Honoring Columbia Magazine

WHEREAS, in August 1921, following a period of rapid membership growth after the Great War, the Knights of Columbus published the first edition of Columbia with an editorial policy “of outspoken religious and patriotic conviction” and “the single and permanent aim … to provide the Order with a publication worthy of its power and prestige and meriting the heartiest support of the entire membership”; and

WHEREAS, Columbia has maintained fidelity to this editorial mission and been a clear Catholic voice during some of history’s most difficult periods, including the rise of Nazism and Fascism in Europe and the suppression of the Church in Mexico, for which the magazine was banned by the nation’s government; and

WHEREAS, Columbia has provided informative and formative content reflecting on important periods and events in the life of the Church, including the years following the Second Vatican Council and the beatification and canonization of dozens of sons and daughters of the Church, including our founder, Blessed Michael McGivney; and

WHEREAS, Columbia has been regularly recognized for its outstanding coverage of the Knights of Columbus’ defense of the Church and her teachings, including numerous Catholic Media Awards for articles on matters concerning religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the persecution of Christians around the world; and

WHEREAS, since 1978, Columbia has been a key component of the Knights of Columbus’ efforts to promote priestly and religious vocations through the magazine’s vocation testimonies featured prominently on its back cover; and

WHEREAS, Columbia has for generations chronicled and celebrated the charitable works of Knights of Columbus councils around the world, inspiring brother Knights through examples of faith in action; and

WHEREAS, for more than a century, Columbia has received accolades from both Church and civic leaders, including U.S. President Warren G. Harding, who celebrated its launch in 1921, and Pope Pius XII, who expressed his appreciation for the publication and imparted his Apostolic Blessing on its staff in a 1955 message to then-Supreme Knight Luke Hart; and

WHEREAS, today Columbia is published 10 times each year in four languages, reaching nearly 1.7 million homes, thereby leading the vanguard of the Order’s catechetical mission to form Catholic men and their families.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the leadership and membership of the Knights of Columbus wholeheartedly affirm that its flagship publication continues to fulfill the “single and permanent aim” of being a publication worthy of the Order’s “power and prestige,” and that it remains integral to the unity of brother Knights from all walks of life around the world; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we extend our congratulations to Editor-in-Chief Alton Pelowski and the entire editorial staff of Columbia on 105 years of service to the Order, together with our heartfelt appreciation for continuing to provide outstanding and relevant content to brother Knights and their families, and thereby acknowledge that they indeed have “the heartiest support of the entire membership.”