Praying With and For the Holy Father
As we observe Lent this year, the obligation to examine our lives and to grow in the practice of prayer takes on special significance. Our Lenten observance not only comes amid the Year of Faith initiated by Pope Benedict XVI, but it also follows the Holy Father’s announcement that he is stepping down from the Chair of St. Peter (see page 16). We are thus challenged during these 40 days to grow in the virtue of faith as we pray for Pope Benedict, for his successor and for the whole Church. Benedict no doubt foresaw this Lenten context in the timing of his announcement, which was given on the World Day of the Sick, Feb. 11, just two days before Ash Wednesday.
A consummate teacher known for his clear and insightful writing and gentle demeanor, Pope Benedict has always shown himself to be a very reflective, holy man. His words and actions are thoughtful and deliberate, and this certainly holds true for his decision to resign. He acknowledged that it was “a decision of great importance for the life of the Church,” that he was “well aware of the seriousness of this act,” and that he was acting “with full freedom.” Moreover, it was a decision arrived at after much prayer and “after having repeatedly examined [his] conscience before God.”
Many have noted that in recognizing his own limitations as he grows frail with age, Pope Benedict has exhibited extraordinary humility and courage — not unlike that shown by his predecessor in Blessed John Paul’s steadfast witness through suffering. Benedict’s action is a matter of humility and courage, not of “quitting” or turning away from responsibility, because he profoundly understands that his office is that of a servant. Far from pursuing political power, Benedict has faithfully carried out his role as a servant of the Truth, Jesus Christ, and a “servant of the servants of God.” After nearly eight years as pontiff, he has now “come to the certainty” that he can best serve the Church by stepping aside and saying with John the Baptist, “I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
It is appropriate that during the month of March we celebrate St. Joseph, who lived wholly in the service of the Christ Child and the Blessed Virgin Mary — that is, until the time came for him to fade into the background so that Jesus’ mission of revealing the Father’s love might be fulfilled (see page 14). A spiritual father worthy to be St. Joseph’s namesake, Joseph Ratzinger has likewise deemed it an inestimable privilege to serve Christ in humble obedience. And to be sure, he does not intend to “retire” from his life of service. To the contrary, his most important service to the Church will continue. Concluding his announcement Feb. 11, he stated, “With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.” In a beautiful expression of solidarity, the pope visited a home for the elderly in November 2012 and said that our elderly brothers and sisters remain “a wealth for society, even in suffering and sickness.” They possess the essential resource of prayer, he said, adding that their prayers can “protect the world.”
Pope Benedict has wisely entrusted “the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ,” and we are invited to pray with him during this Lent for the future of the Church and the world, placing all of our faith and hope in the risen Lord.
Alton J. Pelowski
Managing Editor
ON THE COVER
Pope Benedict XVI waves after celebrating a Mass to mark the World Day of Peace in St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 1, 2008. (COVER: CNS photo/Dario Pignatelli, Reuters)
PK [yVBT`I I OEBPS/Flow_1.htmlReligious Freedom is a Natural Right
Our duties and rights in relation to religious liberty precede the government and go beyond mere toleration
by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued new rules under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Many hoped that the Obama administration would abandon the so-called HHS mandate of contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs in employee health care plans, considering the extraordinary criticism that’s been given by a wide spectrum of religious leaders. Others hoped the rule would move beyond exempting only houses of worship. But the new rules have done neither. Instead, the government stated that “the universe of employer plans that would qualify for the exemption” would not be expanded “beyond that which was intended in the 2012 final rules.”
Since the legislation was first introduced more than a year ago, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has repeatedly said that the HHS mandate violates our fundamental right to the free exercise of religion.
Historian Steven Waldman, in his book Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty (2009), reminds us that from the time of the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights and shortly thereafter, a transformation took place in the United States in the way that religion was treated. In drafting these documents, the Founding Fathers rejected the old European model of an established state religion in which religious minorities were only granted some level of toleration by government.
Thomas Paine put the matter very clearly in his book Rights of Man (1791): “Toleration is not the opposite of intolerance but the counterfeit of it. Both are despotisms: the one assumes to itself the right of withholding liberty of conscience, the other of granting it.”
Likewise, James Madison and others would not accept the idea that Americans were to petition their government for permission to exercise their religion. Instead, Madison argued that the “free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience,” was a “natural and absolute right.” According to Waldman, this shifted the terms of debate “from toleration to liberty.”
In his famous Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (1785), Madison wrote: “The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right.”
Madison’s concern went beyond diversity or pluralism to something far more important. “It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to him,” he wrote. “This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”
Today, we must ask whether we see in the intransigence of government a regression — a shift away from liberty first and a return to a form of government-granted toleration, which is followed quickly by government intolerance of our free exercise of religion.
Though we now face unprecedented challenges to religious liberty, history tells us that the cause of freedom in America is not an isolated event, but a journey. This is the lesson of the great Civil Rights Movement of the last century, which told us to envision a day when “all God’s children” could say, “Thank God Almighty we are free at last.”
Every legal system rests upon a certain vision of the human person. Our laws affecting religious liberty are no exception. As we look to safeguard our liberty, it is essential that we do so with a clear explanation of how freedom is rooted in the dignity of each person.
As Madison observed in The Federalist Papers No. 51, “What is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” And since that is true, in the days ahead our country will need the clear voice and enduring wisdom of the Catholic Church.
Vivat Jesus!
PK qyVBf k k OEBPS/Flow_10.htmlGood Friday Foundation
We recall the saving passion and death of Christ, the great High Priest, and the sacrifice of his priestly servant Father McGivney
by Father Gregory Gresko
This month offers us an opportunity to recall the origins of our Catholic faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as well as the founding of the Knights of Columbus by a priest who lived and died united to that sacrifice. Due to a convergence on the calendar, we commemorate Good Friday on March 29, the day we also observe as the Order’s Founder’s Day each year.
On Good Friday, Christians give witness to God’s perfect love through the death of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for the salvation of the world. As a priest, the Order’s founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, was intimately linked to this loving sacrifice and sought to apply its benefits to his parishioners, who were passing through their own Good Friday experience as newcomers to America.
Catholics in 19th-century America suffered for the practice of their faith in a land marred by anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiment. It was a time when job opportunities were posted with the words, “Irish Need Not Apply.” Amid these circumstances, it was not uncommon for a family’s breadwinner to die young in dangerous working conditions. The harsh experiences of Father McGivney’s parishioners drove him to found the Knights of Columbus in 1882, providing them a program of financial benefits, fraternal support and faith formation.
On March 29, we pay tribute to Father McGivney and the handful of laymen who gathered in the basement of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., to find practical solutions to the problems Catholics faced. As their spiritual father, Father McGivney helped these first Knights realize the meaning of their often difficult lives through union with the suffering Christ. Together, these men founded a lay movement in which they could serve God and neighbor as more faithful husbands, fathers and men of the Church.
This Good Friday, as we offer our hearts in thanksgiving to the Lord for his sacrifice on the cross, we also have an opportunity to reflect on the fact that our Order was born in response to hardship and suffering. As Knights today, we must build on that foundation, seeking out those who are needy in our parishes and communities and offering them the Order’s well-known, charitable hand.
Father McGivney persevered despite overwork and exhaustion, holding firmly to trust-filled hope in Christ, strengthened by our Lord’s example and helped by his grace. He lived a noble, virtuous, priestly life modeled after the true High Priest, ultimately suffering a grave illness that took his life at the age of 38. The fruits of great growth within the Knights of Columbus could not have been realized without this brave priest’s selfless giving to God and the Church. Likewise, in our own faithful embrace of Father McGivney’s loving, devoted service, we as Knights may discover deeper meaning in our own lives of Christian faith, working collaboratively as brothers to build a genuine civilization of God’s love.
Father McGivney knew that achieving true manhood means imitating the manhood of Christ, who lived out perfectly his duties and responsibilities toward God and neighbor. While each priest is to be a model leader who emulates Christ’s manhood in his own life, laymen likewise are called to do the same as husbands and fathers. During this Year of Faith, Knights are called to “put out into the deep,” (Lk 5:4) to embrace the faith more fully and to follow Jesus in our love of God and service to our neighbor.
May God our Father always grant the Knights of Columbus and their families the grace of the Holy Spirit to follow his Son perfectly in selfless love, so that we might fulfill our vocation to love and make steady progress in the Christian call to holiness. In this month when we remember in a special way the founding of our Order, may Venerable Father McGivney also inspire us by his life of virtue to persevere in love, helping us to build our families and our councils into places of charity, unity and Christian fraternity.
FATHER GREGORY GRESKO is chaplain of the Blessed John Paul II Shrine and a member of Potomac Council 433 in Washington, D.C.
PK qyVBڵlJ J OEBPS/Flow_11.htmlUnity
Robert Jackowski of St. Mark Council 12852 in Richmond, Va., demonstrates a throwing technique for a Special Olympics athlete at the state games. Knights have volunteered at the games for seven years, specifically with the softball throw event. Council members helped with registration and assisted athletes.
Charity
Members of Don Febian R. Millar Council 5973 in Tayabas City, Luzon, stand with some of the relief goods they delivered by boat to flood victims in Barangay Lambac, a village where 250 families were affected by a storm. Knights delivered food, medicine and other supplies.
Fraternity
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, a member of St. James Council 12402 in Orlando, places a relic of Venerable Michael McGivney beneath the altar stone of the Florida State Council’s new portable altar. After relying for years on having to borrow altars or make them out of makeshift materials for official events, the state council authorized funds to construct an altar of its own. Designed by Knights, the altar was built by Joseph Soborowicz of Resurrection Council 11189 in Winter Garden.
Patriotism
Gary Gnidziejko, Father Helmut Pflanz and Gene Wall, all members of Father Emil J. Kapaun Council 11987 at the Sembach Air Base in Germany, stand in front of the Kaiserslautern Kindergraves Memorial during the annual memorial service there. Knights, Boy Scouts and the Kaiserslautern military community paid their respects to 451 American children who were buried in the Kaiserslautern city cemetery between 1952 and 1971. Most were the children of American military personnel and died before their first birthday; this was at a time when assistance was not available to transport the deceased to the United States for a stateside burial.
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Scotty Bonn, a Special Olympics athlete and a Fourth Degree member of Father Francisco Atanasio Dominguez Assembly in Salt Lake City, clasps hands with another athlete while Knights provide an honor guard for the opening ceremony of the Utah Fall Special Olympics Games. In addition to serving in the honor guard, Bonn also competed in the games, and his basketball team won a gold medal.
PK syVB OEBPS/Flow_13.html‘When God takes hold, extraordinary things happen’
Kimberly Simonetti, Kimberly Fine Portraiture, Owings Mills, Md.
For me, there were no wondrous conversions, no peals of thunder booming the command, “Become a priest!” Rather, what led me on this journey was the Father’s voice, steady and sure, whispering through the day-to-day life of an ordinary Catholic boy.
One piece of the puzzle was reading the biography of St. John Vianney and his tremendous love for his parish in Ars, France. I was struck by his zeal for the salvation of souls, as he would spend 16-18 hours a day in the confessional, practice rigorous penances for the conversion of sinners, and daily commend them all to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I remember feeling some small portion of that same zeal stirring in my soul. Could I really be called to serve God as a priest?
This little spark, a love for prayer and the Eucharist, and the many great role models who had guided me in the faith worked together to help me hear the call and boldly answer it.
What is extraordinary about picking up a book, or the love and support of family and friends? When God takes hold of these ordinary things, extraordinary things happen.
Joseph Langan, Seminarian
Baltimore, Md.
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The Power of Love
In Christ’s victory over sin and death on the cross, God manifests his love and overturns our earthly expectations
by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
The words “power” and “love” don’t seem to go together. Power tends to evoke fear. Love tends to evoke trust. It is rare to find a person who would be described as both powerful and loving.
In fact, we may even experience that disconnect with regard to God. We rightfully address God as almighty, all-powerful. But we also speak of God as loving and merciful. A moral theology professor once asked his students whether they thought of God as “a monster or a marshmallow” — that is to say, a harsh, exacting, powerful God, or an indulgent God who gives us everything and expects almost nothing in return. It turned out that many of his students thought of God as having a split personality — condemning one minute and forgiving the next.
Years ago, when I was helping a young couple prepare for marriage, the bride-to-be told me she didn’t want a Scripture reading from the Old Testament because back then God was “angry,” whereas in the New Testament God was “a lot nicer.”
Similarly, people’s faith is sometimes put to the test by God’s seeming powerlessness. When a terrible tragedy or natural disaster takes place, the question is asked, “Where was God?”
In truth, God is always powerful, truthful and loving. But his “thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways” (cf. Is 55:8).
A POWER THAT SAVES
God transforms our ordinary ideas about power and love. Flawed human beings often use power for evil purposes, and earthly love is all too often self-absorbed. Citing St. Thomas Aquinas, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “Nothing can be in God’s power which could not be in his just will or his wise intellect” (271). God uses his power to create and redeem, to share his truth, to reveal his love and to confer his goodness on creation. In his fatherly care for us, he takes care of our needs and calls us to be his sons and daughters. By his endless mercies, he exercises power over sin and even death. His power is his love, for “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).
Again and again, the Scriptures sing of God’s power to save. Mary was at the heart of God’s merciful plan for the salvation of the world. After announcing to her that she would become the mother of God’s son, the angel said, “Nothing will be impossible for God” (Lk 1:37). In response to her cousin Elizabeth, Mary praised God’s power and love: “The Almighty has done great things for me, holy is his name” (Lk 1:49).
The greatest manifestation of God’s power is the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus told a paralytic that his sins were forgiven, the Pharisees accused him of blasphemy: “Who but God can forgive sins?” (Lk 5:21). Similarly, the Liturgy reminds us that God’s power is demonstrated most in his mercy. One of the Opening Prayers for Sunday Mass puts it this way: “O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy….” Truly, the Lord’s idea of power is very different from our own.
As we journey through Lent on our way to Holy Week, we experience a dramatic moment and are invited to share the power of God’s mercy and love. When Christ is condemned and led forth to be crucified, he appears utterly powerless. He is deserted by his disciples. Even his heavenly Father seems to have abandoned him. Yet, it was in that moment that Jesus was most powerful. For, as he mounted the cross, Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world and, by means of suffering and death, robbed sin of its power to be the last word about human existence. Obedient to his Father’s saving will, Jesus used the instruments of suffering and death to defeat the power of sin and evil.
IN UNION WITH CHRIST
In the glory of the Resurrection, Jesus manifested his power over sin and death. As Blessed John Paul II often said, the love of Christ crucified is stronger than sin and more powerful than death. With Mary we can say, “The Lord has done great things for us, we are glad indeed” (Ps 126:3, cf. Lk 1:49).
Through the ages, we share in the power of Christ’s death and resurrection, the Paschal Mystery, principally through the Mass and the sacraments. Exalted at the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus truly remains with us in the power of his love in all the circumstances of our lives. Our redeemer is never absent in our moments of triumph, in our daily routine, and in times of trouble and sorrow. In his wisdom, God does not prevent all sin and evil from occurring, but he accompanies us at every moment of our lives, constantly seeking to expand our capacity to receive and give his love. If we allow the Lord to comfort us by the power of his love, then whatever good we experience or evil we endure is for our salvation.
Meditating on the power of God’s love brings us to the first principle of the Order: charity. The charity that the family of the Knights of Columbus is called to practice flows from our union with Christ, crucified and risen. In our works of charity, we are bearing witness to God’s love and manifesting its power in our midst.
Through prayer, penance and charity may we open our hearts during this Lent as never before to the truth, beauty, goodness and power of God’s love!
PK \yVBIk OEBPS/Flow_3.htmlMsgr. Aloysius Schwartz
(1930-1992)
Courtesy of Fr. Al’s Childrens Foundation, Inc.
Born Sept. 18, 1930, in Washington, D.C., the third of eight children, Philip Aloysius Schwartz heard the call to the priesthood at a young age. He entered minor seminary at age 14 and, after receiving his B.A. at Maryknoll College, finished his theological studies in Belgium. There he visited the Shrine of the Virgin of the Poor and chose to dedicate his priesthood to serving and living in solidarity with the needy.
Within a year of being ordained for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1957, Father Schwartz was sent to Busan, South Korea. Known as “Father Al,” he began to raise money for the missions and established Korean Relief Inc. in 1961. Three years later he founded the Sisters of Mary, a religious order that continues to serve the poor in Korea, the Philippines and Latin America.
Throughout his ministry, Father Schwartz began and expanded programs that cared for abandoned and at-risk children, children with severe mental disabilities, and the destitute and the infirm. In 1981, he founded the Society of the Brothers of Christ, a religious order that cares for homeless men in Seoul, South Korea.
Father Schwartz was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary service to the poor. Near the end of his life, he joined the Knights of Columbus as a member of Cardinal Shehan of Baltimore Council 205.
After a three-year battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Father Schwartz died March 16, 1992. By that time, the relief programs he started were caring for more than 12,000 needy children in Asia and Mexico. The Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines, formally opened his cause for canonization in 2003.
PK ]yVBTs ' ' OEBPS/Flow_4.htmlKnights March for Life, Poll Finds Large Majority of Americans Favor Abortion Restrictions
On Friday, Jan. 25, College Knights participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., with (from left) Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Director Thomas M. Wegener and Assistant Supreme Advocate Michael J. O’Connor. Hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates, mostly young people, braved the cold to participate in the march. Numerous Knights of Columbus councils and some 10,000 K of C “Defend Life” signs were seen among the massive crowd. The event marked the 40th anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States. In addition to the annual march and rally, participants from throughout the United States gathered in Washington for special Masses, conferences and other pro-life events.
Four decades after the Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout the United States, a new K of C-Marist Poll shows that more than 8 in 10 Americans favor significant restrictions on the procedure.
The poll, conducted in December 2012, revealed that support for significant abortion restrictions increased by four points since the previous year — rising from 79 percent to 83 percent.
“After four decades of legalized abortion in this country, Americans have had ample time to understand that abortion has terrible consequences,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “They understand abortion’s true legacy — a child loses life and parents lose a child. And after witnessing the effects of abortion for the past 40 years, Americans are not legally or morally comfortable with that legacy. It is time for our country to chart a new course on this issue — a course that protects both the mother and the child.”
For many years, public opinion polls regarding abortion have asked whether people label themselves as “pro-life” or “pro-choice.” Other commonly cited surveys ask respondents whether they support the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but without explaining the reach of the Roe ruling.
“By asking more detailed questions about their specific views on abortion, we have been able to go beyond those labels to get a more complete picture of what Americans actually think about this issue,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
What the K of C-Marist polling indicates is that although most Americans are not opposed to abortion in every circumstance, they do favor significant restrictions and thereby disagree with the central holding of Roe v. Wade.
Of those who support restrictions, 10 percent believe abortion should never be permitted; 12 percent believe abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother; 34 percent would restrict abortion only to cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother; and 27 percent would limit abortion to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy.
Just 11 percent of respondents said abortion should be permitted at any time, while 6 percent would allow it during the first six months of pregnancy.
The survey also found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58 percent) believe abortion is “morally wrong.” And 84 percent believe laws can protect both mothers and unborn children.
The newly released survey is the latest in a series of polls commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Additional information is available at kofc.org.
Knights of Columbus Insurance Continues Record-Breaking Streak
Illustrating the faith that members have in its products and services, Knights of Columbus Insurance marked its 12th consecutive year of growth in 2012, despite continued economic turmoil.
The Order issued more life insurance last year than ever before in the Knights’ 130-year history — $8.1 billion. Insurance in force surpassed $88 billion, more than doubling the figure from 2001.
At the heart of the Order’s insurance business is a field force of professionally trained agents across the United States and Canada. Knights of Columbus Insurance finished the year with more field agents serving its members than ever before, and demand for more agents still exists.
Also in 2012, Knights of Columbus Insurance introduced new products and made changes to its current offerings with an aim toward meeting the evolving needs of its clients. The Order unveiled a new product, a graded premium whole life plan, to make whole life coverage more budget-friendly than ever before. The Knights likewise made improvements to the systematic withdrawal options for its annuity products and issued more than 13,000 new retirement annuities to members and their families.
In June 2012, A.M. Best Company reaffirmed the Order’s top A++ rating. In its report, A.M. Best cited the Knights’ “strong fraternal and insurance presence within the Catholic communities in the United States and Canada.”
Responding to the report from A.M. Best, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “Earning A.M. Best’s top rating again this year highlights the importance and wisdom of our sustainable business and investment models. Despite the recent economic downturn, the Knights of Columbus has grown stronger relative to our industry as people seek the safety and quality that Knights of Columbus products offer and are known for.”
Knights of Columbus Insurance also demonstrated growth in long-term care policies and its Income Armor disability income insurance, a product introduced in 2011 that has already been embraced by many members seeking to protect their income.
For more information about how Knights of Columbus Insurance continues to fulfill the vision of Father Michael J. McGivney, visit kofc.org. To find a K of C agent near you, visit kofc.org/findagent.
Order Mourns Death of Cardinal Glemp
CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo
Cardinal Józef Glemp, archbishop emeritus of Warsaw, passed away Jan 23. He was 83 years old. Cardinal Glemp served as primate of the Church in Poland during the final years of communism and during the restoration of democracy.
Upon learning of the cardinal’s death, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson issued the following statement: “The 1.8 million members of Knights of Columbus and I join Catholics in Poland and throughout the world in mourning the death of Cardinal Józef Glemp. Cardinal Glemp was an important force in helping to bring freedom to Poland in the 1980s. He knew the Knights of Columbus well from his many trips to the United States and strongly encouraged our expansion into Poland. In meeting with him, I found his advice both on our work in Poland and on the general situation there to be invaluable. He will be fondly remembered and our prayers are with him and the people of Poland at this time.”
Catholic Writer Monica Dodds Dies at 60
Author, editor and longtime columnist for Catholic News Service and Columbia magazine Monica Dodds died Jan. 6 at her home in Mountlake Terrace, Wash. She was 60 and had battled uterine cancer for nearly three years.
With her husband of 38 years, Bill, she had been a columnist for CNS since 1991, focusing on a wide range of family issues. Together, the Doddses also penned columns for Columbia, wrote books, edited My Daily Visitor magazine, and founded Friends of St. John the Caregiver.
PK `yVB\I I OEBPS/Flow_5.htmlThe Way of the Cross
Following Jesus Christ on his way to Calvary, a traditional devotion helps us to meditate on the mysteries of salvation
by Columbia staff, with prayers by Pope Benedict XVI
photography by Kimberly Rae Sanderson
Throughout the years, countless Knights of Columbus units have taken the lead to construct, restore or commission Stations of the Cross at their parishes or for outdoor prayer walks. Pictured here are the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Our Lady Queen of Peace Shrine in Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia. The life-sized statues were restored in 2008 with assistance from Father Angellus Pickelle Council 12416 and Msgr. A.L. McIntyre Assembly.
For many centuries, the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, has been one of the most beloved Christian devotions, especially during Lent. Also known as the Stations of the Cross, the practice developed over several centuries to eventually include the 14 traditional stations depicting episodes of Jesus’ passion and death. These are sometimes modified to include biblical scenes such as Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Olives and the promise of paradise to the Good Thief.
Each year on Good Friday, the pope presides over a nighttime Way of the Cross service at Rome’s Colosseum, using prayers and meditations written by a person or group of people at the pope’s request.
The following prayers were excerpted from the text written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2005, presented just one week before the death of Pope John Paul II. Unable to attend the service due to his failing health, John Paul II watched via television from his private chapel and sent a message to participants: “I also offer my sufferings so that God’s plan may be completed and his Word spread among the peoples. I, in turn, am close to all who are tried by suffering at this time. I pray for each one of them.”
The following prayer is said following the announcement of each station:
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
Reading: Matthew 27:22-23,26
Prayer: Lord, you were condemned to death because fear of what other people may think suppressed the voice of conscience. So too, throughout history, the innocent have always been maltreated, condemned and killed. How many times have we ourselves preferred success to the truth, our reputation to justice? Strengthen the quiet voice of our conscience, your own voice, in our lives. Look at me as you looked at Peter after his denial. Let your gaze penetrate our hearts and indicate the direction our lives must take. On the day of Pentecost you stirred the hearts of those who, on Good Friday, clamored for your death, and you brought them to conversion. In this way you gave hope to all. Grant us, ever anew, the grace of conversion.
SECOND STATION
Jesus takes up his Cross
Reading: Matthew 27:27-31
Prayer: Lord, you willingly subjected yourself to mockery and scorn. Help us not to ally ourselves with those who look down on the weak and suffering. Help us to acknowledge your face in the lowly and the outcast. May we never lose heart when faced with the contempt of this world, which ridicules our obedience to your will. You carried your own Cross and you ask us to follow you on this path (cf. Mt 10:38). Help us to take up the Cross, and not to shun it. May we never complain or become discouraged by life’s trials. Help us to follow the path of love and, in submitting to its demands, to find true joy.
THIRD STATION
Jesus falls for the first time
Reading: Isaiah 53:4-6
Prayer: Lord Jesus, the weight of the Cross made you fall to the ground. The weight of our sin, the weight of our pride, brought you down. But your fall is not a tragedy, or mere human weakness. You came to us when, in our pride, we were laid low. The arrogance that makes us think that we ourselves can create human beings has turned man into a kind of merchandise, to be bought and sold, or stored to provide parts for experimentation. In doing this, we hope to conquer death by our own efforts, yet in reality we are profoundly debasing human dignity. Lord help us; we have fallen. Help us to abandon our destructive pride and, by learning from your humility, to rise again.
FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his Mother
Reading: Luke 2:34-35,51
Prayer: Holy Mary, Mother of the Lord, you remained faithful when the disciples fled. Just as you believed the angels’ incredible message — that you would become the Mother of the Most High, so too you believed at the hour of his greatest abasement. In this way, at the hour of the Cross, at the hour of the world’s darkest night, you became the Mother of all believers, the Mother of the Church. We beg you: teach us to believe, and grant that our faith may bear fruit in courageous service and be the sign of a love ever ready to share suffering and to offer assistance.
FIFTH STATION
The Cyrenian helps Jesus carry the Cross
Reading: Matthew 27:32; 16:24
Prayer: Lord, you opened the eyes and heart of Simon of Cyrene, and you gave him, by his share in your Cross, the grace of faith. Help us to aid our neighbors in need, even when this interferes with our own plans and desires. Help us to realize that it is a grace to be able to share the cross of others and, in this way, know that we are walking with you along the way. Help us to appreciate with joy that, when we share in your suffering and the sufferings of this world, we become servants of salvation and are able to help build up your Body, the Church.
SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Reading: Isaiah 53:2-3; Psalms 27:8-9
Prayer: Lord, grant us restless hearts, hearts that seek your face. Keep us from the blindness of heart that sees only the surface of things. Give us the simplicity and purity that allow us to recognize your presence in the world. When we are not able to accomplish great things, grant us the courage that is born of humility and goodness. Impress your face on our hearts. May we encounter you along the way and show your image to the world.
SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls for the second time
Reading: Lamentations 3:1-2,9,16
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, you have borne all our burdens and you continue to carry us. Our weight has made you fall. Lift us up, for by ourselves we cannot rise from the dust. Free us from the bonds of lust. In place of a heart of stone, give us a heart of flesh, a heart capable of seeing. Lay low the power of ideologies, so that all may see that they are a web of lies. Do not let the wall of materialism become insurmountable. Make us aware of your presence. Keep us sober and vigilant, capable of resisting the forces of evil. Help us to recognize the spiritual and material needs of others, and to give them the help they need. Lift us up, so that we may lift others up. Give us hope at every moment of darkness, so that we may bring your hope to the world.
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem who weep for him
Reading: Luke 23:28-31
Prayer: Lord, to the weeping women you spoke of repentance and the Day of Judgment, when all of us will stand before your face: before you, the Judge of the world. You call us to leave behind the trivialization of evil, which salves our consciences and allows us to carry on as before. You show us the seriousness of our responsibility, the danger of our being found guilty and without excuse on the Day of Judgment. Grant that we may not simply walk at your side, with nothing to offer other than compassionate words. Convert us and give us new life. Grant that in the end we will not be dry wood, but living branches in you, the true vine, bearing fruit for eternal life (cf. Jn 15:1-10).
NINTH STATION
Jesus falls for the third time
Reading: Lamentations 3:27-32
Prayer: Lord, your Church often seems like a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. In your field we see more weeds than wheat. The soiled garments and face of your Church throw us into confusion. Yet it is we ourselves who have soiled them! It is we who betray you time and time again, after all our lofty words and grand gestures. Have mercy on your Church; within her too, Adam continues to fall. When we fall, we drag you down to earth, and Satan laughs, for he hopes that you will not be able to rise from that fall; he hopes that being dragged down in the fall of your Church, you will remain prostrate and overpowered. But you will rise again. You stood up, you arose and you can also raise us up. Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all.
TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments
Reading: Matthew 27:33-36
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you were stripped of your garments, exposed to shame, cast out of society. You took upon yourself the shame of Adam, and you healed it. You also take upon yourself the sufferings and the needs of the poor, the outcasts of our world. And in this very way you fulfill the words of the prophets. This is how you bring meaning into apparent meaninglessness. This is how you make us realize that your Father holds you, us, and the whole world in his hands. Give us a profound respect for man at every stage of his existence, and in all the situations in which we encounter him. Clothe us in the light of your grace.
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
Reading: Matthew 27:37-42
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, you let yourself be nailed to the Cross, accepting the terrible cruelty of this suffering, the destruction of your body and your dignity. You allowed yourself to be nailed fast; you did not try to escape or to lessen your suffering. May we never flee from what we are called to do. Help us to remain faithful to you. Help us to unmask the false freedom which would distance us from you. Help us to accept your “binding” freedom, and, “bound” fast to you, to discover true freedom.
TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
Reading: John 19:19-20; Matthew 27:45-50,54
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, at the hour of your death the sun was darkened. Ever anew you are being nailed to the Cross. At this present hour of history we are living in God’s darkness. Through your great sufferings and the wickedness of men, the face of God, your face, seems obscured, unrecognizable. And yet, on the Cross, you have revealed yourself. Precisely by being the one who suffers and loves, you are exalted. From the Cross on high you have triumphed. Help us to recognize your face at this hour of darkness and tribulation. Help us to believe in you and to follow you in our hour of darkness and need. Show yourself once more to the world at this hour. Reveal to us your salvation.
THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and given to his Mother
Reading: Matthew 27:54-55
Prayer: Lord, you descended into the darkness of death. But your body is placed in good hands and wrapped in a white shroud (Mt 27:59). Faith has not completely died; the sun has not completely set. How often does it appear that you are asleep? How easy it is for us to step back and say to ourselves: “God is dead.” In the hour of darkness, help us to know that you are still there. Do not abandon us when we are tempted to lose heart. Help us not to leave you alone. Give us the fidelity to withstand moments of confusion and a love ready to embrace you in your utter helplessness, like your Mother, who once more holds you to her breast. Help us, the poor and rich, simple and learned, to look beyond all our fears and prejudices, and to offer you our abilities, our hearts and our time, and thus to prepare a garden for the Resurrection.
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is laid in the tomb
Reading: Matthew 27:59-61
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, in your burial you have taken on the death of the grain of wheat. You have become the lifeless grain of wheat that produces abundant fruit for every age and for all eternity. From the tomb shines forth in every generation the promise of the grain of wheat which gives rise to the true manna, the Bread of Life, in which you offer us your very self.
You put yourself into our hands and into our hearts, so that your word can grow within us and bear fruit. Through the death of the grain of wheat you give us yourself, so that we too can dare to lose our life in order to find it, so that we too can trust the promise of the grain of wheat. Help us grow in love and veneration for your eucharistic mystery — to make you, the Bread of heaven, the source of our life. Help us to become your “fragrance,” and to make known in this world the mysterious traces of your life.
Like the grain of wheat that rises from the earth, putting forth its stalk and then its ear, you could not remain enclosed in the tomb: the tomb is empty because he — the Father — “did not abandon you to the nether world, nor let your flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:31; Ps 16:10). No, you did not see corruption. You have risen, and have made a place for our transfigured flesh in the very heart of God. Help us to rejoice in this hope and bring it joyfully to the world. Help us to become witnesses of your Resurrection.
PK hyVBeR# # OEBPS/Flow_6.html
In My Father’s House
The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple illuminates the Fatherhood of God and the fatherhood of St. Joseph
by Father Frederick L. Miller
Christ among the Doctors by Gianantonio Fumiani (1643-1710) – Cameraphoto Arte, Venice / Art Resource, NY
The Gospel of Luke begins and ends in the great Temple of Jerusalem. For the Jew, the Temple was the holiest place in the universe. It was where that the God of Israel dwelt among his people, a place of worshipful sacrifice, a house of prayer.
In his narrative of Christ’s infancy, St. Luke records that Jesus went to Jerusalem at least twice during the “hidden years” — once as an infant in the arms of Mary and Joseph, and once as an adolescent in the company of his parents and extended family. One might speculate that the Holy Family made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem once, twice or even three times every year for the major feasts. The fact that Joseph and Mary trusted that 12-year-old Jesus would find his way back to Nazareth in the company of their relatives and friends indicates that the pilgrimage was probably a regular event.
One may imagine the impact this pilgrimage to Jerusalem had on the boy Jesus. Jesuit Father Jean Galot writes, “For his pilgrimage to be really true, it had to be a pilgrimage to the Father’s house. This is what increased his desire to go to Jerusalem each year. For him it was a question of the deepest transport of a Son’s heart. His Father’s house was his real house, more so than that of Nazareth.”
There is an important disjunction in this Gospel text: Mary and Joseph, after the celebration of Passover, have their gaze fixed on returning home to Nazareth and their family life. The young Jesus, though, stayed behind and has his gaze fixed on his Father in heaven and the fulfillment of his mission. Having discovered the child’s absence, Mary and Joseph return in haste to Jerusalem to seek their son. Jesus remained in the Temple, magnetized by the presence and love of his Father who dwelt there. When his anxious parents found him after a three-day search, Jesus challenges them to understand his behavior, saying: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49).
In his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (2012), Pope Benedict XVI explains Jesus’ words: “The answer of the twelve-year-old made it clear that he knew the Father — God — intimately. Only he knows God, not merely through the testimony of men, but he recognizes him in himself. Jesus stands before the Father as Son, on familiar terms. He lives in his presence. He sees him. As Saint John says, Jesus is the only one who rests in the Father’s heart and is therefore able to make him known (cf. Jn 1:18). This is what the twelve-year-old’s answer makes clear: he is with the Father, he sees everything and everyone in the light of the Father” (127).
Some exegetes and theologians have irresponsibly suggested that Jesus is acting here like a typical, self-absorbed adolescent. But this interpretation ignores at least one basic Christological truth: The Incarnate Word, at every moment of his life on earth, perfectly accomplished the will of his Father in heaven. Jesus remained in Jerusalem because the Father willed that he stay in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Father willed that Jesus reveal himself to the official Temple scholars and preachers as the teacher and preacher par excellence. The Father willed that Christ prepare his parents to participate in his paschal mystery through faith and parental love.
Finding Jesus in the Temple among the teachers of the law, Mary says to Jesus: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (Lk 2:48). I might suggest that the translation is inadequate. The word used to describe Mary and Joseph’s anxiety is the same word used by Luke to describe the torture of the rich man in the flames of hell (Lk 16:24-25), the suffering of Paul’s disciples when he announces his death to them (Acts 20:38), and Paul’s own deep suffering over his people’s lack of faith (Rm 9:2). Mary tells Jesus that she and Joseph had suffered enormous pains searching for him for the past three days. The shadow of death surely hovers over this scriptural text.
In his Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, St. Ambrose tells us that Jesus accomplished the Father’s will by mercifully preparing Mary to suffer with him and lose him in the three days of his suffering, death and burial. He prepares her also to find him again in the Temple of his risen body.
The Church has intuited that St. Joseph died before the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Joseph loved Jesus with all the natural affection of a father, and Jesus loved him in return. It must have been easy, then, for Joseph to forget in the routine of daily life that he was not the child’s father. When Mary points Joseph out to Jesus as his father by saying, “Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety,” Jesus points out his Father in heaven to Mary and Joseph, placing his mysterious mission before their eyes. The word “father,” so dear to Joseph on the lips of the boy Jesus, becomes the very sword that pierces Joseph’s heart and purifies his love for Christ and for all of us. Jesus asks Joseph to acknowledge at a new depth that he is the Heavenly Father’s only Son. He asks Joseph to be ready to release him for his mission when the appointed time arrives.
On that day in the Temple, Joseph was likely confounded as he had never been before. Imagine the first wave of emotion: Joseph’s little boy seems to turn his back on him. He would rather live in the embrace of his natural Father, in his Father’s house. In these confused emotions, Joseph likely realized what it meant to be the guardian of the Son of God. He bowed in adoration and worship to the God whom Jesus called Abba.
Great was the faith of Abraham when, obeying God’s Word, he was willing to sacrifice his only son on Mount Moriah (cf. Gn 22:1-3). But greater still was Joseph’s faith. He believed that Mary had conceived God’s Son virginally by the power of the Holy Spirit and that the boy he raised was God’s only Son who would “save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). Joseph’s faith brought Abraham’s faith to perfection. By believing, Joseph and Mary spiritually generated progeny more numerous than the stars of heaven and the sands on the shore of the sea.
The Church honors St. Joseph with the title “Splendor of the Patriarchs.” This title accentuates the truth that the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the faith of Moses and Aaron, the faith of King David and all of the prophets find fulfillment and completion in Joseph’s faith in the incarnate Word. It is Joseph’s faith in Christ that makes him the “just man” of the New Testament (cf. Mt 1:19). The splendor of Joseph’s faith shining in the hearts of his sons and daughters makes them righteous, holy and pleasing to God.
FATHER FREDERICK L. MILLER, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., and a member of Father Thomas F. Canty Council 3197 in Hillside, is a professor of systematic theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
PK kyVB_g1$ 1$ OEBPS/Flow_7.htmlGuided by the Lord
Grateful for Pope Benedict’s service, we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to bless his Church during this time of transition
by Michelle K. Borras
CNS photo/Paul Haring
On Feb. 11, during a consistory of cardinals assembled for the announcement of three new canonizations, Pope Benedict XVI declared that, due to deteriorating “strength of mind and body,” he would renounce “the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter,” effective 8 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2013.
In his general audience on Feb. 13, Pope Benedict explained to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that he made this difficult decision “in full freedom for the good of the Church.” He also made it in faith, “strengthened and reassured by the certainty that the Church is Christ’s, who will never leave her without his guidance and care.”
When he was first elected on April 19, 2005, the pope stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as “a simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.” With this historic declaration, he leaves the Petrine ministry as he came to it — and leaves the Church profoundly enriched by his example of life and his luminous body of teaching. Benedict lays down his office in simplicity, humility and faith, caring for the good of the Lord’s vineyard more than himself.
During the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, Pope Benedict told those wondering what kind of pope he might be that there was no need for him to give a “program of governance” that would guide his papacy. “My real program of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole Church, to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by Him, so that He himself will lead the Church at this hour of our history.”
The new pope had further explained that careful discernment of God’s will can lead to difficult decisions. And yet “this will does not weigh down on us, oppressing us and taking away our freedom. To know what God wants, to know where the path of life is found — this was Israel’s joy…. It is also our joy: God’s will does not alienate us, it purifies us — even if this can be painful — and so it leads us to ourselves.” By listening for and following this will, however inscrutable, we know that “we serve not only him, but the salvation of the whole world, of all history.”
Nearly eight years later, the Church and the world saw that this “program of governance” had undergone no change from Benedict XVI’s first day as pope. The decision to renounce the See of Peter, “knowing full well the seriousness of this act,” emerged from the same willingness to discern the will of the Lord and to obey it in love. And though this decision caught the world by surprise, it was in conformity with a papacy that sought from the beginning to be a “service to … God’s joy which longs to break into the world.”
“These days … have not been easy for me,” Pope Benedict admitted during the Feb. 13 general audience. But, he added, “I have felt almost physically the power of prayer — your prayers — which the love of the Church has given me. Continue to pray for me, for the Church and for the future pope. The Lord will guide us.”
Following the announcement, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson issued a statement on behalf of all Knights of Columbus:
“In these remaining days of his papacy, our thoughts and prayers are with Pope Benedict XVI, who has worked so hard in leading the Church and has always been such a good friend to the Knights of Columbus,” he said. “In addition, we pray for all those cardinals who will take part in the conclave and for his successor, that God may inspire them as they carry out the mission with which they are entrusted.”
In a spirit of gratitude for what God has given to the Church through Benedict XVI, and in response to the pope’s request for prayers, the Order has provided special prayer cards that can be used during the period of papal transition. Knights of Columbus members and all the faithful are asked to pray in solidarity with Pope Benedict for God’s grace at this solemn moment in the life of the Church.
MICHELLE K. BORRAS is director of the Order’s Catholic Information Service.
Prayer for the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme Pastor of Your Church, we thank you for the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI and the selfless care with which he has led us as Successor of Peter, and Your Vicar on earth.
Good Shepherd, who founded Your Church on the rock of Peter’s faith and have never left Your flock untended, look with love upon us now, and sustain Your Church in faith, hope, and charity.
Grant, Lord Jesus, in Your boundless love for us, a new Pope for Your Church who will please You by his holiness and lead us faithfully to You, who are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
Declaration of Pope Benedict XVI
Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
PK lyVB@, , OEBPS/Flow_8.htmlA Tradition of Faith, Family and Fraternity
The Knights of Columbus has played an instrumental role in Catholic family life for more than five generations
by Colin Parrish | photography by J. Craig Sweat
There is little activity along the road as one drives among the silt foothills of southeastern Washington state, where umber brown and hunter green bleed together in a land that is waiting silently for spring. In the middle of a large region of the Pacific Northwest called the Palouse, a sign finally breaks the monotony of the rolling hills and fields of winter wheat: “Adopt a highway — Knights of Columbus Council 1565.”
This bit of metal is but a small testament to the Order’s impact on the local community. Amid a small town of just 400 people, there lives a large family with deep roots both in the region and in the Knights of Columbus.
More than a century has passed since the inception of Colton (Wash.) Council 1565. In that time, the Weber family, whose ancestors emigrated from Germany in the late 1800s, has sustained five successive generations of involvement in the Order. Their family history — like countless others throughout North America — is closely intertwined with their love for the Catholic faith and with the Knights.
SMALL BEGINNINGS
Much of Barthol Weber’s young life had been lived under the influence of the Kulturkampf of late-19th century Prussia, as the government suppressed the Catholic Church politically and culturally. Despite the difficult circumstances, the Weber family remained devout.
Barthol knew that he would be conscripted into the army of the German Empire when he turned 18. But because he was unwilling to enforce the anti-Catholic policies of the Kaiser, he snuck across the nearby border of Luxembourg, en route to the Netherlands, on the eve of his birthday. After several years, he emigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Whitman County, Wash., in 1886.
In Colton, Barthol established a farm, married and fathered 10 children. He and his wife were attracted to the area because of its strong Catholic identity — as were many other German immigrants of the time.
At about the same time that Barthol arrived in the United States, Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney and a group of men in New Haven, Conn., founded the Knights of Columbus. As the fledgling organization bolstered the Catholic identity of young immigrant families, it began to spread throughout North America. Soon, the Order began making inroads into the Pacific Northwest. In the early 1900s, recruiters for the Knights started arriving from cities like Denver. After taking root in cities such as Seattle and Spokane, the Knights quickly spread to smaller communities and parishes throughout Washington.
When Colton Council 1565 formed in 1911, Barthol Weber and his sons were among its first members. Also among the council’s first members were the sons of Franz Druffel, a stonemason and farmer who had moved his family from western Germany and settled in Colton at the turn of the century.
Today, LeRoy Weber (Barthol’s grandson), and his wife, Trudy (Franz’s granddaughter), are the elders of the Weber clan. LeRoy, 89, and his two younger brothers, like their father George before them, had joined the Order at a young age.
“It was a way to organize and help the Church out,” explained LeRoy. “That is what the Knights of Columbus do in these little towns.”
Throughout the 20th century, the Colton Knights became very active within their parish and community. The council assembled its own men’s choir, while events such as Corpus Christi processions, Memorial Day gatherings and Christmas parties highlighted the Knights’ presence and the pride they took in their faith.
A farmer since his youth, LeRoy took his First Degree in 1943 and through his strong, quiet example, ensured that both the Catholic faith and the Columbian virtues remained central to his family’s life. Following in the footsteps of Trudy’s father, Bennie Druffel, LeRoy served as the council’s grand knight in the late 1950s.
“The Knights’ activity within the Church and in the community was impressive, and we could see it when we were kids,” said LeRoy’s oldest son, Tom. “Dad never missed a meeting, and we admired him.”
LeRoy and Trudy raised their seven children with a great sense of responsibility and investment in their local parish and community. When each of the boys turned 18, LeRoy would simply say, “You know, the Knights are a good organization. You should join.”
Other members of the council would also pay the boys a visit to ensure they were welcomed into the Order.
“When I was 18, a couple of Knights came to talk to me about joining the council,” recalled Jerry Weber, 57. “These men were respected individuals in the community and it is a pretty impressive thing when you’re that young. To have such interest in me, it made me feel like I was worth something.”
Like their father and grandfather, three of the Weber boys — Tom, Jerry and Marty — became grand knights of Council 1565. Tom, in fact, went so far as to serve as Washington state deputy from 1995-97.
NEW GENERATIONS
In the 1980s, the status of Knights in the region began to grow, thanks to a desire to serve the community even more. Council 1565 introduced activities such as the Steelhead Fishing Derby, which has grown from only 40 participants and a single catch to include hundreds of participants from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The event currently raises more than $4,000 annually for a rural Catholic school.
More importantly, involvement in the Order has encouraged council members to practice their faith not only on Sundays, but also to integrate it into their daily lives and work. The Colton Knights continue to take a direct route in inviting young men to join the Order — just as they were invited.
At a general audience during the Synod for the New Evangelization last October, Pope Benedict XVI said, “The encounter with Christ renews our human relationships, directing them, from day to day, to greater solidarity and brotherhood in the logic of love.”
As the Order emphasizes the importance of faith and family, while fostering this “greater solidarity and brotherhood in the logic of love,” it continues to have an enduring effect in communities and in the hearts of its members.
All of this is not lost on the current generation of the Weber family. Several of LeRoy’s grandsons are members of the Knights today.
Integral aspects of their formation as men came from the Order, according to Marty’s son Nick, 28, a member of Council 1565. He and his cousins recognize that the witness of the Knights, especially in their family, has provided a training ground for fostering community, taking on leadership roles and growing in character.
“Up in the city, a lot of people don’t know their neighbor or even care to know their neighbor,” said Nick, who lives in Spokane with his wife and two children. “We go out of our way to meet the people and get involved in our community in different ways.”
For the Weber family, the Knights of Columbus isn’t just a fraternity; it is part of their Catholic faith as a whole. Over the years, the Order has provided the Webers with significant opportunities for prayer and worship, but its influence has been much broader.
Trudy Weber put it the most simply: “The Knights have made my boys better men and better Catholics.”
The mission of the Knights continues to be concretely realized in innumerable families around the world, and the Webers are no exception. So far, LeRoy and Trudy Weber have ten great-grandchildren and one on the way. And there’s every reason to believe that the men of this sixth generation will join the Knights, embracing the family’s strong tradition of fraternalism and enduring faith.
“The Knights and the faith have been a stronghold for our family,” said Trudy. “I pray that our great-grandsons may become Knights of Columbus and experience the strength and growth that we have experienced through the organization as well.”
COLIN PARRISH is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Seattle at Bishop White Seminary and a member of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Council 12583 in Spokane, Wash.
PK nyVB<< < OEBPS/Flow_9.html‘God keep our land glorious and free’
Catholics respond to a growing secularism that threatens religious liberty in Canada
by Colleen Rouleau
Jacques Cartier setting up a cross at Gaspé, 1883; The New York Public Library / Art Resource, NY
Long before a railway expanded to the west coast of Canada, the faith of the country’s early settlers and missionaries established the foundations of Canada’s current social structures. In the summer of 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier planted a 10-meter cross on Quebec soil, claiming the land for the King of France under the sign of Christ. The recent canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, recalling the witness of the Canadian martyrs, together with beautiful pilgrimage sites in Quebec, testify to the faith brought to Canadian shores centuries ago.
Today, numerous schools and hospitals founded by religious communities remain places of refuge for the faithful in a largely secular society. European immigrants who settled the prairies and raised their large Catholic families continue to root hundreds of rural communities. And even the predominantly Protestant presence in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces underscores a faith that is fundamental to public values and morality.
Despite this strong history of faith — currently 44 percent of the population is Catholic — the country has not been immune to a prevailing culture of radical secularism. “Under the pretext of the ‘separation of church and state,’ aggressive secularists insist that religion is a private matter,” explained Michèle Boulva, director of the national Catholic Organization of Life and Family (COLF), which is co-sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus. “But there should be no principle of Canadian law or theory that places the beliefs of atheists and agnostics in a superior position in the public sphere to the beliefs of religious citizens.”
Catholics find themselves increasingly challenged on some of their deeply held beliefs and freedoms, namely those of conscience and religion. “Catholics in Canada have experienced anti-Catholicism in the past, a lot of it which had to do with Protestants versus Catholics,” noted Dr. John Zucchi, chair of the history department at McGill University in Montreal. “What we see nowadays is very different — it is sinister, but often done in a genteel fashion. It is aimed at destroying religious freedom, which was not the case historically.”
THREATS TO LIBERTY
The pressures facing lay Catholics and institutions in Canada today take many forms.
Since the decriminalization of abortion in 1988, Canada has had no federal laws restricting abortion. Taxpayers pay for sterilization and abortion through publicly funded health care. Doctors who refuse to perform certain procedures are often expected by their professional associations to refer their patients to another physician. Recently, in the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia, there has been strong pressure to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
After the legalization of same-sex unions in 2005 by the federal Civil Marriage Act, the province of Saskatchewan refused to accommodate marriage commissioners who objected to witnessing such unions. Since that time, three other provinces have imposed the same restrictions on their commissioners. In 2005, a Knights of Columbus council in British Columbia unknowingly booked a same-sex wedding reception at its hall and was subsequently fined $2,000 for cancelling the booking. Several other cases have also accused individuals of “hate speech” in reference to stances taken against homosexuality.
More recently, the Ontario government passed the Accepting Schools Act in June, mandating that Catholic school boards allow students to set up “gay-straight alliances,” thus jeopardizing the freedom of parents and Catholic schools to favor Catholic teachings in education.
In the face of all of these difficulties, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a Pastoral Letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religion in the spring of 2012. The document offers a succinct catechesis on the nature and proper formation of conscience and on the freedom of religion. Explaining what motivated the bishops to issue this pastoral letter, CCCB President Archbishop Richard W. Smith of Edmonton, Alberta, contrasted the Canadian situation with the sometimes brutal attacks against Christians in other countries. “In our own country, the pressure can be a lot more subtle,” he said. “Bishops will hear from people in medical or pharmaceutical professions, for example, of feeling pressured to act contrary to their own conscience.”
Thus, the pastoral letter begins by highlighting the value of “authentic freedom of conscience and religion” for all: “We hope to rekindle in all Canadians an appreciation of the significance of these rights as essential for ensuring the common good, and to encourage our fellow citizens, especially those in professions where these rights may be at risk, to defend them courageously.”
This challenge issued by the Canadian bishops is one that the Knights of Columbus has been addressing since the first Canadian council was founded in Montreal in 1897. Today there are 1,900 councils across the country, consisting of nearly 230,000 members. Throughout Canada’s history, Knights have been a presence supporting the Church and promoting the common good through charitable works, patriotism and political advocacy defending the right to life and the sanctity of marriage. With these initiatives, the Order is building upon a heritage rich in faith.
Each year, Knights act as marshals at the annual National March for Life in Ottawa and participate in many smaller pro-life events across the country. During the debate on the redefinition of marriage in 2005, the Knights led a national postcard campaign. Councils distributed more than 500,000 cards, promoting the Catholic understanding of marriage, to Canadian parishioners that could be mailed to Members of Parliament. In 2008, Canadian Knights lobbied against the governor general’s decision to award the Order of Canada — the country’s second highest honor of merit — to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a physician who worked to decriminalize abortion in the 1970s and ’80s. In protest, people such as Father Lucien Larré and Frank Chauvin, both members of the Knights, returned their own Order of Canada awards to the governor general.
COLF Director Boulva said, “All the baptized have a responsibility to play an active role in the democratic process, and to be present where public opinion and the future are being shaped, in order to infuse a Christian perspective into cultural, social and economic transformations.” She added that it is through the work of organizations like COLF that Catholics can be supported in their mission to stand up to what Pope Benedict XVI has called “the dictatorship of relativism.”
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, then-archbishop of Quebec, addresses the National March for Life on Parliament Hill in Ottawa May 13, 2010. (CNS photo/Canadian Catholic News)
A SECULAR NATION
Canada’s faith foundations shifted significantly toward secularism in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1977, the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal were established as federal bodies to administer the new Canadian Human Rights Act. Today, each province also has its own Human Rights Commission. These quasi-judicial federal or provincial bodies have often stated that religious freedom is subject to the fundamental rights of others and that freedom of religion does not extend to the practice of those beliefs in the public square.
In 1982, the Canadian Parliament enacted the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a bill of rights within the newly adopted Canadian Constitution. According to Zucchi, while the Charter aimed to secure the rights of each citizen, including religious freedom, its principal flaw is a modern concept of rights that is unhinged from a religious framework or the natural law, and is thus disconnected from the question of truth.
“What the Charter did was really open up the opportunity to create a culture of demanding absolute rights which would come into conflict with long-standing traditional rights, including religious freedom,” Zucchi said. “This really becomes a very dangerous thing not only for the Church but ultimately for human freedom. The human rights culture often defends human rights to the point where you have inhuman situations — we lose sight of the person.”
When it comes to religious freedom, there is also a notable difference in Quebec’s political environment compared to the rest of Canada. With the rise of secularism during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, the French-speaking province experienced a massive loss of faith. The state now occupies the role the Church once had in Quebec society, which generally operates under the assumption that it is the government — not God — that has power to grant rights.
Zucchi noted that many threats to religious freedom in English-speaking Canada have come from the ground up — individuals refusing to compromise in a situation and then finding themselves in legal trouble. Quebec has seen a much stronger state-imposed, top-down assault upon religious freedom. In 2008, the Quebec government introduced the Ethics and Religious Culture program, mandating a so-called neutral approach to religion and ethics in all Quebec schools, regardless of an institution’s religious affiliation. Then, in 2011, the provincial government denied funding to all day care programs that offer faith-based activities for children. Both initiatives deny parents and religious institutions the freedom to offer children a religious perspective.
AN EDUCATION IN FREEDOM
Although the threats to religious liberty in Canada are grave, the bishops’ letter encourages Canadian Catholics to participate actively in all sectors of society.
Archbishop Smith related that faithful witness is still important. The government of Alberta, for instance, expressed a desire to acknowledge the historic contributions of women religious communities that founded schools, hospitals and charities.
“We now have, directly across from the main doors on the grounds of the legislature, a huge bronze statue of a religious woman in full habit as a visible reminder to everybody of the role that faith has had in the formulation of this province. This wouldn’t necessarily be the case in other places,” the archbishop said.
Boulva sees the answer to the difficulties facing Catholics in Canada in the Second Vatican Council’s universal call to holiness and willingness of the laity to live out their faith in everyday life.
“At this time of new evangelization, we must love freedom enough to refuse to be excluded from the public forum because of our deepest beliefs,” Boulva noted, adding that the battle for religious liberty cannot simply be reduced to politics. “Yes, we must work tirelessly to change laws, but we must do so convinced that real societal change will come only when hearts have changed.”
Likewise, Zucchi believes that responding to challenges to religious liberty requires a renewal of Christian witness.
“Christ’s love for us is already the first victory. We are not fighting for a political position, for a political party, for the Church as a voluntary institution in society — no — we are there because the Church is our home, because we are aware of our belonging to Christ,” said Zucchi.
The Canadian bishops continue to call Christian men and women to stand up for their faith and encourage all people of good will to stand up for the rights of conscience and religious freedom.
Their timely message is echoed in the closing words of the Canadian national anthem, a prayer for true freedom:
“God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”
COLLEEN ROULEAU writes from Edmonton, Alberta.
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