MAY 2012MAY 2012

COLUMBIACOLUMBIAKNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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

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OU R VA LU E S DO N’T CH A N G EET H I C A L A N D S U S TA I NA B L E I N V E S T M E N T P O L I C I E S .

ST R E N G T H A N D STA B I L I T Y. PU T T I N G YO U R FA M I LY F I R S T.

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F E A T U R E S

‘Freedom is Our Lives’A new major motion picture, For Greater Glory, tellsthe epic, untold story of the Cristero War and a na-tion’s quest for religious liberty.BY DAVID NAGLIERI

The Untold Story of the Knights During the CristiadaStanding with the Church against anti-clerical laws,Mexican Knights of Columbus endured violent perse-cution in the 1920s.BY MARÍA DE LOURDES RUIZ SCAPERLANDA

The Voice for Religious Freedom Knows No BorderIn the 1920s, U.S. Knights stood with their Mexicanbrothers for religious freedom.BY MAUREEN WALTHER AND JENNIFER DAIGLE

‘A Pilgrim of Faith, Hope and Love’A selection of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s ad-dresses and homilies during his apostolic visit toMexico and Cuba.

Our First, Most Cherished LibertyA statement on religious liberty from the U.S. bishops.

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D E P A R T M E N T S

Building a better worldThe witness of Knights during thepersecution of the Mexican Churchprovides lessons as we defend reli-gious freedom today.BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faithWith my new assignment, I will be con-stantly reminded of Father McGivney’smission and our religious heritage.BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN

ARCHBISHOP-DESIGNATE WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS Catholic Man of the Month

Knights in Action

Columbianism by Degrees

Knights of Columbus NewsKnights ‘Walk for Life’ in thePhilippines • Supreme ChaplainAppointed to Baltimore Archdio-cese • Martyrs of Christ the KingReliquary Present at Papal Mass inMexico

Fathers for GoodOur Lady of Guadalupe teachesthe power and importance of amother’s love.BY BRIAN CAULFIELD

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The execution of St. José María Robles Hurtado is depicted in the upcomingmovie For Greater Glory, which tells the story of Cristero War in Mexico.A member of Council 1979 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Father Robles Hur-tado was arrested by government soldiers on June 25, 1927, while preparingfor Mass. Before his martyrdom, he forgave and blessed his murderers.

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COLUMBIA

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

EDITORIAL

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IN A MARCH 1923 Columbia articletitled “What’s Wrong in Mexico?,”William F. Buckley Sr. described howPresident Álvaro Obregón expelled Msgr.Ernesto Filippi, the Vatican’s apostolicdelegate to Mexico, from the country.Msgr. Filippi’s alleged crime was that hepresided at an act of “public worship,” acornerstone-laying ceremony for a mon-ument to Christ the King on CubileteHill in rural, central Mexico (see pages 7,12). According to Buckley, “The dayafter his arrival in the United States” inJanuary 1923, Msgr. Fillippi “declared hebelieved the real reason of his expulsionwas the growth in Mexico of the Knightsof Columbus and the Catholic Daugh-ters of America.”

Buckley explained how, beginningwith the presidency of Venustiano Car-ranza in 1914, amid the Mexican Rev-olution, the government had “notabated in its determination to destroy[the Catholic Church] in Mexico.”When Plutarco Elías Calles, who servedunder President Carranza and PresidentObregón, was elected president in1924, the situation worsened. In 1926,Calles enacted strict, anti-religious leg-islation, and peaceful resistance eventu-ally gave way to the Cristiada, athree-year uprising in which manyCatholics fought back against escalatingviolent persecution.

During this period, which is exploredin the upcoming film For Greater Glory(see page 8), the Order was very outspo-ken, both in Mexico and in the UnitedStates (see pages 12, 18). In August 1926,thousands of Knights and their familiesgathered for the Supreme Convention inPhiladelphia on the occasion of the 150th

anniversary of the signing of the Declara-tion of Independence. Addressing theconvention, Supreme Knight James A.Flaherty said, “We are told that this per-secution is the privilege of an independentstate and are bidden to hold our peace.But we shall not hold our peace. We shallprotest against this persecution in thenames of humanity and liberty.” In themonths and years that followed, theOrder took concrete action to educate thepublic, appeal to authorities and provideaid to those who were affected.

In 1928, the Mexican government de-stroyed the monument on Cubilete Hill.The shrine and statue of Christ the Kingwere later rebuilt in 1944, after the vio-lence ended, and the site remains of greatsignificance today. Pope Benedict XVIvisited the shrine during his recent apos-tolic visit to Mexico and reflected onMexico’s historic struggle for religiousfreedom (see page 22).

This issue of Columbia also includes animportant statement on religious liberty,published April 12 by the U.S. bishops(see page 24). What this statement re-minds us is that although we may bespared from violent aggression, the threatsagainst religious liberty that we face todayare real. The statement concludes with aproposal that the Catholic Church in theUnited States observe a “fortnight of free-dom” — a two-week period from June 21to July 4, during which Catholics willdedicate themselves to prayer, study andaction for religious freedom. Knights willno doubt embrace this call to defend lib-erty, just as they have in decades past.♦

ALTON J. PELOWSKI

MANAGING EDITOR

A Historic ResponseCOLUMBIA

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

alton.pelowski@kofc.orgMANAGING EDITOR

Patrick Scalisipatrick.scalisi@kofc.orgASSOCIATE EDITORBrian Dowling

brian.dowling@kofc.orgCREATIVE & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

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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.________

HOW TO REACH USMAIL

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

E-MAILcolumbia@kofc.org

INTERNETkofc.org/columbia

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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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Copyright © 2012All rights reserved

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ON THE COVERActor Andy Garcia plays Mexican Gen. EnriqueGorostieta in a new film titled For Greater Glory,

about the Cristero War.

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From the Columbia Archive

IN THE 1920s and ’30s, the Knights of Columbus pub-lished numerous articles about the persecution of theChurch in Mexico. In fact, Columbia was banned fromthe Mexican mail and the November 1926 issue (picturedright) was the subject of a prolonged discussion of theMexican legislature. To read select articles from this pe-riod, visit kofc.org/columbia.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

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THIS MONTH’S ISSUE of Colum-bia magazine explores the history ofthe persecution of the Catholic Churchin Mexico during the 1920s and ’30s.This history has been hidden from thepeople of Mexico, and the real causesof the conflict have been ignored bymany scholars. One textbook in theUnited States misleadingly portraysCatholics who fought against religiouspersecution in this way: “Leaders whoemerged from the (Mexican) Constitu-tionalist movement … fought off achallenge from armed Catholic tradi-tionalists in the countryside. These de-vout counterrevolutionary peasantswere called Cristeros.”

The articles in this issue set the recordstraight, both as to the real cause of theviolence and the peaceful efforts of theKnights of Columbus on both sides ofthe border to defend religious liberty inMexico.

The persecution of the CatholicChurch in Mexico began when the ad-ministration of Mexican PresidentPlutarco Calles took punitive measuresto silence priests and bishops, confiscateChurch property and close Catholicschools. When the archbishop of Mex-ico City spoke out against such meas-ures, his residence and the chapel ofOur Lady of Guadalupe were bombed.

In his 1926 encyclical concerning thepersecution of Catholics in Mexico, ti-tled Iniquis Afflictisque, Pope Pius XIdenounced the forces of “barbarism”that led to this violent persecution ofCatholics. He praised the peaceful re-sistance of many lay organizations say-ing, “First of all we mention theKnights of Columbus which is foundin all states of the Republic and fortu-

nately is made up of active and indus-trious members who, because of theirpractical lives and open profession ofthe Faith, as well as by their zeal in as-sisting the Church, have brought greathonor upon themselves.”

Indeed, thousands of MexicanKnights sacrificed much for religiousliberty. Many lost their lives, and someof these martyrs — both laymen andpriests — have been beatified or canon-ized by Pope John Paul II and PopeBenedict XVI. Knights in the UnitedStates also led a national campaign toend the violence against Catholics inMexico.

Today in the United States, it is im-possible to recall these events withoutthinking of current threats to religiousliberty, including the Obama adminis-tration’s insistence that contraceptives,sterilization and abortion-inducingdrugs be included in the health insur-ance programs of Catholic organiza-tions. This federal mandate is backed bythe threat of millions of dollars in finesif Catholic organizations refuse to com-ply as a matter of conscience.

The president of the U.S. Conferenceof Catholic Bishops, Cardinal TimothyM. Dolan, earlier this year stated, “Wehave become certain of two things: reli-gious freedom is under attack, and wewill not cease our struggle to protect it.”

As a result of the firestorm of contro-versy surrounding the mandate, thepresident announced what he describedas an “accommodation” for religious or-ganizations. After studying what thepresident described as his “concession,”however, constitutional scholars andour bishops concluded that the man-date remained unacceptable, unconsti-

tutional and illegal.The White House more recently in-

vited representatives of the bishops tomeet and discuss the president’s man-date. But when they asked whether themeeting would consider their funda-mental concerns about religious liberty,the bishops’ representatives were toldthat these concerns “are all off the table.”

Thankfully, when our public officialsrefuse to talk to us, we can have recoursethrough the courts and the ballot box.

Cardinal Francis E. George, the pastpresident of the bishops’ conference, hasconcluded from the intransigence of theObama administration that it wantsCatholics to “give up” our schools, hos-pitals and charitable ministries.

Similarly, Cardinal Dolan has pre-dicted that Catholics will “have to pre-pare for tough times.” We have alreadywitnessed an increase in hate speechagainst Catholics and smear campaignsagainst our leaders. Anti-Catholic bigotsand their allies in the media can be ex-pected to increase their attacks.

Recalling the witness of our brotherKnights in Mexico, we think of thewords of the Prophet Daniel: “The wiseshall shine brightly like the splendor ofthe firmament, and those who lead themany to justice shall be like the stars for-ever” (Dn 12:3).

It would be a mistake to assume thatKnights in the United States will be lessfaithful today. In the words of CardinalDolan: “We did not ask for this fight,but we will not run from it.”Vivat Jesus!

What Mexico Teaches UsThe witness of Knights during the persecution of the Church in Mexico provides lessons as we

defend religious freedom today

by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

LEARNING THE FAITH, LIVING THE FAITH

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WHEN I LEARNED that PopeBenedict XVI appointed me arch-bishop of Baltimore, my thoughtsturned to our founder, VenerableMichael McGivney. I prayed that hewould continue to intercede for me inmy role as supreme chaplain and nowas shepherd of the nation’s oldest dio-cese. I commended to his prayers myfellow chaplains, who serve the Orderso faithfully, as well as the priests inBaltimore and in Bridgeport,where I have served for the past11 happy years. In the samebreath, I asked our founder topray for the supreme knight andfor all Knights and their families,giving thanks for how the Orderserves and strengthens theChurch in her mission of spread-ing the Gospel anew.

IN SERVICE TO THE CHURCHAfter this prayer, it occurred to me thatFather McGivney’s final preparationsfor priestly ordination took place at St.Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Therehe grew in the human and priestlyvirtues that were so evident in his min-istry. There he developed the strengthof character, wise leadership and holydetermination that were essential ingre-dients in the founding of the Knightsof Columbus 130 years ago. And it wasthere, in the Cathedral (now Basilica)of the Assumption in Baltimore, thatFather McGivney was ordained to thesacred priesthood in 1877 by Arch-

bishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons. Since the basilica is connected to the

archbishop’s residence, I will have adaily reminder to give thanks for thegift of Father McGivney’s priestly vo-cation and pray with renewed fervorfor his canonization. Each time I amin the basilica, I will be reminded ofthe fruitfulness of Father McGivney’spriestly service. I have no doubt thathis continued intercession will aid my

service to the Archdiocese of Balti-more and to the Order.

I often think about how God pro-vided for the Church through FatherMcGivney’s ministry. The Order hefounded is a source of great strengthand vitality for the whole Catholiccommunity. Just as Father McGivneyenvisioned, the Church is strength-ened by Knights who live their faith soas to be better husbands, fathers andparishioners that contribute to thecommon good. Just as Father Mc-Givney did not hesitate to address byword and deed the issues confrontingthe Church in his day, so too do the

Knights speak eloquently and force-fully in defending the right to life, thetruth and dignity of the vocation ofmarriage and family life, the priest-hood, and religious liberty.

In the spirit of Father McGivney,the Knights put the Church’s teachingand sacramental graces into action byserving those in need and by helping

the Church to sustain her mis-sion of faith, worship andservice. It is easy to see the vi-sion and the hand of FatherMcGivney in the ways theKnights of Columbus servesthe Church. And any familythat experiences security andpeace of mind because of theOrder’s insurance and finan-cial services also has ourfounder to thank.

LESSONS LEARNEDAlthough Father McGivney lived in anera very different from our own, thereare lessons that we can learn from hisday and age. Around the time of Fa-ther McGivney’s ordination, Arch-bishop Gibbons spoke of the waves ofimmigrants who were building ayoung nation and contributing greatlyto the growth of the Church in theUnited States. The archbishop alsospoke of the God-given freedom thatthe Church enjoyed in the UnitedStates as a condition for its rapidgrowth and increasing strength. Gib-

As Father McGivney envisioned,the Church is strengthened

by Knights who live their faith so as to be better husbands, fathers and parishioners.

In Our Founder’s Footsteps With my new assignment, I will be constantly

reminded of Father McGivney’s mission and our religious heritage

by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop-designate William E. Lori

Offered insolidarity with

Pope Benedict XVI

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bons’ leadership no doubt influencedFather McGivney when he returned toConnecticut. McGivney championedthe cause of immigrants and ably rep-resented the Church’s teaching in civiclife, despite widespread anti-Catholi-cism. He exhibited the same sort ofconfident and prudent leadership thatmarked the Baltimore prelate who or-dained him.

These lessons must not be lost onme as I prepare to serve the Archdio-cese of Baltimore with its diverseCatholic population and as I continueto be involved in the U.S. bishops’ ef-forts to defend religious freedom. AsCatholic leaders and citizens, both

Cardinal Gibbons and Father Mc-Givney were keenly aware that theywere stewards of a precious heritage ofrecognizing and respecting religiousliberty. Archbishop John Carroll, thefirst archbishop of Baltimore and thecousin of Charles Carroll, the onlyCatholic to sign the Declaration of In-dependence, led the way in establish-ing the Catholic Church in a newnation “conceived in liberty.” Living inthe shadow of America’s first cathedralfounded by Archbishop Carroll, I shallbe reminded of this heritage every day.

Now, as I prepare to begin my serv-ice in Baltimore, I ask three favors ofthe Knights of Columbus family:

First, I ask your prayers for the can-onization of Father McGivney. Weowe him much, and one way to ex-press our debt of gratitude is to praydaily that he will soon be raised to thedignity of the altar. Second, pleasepray for religious liberty. How appro-priate for us to pray the rosary for thisimportant cause during the month ofMay. Let us ask Mary to intercede forus as we seek to defend and promotereligious freedom in the United Statesand around the world. Lastly, I ask foryour prayers for me and for my serviceto the Church in Baltimore, and I sin-cerely thank you for truly being “thestrong right arm of the Church!” ♦

HOLY FATHER’SPRAYER INTENTIONS

CATHOLIC MAN OF THE MONTH

Blessed Franz Jagerstatter(1907-1943)

this request was denied. Jailed inMarch 1943, he was sentenced todeath for sedition. He was in constantprayer in jail, reading the Scripturesand reciting the rosary. On Aug. 9,1943, he was beheaded in Berlin.

His consolation was his trust inGod and the promise that he and hisfamily would be reunited in heaven.His widow, Franziska, attended hisbeatification in 2007 and met withPope Benedict XVI the followingyear. — Michael McCarthy writes fromPort Huron, Mich.♦

GENERAL: That initiativeswhich defend and uphold therole of the family may be pro-moted within society.

MISSION: That Mary, Queen ofthe World and Star of Evangeliza-tion, may accompany all mission-aries in proclaiming her Son Jesus.

AS AUSTRIA fell under Nazi con-trol, Franz Jagerstatter was a devotedhusband and father, a peasant farmer,a sacristan and a Third Order Fran-ciscan. He saw how Hitler’s rule wasunjust and that faith in the German“fatherland” was taking the place offaith in God.

Jagerstatter was born in the smallfarming village of St. Radegund nearLinz, Austria, on May 20, 1907. Dueto his parents’ dire poverty, he spenthis early years with his grandmother,who had 13 children of her own. Heloved to learn and was an avid reader.An amiable and popular young man,he also went to dances and pubs andtook part in the region’s annual pas-sion play. He went to Mass regularlyand attended church socials, where hemet his future wife Franziska. Theyhad three daughters and together op-erated a family farm.

Jagerstatter was respected in his vil-lage, but some thought he went too farwith his criticism of the Third Reich.He was the only villager to vote againstthe annexation of Austria and later re-fused a combat role for the Nazis. Heoffered to take a non-violent post, but

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

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WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has ap-pointed Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., asthe new archbishop of Baltimore. The appointment wasannounced in Washington March 20 by Archbishop CarloMaria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop-designate Lori, 60, has been the bishop ofBridgeport since March 2001. In 2005, he was electedsupreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, a post hecontinues to hold. He also serves as chairman of the U.S.bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty. Namedan auxiliary bishop of the Washington Archdiocese in1995, he was ordained to the episcopacy by Blessed JohnPaul II on April 20 of that year.♦

Knights ‘Walk for Life’

in the Philippines

WITH THE MESSAGE “We valuelife,” Filipino Knights and other pro-life advocates participated in simulta-neous “Walk for Life” eventsthroughout the Philippines on March24. The main event in Manila beganwith a Mass celebrated by BishopHonesto F. Ongtioco of Cubao. Tensof thousands of Knights and theirfamily members then joined the sub-sequent pro-life procession. In theVisayas jurisdiction, Knights and theirfamilies took part in three separateevents, including a march in Iloilo,the province’s capital city.

The activities were held in supportof the culture of life and in oppositionto House Bill No. 4244 (also known asthe Reproductive Health Bill, or RHBill), which is being considered by thePhilippines government.♦

Thousands of Knights and their families walkthrough the streets of Manila March 24 in de-fense of life and in peaceful protest to the coun-try’s proposed “RH Bill.”

Supreme Chaplain Appointedto Baltimore Archdiocese

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS

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Martyrs of Christ the King Reliquary Present at Papal Mass in Mexico

A SPECIAL RELIQUARY commissioned by the Knightsof Columbus was present at a Mass celebrated by PopeBenedict XVI in Mexico on Sunday, March 25. It con-tains relics of 25 saints and 13 blesseds — including sixsaints and three blesseds who were members of the Order— who were martyred during the persecution of theCatholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s.

The Mass took place at Expo Bicentenario Park at Cu-bilete Hill, also known as the Mountain of Christ theKing. Located in the state of Guanajuato, the site marksthe geographic center of Mexico and is strongly tied tothe country’s religious history.

The Knights of Columbus in Mexico requested and re-ceived permission from the Mexican bishops responsiblefor preserving and guarding the relics of each martyr soas to display the first-class relics in the reliquary. Arch-bishop José Guadalupe Martín Rabago of León, Mexico,chaplain of Diez de Sollano Council 3566, served as hostof the papal event and allowed the reliquary to be presentat the papal Mass.

During his Angelus address following Mass, Pope Bene-dict said that the martyrs, “in crying out ‘Long live Christ

the King and Mary of Guadalupe,’ bore unyielding witnessof fidelity to the Gospel and devotion to the Church.”

Agustin Parra, of Guadalajara, Mexico, designed thehandcrafted wooden reliquary, which is covered with goldleaf. At its top sits a statue of Christ the King similar tothe bronze statue at the shrine on Cubilete Hill. On thedoors of the reliquary are images of Our Lady ofGuadalupe and of Christ during his passion.

Inside the reliquary, between Salomonic columns withpalm branches weaving around them, are the relics of thesaint martyrs canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.The inside of the doors hold the relics of the blessed mar-tyrs, beatified by Benedict XVI in 2005, and feature themartyrs’ battle cries: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” (Long live Christthe King!) and “¡Viva Santa María de Guadalupe!” (Longlive Holy Mary of Guadalupe!). The martyrs’ names arewritten in dark red to evoke the blood they shed for theirfaith. At the bottom of the reliquary is the Latin phrase“Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat” (Christconquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands).

A pilgrimage of the new reliquary throughout NorthAmerica is currently being planned.♦

State Deputies Gustavo A. Guzmán-Olivas (Mexico Northwest), José D. Hernández-Barbosa (Mexico Central) and Filadelfo Medellín-Ayala (MexicoNortheast) stand with the K of C-commissioned reliquary before the papal Mass celebrated March 25 at Cubilete Hill in Guanajuato, Mexico.

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‘Freedom is Our Lives’A new major motion picture, For Greater Glory,tells the epic, untold story of the Cristero War

and a nation’s quest for religious liberty

by David Naglieri

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Actor Andy Garcia sits astride a black horse amid acres ofscrub brush beneath a blue sky in Durango, Mexico. He is

playing Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, a seasoned Mexican general,before a pivotal battle. The general is in the process of inspectinghis troops, an army on horseback dressed in sombreros and withbandoliers of ammunition strapped across their chests.

“Today we send a messageto Calles, and to the world,”he says. “Freedom is not aword just for writers, politi-cians or fancy documents. Itis our wives, it is our chil-dren, it is our homes, it isour faith, it is our lives. Wemust defend it or die trying— it’s not only our duty, it’sour right! Remember: Menmay fire the bullets, but Goddecides where they land.Viva Cristo Rey!”

The battle they are aboutto face will be one of manyduring the Cristero War, aconflict that lasted from1926 to 1929. This oftenforgotten era of Mexican his-tory is captured in a newfilm comprised of an ensemble of tal-ented and award-winning actors. ForGreater Glory: The True Story of Cristiadaunveils a time when Mexican Chris-tians, in the pursuit of religious free-dom, had to choose between their faithand their lives.

‘REACHING AUDIENCES’For Greater Glory is the brainchild ofMexican producer Pablo José Barroso, a successful businessmanwho began producing a string of small-budget, faith-based filmsfollowing a powerful rediscovery of his faith. Aimed at further-ing Blessed John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization, Barroso’scompany Dos Corazones Films released Guadalupe, a dramaticre-telling of the story of St. Juan Diego, among other projects.

But about four years ago, Barroso began dreaming far bigger.He saw the need to reclaim a period of history that is lost to somany of his countrymen, a time when the infamous “CallesLaw,” which was imposed by Mexican President Plutarco Callesin 1926, enforced draconian restrictions on the CatholicChurch. To tell this story adequately, Barroso sought to breakfrom the small films he had produced in the past and graduate

to a larger production with an A-list cast.“I didn’t want this to look like a very small Mexican movie,”

he said. “I wanted this to be like Braveheart, like Gladiator, goingaround the world and reaching audiences.”

By all appearances, Barroso has achieved his goal. For GreaterGlory is reportedly the biggest budgeted film in Mexican history.

But it wasn’t the film’s fi-nancial largesse — esti-mated at $25 million —that allowed it to attract tal-ent like Garcia, PeterO’Toole and Eva Longoria.Dean Wright, an AcademyAward-nominated visual ef-fects producer for iconicfilms such as Titanic, TheLord of the Rings and TheChronicles of Narnia series,signed on early to make hisdirectorial debut after beingimpressed with the script.And he wasn’t the only per-son who found the storycompelling.

“It just exploded,”Wright recalled, describingthe fevered response to cast-

ing calls. “People were hammering us:‘We want you to see this person. Wewant that person.’”

When it came time to cast the keycharacter of General Gorostieta, though,there was one name that stood out:Cuban-born actor Garcia.

“For Gorostieta, there’s only a handfulof actors that I think could really playthe role the right way,” said Wright.

As Gorostieta, Garcia captures the ambition and ruggedcharisma of a retired military leader who leaves behind his wifeand family to lead the Cristero army. Gorostieta helps transforma disorganized band of outlaws into a force that gains victoryafter victory, despite being outnumbered by federal forces. Andalthough initially skeptical of religion, he is driven by his beliefin religious liberty.

“The first stimulus for me as an actor to be a part of thismovie was the notion of the quest for absolute freedom,” saidGarcia. “Coming from a country where religious freedom wasalso curtailed and abolished, I was very sensitive to that realityand those struggles.”

RECLAIMING HISTORYFor the filmmakers, bringing the dark era of the Cristiada yearsto life was largely motivated by the silence that surrounds it. Asthe story unfolds, the audience witnesses the various ways inwhich committed Catholics responded to their plight. Some,such as Blessed José Anacleto González Flores — who is some-

(Opposite page) Gen. Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Andy Garcia) leadsthe Cristeros into battle in the new film For Greater Glory, whichopens June 1 and tells the true story of the Cristero War in Mexico inthe 1920s. • (Above) Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson visits withAndy Garcia on the film’s set.

“FOR GREATER GLORY . . . IS

‘MUST-SEE’ VIEWING FOR ALL

WHO CARE ABOUT FAITH

AND LIBERTY TODAY.”

SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

times referred to as the “Mexican Gandhi” — favored civil dis-obedience. Others, like Father José Reyes Vega and VictorianoRamírez, known as “El Catorce,” resorted to armed resistance,beginning a grassroots rebellion of Mexican Catholics fromwhich the term “Cristiada” originated.

The history of the Cristero War remains largely unknown,even to Mexicans. Eduardo Verástegui, who portrays GonzálezFlores in the film, experienced this silence first hand.

“When I grew up in Mexico I didn’t know anything aboutthe Cristiada,” he said. “I went to public school; I had neverheard anything about it — until I turned 30 years old and Ilearned of the struggle for religious freedom while on a retreat.”

Wright, likewise, discovered a stark contrast between thosewho knew about the Cristero War and those who didn’t whiletravelling across Mexico during the movie’s pre-productionphase. In cities, he would ask people, “Do you know about theCristero War?” They would respond, “What’s that?” But in thesmall towns and villages, people keep alive the memory of theMexican martyrs and Cristero heroes through fervent devotion.

“I’d go into a church and … there’d be a little shrine for thepriest that had stood up for his flock and had been killed for it,”Wright explained. “It was really moving to see how important

it was throughout the country and also how lost it had become.”Wright and Barroso also sought to create an accurate depic-

tion of the violence carried out against Mexican Catholics. Al-though never gratuitously, the film depicts priests beingexecuted, churches pillaged and worshippers massacred. One ofthe more chilling scenes involves the execution of St. José MaríaRobles Hurtado, a martyred priest and Knight of Columbuswho blessed and forgave his killers in the face of death.

But the film is primarily driven by the journeys of GeneralGorostieta and Joselito, a young boy whose unshakable faithleads him to join with the Cristeros in their struggle for religiousfreedom. Their interwoven stories reveal the impact of a “child-like faith” on a hardened military man.

Based on the life of Blessed José Sánchez del Río, Joselito isplayed with remarkable authenticity by first-time actor MauricioKuri, who holds his own in scenes with both Garcia and O’Toole.

The role of Joselito was also one of the last casting decisionsmade, but according to Wright, it may have been the best. “Ithink for me, it was really important to have someone with thatincredible youthful exuberance and spirit,” Wright says. “But[Kuri] also had this deep faith; he didn’t have to fake any of it.That was really important because José is the soul of the movie.”

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‘NOT ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD MOVIE’Samuel Goldwyn, the legendary movie producer, once quipped,“Pictures are for entertainment; messages should be sent byWestern Union.” Over the years there have been many films thathave proven him wrong by both filling theaters and stirring thesoul. For Greater Glory can be added that eminent list of moviesthat transcend entertainment.

For Barroso, the blood, sweat and tears of the movie-makingexperience is well worth it if For Greater Glory helps reveal whowe are and what is important in our lives, weaving together ahistory that has been buried under decades of fear and denial.

“For me, it’s more than something that happened 80 yearsago,” Barroso said. “This is something that really is the founda-tion not only of Mexico, but I think also of the whole continent.I don’t know what would have happened if these brave peoplehad not stood up for their beliefs.”

Although the film is about specific historical events, thefilmmakers believe that its message about religious freedom isuniversal.

“We live in a time where religious freedom is as tenuous asit’s ever been,” said Wright. “Whether it’s in the United States,the Middle East or Asia, people are standing up and saying, ‘You

can’t do that. I have the right to say what I want, to believe whatI want and to practice that faith.’”

After seeing an advanced screening of the movie, SupremeKnight Carl A. Anderson said, “For Greater Glory is a powerfulfilm that provides a compelling account of a forgotten era of ourcontinent’s history. In celebrating the centrality of religious free-dom and man’s need for God, it tells a story of enduring rele-vance, and is ‘must-see’ viewing for all who care about faith andliberty today.”

Barroso considers the positive feedback that he has receivedso far to be a validation of his core beliefs. “I think I was search-ing for a group of people that really believed in what I was tryingto show the world,” he said. “This is not only another Holly-wood movie; it’s a movie of standing up for what you believe;it’s a … spiritual journey.”For Greater Glory premiered in Mexico on April 20 and

will hit theaters across the United States June 1. Formore information, or to view the film’s trailer, visitforgreaterglory.com.♦

DAVID NAGLIERI is manager of media and research for the Knightsof Columbus Supreme Council.

(Clockwise from top left) Father Vega(Santiago Cabrera) prays at the Cris-teros’ base in the desert. • Father Christo-pher (Peter O’Toole) faces a firing squadcomprised of federal soldiers. • This his-torical photo depicts Father FranciscoVera, a priest from the town of Jalisco,Mexico, standing before a firing squad in1927. Father Vera was arrested and ex-ecuted for secretly celebrating Mass. •Eva Longoria plays Gen. Gorostieta’swife, Tulita. • Anacleto Gonzalez Flores(Eduardo Verástegui) is taken into cus-tody by soldiers.

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On an ordinary January day in 1927, as Yocundo Duránwalked home in Chihuahua, Mexico, he crossed paths

with Federal Gen. Miguel Valle, who was walking out of a localtavern. The general recognized Durán and had one of his sol-diers detain him and ask, “Are you a Knight of Columbus?”

Durán confirmed that he was a Knight and asked whetherthere was any evil in it. Considering this an indictment, Vallepronounced Durán a “subversive Catholic” and ordered himshot on the spot. Durán’s body was later delivered to his familyin a bricklayer’s cart.

Scenes like this were not uncommon in 1920s Mexico, asthe Mexican government led one of the most violent anti-Catholic persecutions in the 20th century. During this period,the Knights of Columbus became a symbol of all thingsCatholic: a hopeful sign to Mexican Catholics and a seditiousorganization in the eyes of government leaders.

PERSECUTION BEGINSJust five years after the first Knights of Columbus council wasestablished in Mexico in 1905, the country was catapulted intoa long period of armed conflict, now called the Mexican Rev-olution. But what started as a fight against the established au-tocratic order evolved into a multi-sided civil war, with eachcompeting faction claiming legitimacy.

Although Catholicism had been a part of Mexico’s historyfor nearly 400 years, the Catholic Church was perceived ashostile toward the revolution, resulting in an unstable and anti-religious social and political environment. A new constitution,which included several anti-clerical articles, was drafted in1917, setting the stage for an era of persecution that lastedmore than two decades.

In April 1917, Mexican bishops living in San Antonio pre-pared a letter of protest, affirming that the new constitution“destroys the most sacred rights of the Catholic Church, ofMexican Society, and of Christian individuals.”

Despite these challenges, the Order in Mexico not only sur-vived this period; it thrived. Membership grew from 400 Knightsin 1918 to almost 6,000 in 51 councils just six years later.

Between 1926 and 1929, an open rebellion took placeagainst the government’s new persecutory laws, which were for-mulated and strictly enforced under Mexican President Plutarco

Elías Calles. Resistance to the “Calles Law” started peacefully,in the form of signed petitions, economic boycotts and demon-strations. But in August 1926, sporadic uprisings sparked thebeginning of the Cristero War, or Cristiada. The rebels tooktheir name from their battle cry: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” (Long LiveChrist the King!). To the Mexican government, this pronounce-ment — often last words of Cristeros before their deaths —was more than a declaration of faith; it was an act of treason.About 70 Mexican Knights were among the Cristeros who diedwhile standing up for their faith.

During this time, the government seized Catholic schoolsand seminaries, expropriated Church property, and outlawedreligious education. It closed Catholic hospitals, orphanagesand homes for the elderly. It also banned monastic orders, ex-pelled foreign-born clergy and prohibited public worship.Priests and nuns were barred from wearing religious garments,from voting, and from criticizing the government or com-menting on public affairs either in writing or in speech. Ifcharged with a violation of the law, they were, like Durán,often denied a trial.

Mexico’s bishops were expelled, and many of the clergy wereexiled for years; those who remained or returned in secret wereforced to work and minister “underground.” Many seminarianswere also exiled to Spain or the United States.

AN ORGANIZED RESPONSEFrom the Order’s establishment in Mexico, Knights were activein starting schools and hospitals and invigorating the spirituallife of parishes. Within the country, the Knights “had a reputa-tion for being both staunchly Catholic and politically and sociallyactive,” notes historian Jean Meyer in his forthcoming book LaCristiada. The Caballeros, as the Knights are known in Spanish-speaking countries, “attracted leaders in society, including doc-tors, lawyers and businessmen, bringing a new dimension, energyand vision to combating the persecution.”

Knights were targeted by the government and many were ex-pelled from their homes, according to Msgr. Ramiro Valdez,

THE UNTOLD STORY of theKNIGHTS during the CRISTIADA

Standing with the Church against anti-clerical laws, Mexican Knights of Columbus endured violent persecution in the 1920s

by María de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda

Mexican Catholics march down San Francisco Ave., Mexico City, in protestagainst the Calles Law in August 1926, shortly after the law took effect.

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executive secretary of the commission that promoted the can-onization of 25 Mexican martyrs, including six Knights ofColumbus.

“In Mexico, [Knights] became the greatest defenders of theChurch and of the Catholic faith,” Msgr. Valdez said. “Buttheir apostolic work also extended to taking care of the immi-grants in the United States who had to leave Mexico becauseof persecution.”

In 1923, a key event took place in the chronology that pre-ceded the Cristero War. The Diocese of León laid the corner-stone for a monument to Christ the King on Cubilete Hill inthe state of Guanajuato. The event — condemned by govern-ment authorities as illegal — was attended by various bishops,as well as Msgr. Ernesto Filippi, the papal nuncio. Two days later,officials expelled Msgr. Filippi, which was the equivalent of ex-pelling a foreign ambassador.

Msgr. Filippi’s expulsion marked a shift in orientation forMexican Knights, who now saw their role as protectors of theclergy and the Church from the government’s oppression. Rec-ognizing an immediate need for all Catholic organizations tocollaborate, then-State Deputy Luis G. Bustos organized the“Pacto de Honor de las Organizaciones Católicas” (“Honor Agree-ment Among Catholic Organizations”) in 1923.

The following year, as part of the National Eucharistic Con-gress, the Knights of Columbus arranged for an all-night vigilof eucharistic adoration at the Basilica of Our Lady ofGuadalupe in Mexico City. But at the last moment, the gov-ernment denied the permits required for the celebration and

shut the event down.With the support of the Order, Bustos joined in founding La

Liga Nacional de la Defensa de la Libertad Religiosa, or the Na-tional League for the Defense of Religious Liberty, in March1925. Over half of the League’s founding members wereKnights, and hundreds of Knights throughout Mexico becameofficers of its centers.

“The Knights’ participation was intrinsic to the formationof the League,” said Msgr. Valdez. “This was a difficult period... and the Knights’ collaboration was fundamental for othergroups like Acción Católica Mexicana, Mexican Catholic Action,in their work of defending the right to religious liberty.”

The Order also funded la Confederación de AgrupacionesCatólicas, a confederation of Catholic groups that established500 regional, municipal and diocesan centers; reorganized hun-dreds of schools and catechist centers; set up 57 labor centers;and supported traveling speakers who presented at conferencesthroughout the country.

LEADING THE CHARGEIn 1926, anti-Catholic pressure increased under PresidentCalles. The Calles Law called for uniform enforcementthroughout the country of the constitution’s anti-clerical arti-cles. It threatened severe sanctions for violators and for govern-ment officials who failed to enforce the law. “As long as I ampresident of the republic, the constitution of 1917 will beobeyed,” Calles vowed, saying that he would not be moved bythe “wailing of sacristans or the groans of the over-pious.”

M A Y 2 0 1 2 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 15

Dr. Patrick Foley, editor emeritus and founder of the journalCatholic Southwest: A Journal of History and Culture, emphasizedthat Knights — both lay members and clergy — led the oppo-sition to this law.

“Many of the Knights were attacked simply because they were… singled out by the government as opponents of the radicalsocialist views of the government,” he explained, adding that theKnights involvement “was seen most prominently in heroic in-dividual actions of Knights, both overt and underground.”

Aware of President Calles’ anti-clerical policies, Pope Pius XIcondemned the “cruel persecution” and “great evils” of the Mex-ican government in his 1926 encyclical, Iniquis Afflictisque. Thepope also highlighted the work of the Order: “First of all we men-tion the Knights of Columbus, an organization which is foundin all states of the Republic and fortunately is made up of activeand industrious members who, because of their zeal in assistingthe Church, have brought great honor upon themselves.”

Although the Knights as an organization did not providesupport to the Cristeros’ military efforts, it remained a targetfor the Mexican government, explains historian Meyer. “TheK of C headquarters in Mexico was attacked, ransacked andits records destroyed. Soon the Knights of Columbus in Mex-ico was forced underground.”

As was the case with Yocundo Durán, simply being a Knightwas considered subversive, since one had to be a practicing

Catholic to join — which revealed public allegiance to theChurch. In August 1926, the New York Morning World pub-lished a questionnaire that the Mexican government gave to allof its employees, whether at the federal, state and municipal lev-els. The first question: “Are you a Knight of Columbus?”

KNIGHTS IN EXILEAt the 1926 Supreme Convention in Philadelphia, SupremeKnight James A. Flaherty denounced the Mexican government’spersecution and condemned the U.S. government’s silence onthe issue.

In Mexico, the initiatives of the Supreme Council did not gounnoticed. At a meeting of the Mexican legislature held Nov.25, 1926, legislators discussed various articles in the Novemberissue of Columbia magazine and cited remarks made at theSupreme Convention. [Ed. Note: To see excerpts from this “con-troversial” issue of Columbia, visit kofc.org/columbia.]

Addressing the assembly and his radio listeners during the leg-islative session, Deputy Alejandro Cerisola accused the Knightsof instigating rebellion and of “antipatriotic activities” to “betraythe country.” He labeled the Catholic clergy and the Knights ofColumbus as enemies and characterized Supreme Knight Fla-herty as “a vile slanderer and vulgar liar.” Cerisola then con-demned the proposals made at the convention, “as it proves thatwe are right in thinking that the Mexican clergy is crazily at-

Cristero soldiers — Mexican freedom fighters who rose up against the anti-Catholic laws — ride with the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Christ theKing. Depicted here is the San Gaspar regiment, led by Cristero officer Manuel Ramírez de Oliva.

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tempting to retake power over the country’s political situation.” The Mexican government also exiled a delegation of Mexican

Knights who had attended the Supreme Convention as “accom-plices of the North American Knights of Columbus.” Like manyCatholic Mexican refugees during this period, the delegationbrought their faith and commitment to their new community,founding Tepeyac Council 2635 in Los Angeles, which re-mained active until 1940.

Likewise, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans immigrated toTexas, and the Knights’ Mexican Fund provided direct assistanceto many of the refugees.

According to Meyer, more than 200,000 people from everysocioeconomic background were killed or martyred by 1930.On May 21, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized 25 martyrs —including six Knights — from the Cristiada period. Thirteenmore Mexican martyrs — including three Knights — were be-

atified in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the Solemnity of Christ theKing on Nov. 20, 2005 (see sidebar).

The future of the Order in Mexico is one of prosperity,growth, and hope. Yet it is its past that gives clarity to its mis-sion. As Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said in March 2011during his visit to the Shrine of Christ the King at Cubilete Hill,the blood of the martyrs “has united forever the Order of theKnights of Columbus with the people and the land of Mexico.The Order’s history is forever linked to the history of this greatnation. And that response — Love God above all things and ourneighbor as we love ourselves — is the only response that wecan give to the King of Kings.”♦

MARÍA DE LOURDES RUIZ SCAPERLANDA is a freelance writerand author living in Norman, Okla. Her books include The Journey: AGuide for the Modern Pilgrim (Loyola Press). See: www.mymaria.net

From left: St. Luis Batis Sáinz, Council 2367, Durango; St. Mateo Correa Magallanes, Council 2140, Zacatecas; St. Miguel de la Mora de laMora, Council 2140, Zacatecas; St. José María Robles Hurtado, Council 1979, Guadalajara; St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, Council 2419,Chihuahua; St. Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán, Council 2330, Guzmán City, Jalisco; Blessed José Trinidad Rangel Montaño, Council 2484, San Felipe,Guanajuato; Blessed Andrés Solá y Molist, Council 1963, Léon, Guanajuato; Blessed Leonardo Pérez Larios, Council 1963, Léon, Guanajuato.

Catholics hanged by the Mexican government along railroad tracks near Zapotlán el Grande (City Guzmán), in Jalisco. The media fallout from this photographwas so negative that President Calles later ordered the Secretary of War to hang people away from the train tracks in the future.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MEXICAN MARTYRS

FATHERS FOR GOOD

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

THE APPEARANCE of the Blessed Virgin Mary to thehumble Mexican layman Juan Diego in 1531 marked one ofthe most significant events in world history and a new mo-ment in Catholic devotion. Millions flocked to view themiraculous image on St. Juan Diego’s tilma, or cloak, whichis now displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupein Mexico City.

It is for good reason that OurLady of Guadalupe is called theEmpress or Patroness of theAmericas. Her appearance re-sulted in the baptism of an esti-mated 8 million indigenouspeople and the establishment of aCatholic culture that undergirdsLatin America to this day. Thisevent changed the course of his-tory, not with war or law or poli-tics, but with these consolingwords: “Am I not here, who amyour Mother? Are you not undermy shadow and protection?”

As we celebrate Mother’s Daythis month, all mothers can drawfrom Mary’s strength, for she is apowerful intercessor, changingboth hearts and history. Althoughgreeting cards and roses are sweetsentiments, and moms receivethem happily, there is much more to motherhood.

Mary, as we know, was meek and humble, but she was alsostrong and active as she fulfilled God’s will. If her Magnificatprayer was printed on a modern Mother’s Day card, peoplewould surely take note: “He has shown might with his arm,dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has throwndown rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly … therich he has sent away empty” (Lk 1:51-53). With these words,Mary says that the incarnation of Jesus will turn the worldupside down, forever changing the historical order. And thisis also what happened with the appearance of Our Lady ofGuadalupe.

With simple words and loving care, Mary chose JuanDiego as her messenger, even as he expressed his own unwor-thiness. Like a good mother, she lifted up her weak “child”

and sent him on a mission he feared — to tell the bishop ofMexico that the Blessed Virgin had a message for him. Sheovercame the bishop’s reluctance with an undeniable miracle.Through strong, feminine insistence, she won the hearts ofall, both the lowly and the mighty alike, bringing them to-gether as only a mother can.

This continues to be the mis-sion of Our Lady of Guadalupe— to gather all the people of ourhemisphere under her lovingcare, not just to dwell in safety,but to set out in united faith,hope and charity within a secu-larized culture that is often hos-tile to the Christian message.This image of Mary is one thatthe Knights of Columbus haschosen to evangelize our culture.Last August, blessed images ofOur Lady of Guadalupe weresent throughout the Order’s ju-risdictions for K of C units andparishes to hold prayer vigils inher name. Later this year, theOrder’s Aug. 5 Guadalupe Festi-val will invite 100,000 peoplefrom various backgrounds in theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseumfor a day of unity, celebration and

prayer. Only a mother could gather so many in this way.On this Mother’s Day, we should remember just how

powerful a mother’s love can be. Our mothers may not pro-duce miraculous images or prophesy as Mary did in herMagnificat, but they live out the Blessed Mother’s missionwhen they work for fairness, justice and peace within theirfamilies and communities. Before God’s “Word becameflesh,” a woman needed to speak her “yes.” In a similar way,mothers have much more power and influence than theysometimes realize — the power to seek the will of God andspeak the truth. We are blessed to honor these mothers morethan one day a year.♦

BRIAN CAULFIELD is the editor of Fathers for Good, an initiativefor men by the Knights of Columbus.

A Mother’s WordsOur Lady of Guadalupe teaches the power and importance of a mother’s love

by Brian Caulfield

Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of an image of OurLady of Guadalupe at Miraflores College in León,Mexico, March 24.

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Living in Nogales in the 1920s, Alfonso de la Torre experi-enced the difference a small change in address could make

— even in the same city. Because Nogales straddled the U.S.-Mexican border, where he lived determined whether going toMass was a protected right or a punishable crime.

The de la Torre family had already endured much from theMexican government’s restriction of religious practice. After thefamily removed anti-Catholic hate-speech posted on churchdoors and helped organize peaceful boycotts, de la Torre was tar-geted personally for protesting, and he and his family had to usepseudonyms to write to each other. De la Torre’s brother, unableto study for the priesthood in Mexico, had to come to theUnited States to complete his studies. And his sister’s boyfrienddied in combat as a Cristero — the name given to the Catholicfreedom fighters, known for their battle cry “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”

Across the border, things were very different. In Nogales,Ariz., de la Torre could practice his faith freely. For the firsttime in many months, he could walk down the street to anopen church for Mass. Nonetheless, he soon became aware thatthe situation in the United States was not perfect. Many Amer-icans adopted a hands-off attitude or showed outright hostilitytoward Mexican refugees. De la Torre expressed his frustrationin a series of satirical cartoons that underscored one of thegreatest hindrances to U.S. support of persecuted Mexicans:public opinion was often unsympathetic to Catholics.

But as de la Torre would find out, not all Americans weresilent. In his family archive today, one can find a Knights ofColumbus pamphlet from when the Order organized one ofthe first, and strongest, U.S. campaigns speaking up for thepersecuted Catholics south of the border. De la Torre himselfbecame a member of the Knights, as his father Ignacio beforehim had been in Aguascalientes, Mexico, before the persecu-tion suppressed K of C meetings and drove his family north.

FACING RELIGIOUS BIASAlthough the U.S. Constitution protects religious freedom,anti-Catholic bigotry was common in the 1920s, and manyU.S. citizens and organizations supported President Calles.

The Ku Klux Klan, in fact, offered its 4 million members assoldiers for the Calles regime should any group or country in-tervene militarily. And in a publication titled “The Knights ofthe Klan vs. the Knights of Columbus,” the Klan ridiculedCatholic and Jewish immigrants as “ignorant, superstitious,

religious devotees” who first needed to be taught “the funda-mental principles of human liberty before we permit furthermasses … to come within our borders.”

At the same time, Margaret Sanger — founder of PlannedParenthood — praised Calles’ campaign against the Church asa strike against intolerance and a step toward making her workeasier: “With the yoke of medievalism thus thrown off we cananticipate a splendid development of the government work forbirth control already begun in Mexico.”

Such hostility toward Catholics made life difficult for manyMexican refugees, and sought to discourage President CalvinCoolidge’s administration from taking a position againstCalles’ anti-clerical policies.

Yet, the Knights — who in four short decades since theOrder’s founding had become outspoken advocates for equalityand religious liberty — were undeterred.

By the early 1920s, the Order had already spoken outagainst laws blocking immigration from Catholic countries;published a series of books on the vital role of African Amer-icans, Jews and German Americans in U.S. history; andhelped fund a successful legal action before the SupremeCourt against a Klan-backed law in Oregon, thereby preserv-ing parents’ rights to direct their children’s education, includ-ing sending them to parochial schools.

Recognizing this new face of religious bias, the Knights werequick to support the persecuted Church south of the border.In August 1926, within days of the Calles Law taking effect inMexico, the Knights’ Supreme Convention passed a resolutionin support of the Church in Mexico. The resolution establishedthe “Million Dollar Mexican Fund,” which raised more than$1 million (the equivalent of nearly $13 million today) for reliefwork and education regarding the situation in Mexico.

Cardinal Dennis J. Dougherty of Philadelphia noticed ef-fects almost immediately, writing in a letter that the MexicanFund had already “aroused the Washington administrationfrom their supine indifference and apathy.”

Supreme Knight James A. Flaherty and a number ofSupreme Officers took the issue to President Coolidge, meet-ing with him to discuss plans to raise public awareness and tourge the use of U.S. influence to end the persecution. Thepresident expressed his appreciation for the Knights of Colum-bus’ education campaign, and “even suggested how it mightbe enlarged,” Flaherty later noted.

THE VOICE for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM KNOWS NO BORDER

In the 1920s, U.S. Knights stood in solidarity with their Mexican brothers for religious freedom

by Maureen Walther and Jennifer Daigle

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SUPPORT AND EDUCATIONTwo areas became central to the Knights’ work: caring for thoseforced out of Mexico and educating Americans about the situ-ation unfolding across the border.

The persecution drove many Mexican Catholics into theUnited States to escape the violence and worship freely. Presi-dent Calles’ policy disbanded monasteries and expelled foreign-born religious, including about 400 priests — amounting to 10percent of all priests in Mexico.

In turn, a significant portion of the Mexican Fund went to-ward aiding these displaced clergy and religious, includingBishop Pascual Díaz y Barreto of Tabasco, a member of the

Order who later became one of the key negotiators for a peaceagreement in Mexico. The Mexican Fund assisted many dis-placed religious through Cardinal Patrick J. Hayes of New York,who received numerous requests for aid.

This work of helping refugees and immigrants was continuedon the local level. In Laredo, Texas, one council supported 15refugee nuns, and the Colorado State Council worked to im-prove Mexican immigrants’ labor conditions through its Mexi-can Welfare Committee.

A significant concern for the Church in Mexico was not onlyhelping current priests, but also providing for seminarians. Fol-lowing a direct request for support from Bishop Díaz, part of

Some of the first religious refugees arrive in New York the day the Calles Law takes effect — Aug. 1, 1926. During the persecution, hundreds of priestsand religious left Mexico in exile. Many were helped by the Knights of Columbus.

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the Mexican fund was used to sponsor 20 Mexican seminariansat St. Philip Seminary in Castroville, Texas.

“A bishop can do without a miter, a crosier and even a cathe-dral, but never without a seminary, because the future of his dio-cese depends on the seminary,” said Bishop Rafael GuízarValencia of Veracruz, Mexico, a Knight of Columbus who op-erated a clandestine seminary in Mexico and was canonized byPope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The international reach of the Order also helped with theMexican Fund’s second focus: public education. In Mexico, themedia was controlled by the government, thus compromisingthe accuracy of the information reaching the United States. Get-

ting factual news about the situation in Mexico was therefore apriority for the Knights.

Members in Mexico gathered first-hand accounts, whichthey sent to their brother Knights north of the border. To safe-guard this process, the Supreme Council founded a specialcommittee of three Knights responsible for facilitating the de-livery of accurate information.Columbia magazine played an important role as well — but

with consequences. Under the editorial leadership of MylesConnolly — who later became an Academy Award-nominatedscriptwriter — the magazine explored various elements of theMexican situation in nearly every issue for several years. Within

A year before the Cristiada, the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated its strength in a march down Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. on Aug. 9, 1925. TheKlan saw a rise in popularity in the 1920s, boasting 4 million members, including many high-ranking public officials, senators, and the mayor of LosAngeles, a major destination for Mexican Catholic refugees.

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months, though, Columbia was banned from the mail in Mexicoby the Calles regime.

Finally, the Knights supported the investigative work of otherjournalists, especially Jesuit Father Wilfrid Parsons of Americamagazine, in order to bring the facts to light. Using the infor-mation gathered, the Order printed and distributed 5 millionpamphlets about the persecutory laws and other aspects of thecrisis. Request for pamphlets came from throughout the UnitedStates and beyond.

A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNRecognizing how the Church was silenced in so many waysin Mexico, the U.S. bishops spoke out in solidarity with theirMexican brethren. Cardinal Hayes enlisted the Knights’ helpfor this, and the K of C presses printed and distributed morethan 2 million copies of the “Pastoral Letter of the CatholicEpiscopate of the United States on the Religious Situation inMexico.”

But the written word was not the only medium pursued.Across the United States and Canada, the Knights sponsoredmore than 700 free lectures, hosted by local councils. Whilesome had as many as 7,000 attendees, the lectures reached mil-lions more by radio.

As one might expect, such strong advocacy became controver-sial. Supporters of Calles distorted facts and increased pressureto suppress not only the Knights’ voice, but the voice of allCatholics urging for something to be done. In Mexico, dissentingvoices were often penalized severely.

In the United States, the Ku Klux Klan blatantly disapprovedof people of faith getting involved. In the previously mentionedbooklet, “The Knights of the Klan vs. the Knights of Colum-bus,” the Klan stated: “In protecting … [the] right to absolutefreedom of worship we find ourselves in the anomalous positionof requiring religious devotees to abstain from religious med-dling in matters of state for their own protection.”

Fortunately, the absurdity of suppressing voices from speak-ing on a matter of religious persecution — simply because theywere religious — was rejected by the Coolidge administration.Coolidge’s ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Morrow, consultedwith and depended upon the diplomatic finesse of both clergyand Catholic laymen, including several Knights of Columbus.Such collaboration produced the negotiations and peace agree-ment that ultimately ended the Cristero War and the worst ofthe persecution. However, the Mexican government did nothonor the agreement and persecution continued, in varying de-grees, for another decade.

Despite the forces aligned against it in the United States, theOrder played an important role in educating the American pub-lic and motivating the U.S. government to be a voice for peaceand religious freedom in Mexico. For the Knights of Columbusin the 1920s and ’30s — as today — the common bond ofCatholic faith, and the common cause of religious freedom, cre-ated a unity that transcended borders.♦

MAUREEN WALTHER and JENNIFER DAIGLE are researchers atthe Knights of Columbus Supreme Council.

A K of C delegation meets with President Calvin Coolidge in 1926 to discuss the issue of religious persecution in Mexico. Pictured left to right are Supreme AdvocateLuke E. Hart, Deputy Supreme Knight Martin Carmody, Supreme Knight James A. Flaherty, President Coolidge, Supreme Secretary William J. McGinley, SupremeDirector William C. Prout, and Assistant Supreme Secretary John Conway. Hart and Carmody each served as supreme knight in the decades that followed.

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In his weekly general audience April 4, Pope Benedict XVI reflectedon the “unforgettable days of joy and hope” that he experienced dur-ing his recent apostolic visit to Mexico and Cuba. The pope madepilgrimages to several spiritual sites, celebrated various liturgies andmet with bishops, government officials, journalists, youth and oth-ers during the March 23-28 journey. It was Benedict’s 23rd apos-tolic visit abroad and third visit to the Western Hemisphere sincebeing elected pope in 2005. Below are selections from his variousaddresses, in which he encouraged and challenged the Church inLatin America. For the full texts, visit vatican.va.

NATURALLY THE CHURCH must always ask if enough isbeing done for social justice on this great continent. This is aquestion of conscience that we must always ask ourselves: whatthe Church can and must do, what she cannot and should notdo? The Church is not a political power, nor a political party,but rather a moral reality, a moral force.

Inasmuch as politics should be a moral reality, on this trackthe Church fundamentally has to do with politics. I repeatwhat I have already said: the Church’s first thought is to edu-cate consciences and thereby to awaken the necessary respon-sibility; to educate consciences both in individual and publicethics. And here, perhaps something is missing. In Latin Amer-ica, and also elsewhere, among many Catholics a certain schiz-ophrenia exists between individual and public morals:personally, in the private sphere, they are Catholics and believ-ers but in public life they follow other trends that do not cor-respond with the great values of the Gospel which arenecessary for the foundation of a just society.

It is therefore necessary to teach people to overcome thisschizophrenia, teaching not only individual morality but alsopublic morality. We try to do this with the Church’s socialteaching because public morality must of course be a reason-able morality, shared and shareable by non-believers too, amorality of reason. — Interview with journalists during flightto Mexico, March 23

I COME AS A PILGRIM of faith, of hope, and of love. Iwish to confirm those who believe in Christ in their faith, bystrengthening and encouraging them to revitalize their faithby listening to the Word of God, celebrating the sacramentsand living coherently. In this way, they will be able to sharetheir faith with others as missionaries to their brothers and sis-ters and to act as a leaven in society, contributing to a respect-ful and peaceful coexistence based on the incomparable dignityof every human being, created by God, which no one has the

right to forget or disregard. This dignity is expressed especiallyin the fundamental right to freedom of religion, in its fullmeaning and integrity. …

Together with faith and hope, the believer in Christ — in-deed the whole Church — lives and practices charity as an es-sential element of mission. In its primary meaning, charity “isfirst of all the simple response to immediate needs and specificsituations” (Deus Caritas Est, 31), as we help those who sufferfrom hunger, lack shelter, or are in need in some way in theirlife. Nobody is excluded on account of their origin or belieffrom this mission of the Church, which does not compete withother private or public initiatives. In fact, the Church willinglyworks with those who pursue the same ends. Nor does she haveany aim other than doing good in an unselfish and respectfulway to those in need, who often lack signs of authentic love.— Welcoming Ceremony Address, Guanajuato International Air-port, Silao, Mexico, March 23

THE DISCIPLE OF JESUS does not respond to evil withevil, but is always an instrument of good instead, a herald ofpardon, a bearer of happiness, a servant of unity. He wishes towrite in each of your lives a story of friendship. Hold on tohim, then, as the best of friends. He will never tire of speakingto those who always love and who do good. This you will hear,if you strive in each moment to be with him who will help youin more difficult situations. — Meeting with Young People atPlaza de la Paz, Guanajuato, Mexico, March 24

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, by coming here I havebeen able to visit the monument to Christ the King situatedon top of the Cubilete. … His kingdom does not stand on thepower of his armies subduing others through force or violence.It rests on a higher power that wins over hearts: the love ofGod that he brought into the world with his sacrifice and thetruth to which he bore witness. … We ask Christ to reign inour hearts, making them pure, docile, filled with hope andcourageous in humility. — Homily during Mass at Expo Bicen-tenario Park, Silao, Mexico, March 25

AT THIS TIME, when so many families are separated orforced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty,corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis ofvalues and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of con-solation, strength and hope. She is the Mother of the true God,who invites us to stay with faith and charity beneath her man-tle, so as to overcome in this way all evil and to establish a

‘A Pilgrim of Faith, Hope and Love’A selection of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s addresses and homilies during his apostolic visit to Mexico and Cuba

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more just and fraternal society.With these sentiments, I place once again this country, all

of Latin America and the Caribbean before the gentle gaze ofOur Lady of Guadalupe. … I now ask that her presence inthis nation may continue to serve as a summons to defenseand respect for human life. May it promote fraternity, settingaside futile acts of revenge and banishing all divisive hatred.— Angelus Address at Expo Bicentenario Park, Silao, Mexico,March 25

THE CATHOLIC FAITH has significantly marked the life,customs and history of this continent, in which many nationsare commemorating the bicentennial of their independence.That was a historical moment in which the name of Christcontinued to shine brightly. That name was brought herethrough the labors of outstanding and self-sacrificing mission-aries who proclaimed it boldly and wisely. They gave their allfor Christ, demonstrating that in him men and women en-counter the truth of their being and the strength needed bothto live fully and to build a truly humane society in accordancewith the will of their Creator. — Homily during celebration ofvespers with bishops of Mexico and Latin America at the Cathe-dral of Our Lady of Light, Léon, Mexico, March 25

GOD HAS ENTRUSTED to the family founded on matri-mony the loftiest mission of being the fundamental cell of so-ciety and an authentic domestic church. With this certainty,you, dear husbands and wives, are called to be, especially foryour children, a real and visible sign of the love of Christ for

the Church. Cuba needs the witness of your fidelity, yourunity, your capacity to welcome human life, especially that ofthe weakest and most needy.

Dear brothers and sisters, before the gaze of Our Lady ofCharity of El Cobre, I appeal to you to reinvigorate your faith,that you may live in Christ and for Christ, and armed withpeace, forgiveness and understanding, that you may strive tobuild a renewed and open society, a better society, one moreworthy of humanity, and which better reflects the goodness ofGod. Amen. — Homily during Mass for the 400th anniversaryof the image of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Plaza AntonioMaceo Square, Santiago de Cuba, Solemnity of the Annunciationof the Lord, March 26

THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM of religion, both in its privateand in its public dimension, manifests the unity of the humanperson, who is at once a citizen and a believer. It also legit-imizes the fact that believers have a contribution to make tothe building up of society. Strengthening religious freedomconsolidates social bonds, nourishes the hope of a better world,creates favorable conditions for peace and harmonious devel-opment, while at the same time establishing solid foundationsfor securing the rights of future generations.

When the Church upholds this human right, she is notclaiming any special privileges for herself. She wishes only tobe faithful to the command of her divine founder, consciousthat, where Christ is present, we become more human and ourhumanity becomes authentic. — Homily during Mass at Plazade la Revolución José Martí, Havana, Cuba, March 28

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass at Bicentennial Park in Silao, Mexico, March 25.

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We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to beboth, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as

Christian disciples and grateful forthe gift of liberty which is ours asAmerican citizens. To be Catholicand American should mean nothaving to choose one over the other.Our allegiances are distinct, butthey need not be contradictory andshould instead be complementary.That is the teaching of our Catholicfaith, which obliges us to work to-gether with fellow citizens for thecommon good of all who live in thisland. That is the vision of ourfounding and our Constitution,which guarantees citizens of all re-ligious faiths the right to contributeto our common life together.

Freedom is not only for Americans,but we think of it as something of ourspecial inheritance, fought for at agreat price, and a heritage to beguarded now. We are stewards of thisgift, not only for ourselves, but for allnations and peoples who yearn to befree. Catholics in America have dis-charged this duty of guarding free-dom admirably for many generations.

In 1887, when the archbishop ofBaltimore, James Gibbons, was made the second American car-dinal, he defended the American heritage of religious libertyduring his visit to Rome to receive the red hat. Speaking of thegreat progress the Catholic Church had made in the UnitedStates, he attributed it to the “civil liberty we enjoy in our en-lightened republic.” Indeed, he made a bolder claim, namelythat “in the genial atmosphere of liberty [the Church] blos-soms like a rose.”

From well before Cardinal Gibbons, Catholics in Americahave been advocates for religious liberty, and the landmarkteaching of the Second Vatican Council on religious liberty wasinfluenced by the American experience. It is among the proudestboasts of the Church on these shores. We have been staunch de-fenders of religious liberty in the past. We have a solemn dutyto discharge that duty today.

We need therefore to speakfrankly with each other when ourfreedoms are threatened. Now issuch a time. As Catholic bishopsand American citizens, we addressan urgent summons to our fellowCatholics and fellow Americans tobe on guard, for religious liberty isunder attack, both at home andabroad.

This has been noticed both nearand far. Pope Benedict XVI recentlyspoke about his worry that religiousliberty in the United States is beingweakened. He called it the “mostcherished of American freedoms” —and indeed it is. All the more reasonto heed the warning of the Holy Fa-ther, a friend of America and an allyin the defense of freedom, in his[Jan. 19] address to American bish-ops: “Of particular concern are cer-tain attempts being made to limitthat most cherished of Americanfreedoms, the freedom of religion.Many of you have pointed out thatconcerted efforts have been made todeny the right of conscientious ob-

jection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions withregard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others havespoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious free-dom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respectfor freedom of conscience.

“Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulateand well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong criticalsense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to

OUR FIRST, MOST CHERISHED LIBERTY

A statement on religious liberty from the U.S. bishops

Freedom is not onlyfor Americans, but we

think of it as somethingof our special inheri-tance, fought for at a

great price, and a heritage to be guardednow. We are stewardsof this gift, not only forourselves, but for allnations and peopleswho yearn to be free.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following statement was published April 12by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee onReligious Liberty, which is chaired by Archbishop-designate William E.Lori of Baltimore, supreme chaplain.

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counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize theChurch’s participation in public debate about the issues whichare determining the future of American society.”

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY UNDER ATTACK — CONCRETE EXAMPLESIs our most cherished freedom truly under threat? Sadly, it is.This is not a theological or legal dispute without real worldconsequences. Consider the following:

• HHS mandate for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs.The mandate of the Department of Health andHuman Services has received wide attention and has been metwith our vigorous and united opposition. In an unprecedentedway, the federal government will force religious institutions tofacilitate and fund a product contrary to their own moral teach-ing and will purport to define which religious institutions are“religious enough” to merit protection of their religious liberty.These features of the “preventive services” mandate amount toan unjust law. As Archbishop-designate William Lori of Balti-more, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Lib-erty, testified to Congress [Feb. 28]: “This is not a matter ofwhether contraception may be prohibited by the government.This is not even a matter of whether contraception may be sup-

ported by the government. Instead, it is a matter of whether re-ligious people and institutions may be forced by the governmentto provide coverage for contraception or sterilization, even ifthat violates their religious beliefs.”

• State immigration laws. Several states have recently passedlaws that forbid what the government deems “harboring” ofundocumented immigrants — and what the Church deemsChristian charity and pastoral care to those immigrants. Per-haps the most egregious of these is in Alabama, where theCatholic bishops, in cooperation with the Episcopal andMethodist bishops of the state, filed suit against the law: “It iswith sadness that we brought this legal action but with a deepsense that we, as people of faith, have no choice but to defendthe right to the free exercise of religion granted to us as citizensof Alabama. ... The law makes illegal the exercise of our Chris-tian religion which we, as citizens of Alabama, have a right tofollow. The law prohibits almost everything which would assistan undocumented immigrant or encourage an undocumentedimmigrant to live in Alabama. This new Alabama law makes itillegal for a Catholic priest to baptize, hear the confession of,celebrate the anointing of the sick with, or preach the word ofGod to an undocumented immigrant. Nor can we encouragethem to attend Mass or give them a ride to Mass. It is illegal to

Catholic students from George Washington University pray the rosary outside the White House March 15 to show support for religious freedom.

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allow them to attend adult scripture study groups or attendCCD or Sunday school classes. It is illegal for the clergy tocounsel them in times of difficulty or in preparation for mar-riage. It is illegal for them to come to Alcoholic Anonymousmeetings or other recovery groups at our churches.” (Arch-bishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Ala., Aug. 1, 2011)

• Altering Church structure and governance. In 2009, the Ju-diciary Committee of the Connecticut Legislature proposed abill that would have forced Catholic parishes to be restructuredaccording to a congregational model, recalling the trusteeismcontroversy of the early 19th century and prefiguring the fed-eral government’s attempts to redefine for the Church “religiousminister” and “religious employer” in the years since.

• Christian students on campus. In its more than 100-year his-tory, the University of California Hastings College of Law hasdenied student organization status to only one group, theChristian Legal Society, because itrequired its leaders to be Christianand to abstain from sexual activityoutside of marriage.

• Catholic foster care and adoptionservices. Boston, San Francisco, theDistrict of Columbia and the stateof Illinois have driven local CatholicCharities out of the business of pro-viding adoption or foster care serv-ices — by revoking their licenses, byending their government contracts,or both — because those charitiesrefused to place children with same-sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabit.

• Discrimination against smallchurch congregations. New York Cityenacted a rule that barred the BronxHousehold of Faith and 60 otherchurches from renting publicschools on weekends for worshipservices even though non-religiousgroups could rent the same schools for scores of other uses.While this would not frequently affect Catholic parishes, whichgenerally own their own buildings, it would be devastating tomany smaller congregations. It is a simple case of discrimina-tion against religious believers.

• Discrimination against Catholic humanitarian services.Notwithstanding years of excellent performance by USCCB’sMigration and Refugee Services in administering contract serv-ices for victims of human trafficking, the federal governmentchanged its contract specifications to require us to provide orrefer for contraceptive and abortion services in violation ofCatholic teaching. Religious institutions should not be dis-qualified from a government contract based on religious belief,and they do not somehow lose their religious identity or libertyupon entering such contracts. And yet a federal court in Mas-

sachusetts, turning religious liberty on its head, has since de-clared that such a disqualification is required by the FirstAmendment — that the government somehow violates reli-gious liberty by allowing Catholic organizations to participatein contracts in a manner consistent with their beliefs on con-traception and abortion.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS MORE THAN FREEDOM OF WORSHIPReligious liberty is not only about our ability to go to Mass onSunday or pray the rosary at home. It is about whether we canmake our contribution to the common good of all Americans.Can we do the good works our faith calls us to do, without hav-ing to compromise that very same faith? Without religious lib-erty properly understood, all Americans suffer, deprived of theessential contribution in education, health care, feeding the

hungry, civil rights and social serv-ices that religious Americans makeevery day, both here at home andoverseas.

What is at stake is whether Amer-ica will continue to have a free, cre-ative and robust civil society — orwhether the state alone will deter-mine who gets to contribute to thecommon good and how they get todo it. Religious believers are part ofAmerican civil society, which in-cludes neighbors helping each other,community associations, fraternalservice clubs, sports leagues andyouth groups. All these Americansmake their contribution to ourcommon life, and they do not needthe permission of the governmentto do so. Restrictions on religiousliberty are an attack on civil societyand the American genius for volun-tary associations.

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of Americaissued a [Jan. 24] statement about the administration’s contra-ception and sterilization mandate that captured exactly the dan-ger that we face: “Most troubling is the administration’sunderlying rationale for its decision, which appears to be a viewthat if a religious entity is not insular, but engaged with broadersociety, it loses its ‘religious’ character and liberties. Many faithsfirmly believe in being open to and engaged with broader soci-ety and fellow citizens of other faiths. The administration’s rul-ing makes the price of such an outward approach the violationof an organization’s religious principles. This is deeply disap-pointing.”

This is not a Catholic issue. This is not a Jewish issue. Thisis not an Orthodox, Mormon, or Muslim issue. It is an Amer-ican issue.

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Religious liberty isnot only about our

ability to go to Mass onSunday or pray therosary at home. It is

about whether we canmake our contributionto the common good

of all Americans.

THE MOST CHERISHED OF AMERICAN FREEDOMSIn 1634, a mix of Catholic and Protestant settlers arrived at St.Clement’s Island in Southern Maryland from England aboardthe Ark and the Dove. They had come at the invitation of theCatholic Lord Baltimore, who had been granted Maryland bythe Protestant King Charles I of England. While Catholics andProtestants were killing each other in Europe, Lord Baltimoreimagined Maryland as a society where people of different faithscould live together peacefully. This vision was soon codified inMaryland’s 1649 Act Concerning Religion (also called the “Tol-eration Act”), which was the first law in our nation’s history toprotect an individual’s right to freedom of conscience.

Maryland’s early history teaches us that, like any freedom, re-ligious liberty requires constant vigilance and protection, or itwill disappear. Maryland’s experiment in religious tolerationended within a few decades. The colony was placed under royalcontrol and the Church of England became the established re-ligion. Discriminatory laws, including the loss of political rights,were enacted against those who refused to conform. Catholicchapels were closed and Catholics were restricted to practicingtheir faith in their homes. The Catholic community lived underthese conditions until the American Revolution.

By the end of the 18th century, our nation’s founders em-braced freedom of religion as an essential condition of a free anddemocratic society. James Madison, often called the Father ofthe Constitution, described conscience as “the most sacred ofall property.” He wrote that “the Religion then of every manmust be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; andit is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate.”George Washington wrote that “the establishment of Civil andReligious Liberty was the Motive that induced me to the fieldof battle.” Thomas Jefferson assured the Ursuline Sisters — whoserved a mostly non-Catholic population by running a hospital,an orphanage and schools in Louisiana since 1727 — that theprinciples of the Constitution were a “sure guarantee” that theirministry would be free “to govern itself according to its own vol-untary rules, without interference from the civil authority.”

It is therefore fitting that when the Bill of Rights was ratified,religious freedom had the distinction of being the First Amend-ment. Religious liberty is indeed the first liberty. The FirstAmendment guarantees that “Congress shall make no law re-specting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free ex-ercise thereof.”

Recently, in a unanimous judgment affirming the importanceof that first freedom, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ofthe United States explained that religious liberty is not just thefirst freedom for Americans; rather it is the first in the historyof democratic freedom, tracing its origins back the first clausesof the Magna Carta of 1215 and beyond. In a telling example,Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. illustrated our history of reli-gious liberty in light of a Catholic issue decided upon by JamesMadison, who guided the Bill of Rights through Congress andis known as the architect of the First Amendment:

“[In 1806] John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the

United States, solicited the executive’s opinion on who shouldbe appointed to direct the affairs of the Catholic Church in theterritory newly acquired by the Louisiana Purchase. After con-sulting with President Jefferson, then-Secretary of State JamesMadison responded that the selection of church ‘functionaries’was an ‘entirely ecclesiastical’ matter left to the Church’s ownjudgment. The ‘scrupulous policy of the Constitution in guard-ing against a political interference with religious affairs,’ Madi-son explained, prevented the Government from rendering anopinion on the ‘selection of ecclesiastical individuals.’”(Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, 2012).

That is our American heritage, our most cherished freedom.It is the first freedom because if we are not free in our conscienceand our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If cit-izens are not free in their own consciences, how can they be freein relation to others or to the state? If our obligations and dutiesto God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by the gov-ernment, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the freeand a beacon of hope for the world.

OUR CHRISTIAN TEACHINGDuring the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s,Americans shone the light of the Gospel on a dark history ofslavery, segregation and racial bigotry. The civil rights movementwas an essentially religious movement, a call to awaken con-sciences, not only an appeal to the Constitution for America tohonor its heritage of liberty.

In his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail in 1963, Rev.Martin Luther King Jr. boldly said, “the goal of America is free-dom.” As a Christian pastor, he argued that to call America tothe full measure of that freedom was the specific contributionChristians are obliged to make. He rooted his legal and consti-tutional arguments about justice in the long Christian tradition:

“I would agree with Saint Augustine that ‘an unjust law is nolaw at all.’ Now what is the difference between the two? Howdoes one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is aman made code that squares with the moral law or the law ofGod. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with themoral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, anunjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law andnatural law.”

It is a sobering thing to contemplate our government enactingan unjust law. An unjust law cannot be obeyed. In the face ofan unjust law, an accommodation is not to be sought, especiallyby resorting to equivocal words and deceptive practices. If weface today the prospect of unjust laws, then Catholics in Amer-ica, in solidarity with our fellow citizens, must have the couragenot to obey them. No American desires this. No Catholic wel-comes it. But if it should fall upon us, we must discharge it as aduty of citizenship and an obligation of faith.

It is essential to understand the distinction between consci-entious objection and an unjust law. Conscientious objectionpermits some relief to those who object to a just law for reasonsof conscience — conscription being the most well-known ex-

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ample. An unjust law is “no law at all.” It cannot be obeyed, andtherefore one does not seek relief from it, but rather its repeal.

The Christian church does not ask for special treatment, sim-ply the right of religious freedom for all citizens. Rev. King alsoexplained that the Church is not the master or the servant ofthe state, but rather its conscience, guide, and critic.

As Catholics, we know that our history has shadows too interms of religious liberty, when we did not extend to others theproper respect for this first freedom. But the teaching of theChurch is absolutely clear about religious liberty:

“The human person has a right to religious freedom. Thisfreedom means that all men are to be immune from coercionon the part of individuals or of social groups and of any humanpower, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a mannercontrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly,whether alone or in association with others, within due limits....This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be rec-ognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governedand thus it is to become a civil right” (Dignitatis Humanae, 2).

As Catholics, we are obliged to defend the right to religiousliberty for ourselves and for others. We are happily joined in thisby our fellow Christians and believers of other faiths.

A [Dec. 21] letter to President Barack Obama from some sixtyreligious leaders, including Christians of many denominationsand Jews, argued that “it is emphatically not only Catholics whodeeply object to the requirement that health plans they purchasemust provide coverage of contraceptives that include some thatare abortifacients.”

More comprehensively, a theologically rich and politicallyprudent declaration from the group Evangelicals and CatholicsTogether made a powerful case for greater vigilance in defenseof religious freedom, precisely as a united witness animated bythe Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their declaration makes it clear thatas Christians of various traditions, we object to a “naked publicsquare” that is stripped of religious arguments and religious be-lievers. We do not seek a “sacred public square” either, whichgives special privileges and benefits to religious citizens. Rather,we seek a civil public square, where all citizens can make theircontribution to the common good. At our best, we might callthis an American public square.

The Lord Jesus came to liberate us from the dominion of sin.Political liberties are one part of that liberation, and religiousliberty is the first of those liberties. Together with our fellowChristians, joined by our Jewish brethren, and in partnershipwith Americans of other religious traditions, we affirm that ourfaith requires us to defend the religious liberty granted us byGod and protected in our Constitution.

MARTYRS AROUND THE WORLDIn this statement, as bishops of the United States, we are ad-dressing ourselves to the situation we find here at home. At thesame time, we are sadly aware that religious liberty in manyother parts of the world is in much greater peril. Our obligationat home is to defend religious liberty robustly, but we cannot

overlook the much graver plight that religious believers, mostof them Christian, face around the world. The age of martyrdomhas not passed. Assassinations, bombings of churches, torchingof orphanages — these are only the most violent attacks Chris-tians have suffered because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Moresystematic denials of basic human rights are found in the lawsof several countries and in acts of persecution by adherents ofother faiths.

If religious liberty is eroded here at home, American defenseof religious liberty abroad is less credible. And one commonthreat, spanning both the international and domestic arenas, isthe tendency to reduce the freedom of religion to the mere free-dom of worship. Therefore, it is our task to strengthen religiousliberty at home, in this and other respects, so that we might de-fend it more vigorously abroad. To that end, American foreignpolicy, as well as the vast international network of Catholic agen-cies, should make the promotion of religious liberty an ongoingand urgent priority.

‘ALL THE ENERGIES THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY CAN MUSTER’What we ask is nothing more than that our God-given right toreligious liberty be respected. We ask nothing less than that theConstitution and laws of the United States, which recognize thatright, be respected.

In insisting that our liberties as Americans be respected, weknow as bishops that what our Holy Father said is true. Thiswork belongs to “an engaged, articulate and well-formedCatholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis thedominant culture.”

As bishops we seek to bring the light of the Gospel to ourpublic life, but the work of politics is properly that of committedand courageous lay Catholics. We exhort them to be both en-gaged and articulate in insisting that as Catholics and as Amer-icans we do not have to choose between the two. There is anurgent need for the lay faithful, in cooperation with Christians,Jews and others, to impress upon our elected representatives theimportance of continued protection of religious liberty in a freesociety.

We address a particular word to those holding public office.It is your noble task to govern for the common good. It doesnot serve the common good to treat the good works of religiousbelievers as a threat to our common life; to the contrary, theyare essential to its proper functioning. It is also your task to pro-tect and defend those fundamental liberties guaranteed by theBill of Rights. This ought not be a partisan issue. The Consti-tution is not for Democrats or Republicans or independents. Itis for all of us, and a great nonpartisan effort should be led byour elected representatives to ensure that it remains so.

We recognize that a special responsibility belongs to thoseCatholics who are responsible for our impressive array of hospi-tals, clinics, universities, colleges, schools, adoption agencies,overseas development projects and social service agencies thatprovide assistance to the poor, the hungry, immigrants and those

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faced with crisis pregnancies. You do the work that the Gospelmandates. It is you who may be forced to choose between thegood works we do by faith and fidelity to that faith. We encour-age you to hold firm, to stand fast and to insist upon what be-longs to you by right as Catholics and Americans. Our countrydeserves the best we have to offer, including our resistance to vi-olations of our first freedom.

To our priests, especially those who have responsibility forparishes, university chaplaincies and high schools, we ask for acatechesis on religious liberty suited to the souls in your care.As bishops we can provide guidance to assist you, but thecourage and zeal for this task cannot be obtained from another— it must be rooted in your ownconcern for your flock and nour-ished by the graces you received atyour ordination.

Catechesis on religious liberty isnot the work of priests alone. TheCatholic Church in America isblessed with an immense number ofwriters, producers, artists, publish-ers, filmmakers and bloggers, em-ploying all the means ofcommunications — both old andnew media — to expound and teachthe faith. They too have a criticalrole in this great struggle for reli-gious liberty. We call upon them touse their skills and talents in defenseof our first freedom.

Finally to our brother bishops, letus exhort each other with fraternalcharity to be bold, clear and insis-tent in warning against threats to therights of our people. Let us attemptto be the “conscience of the state,”to use Rev. King’s words. In the af-termath of the decision on contra-ceptive and sterilization mandates,many spoke out forcefully. As oneexample, the words of one of our most senior brothers [on Jan.20], Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, 35 years a bishop, and recentlyretired after 25 years as archbishop of Los Angeles, provide amodel for us here: “I cannot imagine a more direct and frontalattack on freedom of conscience than this ruling today. This de-cision must be fought against with all the energies the Catholiccommunity can muster.”

A FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOMIn particular, we recommend to our brother bishops that wefocus “all the energies the Catholic community can muster” ina special way this coming summer. As pastors of the flock, ourprivileged task is to lead the Christian faithful in prayer.

Both our civil year and liturgical year point us on various oc-

casions to our heritage of freedom. This year, we propose a spe-cial “fortnight for freedom” in which bishops in their own dio-ceses might arrange special events to highlight the importanceof defending our first freedom. Our Catholic institutions alsocould be encouraged to do the same, especially in cooperationwith other Christians, Jews, people of other faiths and indeedall who wish to defend our most cherished freedom.

We suggest that the fourteen days from June 21 — the vigilof the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More — to July4, Independence Day, be dedicated to this “fortnight for free-dom” — a great hymn of prayer for our country. Our liturgicalcalendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faith-

ful in the face of persecution by po-litical power — St. John Fisher andSt. Thomas More, St. John the Bap-tist, Sts. Peter and Paul, and the FirstMartyrs of the Church of Rome.Culminating on Independence Day,this special period of prayer, study,catechesis and public action wouldemphasize both our Christian andAmerican heritage of liberty. Dioce-ses and parishes around the countrycould choose a date in that periodfor special events that would consti-tute a great national campaign ofteaching and witness for religiousliberty.

In addition to this summer’s ob-servance, we also urge that theSolemnity of Christ the King — afeast born out of resistance to totali-tarian incursions against religiousliberty — be a day specifically em-ployed by bishops and priests topreach about religious liberty, bothhere and abroad.

To all our fellow Catholics, weurge an intensification of yourprayers and fasting for a new birth of

freedom in our beloved country. We invite you to join us in anurgent prayer for religious liberty.♦

ALMIGHTY GOD, Father of all nations,For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1). We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty, the foundationof human rights, justice and the common good. Grant to our leadersthe wisdom to protect and promote our liberties; By your grace maywe have the courage to defend them, for ourselves and for all thosewho live in this blessed land. We ask this through the intercession ofMary Immaculate, our patroness, and in the name of your Son, ourLord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom youlive and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

We suggest that the fourteen

days from June 21 —the vigil of the feastsof St. John Fisher andSt. Thomas More — toJuly 4, IndependenceDay, be dedicated tothis “fortnight for freedom” — a greathymn of prayer for

our country.

30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ M A Y 2 0 1 2

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HELPING THE HELPLESS

Father Edward ShaughnessyCouncil 3884 in Newington,Conn., held a bowling tour-nament that raised $1,000for Help the Helpless, a non-profit organization that sup-ports an orphanage andschool in Southern India thatcares for poor children whoare handicapped.

TILES PLACEDOur Lady of Good CounselCouncil 11636 in Pearl City,Hawaii, replaced the hard-wood floors under the altar atOur Lady of Good CounselChurch with ceramic tile.

OPERATION WELCOME HOME

Fourth Degree Assembliesfrom the Diocese of Baltimorecollected bottles of water,potato chips, cookies andcandy for Operation WelcomeHome, a program that greetssoldiers returning from over-seas deployments. Knights col-lected 2,240 bottles of waterand more than 900 snacks.

MEALS FOR THE HOMELESS

Over a two-month period,St. Peter Council 12319 andSt. Peter Circle 5263, both inWinnipeg, Manitoba, cookedand served chili to the needyat Immaculate Heart of MarySchool. Knights and Squiresprovided food to more than200 families.

A BOUNTIFUL YIELDAfter selling its council hall,St. Michael Council 4501 inLeamington, Ontario, in-vested the funds for futurecharitable projects. After ac-cruing interest for six years,Knights donated a portion ofthe funds — $628,000 — toits parish for use toward theconstruction of a new church.

APPLIANCES RECYCLED

Patuxent Council 2203 inLaurel, Md., sponsors a recy-cling program that raisesmoney for charity. Launchedby Jim Brown, Chris Erdleand Bill Knox, all of whomwork in the HVAC industry,Knights collect old house-hold appliances that they dis-mantle and salvage for coils,

compressors, motors andcopper. These items, in turn,are sold to a local recyclingcenter, and the council usesthe proceeds to fund a num-ber of charitable initiatives.

PRO-LIFE ART SHOWOscar J. Gelpi Council 6872in Picayune, Miss., and itsladies’ auxiliary held a pro-lifeart show titled “Life Is AllAround Us” that raised$5,000 for an area pregnancyresource center. The showfeatured work by 88 artists,all of whom composed theirpieces around the show’stheme. The event also fea-tured raffles and a silent auc-tion, as well as a previewbuffet and an awards night.

VISITATION CHAPELCardinal Muench Council782 in Fargo, N.D., raised$540 for the VisitationChapel, a special chapel ded-icated to the celebration andexposition of the Eucharistand located adjacent to thestate’s only abortion facility.The chapel is not sustainedby diocesan funds, but issupported instead by thecommunity.

KNIGHTS ACTION REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLESIN

Young people monitor their fishing lines during a children’s fishing rodeoco-sponsored by Msgr. James J. Hickey Council 6695 and the City ofBristol, Tenn. More than 165 children, ages 4-12 participated in theevent, with competitors divided into age groups. Winners received trophies,bicycles and DVD players.

Macrino Vargas (left) and ReyBasa of Archbishop Felixberto C.Flores Council 10752 inDededo, Guam, retouch a statueof St. Barbara at their parish.Knights repainted the statue asone of their many service projectsto the church.

COLUMBIA NEEDSYOUR PHOTOS!

Columbia is always inneed of great photos thatshowcase the activities ofyour K of C units. Reportsthat are accompanied bydynamic pictures are alwaysthe first to catch the attentionof the editors. So what doesit take to have your council’spicture published in Co-lumbia magazine? Hereare some tips:

• Photograph people whilethey are involved in anactivity. Do not stop whatpeople are doing to set up aposed shot.

• Wear your Knights ofColumbus gear. If yourmembers have T-shirts,aprons or other itemsprinted with the emblem ofthe Order, encourage them towear these items at all ofyour events.

• Charity is about people.Show readers how you havehelped people through thefunds you worked so hard toraise; do not show them asigned check.

• Send your photos to:columbia@kofc.org

­­PROMOTIONAL & GIFT ITEMS

OFFICIAL MAY 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

ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIALMATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILEDTO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIEDBY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE.PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONSBY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

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.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUB-LISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326.PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED INUSA. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR INPART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CTAND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER:SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBER-SHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT06507-0901.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAILAGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLECANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIOL4K 4P3

PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASSMAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RE-TURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DE-PARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

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New Haven, CT 06519-1759PHONE: 203-752-4216 or 203-752-4425

FAX: 1-800-266-6340All prices in U.S. currency — No C.O.D.

Products available in the U.S. and Canada only

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DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER

CREDIT CARD BILLING ADDRESSq CHECK IF SAME AS SHIPPING ADDRESS

NAME

STREET

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Expiration Date: Month Year

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M A Y 2 0 1 2 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 31

B.

VALUATION EXHIBIT OFTHE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

In compliance with the requirements of the laws of the various states, we pub-lish below a Valuation Exhibit of the Knights of Columbus as of Dec. 31,2011. The law requires that this publication shall be made of the results ofthe valuation with explanation as filed with the insurance departments.

ASSETS — Actual and Contingent1. Admitted Assets of the General Account Fund, item 26, page 2 of Annual Statement: $18,026,582,008

LIABILITIES — Actual and Contingent2. Old System Reserve — including additional reserve: $ 1,210,6573. New System Reserve — including D.I. and Dis. W.

(net of reins): $ 10,343,412,401 4. Reserve for accident and health certificates: $ 196,585,0155. Total per item 1 and 2, page 3 of Annual Statement: $ 10,541,208,0736. Deduct liens and interest thereon, not included in Admitted Assets,

and not in excess of required reserves on the corresponding individual certificates: None

7. Balance — Item 5 less item 6 above: $ 10,541,208,0738. Liabilities of the General Account Fund, except reserve

(items 3 to 22 incl. page 3 of Annual Statement): $ 5,769,574,3759. Liabilities — Actual and Contingent — sum of

items 7 and 8 above: $16,310,782,44810. Ratio percent of Dec. 31, 2011 — 110.52%

Assets — Actual and Dec. 31, 2010 — 111.43%Contingent (Item 1) Dec. 31, 2009 — 111.85%to liabilities — Actual Dec. 31, 2008 — 113.02%and Contingent (Item 9) Dec. 31, 2007 — 114.28%

EXPLANATIONThe above valuation indicates that, on a basis of the A.E., A.M. (5), 1941C.S.O., 1958 C.S.O., 1980 C.S.O., 2001 C.S.O., 1937 S.A., 1971 IndividualAnnuity Table, Annuity 2000 Table and 1983 “a” Tables of Mortality with in-terest at 9%, 8.75%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4.5%, 4%, 3.75%, 3.5%, 3%, 2.5%,the future assessments of the society, at the net rate now being collected, togetherwith the now invested assets of the General Account Fund are sufficient to meetall certificates as they mature by their terms, with a margin of safety of$1,715,799,560 (or 10.52%) over the above statutory standards. STATE OF: Connecticut COUNTY OF: New Haven The officers of this reporting entity, being duly sworn, each depose andsay that they are the described officers of the said reporting entity, and that onthe reporting period stated above, all of the herein described assets were theabsolute property of the said reporting entity, free and clear from any liens orclaims thereon, except as herein stated, and that this statement, together withrelated exhibits, schedules and explanations therein contained, annexed or re-ferred to, is a full and true statement of all the assets and liabilities and of thecondition and affairs of the said reporting entity as of the reporting periodstated above, and of its income and deductions therefrom for the period ended,and have been completed in accordance with the NAIC annual statement in-structions and accounting practices and procedure manual except to the extentthat: (1) state law may differ; or, (2) that state rules or regulations require dif-ferences in reporting not related to accounting practices and procedures, ac-cording to the best of their information, knowledge and belief, respectively.Furthermore, the scope of this attesta-tion by the described officers also in-cludes the related corresponding electronic filing with the NAIC, when re-quired, that is an exact copy (except for formatting differences due to electronicfiling) of the enclosed statement. The electronic filing may be requested by var-ious regulators in lieu of or in addition to the enclosed statement. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 15th day of February 2012. ELIZABETH A. HUGHES Notary Public

CARL A. ANDERSON, President CHARLES E. MAURER JR., Secretary LOGAN T. LUDWIG, Treasurer SEAL

SS.

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B.Columbia® Fishing Vest. Henry’s Fork™ III vest made from 60% cotton/40% polyester poplinwith nylon/elastine mesh collar. Features zip front, six front pockets with hook-and-loop closures,four large lower pockets with zip closure, two pigtail clip retractors, rod holder, removable sherpa flykeeper and utility D-ring for attaching gear on back. Embroidered with “Knights of Columbus” onleft breast. Available in: M (PG-575), L (PG-576), XL (PG-577) and XXL (PG-578) — $70

C. NEW! Titleist DT SoLo Golf Balls. Enjoy the ultimate combination of distance and soft com-pression feel. Imprinted with full color emblem of the Order. PG-428 — $27 (dozen)

C.

A.

A LOADER LIFTS a broken tree intothe back of a dump truck at the homeof a disabled Knight during a cleanupproject that was sponsored by Christthe King Council 12256 in Nashville,Tenn. In addition to not being able tocare for his lawn because of healthproblems, part of the council mem-ber’s property became inaccessible fol-lowing the 2010 Nashville flood.Knights cleared access to the fallentrees, while another council memberdonated use of heavy equipment to re-move the debris.

Fraternity

Charity

CHILDREN FROM low-incomefamilies sort through donated coatsand outerwear during a winter coatdrive co-sponsored by Christ the KingCouncil 3419 in Mesa, Ariz., and thestudent council at Christ the King El-ementary School. By soliciting dona-tions from area residents andorganizations, Knights and studentscollected more than 500 clothingitems, which were distributed by vol-unteers at the school.

Patriotism

FOURTH DEGREE KNIGHTSlook on as Special Olympics AthleteJack Hansen (center) receives a U.S.flag for the new Special OlympicsIdaho Athlete Training Center. At therequest of Special Olympics, sevenFourth Degree assemblies fromsouthwest Idaho donated $650 topurchase a flagpole for the facility,which serves as the organization’s newheadquarters and a state-of-the-arttraining facility.

Unity

STEVE BOOTHE (left) unloads aplatter of steamed crabs as Robert D.Pittman of Edward Douglass WhiteCouncil 2473 in Arlington, Va.,arranges the seafood at a council-sponsored crab feast. Knights fed ap-proximately 200 people at the event,which was open to all ages. • At the request of their pastor, mem-bers of Father Butler Council 968 andFather Stephen T. Badin Circle 5495,both in Hamilton, Ohio, volunteeredalongside parishioners to landscapethe Marian grotto at St. Peter Church.

UNITY: Gerald Martineau/T

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

Maria Columbo (left) and Chris Sorgenfrei,students at Holy Name School in SatelliteBeach, Fla., use special glasses to view athree-dimensional projection of the solar sys-tem. Bishop Verot Council 5845 in SatelliteBeach sponsored a golf tournament thatraised $31,000 for the school to purchasenew technology for its classrooms, includinga 3-D projector and video camera.

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.

M A Y 2 0 1 2 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦ 33

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

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‘I DISCOVEREDTHE BEAUTY AND

AWE OF THEPRIESTHOOD’

I have wanted to be a priest since I was 12 yearsold. I grew up in a family that went to Massevery Sunday and was always intrigued by myparish priests. After my confirmation, I workedin the rectory answering phones and was a week-end sacristan. During those years, I discoveredthe beauty and awe of the priesthood.I was amazed at how my parish priest was

able to do so much in one day and still keephis vigor. As I approach my second year as apriest, especially on days when I have threeMasses with other duties in between, I thinkof how God has called me to this vocation andgives me the endurance and strength to serve. Though the prayers and financial support of

the Knights of Columbus, I was able to perse-vere in my seminary studies. With the supportof my family and friends, I ascended the altarof God as a priest. And for the past two years,I have tried to bring the love and mercy of JesusChrist to his holy people.

FATHER ALONZO COXDiocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.

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

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

PM40063106

Pho

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‘I DISCOVEREDTHE BEAUTY AND

AWE OF THEPRIESTHOOD’

I have wanted to be a priest since I was 12 yearsold. I grew up in a family that went to Massevery Sunday and was always intrigued by myparish priests. After my confirmation, I workedin the rectory answering phones and was a week-end sacristan. During those years, I discoveredthe beauty and awe of the priesthood.I was amazed at how my parish priest was

able to do so much in one day and still keephis vigor. As I approach my second year as apriest, especially on days when I have threeMasses with other duties in between, I thinkof how God has called me to this vocation andgives me the endurance and strength to serve. Though the prayers and financial support of

the Knights of Columbus, I was able to perse-vere in my seminary studies. With the supportof my family and friends, I ascended the altarof God as a priest. And for the past two years,I have tried to bring the love and mercy of JesusChrist to his holy people.

FATHER ALONZO COXDiocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.