Columbia October 2012

OCTOBER 2012OCTOBER 2012

COLUMBIACOLUMBIAKNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

“PROCLAIM

LIBERTYTHROUGHOUT

ALL THE LAND”

130thSupreme

Convention

Court of the Table member three consecutive years

Robert AbbateVirginia Beach, Virginia

Whether your agent is acurrent or future MDRTmember, helping you toprotect your family is hishighest priority.

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A commitment toexcellence, outstandingservice and the highestethical standards. 3ese are traits of allKnights of Columbus 2eldagents, but the dedication ofthe agents listed here hasearned them membership inthe Million Dollar RoundTable (MDRT) for 2012. MDRT is an internationalorganization that recognizesthe top one percent of2nancial professionals in theworld. We salute these menfor their devotion to makinga di1erence for life.

�ere is no higher ratedinsurer in North America

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Pierre Albert — Hearst, OntarioRandall Atkins — Fort Myers, FloridaWilliam Atkinson — Grande Prairie, AlbertaBen Baca — Whittier, CaliforniaLarry Bate — Carthage, TexasJeremie Bornais — Amherstburg, OntarioDaniel Bouchard — Hammonds Plains, Nova ScotiaTyler Bouchard — Red Deer, AlbertaJason Bramley — Bloomington, IllinoisWilliam Buchta — Grand Island, NebraskaRobert Callaway — Laurel, MarylandNicholas Calvino — Plymouth, MassachusettsJohn Canter — Crownsville, MarylandRobert Canter — Upper Marlboro, MarylandJohn Cesta — West Palm Beach, FloridaWayne Cherney — Devils Lake, North DakotaMark Deaton — Cypress, TexasJustin Deges — Hill City, KansasIvan Delabruere — Pace, FloridaJoseph DeMarco — Vero Beach, FloridaJohn DiCalogero — East Walpole, MassachusettsGlen Dobmeier — Humboldt, SaskatchewanMichael Doss — Seal Beach, CaliforniaDenis Duval — Garson, OntarioRichard Fuentes — Lebanon, New JerseyRobert Gitto — Orlando, FloridaJames Grabinski — Walden, New YorkMalcolm Graham — Kitchener, OntarioBrian Graham — Kensington, MarylandMark Hedge — Butler, OhioLarry Hoelscher — Jefferson City, MissouriDavid Imbriani — Monroe Township, New JerseyJoe Jackson — Denver, ColoradoAaron Jelinek — Prior Lake, MinnesotaDouglas Kelly — Omaha, NebraskaHarvey Kocian — Victoria, TexasChuck Larter — Spencerville, OntarioWilliam Lewchuk — Calgary, AlbertaErnesto Literte — Torrance, CaliforniaWilliam Lueddemann — Anaheim, CaliforniaMark Mandel — Columbus, OhioEduardo Manrique — Lawrence, MassachusettsMichael McDonough — Dunwoody, GeorgiaMichael McGranahan — Fullerton, California

Lawrence Messer — Westminster, MarylandGregory Miskiman — Calgary, AlbertaRichard Moore — Edmond, OklahomaMichael Mullin — Brooklin, OntarioMichel Myre — London, OntarioJames Nestmann — Saskatoon, SaskatchewanTimothy Nowak — Ogallala, NebraskaDouglas Nurenberg — Saint Johns, MichiganEdward O'Keefe — Abingdon, MarylandEric Ottemann — Lubbock, TexasSteven Owens — Torrance, CaliforniaKevin Paish — St. Albert, AlbertaKevin Patterson — Grand Blanc, MichiganArturo Perchemlian — Menifee, CaliforniaNeil Pfeifer — Norfolk, NebraskaVince Polis — Lewiston, IdahoKeith Praski — Angola, IndianaDarin Reed — Ellis, KansasStephen Regan — Chattanooga, TennesseeBobby Renaud — Sudbury, OntarioJames Rolleri — Germantown, TennesseeJoseph Saffioti — Glassboro, New JerseyRonald Sandoval — San Gabriel, CaliforniaSonny Sangemino — Windsor, OntarioJohn Seguin — Sturbridge, MassachusettsJames Seideman — Lubbock, TexasDaniel Sheehan — Neoga, IllinoisThomas Sitzmann — Pueblo, ColoradoDavid Soukup — Leavenworth, KansasJoseph Spinelli III — Tallahassee, FloridaJohn Stewart — Bourne, MassachusettsLeroy Stoecker — Houston, TexasJohn Stoeckinger — Lincoln, NebraskaJeffrey Storey — Alhambra, CaliforniaDoug Supak — La Grange, TexasJody Supak — La Grange, TexasJames Swartz — Harbor Beach, MichiganYoung Tran — Portland, OregonKevin Tuuri — Port Townsend, WashingtonKevin Weber — Gretna, NebraskaJames White — Palm Beach Gardens, FloridaMichael Wilson — Hacienda Heights, CaliforniaJoseph Wolf — Harker Heights, TexasMark Yubeta — San Clemente, California

2012

THE BENCHMARK OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE

- KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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COLUMBIAO C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 ♦ V O L U M E 9 2 ♦ N U M B E R 1 0

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The Challenge to Religious LibertyGreetings from Pope Benedict XVI sent to the 130thSupreme Convention by Vatican Secretary of State CardinalTarcisio Bertone.

130th Supreme Convention HighlightsAnnual Supreme Council Meeting celebrates the Order’sgrowth and charitable work and focuses on defendingreligious liberty.

Faithful Witnesses of Life, Love and LibertyCardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s keynote address at the annualStates Dinner.

Annual Awards SessionTop recruiters, outstanding Knights and leading agentswere recognized at the Supreme Convention.

Report of the Supreme KnightSupreme Knight Carl A. Anderson’s report on the stateof the Order’s work and mission.

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1 3 0 t h S U P R E M E C O N V E N T I O NA u g . 7 - 9 , 2 0 1 2

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

[email protected] EDITORPatrick Scalisi

[email protected] EDITOR________

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

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

Intercede for Us.________

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INTERNETkofc.org/columbia________

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

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Copyright © 2012All rights reserved________

ON THE COVERA photo illustration of the Liberty Bell, which wascast 260 years ago with words from Leviticus 25:10:“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land....”

COVER: Th

inks

tock

The Supreme Officers and Board of Directors are pictured at the 130th Supreme Conventionin Anaheim, Calif.

20

PAPAL GREETINGS

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

The Challenge to Religious Liberty

Greetings from Pope Benedict XVI sent to the Supreme Convention by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

HIS HOLINESS Pope Benedict XVI was pleased tolearn that from 7 to 9 August 2012 the 130th SupremeConvention of the Knights of Columbus will be heldin Anaheim, California. He has asked me to convey hiswarm greetings to all in attendance, together with theassurance of his closeness in prayer.The theme of this year’s Supreme Convention —

Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land — evokes notonly the great biblical ideals of freedom and justicewhich shaped thefounding of theUnited States ofAmerica, but also theresponsibility of eachnew generation to pre-serve, defend and ad-vance those greatideals in its own day.At a time when con-certed efforts are beingmade to redefine andrestrict the exercise ofthe right to religiousfreedom, the Knightsof Columbus haveworked tirelessly to help the Catholic community rec-ognize and respond to the unprecedented gravity ofthese new threats to the Church’s liberty and publicmoral witness. By defending the right of all religiousbelievers, as individual citizens and in their institu-tions, to work responsibly in shaping a democratic so-ciety inspired by their deepest beliefs, values andaspirations, your Order has proudly lived up to thehigh religious and patriotic principles which inspiredits founding.The challenges of the present moment are in fact

yet another reminder of the decisive importance ofthe Catholic laity for the advancement of the

Church’s mission in today’s rapidly changing socialcontext. The Knights of Columbus, founded as a fra-ternal society committed to mutual assistance and fi-delity to the Church, was a pioneer in thedevelopment of the modern lay apostolate. His Holi-ness is confident that the Supreme Convention willcarry on this distinguished legacy by providing soundinspiration, guidance and direction to a new genera-tion of faithful and dedicated Catholic laymen. As he

stated to the Bishops ofthe United States earlierthis year, the demands ofthe new evangelizationand the defense of theChurch’s freedom in ourday call for “an engaged,articulate and well-formed Catholic laity en-dowed with a strongcritical sense vis-à-vis thedominant culture andwith the courage tocounter a reductive secu-larism which would dele-gitimize the Church’s

participation in public debate about the issues whichare determining the future of American society” (AdLimina Address, 19 January 2012).Given this urgent need, the Holy Father encourages

the Supreme Council, together with each of the localCouncils, to reinforce the praiseworthy programs ofcontinuing catechetical and spiritual formation whichhave long been a hallmark of your Order. EachKnight, in fidelity to his baptismal promises, ispledged to bear daily witness, however quiet and unas-suming, to his faith in Christ, his love of the Churchand his commitment to the spread of God’s Kingdomin this world. The forthcoming inauguration of the

Knights of Columbus have worked tirelessly to help the

Catholic community recognize and respond to the unprecedented

gravity of these new threats to the Church’s liberty and public

moral witness.

PAPAL GREETINGS


CNS pho

to/G

iampiero Spos

ito, Reu

ters

Year of Faith, which commemorates the fiftieth an-niversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Coun-cil, is meant to deepen this sense of ecclesialresponsibility and mission in the entire People of God.His Holiness prays that the celebration of this Year ofspiritual and apostolic renewal will inspire in theKnights an ever firmer resolve to profess their bap-tismal faith in its fullness, celebrate it more intenselyin the liturgy, and make it manifest through the wit-ness of their lives (cf. Porta Fidei, 9).In a particular way, His Holiness wishes me to con-

vey his profound personal gratitude for the spiritualbouquet of prayers and sacrifices which the Knightsand their families have offered for his intentionsthroughout this year which marks the thirty-fifth an-niversary of his episcopal ordination. He is pleased tosee in this act of spiritual solidarity not only an out-standing testimony of love for the Successor of SaintPeter, who is “the perpetual and visible principle andfoundation of the Church’s unity in faith and hercommunion” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 18), but also a signof especial fidelity, loyalty and support during thesedifficult times.

With these sentiments, the Holy Father commendsthe deliberations of the Supreme Convention to theloving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. Toall the Knights and their families he cordially impartshis Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace inthe Lord. Adding my own prayerful good wishes for the work

of the Supreme Convention, I remain

Yours sincerely,

Tarcisio Cardinal BertoneSecretary of State

Annual Supreme Council Meeting celebrates the Order’s growth andcharitable work and focuses on defending religious liberty

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

130th Supreme Convention

More than 2,000 Knights of Columbus andfamily members attended the 130th

Supreme Convention Aug. 7-9 in Anaheim, Calif.The event featured large concelebrated Masses, theannual States Dinner, several business sessions, andsmaller formal and informal meetings that cele-brated the Order’s ongoing work in a spirit of char-ity, unity and fraternity. Twelve cardinals attendedthe convention, as well as 70 archbishops, bishopsand abbots, and more than 100 priests, many ofthem K of C chaplains. The theme of this year’s convention, “Proclaim

Liberty Throughout All the Land,” was taken fromthe Book of Leviticus. These words, which inspiredthe Founding Fathers and are cast into the LibertyBell, are a clarion call to the Knights and otherCatholics today as growing forces of secularismthreaten religious freedom. American citizens arealready facing attempts to reduce the freedom of

religion to freedom of worship, government man-dates that require religious institutions to fundmorally objectionable practices, and the closure ofCatholic charitable operations that refuse to violateChurch teachings.In his letter of greeting to the convention on be-

half of Pope Benedict XVI (see page 2), VaticanSecretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone re-ferred to “the unprecedented gravity of these newthreats to the Church’s liberty and public moralwitness.” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, in hisannual report (see page 20), and other speakersthroughout the convention, likewise addressedthese threats and encouraged Knights to becomethe “engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholiclaity” that Pope Benedict has called for.Extended coverage of the convention can be found

at kofc.org, and DVDs of the convention’s proceed-ings are available for purchase (see page 48).♦

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 ♦ C O L U M B I A 5


Clockwise from top: More than 100 priests joineddozens of bishops and archbishops, including several car-dinals, in concelebrating the convention’s Opening MassAug. 7. • Four cardinals stand in choir, to the side ofthe altar, as their fellow archbishops and bishops concel-ebrate the Mass. • A seminarian carries ciboria filledwith hosts to distribute during Mass. • Seminarian altarservers, followed by deacons and concelebrating priestsand bishops, walk in procession.

Above right: Members of G Company, Second Battalion,23rd Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps, serve as color guardfor the opening business session.

Right: Past State Deputy Anthony Colbert of Washing-ton, D.C., leads the singing of the “Opening Ode.”


WE FACE a growing secularism, attacks on thevalue and gift of human life, attempts to redefinetraditional marriage and serious curtailment of ourreligious rights. Certainly, there is a clear and de-manding need today for the new evangelizationcalled for by Blessed John Paul II and Pope BenedictXVI. … The new evangelization calls us to faith, in-stills hope and fills us with love. I am confident themembers of our Order will be in the front ranks ofthe evangelizers. As with St. Juan Diego, a layman,the success of the new evangelization will dependon our laity and their involvement. As laity, yourlives will act as witness to our faith.— Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, Calif.

Opening Mass homily, Aug. 7

THANK YOU. Those two words, spoken on be-half of my brother bishops in my capacity as pres-ident of the United States Conference of CatholicBishops, are the substance of my remarks. … Thenumber-one reason to thank you is the generousand unfailing loyalty of the Knights of Columbusto the pastoral goals of the bishops. You know whatour goals are: the defense of human life and dig-nity, the defense of marriage and family, promotionof vocations to the priesthood, formation in ourCatholic faith, the new evangelization, and espe-cially the defense of religious freedom. …We defend our first and most cherished free-

dom, yes, as Catholics, grateful for a land that wel-comed our forefathers in the faith to a sanctuarywhere freedom of religion was listed first. But wealso defend religious liberty as loyal, patrioticAmericans, citizens who are conscious that gov-ernment in America exists not to define, invent orimpede our freedoms, but to protect freedoms,which by their very nature come not from govern-ment, but from Almighty God. Knights ofColumbus, you have been nothing less thanMarines, than a Delta Force, in the defense of re-ligious freedom since 1882, and we need you morenow than ever. …I believe that the Knights of Columbus are the

genuine harvest of the vocation of the lay faithful thatthe Second Vatican Council spoke about — commit-ted, credible, compelling, concerned Catholic laitywho bring the truth and the light of the Gospel …to family, work, education, culture and the publicsquare. Nobody does it better than the Knights, andfor that your bishops say: “Thank you.”— Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan

Archbishop of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic BishopsRemarks at opening business session, Aug. 7


Members of the Knights of Columbus Boardof Directors applaud the many members of thehierarchy who were present at the opening busi-ness session. • Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò,apostolic nuncio to the United States, reads thepapal greetings to attendees at the 130thSupreme Convention. • Following his annualreport, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson iscongratulated by Deputy Supreme Knight Den-nis A. Savoie. • Patrick E. Kelly (center), statedeputy of the District of Columbia, and vicepresident of public policy, together with otherdelegates and their wives, applauds during theopening business session.

Facing page, top: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan,archbishop of New York, delivers the keynote ad-dress at the annual States Dinner Aug. 7.


EDITOR’S NOTE: This following text is from CardinalTimothy M. Dolan’s Aug. 7 keynote address at the StatesDinner during the 130th Supreme Convention.

Worthy Supreme Knight and Mrs. Anderson;my brother Knights and beloved wives; my

brother cardinals; Bishop Brown, Archbishop Vi-ganò, my brother bishops, priests, and deacons;our consecrated women and men religious; semi-narians, guests, friends one and all ...Que viva Cristo Rey!To anyone who claims the Church is lackluster;

to anyone who thinks the Church has lost the daregiven us by Jesus to “cast out to the deep!” (cf.Luke 5:4); to anyone who doubts the solidarity be-tween God’s people and his priests and bishops; toanyone who contends that Catholics are beaten

down by constant attacks on faith, the Church, ourvalues, and our God-given freedom of religion ...I say, “Let them come to the Supreme Conven-

tion of the Knights of Columbus!”As we anticipate the Year of Faith, I thank you,

brother Knights, for 130 years of vibrant, salt-of-the-earth, light-to-the-world Catholic witness!As we prepare for the upcoming synod of bish-

ops in Rome on the new evangelization, I congrat-ulate you, brother Knights, for taking that ball andrunning with it, in the same missionary spirit thatcharacterized Christopher Columbus.As loyal American citizens, of all faiths or none

at all, renew vigilance for our “first and most cher-ished freedom,” thank you, brother Knights, forcontinuing your 14-decade tradition of “proclaim-ing liberty throughout all the land.”

The defense and promotion of faithful marriage, exemplified by the Knights, is essential to building a culture of life

by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan

Faithful Witnessesof

Life, Love and Liberty

Usually, at the States Dinner, thousands of ourKnights look up in admiration to the dais, thehead table, to the “crimson tide” of bishops andcardinals. Tonight, I’m going to literally “turn thetables” as we up here look out with awe, admira-tion and deep appreciation upon you, our Knightsand their wives, united in marriage. For thisevening, I want to salute marriage — and it wouldbe tough to find anyone who has done more todefend, strengthen and promote marriage thanyou, Knights of Columbus, and your cherishedwives and families. In fact, as you are aware, oneof the driving motives of the Venerable FatherMichael McGivney in founding the Knights wasto assist men to fulfill better their vocation as hus-bands and dads.We Catholics are hopeless romantics, you know,

when it comes to married love ...Against all odds, we still believe that when a man

and woman vow that they will love and honor eachother “for better or worse, in sickness and inhealth, for richer or poorer, until death do us part,”they really do mean it. We still hold fast to theteaching of the Bible that God so esteems marriagethat he compared his personal, passionate, eternallove for Israel to that between a husband and awife. St. Paul likewise tells us that the love of Jesusfor us, his Church, is just like that of a groom forhis bride (cf. Eph 5).We still have in our gut the Church’s timeless

“Valentine’s Day card”: that the love between ahusband and a wife has the same characteristics as

the love that God has for us. It is faithful; it is for-ever; and it brings about new life in children.We are such hopeless romantics that we contend

that the best way to get a hint of how God lovesus now, and in eternity, is to look at how you, mar-ried couples, love one another. “The love of a manand woman is made holy in the sacrament of mar-riage and becomes the mirror of your everlastinglove....” chants the Preface in the Nuptial Mass.You see why we, mostly celibates up here, look

out upon you married couples with awe? We gazeout now at thousands of icons, reflections, mirrorsof the way God loves us.Now, you are — we are — the first to acknowl-

edge that this romantic, poetic, lofty, divine lusterof marriage can at times be tarnished a bit in theday-in, day-out challenges of lifelong, life-giving,faithful love. Tension, trial, temptation, turmoil —they come indeed. But just as Jesus worked his firstmiracle at the request of his Blessed Mother for anewly married couple at Cana by turning waterinto wine, so too does Jesus transform thosechoppy waters of tension, trial, temptation andturmoil into a vintage wine of tried-and-true-trustin marriage.So, brother Knights and wives, I thank you for

being such metaphors of God’s love; and I exhortyou, please, to continue, now more than ever, tobe so. Why, now more than ever? Let me give youa few reasons.When I was archbishop of Milwaukee, I at-

tended an archdiocesan pastoral council meeting


Knights and their families wave flags of their home jurisdictions as bishops and supreme directors process into the States Dinner Aug. 7.


during which we discussed ways to increase voca-tions to the priesthood and consecrated religiouslife (yet another project, by the way, that youKnights have vigorously promoted). Well, one ofthe members commented: “Archbishop Dolan, intalking about an increase in vocations for priests,sisters and brothers, I think you’re barking up thewrong tree!”Uh-oh, here it comes, I thought, buckling my bul-

letproof vest, wondering what she had in mind.But she continued: “The greatest vocation crisis

today is to lifelong, loving, faithful, life-givingmarriage. You take care of that one, and you’ll haveall the priests and sisters you need!”Well-said!“For an increase in vocations to the priesthood,

consecrated life, and the sacrament of marriage”should perhaps become the new phrasing for aprayer of the faithful at every Mass, as we aresobered by the gloomy statis-tics that only 51 percent ofour young people are ap-proaching that sacrament, apiece of data you allsomberly see verified evenamong your own childrenand grandchildren.A vocation crisis in the call

to the sacrament of matri-mony is the number one rea-son I speak to you with asense of urgency about mar-riage this evening.The second reason is that

the very definition of mar-riage as a lifelong, life-givingand faithful union of one man and one woman isin peril, with a well-choreographed, well-oiled cru-sade to conform marriage to the whims of the day,instead of conforming our urges to God’s design,as revealed in the Bible, nature and reflective rea-son. The theme of this Supreme Convention is, ofcourse, the defense of religious freedom. In thenoble American project of ordered virtuousdemocracy, government exists not to invent, de-fine, grant or impede genuine freedom — the “firstand most cherished” being freedom of religion —but to protect liberties that come not from anyhuman whim but from the Creator. That’s aboutas American as Yankee Stadium; and a governmentthat presumes to redefine marriage is perilouslyclose to considering not God, but itself, as “theAlmighty.”And a final fact that prompts us to a sense of re-

newed promotion of marriage? Its singularly piv-otal, irreplaceable role in what the modern popes

have called the civilization of love, a topic elo-quently written about by our own supreme knightin his book by that very title.See, it’s not just saints, pontiffs or theologians

who predicate marriage and family as the central,love-promoting cell of the human enterprise, butalso historians, sociologists, psychologists and an-thropologists. They demonstrate that, when thenormative relationship for a man and woman’s ex-istence is that of a husband, wife, father andmother, then home, industry, finance, culture, so-ciety and governing structures are more easily di-rected to virtue, responsibility and the restraint ofthe primitive lust and selfishness that wreck civi-lization. Ask, for instance, Edward Gibbon, the au-thor of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,what happens when a culture loses this focus.The most effective guarantee of a civilization of

love, rather than the survival of the fittest; the cul-ture of life over the culture ofdeath; the law of the giftrather than the law of the“get”; and solidarity ratherthan selfishness, is preciselytraditional marriage and fam-ily. When that goes, we all go.But I’m preaching to the

choir!I’m looking out with awe

upon Knights of Columbusand their wives who radiantlylive the vocation of marriage,and who have kids andgrandkids to prove it; whohave chosen to accept God’sinvitation to everlasting life

as a couple, not alone; who worry about the weak-ening of marriage and its toxic effect on our cul-ture and the Church we cherish; and who, ratherthan wringing their hands, have joined their handsto defend, promote and strengthen the very rela-tionship between one man and one woman, unitedin lifelong, life-giving, faithful love, that dates backto the Garden of Eden itself.May the dawn of the Year of Faith, the ringing

call for the new evangelization and our reneweddefense of religious freedom renew our Knights,their wives and their families in this noble joiningof hands.Thank you, Knights of Columbus!Vivat Jesus!♦

CARDINAL TIMOTHY M. DOLAN is archbishopof New York and president of the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops. He is a member of St. AnthonyCouncil 417 in Washington, D.C.

“A GOVERNMENT THAT

PRESUMES TO REDEFINE

MARRIAGE IS PERILOUSLY

CLOSE TO CONSIDERING

NOT GOD, BUT ITSELF, AS

‘THE ALMIGHTY.’”

AT THE STATES DINNER, Giovanni Ale-manno, the mayor of Rome, presented SupremeKnight Anderson with a statue of the Lupa Capi-tolina (Capitoline Wolf ) in gratitude for the Order’spresence in the City of Rome for nearly a century.The Knights’ work in Rome began in 1920, whenPope Benedict XV invited the Order to build recre-ation centers for youth and establish an ongoingpresence in the city. In his brief remarks, Mayor Alemanno said, “I

would like to underline how important and howwidespread the presence of your organization is inthe city of Rome, particularly among young people.”He expressed interest in deepening the relationshipbetween the Order and the Eternal City, with twogoals in mind: “promoting the culture of Rome andstrengthening our old friendship.”


Clockwise from top: A flag of Cuba is displayed on screen, along with photos ofPope Benedict XVI’s recent apostolic visit there, as attendees listen to the anthemsof every country where the Order is present. • Bishop James S. Wall (center) ofGallup waves the flag of New Mexico as bishops, supreme directors and wivesprocess onto the dais. • Delegates from Mexico and their wives sing and waveflags. • Members of the Polish delegation wave their country’s flag.

I STAND before you asone who has been formed,guided and inspired bythe ideals and spirit of theKnights of Columbus. As I thank the Knights

of Columbus for what theOrder has done for meand for the Church, Iurge you to intensify yourcommunion with thepoor through a dialogue of life and love with them.The abandoned and neglected should experiencethe caring of true brothers from us. Then they willknow that the Church is indeed the family of Godwhere the Holy Spirit enables us to see in everyonea brother or sister deserving of our love and service.This demands a formation centered on Jesus, histeaching, his humility, his docility to God’s willand his heroic service to all. Only by being rootedin Jesus can every Knight be a true brother to oth-ers and a defender of the poor. — Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle of Manila

Remarks at States Dinner, Aug. 7


AS YOU MAY KNOW, the bishops of Canada re-cently issued a pastoral letter to remind not onlyCatholics, but all Canadians that freedom of reli-gion and conscience is necessary for the commongood of countries where religious diversity is thenorm. These freedoms are not granted by the state,society or any human authority, but belong to allpeople by virtue of their humanity. … Our letter was occasioned by the violent attacks

on Christians in many places of the world and bythe presence in our own country of an aggressiverelativism that actively seeks to force its own viewof truth on others. It attempts to relegate religiousbelief to the private sphere and considers religionto be insignificant, alien or even destabilizing. Le-gitimate secularity is open to the engagement ofreligious beliefs and faith communities in publicdebate and civic life. Radical secularism, however,excludes religion from the public square. This dis-figured view of the secular attempts to silence reli-gious believers when their views contradict its own,particularly on issues of education, human life andthe family. It is highly hostile to a truly democraticand pluralist society in that it tolerates only its ownvoice and tries to silence all others. We must not fail to be vocal on an issue of such

fundamental importance. It is not just a Catholicissue, but one that impacts the lives of all believersand even those of no faith. Throughout NorthAmerica the need is clear: Our call at this momentis to affirm the right of religion to be active in thepublic square; to defend the freedom of people offaith and of religious institutions to act in accordancewith their beliefs and their nature; to maintainhealthy church-state relations; to understand con-science correctly and to form it according to objec-tive truth; and to protect the right to conscientiousobjection. Believers are summoned now to stand upfor their faith, even if they must suffer for it. Knightsof Columbus do not shy away from doing so, andwe bishops are grateful for your witness. — Archbishop Richard W. Smith

of Edmonton, AlbertaPresident, Canadian Conference of Catholic BishopsRemarks at States Dinner, Aug. 7


PUBLIC OPINION polls indicate a disturbing phe-nomenon that personal experience confirms: Whilewe are trying to evangelize, the rulers of this age, whoshape popular culture, are effectively de-evangelizingmany Christians. Often the misguided ideas againstwhich we speak are increasingly attractive, and theprinciples we affirm are unattractive — to Catholicsas much as to any others — who are unconsciouslyabsorbing the false wisdom of the age. … But in the human heart there is a yearning for truth,

especially since a diet of illusion eventually robs us ofinner peace and causes misery in society. It is spiritualand intellectual junk food, delicious but incapable ofsustaining life. Long ago, St. Augustine spoke of thedeep human reality that is as true today as it was inhis age: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, andour hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our mission is to offer to our age a life-giving

Gospel alternative to the superficially attractivewisdom of this age, and we need to do so persua-sively…. We need to attend to the fundamentals.As we design strategies to advance the new evan-gelization, we need to build upon the bedrock ofprayer and not just give it lip service. … The apos-tolic mission of the Knights of Columbus, at everylevel, must be rooted in fervent prayer if it is to befruitful. … Divine wisdom will shine in this suf-fering world through each Knight and his family,and through every level of this evangelizing broth-erhood, to the extent that we give an example ofjoyful orthodoxy that bears fruit in practical love.

— Cardinal Thomas C. Collins, Archbishop of TorontoHomily, Feast of St. Dominic, Aug. 8


Facing page, from top: Cardinal William J. Levada (center) cel-ebrates the Aug. 8 Mass at the Supreme Convention. CardinalLevada recently retired as prefect of the Congregation for theDoctrine of the Faith, a position he held for seven years. • Car-dinal Thomas C. Collins, archbishop of Toronto, delivers thehomily during the concelebrated Mass. • (Left to right) Cardi-nals Roger M. Mahony, Adam J. Maida, Seán P. O’Malley,Daniel N. DiNardo, Raymond L. Burke, Donald W. Wuerland Thomas C. Collins concelebrate the Aug. 8 convention Mass.

Clockwise, from top: A Fourth Degree honor guard leads theliturgical procession during Wednesday’s concelebrated Mass.• Delegates raise signs indicating support of their jurisdictionsduring the Aug. 8 business session. • Deputy Supreme KnightSavoie greets Bishop Noël Simard of Valleyfield, Quebec. • PastSupreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant addresses the delegates.


THIS YEAR, the memorial Mass falls on thefeast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Adistinguished philosopher and convert to theCatholic faith from Judaism, she became aCarmelite nun and died a martyr in the gas cham-bers of Auschwitz 70 years ago today, on Aug. 9,1942. … St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross hadlong known that closeness to Christ means ashare in his suffering — his redemptive suffering.So she knew in the depths of her being that this,her last and greatest trial, was nothing other thana share in the cross of Christ. Thus, she bore hersufferings not merely with resignation, but withlove. … Our embrace of the cross, together withour steadfast Christian hope, is decidedly not thedefiant denial of the stoics. It is no denial of real-ity; it is an embrace of reality — the reality thatthe Son of God has descended to the depths ofhuman suffering, has conquered the terror of thegrave and has risen triumphant. … In life and indeath, love and truth must always go together, be-cause the truth is eternal, and love is strongerthan death. — Supreme Chaplain Archbishop

William E. Lori of BaltimoreMemorial Mass homily, Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Aug. 9

Above: Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore presides at theAug. 9 Memorial Mass. In front of the altar is a K of C-commissioned reliquarycontaining first-class relics of 25 saints and 13 blesseds who were martyred duringthe persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s. Six of the saintsand three of the blesseds were members of the Order. • A second reliquary, a silvercross containing relics of the six Knights of Columbus priest-martyrs of Mexico,was also present at the Mass.

Facing page, from top: Supreme Knight Anderson delivers his closing remarks at theconvention. • Delegates review the proposed resolutions. • Supreme Advocate John A.Marrella reads proposed resolutions during the Aug. 9 closing business session.


THE HOLY FATHER, the Holy See, the U.S.bishops, the Knights of Columbus, we are alignednot only in thought, but also in prayer and action,in order to turn back the threats to religious lib-erty before us — whether it is the HHS mandate;the attempt of the government to claim itself asthe source of our rights; attempts by governmentand others in our culture to reduce religious free-dom merely to freedom to worship; or whether it’sstate laws that have shut down Catholic adoptionagencies or hampered the Church from assistingvictims of human trafficking. Whatever it is, wehave to be true patriots by being loyal sons of theChurch. …Pray the rosary daily for religious freedom, most

especially in the month of October — as individ-uals, but also as K of C families. We need the pow-erful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ashistory proves time and again, she has deliveredthe People of God from grave danger. And in thistime of unprecedented threats to our religious lib-erty, we need her intercession more than ever. Butbrothers, let us not forget why we are so passionateabout defending religious liberty. … Religiousfreedom is fundamental. It is about our innate re-lationship with our creator. … What is to be madeof our God-given freedom? How are we to use it?It is not merely the freedom to do what we want,but it’s the moral freedom to do what we ought— to be free of sin, to enjoy the freedom that isours when we live virtuous and holy lives. Here ishow Pope John Paul II put it: “Only those whocommit themselves to the love of Christ becometruly free.” The first principle of our belovedOrder is charity. … The charity we practice isnothing other than the love of Christ poured outupon us. We seek to defend liberty … so that thelove of Christ may reign in our hearts and in thehearts of our fellow citizens.— Supreme Chaplain Archbishop

William E. Lori of BaltimoreRemarks at closing business session, Aug. 9

DO NOT BE AFRAID to stand for your faithand your values and to defend your right to expressyour faith and to live it according to the values andthe principles inspired by Christ and taught by theChurch. Yes, it is time for us to stand for our valuesand to promote a culture of life and a civilizationof love. … And it is in giving a testimony of loveand justice and peace and joy that we will attractothers to the Order.— Bishop Noël Simard of Valleyfield, Quebec

Remarks at closing business session, Aug. 9


At the annual Supreme Knight’s Award Sessionin Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 8, awards were given

for achievements in various categories. Here is a briefaccount of some of the awards and recipients.

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY OF THE YEARUpon learning that his family had been named theKentucky State Council family of the year, Donald“Paul” Gilbert of Father Patrick Creed Council12923 in Campbellsville, Ky., preferred not to berecognized, but added, “I am doing this because Iam very proud of my family, my parish and mycouncil.”Paul joined the Knights in December 2008. He hasserved as the council recorder and has undertakennumerous volunteer projects, from chairing thecouncil’s coat drive to serving the parish as a cate-chist. This dedicated father and his family workedto redecorate the parish church, including refinishingand staining the altar.

Along with homeschooling all of their seven chil-dren (who range in age from 8 to 21), Paul’s wifeMarcia has served as the director of a local pregnancyresource center and regularly speaks publicly aboutthe culture of life. The entire family assists in her ef-forts and participates in parish and council activities.Sarah, the oldest daughter, is now Sister Cecilia, anovice with the Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker, andDaniel, the eldest son, is an altar server who is look-ing to apply to the seminary.

CHURCH ACTIVITY AWARDKnights from Blessed John Paul II Council 15299in Suchedniów, Poland, worked with St. AndrewParish to organize a Way of the Cross processionthrough the streets of their city during Holy Week2012. The event attracted about 2,000 participants.As part of the event, Knights took part in a foot-washing ceremony, read the Passion and assignedguards to protect Christ’s tomb, which they had dec-

Annual Awards SessionTop recruiters, outstanding Knights and leadingagents were recognized at the Supreme Convention

The Donald Paul and Marcia Gilbert family of Father Patrick Creed Council 12923 in Campbellsville, Ky., was namedthe Order’s 2012 International Family of the Year.


orated. They also prepared spiritual reflections thatwere read by local officials. The event culminatedwith the celebration of Easter Mass.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY AWARD (TIE)In response to the introduction of the Order’s Sec-ond Responders Program, the members of Our Ladyof Pillar Council 14569 in Morong, Luzon, took onthe task of organizing, training, equipping and de-ploying Knights of Columbus Disaster ResponseTeams as both first and second responders.Forty-three volunteers completed 10 days of inten-sive training that was hosted by the Philippine RedCross, along with the Philippine Navy, Air Force,National Police and a local fire department.The organizers of the program said its goal is toprovide compassionate and efficient disaster responseto save lives, ease suffering and minimize damageduring disasters.When Joplin, Mo., was hit by an EF-5 tornado,one-third of the city was destroyed in only 32 min-utes. The response by Joplin’s Father Harter Council979 was immediate.Initially, with power and communications severelyimpacted and one of two local hospitals destroyed,the Knights helped FEMA with triage set-up and as-sisted search-and-rescue teams. When the only re-maining Catholic church held community Masseson the weekend following the tornado, the Knightsarranged for tables and chairs and prepared meals forall Mass attendees.After search-and-rescue operations ended, theKnights assisted with salvage, transportation, shelterfor the homeless and visiting relief workers, and thecoordination of donated items that came in fromacross the country.

COUNCIL ACTIVITY AWARDIn order to promote active participation and mem-bership retention, St. Charles (Ill.) Council 12497created a mentoring and orientation program for newmembers called the “Knights Advocate Program.”Each new member, called a “Columbian,” is part-nered with a mentor, called an “Advocate.” Thesementors develop friendships with new members,personally invite them to participate in meetings andcouncil activities and ensure their effective integra-tion into the council.Within the first six months of recruitment, eachnew member participates in an orientation. This ac-quaints each brother Knight with the mission of theOrder, the benefits of membership, the history andorganizational structure of the council, and councilactivities. Since it was instituted 18 months ago, theprogram has helped the council experience a 95 per-cent success rate in retaining new members.

FAMILY ACTIVITY AWARDSt. Aloysius Council 13142 in Yoder, Ind., donated$3,000 worth of Christmas presents to 100 childrenwho had incarcerated relatives. Knights presented thegifts at a council-sponsored Christmas party.The council worked with Prison Fellowship, a Vir-ginia-based nonprofit organization, to conduct theprogram. Each gift contained a personal messagefrom the imprisoned relative to the child. To undertake the project, the council received sup-port from two local councils that sponsored 10 ofthe 100 children who received gifts. In addition, thelocal Fourth Degree assembly contributed $200 tooffset the cost of the party.

CULTURE OF LIFE ACTIVITY AWARDAs part of the international “40 Days for Life” cam-paign, Archbishop Duke Council 6855 in Rich-mond, British Columbia, organized two 24-hourprayer vigils in front of a local abortion facility. Thecouncil’s pro-life chair couple spearheaded the effortto promote the campaign and to sign up Knights andother parishioners.On Nov. 6, 2011 and March 25, 2012, Knightsprayed in front of the facility in shifts for more than24 consecutive hours. Ninety council members par-ticipated in this project, which helped encourage thepro-life efforts of other parish ministries.

YOUTH ACTIVITY AWARDTo foster unity in Christ between Middle Easternand Western Christians, the members of St. LouisGuanella Council 3092 in Chelsea, Mich., spon-sored a variety of projects that included: hosting fivestudents and a teacher from Palestine; sponsoring theeducation of a student at a Holy Land Christianschool; supporting Christians in the Holy Landthrough ongoing gift sales; and conducting a Massand reception for the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

LEADING GENERAL AGENTSKevin G. Pfeifer of Nebraska finished the year at 240percent of quota with a volume per member of$13,298. His total gross volume was $211,321,000.Ben Baca III of California finished the year at 212percent of quota with a volume per member of$11,350. His total gross volume was $209,520,000.

LEADING FIELD AGENTSJohn J. Stoeckinger of the Pfeifer Agency in Ne-braska met 584 percent of his quota with a volumeper member of $35,906 and a total gross volume of$28,043,000. Michael A. McGranahan of the BacaAgency in California met 424 percent of his quotawith a volume per member of $21,044 and a totalgross volume of $19,066,000.♦


“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land”

Annual Repor t of theSupreme Knight

130TH SUPREME CONVENTION ANAHEIM, CALIF., AUG. 7, 2012

FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC,North America is truly a Christian continent, andfrom coast to coast, we are never far from a reminderof our Catholic roots. We meet today not far fromMission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776 byBlessed Junipero Serra. This mission, and the othersalong California’s El Camino Real, remind us of thefoundations of our Christian continent. These mis-sions were critical to the evangelization of this hemi-sphere, and are reminders of our own responsibility.Following in Father Serra’s footsteps, we are called topreach the Gospel in word and deed, building up thecivilization of love.



Of course, 1776 is a year important to all of theUnited States for another reason. That was the yearthe Declaration of Independence was signed, andamong its signers was one Catholic, Charles Car-roll of Maryland.It was not surprising that a Catholic would come

from Maryland, since it was the colony foundedfor Catholics seeking the religious liberty that theycould not find in England.Carroll may have been the only Catholic to sign

the Declaration of Independence, but there was aparticular hallmark common to America’sfounders: They were men of faith. And their un-derstanding of God-given rights was the founda-tion of their design for the new American republic.They understood — as they made clear in the Dec-laration of Independence — that liberty was aright endowed by our Creator.Before he became pope, Cardinal Joseph

Ratzinger wrote, “Reason needs to listen to thegreat religious traditions if it does not wish to be-come deaf, blind and mute concerning the mostessential elements of human existence.” In acknowledging our Creator as the source of

our rights, the Founding Fathers understood thisconcept well. In fact, they believed that the libertythey sought was not just civil liberty, but religiousliberty as well. Fifty years after the signing of theDeclaration of Independence, Charles Carrollwrote that he saw that document’s principles “asthe best earthly inheritance their ancestors couldbequeath” and he prayed “that the civil and reli-gious liberties they have secured may be perpetu-ated to the remotest posterity and be extended tothe whole family of man.” That same spirit is embodied also in the First

Amendment, in which religious freedom is the firstright enumerated in the Bill of Rights of the U.S.Constitution.Our country’s foundational documents, the

Constitution and the Declaration of Independ-ence, were born in Independence Hall in Philadel-phia. It is also home of the famous Liberty Bell.Inscribed on that bell, and doubtless an inspirationto our founders, are these words from the Book ofLeviticus: “Proclaim liberty throughout all theland, unto all the inhabitants thereof ” (Lev 25:10).And when religious liberty anywhere in the landhas been threatened, Catholics from the time ofCharles Carroll to today have responded.One of those who responded early was John

Carroll, the cousin of Charles. He was the firstbishop appointed in the United States and the firstarchbishop of Baltimore. His work continuestoday with his successor, and our supreme chap-lain, Archbishop William Lori, whose vital work

on behalf of religious liberty is well known to usall.Throughout the history of America, Catholics

have stood up to protect our First Amendmentrights to religious freedom. And at many times, theKnights of Columbus has taken the lead in theseendeavors.There were the Nativists and Know-Nothings,

whose hostility to Catholics made the work of Fa-ther McGivney and the Knights so important.Then there was the Ku Klux Klan, who burnedfiery crosses against brother Knight and presiden-tial candidate Al Smith. The Klan also supportedthe persecution of Mexican Catholics during the1920s and opposed the peaceful efforts of theKnights to end the persecution there.In one state to our north, Oregon, it was again

the Klan that sponsored legislation banningCatholic schools in that state in 1922. That was atime when there were more members of the Klanthan there were Catholic men in the state of Ore-gon. But we stood with those Catholic sisters whobravely refused to give up their First Amendmentrights. The Knights of Columbus supported thesisters’ lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court,and the victory in the landmark case Pierce v. So-


ciety of Sisters was a key decision thatcontinues to protect the right to aCatholic education today.Why did those sisters stand so

firm? And why did the Knights ofColumbus support them? It wasbecause we understood that, in thewords of Blessed John Henry New-man, “conscience has rights be-cause it has duties.” We could notstand aside and let the state elimi-nate parental and church rights ineducation.Through the years that followed,

the Knights have continued thiswork for religious freedom. Harken-ing back to the Declaration of Inde-pendence and President Lincoln’swords at Gettysburg, we were in-strumental in adding the words“under God” to the Pledge of Alle-giance — and we have defendedtheir right to be there ever since.In short, the history of Catholics in the United

States is a history of defending religious freedom.And the work of the Knights of Columbus on be-

half of religious freedom is a keypart of that history.First Amendment religious free-

dom is not something we chose tocare about last week, or even lastyear. It is something that has beenpart of the Catholic experience andthe Knights of Columbus experi-ence from the very beginning. Andwhenever our First Amendmentfreedom is threatened, we will vig-orously defend it.And so today, as we meet in this

130th Supreme Convention, wemake the words of our nation’sfounders our own: “Proclaim Lib-erty Throughout All the Land.” Indoing so, we are consistent not onlywith our faith, but with our consti-tutional rights and our civic duty.We take as our inspiration these

words of Charles Carroll: “Godgrant that this religious liberty may be preserveduntil the end of time, and that all believing in thereligion of Christ may practice the leading princi-ple of charity, the basis of every virtue.”

(Above) Statue of Blessed Junipero Serra from the NationalStatuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol. (Bottom) Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776 by Blessed Junipero Serra.


OUR HISTORICAL and recent work for reli-gious liberty has always been motivated by ourcommitment to charity. And by every measure, inthe past year we have scaled new heights in ourservice to our families, to our Church, to our com-munities and to those in need.As we know well, Father McGivney established

charity as the leading principle of our Order, andfor the 12th consecutive year, we have again set anall-time record for our donations to charitablecauses. Last year, our charitable donations grew bynearly $3.4 million, to more than $158 million.That total included more than $29 million fromthe Supreme Council and almost $129 millionfrom state and local units.

Over the past decade, the charitable donationsof the Knights of Columbus have totaled morethan $1.4 billion.For the third consecutive year, Quebec led all ju-

risdictions in donations to charity, with a total ofmore than $11.3 million. Ontario came in second,and also finishing among the top 10 were Texas,California, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, New Jersey,New York and Ohio.For the 15th consecutive year, British Columbia

led all jurisdictions in the amount contributed permember. B.C. Knights donated an average of $279per member. Newfoundland was next, with $192.They were followed by Alaska, New Brunswick,Nova Scotia, Ontario, Virginia, Saskatchewan,

Knights of Charity

In recognition of the Order’s good works in Rome, the city dedicated a public square in honor of the Knights of Columbus. (Fromleft) Mayor of Rome Giovanni Alemanno, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, Italian Senator Stefano De Lillo, Msgr. Roger C.Roensch, director of the U.S. Visitors Office to the Vatican and former state chaplain of the District of Columbia, and Rome’s Su-perintendent of Culture Umberto Broccoli display plans for the future development of the site.


South Carolina, and Quebec.For the 15th consecutive year, we also set a new

record for volunteer hours donated to charity.Knights of Columbus around the world donatedmore than 70 million hours of charitable work. In-dependent Sector, which estimates the value of vol-unteer time, puts the value in 2011 at $21.79 perhour, and that means that the value of the volun-teer hours we donated last year was more than $1.5billion.Over the past decade, individual Knights have

donated more than 664 million hours to charity,and the value of their time was nearly $14.5 billion.Once again, our jurisdictions in the Philippines

set the pace in volunteering. Mindanao edged outTexas for first place, with a total of more than 4.7million hours. Luzon came in third, followed byFlorida, California, Ontario, Visayas, Missouri,Quebec and Michigan.Prince Edward Island turned in the best record

for individual volunteering, with more than 125hours per member. Guam came in second, fol-lowed by Alaska, British Columbia, Puerto Rico,Mexico Northwest, Saskatchewan, Delaware, NovaScotia, and Washington state.These are impressive numbers. But the numbers

tell only part of our story. We get a more completepicture when we meet the Knights whose faith,hard work and dedication are reflected in thesenumbers.Consider, for example, the Order’s charitable

work to support Special Olympics, founded by Eu-nice Kennedy Shriver and her husband, BrotherKnight Sargent Shriver. Sargent Shriver workedtirelessly for the intellectually disabled, and thoughhe went to his eternal reward last year, his examplecontinues to inspire us.Knights were there at the very beginning to pro-

vide extensive support for the very first SpecialOlympics in Chicago in July 1968, and we’ve beenthere ever since.Once again, the numbers are impressive. Last

year, more than 106,000 Knights volunteerednearly 300,000 hours to assist Special Olympics.Councils at all levels donated more than $3.3 mil-lion. And in the 44 years since that first event inChicago, Knights of Columbus have donatednearly $400 million to Special Olympics.Brother Knights in Arizona are a good example.

Last year, Arizona Knights donated $37,000 toSpecial Olympics, and provided hundreds of vol-unteers at 56 Special Olympic events. ArizonaKnights also arranged for a “Field of Dreams” ex-perience for Special Olympic athletes, bringingthem to an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Theywere able to attend batting practice, and had the

opportunity to meet players and get autographsfrom the Diamondbacks and the PhiladelphiaPhillies.The Major League players, including brother

Knight and Phillies’ centerfielder — and now anL.A. Dodger — Shane Victorino, provided a won-derful experience for these young athletes.And our work with Special Olympics is just the

beginning. Knights of Columbus councils donatedmore than $12.3 million to support the intellectu-ally disabled last year, in addition to the $3.3 mil-lion for Special Olympics. Local councils alsodonated nearly $4 million to activities benefittingpeople with physical disabilities.One of our newest and fastest-growing programs

for the physically disabled is our wheelchair pro-gram. It is operated in conjunction with the GlobalWheelchair Mission, which is a partnership of theAmerican Wheelchair Mission, led by brotherKnight Chris Lewis, and the Canadian WheelchairFoundation.Over the past year, Knights have delivered thou-

sands of wheelchairs across the globe, in Ethiopia,Haiti, the Holy Land, Vietnam, the Philippines,American Samoa and Mexico, as well as to our mil-itary veterans in Maryland, Georgia, Florida,Texas, Nevada, Arizona and California.In Mexico, 32 Knights from seven states, includ-

ing the state deputies of California and Nevada,traveled to Mexico City for wheelchair distributions.

Members of Tillamook (Ore.) Council 2171 established acouncil vegetable garden that provided more than 14,280pounds of fresh food for the hungry.


Knights from British Columbia, California andFlorida have brought wheelchairs to Vietnam twicein the past year.In Israel, we distributed wheelchairs to Chris-

tians on the West Bank, working with CaritasJerusalem and the Latin Patriarch, His BeatitudeFouad Twal, who has been a Knight since his daysas a seminarian in the United States.Perhaps the most touching moment came when

our team visited the wedding church in Cana andlearned from a Franciscan nun about a womanwho had recently lost a leg to diabetes and could

no longer attend Mass. The Knights had onewheelchair with them, and they brought it to thewoman’s home, which is one of five homes con-nected to one another and housing 38 familymembers. That family has lived in Cana for morethan 800 years, and they consider themselves to bedescendants of the first Christians.

Knights of Columbus also support Habitat forHumanity. Last year, Knights donated 1.3 millionhours to working on Habitat projects, and pro-vided more than $1.7 million in financial support.And behind those numbers stand members likethose of Father Bartek Council 9431, in Jackson,Wyo. They rolled up their sleeves, not once, buttwice this past year to help with Habitat “builds.”In Iowa, members of Council 5038 participated

in a similar effort sponsored by a group called Re-building Together Greater Des Moines. More than35 Knights and family members completely reha-bilitated the interior of the home of an individual,who has been disabled ever since suffering a braininjury 25 years ago. Over a three-day period, theyreplaced walls, installed new insulation, storm win-dows and carpet, painted, and supplied new cur-tains and linens.In Massachusetts, Knights from Council 99 in

Fitchburg pitched in to build a wheelchair ramp atthe home of 9-year-old Anthony Vorse, right be-fore Christmas. Anthony has cerebral palsy, andcannot walk without assistance. After severalrounds of surgery, he can move short distanceswith a walker, but climbing stairs is another mat-ter. His mother, Sandy, can no longer carry him tothe school bus in the morning. Looking for a solution, Sandy contacted 25 or-

ganizations, but all of them turned her down forone reason or another. Then the Knights steppedin and contributed both the $6,000 for materialsand the labor needed to build the ramp for theirhome. The Knights of Columbus is in its third year of

a unique partnership in Haiti with ProjectMediShare. Following the earthquake of January2010, Project MediShare, which is based at theUniversity of Miami Medical School, set up alarge field hospital next to the Port-au-Prince Air-port to treat thousands of people. Within a fewweeks, with the help of the Global WheelchairMission, we arrived at that MediShare facility witha shipment of wheelchairs. We soon decided to continue our partnership

with Project MediShare in providing artificiallimbs to the children who had suffered amputa-tions. We pledged up to $1 million to make avail-able prosthetic limbs to every one of the estimated1,000 Haitian children who needed them. Theprogram has been enormously successful, initiallyunder the leadership of our late supreme secretary,Emilio Moure.We have followed up by funding an amputee re-

habilitation center named for Emilio, as well as aprosthetics laboratory. Today, we are supportingMediShare’s initiative to train local Haitians to


manufacture and assemble prosthetic devices, andfor them to provide rehabilitation services so thatthis care can continue sustainably into the future.We have also helped sponsor a very special am-

putee soccer team, which many of you met at lastyear’s convention in Denver. In the fall, webrought Team Zaryen to the United States for the“Haitian Inspiration Tour,” in which they workedfor several days teaching amputee soccer to injuredU.S. soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center inWashington.And this is far from being the only effort by

Knights to help the people of Haiti. Councils inVirginia provide significant support to a groupcalled Medical Missionaries, headed by several doc-tors who are Knights, which operates the onlymodern medical clinic in the central plateau ofHaiti, around the city of Thomassique. St. Josephthe Worker Council 10921 in Orefield, Pa., pro-vided funds for a parish medical mission to Haiti,and several members went along to provide sup-port in Port-au-Prince. The medical team providedservices to some 1,100 Haitians. And in February,Florida Past State Deputy Bob Read led a team ofKnights bringing wheelchairs to some 280 recipi-ents in Port-au-Prince and the Central Plateau.Just last month in London, we worked with the

Bishops Conference of England and Wales tocosponsor a conference titled “Everybody Has aPlace.” This international conference dealt with theintersection between theology, disability and sport,in preparation for this year’s Summer OlympicGames in London. We previewed a documentaryon our work in Haiti as part of our presentationon the Order’s extensive history of helping organ-ize sporting events for those with disabilities.In Africa, our effort to help AIDS orphans is

well underway, with a new primary school beingbuilt in Uganda, and a similar project due to beginsoon in Kenya. Our partners in this effort are theApostles of Jesus, the first community of mission-ary priests and brothers to be founded in Africa.Today, 130 years after Father McGivney first en-

couraged us to help widows and orphans, there isno group of orphans more in need of our help thanthe 15 million children orphaned by the AIDS epi-demic in sub-Saharan Africa. It is especially grati-fying to be able to work in this endeavor withFather Paul Gaggawala, our former Pennsylvaniastate chaplain, who is now director of mission pro-motion for the Apostles of Jesus.Much of our charitable work, of course, happens

right in our own backyards. Participation in our Food for Families and Coats

for Kids programs continued to grow in the pastyear. More than 800 councils participated, donat-

ing a total of nearly 2.4 million pounds of food forfamilies in need, and individual Knights volun-teered more than 292,000 hours in the food drives.California councils were especially active, put-

ting in more than 55,000 hours of volunteer timeand donating more than 35 tons of food.Especially noteworthy were Knights in Tillam-

ook, Ore. They established a council vegetable gar-den, and over the course of the season, theyprovided more than seven tons of fresh food forthe hungry.The 40 Cans for Lent program, begun by Our

Lady of Guadalupe Council 8306 in Helotes,Texas, has been adopted by many councils thisyear, helping thousands of families.And I am happy to report that through our

Coats for Kids program, 725 local councils distrib-uted more than 32,000 new coats throughout theUnited States and Canada.

Over the past four decades, the Knights of Columbus hassupported programs for people with intellectual and physicaldisabilities through donations of money and time. The Orderhas been involved with the Special Olympics since the programbegan in 1968.


In addition, last year nearly 419,000 donors gaveblood at Knights of Columbus sponsored blooddrives.Most of the charitable work that is done by the

Knights of Columbus is done quietly. Much of itgoes unnoticed. We do not engage in charity toseek publicity. But occasionally, we do receiverecognition for the work we do.That happened last December in Italy, when the

city of Rome dedicated a public square to theKnights of Columbus. Located adjacent to the an-cient Baths of Caracalla, the new “Largo Cavalieridi Colombo” commemorates nearly a century ofour service to the people of Rome. This service hasincluded youth programs and facilities, humani-tarian assistance during and following World WarII, and assistance to various cultural projects in thecity. Many have come to Rome in the city’s nearly3,000-year history, but few have had their servicehonored in such a permanent way.Charity does more than just help people who

need something. As Charles Carroll understood,charity is consistent with, supportive of and nec-essary to human freedom. It is not simply thatwhat we give helps free people from hunger, cold,

homelessness and poverty. Charity is essential tothe very idea of freedom, because charity creates abond among us that makes freedom possible.Pope Benedict once wrote, “Since man’s essence

consists in being-from, being-with and being-for,human freedom can exist only in the ordered com-munion of freedoms.” Said another way, charity,unity and fraternity are true and necessary sup-ports of freedom.

(Left) During the 2011-12 fraternal year, Knights distributed durable, low-cost wheelchairsthrough the Global Wheelchair Mission to needy recipients around the world. (Top) As part of theKnights of Columbus “Coats for Kids” program, councils all across North America purchase newwinter coats for children in need. (Bottom right) In the fall of 2011, Team Zaryen came to theUnited States on the “Haitian Inspiration Tour,” which brought amputee soccer clinics to woundedAmerican soldiers. The tour also featured stops in Washington, D.C., and New York.

A TRUE MEASURE of the strength and relevanceof the Knights of Columbus today is our contin-ued membership growth. I am proud to report toyou that for the 41st consecutive year, our mem-bership has grown. It reached a new all-time highof 1,829,121 as of the end of our fraternal year onJune 30.In the past year, we have added 215 new coun-

cils, bringing their total to 14,377. In other words,more than 14,000 communities now benefit fromthe good works of the Knights of Columbus.Last year, 86 new councils were established in

the Philippines, and I had the pleasure of person-ally congratulating our brother Knights there inApril, when I attended the Ninth Philippine Na-

tional Knights of Columbus Convention inManila. There are now more than 290,000Knights in the Philippines, and their enthusiasmand faith are truly extraordinary.While I was in Manila, we conducted a ribbon-

cutting ceremony at the new Father McGivneyMultimedia Studio located at the headquarters ofthe Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philip-pines. This state-of-the-art facility, a gift from theSupreme Council, will enable the Church to usethe most modern technology to educate and evan-gelize in the largest Catholic country in Asia.We were honored to have the president of the

Philippine Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop JoséPalma, bless the new studio. He also blessed a newstatue of Father McGivney outside the Knights ofColumbus Headquarters in Manila, and a new or-atory there as well.Many of our other jurisdictions also had strong

membership growth, including Texas, whichbrought in more than 2,100 new members; Cali-fornia, which gained nearly 1,600; and Florida,which added more than 700.I am also pleased to report that every jurisdiction

in Mexico grew last year, and 14 new councils andmore than 1,000 new members were added there.And the Dominican Republic added seven newcouncils and more than 350 new members.In Europe, our membership is also increasing.

Poland added 10 new councils, and membershipthere has now grown to more than 2,200 Knights.We have seen how much good 1.8 million com-

mitted Knights can do. But just imagine howmuch more we could do; how much more weshould do. This is why we must invite more mento join us. We do this not for ourselves, but for thegood of our communities, our Church, our society,and for the men themselves, who join us in thiswork.We are asking every council to recruit at least

one new member every month. That is a veryachievable goal, and we owe it to our fellow parish-ioners to give them the opportunity to live outtheir Catholic faith with us in charity, unity andfraternity.The combined Catholic population of the coun-

tries in which we are active is more than 300 mil-lion. Our potential is tremendous. Our fellowCatholics need us, and we need them to do evenmore good work.


Membership Growth


Our goal must be to invite every eligibleCatholic man to join the Knights of Columbusand become a part of the greatest lay Catholic or-ganization in the world. If every council recruitedat least one member every month during the com-ing year, our membership would grow by nearly175,000. But we could invite even more men tojoin us, and together we could be an enormousforce for good in a world that so obviously needsthe love of God and love of neighbor, which are re-flected in our work.

Jurisdictions throughout the Order experienced growth in mem-bership leading to an all-time high of more that 1.8 millionmembers at the close of the 2011-12 fraternal year. ThePhilippines (above) established 86 new councils, while Poland(top right) grew to more than 2,200 members, and every ju-risdiction in Mexico (bottom right) grew.


Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York, addresses pilgrims at the Love and Life Centre, an official catechesis andyouth festival site for English-speaking pilgrims, sponsored by the Order and the Sisters of Life at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid.

ONE CAN DO good work at any age. Father Mc-Givney was 29 when he founded the Knights ofColumbus. And we should make it a priority to at-tract college-aged men into the Order. By recruit-ing them now, we can help them give a lifetime ofservice and of witness to their faith.This year, we added eight new college councils.

We now have a total of 277 college councils, withnearly 25,000 members.And these young men can do great things. This

year, Council 6375 at Georgetown University inWashington, D.C., was the winner of the Out-standing College Council Award. They continuedto organize and sponsor the annual Cardinal

O’Connor Conference on Life, which is held inconjunction with the annual March for Life inWashington. Their charity projects include volun-teering with Hands-on Housing, which renovatesand repairs apartments for low-income families,and bringing meals and coffee to the homeless.And they strengthened body and soul with their“Masketball” program in which they gather to-gether for Mass and then play basketball together.And for younger men during the past year, we

had more than 26,000 participants in ourColumbian Squires program. The number ofSquires Circles has grown to 1,613, the highestnumber in our history. In addition, over the past

Youth


year, Knights of Columbus councils sponsored atotal of nearly 15,000 Boy Scouts in the UnitedStates and Canada in 612 scouting units. Last year, our councils donated more than $1.2

million to scouting activities, $3.8 million to otheryouth groups, and nearly $7 million to scholar-ships and educational support. And brotherKnights donated more than 8 million hours toyouth activities.These local programs are supplemented by a

number of scholarship programs sponsored by theSupreme Council. Last year, 20 scholarship pro-grams provided more than $1.4 million to 606 stu-dents at institutions of higher learning.Knights of Columbus councils continued to

support our annual Free-Throw Championship.This year, more than 3,300 councils sponsoredlocal competitions for boys and girls aged 10-14.More than 121,000 young people participated thisyear. And 9,000 others participated in our SoccerChallenge program, with competitions sponsoredby more than 1,200 councils.Last August, just a week after our Supreme Con-

vention, we hosted the English language WorldYouth Day site in Madrid, Spain. The Love andLife Centre was set up in Madrid’s premiere12,000-seat arena, and was staffed with the help ofour college Knights. It was a popular destinationfor the English-speaking pilgrims from the U.S.and Canada, as well as from Britain, Australia and

many other countries, and tens of thousands of pil-grims passed through our doors.We partnered with the Sisters of Life, and were

assisted by Holy Cross Family Ministries, Salt andLight Television, FOCUS, World Youth Alliance,the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies onMarriage and Family, and the Apostleship ofPrayer. Our programming included Masses, Eu-charistic adoration, talks, entertainment and paneldiscussions on topics such as faith and reason, re-ligious liberty and the theology of the body.Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Charles

Chaput, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop WilliamLori and I were just a few of the many speakerswho spent countless hours with the young peoplewho gathered for the event. I saw firsthand howblessed the Catholic Church and the Knights ofColumbus are to have our future in the hands ofsuch dedicated young adults.And many who came to World Youth Day and

to our site were able to do so because Knights ofColumbus councils at home had raised thousandsof dollars to help defray the costs of those travelingto Madrid.

Members of Sum-Ag Circle 4651 in Bacolod City, Visayas,distribute soup and bread during a circle-sponsored feeding pro-gram for needy children. During the past fraternal year, morethan 26,000 boys under the age of 18 participated in theColumbian Squires program.


ONE CANNOT SPEAK OF LIBERTY withoutalso speaking of patriotism. And I am pleased toreport that membership in our patriotic degreegrew during the past fraternal year, to a record ofmore than 330,000 members. Nearly 18,000 menbecame Sir Knights last year, and we added 64 newFourth Degree assemblies, for a total of 3,034 as-semblies around the world.The Fourth Degree is also providing critical sup-

port for a new vocations program to increase thenumber of Catholic chaplains in the United StatesArmed Forces. These brave troops who protect ourliberty deserve and need our spiritual support.

They have been able to count on it since WorldWar I, when the Knights of Columbus helped pro-vide chaplains to ensure their sacramental life.And today, because of the good work of our

Fourth Degree, that support continues. In the pastyear, our assemblies raised nearly a quarter-milliondollars to support seminarians intending to be-come military chaplains.

Fourth Degree

OVER THE PAST DECADE, we have made aspecial effort to reach out to members of ourarmed forces. It is estimated that Catholics makeup one-fourth of U.S. military personnel, and theycan be found at 220 military installations in 29countries around the world.We currently have four combat zone roundtables

in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. And there are ac-tive Knights of Columbus councils at 52 perma-nent military installations, including five in Japan,three in Germany, three in Italy, one in Englandand one in Korea.Earlier this year, I had the honor of visiting our

brother Knights at Bishop Kaising Council 14223at the Yongsan Garrison just outside the South Ko-rean capital of Seoul. I was joined on this visit byAuxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the Arch-diocese for the Military Services, USA. I conveyedto our members there our deep appreciation fortheir work in protecting our freedom. As I stoodwith several of our military members and lookedout over the DMZ into North Korea, the impor-tance of their work and our support of these heroicmen could not have been clearer.While I was in Korea, we added a new dimen-

sion to our program for the military. We estab-lished the first overseas military assembly. Nearly40 members of Council 14223 joined the patrioticdegree, becoming the first Sir Knights of BishopJoseph Estabrook Assembly, named for the highlyrespected auxiliary bishop who died of cancer lastFebruary. Bishop Estabrook was a Fourth DegreeKnight and a former Navy chaplain. In keepingwith our support for our clergy and our troops,Virginia Knights provided an honor guard for hiswake and funeral.Our support does not end when our troops re-

tire. After our Army Hut service in World War I,we continued our work by helping thousands ofveterans with job training and placement. Ourservice to those who have served continues to thisday. We maintain a close relationship with the Vet-erans Affairs Voluntary Service, and currently havemore than 1,100 Knights serving veterans at 131VA medical facilities. These brother Knights vol-unteered more than 40,000 hours last year, “serv-ing those who served.”We also pause today to recall those brother

Knights who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defendliberty.

Knights and The Armed Services


Since we met last year, five Knights and one for-mer Squire have been killed in action.Army Chief Warrant Officer Bryan Nichols was

killed in Afghanistan last August. He was a mem-ber of St. Joseph’s Council 1325 in Hays, Kan. Heis survived by his wife, Mary, and son, Braydon.Army 1st Lt. Timothy Steele was killed last Au-

gust in Kandahar province. He was a member ofCouncil 8250 at West Point, and is survived by hiswife, Meaghan, and daughter, Liberty.Army Pfc. Brandon Mullins also died in Kanda-

har province last August. He had been a memberof Squire Circle 3678 in Jonesboro, Ark., and issurvived by his wife, Ashley.James Coker was a civilian working for the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers when he was killed inAfghanistan last September. He was a member ofBishop Cunningham Council 10904 in Cicero,N.Y., and is survived by his wife, Marli, and theirthree children.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Matthew Schwartz died inHelmand province in January. He was a memberof Council 801 in Cheyenne, Wyo., and is survivedby his wife, Jenny, and their three daughters.Finally, we mourn the loss of Army 1st Lt.

Mathew Fazzari, who also died in Afghanistan inJune. He was a member of St. Thomas MoreCouncil 11134 in Spokane, Wash. He is survivedby his wife, Tovah, and sons Dominic and Samuel.Today, we honor the ultimate sacrifice of these

men. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to theirfamilies. We also extend to the families of thefallen our financial support. For the children ofthose active members who died in combat, ourMatthews and Swift Educational Trust standsready to help pay their college education expensesat a Catholic institution of higher learning. Lastyear, six children attended college with supportfrom this program.

A Marine Corps Veteran in Kerryville, Texas, salutes a Fourth Degree honor guard during a wheelchair distribution held at thelocal VA center.


This past Memorial Day, we honored all those who have served our country in our armed services by recalling President Franklin Roosevelt’s prayer to the nation during the Normandy Invasion through a new,nationally televised commercial. We recall his words again today in memory of our most recently fallen heroes:

(Above) Newly initiated Sir Knights join the supreme knight and Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the Archdiocese for theMilitary Services, USA, following a historic Fourth Degree exemplification conducted at the U.S Military Base at Yongsan, nearSeoul. Nearly 40 members of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 became charter members of Bishop Joseph W. EstabrookAssembly. (Below, right) During his visit to Korea, Supreme Knight Anderson was welcomed to the United Nations Commandheadquarters by brother Knight Maj. Gen. Michael Regner, U.S. Marine Corps. Also shown is Assistant to the Supreme Knight forMilitary and Veterans Affairs, Col. Charles Gallina, USMC/Ret.

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion,

and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. …They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people.

They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them,

Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. … Amen



THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS was born130 years ago, just as the United States was sinkinginto a deep recession that lasted three years.There can be no doubt that difficult economic

times were very much on Father McGivney’s mindwhen he encouraged the men at St. Mary’s Churchto make the financial protection of their families ahigh priority.Since 2008, the world has again faced economic

difficulties. Nearly any company can succeed whentimes are good, but it is much harder in a difficulteconomy like the one we now face. Even in thiseconomy, the Knights of Columbus continues togrow in strength, and I am happy to report thatyou can be very proud of the work that our insur-ance and investment staffs have done over the pastyear.Our insurance in force now totals $86 billion,

an increase over last year of $5 billion. Our totalassets have grown 6.9 percent, to more than $18billion. With a surplus of $1.7 billion, our surplusratio is one of the highest in the industry.We issued an all-time high of $7.9 billion of new

life insurance last year. Our new 10-pay life insur-ance product, in which you have a fully paid-uppolicy in just 10 years, has been popular, as hasbeen our other new product — individual disabil-ity income insurance.We are now ranked number 912 on the Fortune

1000 list of America’s largest companies, 55 placesahead of our ranking in 2007. And over the pastfive years, our insurance sales have grown by morethan 23 percent, while sales in the industry overallhave declined by nearly 7 percent.Our lapse rate remained at only 3.6 percent,

which is half the industry average. In other words,more than 96 percent of Knights who buy our lifeinsurance keep it. That very high persistency rateis one of the factors that was cited by A.M. Bestwhen they gave us their highest rating, A++, forthe 37th consecutive year.They also praised our “strong risk-adjusted cap-

italization” and “consistently positive statutory op-erating results.” Our long-term care insurancegrew at a rate of nearly 8 percent, and it provides

Insurance and Investments


a very valuable benefit for many Knights and theirfamilies.All of this is possible because of the excellent

work of our insurance agents — brother Knightsin the service of their brother Knights — remain-ing true to Father McGivney’s vision of protectingCatholic families and helping them achieve finan-cial freedom.The number of Knights of Columbus general

agents and field agents is now at 1,447. They areexceptional men, and we are very proud of them.Through their work, the Knights’ protection of

Catholic families has soared to extraordinaryheights. Last year, we paid death benefits toKnights of Columbus families totaling almost$280 million. At the same time, we paid more than$352 million in dividends to our policyholders —$12 million more than last year.Since our founding, we have paid more than

$3.4 billion in death claims. And we have also paidmore than $11.3 billion in living benefits.For their excellent work in safeguarding the fi-

nancial future of our members and their families,we must also recognize the important contributionof our investment department. Our investment in-come last year totaled more than $878 million.That is an extraordinary accomplishment in thecurrent low interest rate environment.During the past year, we invested approximately

$13 million every day, totaling more than $3.2billion. Despite the current very low interest rate envi-

ronment, our new purchase rate was 4.4 percent,an increase over the previous year’s rate. And wedid not sacrifice quality to achieve this greater rateof return. To the contrary, this year, the quality ofour investment portfolio actually increased.Our unparalleled financial success is the result

of a careful, deliberate and ethical approach to put-ting the well-being of our insurance members first.Last year, we decided to share that philosophy andour experience with others. We sponsored a con-ference on sustainable investing in Chicago, bring-ing cutting edge sustainable investing techniquesto financial managers of dioceses and non-profitorganizations.We addressed screening methods, and various

sustainable investing models, including our own— based on Catholic social teaching. When wemake investments at the Knights of Columbus, webasically look for the presence of two components:Is the investment sound economically? Andequally important, is it sound ethically? We under-stand that when we make an investment, we enable

certain business activity as a result of that invest-ment. We seek to maximize the good we can do byhow and where we invest. An excellent example of this philosophy in ac-

tion is our ChurchLoan program, which enablesCatholic churches and Catholic schools to financeconstruction projects at very competitive rates.This program allows us to help support theChurch, while at the same time being good stew-ards of the assets of our members. It is exactly thesort of ethical, sustainable investment we like tomake at the Knights of Columbus. And it is an in-vestment on which we have never lost a dime. Atyear’s end, our ChurchLoan portfolio totaled ap-proximately $102 million.We will continue to invest in our Church, and

in enterprises that are both economically andmorally sustainable. Anyone who has ever investedknows that if an investment doesn’t work econom-ically, you sell it. But the Knights of Columbusalso believes that if an investment doesn’t workmorally, you should not buy it.And the fact that there is no more highly rated

insurer in North America than the Knights ofColumbus stands as a powerful testament to the factthat ethics and success can and should go together. Even in a weak economy, the Knights of Colum-

bus continues to grow strong.


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THE STRENGTH OF THE TIES of the Knightsof Columbus to the Church has no greater exam-ple than the advancement of the cause for canon-ization of our founder, Venerable MichaelMcGivney. As his cause continues, our postulatorin Rome recently received very encouraging newsabout a possible miracle through the intercessionof our founder. This development was especiallywelcome, because the report came shortly after wereceived news from the Vatican that the event pre-viously under investigation would not be goingforward. So we saw clearly the truth of the old say-ing, “When one door closes, another one opens.”Our postulator has now begun looking dili-

gently into this new report, which we think maybe a miracle involving Father McGivney’s inter-cession. Since this investigation is in the earlystages, I will not discuss the exact details, knowingthat the final judgment on these matters is in the

hands of the Church. But I think we have verygood reason for hope that Father McGivney isvery much on track for beatification. One ap-proved miracle is needed for beatification, and an-other approved miracle is necessary for the finalstage of canonization.The message we should take from these recent

events is that all Knights and their families shouldcontinue their regular prayer for Father McGivney’scanonization. We should invoke his intercession inlife’s struggles, and especially when faced with veryserious illness. In addition, every Catholic is invitedto sign up for the Father McGivney Guild and con-tinue to report favors received. The cause for Father McGivney was opened dur-

ing the pontificate of John Paul II — who encour-aged devotion to our founder. This is just one ofthe many ways in which the Knights of Columbushas been closely linked with Pope John Paul.

Knights and the Church

Pope Benedict XVI presents the pallium to Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, during a June 29 Mass inSt. Peter’s Basilica.


This close tie continues today with our develop-ment of what will soon become the most impor-tant shrine to Blessed John Paul II in the WesternHemisphere. This beautiful facility is just a shortwalk from the Basilica of the National Shrine ofthe Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.Our shrine will be a special place of prayer and de-votion. It will also include the most important mu-seum in the Western Hemisphere on his life andpapacy. But it will be much more than that. It willbecome a center for the study and promotion ofhis legacy and the promotion of the new evange-lization that seeks to build a civilization of love.The new Blessed John Paul II Shrine affords us

an unparalleled opportunity to reach a large and di-verse audience. This project joins the educationalformation we have long promoted through our sup-port of the PontificalJohn Paul II Institutefor Studies on Marriageand Family, which islocated in McGivneyHall on the campus ofThe Catholic Univer-sity of America.The Knights of

Columbus has sup-ported the Institute’swork since it openedin 1988. The morethan 400 Institutegraduates have comefrom 47 of the 50states, and 37 coun-tries around the world.The Institute is just

one of the many waysin which we continueour mission of protect-ing Catholic families. Such work is not new for the Knights of

Columbus. For more than 60 years, our CatholicInformation Service has provided millions ofpieces of educational literature about the Catholicfaith to people all over the world. CIS still pro-vides printed materials, but also now providesmore than 75 publications online, in both PDFand MP3 formats. And adding to our excellentLuke E. Hart and Veritas Series, we are now be-ginning a third series of publications, this time onthe New Evangelization.Our long-standing commitment to promoting

our faith extends also to our strong support for vo-cations. In addition to the support for seminarianswho will become military chaplains, last year theKnights of Columbus provided vocations scholar-

ships totaling $270,000 to 110 seminarians in theUnited States and Canada through our Father Mc-Givney and Bishop Daily scholarships.And our largest vocation effort is the RSVP pro-

gram, in which our councils provide support to in-dividual seminarians. Over the past year, morethan 5,000 seminarians have received nearly $6million in support thanks to the Knights ofColumbus. In addition, our councils have pro-vided a total of $1.9 million in direct support toseminaries.We support the Church and evangelization in

other ways as well. Two days ago, at the Los Ange-les Memorial Coliseum, we hosted a celebration ofOur Lady of Guadalupe in partnership with theArchdiocese of Los Angeles. The music, prayer andspeakers combined to create an unforgettable ex-

perience. Our gathering was

one of the largestCatholic events in thehistory of the UnitedStates, and I want tothank Archbishop JoséGomez and the Cali-fornia Knights whoworked so hard tomake it a success.The event reminded

all of us that this is aChristian hemisphere,united under the man-tle of Our Lady ofGuadalupe. Althoughdevotion to Our Ladyof Guadalupe is gener-ally associated with theAmericas and with thePhilippines, it becameclear this year that her

reach goes much farther.At our convention in Denver, we inaugurated a

two-year Marian Prayer Program, dedicated toOur Lady of Guadalupe. Through this program,her image is taken by Knights from parish toparish throughout the Order. I would like tothank Msgr. Enrique Glennie and Msgr. EduardoChávez who were so helpful in allowing all ofthese images to be touched to the actual image ofOur Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma in her basil-ica in Mexico City.All jurisdictions around the world took part. Al-

ready this past fraternal year, more than 587,000people participated in more than 3,200 Marianprayer services. But you may find it a testament tothe power of Our Lady of Guadalupe that as of

State Deputies Gustavo A. Guzmán-Olivas (Mexico Northwest),J. Jésus Hernández-Barbosa (Mexico Central) and FiladelfoMedellín-Ayala (Mexico Northeast) stand with the K of C-com-missioned reliquary before the papal Mass celebrated March 25 atCubilete Hill in Guanajuato, Mexico.


April, more than 150,000 people had participatedin this Knights-sponsored devotion in Poland.And this spreading of her devotion in Europe

will be reflected again this December, when thePontifical Commission for Latin America and theKnights of Columbus will jointly organize a con-gress on Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Vatican. We need Our Lady of Guadalupe and her son

now more than ever. For decades, the observanceof Christmas in many countries has become socommercialized that its religious meaning has beengreatly diminished. This problem is compoundedby atheist groups that want to deny our freedomto publicly acknowledge Christmas as a celebrationof the birth of Christ.I think it’s fair to say that our “Keep Christ in

Christmas” program is more important than ever.In fact, a Knights of Columbus-Marist poll takenlast winter found that 64 percent of Americansprefer to hear “Merry Christmas” over nonspecificgreetings such as “Happy Holidays.” Our work tokeep Christ in Christmas helps them to hear thosewords and remember that you can’t have Christmaswithout Christ.This year, make a point of sending religiously

themed Christmas cards. And consider includingthe Posada, a Christmas celebration developed byFranciscan missionaries, as part of your family,parish or council Christmas observance. An in-structional booklet titled The Posada: An Advent &Christmas Celebration is available in print and on-line from the Knights of Columbus.Eight years ago, the Knights of Columbus Mu-

seum began a tradition of scheduling a special ex-

hibit of Christmas crèches each December, and ithas proven very popular. Last year, we featured“Christmas Across Africa,” a collection of beautifulcrèches from 23 African countries. This year’s ex-hibit in New Haven will be “Christmas AcrossCanada,” and will feature collections on loan fromtwo famous crèche museums in Quebec.And as you celebrate Christmas this year, you

might pause to remember Cardinal John Foley. Hewas the English-language voice you heard on themidnight Mass broadcasts from the Vatican —brought to people throughout the world thanks tothe Knights of Columbus-funded satellite uplink.And though he served at the Vatican, he was amember of Council 4546 in Philadelphia and aregular attendee of our Supreme Council meetings.He went to his eternal reward just prior to Christ-mas last year after a battle with cancer, and he willbe greatly missed.The Knights of Columbus supports the Church

at every level — from our local parishes and dio-ceses, to bishops’ conferences and the Vatican.Our support of the Holy Father has been — and

continues to be — an important part of our serviceto the Church. During a private audience in De-cember, I was privileged to present Pope BenedictXVI with a check on your behalf for $1.6 million.That amount represents this year’s earnings fromour Vicarius Christi Fund, and goes to support theHoly Father’s personal charities.When Pope Benedict traveled to Mexico and

Cuba in March, we provided both financial andvolunteer support. During a papal Mass on Cu-bilete Hill in the center of Mexico, a special reli-

The Knights of Columbus is developing what will soon become the most important shrine to Blessed John Paul II in the WesternHemisphere, located a short distance from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.


quary commissioned by the Knights of Columbuswas displayed. It contains the relics of 25 Mexicansaints and blesseds who were martyred during thepersecution of the Catholic Church in the 1920s.Six of the saints and three of those blesseds werebrother Knights.The story of the martyrdom of one of our saints

— Father José María Robles Hurtado — was toldin the movie, For Greater Glory, which premieredin theaters this spring throughout the UnitedStates and Mexico. The Supreme Council sup-ported the production of the movie, which dra-matically tells the story of the persecution of theChurch in Mexico, while helping to tell the storyof the peaceful work of the Knights of Columbusto stop the persecution and support the Churchand the people of Mexico. It is an important story,and one that remains largely unknown on bothsides of the border. A Knights of Columbus-pro-duced documentary on this film was broadcastthroughout the United States on PBS.

Shortly after Pope Benedict’s visit to Mexico, welaunched new tours in the United States and Mex-ico of the relics of our Knights of Columbus Mar-tyrs. In the United States, the tour began inHouston, at the opening Mass of our Texas stateconvention, and included stops in Chicago, Tuc-son, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, and San An-tonio. Everywhere it went, it brought a renewedappreciation of those who made the ultimate sac-rifice for their faith during Mexico’s darkest hour.Their sacrifice underscores how fortunate we areto be meeting in a country and at a time when dis-putes between the Church and the government aredecided in courtrooms and by elections.These Mexican martyrs died because they prac-

ticed their faith in a country where to do so wasagainst the law and against their country’s consti-tution. How much more reason does that give usto stand up for our faith in a country where ourConstitution protects our right to the free exerciseof our religion?

Pope Benedict XVI received Supreme Knight Anderson in a private audience at the Vatican Dec. 7, 2011. The supreme knightpresented the pope with a gift of $1.6 million, representing last year’s earnings from the Order’s Vicarius Christi Fund, which wasestablished in 1981.


WE ARE CALLED to build a civilization of lovebased on the principles of the Gospel. And the cor-nerstone of that civilization must be a culture oflife. But in the United States alone, more than 54million children have been victims of abortionsince the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.We must build a culture of life in the way we ad-

vocate for new laws that protect the life of all peo-ple from conception to natural death. We mustbuild a culture of life through the way we vote. Wemust build a culture of life by our witness in ourdaily actions. And we must also reach out towomen in need. We must be a gentle resource inassisting them in their decision to choose life.One of the most effective ways in which we have

helped thousands of women save their children isthrough our Ultrasound Initiative.Providing ultrasound machines to pregnancy re-

source centers has enabled many thousands ofpregnant women to see their unborn child andknow that their child is a living human being. Andthousands of them have decided to keep theirchild.The Supreme Council shares the cost of these

machines with our state and local councils. Sincethe program began three and a half years ago, theKnights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative has en-abled the purchase of 268 ultrasound machines in44 states and Canada, with a total value of morethan $14 million.

It is, without doubt, the most effective pro-lifeprogram we have ever undertaken. It saves liveseach and every day. And with each woman whosees her child, we continue to turn the tide of pub-lic opinion, one person at a time.Knights of Columbus are in the forefront of

marches for life around the world: in the UnitedStates, where the annual March for Life in Wash-ington has now been supplemented by marchesin state capitals throughout the country; inCanada, where the March for Life in Ottawadrew more than 15,000 people this year, andwhere marches are now being held in everyprovincial capital; and in the Philippines, whereour brother Knights led Walk for Life events inall three jurisdictions there.Every major polling organization has confirmed

what we first discovered in our Knights of Colum-bus-Marist Poll in 2008: Public opinion has shifteddramatically in the pro-life direction. Consider also that even 71 percent of those who

described themselves as “pro-choice” in that pollfavor significant restrictions on abortion.We seek nothing less than the transformation of

our societies into a new culture of life. And thefoundation of this effort must be the bedrock ofthe inviolable dignity of every human life at everystage, and the realization that in the great familyour Lord intends for us, we are all to be ourbrother’s keeper.

Building a Culture of Life


BUT WE MUST HAVE THE FREEDOM to pur-sue this great mission. From our earliest days, pro-tecting our First Amendment right to religiousliberty has been important to the Knights ofColumbus.Over the years, this has meant that we have suc-

cessfully defended the words “under God” in theU.S. Pledge of Allegiance.Our commitment means that we will continue to

defend our statue of Christ on Big Mountain inMontana. For six decades, the statue’s presence onland leased from the U.S. Forest Service has beennon-controversial. It was placed there by KalispellCouncil 1328, together with veterans of the 10thMountain Division nearly 60 years ago in honor ofour fallen soldiers. A Wisconsin-based organizationhas recently filed suit against the Forest Service,claiming that leasing the land to the Knights for thepurpose of erecting the statue constitutes the gov-ernment establishment of a religion. We will con-tinue to protect the right to honor fallen soldierswith a religious monument — even if a small groupof atheists from another state disagrees.Not only does the Constitution protect our right

to have this monument, but the American people

support it as well. Three quarters of Americans sup-port public religious displays. And our position is thatof George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, CharlesCarroll and John Kennedy. It is the position that ourrights come not from the generosity of the govern-ment, but from God — and that acknowledging thistruth is not an establishment of one particular reli-gion, but the acknowledgement of the transcendentnature and source of our rights. This is a point wehave made clear to communities throughout thiscountry with the work we do, and it is a point madeclear by our award-winning Presidents Day commer-cial, which aired nationwide last February. Nearly 20 years ago, Blessed John Paul II visited

the United States. On that occasion, he urged us toprotect our First Amendment rights to the free ex-ercise of religion. Speaking in 1995 in Baltimore, hesaid these words, quoted by our Supreme ChaplainArchbishop William Lori at his installation as Arch-bishop of Baltimore in May of this year: “The chal-lenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’sawareness of the importance of religious freedom forsociety; to defend that freedom against those whowould take religion out of the public domain andestablish secularism as America’s official faith. And

Religious Liberty 2012

Supreme Knight Anderson delivered an address in Wadowice, Poland — birthplace of Blessed John Paul II — as part of theSecond World Apostolic Conference on Divine Mercy.


it is vitally necessary, for the very survival of theAmerican experience, to transmit to the next gen-eration the precious legacy of religious freedom andthe convictions which sustain it.”Today, we look back and we are amazed at what

foresight John Paul II had. No one in 1995 couldhave predicted that Catholics today would find theirFirst Amendment right to religious freedom underassault, not just from a few intolerant atheists, butnow from our own government, most recently inthe so-called HHS mandate. Today, Blessed JohnPaul II’s words ring true and with renewed urgency.What is at stake in our current defense of reli-

gious liberty is the right to practice our Catholicfaith freely. It is the right of Catholics not to beforced to violate our conscience. It is the right ofCatholic employers — including the Knights ofColumbus — not to be forced to pay for or becomplicit with procedures and prescriptions thatare morally wrong.But it is more. What is at stake is the future of re-

ligious liberty in the United States and the right ofevery individual American to practice his faithfreely. Our First Amendment guarantees us the freeexercise of religion. And fundamental to this con-stitutional guarantee is our ability to follow the fun-damental principles of our religion as defined by ourLord, not as defined by the government.We have seen two grave threats to our religious

liberty in the past year. The first lost in the U.S.Supreme Court, the second is unpopular in thecourt of public opinion. The HHS mandate maywell be reversed or modified. But there could be fu-ture threats.The U.S. bishops’ conference document Faithful

Citizenshipmakes clear that we have a duty to avoidbeing complicit with intrinsic evil. It states: “It isimportant to be clear that the political choices facedby citizens … may affect the individual’s salvation.” Abortion is one such intrinsic evil. So, too, is the

attempt by the government to limit the saving mis-sion of our Church and to restrict its liberty.

The Knights of Columbus continues to defend its right to maintain a statue of Jesus on land leased from the U.S. Forest Servicein Montana. Knights erected the memorial in 1954 to honor World War II veterans but have recently been challenged withlegal action by an atheist group.

“God grant that this religious liberty may be preserved in these states until the end of time, and that all believing in the religion of Christ may practice the leadingprinciple of charity, the basis of every virtue.”

— Charles CarrollSigner of the Declaration of Independence


Let me reiterate what I said earlier this year atthe annual Catholic Press Association meeting: Isit not time for Catholic voters to say “no” to everycandidate of every political party who supportssuch intrinsic evils? Catholic voters have the power to transform our

politics. Faithful citizens can build a new politics— a politics that is not satisfied with the statusquo, but one that is dedicated to building up anew culture of life.There are more than 300 million Catholics in

the countries in which we are active. What candi-date or political party can withstand the loss ofmillions of Catholic voters? If we stand togetherand demand better, we can transform our politics. We have discussed how freedom and charity are

linked, and as Catholic citizens we must lead withcharity — to our neighbor,and to those who disagreewith us politically. Catholicscan transform politics in an-other way. We can raise thelevel of our national politicaldiscourse. We can transformpolitics that are disfigured bypersonal attacks and partisandivisiveness. And we can doit starting now. The American people

want — and they deserve —civility. We need a conversa-tion about the issues, ratherthan personal attacks. Last month, our K of C-

Marist poll found thatnearly 8 in 10 Americans were frustrated by thetone of our nation’s political discourse. And astrong majority said that such negativity is hurt-ing our political process. Our citizens want —and they deserve — a national discussion that iscivil and respectful. We understand that we donot agree on every issue, but we also understandthat how we disagree says a great deal about whowe are as a nation.So, I am pleased to announce that the Knights

of Columbus has begun a nationwide Campaignfor Civility in America. This online petition drivewill give the American people a voice in speakingup for a respectful public discourse. Thousands ofAmericans have already signed the petition, and Iencourage all of you — and every American — tovisit CivilityInAmerica.org and to sign this peti-tion. By doing so, we can begin to change our pol-itics for the better.As I mentioned earlier, the Catholic patriot

Charles Carroll prayed that God would preserve

religious liberty in the United States forever andthat all Christians would be active in charity,which he called “the basis of every virtue.” A littlemore than half a century later, a young parishpriest in New Haven, Conn., and a handful of theyoung “go-ahead” men of the city gathered in thebasement of their church. There they establisheda new organization dedicated to the principles ofreligious freedom and charity.These were men who had experienced the

trauma of a bitter civil war and who had heard thestirring call of President Abraham Lincoln, declar-ing that their nation “under God” must have a“new birth of freedom.” They agreed with himthat their country should become a place “withmalice toward none, with charity for all.” Andthey took to heart Lincoln’s admonition to act

with “firmness in the rightas God gives us to see theright.” The spark those men lit

in the cause of Catholic fra-ternalism soon captured theimagination of a generationof Catholic men. Within itsfirst 25 years, the Knights ofColumbus spread through-out the United States andthen into Canada, Mexicoand the Philippines.For decades, Catholics

throughout the UnitedStates had suffered the in-dignity of being deprived ofthe right to vote or hold

public office. Know-Nothings and other bigotsclaimed that Catholics who remained faithful totheir Church could never be loyal citizens of ademocracy. It was the Knights of Columbus thatfinally challenged that slander — first with thecreation of the Order’s patriotic degree in 1900,and later with a tremendous outpouring of sup-port and service in the First World War.When the history of Catholics, African Ameri-

cans, Jews and others was maligned, we establishedthe K of C Historical Commission and endoweda professorship in history at The Catholic Univer-sity of America to set the record straight.When extremists such as the Ku Klux Klan

sought the prohibition of Catholic schoolsthroughout the United States, we stood with theSociety of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus andMary and helped them bring their case challengingthat law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.When many in America were drawing barriers

based on race and religion, we raised a banner

“FAITHFUL CITIZENS CAN

BUILD A NEW POLITICS —

A POLITICS THAT IS NOT

SATISFIED WITH THE STATUS

QUO, BUT ONE THAT IS

DEDICATED TO BUILDING UP

A NEW CULTURE OF LIFE.”


OFFICIAL OCT. 1, 2012: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of

premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knightsof Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492,NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. InCanada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7

ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING IN-QUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSEDENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED.OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THEVIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHERCOUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S.CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670,NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

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

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saying “Everybody Welcome.” And we meanteverybody.When Catholics in Mexico faced the most

dreadful persecution of Christians ever in theWestern Hemisphere, we launched a nationwidecampaign to help them, even as many brotherKnights in Mexico sacrificed their lives in witnessto our faith.Throughout our history, Knights have been

men willing to face adversity and discrimination.Some lived to see their sons and grandsons be-come governors, justices, premiers, prime minis-ters and presidents. These were men who, for themost part, joined the Knights of Columbus not toengage in the great controversies of the day, butto improve the lives of their families; to providefinancial security for their wives and children; tostrengthen their parishes; and to make their com-munities better.They saw their Church as one great family, and

they sought through their principles of charity,unity and fraternity to build of their nation onegreat family as well.But when challenges and controversies came,

they were men who would not step aside. In thewords of Lincoln, they remained firm in the right,as God gave them to see the right. They knew thattheir conscience had rights because their con-science had duties.

During the end of the Second World War, thenoted American jurist, Judge Learned Hand, saidthis about the spirit of liberty: “What do we meanwhen we say that first of all we seek liberty? I oftenwonder whether we do not rest our hopes toomuch upon constitutions, upon laws and upon thecourts. Liberty lies in the hearts of men andwomen; when it dies there, no constitution, nolaw, no court, can save it.”My brother Knights, freedom will always live in

the hearts of the Knights of Columbus. As we reflect on the astonishing accomplish-

ments of the Knights of Columbus over the past130 years, we honor these men, and we recall withpride their vision and their courage.Some may ask whether our founder, Father Mc-

Givney, could have imagined all that his brotherKnights would achieve. Would he even recognizethe Knights of Columbus today? I believe the an-swer to those questions is “yes.” I believe Father Mc-Givney could see into the hearts of the men whogathered with him at St. Mary’s Church. He knewtheir faith, and he knew their aspirations. He knewwhat they were capable of. I also believe our saintlyfounder sees into the hearts of his brother Knightstoday, and there he finds those same qualities. Onehundred years from now, he will not be surprised bywhat his brother Knights continue to accomplish.Vivat Jesus!

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

Members of St. James the Apostle Council14531 and St. Benedict Circle 5531, bothin Fremont, Calif., stand in front of thememorial cross constructed by the councilin honor of deceased members of the Order.Knights built the cross and its base fromscratch, and Fourth Degree Knights fromthree area assemblies provided an honorguard for the memorial’s dedication.

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

Pho

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urk

Pho

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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

Pho

to b

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Sta

ver

Pho

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‘MARYWASCALLING ME TO

FOLLOW HER SON’Although I grew up in a Catholic family and

felt called to be a priest in the first grade, I aban-doned the practice of my faith when I was incollege. For several years I lived a self-destructivelife, seeking happiness in material pleasures. Lifeseemed meaningless, and I hated the person Iwas becoming.One day, I picked up a book about the

Blessed Virgin Mary. As far as I was concerned,Mary was just a statue in church or a paintinghanging in my grandmother’s house. Yet, I wasmysteriously drawn to the book, and throughit learned that Mary was a living person whowas calling me to follow her Son and open myheart to the love of God.I later read a book about St. Francis of Assisi,

and Francis’ life of total dedication to Godspoke directly to my heart. I knew immediatelythat this was what God was calling me to do.In addition to providing prayerful support and

kind words, the Knights of Columbus made sev-eral contributions to my seminary formation. Iam humbled by their dedication and generosity.

FATHER JOSEPH MARY ELDERCapuchin Franciscan FriarsDenver, Colo.

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