columbia december 2012

DECEMBER 2012DECEMBER 2012

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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

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

F E AT U R E S

Charity and Unity After the StormThe Knights of Columbus provides relief to those whosuffer as a result of Hurricane Sandy.BY COLUMBIA STAFF

Honoring Our Holy MotherGuadalupe Celebration highlights the continent’scommon Christian heritage and Our Lady’s universalmessage.BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI

Heralds of Great JoyKnights throughout Canada celebrate Christmas with aspirit of devotion and charity.BY SÉBASTIEN LACROIX

A Forgotten History is PreservedAn interview with Jean Meyer about his groundbreakingresearch regarding the Cristero War.BY COLUMBIA STAFF

The Knights of Middle-earthInspired by the author’s Catholic faith, J.R.R. Tolkien’sfantasy novels reflect the themes of chivalry, nobilityand virtue.BY STRATFORD CALDECOTT

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D E P A R T M E N T S

Building a better worldVital to the new evangelization is theChristian family’s task to guard, re-veal and communicate love.BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faithIn sharing God’s truth and love, wealso share with others the gift of faithwe have received.BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

Knights in Action

Columbianism by Degrees

Knights of Columbus NewsSupreme Knight Addresses Synodof Bishops • Knights Participate inPilgrimage for Life and Liberty •Food for Families Initiative FillsNeed • K of C Leaders Attend Can-onization • New Supreme WardenElected

Fathers for GoodWe can take steps to find a balancein work and home life.BY RANDY HAIN

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Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore processeswith a relic of St. Juan Diego’s tilma during the Guadalupe Cele-bration, co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Archdioceseof Los Angeles last August.

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EDITORIAL

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THE SEASON of Advent is an im-portant time of spiritual preparationeach year as the Church anticipates thecelebration of Christmas. The call topause amid the busyness of the holidayseason and reflect on the Christianmystery takes on even greater signifi-cance during this Year of Faith and inthe wake of the Synod of Bishops onthe new evangelization (Oct. 7-28).

In his homily for the opening Mass ofthe synod, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Wecannot speak about the new evangeliza-tion without a sincere desire for conver-sion. The best path to the newevangelization is to let ourselves be rec-onciled with God and with each other”(cf. 2 Cor 5:20). As parishes and Knightsof Columbus councils everywhere planand implement programs to help theircommunities grow in faith and evangel-ical witness, it is important to rememberthat the call to faith begins and remainswith each of us on a deeply personal level.

This ongoing need for conversion isrecalled by the feast of Our Lady ofGuadalupe, Dec. 12, because the mira-cle of Guadalupe in 1531 inspired St.Juan Diego to grow in faith andbrought millions of people to Christ.Our Lady of Guadalupe is now hon-ored as the Mother of the Americas andthe Star of the New Evangelization, andshe continues to call people to her Son(see page 12).

Another aspect of the new evange-lization is brought into focus by thefeast of the Holy Family, which is cele-brated on the Sunday after Christmas.Also in his homily at the synod’s open-ing Mass, Pope Benedict noted, “There

is a clear link between the crisis in faithand the crisis in marriage. And, as theChurch has said and witnessed for along time now, marriage is called to benot only an object but a subject of thenew evangelization.”

The Christian family, which has beencalled a “domestic church” and a “schoolof deeper humanity,” plays an indispen-sable role in building up the Churchand society. And as the Supreme KnightAnderson observed in his address to thesynod, the faithful witness of Christianmarriage is one of the greatest needs ofthe world today (see pages 3 and 6).

Although Christian witness beginswith the family, it also extends beyondit. Relationships with friends, neigh-bors and coworkers provide countlessopportunities to practice virtue andshare the love of Christ. Organizationslike the Knights of Columbus allowthe reach of charity to extend even fur-ther — as in providing volunteer ormonetary support to assist those af-fected by Hurricane Sandy (see page8) or meeting the spiritual and mate-rial needs of others at Christmastime(see page 18).

The feast of Christmas reminds usthat the Savior of the world comes tous in the humblest of circumstances. Itis he who calls us to conversion and isthe source of our charity. This Adventand Year of Faith present us with a sim-ple invitation: to recognize the mysterybefore us and welcome the Lord intoour hearts.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKI

MANAGING EDITOR

Our Call to ConversionCOLUMBIA

PUBLISHERKnights of Columbus

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SUPREME OFFICERSCarl A. AndersonSUPREME KNIGHT

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

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

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EDITORIALAlton J. Pelowski

[email protected] EDITOR

Patrick [email protected] EDITOR

Steve JamesDESIGN

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

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

Intercede for Us.________

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

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ON THE COVERA painting titled “Mother of Life” depicts Our Lady ofGuadalupe with child. The unborn Christ Child shines

brightly, and a star is seen in the distance.

COVER: “M

other of Life” by Nellie Edwards, distributed

by NelsonG

ifts.com

Catholic Pulse: News Catholics Need to Know

CATHOLIC PULSE is a website of the Knights ofColumbus that provides original commentary and re-sources on issues that are important to Catholics. Thesite also delivers readers the top daily headlines fromthe perspective of Catholics who want to know whatis happening in the Church, nation and world aroundthem. Visit catholicpulse.org.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD


LAST OCTOBER, I had the privilegeof serving as an auditor at the Synod ofBishops on the New Evangelization forthe Transmission of the Christian Faith.Held at the Vatican under the auspicesof Pope Benedict XVI, the synod wasan extraordinary opportunity to workwith bishops and cardinals from aroundthe world to promote the Church’sgreat mission of evangelization.

The “new evangelization” can be un-derstood as arising from the SecondVatican Council’s “universal call to ho-liness” (Lumen Gentium, ch.5). In placing this emphasison the laity, the council ob-served that while “the classesand duties of life are many… holiness is one.”

We know that everyCatholic is called to holiness.It follows then that everyCatholic is called to reflectthis holiness in his or her state of life,whether as a priest or religious, a hus-band or wife, a father or mother, or anemployer, employee, consumer, neigh-bor, parishioner or citizen.

As the saints have shown so wellthroughout history, holiness in lifeleads inevitably to witness in our dailylives. This witness is the primary wayto evangelize in our time. And centralto the new evangelization is the under-standing that the work of evangeliza-tion is not reserved only for an elitefew, but is the responsibility of all bap-tized Christians. In a very real sense, weare all called to be missionaries; we areall called to “proclaim” the Gospel tothose around us through our lives each

day, even if most of us do not usewords to do so.

What is “new” about this form ofevangelization is not the “content” ofour witness, but that many of us mustmake this witness in societies that havealready heard the Good News preachedand have rejected it. Our witness inmany instances is to a skeptical worldthat has already heard much of what wesay and now is waiting to see whetherChristians can actually live according towhat they profess.

In my address to the synod, I focusedon the role of the family in this regard.I observed that the Christian family isessentially missionary in character. Inthe words of Blessed John Paul II, “Thefamily has the mission to guard, revealand communicate love” (FamiliarisConsortio, 17). The Christian family iscalled to reflect the communion of theTrinity and God’s love of humanity.

Furthermore, the Christian family isable to reveal and communicate thislove because it is founded upon sacra-mental marriage. Christian spouses firstreceive this love as a divine gift and alsoas a task. The nature of both this giftand task was made clear by Pope PaulVI in Humanae Vitae and by Blessed

John Paul in Familiaris Consortio. Thetask of Christian spouses to live andcommunicate this love is at the centerof the family’s mission in the world.

For this reason, when the Christianfamily takes up the task “to become whatit is” (cf. FC, 17) — a living icon in ourworld of God’s own communion — thefamily stands at the heart of the Church’smission of evangelization. And when thefamily responds in this way to the design

of the Creator, it truly becomesa “domestic church.”

This is one of the reasonswhy the Catholic Church hasdefended for so many centuriesthe sacramental and legal in-tegrity of the family and why,in the days ahead, the Knightsof Columbus will continue topromote authentic Christian

family life. While we encourage manyactivities to promote the new evange-lization, at the center of our efforts willbe the awareness that Christian familiesneed help in living the sacramental re-ality of their fundamental mission.

In this task, we as Knights of Colum-bus turn in a special way to the HolyFamily and make our own the prayer ofBlessed John Paul that “every familymay generously make its own contribu-tion to the coming of his kingdom inthe world” and “through the interces-sion of the Holy Family of Nazareth,the Church may fruitfully carry out herworldwide mission in the family andthrough the family.”Vivat Jesus!

The Mission of Christian FamiliesVital to the new evangelization is

the Christian family’s task to guard, reveal and communicate love

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

In a very real sense, we are allcalled to be missionaries; we are allcalled to “proclaim” the Gospel tothose around us through our lives.

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH


AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, thequestion of what to give familymembers and friends for Christmaslooms large. Although many of uswill find ourselves scrambling topurchase those last-minute gifts, thiscolumn is not for the beleagueredshopper. Rather, it concerns a gift oflasting significance. It is not a gift wecan give on our own but only on be-half of another. It is a gift thatchanges everything. I refer to the giftof faith.

We reflect on this gift duringthis Year of Faith, especially inthis season of Advent as welook ahead to Christmas. Weall know family members,friends and colleagues who nolonger follow the precepts ofthe Church, such as attendingweekly Mass and going to con-fession at least once a year. Wemay also know people with lit-tle or no religious upbringing,including young people withtalent and good will but no spiritualmoorings.

It would be nice if we could wrapthe gift of faith in a box and cover itwith festive wrapping paper andbows. It would also be nice if the re-cipients of this gift reacted to it withat least some of the enthusiasm thatthey’ve saved for their favorite elec-tronic device. But giving faith to an-other is not quite as simple as goingonline, purchasing an item and hav-ing it shipped; it is at once morebeautiful and challenging.

STARTING WITH OURSELVESWe begin by remembering that wecan’t give what we don’t have. If wewant to impart the gift of faith toothers, we have to make sure thatour own faith life is well ordered andvibrant.

Pope Benedict XVI declared theYear of Faith so that we may openour hearts anew to the person ofChrist and rediscover the depths ofhis love for us. Faith is the key that

unlocks that love in our lives andfills us with hope and joy. And in thelight of Christ’s love, we also redis-cover all that the Church believesand teaches on faith and morals —not as a burden, but rather as wordsof spirit and life, as answers to life’smost pressing questions.

The second thing to remember isthat we are not giving the gift offaith on our own. God, in his gra-cious mercy, allows us to be partnerswith him in giving this gift. Thismeans that if we want to play a role

in rekindling the faith of thosearound us, we have to pray. Prayerbrings life to our faith and brings tolight those things that stand betweenus and Christ. Prayer is that momentwhen Christ’s heart speaks to ourheart and enables us to see the worldand ourselves anew. And prayer iswhere we receive the strength,courage, wisdom and insight to

communicate the faith inthe way the Lord wouldwant us to.

Rekindling our faiththrough prayer is the firststep. But what else is neces-sary? The answer is charity,the first principle of theKnights of Columbus. Howcan we hope to lead othersto faith in the Father of mer-cies, the Son who is love in-carnate and the Spirit oftruth and love, unless we

bear witness to this love in our lives?It is often the loving example ofthose who follow Christ and are ac-tive members of his body, theChurch, that attracts even the mosthardened secularist to give faith asecond look.

SERVING AS GOD’S INSTRUMENTSBlessed John Paul II called us to “acharity which evangelizes.” By thishe did not mean that we should dis-pense charity to others in exchange

Our works of charity are to be living signs of God’s love and an open invitation to meetin faith the Christ who was born in Bethlehem and gavehimself in love on Calvary.

The Gift of FaithIn sharing God’s truth and love, we also sharewith others the gift of faith we have received

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori


Offered inSolidarity with

Pope Benedict XVI

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

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for their making a profession offaith. Rather, our works of charityare to be living signs of God’s loveand an open invitation to meet infaith the Christ who was born inBethlehem and gave himself in loveon Calvary. At one level or another,most people realize that their livesmake no sense without love. We arecalled to bear witness to the truththat Christ came to love us all withthe same love with which he hasloved his Father for all eternity.

At some point, of course, a gift hasto be given. This may seem riskywhen there is fear that a gift will bemisunderstood or rejected. But hear

the Lord say to you, “Be not afraid!”Don’t be afraid to invite someonewho has lapsed in their faith, who issearching for meaning or who seemsclosed to religious faith, to attendMass with you and your family.

We also need to be knowledgeableabout what our faith teaches so thatwe can lovingly, accurately and pa-tiently respond to questions and ob-jections. And we need to pray to theHoly Spirit for the grace to help usrecognize the opportune moment tohave a heartfelt, reasonable discus-sion about the faith.

If the gift of faith is rejected, ornot immediately accepted, you don’t

have to send it back. With persistentprayer, the gift may be received at alater time. Think, for example, ofhow long and hard St. Monicaprayed for the conversion of her son,St. Augustine. Moreover, if Godgrants us the grace to rekindle some-one else’s faith, we should then hopeand pray that he or she “re-gifts”that gift to someone else.

As I celebrate Mass this Christ-mas, I shall remember the intentionsof the entire family of the Knights ofColumbus at the altar of the Lordand pray that we shall be the Lord’sinstruments in helping many toopen their hearts in faith.♦

HOLY FATHER’SPRAYER INTENTIONS

CATHOLIC MAN OF THE MONTH

Father Walter Ciszek(1904-1984)

GENERAL: That migrantsthroughout the world may bewelcomed with generosity andauthentic love, especially byChristian communities.

MISSION: That Christ may re-veal himself to all humanity withthe light that shines forth fromBethlehem and is reflected in theface of his Church.

BORN TO POLISH immigrant par-ents in the mining town of Shenandoah,Pa., Walter Ciszek grew up with a toughdemeanor and often got into fights. Tothe surprise of his parents, he decided tobecome a priest and entered minor sem-inary in Michigan. Walter left to join theJesuits in New York in 1928. In responseto Pope Pius XI’s appeal for missionariesto Russia, he studied theology in Romeand was ordained to the Byzantine rite in1937, receiving the name Father Vladimir.

Father Ciszek was first assigned towork in Poland. With the start ofWorld War II two years later, he wasable to enter Russia using false papers.In June 1941, the secret police arrestedhim under suspicion that he was a spy.Father Ciszek spent five years inMoscow’s Lubianka prison, mostly insolitary confinement, and was subjectedto torture and interrogation. He wasthen sent to serve a 15-year sentence atGulag labor camps in Siberia. Amidbrutal conditions, he managed to se-cretly celebrate Mass and hear confes-sions of other prisoners.

Long presumed dead by his family andreligious order, Father Ciszek was releasedunder strict conditions in 1955. In 1963,

he was allowed to return to the UnitedStates as a result of a prisoner exchangenegotiated with the help of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.

After his return, Father Ciszek pub-lished a memoir titled With God in Russia(1964). In a second book, a spiritual re-flection about his experience titled HeLeadeth Me (1973), he explained how hefound strength and comfort in realizingthat God’s will was not an “abstract prin-ciple,” but was found in the unavoidablecircumstances of any given day, evenamid hardship and suffering.

Father Ciszek died in New York onDec. 8, 1984. His cause for canonizationbegan five years later.♦

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS


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Knights Participatein Pilgrimage forLife and Liberty

THE SACRAMENT of matrimonymakes Catholic spouses and their fam-ilies public signs of God’s love andthus missionaries, said SupremeKnight Carl A. Anderson during hisaddress to the Synod of Bishops on thenew evangelization.

Anderson was appointed by PopeBenedict XVI to serve as an observerat the synod, which was held at theVatican Oct. 7-28. Synod membersasked the Church at large to showgreater appreciation for the evangeliza-tion that happens in and through fam-ilies and to increase programs tostrengthen Catholic families.

“Love, which the family has thetask of living and communicating, isthe driving force of evangelization,”said Anderson in his address. “It iswhat allows the proclamation of theGospel to permeate and transform thewhole temporal order. This lovealone, when it is authentically lived infamilies, can be at the basis of a re-newal of that genuinely human cul-

ture which Blessed John Paul II calleda ‘civilization of love.’”

Catholic couples need to under-stand just how seriously the churchviews the sacrament that binds themtogether, forming them into “an icon

of God’s own communion,” Andersonsaid.

The supreme knight also spoke of theCatholic faith as an agent of reconcilia-tion in a sometimes-hostile cultural en-vironment. — Cindy Wooden (CNS) ♦

Supreme Knight Addresses Synod of Bishops

Pope Benedict XVI leads a closing session of the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization atthe Vatican Oct. 27.

An American flag hung from the Knights’Tower Oct. 14 as an honor guard of morethan 100 Fourth Degree Knights processedinto the Basilica of the National Shrine ofthe Immaculate Conception in Washington,D.C. Nearly 6,000 people from throughoutthe region flocked to the basilica for the Pil-grim for Life and Liberty.Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E.

Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S.bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for ReligiousLiberty, served as principal celebrant andhomilist at Mass. He also led the assembledfaithful in praying the rosary on the first dayof the U.S. bishops’ Novena for Life and Lib-erty Oct. 14-22, which coincided with thebishops’ annual Respect Life Month prayercampaign.

GEORGE W. HANNA, senior vicepresident of theDepartment ofFraternal Serv-ices and a paststate deputy ofthe District ofColumbia, waselected supremewarden by theBoard of Direc-tors Nov. 2. A Knight for 31 years,Hanna is a member of St. ThomasMoore Council 11578 and JamesCardinal Hickey Prince of the ChurchAssembly, both in Washington, D.C.Hanna served as state deputy from1993-95.

Hanna and his wife, Yvonne, areparents of three children and reside inTemple Hills, Md.♦

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS


FOOD FOR FAMILIES: Don Blake/T

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS throughout the world areworking to ensure that their neighbors have enough food ontheir tables during this holiday season. Now in its third year,the Knights of Columbus Food for Families program is a wayfor K of C units to ensure that needy families have adequateaccess to nutritious food.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 17.9million U.S. households experienced “food insecurity” in2011, meaning that those families had difficulty at some timeduring the year providing enough food for all their membersdue to a lack of resources. To combat this situation, Food forFamilies has seen the launch of several creative programs atthe grassroots level. During the 2011-12 fraternal year,Knights contributed more than 300,000 volunteer hours atsoup kitchens and food pantries, and donated nearly 2.5 mil-lion pounds of food.

As added incentive, the Order has announced the Food forFamilies Reimbursement Program, which will offer rebates tocouncils that provide financial assistance to food banks and foodpantries. For every $500 that a council or assembly donates toa food bank, the Supreme Council will refund $100, up to amaximum refund of $500 per council (based on $2,500 in con-tributions) per fraternal year. Columbian Squires circles can alsoreceive a refund of $20 for every $100 contributed.♦

George W. Hanna

Food for Families Initiative Fills Need

David Danielson and Ted Whitlock of Old Bohemia Council 6543in Middletown, Del., unload donated food to be delivered to needy fam-ilies throughout the area. Every Tuesday, Knights pick up food fromAmazing Grace ministries in New Castle to distribute to people in need.The food is donated by a number of local grocery stores.

On Oct. 21, Pope Benedict XVI canonized seven men and women, including St. MarianneCope, a religious sister who served lepers in Hawaii; St. Pedro Colungsod, a martyred catechistfrom the Philippines; and St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint.Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Deputy Supreme Knight Dennis A. Savoie were

among the estimated 80,000 pilgrims who attended the canonization Mass in Rome. Joiningthem was Lieutenant Governor Graydon Nicholas of New Brunswick, a member of BishopDollard Council 1942 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. An attorney and judge, Nicholas is thefirst Native American to hold the office of lieutenant governor in his province.

New Supreme Warden Elected

K of C Leaders Attend Canonization

The Knights of Columbus provides relief to those suffering as a result of Hurricane Sandy

by Columbia staff

As Hurricane Sandy swept through the eastern United States in late Oc-tober, it left scenes of destruction throughout the nation’s most densely

populated region and more than 8 million people without power.In response to the devastation caused by the storm, the Knights of Columbus

Supreme Council, in conjunction with local and state councils across thecountry, joined relief efforts.


CHARITY AND UNITY

After the Storm

Aerial views taken during a search and rescue mission by the New Jersey Army National Guard Oct. 30show the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast.


The Supreme Council announced Oct. 30 that it was mak-ing an immediate $100,000 donation, giving $50,000 eachto the state councils of New York and New Jersey to assistwith local relief efforts in those hardest-hit jurisdictions.

In addition, the Order launched an online donation driveat kofc.org, soliciting contributions from its members and thegeneral public. All of the proceeds will go directly to relief ef-forts in local communities.

At the midyear meeting of state deputies and state chaplainsin Dallas Nov. 15, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson an-nounced that nearly $350,000 had already been received, andthe Supreme Council donated $500,000 to provide aid tostorm victims in the affected areas.

“Knights have a long tradition of providing disaster relief,”said the supreme knight, “and this is no exception. Our com-munities need our time, our help and our financial assistance,and we are going to do all that we can — working closelywith our local and state councils — to help those most inneed as a result of this storm.”

With Staten Island still reeling from the double impact ofthe hurricane and a blizzard that followed days later, Ander-son and newly elected Supreme Warden George W. Hanna

traveled to the hardest-hit areas of the island to encourageand assist local Knights with their relief efforts. Andersonand Hanna brought with them from New Haven a truckloaded with relief supplies and a check for $75,000. Joinedby New York State Deputy Salvatore A. Restivo and dozensof others, the Knights worked together to unload the reliefsupplies at Father John C. Drumgoole Council 5917 beforetouring the devastation in the area surrounding ManresaCouncil 2147.

Likewise, Supreme Treasurer Logan T. Ludwig and otherSupreme Council representatives traveled to New Jersey,bringing with them a truckload of supplies and a $75,000check to support the New Jersey State Council’s relief efforts.

Knights at the grassroots level across the country have alsovolunteered resources, and K of C units are hosting drives toassist hurricane victims. Msgr. Joseph F. Dooley Council4361 in Mingo Junction, Ohio, for instance, collectedcanned goods, water and clothing for families affected by thestorm. In an interview with a local TV station, council mem-ber Lou Kakascik said, “The Knights of Columbus isn’t justabout a banquet hall. It’s about giving to the community.We’re about charity, unity and fraternity.”♦

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A statue of Mary stands amid the remains of homes destroyed by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point section of the New Yorkborough of Queens Oct. 30. More than 80 homes were destroyed in the beachfront neighborhood.


Top and above: More than 50 volunteers turned out at Vin-cent T. Lombardi Council 6552 in Middletown, N.J., onNov. 10 to unload disaster relief supplies donated by theSupreme Council. The council will serve as a distributionpoint for Knights and community members affected by Hur-ricane Sandy. The truck was filled to capacity with neededsupplies, including bottled water, blankets, bleach and mops.

Above right and right: Supreme Knight Carl A. Andersonand Supreme Warden George W. Hanna traveled to StatenIsland Nov. 9 to deliver supplies and funds to be distributedby the New York State Council. Accompanied by New YorkState Deputy Salvatore A. Restivo, they also examined thedamage caused by the storm at Manresa Council 2147and the surrounding area.


Guadalupe Celebrationhighlights the continent’scommon Christian heritage and Our Lady’suniversal message

by Alton J. Pelowski

The sound of thunderous drums filled the Los Angeles Memorial Coli-seum as a crowd of tens of thousands cheered and waved flags in excite-

ment. More than 800 Matachines and Aztec performers, dancing to therhythm and dressed in colorful, traditional costumes, processed onto thefield, followed by an honor guard of dozens of Fourth Degree Knights.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore processedbehind them, carrying a reliquary that contained a small piece of St. JuanDiego’s tilma— the garment on which the image of Our Lady of Guadalupewas miraculously imprinted on Dec. 12, 1531.

HONORING


Matachines and Aztec dancers wearing colorful costumes perform on the field of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the Aug. 5 GuadalupeCelebration. • Below: Participants hold flags of Mexico featuring the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.


Archbishop Lori placed the reliquary at the altar and led thoseassembled in prayer. He asked Mary, “Mother of the true Godand Mother of the Church,” to hear the prayers of everyonegathered and present them to her son, “Jesus, our only Savior.”He also asked her to bring about a true culture of life, to inter-cede for families and to inspire greater devotion.

The Knights of Columbus partnered with the Archdiocese ofLos Angeles to present the Guadalupe Celebration, which tookplace Aug. 5. In this way, Our Lady took center stage in theheart of the city once known as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora laReina de Los Angeles, or “TheVillage of Our Lady, Queenof the Angels.”

People came fromthroughout California andbeyond for the free event,which featured more thanthree hours of performances,speakers and prayer celebrat-ing Our Lady of Guadalupe’smessage of faith, charity andunity. It was the largestCatholic event held at therenowned, open-air stadiumsince Pope John Paul II cele-brated Mass there in 1987.

Archbishop José H.Gómez of Los Angeles wel-comed all the faithful andthanked the Knights ofColumbus and the Institutefor Guadalupan Studies inMexico City for co-sponsor-ing the event.

Addressing the crowd, thearchbishop said that OurLady of Guadalupe is notonly the mother of the peo-ple of Mexico, but also the“mother of all the people ofthe Americas” and “motherof all the living.”

“She came because in hermaternal heart she wanted to give her Son to the people of theNew World. She came to spread the faith in her divine Son toevery man and every woman — not only in Mexico, butthroughout the world.”

Archbishop Gómez added that Our Lady of Guadalupe con-tinues to call us today. “She is calling us to greater faith, togreater love, to greater hope. She is calling us to dedicate ourlives to the loving plan of God.”

In another address, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson re-flected on Our Lady’s significance for the mission of the Knightsof Columbus and noted that the Order chartered its first councilin Mexico — Guadalupe Council 1050 — in 1905. He also en-couraged the audience to practice charity toward all, especially

the most vulnerable, including unborn children, people withdisabilities and immigrants.

“If Our Lady of Guadalupe is our mother, then we are allbrothers and sisters,” said Anderson. “Let us join our hearts to-gether with hers to build a common home for all — a true civ-ilization of love.”

Msgr. Eduardo Chávez brought the crowd to its feet with aspirited talk that explained the mystery and meaning of theGuadalupan event. Rector of the Institute for Guadalupan Stud-ies and a canon of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in

Mexico City, Msgr. Chávezserved as postulator for thecause for canonization of St.Juan Diego, who was de-clared a saint in 2002.

Msgr. Chávez spoke ofhow Juan Diego representedall humanity when meetingOur Lady on the Mexicanhill of Tepeyac in 1531.Knowing his fears, weakness,doubt, and most of all hisgood heart and faithfulness,the Blessed Mother led JuanDiego on a path of deeperconversion to become a dy-namic witness to theCatholic faith. Because ofthis witness and the miracleat Guadalupe, some 8 mil-lion Mexicans were baptizedin a few short years.

Today, Msgr. Chávezadded, Christians are calledto follow in the footsteps ofJuan Diego by listening tothe Blessed Mother as sheleads them to Jesus. Theymust overcome fears andweaknesses and becomefaithful witnesses in simpleways through their dailylives, he said.

The Guadalupe Celebration’s program also included a bilin-gual rosary, with prayers led by clergy and many well-known fig-ures in sports and media, and various musical performances. Amulti-act drama of the Guadalupan event, with actors playingJuan Diego and the Blessed Mother, was also performed at in-tervals throughout the bilingual program.

Held immediately before the 130th Supreme Convention inAnaheim, Calif., the event was the latest in a number of Knightsof Columbus-sponsored initiatives in recent years related to OurLady of Guadalupe and her message.

On a smaller scale, the Order co-sponsored a similar interna-tional celebration, the Guadalupe Festival, at an arena in Glen-dale, Ariz., in 2009.

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson addresses the crowd, as an image ofVenerable Michael McGivney is depicted on a screen behind him.


A crowd of more than 50,000 fills the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and praystogether the rosary. On the field is a large wooden cross and people holding umbrellasto mark each bead. • Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, postulator of St. Juan Diego, shareswith the crowd the meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance to Juan Diegoin 1531 and its significance for lay Catholics today. • Archbishop José Gomez ofLos Angeles kneels in prayer.


This year’s event took place amid the Order’s two-year-longMarian Prayer Program, which was launched at the supremeconvention one year earlier. Pilgrim images of Our Lady ofGuadalupe continue their journey through each jurisdiction,welcoming thousands to special prayer services.

In September, a new chapel to Our Lady of Guadalupe,made possible by a grant from the Order, was dedicated at theCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Thechapel houses the relic of St. Juan Diego’s tilma that was pres-ent at the Guadalupe Celebration; it is believed to be the onlyrelic of its kind in the United States.

Still more initiatives are being planned to spread Our Lady’smessage and inspire greater faith and devotion.

Together with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America,the Knights of Columbus will co-sponsor an international con-ference at the Vatican from Dec. 9-12 “under the guidance ofOur Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, Star of theNew Evangelization.” The event will feature numerous bishops

and scholars reflecting on the themes of Blessed John Paul II’s1999 apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.

In that document, Blessed John Paul wrote, “America, whichhistorically has been, and still is, a melting-pot of peoples, hasrecognized in the mestiza face of the Virgin of Tepeyac, inBlessed Mary of Guadalupe, an impressive example of a per-fectly inculturated evangelization. … Through her powerfulintercession, the Gospel will penetrate the hearts of the menand women of America and permeate their cultures, trans-forming them from within.”

The Guadalupe Celebration was a universal gathering of peo-ples and cultures that deeply stirred the hearts, minds and soulsof those in attendance. Through it and related initiatives, theKnights of Columbus invites the faithful to turn to Our Ladyof Guadalupe as their mother, model and partner in the newevangelization.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKI is the managing editor of Columbiamagazine.

A Fourth Degree honor guard, carrying flags of various nations, leads a procession through the Coliseum.


An apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego is reenactedbefore the crowd. • The Guadalupe Celebration featured musical per-formances by (clockwise) Catholic recording artists Danielle Rose andDana Scallon and popular singers Pedro Fernández and Filippa Giordano.• Members of a mariachi band wave their sombreros to the crowd whileperforming on stage.


We live in an age when a great many people identify them-selves as “spiritual” rather than religious. As a conse-

quence, the weeks leading up to Christmas are often marked bythe sounds of “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-deer” instead of “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

Despite the secularization of these holy days, there are stillChristians trying to journey through Advent and prepare forChristmas with their eyes fixed on the coming of Emmanuel.

The celebration of Christmas in Canada is clothed in the col-ors of the multiple cultures that now form the country. Thecornerstone of all CanadianChristmas traditions rests witha shared meal among familyand friends. This Christmas fel-lowship, though, also spills pastour own tables and extends toour neighbors, especially thosemost in need.

Members of the Knights ofColumbus throughout Canada,like in the other countries wherethe Order is present, spearheadcampaigns throughout the hol-iday season to help makeChristmas festive for those lessfortunate. Unlike in years past,this work of charity is no longerprimarily for the homeless ordestitute, but includes more and more hardworking men andwomen whose incomes cannot meet the expenses set by today’sdifficult economy.

In an effort to realize the Gospel imperative, “When I washungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave medrink,” Canadian Knights commonly collect food for needyfamilies in their districts and beyond. At this time of year, col-lections are transformed into food baskets, decorated andcheerfully delivered.

In French Canada, a tradition called the Guignolée plays animportant role in collecting food and monetary donations.Knights and their families go door to door to collect money andnon-perishable food. At each home, the group sings the tradi-tional song of la Guignolée, followed by Christmas carols. In Ed-munston, New Brunswick, members of Reverend Arthur

Godbout Council 7543 hold their Guignolée on Dec. 2. In pastyears, the council has required more than 20 vehicles to distrib-ute the food baskets and other goods throughout the region.

Similarly, councils from Montreal’s South Shore also preparefood baskets. There, Knights have established relationships withmajor food distributors that provide a majority of the fooditems required. Last year, 125 families in the area received anaverage of $200 worth of food and other necessities duringChristmastime.

“For me, who always had three meals a day, it is essential togive back in this way, and it isat the core of why I am aKnight of Columbus,” saidQuebec State Deputy PierreBeaucage.

While feeding the hungryremains essential to the vari-ous Christmas initiatives,Knights of Columbus are alsoheralds of the Good News,proclaiming the joy that isChristmas to children, seniorcitizens, the sick and peoplewith intellectual or mentaldisabilities.

In Edmunston, Knightsand their spouses prepare anevent called Le Noël des En-

fants (A Children’s Christmas). Throughout the year, Knightscollect toys and clothes for distribution to needy families. Chil-dren receive one gift during the event, while parents receive an-other gift to give each of their children on Christmas Day.Sometimes, these are the only gifts these children receive atChristmas.

Throughout British Columbia and the Yukon at this time ofyear, Knights organize visits to the sick and elderly in hospitalsor nursing homes. These programs are “another way for thecommunity to be involved in the sharing of love and joy,” saidState Treasurer Arcie J. Lim. “Our efforts seek to unite the com-munity — to compel each one of us to share the peace and joyof the One for whom the season was intended.”

Likewise, Father Francis Lawless Council 1534 in Moose Jaw,Saskatchewan, has hosted the annual Moose Jaw Mental Health

Knights throughout Canada celebrate Christmas with a spirit of devotion and charity

by Sébastien Lacroix

Heralds of Great Joy


Association Christmas Supper for more than 20 years. This year,the Knights will serve approximately 200 patrons — people withmental health disabilities living in the community.

“It puts many smiles on many faces,” said Al Rossler, a long-time organizer of the event.

As in other jurisdictions, Knights in Canada recognize thatcelebrating the coming of Christ offers a time to share, to giveand to pray. Amid the storm of consumerism and marketingfrenzy that takes place on Black Friday and Boxing Day, theKnights challenge people to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”Through the annual campaign, people are encouraged to re-member the reason for the season in simple ways: wishingothers a “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”;sending religiously themed Christmas cards; or forgoing in-flatable snowmen and decorating one’s house with a Nativityscene instead.

St. Peter of the Apostles Council 8851 in Orangeville, On-tario, erects a Nativity scene each year as part of a local Christ-mas in the Park exhibition.

“It is of special interest to families, since it gets parents talkingabout the ‘real’ Christmas story,” said Grand Knight TerryBerrett. “It definitely helps keep Christ at the heart of the holi-day festivities in the park.”

In Vancouver, members of St. Francis Xavier Council 10500dedicate their “Keep Christ in Christmas” holiday initiatives totheir local parish community. The season’s festivities include atrilingual Advent retreat (held in Cantonese, Mandarin andEnglish) and a dinner in honor of married couples for the feastof the Holy Family.

“My involvement with the parish encourages me to continueto build a stronger community, especially at this time of theyear,” said District Deputy Ming Lau. “Not only is it good forthe community itself, but it also makes me a better man and abetter father. Now I see my 17-year-old son getting involved. Iam very proud to see him share in the true spirit of Christmas.”

On Christmas Eve, churches everywhere will be filled withfamilies that desire to add authentic meaning to the holiday andtheir lives. This is a chance for parish communities and for theKnights of Columbus — in Canada and elsewhere — to be am-bassadors of the new evangelization. It is also an opportunity inthis Year of Faith to create an environment in which the Spiritof the season can speak to these families.

In this way, Christmas can be a time for Knights and theirfamilies to contemplate and marvel in this great mystery of loveincarnate and to join the angels and proclaim: “‘Do not beafraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy forall the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Sav-ior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11).♦

SÉBASTIEN LACROIX is a member of Père-Lamarche Council 7724in Toronto.

FROM NOV. 15 TO FEB. 3, 2013, the Knights ofColumbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., is hosting itseighth consecutive Christmas crèche exhibit. Titled“Joyeux Noel: Christmas in Canada,” the exhibit includesCanadian crèches from six collections, including Saint-Joseph’s Oratory Museum in Montreal. Visit kofcmu-seum.org for more information.

JOYEUX NOEL: CHRISTMAS IN CANADA

Members of St. Peter of the Apostles Council 8851 in Orangeville, Ontario, pose with the Nativity scene that they constructed for their community’s Christmasin the Park exhibition. • Opposite page: A crèche reflecting First Nations, or Native American, culture is one of many Canadian crèches currently on display atthe Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn.

PHOTO:AGICA

The May 2012 issue of Columbia featured several articlesabout the Cristero War, or Cristiada, an important but

largely unknown period of Mexican history from 1926-29. When producing a documentary about the period, the

Knights of Columbus consulted and interviewed Prof. JeanMeyer, a noted historian who pioneered research of the perse-cution and Cristero rebellion and who has written several booksin Spanish about the subject. The Order recently worked withMeyer to publish an English-languageillustrated history of the Cristero War.His new book, titled La Cristiada: TheMexican People’s War for Religious Lib-erty (Square One), will be released thismonth.

COLUMBIA: For decades, the Cristi-ada was treated as a taboo subject.How did you come to study and doc-ument this era in Mexican history?JEAN MEYER: Well, I was a young

student of history in France in 1962. Iwas 20 years old and had the opportu-nity to travel to New York with afriend. We bought a cheap, old car,traveled across the United States andspent all summer in Mexico. I was de-lighted by the country and decidedthat somehow I had to come back.

Two or three years later, when Ibegan my doctorate, I wanted to work on the Mexican Revo-lution. I prepared a subject of study: Emiliano Zapata and thefight for the land. But a Mexican student who happened to bea priest told me that if I was interested in Mexican history andwanted to research something not studied before, I shouldstudy the Cristiada. It was the first time I had heard the word“Cristiada.” He told me briefly about the religious conflict be-tween church and state, the suspension of worship and themassive uprising.

I entered the Colegio de México as a full-time investigator. Ispent five years there and met with survivors of that great war.

COLUMBIA: What were your preconceived notions about the

war and how were they transformed as you met these Cristerosoldiers?JEAN MEYER: I picked up my first idea of the war from a

North American historian who dedicated five lines to the Cris-teros. He referred to them as thieves, bandits or poor, stupidfellows manipulated by the landowners against the epic andpositive movement of the Mexican Revolution. That was mystarting hypothesis.

But arriving in Mexico, first I dis-covered that the agrarian reform came10 years after the Cristiada. So the ini-tial hypothesis — which was foundthroughout Mexican books of the time— disappeared for me.

COLUMBIA: You once wrote, “Theroot cause of the conflict was the con-trast between an unstable state and astable Church.” Why the contrast ofstability and how did it contribute tothe clash?JEAN MEYER: Mexico, as we know, is

a very young nation. Demographically,it was born in the 16th century withthe Spanish conquest. The mixing ofthe races began immediately, and theCatholic Church had a very importantrole at the time. So, you have threecenturies of colonial Mexico as a part

of the Spanish Empire, with the Church present in everydaylife. The schools, the hospitals, everything was administratedby the Church.

When the conflict between church and state began in 1925,the new Mexican state was only five years old. And in front ofthat was a Church that the people trusted. The people cannottrust a state that was just born after 10 years of terrible violence.


A FORGOTTEN HISTORY IS PRESERVEDAn interview with historian Jean Meyer about his

groundbreaking research regarding the Cristero War

by Columbia staff

Posing with his officers under a banner of Christ the King, Gen. Miguel An-guiano (seated) also served as a Cristero civilian leader. He later became apriest. The photo is one of hundreds featured in La Cristiada: The MexicanPeople’s War for Religious Liberty by Jean Meyer.


COLUMBIA: How did the Cristerouprisings begin?JEAN MEYER: Following the suspen-

sion of public religious services, theblood ran in Mexico City and inGuadalajara. People fought in self-de-fense. It was the army against peoplewith stones and bricks and nothing.

Then in some places, isolated placesdeep in Mexico, the war began. Thearmy would try to arrest the priest.The people would begin to ring thechurch bells as an alarm. The 10 soldiers who came to arrest thepriest would find themselves surrounded by 500 people. Someof the people responded with violence, and the soldiers shot outof fear. People died, and then the soldiers were lynched.

Like that, without knowing what they had to suffer after that,the Mexican people, the Mexican army and the Mexican gov-ernment entered into a three-year-long war that cost more than200,000 lives.

COLUMBIA: How did the Cristeros react to the 1929 peaceagreement?JEANMEYER: I remember in a village called San José de Gracia,

I interviewed an old man who had been a Cristero. I asked himthe same question. The man flushed and said, “Don’t ask methat. I won’t answer.”

There was a very great disagreement, aterrible division between the Catholics,the bishops, the priests, the fighters andthe non-fighters on whether or not to ac-cept the agreement. It was a scandal be-cause the fighters, the Cristeros, werenever consulted.

You could say that the Church acceptedthe conditions of the government, becauseat the time there was no reform of theconstitution. It was not until 1992 thatthe restrictions were suppressed and diplo-

matic relations were reestablished with the Holy See.But with the agreement, many of the critical articles of the

constitution were given a benevolent interpretation and not en-forced. Churches reopened and priests were allowed to practicetheir ministry.

COLUMBIA: As a Catholic, did your extensive research andmeeting with the Cristeros impact you on a personal level inthe way you viewed your faith?JEAN MEYER: One day, a friend of mine, an Orthodox in

France, read my book. He told me something that really I be-lieve, but I had no idea before he told me. He said, “Nor-mally, people make books. Sometimes, very rarely, a bookmakes people. This book made you.” This is the reason whyI’m in Mexico.

“AFTER SO MANY YEARS

OF OFFICIAL SILENCE ON THE

PART OF THE CHURCH AND

ON THE PART OF THE STATE,

THE NEXT GENERATION WAS

TOTALLY IGNORANT OF THE

CONFLICT AND THE MEM-

ORY WAS DISAPPEARING.”

CENTER PHOTO: ©(No. 287710) CONACULTA.INAH.SINAFO

.FN.M

ÉXICO/ARCHIVO CASASOLA

— OTHER PHOTOS: AGICA


COLUMBIA: The Knights of Columbus expanded to Mex-ico in 1905 and spread across the country with thousandsof members. What role did the Knights play during theCristero War?JEAN MEYER: What is important is that some of the young

leaders of the National League for the Defense of ReligiousLiberty in Mexico were Knights of Columbus and had contactwith the members in the United States. That was very impor-tant for what we can call a second front: the political fight inthe United States.

The Knights in the United States provided support in a hun-dred different ways, including organizing material support forthe Mexican refugees, publishing articles and political lobbying.

North American Catholics felt very deep sympathy for Mex-ico. They were praying for Mexico every Sunday. The violence,the war, was the thing that the American bishops couldn’t ac-cept. The Irish War of Independence was just finishing, andthe bishops told the Knights of Columbus that not one dollaror one cartridge should go to help the Mexican Cristeros. So,

the Knights in the United States provided all kinds of help forrefugees and for families of those left in Mexico, but not anymilitary support.

COLUMBIA: You have been interviewing people about thisreligious conflict for a couple generations. From your vantagepoint as a historian, what is the legacy of the Cristeros inMexico?JEAN MEYER: For historians, it’s very interesting. It’s a strange

and surprising experience. I had the chance to meet the lastgeneration of Cristeros, men 60 years old when I interviewedthem, who had been 20 years old during the war. After somany years of official silence on the part of the Church andon the part of the state, the next generation was totally igno-rant of the conflict and the memory was disappearing. Twentyyears later, when I asked the people about it, people didn’tknow about it or weren’t interested: “Yes, my grandfather waspart of it, but I don’t want to know about it.”

In Guadalajara, an enormous church is now being built as amemorial to the martyrs. In many places, it’s too late for theCristiada to be a memory. It’s a legend — but one that is veryalive. Today, people feel absolutely free to talk about that time.Many young historians, both Mexican and foreign, are inves-tigating it more and more. Literature and movies are discover-ing the Catholic epic and reinforcing the interest. The subjectis no longer a matter of division between Mexicans, but achapter of the national history.♦

From left: Cristero riders under the command of Gen. Jesús Degollado areshown on the banks of the Armería River, between Jalisco and Colima. • Withhats removed but weapons still in hand, Cristeros pray as a priest distributesCommunion during a Mass in Los Altos. • At the end of the Cristero War,members of the resistance movement — all non-combatants — celebrate theirnew freedom after being held prisoner on the island penal colony of Islas Marias.


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This month, fans around the world will flock to the cinemato watch the first of three installments of Peter Jackson’s

adaptation of The Hobbit — the “prequel” to the award-win-ning Lord of the Rings trilogy that was also released in three partsbetween 2001 and 2003. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic nov-els, the films depart from the original storyline in significantdetails, but go to great lengths to respect the author’s vision ofMiddle-earth — a world of great natural beauty and intensemoral drama, set in the distant past.

Many will argue that translating such a story from book intofilm, no matter how impressive the result, is a mistake. A moviepresents the audience with the filmmakers’ visualization, notthe author’s or the reader’s. Conversely, reading or listening toa story engages the imagination at a deeper level than watchingit on screen. Yet if a film had to be made, we should be gratefulthat efforts have been made to remain faithful to the spirit andtexture of Tolkien’s stories.

THE CATHOLIC TOLKIENThe spirit of Tolkien’s hugely successful fantasy novels is deeplyChristian. Born in 1892, the author was a devout Catholic whogrew up under the influence of Blessed John Henry Newman’sOratory in Birmingham, England. All through his busy life asan Oxford professor and popular writer, he tried to attend Massevery day. His eldest son even became a Catholic priest. Thestories that Tolkien wrote were more than entertainment; theywere written to express a profound Christian wisdom.

In a letter Tolkien drafted to the manager of the NewmanBookshop in 1954, but never sent because it sounded too self-important (Letter 153 in the published collection), he admittedthat his aim in writing the stories was “the elucidation of truth,and the encouragement of good morals in this real world, bythe ancient device of exemplifying them in unfamiliar embod-iments, that may tend to ‘bring them home.’” In another letterto a Jesuit friend in 1953, he explained that while he had con-sciously “absorbed” the religious element “into the story andthe symbolism” (because he had no intention of making reli-gious propaganda),The Lord of the Rings remains “a fundamen-tally religious and Catholic work.”

Tolkien’s Christian wisdom can pop out at readers in unex-pected ways, but most often it simply sinks in at a deep level

without distracting our attention from the story. I noticed anexample as I readThe Lord of the Rings to my youngest daughterrecently. The story concerns the attempt to destroy a magical“Ring of Power” that threatens the freedom of all the peoplesof Middle-earth. As the little hobbits Frodo and Sam struggleup Mount Doom in the final stage of their quest to reach thevolcanic furnace in which the Ring can be unmade, Frodocomes to the end of his strength — drained by the ever-growingweight of the Ring he bears around his neck and the constanttemptation to claim its power for his own.

His faithful servant Sam, who knows he is not permitted tobear the Ring, invites Frodo to climb onto his back. “I can’tcarry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up youget!” Staggering to his feet, he finds to his amazement “the bur-den light.” Tolkien writes, “[Sam] had feared that he wouldhave barely strength to lift his master alone, and beyond thathe had expected to share in the dreadful dragging weight of theaccursed Ring. But it was not so. Whether because Frodo wasso worn by his long pains, wound of knife, and venomous sting,and sorrow, fear, and homeless wandering, or because some giftof final strength was given to him, Sam lifted Frodo with nomore difficulty than if he were carrying a hobbit-child pig-a-back in some romp on the lawns or hayfields of the Shire. Hetook a deep breath and started off.”

Does this not remind you, as if in a faint echo, of a certainwell-known passage in the Gospels? I am thinking of the onewhere Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, andlearn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you willfind rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden islight” (Mt 11:28-30).

The echo may be faint, yet the whole journey of the twoHobbits across Mordor — including descriptions of the Ringand Frodo’s many falls under its weight — recalls the Way toCalvary, where Jesus bore the weight of the world’s sin. Thosewho are familiar with the Gospels can hardly fail to recognizea similarity. If the Ring is analogous to the Cross (because itrepresents sin), and Frodo as Ringbearer is analogous to Christ,then when Sam hauls the burden up onto his shoulders he findsexactly what Christ has promised: It feels light because Christhimself is still bearing the major part of the weight.

Inspired by the author’s Catholic faith, J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels reflect the themes of chivalry, nobility and virtue

by Stratford Caldecott


Rex Features via AP Images

The link to the Christianstory is even reinforced bythe calendar date. The Ringis destroyed on March 25,which in our world is theSolemnity of the Annuncia-tion, the day Christ wasconceived in the womb ofMary to bear our sins away.

NOBILITY OF SOULThere are plenty of otherparallels with Christianity inThe Lord of the Rings andThe Hobbit, but as the au-thor insisted, the importantpoint lies deeper than this.The story is meant to be en-joyed for its own sake, notmerely decoded. A story is away of exploring the waythe world works. No authorcan avoid bringing his ownunderstanding of free willand fate or providence, not to mention some conception ofgood and evil, to his writing. Tolkien’s understanding wasshaped by his faith, which is the truth revealed by God aboutthe way the world really works — and not only this world, butevery possible world.

An important part of Catholic wisdom is the ethical traditionthat rests on the natural laws of our nature, made in the imageof God. This tradition could be called “nobility of soul” or “spir-itual chivalry.” We see both in The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings a learning process that Tolkien called “the ennoblement(or sanctification) of the humble,” which he believed was an im-portant theme of his writing as a whole. In both novels, the hob-bit heroes (Bilbo in the one, Frodo and Sam and their friendsin the other) are lifted from the narrow, comfortable world ofthe Shire into a much vaster landscape to play key roles in battlesthat decide the fate of Middle-earth. This was a process thatTolkien observed among the soldiers he fought beside in theBattle of the Somme, in the First World War.

Through suffering and trial, the hobbits are fashioned into he-roes, empowered to save their little world of the Shire from thespiritual evil that has corrupted it while they were away. Gandalfthe wizard tells them, “That is what you have been trained for.”Although the film versions of The Lord of the Rings unfortunatelyomit this last stage, it is still clear that the hobbits have attainedgreater maturity and courage through their adventures.

After all, Tolkien wove the idea of “nobility of soul” verydeeply into his mythology. This concept is represented partlyin the Elves. The human beings and hobbits who are closest tothe Elves by influence or nature are the noblest: Frodo (named“Elf-friend”) among the hobbits, Aragorn and Imrahil andFaramir among the men. The “elvish” tendency in man is al-ways towards physical beauty, artistic ability and respect for cre-

ation. It is associated with a love for God’s creation that seeksto improve, protect, celebrate and adorn.

The “chivalry” that reveals this nobility is shown in behaviortowards others, such as kindness and mercy, the refusal to mis-treat even prisoners of war, and the showing of honor to thebodies of the dead. We see this, for instance, when Aragorn,heir to the throne of Gondor and leader of the fellowship ofthe Ring, insists on a proper funeral for Boromir before theycontinue with their quest. The knights of Middle-earth defendthe weak from their oppressors and remain faithful to friendsand liege-lord. Such behavior outwardly signifies the presenceof heroic virtue within the soul, especially the cardinal virtuesof prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice.

It is with these virtues that we are equipped to defend thetruly important things, the little things, the domestic worldof the free family, and the love that binds people together infellowship.

Aragorn exemplifies all of these virtues in the highest degree,but we see them develop in the hobbits, too, as they learn tosubmit to discipline and overcome their fear to achieve greatdeeds without hope of reward — just because it is the rightthing to do. This is Tolkien’s challenge to us: to become, in ourown way, the knights of Middle-earth.♦

STRATFORD CALDECOTT is a director of Second Spring Oxford(secondspring.co.uk). His study of Tolkien called The Power of the Ringis being republished in an expanded and definitive edition by Cross-road Publishers.

Actor Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins in the film The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, the filmwill be released in U.S. theaters Dec. 14.

FATHERS FOR GOOD


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

Thinkstock

As a reformed workaholic, I still have a tendency to befully engaged at work while maintaining a full plate of

family activities. Over time, I have developed a better bal-ance between work life and home life by setting prioritiesand sticking to them, as difficult as that can be in our chal-lenging economy. I have tried to make time work for me asI seek to grow as a Catholic, a husband, a father, a businessleader and a member of mycommunity.

Surveys indicate that work-home balance ranks near thetop of concerns for mentoday. It is no coincidencethat the United Nations’ In-ternational Day of Familiesand the Vatican’s WorldMeeting of Families, bothheld last May, highlighted thethemes of work and family.Pope Benedict XVI said in aMay 16 audience that work“should not hinder the fam-ily, but should rather sustainand unite it, and help it beopen to life and to enter intorelationships with society and with the Church.”

So what is the key to finding more time for what matterswhile still succeeding at work? There is no magic formula,but five action items may help: Make family dinner manda-tory; turn off technology devices during family time; attendschool and sports events; keep romance in your marriage;and make sure that God comes first.

We can work toward these goals by considering the fol-lowing key issues.• Check your priorities. Men struggle with work-family

issues so often because we have our priorities out of order.If we are living our Catholic faith fully, we know that Christcomes first, followed by family and then work. Yet we allowwork to eat up most of our energy while leaving the leftoversfor God and family. All areas of our lives are made betterwhen Christ comes first. Our families will flourish when welive out our vocation as Catholic husbands and fathers. Ourwork will improve when placed at the service of God, whounderstands and aids us in our struggles.

• We control our calendars, not vice versa. A commoncomplaint is: “There just isn’t enough space on my calendarfor everything!” But who makes the entries on our calendar?I suggest putting prayer, Mass, feast days, family dinner, kids’activities, date nights with your wife and other personal en-gagements on the calendar before filling in work obligations.If you’re like me, something is much more likely to get done

if it is scheduled. Better work-life balance starts with saying noto those things that are compet-ing with God and family time. • Combine activities when

possible. When I go for a runor get on the treadmill, I praythe rosary. When I am travelingto or from work, I turn off theradio and pray or reflect onspiritual themes. I use timegoing to my children’s activitiesto talk about life, faith or what-ever is on their minds. When Iserve in the community, I oftendo it with my wife and childrento increase time together andbuild family memories. There

are a number of ways to do this, but the combining conceptcan turn “away time” into fun and family time.

With unemployment still high, it may seem like thewrong time to recalibrate priorities, especially if we thinkthat doing so will affect our position at work. After all, pro-viding for the material welfare of our family is key to ourvocation. Yet the answer may be found in working more ef-ficiently and effectively to cut down on overtime, knowingthat our Father in heaven will help us if we have the goodof our family at heart.

Let us honestly ask ourselves each day if our work is serv-ing God and our families or if God and our families areserving our work. The answer should set our path in life,both at work and at home.♦

RANDY HAIN lives with his wife and their two sons in Roswell,Ga., where he is a member of St. Peter Chanel Council 13217. Heis author of The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith andWork (Liguori).

Making Time Work for UsWe can take steps to find a balance in work and home life

by Randy Hain


made in memory of deceasedcouncil members who servedin the military.

BENEFIT BREAKFASTBlessed Sacrament-Msgr.Newman Flanagan Council11038 in Sioux City, Iowa,hosted a benefit breakfastthat raised $5,900 for PatriciaWalsh, a religious educationteacher at Blessed SacramentChurch who suffered a braininjury and is undergoing re-habilitation in Lincoln, Neb.

CATHOLIC MATERIALS

St. Anna’s Council 14425 inMonroe, Ga., sent Catholicmaterials — includingrosaries, prayer books andFrontline Faith MP3 players— to Capt. Jason Cowles, acouncil member serving withthe U.S. Armed Forces inAfghanistan. Cowles hosts aprayer meeting each Sundaywith personnel from severaldifferent countries.

vated a building purchasedby Mary’s Shelter, an organi-zation that operates sheltersfor unwed mothers in LehighValley. Knights cleaned andpainted the common areas ofthe new shelter, which is lo-cated in a former convent,while their wives adopted abedroom to paint, decorateand furnish.

KEEPING TABLES FULL

Bossier City (La.) Council4873 provides approximatelyhalf of the financial supportneeded to operate Christ theKing Food Pantry, which hasgrown from serving 30 fami-lies a month in 1990 to about4,770 at present. Knights alsohost food drives throughoutthe year to keep the pantrystocked and volunteer along-side parishioners from threearea churches to sort and dis-tribute food.

MURDER MYSTERYCranston (R.I.) Council1738 hosted a murder mys-tery dinner-dance at theMurder on Us Dinner The-

ater in Providence. Morethan 100 people attended theevent, which raised $2,000for a relief fund for soldiersthat is maintained by theU.S. Army National Guard.

IN MEMORIAMFather Bernard Tobin Coun-cil 9153 in Fresno, Calif.,commissioned an artist to re-store the Stations of theCross at St. Jude Church inEaston. The council donatedthe cost of the restoration inmemory of Elsie Correia, thelate wife of one of the coun-cil’s founding members, whosupported the council andher parish in many ways overthe years.

HEALING WATERSLimoilou Council 4494 inQuebec donated $300 toProjet les Eaux Curatives (TheHealing Waters Project), aninitiative that works with in-jured soldiers who are return-ing from service in Afghan-istan.

NEW GAZEBOIn 1992, Our Lady of FatimaCouncil 3732 in Port Col-borne, Ontario, donated awooden gazebo to an areapark to commemorate the500th anniversary of Colum-bus’ discovery of America.Though the gazebo stood for20 years, it was starting to fallinto disrepair due to weather-ing. In response, the councilworked with the city to pur-chase and install a newgazebo made of steel that willserve visitors to the park foryears to come.

VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAZA

Good Shepherd Council6358 in Schertz, Texas, do-nated $2,000 toward the cre-ation of a Veterans MemorialPlaza. The donation was

SPAGHETTI EXTRAVAGANZA

Our Lady of the MiraculousMedal Council 12401 inRussell, Ontario, hosted a“Spaghetti Extravaganza” inmemory of council memberPaul Beaupré, who passedaway in January. The eventraised $8,000 for the Cana-dian Cancer Society and fea-tured a number of guestspeakers who talked abouttheir experiences with cancerdiagnosis and treatment.

CHEESE FESTIVALBishop Victor J. Reed Council4026 in Oklahoma City andFather George Wagner Assem-bly in Midwest City co-hosteda cheese festival at the council'ssocial hall. The event, whichfeatured cheeses from theUnited States, Holland, Eng-land, Switzerland, France,Spain and Italy, raised $1,100for the scholarship fund atSt. Gregory University.

SHELTER RENOVATEDMsgr. John Auchter Council10772 in Albrightsville, Pa.,and its ladies’ auxiliary reno-

KNIGHTS ACTION REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLESIN

Dr. William Mitchell of BlueRidge (Ga.) Council 12126administers a rabies vaccineto a dog with assistance fromHillary Ward. Knights spon-sored a rabies clinic for petowners in Fannin County, ad-ministering rabies and distem-per shots to hundreds of pets.

Members of St. Kevin Council 13881 in Montreal assemble awinter shelter awning near the entrance of St. Kevin Church.Knights undertake several seasonal chores at their parish eachfall and spring: cleaning the parish grounds, wrapping or re-moving burlap covers from trees and shrubs, and putting upand taking down Christmas lights.

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


SMOKIN’ IN THE SQUARE

Milton (Fla.) Council 7027held its annual “Smokin’ inthe Square” barbecue compe-tition, which saw profes-sional teams from all over thecountry converge on Pen-sacola to compete for cashprizes and bragging rights. Inaddition to plenty of food,the event also featured localvendors and artisans, as wellas information booths forarea organizations. Proceedsfrom the competition weredonated to several charities,including Covenant Hospiceand Manna, an organizationthat provides food to theneedy.

HEAT UP LAPEERFather Goentges Council1987 in Lapeer, Mich.,hosted a “Heat Up Lapeer”Polish dinner that raisednearly $4,800 to help familieswho were struggling to paytheir winter heating bills.

KINDNESS MAKESMIRACLES

Helena (Mont.) Council 844conducted its annual “Kind-ness Makes Miracles” pro-gram with young peoplefrom area schools. Knights

asked middle-school studentsto compose multimedia proj-ects — ranging from postersand essays to songs andvideos — on the theme ofanti-bullying. Entrants werethen eligible for 15 raffleprizes given at a dinner for allparticipants at the council’ssocial hall.

CATECHISMS PROVIDED

To help Catholics learn moreabout their faith, Saratoga(N.Y.) Council 246 providescopies of the Catechism of theCatholic Church to parish-ioners at three area churchesand two missions. Knightsplace several copies of thebook at every church forparishioners to take in ex-change for a goodwill dona-tion. All funds collected fromthe “sale” of the books are do-nated back to their respectiveparishes.

ENCHILADAFUNDRAISER

Father Roscoe LawrenceFinnegan Assembly in LasCruces, N.M., held its an-nual enchilada fundraiser tobenefit Catholic education inLas Cruces. The event raised$6,000 to assist area schools.

Knights from St. John BoscoCouncil 11762 in Tacoma,Wash., and ArchbishopThomas J. Murphy Assemblyin Lakewood hang the 15thStation of the Cross in ameditation park at St. JohnBosco Church. Knights dedi-cated the station to theirparish priest and chaplain.

WILD GAME FEEDArchbishop James HughRyan Council 3019 inOmaha, Neb., hosted its an-nual “Wild Game Feed,”which the council took overin 1991 from the men’s clubat St. Stanislaus Church.Knights sold 650 tickets tothe event, which featured en-trées made from wild game,as well as raffle prizes. Thedinner raised $126,000,which is donated to area or-ganizations that support chil-dren with disabilities.

HOSPICE HELPFather Patterson Council3121 in Chandler, Ariz.,hosted a dinner-dance tobenefit Hospice of the Valley.The event raised $4,375.

FLAG OBTAINEDWhen members of HolyCross Council 11534 inOverland Park, Kan., noticedthat the flag at their parishwas frayed and no longersuitable for display, they con-tacted U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoderto inquire about the possibil-ity of obtaining a flag that

had flown over the U.S.Capitol. Rep. Yoder was notonly able to acquire a flag foruse by Church of the HolyCross, but was able to getone that flew over the Capi-tol on the parish’s feast day,Sept. 18.

ARMED FORCESFLAGPOLE

Father Henry J. Banks Coun-cil 9740 in Canyon Country,Calif., raised $4,000 to erecta new flagpole at St. ClareChurch. Knights also volun-teered to install the pole,which is dedicated to past,present and future membersof the armed forces.

SANCTUARY RENOVATED

Father Robert KennedyCouncil 9458 in Mil-ledgeville, Ga., removed thefurniture and cabinets fromthe sanctuary at SacredHeart Church in preparationfor renovating the 138-year-old building. Once the roomwas vacated, contractors re-placed the floor while coun-cil member Richard Dyke, acarpenter, built new cabinetsfor the room.

RENOVATION FUNDSIn honor of the 25th anniver-sary of its parish, Church ofthe Nativity Council 11067in Leawood, Kan., donated$60,000 to Church of theNativity to be used towardrenovation projects. Fundsfor the donation were raisedthrough council-sponsoredevents over several years, in-cluding breakfasts and fishfrys. Present for the donationwas Past Supreme KnightVirgil C. Dechant.

FUNDS FOR MISSIONVal-Co Council 11597 inColfax, Iowa, hosted a dinnerand silent auction that raised$1,800 for various charitableinitiatives, including a mis-sion trip to El Salvador.

Members of Cotabato City (Mind.) Council 3504 erect a steelarch in their community in preparation for a church festival.Knights routinely provide support in preparing their parish andcommunity for seasonal events.

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


Members of Father John Crowley Council 3199 in Ridgecrest,Calif., spread 10 tons of new sand at the playground atSt. Ann School to ensure that the area meets local and statesafety standards. This project, coupled with the installation ofhigh-speed Internet in St. Ann classrooms, saved the schoolaround $5,000.

kofc.orgexclusive

See more “Knights in Action” reports and

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Steve Rogers of Blessed LouisMartin Council 15256 in Ash-burn, Va., strips paint from adoor at St. Theresa Elemen-tary School. After many yearsof heavy use, Knights stripped,sanded and repainted all of thedoors at the school.

was previously in storage.Knights donated $650 tohave the glass professionallyrestored, while several councilmembers created a woodenframe and an LED backingfor the window. The uniquepiece is now on display at thechurch hall.

SOUP-TO-GO SALESSt. Kilian Council 14807 inCranberry Township, Pa.,sells soup to-go at its parishfor five months out of theyear. From October to Febru-ary, Knights prepare a varietyof soups that are sold toparishioners for $5 per quart.Since establishing the pro-gram, the council has sold5,900 quarts of soup andraised thousands of dollarsfor both its parish and itsparish school.

DRIVEWAY CREATEDWhen St. James Council12402 in Orlando, Fla.,heard that Nancy Mayhew, aparishioner of St. JamesCathedral, had been cited bythe city for parking on hergrass, the council jumpedinto action. Mayhew was notin a financial position to havea driveway created, so

PREPARING FOR CARPET

Tabernacle (N.J.) Council8733 removed all of the fur-nishings from Church of theHoly Eucharist in preparationfor the installation of new car-peting. Knights removed thechurch’s seating, organ andaltar, saving time and moneyon the installation.

WINDOW RESTOREDUnion City (Ind.) Council983 sponsored the restorationof a 140-year-old stained-glass window from the origi-nal St. Joseph Church that

Chicago. When Knight KenMarz and his wife, both grad-uates of the school, learnedthat Maternity BVM had nolibrary for students, they setout to start collecting usedbooks. Together with theKnights and other commu-nity organizations and indi-viduals, the Marzes collectedmore than 3,000 books forthe school’s new library.

MOWING AT THE CROSSROADS

Our Lady of Divine Provi-dence Council 9347 inMetaire, La., donated $200to Crossroads Louisiana topurchase a new lawnmower.Crossroads serves approxi-mately 75 people with intel-lectual disabilities, and thenew mower will be used tomaintain the organization’sfive group homes.

HELPING A PARISH GROW

Escalante Council 1136 inProvo, Utah, donated $45,000to purchase two stained-glasswindows depicting Palm Sun-day and the Last Supper forthe new St. Francis of AssisiChurch in Orem. Money forthe donation came from theinvestment of council fundsover the years that were origi-nally intended to build acouncil hall. When this planfell through, Knights insteadused the money for charitableoutreach. Over the pastdecade, the council has do-nated more than $75,000 forbuilding projects at St. Francisof Assisi Church.

Knights gathered the neces-sary materials and manpowerto build one. Following com-pletion of the driveway, May-hew appealed her citationand had the fines waived.

ULTRASOUND TRAINING

After Minnesota District #52purchased an ultrasound ma-chine for the WomenSourcePregnancy Center throughthe Knights of Columbus Ul-trasound Initiative, Osseo-Maple Grove Council 9139hosted a steak and chickendinner that raised $3,000 tohelp train technicians on howto use the machine.

MARRIED COUPLESDINNER

St. Joseph Council 9905 inLino Lakes, Minn., hosted asupper for married couples atits parish. The evening in-cluded a marriage talk and aperformance by an area soulband. The dinner netted$600 for the parish.

SPECIAL KAYAKImmaculate Heart of MaryCouncil 7560 in PagosaSprings, Colo., donated $500to a local organization forpeople with intellectual dis-abilities. The funds will helpthe organization purchase akayak for special outings.

DAY OF SHARINGThe 41 K of C Councils ofOrange County, Calif., hosteda “Day of Sharing” for areaadults and children with intel-lectual disabilities. Each coun-cil sponsored a different boothat the event, which featuredfood, activities and games.

LIBRARY FORSCHOOL

St. Petronille Council 5516in Glen Ellyn, Ill., andBishop Romeo BlanchetteAssembly in Naperville col-lected books for a new libraryat Maternity BVM School in

KNIGHTS IN ACTION


STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION(Act of August 1, 1970: Section 3685, title 39, U.S. code)1. Publication Title: Columbia2. Publication No.: 12-37403. Date of filing: Sept. 27, 20124. Frequency of issue: Monthly5. No. of issues published annually: 126. Annual subscription price: $67. Location of office of publication: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-33268. Location of publisher’s headquarters: 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-33269. Names and address of publisher, editor and managing editor. Publisher: Carl A. Anderson, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 Managing Editor: Alton J. Pelowski, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-332610. Owner: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326.11. Known bond holders: none.12. For completion by nonprofit organiza-tions authorized to mail at special rates.The purpose, function, and nonprofit sta-tus of this organization and the exempt

status for federal income tax purposes: (Check one)

(If changed, publisher must submit expla-nation of change with this statement.)13. Publication name: Columbia.14. Issue date for circulation data below: October 201215. Extent and nature of circulation

A. Total no. copies (net press run) 1,611,415 1,618,719B. Paid and/or requested circulation1. Outside-county mail subscriptionsstated on Form 3541: 289,242 287,9242. Paid in-county subscriptions stated onForm 3541: 0 03. Sales through dealers and carriers,street vendors, counter sales and othernon-USPS distribution: 1,000 1,0004. Other classes mailed through theUSPS. 1,313,778 1,315,285C. Total paid and/or requested circula-tion:

1,604,020 1,604,209D. Free distribution by mail (samples,complimentary and other):1. Outside-county as stated on Form3541: 0 02. In-county as stated on Form 3541: 0 03. Other classes mailed through theUSPS: 3,000 3,000 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution out-side the mail (carriers or other): 0 0 E. Total Free or Nominal Rate distribution(Sum of (15d, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 3,000 3,00 0F. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 1,607,020 1,607,209G. Copies not distributed: 300 300H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g): 1,607,320 1,607,509I. Percent paid and/or requested circu-lation (15c / 15f x 100): 99.8% 99.8%

I certify that the statements made by meabove are correct and complete. ALTON J. PELOWSKI Managing Editor 10/01/2012

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VISIONS OF CHRISTMAS

[Clockwise from top] Members of Assumption Council 6899 in Stratford, PrinceEdward Island, stand with the some of the wooden nativity displays that thecouncil built and sold at its parish. • Randy Smith (left) and Dennis Huss (right)of Star of the Sea Council 7297 in Rehoboth Beach, Del., deliver Christmaspresents to Sister Rose Alvarez of Gardenia House, a shelter for homelesswomen and children. • Members of Msgr. William F. Burke Council 2672 in FarRockaway, N.Y., display some of the toys they distributed to sick and needychildren in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

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ZIP/POSTAL CODEComplete this coupon andmail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org

OFFICIAL DEC. 1, 2012: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and per-

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

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

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COLUMBIANISM BY DEGREES


MEMBERS OF Epiphany Council11033 in San Francisco cook kebabsoutside of their church following Sun-day Mass. The council and its ladies’auxiliary grill pork kebabs and offerethnic dishes for sale throughout theday, raising money for the parish andfor the Knights’ charitable fund.• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Circle5473 in Arlington, Texas, sold freshfruit at its parish, raising $300 to sup-port men who are studying for thepriesthood.

Unity

Charity

YOUNG PARTICIPANTS in a ben-efit bike ride wait at the start line forthe race to begin. Members of ReginaMundi Council 12745 in Hamilton,Ontario, supported the youth bikerace by providing food service andvolunteer manpower for the event,which raised more than $3,500 forriders who are participating in theRide to Conquer Cancer. The ride isa two-day, 125-mile bicycle eventfrom Toronto to Niagara Falls that re-quires each rider to raise at least$2,500 in pledges for the CanadianCancer Society.

Patriotism

AN HONOR GUARD from BlessedTeresa of Kolkata Assembly in Milton,Fla., looks on as Msgr. Steven Bossoof St. Rose of Lima Church blesses aCoast Guard vessel during the town’sannual blessing of the fleet. Bothrecreational and government boats onthe Blackwater River had the oppor-tunity to be blessed.• St. Gianna Molla Assembly in Al-pharetta, Ga., held a chicken bakedinner to benefit the Catholic Chap-lain Corps. The dinner netted $710,which was used to purchase 10 MP3players through the Frontline FaithProject and to provide scholarshipsthrough the Archdiocese for the Mil-itary Services, USA.

Fraternity

MEMBERS OF Archbishop JohnHughes Council 481 in Brooklyn,N.Y., and their guests don protectivearmor and paintball guns during acouncil-sponsored paintball trip tothe Skirmish Paintball Fields in JimThorpe, Pa. Since 2011, Knights havesponsored bus trips to the paintballarena, with proceeds from the tripsdonated to charity.• St. Ann Council 2853 in FairLawn-Elmwood Park, N.J., held a“Polish Night” dinner-dance to bene-fit Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Coun-cil 3644 of Wallington, whose councilhall suffered severe water damage dur-ing a storm. The dance netted $3,000to jump-start repairs.

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 Marian Council 3881 inOakville, Ontario, stand on the edge of thewalkway outside of the observation deck atthe CN Tower in Toronto during the an-nual Edge Walk there. Six Knights walkednearly 500 feet around the circumferenceof the tower at a height of 1,100 feet with-out handrails. In doing so, they collectedmore than $5,000 in pledges to support anew hospital being built in Oakville.

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

to b

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arvi

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urk

Pho

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aphy

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 IMMACULATE

Community 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

y K

aty

Tart

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‘THE GREATESTFORCE IN THE

UNIVERSE IS LOVE’I discerned a vocation to the priesthood for

about a year and a half with the help of somevery good priests and friends. At the time, I wasan active member of Msgr. Henry J. WattersonCouncil 1771 in Westfield, N.J. The council as-sisted me spiritually and financially in my questto enter religious life. I had such an intenselonging for God, a yearning for union withhim, that at some point it became clear that noother option was really right for me. Like most men, I originally wanted to be mar-

ried and have children, but the grace of Godmoved me to find fulfillment in him alone.If priests follow their love for God above all

things, celibacy is truly a gift to the world, andtheir witness makes it possible for the rest ofthe world to experience true love. The greatestforce in the universe is love. With it, all thingsare possible.Every priest is an icon of Christ and his love.

What greater motivation could a man have?

FATHER MICHAEL WARREN

Oblates of the Virgin MaryDenver, Colorado

columbia december 2012

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