufficient to

sustain a true reflection of who we are as a people. Every cul-ture in human history that has endured has recognized as in-nate to the human experience the need for a transcendentauthority to sanction and recognize right from wrong.As we face the challenges of today, we should do so with

confidence, hope and enthusiasm. As both believers and citi-zens, we not only have a right and an obligation to speak tothe values that guide our nation, but we do so out of a 2,000-year tradition and with wisdom guided by the Holy Spirit.We share the wisdom and love of God, and we bring some-thing that no one else can to the effort to build a good andjust society.We should be proud of who we are — Christ’s Church. We

must be proud of our history, our heritage and our faith. Wemust be proud of what we bring to today’s world. We bringJesus Christ. We bring the power of the Holy Spirit, whichmakes us capable of transforming our circumstances, ourcommunity, our lives, into everything that Jesus says we canbe, everything he calls us to be.♦

CARDINAL DONALD W. WUERL is archbishop of Washington.He is a member of The Catholic University of America Council 9542and the author of Seek First the Kingdom: Challenging the Culture byLiving Our Faith (Our Sunday Visitor, 2011).

Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington delivers the homily during Mass atthe Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

CNS photo/Bob Roller

Following the authentic teachings of the Second Vatican Council,the Church works to communicate her perennial message

to the modern world

by Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi

The Year of Faithand

Vatican Council II

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The Year of Faith called by Pope Benedict XVI begins Oct.11, 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Sec-

ond Vatican Council, and will end Nov. 24, 2013, the Solem-nity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. This specialyear also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the publica-tion of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, referred to byPope Benedict as “an authentic fruit of the Second VaticanCouncil.” When Pope John Paul II introduced the Catechism in 1992,

he noted that “the principal task entrusted to the [Vatican]Council … was to guard and present better the precious depositof Christian doctrine.” This task of Vatican II is also reflectedin the theme for the synod of bishops that will meet in Romein October: “The New Evangelization for the Transmission ofthe Christian Faith.” In calling for the synod and the Year ofFaith, Benedict XVI is ensuring that the Church continues toimplement and develop the important work that the councilbegan five decades ago.

A HISTORIC COUNCILPope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, the21st ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, in Rome on

Oct. 11, 1962. Announced Jan. 25, 1959, less than 90 daysafter John XXIII’s election as pope, Vatican Council II wasthe only such council convened in the 20th century and onlythe second since the Protestant Reformation.John XXIII’s principal aim was to ensure that the sacred de-

posit of Christian doctrine be guarded and taught more effec-tively. In his opening homily at the council, he encouraged thecouncil fathers to work out ways and means of expoundingthese truths in a manner more consistent with a pastoral viewof the Church’s teaching office. In addition, he urged the coun-cil fathers to work for the unity that Christ so desired.The Second Vatican Council met at St. Peter’s Basilica in

Rome for four sessions, which took place over four years. Atthe beginning, 2,540 council fathers — bishops from every cor-ner of the world — met in the nave of the basilica, joined by1,000 superiors of religious congregations, official observers,theologians and other experts. Provisions were also made forthe media, governmental representatives and official attendants

Bishops of the world line the nave of St. Peter’s Basilica during the openingsession of the Second Vatican Council Oct. 11, 1962.

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from other Christian churches. In contrast, there were only 750 council fathers at the First

Vatican Council in 1869-70. That was still significantly morethan the 259 bishops who, at various stages, attended theCouncil of Trent (1545-63). Trent was the lastgeneral council beforeVatican I and was enor-mously important for theChurch. “The Council of

Trent marked the begin-ning of an intenseprocess of spiritual andpastoral renewal in theChurch,” observed PopeJohn Paul II in a homilyat the Cathedral ofTrent, in northern Italy,on April 30, 1995.“Similarly, the SecondVatican Council, a true‘grace of God and gift ofthe Holy Spirit,’ gavethe Church of our timea renewed awareness ofher mystery and hermission, propheticallyspurring the entire com-munity to renewal inobedience to the wordof God, in order betterto serve men and tobring them the Gospelmessage more effec-tively.”Indeed, Blessed John

Paul II’s greatest legacywas to help the Churchinteriorize both spiritu-ally and practically the teachings of the Second Vatican Coun-cil. It is no accident that Karol Wojtyła took the name JohnPaul. Doing so indicated his commitment to the work ofBlessed John XXIII, who received the inspiration for the coun-cil and convened it, and Pope Paul VI, who was the main crafts-man of the council and brought it to a conclusion in 1965.Pope Benedict XVI, who served at the council as a theologicaladvisor, has furthered this mission in his own pontificate. Thecouncil was formative for each of the popes since the council,and their magisterial teachings reflect that.

THE TEACHING OF VATICAN IIThe results of the Second Vatican Council can fit into one pa-perback volume — 16 conciliar documents in all, includingfour significant constitutions. The near-unanimity of the pas-sage of these documents, when voted upon in final form, is

striking. What also merits note is the vast scope of the subjectstreated at the council, from the liturgy to ecumenism, frompriestly formation to religious freedom. These topics and morehave been explained and developed over the past 50 years under

the guidance of thesuccessors of St. Peter. To this day, the term

“Vatican II” conjuresup a variety of images,impressions and deepemotions. For some,the council deeplychallenged the veryroots of their faith. Ac-cording to this line ofthinking, nothing hasbeen the same eversince. At the other ex-treme, the Church wasperceived as not goingfar enough. In some

theological circles,there is a cry for Vati-can Council III to takecare of “unfinishedbusiness” — namely,their own agenda ofChurch reform.Yet, as the synod of

bishops called by PopeJohn Paul II in 1985declared, “The largemajority of the faithful

received the Second Vatican Council with zeal.” The synod’s re-port, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of the close ofVatican II, also affirmed the legitimacy of the council and “theneed to promote further the knowledge and application of thecouncil both in its letter and in its spirit.”Twenty years later, in his first Christmas address to the

Roman Curia in December 2005, Pope Benedict spoke of twoways of interpreting the council: “On the one hand, there is aninterpretation that I would call ‘a hermeneutic of discontinuityand rupture’; it has frequently availed itself of the sympathiesof the mass media, and also one trend of modern theology. Onthe other, there is the ‘hermeneutic of reform,’ of renewal inthe continuity of the one subject-Church which the Lord hasgiven to us. She is a subject which increases in time and devel-ops, yet always remaining the same, the one subject of the jour-neying People of God.”

Pope John XXIII signsthe bull convoking theSecond Vatican CouncilDec. 25, 1961.

CNS photo from KNA

The pope concluded, “It is precisely in this combination ofcontinuity and discontinuity at different levels that the very na-ture of true reform consists.” It is often said that particular post-Vatican II changes or pro-

posals in the Church are in keeping with “the spirit of VaticanII.” That may or may not be true with regards to specific issues.But what is absolutely true is that the Holy Spirit was activelypresent at the council and guided and inspired its 16 carefullywritten documents. In these documents lay the lasting legacyof the council awaiting anew our prayer, study and reflection.They need to be read not just individually but in their totality. In approaching the council’s teachings, one must remember

that Vatican II was, above all, a pastoral council and that eachdocument has a pastoral tone designed to feed souls. The coun-cil was meant to be open to non-Catholic Christians, those ofother living faiths and indeed the whole world.Although no new dogma was decreed, the council put forth

binding teaching in the many expressions of the ordinary mag-isterium — the authoritative teaching of the bishops in com-munion with the pope. This is why the council is so veryimportant and cannot be ignored.

THE CATECHISM, A FRUIT OF THE COUNCILWhile the Second Vatican Council produced many importantfruits, perhaps the greatest has been the promulgation of theCatechism of the Catholic Church. This document, which JohnPaul II called the “sure norm for teaching the faith,” is linkedto the Second Vatican Council in many ways — symbolic and

substantive. Promulgated 20 years ago on Oct. 11, 1992 — 30years after the opening of the council — it is also one of thetwo points of reference for this Year of Faith. It was at the synod of bishops in 1985, called to celebrate

“the graces and spiritual fruits of Vatican II,” that the synod fa-thers first expressed the “desire that a catechism or com-pendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith andmorals be composed.” They stated that the presentation of thedoctrine must be both biblical and liturgical. With all that hadgone on in the Church subsequent to Vatican II, the synod fa-thers decided that the time was right to create a summary ofCatholic teaching for the universal Church. Thus, the Catechism is both a response to and completes the

work of the Second Vatican Council. It is reflective of the new-ness of the council, including all its documents, which it quotesextensively. At the same time, the Catechism includes referencesto the books of the Old and New Testaments and to other gen-eral councils. It also highlights the lives and teachings of thesaints and the doctors of the Church. Although overwhelmingat first glance (there are nearly 700 pages of text in the Englishedition), the Catechism is carefully organized and accessible to

lay readers. Like all catechesis, the Cate-

chism is about giving “reasons”for our hope in Christ and re-couping a sense of “joy” in beinga Catholic Christian. It is aboutputting people in personal touchwith Jesus Christ and his teach-ing in and through his livingChurch.When calling the Year of Faith

that will begin Oct. 11, PopeBenedict wrote, “All can find inthe Catechism of the CatholicChurch a precious and indispen-sable tool. It is one of the mostimportant fruits of VaticanCouncil II. … It is in this sensethat the Year of Faith will have tosee a concerted effort to redis-cover and study the fundamentalcontent of the faith that receivesits systematic and organic syn-

thesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.” The Year of Faith will be a great grace for the entire Church,

and it will help each member of the Church understand anew,or for the first time, how it was and is that the Second VaticanCouncil sought to make the Church’s venerable teachings moreunderstandable and meaningful in a world of rapid change. ♦

MSGR. PETER J. VAGHI, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington,is a member of Potomac Council 433 and a third generation Knightof Columbus. He is the author of a four-part Pillars of Faith book se-ries, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and published byAve Maria Press (avemariapress.com).

Father Joseph Ratzinger, right, consults with a bishop in this phototaken in 1962 during the Second Vatican Council. The future PopeBenedict XVI attended all four sessions of the council as a theologicaladviser to German Cardinal Joseph Frings of Cologne.

CNS photo/Nancy Phelan Wiechec —

LILY: iS

tock Photo

Miracles attributed to her intercession abound: A boywas cured of a 65-percent hearing loss. A man defied

doctors by walking after a spinal cord injury. An ironworkerfell through two floors — losing 16 vertebrae and fracturinghis ribs and skull — and lived and walked to tell the tale.Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Mohawk

maiden who, despite resistance, devoted her life to the Gospel,is credited with answering countless prayers. Recently, one story— that of a child saved from a fatal flesh-eating disease — wasdeemed a miracle by the Vatican, paving the way for BlessedKateri’s long-awaited canonization next month in Rome. As the Oct. 21 date of her canonization draws near,

Catholics across North America have been celebrating andplanning pilgrimages to witness history in the making — thefirst Native American saint. Perhaps none are more excitedand grateful than the approximately 600,000 Native Ameri-cans, representing more than 300 tribes and nations, who be-long to the Catholic Church.

KATERI’S GIFT OF FAITHBlessed Kateri, known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” was bornto a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk chief fatherin 1656 in a Mohawk village called Ossernenon (modern-dayAuriesville, N.Y.). When she was 4, a smallpox epidemic tookher parents’ lives and left her with impaired vision, poorhealth and pockmarks. Raised by her uncle in Caughnawaga, near present-day

Fonda, N.Y., Kateri was inspired by Jesuit missionaries tostudy Catholicism in private at age 18. She continued her do-mestic duties, but resisted offers of marriage, reportedly to heruncle’s displeasure. After her baptism two years later, her familyand village ostracized, ridiculed, slandered and threatened her. In 1677, Kateri fled to St. Francis Xavier de Sault, a Jesuit

mission in Quebec, with a note from the Jesuit priest in hervillage that read, “I send you a treasure. Guard it well.”There, among Christian friends, she led a life of prayer, lovefor the Eucharist, devotion to chastity and intense penitentialpractices. She taught prayers to children, made wooden

crosses and placed them throughout the woods, worked withthe sick and elderly, and attended Mass daily. In 1679, shetook a vow of perpetual virginity — the next best thing afterstarting her own religious order, a request she and her asso-ciates had been denied. After suffering from years of ill health, Kateri died at the

age of 24 after uttering her last words, “Jesus, I love you.” Herremains are now in Kahnawake, near Montreal. It is reported that Kateri’s smallpox scars vanished after her

death and that she appeared to her friend Anastasia, amongothers, with a message: “The cross was the glory of my lifeand the glory of my death, and I want you to make it yours.” Kateri’s cause for canonization opened in 1932, after more

than a century of beseeching from Catholics devoted to her.Pope Pius XII declared her venerable in 1943, and Pope JohnPaul II beatified her on June 22, 1980. Finally, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree necessary for

her canonization last December. “It is a vision that is fulfilled on the part of many Native

American Catholics, those who have come to know and loveher,” said Sister Kateri Mitchell, a Sister of St. Anne and ex-ecutive director of the Tekakwitha Conference, an organiza-tion that promotes evangelization among indigenousCatholics in the United States and Canada. “It’s definitelygoing to reaffirm and reawaken in many of our people the giftof faith. [Kateri’s] spirit will live on in the lives of our peoplein a much deeper and more profound way.”Bringing stories of hope inspired by the canonization, more

than 800 people gathered for the 73rd annual TekakwithaConference in and around Blessed Kateri’s upstate New Yorkbirthplace this past July. The five-day event was filled withsounds of traditional Native American instruments and vocalchants, the smells of burning sweet grass, and the sights ofdancing, traditional dress and harvest vegetables intertwiningwith Catholic rituals.Blessed Kateri’s canonization comes as a source of affirma-

tion for a group of faithful that comprises tiny portions ofboth the Catholic Church and the U.S. population — and,

A Lily for All NationsCatholics celebrate Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who will soon become the first Native American saint

by Angela Cave

CNS photo/Bob Roller

in many cases, feels isolated by both. Native Americans facehigh rates of poverty, addiction and depression, as well as gen-erations-long identity struggles rooted in oppression and prej-udice that began in the colonial era. Many of the country’smore than 500 tribes have gradually lost languages and tradi-tions as a result of government-imposed reservations andboarding schools, while many native religions were suppresseduntil the late 1970s.

HOPE AND HEALING FOR NATIVE AMERICANSAfter Kateri’s death in 1680, soil from her grave was used toheal sick people and animals. Modern believers often pray forless tangible causes, like the end to substance abuse on reser-vations or for native children to finish school and practice thefaith.“She’s listening,” said Christine Willow, a member of the

Northern Arapaho tribe living on the Wind River IndianReservation in Ethete, Wyo. Willow, who spent years worry-ing about her three children, now adults, believes Blessed Ka-

teri has been hearing her prayers. “My two daughters aremothers now, and they really devote their lives to their chil-dren,” she said.Joan Staples-Baum, director of the Tacoma Indian Center

in Tacoma, Wash., and a member of the White EarthChippewa tribe from Minnesota, believes the canonization“may be the start of something bigger. There are not too manypeople who come to Native American communities and spendtime there and don’t love the people. It could just be the be-ginning of greater healing.”Indigenous people in Canada, known as First Nations, are

also celebrating the upcoming canonization. About 25 percentof them are Catholic.

Though prejudice persists against indigenous peoples — andsome Americans falsely believe that the country’s original in-habitants no longer exist — many natives have described thenews about Blessed Kateri as a step toward acknowledgementof their presence in the pews and the public square. “It means that we’re finally being recognized by the Church,

by the country and probably by the world,” said Staples-Baum,who will travel to Rome with 10 others from her parish in Oc-tober. “It’s just confirming us as a people.”The Tekakwitha Conference, which was originally founded

as a group of clergy serving native populations, opened tolaypeople in 1980. Today, it sponsors about 130 Kateri Circlesin American parishes, which report that more natives are turn-ing to the Church for baptisms and burials. Msgr. Paul Lenz, the vice postulator for Blessed Kateri’s

cause for canonization and director emeritus of the Bureau ofCatholic Indian Missions, said the news of the canonizationwill motivate renewed faith among native Catholics. “They’re going to realize who she is and what happened to

her,” Msgr. Lenz said. “She gave such a good ex-ample of wanting to love Jesus and wanting toget to heaven.”Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia,

a member of the Prairie Band of the PotawatomiNation and chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Sub-committee of Native American Affairs, remem-bers studying about Kateri in Catholic gradeschool, when she was still called “venerable.” “I’m deeply grateful to God for giving us a

miracle to authenticate to her,” said ArchbishopChaput, one of three Native American bishops.He noted that the biggest challenges that nativeCatholics are battling today involve the samesecular forces facing other American Catholics. “I don’t think it’s any harder to be an Indian

and Catholic than to be an American andCatholic,” he said.Many Native American Catholics recognize

they have the extra burden of balancing theCatholic faith with tribal cultures that often espouse their ownsets of spiritual beliefs. “It’s a question we all face,” Archbishop Chaput said. But

Blessed Kateri prioritized her Catholic faith, he added, and “itdidn’t make her any less an Indian.” Blessed Kateri’s canonization, the archbishop said, has the

potential to reignite the faith of Native Americans. “But at thesame time, it’s much easier to talk about the saints than to be-come one.”Archbishop Chaput said that whether or not there will be a

renewal of faith among Native Americans is yet to be seen, buthe remains optimistic: “To be a Christian means to be a personof hope.” He is sure of one thing: He will be in Rome Oct. 21.“I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world,” he said.♦

ANGELA CAVE is a staff writer for The Evangelist, the newspaper forthe Diocese of Albany.

Msgr. Paul Lenz, the vice postulator for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s causefor canonization and director emeritus of the Bureau of Catholic IndianMissions, is pictured by a painting of the soon-to-be saint.

Photos by Glenn Davenport

KNIGHTSWELCOMENATIVE AMERICAN BROTHERS

When Michael Witek of Cardinal StritchCouncil 616 in Memphis, Tenn., passedaway last fall, his fellow council memberswere quick to offer condolences and sup-port to Michael’s widow, a Catholic Chero-kee named Paula. The Knights evenvolunteered to lead the funeral procession.“They were so supportive,” Paula Witek

said. “I didn’t even have to ask.”Paula and Michael had prayed for

Blessed Kateri’s canonization daily for al-most two decades. “To me, it’s like full cir-cle,” Witek said. “It’s the answer to so manyprayers.”When Native American men are hesitant

to join the Knights, Witek encourages themto keep an open mind. “Both sides have toget over their prejudices,” she said. “I think[Blessed Kateri is] part of the answer, be-cause she appeals to so many people. Shecan really be a bridge, just like she’s donewith the native tribes.”At least seven Knights of Columbus

councils are named after Blessed KateriTekakwitha, but not all are connected toNative American culture. The stigma some-times associated with Columbus has, infact, discouraged many natives from joiningthe Order. But Deacon Alfred “Bud” Jetty, past state

deputy of South Dakota, believes theKnights’ reputation and good works shouldsupersede any negative associations. Amember of Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, DeaconJetty has worked for years to bring about areconciliation between mainstream U.S. so-ciety and Native Americans.In Deacon Jetty’s experience, Knights

have great respect for natives. “I can see thatfrom the way they act and the way theytreat people,” he said, adding that the Orderdonated more than $400,000 to a cultural-exchange program with South Dakotareservations and public schools. When he became state deputy in 1991,

Deacon Jetty saw it as a sign that “the K of C is an organization for everybody. Itdoesn’t matter what race you are or whereyou came from.” — Angela Cave

Top: An Akwesasne Mohawk youth dancesduring a powwow at the 73rd annualTekakwitha Conference in Auriesville, N.Y.,Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s birthplace.

Above: Jake Finkbonner, whose recoveryfrom a rare disease was attributed to theintercession of Blessed Kateri and pro-vided the final miracle needed to canonizeher, hands off a relic of the future saintto an organizer of next year’s conference,which will be held in El Paso, Texas. Sis-ter Kateri Mitchell, director of the Tekak-witha Conference, and Bishop Robert J.Cunningham of Syracuse look on.

Bottom: Jerry McDonald, an AkwesasneMohawk, beats a drum during a rounddance at the conference.

Patrick Matheny of Coos Bay, Ore., received an in-person ex-press delivery in November 1998. He waited more than fourmonths before ingesting the lethal drugs that the package con-tained. The prescribed drugs were legal due to the state’s then-recently passed Death with Dignity Act, which still allows aperson to end his or her life with deadly capsules.Matheny, who was 43 at the time of his death, was nearly

paralyzed from ALS and unable to self-administer the barbi-turates mixed into a chocolate drink. He received assistancefrom his brother-in-law, Joe Hayes, who reportedly held theglass while Matheny drank through a straw. Authorities foundthat there was no breach in the law with Matheny’s death, butquestions remained as to how much assistance one personcould give to another in taking the prescribed drugs.

Welcome to the world of physician-assisted suicide and itsmurky realities. In 1997, Oregon became the first state to le-galize the practice. Its neighboring state, Washington, becamethe second in 2008. Assisted suicide was then made legal inMontana through a court ruling the following year. Now, Mas-sachusetts voters can expect to see a similar petition on theNovember ballot.Matheny’s situation and death has become fairly well

known, as it was documented in the newspaper The Oregonianand later cited by a number of groups. Some two months be-fore his death, reporter Erin Barnett’s feature article showcasedMatheny’s progression of thoughts about the fatal choice as hisphysical abilities deteriorated.“I really believe I can still accomplish some things and have

Thinkstock

As doctor-prescribed suicide is sold as “compassion,” Catholics and others witness to the true dignity of life

by Justin Bell

a purpose in life,” Matheny said in the story. “So it’s not time,and I think I’ll just wait until I get the inner calling — or don’tget it.”But Matheny also said at another time, “The idea of waiting

too long scares me the most.” He understood there wouldprobably be a point when he could not physically take thedrugs, even if his mind was set on doing so.

SO-CALLED DEATH WITH DIGNITYSimilar to the legislation in the Pacific Northwest, the Massa-chusetts Death With Dignity Act seeks to allow those 18 yearsof age and older the choice to self-administer lethal drugs. Thisis after an attending or consulting physician determines thatthe individual has a terminal disease that “will, within reason-able medical judgment, produce death within six months.” The measure requires that the process be “entirely voluntary

on the part of all participants” and that the adult have “the ca-pacity to make health-care decisions.”Careful to avoid the term “suicide,” the ballot petition states

that a patient’s death certificate would list the terminal diseaseas the cause of death. Instead of theterm “assisted suicide,” the phrase“to end a patient’s life in a humaneand dignified manner” is used. Theinitiative even states directly thatactions of the proposal “shall notconstitute suicide, assisted suicide,mercy killing or homicide underany criminal law of the common-wealth.”Opponents to the measure have

found plenty to take issue with.In a videotaped homily distrib-

uted to parishes in the Archdioceseof Boston, Cardinal Seán O’Malleysaid, “The bill also requires twowitnesses to attest to the patient’scompetence. But one of the wit-nesses can be a total stranger, andanother can be the sick person’sheir. Alfred Hitchcock would makemovies about this stuff.”The ballot initiative was spearheaded by a group of 15 Mas-

sachusetts citizens that includes current or previous membersof the Harvard Medical School faculty, the American CivilLiberties Union of Massachusetts and the organization Com-passion and Choices. In 2003, Compassion and Choices be-came the new name of two merged groups, including onepreviously known as the Hemlock Society USA, which wasfounded in 1980.The idea that the current ballot initiative in Massachusetts

is a grassroots effort does not sit well with M.C. Sullivan, anurse, bioethicist and attorney who works for Covenant HealthSystems, a Catholic health provider based in Tewksbury, Mass.“It is an initiative that was brought to bear by a group of

people who have had this agenda for quite some time,” said

Sullivan. “The people who are behind ‘Death with Dignity’are part of a national network that has been trying to legalizeassisted suicide for decades.”Sullivan is among those who take issue with the collection

of approximately 80,000 citizen signatures to get the measureconsidered by the state legislature. Complaints have been madethat collection propaganda used misleading and ambiguousphrases like “compassion for the terminally ill.”“Some of the people who signed those petitions claimed that

they never understood that it was about assisted suicide. Theyreally did think that it was about compassion and choices indying. Well, that’s a very different thing than suicide,” said Sul-livan who gives talks about physician-assisted suicide and re-lated issues.

HOPE FOR THE DYINGIn contrast with a worldview that favors total autonomy overone’s own life and death stands the Catholic teaching on thesanctity of life. Responding to physician-assisted suicide, theU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement in

June 2011 titled “To Live Each Daywith Dignity.”In six pages, the document ad-

dresses the continued threat tohuman dignity resulting from falsenotions of freedom and of compas-sion for the sick and dying.“People who request death are vul-

nerable. They need care and protec-tion. To offer them lethal drugs is avictory not for freedom, but for theworst form of neglect. Such aban-donment is especially irresponsiblewhen society is increasingly aware ofelder abuse and other forms of mis-treatment and exploitation of vul-nerable persons,” the statementargues. “The idea that assisting a sui-cide shows compassion and elimi-nates suffering is equally misguided.It eliminates the person and resultsin suffering for those left behind —

grieving families and friends, and other vulnerable people whomay be influenced by this event to see death as an escape.”But the bishops’ statement does not stop at listing a litany

of problems with physician-assisted suicide as it is practiced,such as neglect in evaluating mental illness and a lack ofscrutiny in the circumstances surrounding one’s choice to dielegally. Rather, the bishops go on to provide a message of prac-tical hope and illustrate that respect for life does not requireextending life with treatments that do not work or are “undulyburdensome.” The statement notes that suffering patients should not be re-

fused pain medications even if there is fear that possible sideeffects could shorten life. “In fact, severe pain can shorten life,while effective palliative care can enhance the length as well as

“People who request death are

vulnerable. They need care and protection. To offer them lethaldrugs is a victory not for freedom, but for theworst form of neglect.

the quality of a person’s life,” the statement says. “Effective pal-liative care also allows patients to devote their attention to theunfinished business of their lives, to arrive at a sense of peacewith God, with loved ones and with themselves. No oneshould dismiss this time as useless or meaningless.”Father Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish and

chaplain of Msgr. Jean A. Prevost Council 12380 in Fall River,Mass., said Catholics can help by starting with prayer and at-tending to those who suffer at the end of their lives. Palliativecare and “typical human accompaniment for which everyonelongs” is a much better course than trying “to kill a sufferingpatient in order to end the suffering,” he said.Father Landry said that Catholics, and especially Knights,

need “to be at those bedsides, so that people who are in painare not suffering alone.” He also stressed that the sufferingshould not believe that their dying is the best way to releasetheir loved ones of caring for them.“We need to be there with them and say, ‘We’re here with

you until God comes,’” said Father Landry.

NATIONAL IMPLICATIONSMany believe that Massachusetts has been targeted as a pivotalstate for the spread of physician-assisted suicide. With itsrenowned medical facilities and professionals, along with its ac-ademic institutions, Massachusetts wields influence over theNortheast and beyond. If the state goes the way of legalized as-sisted suicide, it could be much easier for other states to follow.John M. Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics

Center, remembered when physician-assisted suicide legisla-tion passed in Oregon and one of the campaign leaders de-clared Massachusetts as a goal for the suicide practice.Haas explained that if the initiative passes in Massachusetts,

it will be harder to dismiss earlier legislative actions in Oregonas a fringe movement. “That’s the most unchurched part ofthe United States (Oregon), and now here’s Massachusettswith a huge Catholic population finally becoming ‘enlight-ened’ about these matters,” said Haas, a member of Mater Dei

Council 4129 in Newtown Square, Pa. “So when they thinkabout these things strategically, they take all these considera-tions into account.”Cardinal O’Malley first addressed the issue publicly at a Red

Mass for the legal community in September 2011. “We hopethat the citizens of the commonwealth will not be seduced bythe language, ‘dignity, mercy, compassion,’ which are used todisguise the sheer brutality of helping someone to kill them-selves,” the cardinal said.Since then, the archdiocese of Boston has launched a website

devoted to the issue, including the video homily from the arch-bishop that was played in nearly 300 parishes in mid-February.More outreach is planned leading up to the vote.Janet Benestad, who directs the Boston archdiocese’s educa-

tional campaign against the initiative, is quick to point outthat the situation should not be looked at as only a Catholicissue. Many others in the community, including citizens’groups and advocates for persons with disabilities, are opposedto physician-assisted suicide, as are medical organizations suchas the American Medical Association and the MassachusettsMedical Society.“It’s also important to consider that 25 states have rejected this

in the course of the last several years, and there are good reasonsfor that,” said Benestad. “They didn’t want it in their states, andit’s important for people to Massachusetts to ask why.”Three separate coalition groups have been working against

the push for legalized suicide in Massachusetts. In one group,which is supported by the Supreme Council, is the Massachu-setts Catholic Conference, the public-policy arm of the state’sbishops, representing the state’s four dioceses. A fundamentalgoal of the MCC is to clear up the language of the petition. “It’s just getting the terms down to what this actually means

— that ‘Death with Dignity’ is a prescription for a legal doseof medication to end one’s life,” explained Peter McNulty, as-sociate director of policy and research for the MCC and amember of Dedham Council 234.Father Landry suggested a three-point plan for how the local

Knights of Columbus can help: prayer, being informed in theissues and mobilization. He added that Knights across thecountry can pray for Massachusetts and do proactive work intheir states to build a culture “that supports life at its most vul-nerable extremes.” “The Knights of Columbus have already distinguished

themselves as champions of life and the protection of our un-born brothers and sisters,” said Father Landry. “But nowthey’re called to become defenders of our older brothers andsisters whose lives are being devalued and threatened by thepush for doctor-prescribed death.”For educational resources from the Archdiocese of Boston

and the USCCB, visit suicideisalwaysatragedy.org andusccb.org/toliveeachday.♦

JUSTIN BELL, a member of Denver (Colo.) Council 539, has re-ported for the Boston archdiocese’s newspaper The Pilot and is acorrespondent for the National Catholic Register. He currently livesand writes from the Boston area.

CNS photo/Gregory L. Tracy,

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley delivers a homily at the Cathedral of the HolyCross in Boston. Cardinal O’Malley has strongly condemned a proposal tomake assisted suicide legal in the commonwealth.

FATHERS FOR GOOD

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

AP Photo/Paul Jasienski

Growing up, the toughest person in Tom Coughlin’slife was not the playground bully, the school bus wise

guy or any of his rough-and-tumble friends. Not evenclose. The person Coughlin most respected and feared wasa slightly built Sister of St. Joseph, a disciplinarian par ex-cellence with clear, penetrating eyesand a huge heart. Her name was Sis-ter Rose Alice. “She was tougher, faster, she could

hit harder and she could outtalk any-one,” said Coughlin.Coughlin, 66, knows something

about toughness. As the head coachof the New York Giants, he is a de-tailed taskmaster who is known forhis competitive fire, and he has ledhis team to two Super Bowl victoriesin the past five years. Thomas Richard Coughlin was

the eldest of seven children growingup in Waterloo, a town of 5,000 inthe idyllic Finger Lakes region ofNew York. His father, Lou, workedfor an Army Supply Depot. Hismother, Betty, was a non-Catholicwho went out of her way to makesure her children fulfilled their reli-gious obligations. “My mother was really more Catholic than anyone,” said

Coughlin. “Every Sunday she made sure we were dressedand ready for Mass.”As a student at St. Mary’s School in Waterloo and an altar

boy at St. Mary’s Church, Coughlin received a solidCatholic formation from the Sisters of St. Joseph.“They were totally dedicated to Jesus Christ, the Catholic

faith and to the welfare of each and every one of their stu-dents,” Coughlin recalled. “Who I am today can be traced tothe values I learned from the faith-filled Sisters of St. Joseph.”Indeed, these values have formed the foundation of his

solid faith and strong marriage. He and his wife, Judy, whowere high school classmates, have been married for 46 years.They have four grown children and 10 grandchildren.Coughlin’s education taught him to value the sacraments

and the tenets of the faith. “We learned that there are con-sequences for our actions,” he said. “Ultimately, there is a

greater court, judge and jury. I am far from perfect, so it hasalways been vital for me to know that there is no hidingfrom God. You can’t be a phony.”Coughlin first established his football prowess in high

school when he set a single-season record for touchdownswith 19 — a record that still stands.He went on to compete for SyracuseUniversity as a wingback, and set theuniversity’s single-season receivingrecord in 1967. At Syracuse, heplayed for Hall of Fame coach BenSchwartzwalder, whose character andtoughness rubbed off. Coughlin later posted a 21-13-1

record as head coach of Boston Col-lege from 1991-93, including a dra-matic last-second victory overtop-ranked Notre Dame. One playerhe will never forget was Jay McGillis,who died of leukemia and inspiredCoughlin to launch a fund that hasraised more than $2 million to assistthe families of cancer patients.Moving to the NFL, Coughlin be-

came the inaugural head coach of theJacksonville Jaguars expansion teamfor eight years before accepting thetop spot with the Giants in 2004.

Through it all, the faith and values that Coughlin learnedduring his youth have been brought to bear on the gridiron.“Look inside the locker room. He has inspired every sin-

gle player to play for each other and not just for themselves,”noted Giants Chairman Steve Tisch.When looking back on his life and career, Coughlin said

that he would like to be remembered as “fair, firm, honestand demanding.”Revealing a warm heart beneath his tough exterior, he added

that he is particularly pleased when former players return tosee him. “They thank me for helping them become the bestthey can be, on and off the field,” said Coughlin. “Those mo-ments are special. Man to man. You can’t top that.”♦

WALLY CAREW, a member of Vera Cruz Council 129 in Ran-dolph, Mass., is the author of Men of Spirit, Men of Sports and AFarewell to Glory.

Faith on the FieldThe defending Super Bowl champion coach credits

Catholic roots with teaching him how to be a good leader

by Wally Carew

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin holdsthe Vince Lombardi trophy following the NFLSuper Bowl Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis.

St. Joseph’s Youth Camp gives kids a place to disconnectfrom technology and reconnect to each other

by J.D. Long-García

therealsocialnetwork

LOWER LEFT: Photo by J.D. Long-García — OTHER: Photos by Amy Vogelsang

No television. No cell phones. No video games … Awesome.

Surprisingly, that’s how the children who attend St. Joseph’sYouth Camp describe their weeklong experience tucked amongthe pines about 30 miles south of Flagstaff, Ariz. Knights of Columbus took over the camp in 1950 and, in

simple terms, they want kids to have “the traditional camp ex-perience.” That’s according to Rick Large II, president of theboard of directors and a member of Father Marcel Salinas Coun-cil 11536 in Mesa. For the first time in years, the nonprofitcamp was at capacity every week of July — that’s around 80campers a week, plus accompanying counselors and staff. “It’s a traditional camp, with a camp fire, horses and plenty

of fresh air,” said Large, who fell in love with St. Joseph’s thefirst time he visited. He said the camp isn’t just for Catholics,and it certainly isn’t just for the rich. As the president of theboard, he helps ensure that children of any background can

attend — including homeless children.

This year, one of the campersshowed up with his toes hanging out of a beat-up pair of sneak-ers. A couple of foster kids attended another week. Whatevertheir home life is like, all the campers are treated equally.

CATCHING CAMP FEVERIn the third week of July, parents lined up to check in their kids atOur Lady of Mount Caramel Church in Tempe, a Phoenix suburb,on the first day of the third session of St. Joseph’s Youth Camp thisyear. The temperature was close to 100 degrees, and some of thekids — ages 8 to 12 — were frowning. Most kept to themselves.The counselors, teenage volunteers who accompany campers

for the week, were all smiles though. They knew how much the

children would change during their weeklong camp experienceand practically relished the initial negative attitudes. The chil-dren remained suspicious. A week? In the woods? Really? Once on board the bus, high-fives abounded. The celebratory

spirit continued when the campers disembarked the bus two-and-a-half hours later. The weather was 25 degrees cooler at thecamp, which is 7,100 feet above sea level.After a series of icebreakers, staff members put on a skit to go

over the rules. They stressed the destructiveness of negative lan-guage as much as the danger of forest fires. There’s no litteringeither, and candy isn’t allowed in the cabins.“Do you think it’s good for chipmunks to eat Skittles?” asked

Alyssa Fresh, a college-aged staff member. “NO!” all 82 campers shouted back. “And that’s why we can’t have candy in the cabins,” Fresh said

playfully. Fresh comes from a large family in Lake Havasu, Ariz., and

started coming to the camp in 2006 thanks to sponsors. Shewas one of 12 staffers led by Camp Director Brian Byrnes, a

member of St. Anthony of Padua Council9838 in Wickenburg, Ariz. The staff worksalongside 30 or so teenage counselors to en-sure campers get all the attention they need. The camp’s 12 cabins are organized by gen-

der — two counselors for every eight campers.Camp leaders are strict about keeping the boysout of the girls’ cabins, and vice versa. “Boysare blue, girls are pink. Don’t make purple,” ex-plained Large, the board president. “Thatmakes it pretty clear. No one breaks the rulesbecause no one wants to be sent home.” Cell phones are also forbidden. During one

week, staff members confiscated 12 phones.On the second day of camp, staff members

led the kids on a tour of the grounds. Once atthe boundary, staff members Wren Lapanskyand Emily Wilson recounted scary stories, tak-ing advantage of summer camp poetic license.The stories make sure the kids remember wherethey can and can’t go.

Lumberjacks are buried over here, so it’s haunted, of course. Andyou wouldn’t want to spend time with ghosts, so you shouldn’t behere. … Now this used to be a troll bridge. That is, until the trolldestroyed it. And you wouldn’t want to cross this area, unless you’relooking to be eaten by the troll. … That’s not to mention the red-eyed killer teddy bears — avoid them as well. They’re bad news. As the group made its way around the 19-acre camp, the

kids asked each other if they believed the troll story. “I don’tknow,” one camper said. “It’s only my first time here.” It wasday two, and the kids were already talking about coming backnext year.Back at the mess hall, one of the boys was getting riled up at

the foosball table. “Take it down a notch,” said Zach Crimmins,program specialist. The camper listened and settled down im-mediately. You wouldn’t know it was Crimmins’ first time atSt. Joseph’s.

Opposite page: On any given week in July, around 80 campers and 10counselors met at St. Joseph’s Youth Camp in northern Arizona. The camp,supported by the Knights of Columbus, is a place where kids can makenew, lasting friendships. • Above: Campers are pictured jumping in delight.

“When I first got here, I caught the ‘virus.’ I can see why otherstaff members have been coming here for years and why theycall it their second home,” he said. Crimmins, who is part of the U.S. Air Force ROTC at North-

ern Arizona University, shared some wilderness basics with theyoung campers. His tutorial included a scavenger hunt of sortsusing a compass. While that was fun, the boys soon moved onto a more important question: Who’s taller? They measured eachother, as boys do, wholly inaccurately.

IMPROVING LIVESThree weeks in, Crimmins said the toughest weekso far had been

“teen week” — the seven days thatSt. Joseph’s hosts teenage campers. The kids come from acrossArizona and even from California, and they don’t always getalong, at least not in the beginning. One of the counselors, Timothy Ruane, said being so close in

age to teen campers was tough. While being teenagers them-selves presents a challenge for some counselors, it also enablesthem to have a more immediate connection with the teens.“I’m up here now, and I’m happy,” said Ruane, who first came

to the camp three years ago thanks to a scholarship from theKnights of Columbus. In the past, he said, he hadn’t wanted toleave the camp when the summer was over. When problems do arise, the counselors work through them,

supporting each other and consulting staff members.Byrnes, the director, said one of the teen campers this summer

wanted to go home at the beginning of the week. After spendingsome time with the teen, staff members ascertained that anotherperson from his cabin was picking on him — someone he knewfrom home. The team adjusted, switching the kids to separatecabins. It worked, and the boy happily stayed the whole week. Counselors and staff members undergo safe environment

training — sessions in abuse prevention. It’s a requirement theKnights of Columbus don’t take lightly.

“It’s morally important that these kids get up here,” he said.“This may be the one thing in life that keeps them on thestraight and narrow.”Simply being respected and being listened to by their peers

transforms campers. The kids will also do things they’ve likelynever done before, and may never do again. Down at the horse stable, about 20 campers gave riding a try.

They strapped on helmets and waited to be called to their horse. “Now, lift your leg over and stick your foot in the other stir-

rup,” a riding instructor said to one of the boys. “I can’t,” the boy said. “We don’t believe in ‘can’t’ here,” the in-structor barked back. Sure enough, theboy could mount the horse and loved hisride. “At first, it’s hard to get some of the shykids to open up,” said Will Giannola, as-sistant director. A member of BlessedJohn Cardinal Newman Council 7513in Flagstaff, Giannola started coming toSt. Joseph’s 15 years ago as a camper. “Bythe time the week is over, [the shy kids]won’t be quiet,” he said.Parents notice a change, too, accord-ing to Large, the board president. Someparents tell him their kids come backconverted — they now eat vegetables. “Whenever kids leave here, I swearthey leave in a better place than whenthey got here,” Byrnes said. “Evenkids who come from good familiesneed this kind of attention.”

Alexandria Saquella, who just graduated high school, was onstaff as head counselor. Every morning, she gathered camperstogether for the raising of the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance anda prayer. She also asked for a volunteer to lead grace before eachmeal. Campers and counselors from various faith traditions ledprayer throughout summer.“I got hooked and fell in love with the camp and the people,”

said Saquella, who’s been coming for years. “It’s a big familyhere.” She said serving as a counselor in years past gave her the con-

fidence to serve on her high school student council; she was stu-dent body president her senior year. “Working here made me aware of leadership skills I have,”

Saquella said.The same is true of many other children who pass through

the camp. By taking away technological distractions, kids areforced to pay attention to each other. What they find is thattheir peers are a lot more fun than their iPods. “We don’t have cell phones or technology,” Saquella said. “We

get away and focus on relationships.” And the friendships they form will never be obsolete.♦

J.D. LONG-GARCÍA is the editor of the Catholic Sun, the newspaperof the Diocese of Phoenix.

Photo by JD

. Long-García

Rick Large II (opposite page), presidentof the board of directors for St. Joseph’sYouth Camp, speaks with a camper’sparent at Our Lady of Mount CarmelParish in Tempe July 15. • The campoffers activities some of the children havenever experienced before, like archery,kayaking, and horseback riding.Campers also create crafts throughoutthe week, including engraving their“nature names” on leather nametags.

BOTTOM LEFT: Photo by J.D. Long-García — OTHER: Photos by Amy Vogelsang

STAR COUNCIL WINNERS

Star Councils Awarded

Atotal of 1,079 councilsearned the Star Council

Award, the highest distinctionavailable to a local K of Ccouncil, for the 2011-12 fra-ternal year.

These councils, led by thegrand knights listed here,conducted the required chari-table and fraternal programsin the “Surge … with Service” areas and alsoachieved their membership and insurance quotas.Each council will receive an appropriately engravedplaque from the Supreme Council in recognition ofits accomplishment.

Of these councils, 362 earned the Double StarCouncil Award for meeting 100 percent of their in-surance quota and 200 percent of their membershipquota. Numbers in red indicate councils that achievedthe Double Star Council Award.

Additionally, 3,097 councils earned the ColumbianAward for excellence in programming; 2,783 attainedthe Father McGivney Award for meeting their mem-bership quota; and 2,082 earned the Founders’ Awardfor meeting their insurance quota.

ALABAMA 764 Gregory D. Olsen 893 Wallace M. Sadler Jr. 5597 Terry C. Taylor 9676 Ronald E. Holmes 10903 Isaac N. Williams 11480 George C. Miller 12618 John M. Hahn Sr. 13085 William A. Giattina13152 John A. Bares 13163 Edward G. Ferniany 13174 Thomas M. Hayward13367 George T. Kruse 15247 Edward S. Zanaty Jr.

ALASKA 1760 Robert B. Tonkin

ALBERTA 6994 Kelly D. O’Hare 8470 Rick O. Finzel 10986 Ronald M. Starko 12353 Grant M. Mann 12658 Julien J. Bilodeau 14497 Aleksander A. Gurgul

ARIZONA 6848 Douglas K. Doonan 7114 Lawrence G. Costanzo 7306 Alfred S. Wims 7465 Joseph M. Danko 8305 Larry J. Lickfelt 8813 Jeffrey J. Wild 10062 Thomas Y. Kato 10799 Robert H. Bridges Jr.11738 Anthony A. Balestrieri 11855 William Barrett III12164 Larry F. Bleichroth12345 Mervyn R. Stuckey 12449 Nicola F. Gaudio 12696 Terry R. Lingrel 14121 Richard J. Sauerbrey14230 Robert McLaughlin14357 Christopher J. Hopkins 15001 Jim P. Doorley 15376 Peter B. Herra

ARKANSAS 5209 Johnny R. Wiedower 6419 Dennis L. Bosch 6609 Joseph D. Beffa 7258 Ronald L. Anderle 9777 Donald J. Chaffin 10208 David E. Johnston 12082 A. Lewis Germany Jr.12875 Philip A. Savage 14609 Raul Castilla 14619 Charles J. Digiacomo

BRITISH COLUMBIA 5282 Ely G. Abecia 6767 Zoltan Louis Vertes 6855 Edgar C. Ursua 8394 Harold T. Francis 9125 Priscilo Tetangco 10681 Peter R. Sobrinho 14652 Denis F. Faucher

CALIFORNIA 1658 Efren C. Ramos 1740 Kennith M. Hall 1920 Gregory L. Granja 2956 Edward D. Franger 3148 Richard B. Marciniak 3254 James L. Tiedeman 3523 Gilbert J. Rodriguez 3583 William E. Irwin 3629 Robert A. McNerney 3667 Jose A. Villaman 3773 Jeffrey S. Patino 4017 Eric M. Rosas 4060 Terry A. Gotowka 4229 Kenneth R. Arguelles 4588 Terry R. Lucchesi 4728 Ruperto P. Ubaldo 4901 James Diego Reed 4981 Robert H. Rolufs 5385 Abraham James 6043 Timothy B. Tuttle 6922 Norv B. Latreille 6965 Robert S. Rebollar 7164 Patrick D. Embody 7268 Timothy J. Wade 7663 Richard J. Trevors 7683 Robert O. Brown 7987 Michael J. Queenan

8879 Andrew J. Ganse 9206 Richard R. Esposito 9530 Tony H. Lomas 9667 Thomas C. Leeman Jr. 9679 James M. Figueredo 9710 Mark A. Rahall 9740 John K. Springer 10512 John C. Clark Sr. 10667 Troy A. Asher 10802 Frank X. Tooker 10948 Theodore J. Cordano11829 John J. Corcoran 12587 Armando R. Vasquez 12853 Toby E. Laufer 13111 Anthony Gonzalez 13124 Kevin B. Casey 13179 Howard W. Tank 13195 Jose V. Alas 13311 Gregory A. Hastings13899 Kenneth J. Landoline14007 Raymond J. Forgette14158 Richard M. Stuart 14292 Rudy A. Bravo 14541 Robert M. Tierney 14550 Rodolfo Torres Sr. 14554 Steve A. Aquilino 14581 William F. Lichtenstein14818 Eduardo I. Palomar 14927 Edgar Antonin M. Sipin15034 Carlito P. Dimla 15076 Frank T. Morrall 15242 Peter J. Nelson

COLORADO 3434 Anthony A. Cisneros II 4732 Franklin C. Zadel 5757 Jeffrey C. Cole 7880 Leonard M. Bertagnolli 8909 Alex R. Onda 10205 Leonard V. Micek 10937 Paul Sciera 10961 Philip T. Georgen 11730 Kerry W. White 12020 Clyde R. Labriola 12228 Robert J. Knapp 12335 Oscar T. Valdez Jr. 12392 Joseph G. Leyba 12720 Arthur Padilla 12979 Eric Scott Ditch 13131 William H. Remy 13221 Randolph J. Stimac 14398 Martin J. Mohr 14688 Brian J. Wallace 14898 Richard J. Chopyak

CONNECTICUT 6 Anthony C. Gumkowski 7 John R. Mcnickle 11 Jaime Morales 48 Robert L. Nelson Jr. 1090 James C. Lajewski 1253 Stephen D. Haywood 2336 Carl T. Holte 3037 Dennis S. Costello 6376 Peter J. Dlubac 7738 Neil S. Miller 10705 William J. Long 11010 Eufemio Vasquez 11913 Craig A. Worster 13424 Mark J. Greene 14216 Richard L. Youmans 14546 Joseph A. Settanni 14664 Michael A. De Gregorio

DELAWARE 7297 Dennis A. Huss

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 433 Brandon J. Brown 9386 Byron A. Wilson 11302 Otto E. Heck

FLORIDA 1726 Cesar A. Armstrong 1895 Roy D. Gorski

1951 Harold E. Kelly 2075 Michael P. Gizewski 5150 Kenneth A. Polster 6265 William A. Gamble 7091 Steven D. Siesel 7109 Kenneth E. Seguin Sr. 7380 Glen A. Borges 8838 Mitchell S. Kraft 9720 Edward C. Barthle 10055 Sebastian P. Almazan10157 Thomas V. Doyle 10201 Jean Pierre Chacon10626 Robert A. Petrelli 10850 Stephen D. Kerlin 11036 Ramon Balderas 11046 Charles P. Vincent 11079 Joseph A. Irene 11177 William P. Collins 11226 Robert E. Smith 11497 Dan K. Mc Kinnon 11673 Richard T. Brown 11830 Michael J. Kujawa 12155 Thomas C. Mullally 12178 Neil B. Frost 12196 George A. Wahl 12306 Kenneth W. Turcotte12664 Francis W. Durnin Sr.12873 Robert E. McKeen 13018 Stephen G. Florio 13118 Peter Siano 13153 Thomas J. Burger 13240 Peter P. Capece 13277 Ronald F. Wright 13307 Ronald F. Kosey 13657 William R. Teska 13676 Richard L. Mills 13907 Roger D. Lynn 13996 Thomas J. Stewart 14132 Richard C. Mendoza 14202 Walter R. Howell Jr.14203 Gerald H. Tegler 14222 Francis J. Burke III14456 Wayne D. Clegg 14485 Dana H. Rossignol 14573 Gerald F. Grillo 14697 Ernest M. Mitchell 14717 John A. Harrison 14848 Matthew A. Kuschel 14998 Humberto Duarte 15007 Phillip M. Keane 15132 Ben Parker 15154 Donald F. Kosling 15224 Rafael Acosta 15225 John T. Conroy 15332 David E. Altwies 15357 Richard M. Gerst

GEORGIA 1939 Anthony M. Albenze 4410 William P. Adams 5484 Karl L. Stevens 6517 David Labbe 6532 Thomas A. Albers 7923 Hubert J. Gardiner 8376 Gary E. Sherman 8731 Richard A. Parcels Jr. 9792 Richard A. Kennel 9923 Christopher M. Werner10355 Robert L. Hudson 10362 Daniel B. Carfang 10632 William D. Leach 10633 Richard J. Ooten 11402 Stanley Wasowski 11676 Paul A. Sherman 12126 David C. Pierman 12287 James R. Tegl 12905 David C. Swint 12942 Curtis Weeks 13204 Richard M. Kobylski13217 Robert M. Muniz 13808 James C. Collins 14122 Michael T. Basak 14348 William L. Bapst Jr.14425 Richard L. Allman 15238 Kenneth J. Rovneyko15305 Michael R. Williams

IDAHO 1389 Tsg Gregory V. Nau

1397 Jeffrey M. Finken 2014 Donald J. Behrendt 8283 John S. Williams 12172 James Arnold Van Dinter 15304 Stacy D. Carhart

ILLINOIS 658 Glenn A. Wells 716 Stephen P. Bein 1077 James S. Hauert 1555 David C. Harms 3738 Richard L. Vath 3800 James L. Schreiner 4024 Matthew F. Piescinski 4849 Ty Simmons 5572 Jacob E. Nice 5918 Darren J. Di Maria 6964 Laurence F. Bretz 6985 Monty R. Murphy 7527 James R. Glennon 7694 James E. Kasarda 8021 Steven F. Schutz 8365 Robert J. Tretina 9266 Joseph A. Willis 9689 Mark G. Brinkman 9893 Ronald L. Metty 10276 Justin M. Weiler 11100 Richard L. Mette 11112 Kenneth M. King 11223 James A. Mack 11666 William J. Byrne Jr.11874 M. Tod Melton 12801 Corey C. Schoenherr12863 Rodney B. Lechwar 13103 Scott M. Wiesbrook 13123 Clark E. Farrell 13197 James R. Zinck 13448 Thaddeus Z. Nowokunski 13476 Clarence J. Gburek 14171 Thomas J. Casey 14463 Robert E. Skidmore Sr. 14562 David M. Prete 14795 Timothy J. Higgs 14825 Edgar A. Gonzalez 15168 Dennis J. Regan 15175 John C. Fruin 15296 Joseph M. Vaikutis 15422 David A. Jenkins

INDIANA 1014 Jeffry W. Young 1166 James T. Parsch II 4620 Roger A. Zellers 5929 Peter D. Gage 7555 James Cole 7839 Michael C. Tackett 8052 Joseph T. Hennekes Sr. 10811 James W. Premeske 11353 John L. Becker Jr. 12510 Edward L. De Witt 13142 Mark E. Michuda 13968 William R. McCullough 14449 Robert J. Evanich 14673 Thomas A. Quick 14895 Nicholas S. Jose Sr.

IOWA 644 Hugh F. O’Hagan 1305 James A. Weigand 2021 Dan Duitsman 2326 Steven C. Becker 3900 Donald D. Kenkel 4208 Brett S. Robinson 5389 Larry C. Henriksen 5660 Roger D. Cramer 7459 Roger E. Griffith 7896 John P. Roisen 8114 John T. Greubel 8592 Dick W. Danielson 8702 Nicholas J. Gannon 10761 Jacob L. Wetter 10864 Kevin M. Nulle 12334 Arthur G. Halstead 12422 Carson P. Luger 12432 Eric J. Schurr 12438 Thomas J. Danner 12674 Ted E. Cramer

13919 Ruben R. Cuevas 13949 Expedito G. Machado13985 Eduardo M. De Leon 14020 Virgilio Cesar T. Felicitas 14137 Rodelio P. Santos 14160 Alejandro R. Alcantara14381 Rudy R. Tejada 14405 Prudel C. Paredes 14467 Jose Berlin P. Manaloto14592 Edilberto A. Lina 14708 Carlito Sales Deguzman 14876 Benjamin L. Sampedro14904 Wilfrido A. Monzon15079 Mario U. Arevalo 15139 Oscar Cabrera Delez15370 Charlie Pangilinan Maghanoy 15387 Efren C. Clamor

MAINE11376 Robert Pelletier 12941 Denis J. Litalien 13861 Dennis J. Guay

MANITOBA 8221 Robert L. Toutant 10569 Gerald M. Pronyk

MARYLAND 1393 Patrick R. Hogan 2002 Anthony Vitelli 2203 Gerard M. Gager 2577 Joseph N. Massimini 2797 Terence P. Ryan 3489 Terrance F. Tinker Jr. 5058 William P. Snyder Sr. 5381 Christopher N. Agboli 7559 Nicholas J. Clemens 7870 Scott H. Holden 8736 Joe L. Wenderoth 9258 Thomas A. Reumont 9302 Garry J. Selles 10885 John F. Winfrey 11106 Martin J. Foye 11341 Col Roy A. Harris 11552 Larry E. South 11618 Francis J. Stanitski11975 Jesse F. Stansbury 12524 Mark F. Metzler 12796 Michael R. Townsend13294 Ernest O. Tucker 14455 James H. Murry 14612 John P. Maranto 14775 James C. McGrory 15297 John M. Kroschinsky Sr.

MASSACHUSETTS 63 Randy R. Bianchi 365 John L. Brouillard 1116 Robert W. Graham 1721 Gerard A. Leclair 3535 Robert P. White 3669 William C. Bouchard 5406 James J. J. Jones 9275 Robert J. Chevalier10698 Alfred E. Leblanc 11020 Alain S. Carpentier11080 Robert P. Conlon 11178 Alberto Matos 13140 Benjamin W. Krywucki13637 Richard E. Burton 14940 Steven A. Garney 14947 Edward M. Kremzier 15125 Miguel O. Ferreira 15197 Theodore J. Tudryn

MEXICO NORTHEAST15218 Manuel Cuevas-Soto

MICHIGAN 3830 Joseph Panozzo 4141 James R. Highfield 4401 Gary T. Mallia 4556 Louis J. Parsch 6667 Gary T. Chouinard

15469 Eduardo D. Mesias

MINNESOTA 945 Randy Balausky 1540 Leslie R. Hendrickson 4174 Stephen D. House 4184 Karl F. F. Hendrickson 5569 Jeffrey R. Bunke 8253 Patrick K. Schommer 9905 Theodore S. Brausen10031 John G. Newman 10138 Arthur E. Roskowiak13529 Kenneth J. Heinen 14420 Edward O. Laleman 14574 Tommy M. Carey 14616 Kenneth C. Sinclair

MISSISSIPPI 848 Hollis L. Felts 4472 Rodney M. Malburg 6765 Gerald J. Michel 7087 Jimmie R. Hoda 7120 Fred W. Middleton 7915 Luis A. Ybarra 8912 Mark A. Grieser 10216 Dennis J. Antici 11934 Duane E. Stevens 11995 Charles J. Heim Sr. 15131 Guy J. Heying 15155 Jarrod M. Fetters 15382 James F. Ghents

MISSOURI 527 Jerome S. Maschler 979 Paul D. O’Brien 1061 Larry E. Grissum 1698 Robert D. Steinert 1893 Denis C. Boland 1896 Kevin J. Goth 2265 Gregory L. Elsey 2333 Robert J. Hermann 3511 Terry M. Sater 6470 Michael A. Donati 6550 Larry H. Priddy 7119 Kenneth G. Kohlberg 7198 Daniel W. Seal 8588 Eugene S. Blanc 9522 David L. Gockley 9981 David K. Goetz 10154 John L. Bauer 10746 John J. Formella 11139 Joseph A. Burleski Jr. 11556 Kevin T. Madras 12022 Dale A. Abernathie 12323 Walter J. Morrow 12332 John W. Thurman 13604 John R. Landgraf13682 John D. Kubicek 13901 Michael W. Johnson 13908 Stephen P. Claxton 13988 Michael A. Lisac 14163 Terry M. Madden 14270 James M. Easley 14402 David P. Govero 14745 Kenneth E. Yunker Jr.15126 Gordon A. Carmichael15287 Isaac Jimenez 15294 Allen A. Kirchner

MONTANA13050 David A. Bofto

NEBRASKA 1833 Robert J. Bartek 5143 Richard J. Gubbels 6192 Jon L. Stevens 7699 Larry D. Beckman 7825 Gerard C. Micek 8579 Thomas J. Jacobsen 8625 Kenneth E. Sabata 10047 James M. Barnes 10909 Mark A. Pelan 11001 Clement A. Pella 11312 Gerald F. Kane 11879 Mauro D. Songcuan 12086 Mark A. Micek 13584 Troy J. Kleffner 14077 Joseph S. Wishard

12855 Patrick L. Vogt 13084 Jimmie L. Puck 13109 Martin J. De Decker13160 Jeffrey D. Klucinec14029 Terrence J. Smith 14267 Pedro A. Ceballos 14385 Paul G. Kaefring 14393 Phillip M. Grothus 14987 Eric L. Moellers 15060 Jeffrey A. Wellik 15254 James D. Carter

KANSAS 534 Jack W. Figgs 657 James L. Mees 727 Timothy L. Helmer 900 David A. Campbell 1370 Marcos Martinez Jr. 1832 Stuart J. Bachamp 2408 James C. Maurer 2608 Jose P. Hernandez 2609 Robert A. Popelka 3146 Thomas M. Phalen 4254 Timothy R. Bauer 4708 Robert J. Seghers 5328 Joshua D. Ebenkamp 6817 Lewis J. Scully 6984 Rocky Feltis 7426 Ernie E. Raugewitz 8196 Douglas E. Mergen 10407 Adam M. Lang 10834 Thomas E. Smith 10932 Scott T. Buescher 11661 Kelly G. Mages 11777 Lino S. Munoz 12546 Steven W. Kerr 12577 Joseph E. James 12932 John W. Schulz 13012 Galen D. Greenwood 13087 Matthew M. Deters 13354 Bradley G. Predmore14218 Daniel L. Culbertson15134 Sean M. Robinson

KENTUCKY 5453 Michael P. Madden 5634 Charles R. Costello 7831 Charles R. Buchanan Sr. 11132 George V. Hayden 12774 Joseph S. O’Bryan Sr.13053 Richard D. Scherrer13917 Gary C. Weil

LOUISIANA 1286 Joseph P. Hebert 1437 Eric J. Snyder 2732 Joseph A. Rotolo Sr. 3012 Robert D. Kenvyn 3411 Douglas B. Kariker 3743 Samuel Mistretta 8342 Corey J. Orgeron 9240 Larry S. Fertitta 10645 Tyrone M. Stewart 12529 William R. Rossignol12906 Charles B. Foy 12989 David J. Guttierrez13425 Larry L. Jones 13632 Faustino S. Dalmau 14542 Tyrone L. Bufkin 14614 Stephen R. Peterson15133 Leslie T. Bascle

LUZON 1000 Diosdado A. Sapo 3696 Candelario F. Suase 3710 Mario E. Mangulabnan 3887 Reynaldo B. Gonzales 3939 Rolando A. Bago 4278 Benedicto T. Tiotuico 4317 Wilfredo M. Robles 4610 James L. Layaoen 4640 Jesus T. Antonio 5234 Francis B. Duque 5377 Benito U. Romena 5507 Julio V. Romabiles 5576 Francisco P. Ganzon 5622 Arfelcris A. Tapalla 5681 Ricardo G. Pena

5773 Manuel M. Salazar 5922 Raymundo C. Soliman Jr. 5996 Mariano T. Machacon 6060 Edgardo P. Ibay 6116 Romeo A. Cuesta 6122 Leandro Reyes Marquez Sr. 6185 Paquito A. Santos 6238 Gabriel Picasso M. Siapno 6259 Tagumpay P. Ramirez 6303 Ramel S. Villamil 6387 Ignacio M. Solitario 6502 Antonio D. Gener 6613 Manuel C. Santos 6681 Ponciano T. Ubaldo 6843 Jerome B. De Asis 7178 Nicanor M. Garcia Jr. 7286 Lope T. Trajeco Jr. 7400 Ronaldo L. Mendoza 7618 Reynaldo T. Santos 7631 Paul B. Dayao 7686 Jose B. Oyco 7844 Bernardino B. Cruz 7957 Teoeilo A. Samson 8210 Crispin C. Coronado 8219 Alvin C. Novicio 8447 Wilfredo A. Lavarias 8449 Quirino C. Macapallag 8693 Flavio Apilado Pacheco 8724 Reynaldo R. Santiago 8751 Jorge Gateria Telles Jr. 8754 Eduardo D. Torne 8996 Carlos C. Teodoro 9353 Ramon M. Cruz 9366 Sergio C. Dela Cruz 9414 Jose B. Corpuz 9440 Alfredo A. Balcora 9468 Lino R. Garcia 9591 Cesar D. Tongco 9934 Edgar H. Raquinel 10103 Harry S. Brill 10227 Alex Tomagan Balmadrid 10399 Ernesto Briz Taduran 10438 Amado V. Alcantara 10550 Marcial R. Garcia Jr.10582 Rufino C. Dela Cruz10639 Ricardo B. Jose 10734 Rolando M. Sebastian10735 Roberto M. Santos 10737 Edgardo S. Felipe 10738 Manuel P. Soriano 10971 Jerry N. Lucena 11183 Leon B. Apostol 11289 Antonio C. Paragas 11519 Nelson B. De Castro11765 Ruperto Q. Meneses11791 Isagani M. Cortes 11847 Frichard D. Policarpio 11931 Fernando S. Timbang11953 Pablo L. Gabrinao 11971 John N. Nadua 11996 Atanacio I. Gutierrez 12051 Manolito S. Reyes 12125 Ernesto D. Lunaria 12308 Gregorio S. Tumbagahon 12370 Bienvendo B. Nilo 12513 Mauro C. Engracial 12549 Tomas A. Moreno Sr. 12625 Julito B. Eleazar 12762 Alvin Dino Firme 12770 Marvin Pimentel 12810 Lowel F. Fiestada 12890 Reynaldo A. Sulit 12908 Narciso I. Dela Cruz13213 Francisco Carlos Jr.13548 Norberto C. Crisostomo 13668 Ignacio S. Garing 13722 Julian R. Prima 13725 Jose M. Concha 13774 Restituto P. Yalung13776 Rodrigo B. Miclat

6694 Carl F. Pfeiffer 7487 Kevin L. Wilterink 7582 William D. Cymbal 7591 Brian R. Sutherland 8500 Joseph M. Salvia 8556 Randy P. Sucharski 8695 Donald R. Champine 10170 Robert C. Myers II10724 James J. Mattina 11658 Richard W. Abernathy11689 Karl F. Sziisz 11811 James R. Escott 12295 Donald E. Powell 12479 Thomas J. Lopiccolo12985 Robert B. Hyatt 13318 Michael Filliccia 13360 Thomas A. Genyk 13453 Timothy J. Dunning 13475 Arthur F. Koester 13579 Wayne J. Lapointe 13799 Tommy D. Gray 13980 Mark J. Lauer 14642 Robert C. Grove Jr. 14729 John L. Davis 14883 Michael G. Zubalik 15213 Brian J. Egeling 15337 Henry R. Perri

MILITARY OVERSEAS 8792 Jay Hallam 10292 Reynaldo S. Ginete 14853 George C. Piette

MINDANAO 3418 Teofredo U. Delgado 3504 Rey C. Del Rosario Sr. 4019 David B. Capacio 4639 Arnulfo R. Aparente 5831 Julito N. Pepito 5907 Winston V. Luna 6511 Pedro Pabillaran Sr. 6512 Edwin Israel Mayormita 6603 Teotimo D. Minerales 6610 Ramon E. Principe 6876 Wilfredo L. Adorador 6960 Alberto J. Pajarito 6974 Herbert H. Mana Ay 7004 Alexander B. Bulahan 7658 Ernesto A. Ortiz 7824 Baltazar N. Rara 8167 Reynaldo M. Maceda 8202 Paciencio S. Bagotsay 8212 Ranulfo D. Lopez 8764 Gregorio J. Boyose 8945 Gualberto I. Jauculan Jr. 9063 Richard L. Murillo 9157 Ernesto T. Cubero 9566 Raul R. Nierra 9573 Roberto M. Sevilleno 9688 Jessie L. Ducusin 10481 Roberto S. Monleon 11031 Policarpio C. Maramba 11863 Leonardo Q. Cahanap12723 Brinance V. Gabriza13258 Dionesio B. Cutanda13546 Norberto L. Veringa13648 Feliciano F. Ababon Jr.13768 Felix R. Encarnado 13815 Rogelio S. Cabanlit13858 Samson F. Zate 13873 Roel C. Luna 13906 Blasito B. Baguio 14180 Adrian L. Nagac14672 Edmundo L. Saavedra14740 Nestor D. Fruto 14812 Julius C. Palomar 14971 Jonathan B. Balambao15004 Antonio Ganados15127 Reynaldo Sedayao Blanco 15409 Buaulio B. Rojonan Jr.

14943 Chester J. Dombrowski15262 Mario A. Garza 15343 Jimmie Charles Irwin15365 Joseph G. Wilkens

UTAH 602 Tom P. Johnson 5214 Kevin B. Miller 7401 Warren D. Feldt 9731 Donavan J. Hecker 10304 Oscar J. Punzo 12181 Sean P. Wink 14399 Joseph A. Hudak Jr.

VIRGINIA 6328 Benjamin J. Perez 6828 Robert J. Hinger 7566 Richard R. Slucher 9285 John R. Brady 9655 Hung H. Cao 10766 Maurice L. Dionne 11136 James S. Marsan 11170 Daniel R. Clark 11533 Brennan D. Hartley 11984 Richie M. Smith 12117 Thomas A. Sawyer II12791 Andrew M. Altman 13467 James J. Henry Iv 14129 Thomas R. Duck 14516 Joseph W. Mazel15244 Myong Hwan K. Eiselstein 15256 Stephen A. Rogers

VISAYAS 5028 Cesar G. Capellan 5395 John Paul R. Arceno 6048 Isidoro M. Espinosa 6840 Eniego S. Superticioso 6990 Desiderio Paulin Rallon Jr. 8362 Glenn P. Pergamino 9466 Edgardo P. Gerada 10101 Elpidio E. Pama Jr. 12198 Lorejo N. Sorongon 13092 Ardo De La Cruz15029 Cyreneo S. Dofitas Jr.

WASHINGTON 1643 Kim L. Washburn 3645 Dang H. Nguyen 6686 Michael D. Mccloskey 7907 Gregory S. Mahoney 7908 Eugene W. Victor 8179 Lawrence E. Devlin 8872 Dwane J. Berens 9434 John D. Wilson 9617 Larry A. Sinn 11134 Dean E. Dunn 11948 Phillip D. Clingan 12591 Daniel P. Walsh 13794 Stephen G. Schweyen14046 Ronald G. Braun II14689 Paul J. Herbord 15136 John B. Mergens Sr.

WEST VIRGINIA 603 Robert B. Hammer 4694 Paul B. Niedbalski

WISCONSIN 1547 John M. Brennan Jr. 2963 Dennis E. Ashbeck 3492 Brian D. Jelinek 4869 George E. Grabert 5382 Jack V. Wrbanich 5438 Mark A. Rebholz 5456 Michael P. Hines 5488 Robert V. Obermeier 6599 Anthony C. Baier 6689 Carl A. Porior 6718 Richard A. Janiszewski 6764 James J. Zablocki 7096 Earl J. Brueggeman 10552 Robert J. Dombroski15229 David J. De Gidio

3067 Colin S. Peterson 5026 Terry P. Buquet 5086 Albert J. Cieslak Jr. 6756 Billy P. Rife Jr. 7062 Sherrill E. Wilcox 7122 Leonard A. Recchia 8123 James E. Gunter 8295 Richard A. Heithaus 8790 Gary E. Marshall 8900 Alphonso McCutchen Sr. 9184 William H. Larkin 9672 Leonard M. Williams10819 John M. Macioce 11991 Russ E. Whited 13112 Gary L. Bays 14475 Frederick J. Kellisch 14892 Joseph A. Kinney15223 John J. O’Neil

SOUTH DAKOTA 5029 Patrick J. Powers

TENNESSEE 1101 Jeremy S. Blankenship 7764 Carlos R. Olivarez 10641 James E. Daily14902 Paul J. Keller Sr. 15196 David E. Guntert

TEXAS 2687 Valeriano E. Cadena Jr. 2971 Zachary R. Venghaus 3098 Joe E. Ybarra 3262 Richard A. Zahn 3558 Stephen C. McCarthy 3910 Ben F. Warner III 4497 Tomas Gonzalez 4771 David W. Petty 5052 Cliff Starnes 5232 Ruben L. Salinas 6065 Ronald W. Schoof 6833 Frederick P. Garcia 6878 William T. Andrews 7736 William B. Tillotson 8157 John A. Goza 8306 Donato Rios Jr. 8417 Ronald L. Naizer 8769 Robert Benavides 8771 John D. Keating Jr. 8807 Juan M. Martinez Sr. 9600 Brother Ronald H. Snyder Jr. 9868 David J. Pels 9902 Eulalio A. Gamboa Jr. 9997 Kevin A. Brinkman 10131 Roy Eric Staveley 10333 Philip A. Fulton 10420 John R. Plote 10574 James L. Holden 10790 Nicholas J. Loera 10939 Luis A. Murillo 10940 Christopher S. Scheidt10959 Joseph E. Maloy 11169 Thomas J. Stehling 11293 Sean N. Arrossa 11716 Daniel G. James 11866 James E. Eyeington 11980 Jose Luis Martinez12040 Joe A. Martinez 12208 Jeffery B. Berger 12320 Ronald B. Farmer 12327 Joe V. Lopez 12385 Harry M. Hageney 12480 Sean T. McCarthy 12484 Edward N. Goodreau 12927 Bruce D. Layfield 13044 Craig M. Harlan 13255 Matthew Wolfe Figun13825 Frank Thomassee Jr.14426 Peter McDonough 14473 James C. Derrick 14512 Victor J. Olivo 14617 Gennaro F. Tomasello14679 Terry J. Le Boeuf 14789 Patrick R. Russell 14844 Robert Prats

12108 Wesley C. Deaver 13313 Joseph M. Paul

ONTARIO 2082 Daniel B. J. Nicholas 4915 Robert W. Ben 5860 Frank J. Morelli 8008 Douglas La Rocque 8668 Alfred M. Cabri 8851 Richard Marleau 8950 Olier Beaudoin 9742 Robert C. Wilson 10416 Garry A. Peters 10617 William Lorne Keogh11525 Gerard F. Johnston 12214 Gregory P. Fernandes12706 Bosco J. D.’Sa 12782 Anthony S. Fernandes12865 Claude R. Leblanc 12898 James Gomes 13164 Giuseppe Polisano 13433 Richard W. Darbyshire13701 Owen G. Grenier 13896 Ronald C. Moro 14327 Wolfgang Hartmann 14446 Henry John Thissen14676 Jean-Claude Cadieux15098 Franciszek K. Lenart

OREGON 2171 Paul J. Wostel 14802 Terrance W. Frank 15295 Greg A. Wilhelm

PENNSYLVANIA 1381 Stephen A. Kuniak 4397 Thomas G. Ryder 4518 Michael C. Yuknek 7141 Larry V. Decker 9832 William K. Brennan 10921 James P. Mueller 11935 George J. Vagelakos12250 Melvin L. Losovsky 12355 Joseph M. Polk 12703 Tom W. Lofiego 13141 Frederick C. Clark 13451 Joseph F. Poli 13564 Dennis C. Garrett 14035 Bernard E. Cabana 14081 Chester S. Hickey 14161 Victor T. Lisiewski14397 George I. Snyder 14722 Andrew P. Rodgers Jr.14807 Brian J. Golias

POLAND14004 Krzysztof E. Orzechowski 15249 Slawomir Korczynski15267 Ryszard Sobczuk 15299 Jan Komon

PUERTO RICO 5014 Carlos A. Agosto-Serrano

QUEBEC 6096 Darren C. Scott 13585 Raymundo G. Foz 14693 John-Victor Carriere

RHODE ISLAND 113 Raymond J. Riel 5273 Neil J. Fidler 7110 Michael F. Parziale

SASKATCHEWAN 1886 Fred J. Staniec 3920 George A. Deibert 5694 Maurille J. Corbeil 8215 John B. Benesh 10401 Glen M. Piotrofsky 10797 Michael J. Bzdell 12415 Jeremias P. Ravasco13214 Gerald T. Clancy

SOUTH CAROLINA 1668 Richard A. Cortese

5001 Joseph J. Lannon 5314 Paul D. Annunziato 5723 Owen Traynor 6062 Steven J. Paduano 6194 Joseph J. Papaccio 6556 Charlie Cicio 6844 Odel L. Panton 7220 Daniel P. Gerrity 7278 Richard J. Gallagher 7423 J. Brian Dwyer 7551 Anthony F. Sileno 7980 Peter L. Hecht 8637 Joseph E. Furey Jr. 9254 Timothy J. Beers 11175 Martin J. Zafonte11449 Guillermo A. Morera11728 Bernard G. Hoerbelt11950 Richard C. Distefano12006 Walter Wm Denzler Jr.13410 Richard Soto 13807 Benito Merino 14666 Joseph G. Timpa 14687 James F. Jager 14991 Bernard P. Zipprich Jr.15192 John D. Fitzgerald

NORTH CAROLINA 1074 Kenneth R. O’Leary Sr. 3303 Leo Minervini Jr. 4600 Jay W. Van Hoose 4660 Wayne J. Kleven 5487 Alan J. Wesenberg 6451 Richard E. Angell 7232 William E. Lenz 9709 Kent D. Siefkes 10504 Joseph A. Michalski10505 Paul B. Sparrow 10852 Charles R. Elgin 11101 Walter A. Kulla Jr. 11102 Jeff B. Mathews 11234 Vincent J. Govan 13812 Ray C. Anderson 15085 Stanley F. Finn 15250 Robert J. Hambly Jr.

NORTH DAKOTA 6465 Brian D. Heger

NOVA SCOTIA 2024 John Higgins

OHIO 1056 Todd R. Ames 1195 Jonathan L. Pearson 1569 Brian C. Beck 3304 John D. Otto 3382 Chalmers F. Rea 3766 Rick L. Custer 4168 Kevin D. Blinkhorn 4731 William K. Cornelius 5534 Jose C. Banaag 5776 Bruce A. Jackson 6373 Mark D. Lause 10941 Matthew J. Tyack11207 Robert M. McGonigle11224 Mark T. Taylor 11275 Jeffrey M. Sylvester11445 Brett A. Gissel 12772 Jeffrey R. Fisher 12912 Steven R. Duckro 13608 Joseph J. Muron 14282 Joseph P. Yonadi 14344 Richard A. Mitchell14406 Dennis M. Fodor 14502 Rodger A. Siebeneck14504 Calvin D. Frank 14551 John N. Santin 15043 Denver J. Mossing 15056 J. Thomas Atkins Jr.

OKLAHOMA 767 Edward J. Krittenbrink 4026 Brother John F. McCarthy 6477 Matthew E. Guarnieri 8523 Samuel E. Snow 9901 Charles L. Blackburn11959 Anthony E. Lechtenberg

14470 Michael D. Lagreca

NEVADA 2511 Daniel W. Mahlberg 2666 Jerald W. Marcuerquiaga 13392 Robert McNamara 15061 Rhoel G. Ternate

NEW BRUNSWICK 8381 Frank J. McCarthy

NEWFOUNDLAND &LABRADOR 7702 Frank P. Follett 11776 Dermot F. Whelan

NEW HAMPSHIRE10943 Mark W. Messier

NEW JERSEY 355 Paul M. Donini 816 Charles A. Piancone Sr. 1778 Dale E. Wettstein 1910 Fred Arno 2842 John J. Abbattista 3240 David J. Farrell 3294 Anthony E. Cozzi 3665 John D. Lange 3835 Mark A. Kimble 3962 Ronald G. Damato 3969 Peter J. Kueken Jr. 5730 Joseph E. Sumanski 6226 James P. Winter 6380 Philip P. Oddo 6530 Eduardo F. Fuentecilla 6551 James A. Brennan 6552 Robert J. Drach 6621 Carmine J. Amico 6903 Felix J. Piccolo 6930 Joseph G. Galioto 7103 George A. Vurgason 7333 Richard Cardillo 7429 Samuel M. Green 7784 Geoffrey J. Crann 8603 Ronald J. Pikor 8718 William J. Murphy Jr. 8733 Frederick P. Hinz Jr. 9021 Denis P. McPartland 9193 Daniel J. Tumolo 9852 John J. Nowicki 11349 Richard J. Dinan 11378 Scott R. Minnihan 11529 Paul M. Schell 13677 Nicholas J. Cutrone14615 John H. Hulme Sr. 15217 Charles J. Specht

NEW MEXICO 804 Benito F. Garcia 1707 Michael W. Specht 10560 Anthony H. Sanchez 10835 James E. Waters 13479 Scott T. Howerter 13596 Michael R. Jaramillo14410 John C. Rincon 14920 Steven E. Pink 15062 Guerrero H. Macias 15199 Mark A. Thuli 15381 Daniel S. Vigil

NEW YORK 154 Jorge C. Chan 207 Patrick T. Crawford 306 Jeremiah J. O’Connell 316 Peter C. Bruno 327 Marlon L. Hosang 337 Ramnaraise Das 423 Edward J. Hawkins 441 Robert J. May 2122 Pierenzo A. Calosso 2204 Joseph Tumminello 2247 Daniel Solicito 3536 Craig A. Skolnick 4565 Patrick C. Healy 4566 Gerald C. O’Brien 4629 Ricardo Reyes 4884 James C. Lasalle Sr. 4952 Al F. Sanza

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

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A. NEW! Golf Umbrella. 62-inch vented umbrella adds a lot of protection with its eight-panel, fiberglass shaft. “Knights of Columbus” silk-screened on two panels. PG-79 — $23

B. Divot Tool Gift Set. Ahead Golf ™ solid brass divot tool in antique bronze finish with mag-netic ball marker holder and brass ball markers. Includes divot and three diecast markers. Yourchoice of markers engraved with the emblem of the Order (PG- 483) or with the FourthDegree emblem (PG-484) — $20 each

C. NEW! Vintage Shield T-Shirt. Navy blue cotton t-shirt screen-printed with a red and whiteWWI-era shield design used for the 1919 Supreme Convention. “Knights of Columbus,Established 1882” is also printed in white on sleeve. Available in: M (PG-723), L (PG-724),XL (PG-725) and XXL (PG-726) — $16

COLUMBIANISM BY DEGREES

GRAND KNIGHT Zbyszek Ścisłow-icz (second from left) of Holy TrinityCouncil 15281 in Skarżysko-Koś-cielne, Poland, and his guides unfurl aKnights of Columbus banner at thetop of Mount Kilimanjaro. Ścisłowiczundertook a six-day expedition toclimb the mountain — the highest inAfrica — and says that he was armedwith his Knights of Columbus rosarythe whole time.• Del Rosa Council 4488 in SanBernardino, Calif., established a be-reavement prayer group to attend thewakes and funerals of deceasedKnights and family members. Often,the prayer group leads a special prayerfor the departed.

Fraternity

Charity

STUART PALMER (center) of Fa-ther Charles A. Bartek Council 9431in Jackson Hole, Wyo., stands of theback of a restored 1946 Jeep pickupto congratulate Katsie Long on hold-ing the winning raffle ticket for thetruck. When Knights received theJeep as a donation, they decide to raf-fle it and donate the proceeds to theTurning Point pregnancy resourcecenter. The raffle netted $20,000 forthe organization.• Holy Apostle Council 12543 in LasVegas volunteers to feed the homelesson the third Saturday of each monthat the St. Vincent Lied Dining Facil-ity, which is operated by CatholicCharities.

Patriotism

MEMBERS OF St. Gianna MollaAssembly in Alpharetta, Ga., presenta check for $200 to USO of GeorgiaCEO Mary Lou Austin at the Harts-field-Jackson Atlanta InternationalAirport. Knights work with the USOto assist troops who are coming fromand going to Afghanistan by servingsnacks and beverages, visiting withthem while they await their flights,and aiding in the boarding process.• St. Vincent de Paul Council 9560 inCharlotte, N.C., donated two refrig-erators to the USO facility at theCharlotte Douglas International Air-port. The refrigerators will store foodand nonalcoholic beverages for troopspassing through the airport.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS In-surance agents from the Jim McCabeAgency in Albuquerque, N.M., praythe rosary outside of a local PlannedParenthood surgical center. Once eachquarter, the men break from theiragency meeting to pray for human lifeat the facility, which offers abortions.• Don Bosco Council 548 in Manhas-set, N.Y., sold raffle tickets at theChurch of St. Mary to raise $5,000for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.The initiative was spearheaded byChief Squire Conor Lundy, who wasdiagnosed with cancer at age 3 andwent on to beat the disease.

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

Members of St. Padre Pio Council 15015in Starachowice, Poland, clad in yellowsafety vests, watch over a group of youngbicycle riders during a youth ride organ-ized by Father Grzegorz Roszczyk, councilchaplain. Knights served as marshals dur-ing the ride, which wound through theIlzecki Forest and ended at a pavilionwhere lunch and snacks were served.

Building a better world one council

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

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

ORATORI FORTITERIOCARI CONCUBINE,

IAM BELLUS CA

Incredibiliter perspicax saburre deciperetMedusa, semper aegre parsimonia concubineadquireret perspicax umbraculi, etiam pessimusadfabilis agricolae neglegenter iocari quinquen-nalis apparatus bellis, quamquam Pompeii for-titer deciperet plane adfabilis concubine, quodquinquennalis catelli celeriter senesceret satissaetosus ossifragi. Adlaudabilis matrimoniilibere agnascor fragilis syrtes, etiam rures prae-muniet concubine.Saburre deciperet Octavius.Syrtes fermentet Medusa, et Augustus

adquireret Octavius, etiam saburre fermentetzothecas. Bellus catelli praemuniet optimusfragilis fiducias, semper utilitas concubine am-putat parsimonia suis. Lascivius agricolae pes-simus spinosus senesceret parsimonia saburre,utcunque suis imputat perspicax matrimonii.Incredibiliter saetosus ossifragi iocari fragilis or-atori. Suis frugaliter vocificat pretosius oratori.Rures amputat adfabilis chirographi, quod con-cubine insec

SISTER TERESA IMMACULATECommunity of St. JohnPrinceville, Ill.

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

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

’s P

‘WITH JESUS, I CAN LOVE ASHE LOVES ME’

Mother Teresa’s life and teachings have hada great influence on my vocation. She said thatholiness “is for all of us. It is a simple duty, be-cause if we learn to love, we learn to be holy.”This simple statement has shown me that mypurpose and fulfillment in life comes in the actof loving my brothers and sisters.I’m learning that in order to give love, I first

have to receive it. And I’m learning thatChrist’s abiding friendship is what will bringabout my greatest happiness. With Jesus, what-ever God is asking of me becomes doable and,in time, joy-filled. Christ has shown me that my vocation is

perfectly suited to me. He has promised to al-ways be with me (cf. Mt 28:20), and thispromise makes it possible to fulfill his greatestcommandment to love — to be holy. WithJesus, I can love as he loves me, and in the actof loving is found my greatest happiness, mypurpose and my fulfillment in life.

FATHER REESE WEBER

Diocese of Fargo, N.D.

Columbia September 2012

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