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In Solidarity with Our Bishops and PriestsIn Solidarity with Our Bishops and Priests

COLUMBIAOCTOBER 2009

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSOCTOBER 2009

COLUMBIA

The 76 Knights of Columbus agents listed below are not just leaders of our field force.They are among the elite in the insurance industry. Their tireless efforts serving the Orderand its members in fulfillment of Father Michael J. McGivney’s vision have earned themmembership in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). MDRT is an international or-ganization that recognizes the top one percent of financial professionals. MDRT providesresources for members to expand their technical knowledge, increase productivity, enrichclient services and maintain the highest ethical standards. We salute these men for theirdevotion to making a difference for life.

Robert Abbate — Virginia Beach, VirginiaPierre Albert — Hearst, OntarioRandall Atkins — North Fort Myers, FloridaBen Baca — Whittier, CaliforniaLouis Baca — Whittier, CaliforniaJeremie Bornais — Windsor, OntarioDaniel Bouchard — Camrose, AlbertaMartin Bourgeois — Timmins, OntarioNeil Bouvier — Edmonton, AlbertaTodd Cabral — Reno, NevadaRobert Callaway — Laurel, MarylandRobert Canter Jr. — Upper Marlboro, MarylandQuintin Chausse — Caledonia, OntarioWayne Cherney — Devils Lake, North DakotaTimothy Coskren — Walpole, MassachusettsThaddeus Czarny — Clinton Township, MichiganJustin Deges — Ellis, KansasJohn DiCalogero — East Walpole, MassachusettsMarvin Doerhoff — St. Peters, MissouriDaniel Duval — Garson, OntarioFrederick Flynn — Kippens, NewfoundlandPerry Gaudet — Bellevue, SaskatchewanJames Grabinski — Walden, New YorkBrian Graham — Kensington, MarylandMark Hedge — Butler, OhioFrancisco Hernandez — Floral Park, New YorkLarry Hoelscher — Jefferson City, MissouriThomas Holtz — Fort Worth, TexasDavid Imbriani — Monroe Township, New JerseyJoe Jackson — Denver, ColoradoAaron Jelinek — Prior Lake, MinnesotaDennis Kelly — New Carlisle, OhioDouglas Kelly — Omaha, NebraskaDonald Kucharek — Gaylord, MichiganPaul Lalonde — Virgil, OntarioChuck Larter — Spencerville, OntarioRichard Lesak — Wharton, TexasWilliam Lewchuk — Calgary, Alberta

Leo Lowdermilk — Richmond, TexasArthur Luna — Hesperia, CaliforniaChristopher Mahoney — North Port, FloridaMichael McDonough — North Port, FloridaMichael McGranahan — Fullerton, CaliforniaLawrence Messer — Westminster, MarylandGregory Miskiman — Calgary, AlbertaMichael Mulvena — Bonnyville, AlbertaMichel Myre — London, OntarioEdward O'Keefe — Abingdon, MarylandEric Otteman — Midland, TexasSteven Owens — Garden Grove, CaliforniaKevin Paish — St. Albert, AlbertaKevin Patterson — Grand Blanc, MichiganNeil Pfeifer — Norfolk, NebraskaVincent Polis — Lewiston, IdahoMatthew Poulin — Bow, New HampshireKeith Praski — Angola, IndianaDaniel Reed — Garden City, KansasBobby Renaud — Sudbury, OntarioLuke Rennie — Apple Valley, MinnesotaSonny Sangemino — Kanata, OntarioWilliam Schneider — Cortlandt Manor, New YorkJames Seideman — Lubbock, TexasThomas Sitzmann — Pueblo, ColoradoDavid Soukup — Leavenworth, KansasPhillip Stackowicz — South Bend, IndianaLeroy Stoecker — Houston, TexasDouglas Supak — La Grange, TexasJody Supak — La Grange, TexasAnthony Swanson — Hastings, NebraskaAnatole Tastet — Washington, LouisianaSteven Toebben — Jefferson City, MissouriSergio Urrutia — Leesburg, FloridaDavid Vanasse — Alfred, MaineJames Walton — Waldport, OregonHamilton Wiltshire — Scarborough, OntarioJoseph Wolf — Harker Heights, Texas

A t T h i s Ta b l e . . . E x c e l l e n c e i s D e f i n e d

To identify your professional Knights of Columbus agent, visit“Find an Agent” at www.kofc.org or call 1-800-345-KOFC.

Agents Earn Highest Professional Honor

A++ (Superior) A.M. Best AAA (Extremely Strong) Standard & Poor’s IMSA Certified

2009

Papal GreetingsA papal message to the Supreme Convention

was delivered in a letter from Vatican Secretary

of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

We Stand with Peter127th Supreme Convention underscored the

Order’s solidarity with bishops and priests.

Leading by ExampleSupreme Knight’s Award Session honored top

families, volunteers, recruiters and agents.

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Report of the Supreme KnightIn his report to the 127th Supreme Convention,

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson highlighted the

Order’s contributions to the Church and society.

Above: The Supreme Officers and Board of Directors ofthe Knights of Columbus at the 127th Supreme Con-vention in Phoenix.

Editor’s Note: The first International Marian Congressdedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe and GuadalupeFestival, which were held following the convention, willbe featured in the November issue of Columbia.

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COLUMBIA

OCTOBER 2 0 0 9 ♦ COLUMB I A ♦ 1

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

COLUMBIAPUBLISHER

Knights of Columbus________

SUPREME OFFICERSCarl A. AndersonSUPREME KNIGHT

Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D.SUPREME CHAPLAIN

Dennis A. SavoieDEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT

Donald R. KehoeSUPREME SECRETARY

John “Jack” W. O’Reilly Jr.SUPREME TREASURER

John A. MarrellaSUPREME ADVOCATE

________

EDITORIALAlton J. Pelowski

[email protected] EDITORPatrick Scalisi

[email protected] EDITOR

________

GRAPHICSLee RaderDESIGN

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

Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us.

________

HOW TO REACH USMAIL

COLUMBIA1 Columbus Plaza

New Haven, CT 06510-3326PHONE

203-452-4398FAX

203-452-4109E-MAIL

[email protected]

www.kofc.org/columbiaCUSTOMER SERVICE

1-800-380-9995________

MOVING?Notify your local council. Send your new address and mailing label to:

Knights of ColumbusMembership Records

PO Box 1670 New Haven, CT 06507-0901

________

Copyright © 2009All rights reserved

________

ON THE COVERThe dome of St. Peter's Basilica as seen from the VaticanGardens

Editor’s Note: A papal message to the 127th SupremeConvention was delivered in the following letter fromVatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI waspleased to learn that on 4-6 August 2009the 127th annual Supreme Conventionof the Knights of Columbus will be heldin Phoenix, Arizona. He has asked me toconvey his warm personal greetings toall in attendance, together with hisprayerful good wishes for the occasion.

His Holiness ispleased to see inthe theme of thisyear’s Convention— “We Stand withPeter in Solidaritywith Our Bishopsand Priests” — atimely reminderof the importanceof a united andclear testimony tothe Gospel on thepart of all the baptized, based on com-munion in the apostolic faith and mem-bership in the one Body of Christ whichis the Church. During his Pastoral Visitto the United States last year, he held upthis “unity of vision and purpose” asthe secret of the growth of the Churchin America (Homily in Saint Patrick’s Cathe-dral, 19 April 2008) and an indispensa-ble element of the new evangelization.The Church is called to speak out witha unified voice not only in presentingthe Christian message as the good newsof salvation for all people, but also inworking to renew and transform societyby defending those unchanging moraltruths inscribed on our hearts by theCreator (cf. Rom 1:19-20), discernible

A Unified VoicePapal Greetings to the

127th Supreme Convention

to right reason and essential to thebuilding of a just, free and humane so-ciety. At a time of growing ethical con-fusion, and in the light of new andgrave assaults on the right to life and thefundamental institutions of marriageand family, the Church’s prophetic wit-ness to those truths is ever more ur-gently needed as a genuine service tothe common good. For this reason theHoly Father encourages the praisewor-thy efforts of the Knights to promote

knowledge of therich body of theChurch’s socialteaching, and, inunion with theBishops as “au-thentic teachersof the faith”(Lumen Gentium,25), to let thatteaching shapeand direct theirpersonal lives,

their institutional decisions and theirengagement in the life of society atevery level. He likewise trusts that, as arespected and articulate voice of theCatholic faithful, the Knights of Colum-bus will continue to defend that teach-ing through reasoned argument andresponsible participation in civic andpolitical life.

In his recent social Encyclical Caritasin Veritate, His Holiness, following thetradition of his predecessors, pointed tothe intrinsic relationship between truth,love and justice in the Christian vision.It is in love, as free self-gift, that wecome to discover the deepest truthabout ourselves and are inspired towork for the true good of the human

“As a respected and articulate voice of theCatholic faithful, the

Knights of Columbus willcontinue to defend

[the Church’s] teaching.”

PAPAL GREETINGS

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family, and indeed, for that supremehuman good which is our eternal des-tiny in the divine plan. Grounded in herexperience of God’s empowering love,the Church is convinced that “justice isthe primary way of charity” (op. cit., 6)and an essential part of her mission ofdrawing all men and women to the full-ness of life and truth in Christ. TheKnights of Columbus, founded as a fra-ternal and charitable association ofCatholic laymen, have long reflected thisessential union between charity and jus-tice in their outstanding traditions ofvolunteer work in the service of others,especially those in greatest material andspiritual need. The Holy Father thus of-fers prayerful good wishes for the Yearof the Volunteer which your Order ispresently celebrating, and he encour-ages the Knights, in the vast network oftheir local councils, to renew their zealfor charitable works, as a tangible ex-pression of “the faith that expresses it-

self through love” (Gal 5:6) and directsall human activity to its ultimate fulfill-ment in the Kingdom of God.

On June 19 last, the Solemnity of theSacred Heart of Jesus, His Holiness in-augurated a Year for Priests, inviting thewhole Church to contemplate anew themystery and gift of the priesthood.With deep appreciation for theunswerving commitment of theKnights to promoting priestly andreligious vocations worldwide, heappeals to all the members of yourOrder to celebrate this Year by prayingfervently for an increase in vocations,supporting priests in their sublime anddemanding ministry, and encouragingyoung men to be generous and open tothe Lord’s call. During this Year mayevery Knight reflect with gratitude onthe immense harvest of good reaped asa result of the pastoral vision and apos-tolic zeal of outstanding parish priestslike the Servant of God Father Michael

McGivney and the Curé of Ars, SaintJohn Mary Vianney, and pray that ourLord will continue to raise up new gen-erations of shepherds after his ownheart (cf. Jer 3:15). Echoing a constantconcern of the saintly Curé, the HolyFather likewise asks the Knights, in theirfamilies and in their local Councils, tolay great emphasis on helping youngpeople “to pray, and to pray well,” forhe is convinced that “young people, ifthey know how to pray, can be trustedto know what to do with God’s call”(Address to the United States Bishops, Washing-ton, 16 April 2008).

With these sentiments and with greataffection in the Lord, His Holiness com-mends all assembled in Phoenix to theloving intercession of Mary, Mother ofthe Church. To the members of theSupreme Council, and to all the Knightsand their families, he cordially impartshis Apostolic Blessing as a pledge ofabundant heavenly graces.♦

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PeterIn his annual report, delivered Aug. 4 at the 127th Supreme Con-

vention in Phoenix, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson emphasizedthe Order’s solidarity with the Holy Father and the clergy, as well asits commitment to the defense of life, marriage and the family.

Delivered before more than 1,000 delegates and their families,who attended as guests, in addition to a live TV and radioaudience, the Supreme Knight’s Report also outlined the wide-ranging charitable reach of the Knights of Columbus and thestrength of its financial operations.

The Order had a record-breaking year with regard to charity,membership and the financial security it provides to members andtheir families. In 2008, Knights donated more than $150 millionto charities and volunteered 68.8 million hours to their parishesand communities. At the same time, membership grew for the 38thconsecutive year, and life insurance in force exceeded $72 billion.(The full text of the Supreme Knight’s Report begins on page 12.)

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix celebrated the convention’sopening Mass, which marked the 150th anniversary of the death ofthe Curé of Ars, St. John Vianney, who is patron of priests. Two relics

127th Supreme Convention underscoresOrder’s solidarity with bishops and priests

1. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York interviews Supreme Knight Carl A.Anderson on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.2. Knights exchange pins with Bishop Plácido Rodriguez of Lubbock, Texas.3. Supreme Knight Anderson addresses delegates at a business meeting.4. The supreme knight addresses a meeting of K of C chaplains, Aug. 3.5. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick (center), archbishop emeritus of Washington, talkswith Past Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant and His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis, majorarchbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in India. 6. A Fourth Degree honor guard leads the procession for the convention’s opening Mass.7. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix celebrates the opening Mass.

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of the saint were present at the Mass, which was concelebrated byseven cardinals, approximately 60 bishops and more than 60 priests.

Bishop Olmsted said the liturgy provided an occasion to givethanks to God for the priesthood and for the gift of the holyEucharist, noting that the vision of Venerable Michael McGivney,the Order’s founder, has been responsible for untold good.

Words of greeting and gratitude from Pope Benedict XVI wereconveyed through a letter from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vaticansecretary of state, who was an honored guest at the 125th SupremeConvention in Nashville two years ago. Cardinal William J. Levadaread the letter to those in attendance at the opening business session.(The text begins on page 2.)

A special guest at this year’s convention, Cardinal Levada is pre-fect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith —a position previously held by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger beforehis election as pope in 2005.

In his keynote address at the States Dinner, Cardinal Francis E.George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, thanked Knights for their continued commitment to theOrder’s principles. “In promoting the goals of charity, unity, fra-ternity and patriotism,” he said, “and fostering dedicated Catholicfaith, strong family life and active involvement in the community,

1. Supreme Knight Anderson delivers his annual report.2. Mexican Chinelos dancers perform during the Supreme Convention. 3. Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, delivers the keynote address at the States Dinner.4-7. Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, president of the Canadian Conference of CatholicBishops; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver; Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master ofthe Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; and Archbishop Henry J. Mansellof Hartford, Conn., were among the members of the hierarchy who addressed delegates.8. Javier G. Nájera Cabrales of Mexico delivers remarks upon retiring from the K of CBoard of Directors.9. The supreme knight addresses the Canadian Association meeting.10. Delegates voice their support for convention resolutions. 11. Bishop Angel N. Lagdameo of Jaro, Luzon, president of the Cathoilc Bishops’ Conferenceof the Philippines, speaks at the the States Dinner. 12. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington talks with Deputy Supreme KnightDennis A. Savoie.13. Supreme Advocate John A. Marrella reads proposed resolutions during the closingbusiness session.14. Delegates examine the proposed resolutions.15. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix walks in the closing procession after celebrating Mass.

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your witness and service make a tremendous difference in ourChurch and our world — and we are grateful.”

On Aug. 5, Cardinal Levada delivered a homily to convention del-egates during a concelebrated Mass. In societies that are becomingmore secular and technological, material wealth “can blind peopleto our utter dependence on God, and the need to seek to do hiswill first and always,” he noted. “The cost of discipleship” involvesbearing witness to spiritual realities and unpopular truths, even ifit means being targets within the culture, he added.

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori celebrated the annualmemorial Mass the following day, on the feast of the Transfigura-tion. The Mass, celebrated in remembrance of deceased Knights,included a procession of the relics of the Knights of ColumbusMexican Martyrs and St. Rafael Guízar Valencia.

At the closing business session, delegates approved a numberof resolutions that reaffirmed the Order’s commitment to buildup the Church and to promote her teachings. Just as Andersonstated in his annual report that authentic health care reform mustexclude abortion and euthanasia, delegates adopted a resolutionon “Defending the Right to Life” that reaffirmed the Order’s un-conditional support for the right to life of every human beingand called on legislators to protect conscience rights of medicalprofessionals. Other resolutions included “Marian Devotion,”“Building a Culture of Life,” “Support for Marriage,” “The Im-pact of Violence and Pornography” and “Patriotism.”

More coverage of the Supreme Convention, including videos,photos and texts, can be found at www.kofc.org/convention.♦

1-3. Delegations representing Poland, the Philippines and Cuba wave their national flagsduring the States Dinner, Aug. 4.4. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and primate of Canada, shakes handswith Supreme Knight Anderson after delivering remarks at the States Dinner.5. Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., celebrates the Knightsof Columbus Memorial Mass, Aug. 6.6. Arizona State Deputy Herbert J. Maddock presents an image of the Holy Family tothe supreme knight.7. The choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception inWashington, D.C., sings during a convention liturgy.8. Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,delivers the homily for the the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.9. A chaplain holds a Knights of Columbus prayer book.10. The relics of the six Knights of Columbus Mexican Martyrs and a relic of St. RafaelGuízar Valencia, a bishop of Mexico, are shown at the memorial Mass.

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Leading by ExampleSupreme Knight’s Award Session honors top families,

volunteers, recruiters and agents

and their communities. International Service Program Awards weregiven for programs that have responded to the needs of their localcommunities in exemplary ways. The grand knights and wives fromthe first-place councils were invited to the convention as guests ofthe Order’s Board of Directors.

CHURCH SERVICE AWARDIn the 1960s, St. Joseph’s Parish in Lino Lakes, Minn., built a new,larger church, and the old one, which had been built in 1897, fellinto disrepair during four decades of neglect. In 2004, St. Joseph’sof Lino Lakes Council 9905 established a “Save Old St. Joe’s Com-mittee” and began to lay plans for restoration of the old church.

Soon, a plan that relied heavily on volunteer labor and donatedmaterials took shape. Council leaders organized a wide variety ofprojects, including gutting and replacing interior drywall, puttingup a new roof, refurbishing the pews, and much more. More than40 Knights, wives, friends, parishioners and community volunteerscompleted the project over a three-and-a-half-year period and forless than $150,000. Six of the volunteers were even inspired to jointhe Order. Today, Old St. Joe’s has come back to life and is beingused for small weddings, daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

International Family of the Year, Leland and Mary Ann Vetter, and their children— Marie, Diana, Thomas, Steven, Benjamin, Nicholas, Andrew, Paul, Kathleenand Alexis — stand with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and his wife,Dorian, and Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn.

The 2009 Knights of Columbus International Family of the Yeargives real meaning to the phrase, “In Service to One, In Service

to All.” Leland and Mary Ann Vetter — along with their 10 children,ages from 2 to 27 — have compiled a remarkable record of service.

Leland has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 33years and has served in every officer role at Msgr. Fred J. KimmetCouncil 6623 in Torrington, Wyo. He has been the Tootsie Roll chair-man for 20 years and a bingo volunteer for 25 years. A teacher atEastern Wyoming Community College, Leland was recentlyappointed by the governor of Wyoming to the state CommunityCollege Task Force on Education. Two of his sons are Knights, andupon accepting the award, he gave a Form #100 to his third oldestson, who became eligible for membership in September.

Mary Ann spearheads Thursday Eucharistic devotions andmakes sure all the hours are filled. She organized a “Mom’sGroup” that provides spiritual formation and retreats for thewomen of the parish. She and Leland are also very involved inpro-life activities.

Finally, the Vetter children are active volunteers in the parish andthe community. They are the latest of five generations of Vetters,all descendants of immigrants who settled in North Dakota in the19th century. In fact, Leland’s parents were the North DakotaKnights of Columbus Family of the Year in 1994, and they came inthird place for the international award that year.In addition to honoring the top families of the year, the Supreme

Knight’s Award Session also recognized the top volunteers, re-cruiters and agents that have made an indelible mark on the Order


COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDFor high-school students, prom is often the pinnacle of the aca-demic year. Yet not everyone, especially students with disabilities,get to enjoy this significant event.

In 2008, Cardinal Richard Cushing Council 6267 in Pembroke,Mass., organized a prom for area students with special needs. In thebest tradition of the Order, they received assistance from five otherlocal councils, a Fourth Degree assembly and the state council.

In all, 125 council members, as well as many volunteers fromthe community, devoted more than 3,500 hours to organizing thedance. They arranged free prom dresses and tuxedos for those whocould not afford them and obtained donations of invitations, dec-orations and gifts. One Knight served as the DJ, and another vol-unteered to take photographs of all the prom-goers.

COUNCIL SERVICE AWARDFollowing the worst economic downturn in years, Our Lady ofHope Council 12791 in Potomac Falls, Va., decided to help mem-bers who had fallen victim to the recent financial crisis.

The council created a “McGivney Vision Program,” designed toprovide both spiritual and financial support to members in needbecause of job loss, health issues or other difficulties. The programalso provides business networking and career support.

When annual dues statements were mailed, members were en-couraged to donate additional money to the program — and raised$10,000 to help brothers in need.

The networking component of the program has been especiallyuseful. Knights put their résumés on file and can post informationabout job openings. So far, six Knights have found new jobsthrough the program, and several others are making active use ofthe network in their searches.

FAMILY SERVICE AWARDThere are many organizations that help the less fortunate at Christ-mas, but Archbishop Johnson Council 6767 in Abbotsford, B.C.,created a program that is truly special.

Knights begin work at the start of each New Year, raising moneyfor the Adopt-a-Family Christmas Hamper Fund all year long. Aftergathering input from area organizations, the council selects 40 fam-ilies for “adoption.”

Last year, 27 of the 40 were single mothers and their children,including some who had been recently widowed. Each family re-ceives everything needed for a proper Christmas dinner, plus oneexpensive gift and two smaller ones for each child. Shortly beforeChristmas 20 volunteers fan out across the community to deliverthe hampers to each family.

PRO-LIFE SERVICE AWARDThe 127th Supreme Convention saw the first-ever inclusion of a Pro-Life Activity Award to the previous service categories. The first winnerin this new category is Manordale Valley Council 4226 in Murrysville,Pa., which launched the “Our Rosebud Program” in 2004.

In cooperation with “Welcome Little Ones” of SouthwesternPennsylvania, the program pairs a young mother or couple with asponsoring couple from the council. The council couple then pro-vides emotional support throughout the pregnancy and for a fullyear after the child is born. They identify unmet needs, such as

baby furniture and clothing, as well as ongoing needs like diapersand baby wipes that are provided throughout the year.

The council also sponsors four little “Rosebuds” each year. Todate 17 mothers and 18 babies have benefitted from the program,including a 15-year-old mother who had twins.

YOUTH ACTIVITY AWARDThis year saw a tie for first place in the Youth Activities Awardcategory.

First, Mandaue Fatima Council 7101 in Mandaue City, Visayas,conducted a spiritual formation program for children ages 6 to 12,providing basic catechism each weekend as well as instruction onhow to pray the rosary. In May 2009, volunteers provided classesand nutritious snacks to more than 2,500 children.

Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II Council 14023 in Starachowice,Poland, worried about a trend among young people of skippingschool and becoming involved with drugs and alcohol. They de-cided to help children develop a better outlook of their futures bypopularizing the game of chess.

The council members taught 124 youngsters to play, organized19 chess tournaments and sent participants to events held by otherarea clubs. They also raised more than $15,000 to pay the pro-gram’s expenses and for other charity work.

RECRUITMENT AND INSURANCEThis year, the Order honored Past State Deputy Walter N. Streit ofAlberta as its top recruiter. Streit brought in 204 new members lastyear while maintaining a rigorous schedule as state deputy.

The top general agents of the year were Marc G. Bouchard of Al-berta, Canada, and Gilles Duval of Ontario, Canada. Bouchard fin-ished the year at 215 percent of quota, and Duval finished the yearat 172 percent of quota.

The top field agents of the year were Neil S. Bouvier ofthe Bouchard Agency in Alberta and Robert W. Abbate of theChoate Agency in Virginia. Bouvier and Abbate achieved 448 per-cent and 370 percent of their quotas, respectively.♦


Children compete in a chess tournament sponsored by Pope John Paul IICouncil 14023 in Starachowice, Poland.

Report of the Supreme Knight 2009

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will buildmy church.”

With these words, Christ entrusted his Church onearth to Peter, the first pope, and to his successors. Andfor as long as there have been Knights of Columbus, ithas been our tradition to “Stand with Peter,” and thus,to stand with the Church.

REPORT OF THE SUPREME KNIGHT

2009



From the apostolic blessing of Pope Leo XIII in 1896to Pope Benedict XV’s personal audience in the VaticanGardens with a large group of Knights in 1920; fromexplicit praise for the Knights of Columbus by PopePius XI in an encyclical in 1926 to the Papal Mass withPope John Paul II in Brooklyn co-sponsored by theKnights in 1995; we have stood with each of thesuccessors of Peter.

As Knights, we hear the voice of Christ in the teachingof his Church. We are proud of our fidelity to Peter andthe Church. Indeed, our very identity as the world’slargest lay Catholic organization is built upon our deter-mination to stand with Peter and his successors, and ourzeal for serving as their “strong right arm.”

Acting in solidarity with our bishops and priests isan integral part of our loyalty to Peter. We are also theirstrong right arm.And in this “Year forPriests” we renewour dedication to —and support of —the men who devotetheir lives to leadingus in faith.

This, too, is at theheart of who we are,and who we have been, ever since the Venerable MichaelMcGivney gathered the first Knights together atSt. Mary’s Church in New Haven in 1882. This humbleparish priest, whose cause for sainthood has been metwith enthusiasm at the highest levels of the Vatican, hasbeen our inspiration and our guide for 127 years.

He is also the inspiration for thousands of peoplewho are members of the Father McGivney Guild. Youdon’t have to be a Knight tojoin the Guild — anyone canbecome a part of this com-munity of believers who areinspired by the life andvirtues of this extraordinarypriest, who we pray willsomeday become the veryfirst American-born priest tobe declared a saint.

VOCATIONSAs a priest, Michael McGivney was a spiritual father with

many sons in faith who have followed him into the priest-hood. Each year brings the ordination of a new group ofbrother Knights who have chosen to follow in his footsteps,many of them with the financial support of the Order.

Among this year’s newly-ordained priests are 12 whostudied for the priesthood with the help of Bishop ThomasV. Daily Vocations Scholarships and 24 who were recipientsof Father Michael J. McGivney Vocations Scholarships. LastSeptember, we awarded 11 new Bishop Daily Scholarshipsand renewed 19. We awarded 33 new McGivney Scholar-ships and renewed 47. This fraternal year will witness theordination of the 600th beneficiary of our vocations schol-arship programs.

Hundreds more of our newly-ordained priests receivedfinancial support dur-ing their seminary yearsfrom the 2,600 coun-cils that participate inour RSVP vocationsprogram. Last year4,758 men and 148women received finan-cial support throughthis program in the

course of their studies to become men and women religious.I’d like you to meet a few of the men who have begun

their lives as priests this year with the help of the Knightsof Columbus:

In May, Archbishop Timothy Dolan returned from his newpost in New York to ordain six new priests in his formerarchdiocese, Milwaukee, including Daniel Janisik, who at-tended St. Francis de Sales Seminary with the help of aBishop Daily Scholarship; Luke Strand, who attendedSt. Francis de Sales with the help of a Father McGivney Schol-arship; and Mark Brandl, who attended St. Francis withhelp from RSVP donations from Councils 3562, 4240,6645, and 7798 in Wisconsin.

Shortly before his move to New Orleans this year, then-Austin Bishop Gregory Aymond ordained Jonathan Raia,who attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Austin with the helpof a Bishop Daily Scholarship. In Portland, Oregon, FatherMcGivney Scholarship recipient David Jaspers was one of

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”

Mt 16:18

www.fathermcgivney.org

Support for vocations is something that has been in-creasingly important to us. We’re not just providing finan-cial support, as vital as that is. We also extend moral supportand personal friendship, and encourage vocations withinour own homes. Many priests and women religious havecome from Knights’ families down through the years, andwe make clear to our own children that we welcome andencourage them to consider carefully whether they mighthave a vocation, too.

CHAPLAINSAlthough he initially served as supreme secretary, our

founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, became our supremechaplain in 1884. His brothers John and Patrick both be-came priests and also served as our supreme chaplain. WhenFather John McGivney retired in 1939, he was succeededby Msgr. Leo Finn, who was Father McGivney’s nephew. Infact, for all but 12 of the first 78 years of our existence, thesupreme chaplain was a member of the McGivney family.

Today, Bishop William Lori follows in their footsteps,and under his leadership, we have revitalized our programfor Knights of Columbus chaplains at both the state andlocal levels. And now, he has the able assistance of the for-mer state chaplain of California, Father John Grace, whohas joined the Supreme Council staff as director of chaplainprograms and development.

The expansion of Bishop Lori’s monthly column inColumbia and the arrival of Father Grace are the first few stepsin a long-term initiative to enhance the spiritual develop-ment of every member of the Knights of Columbus. We aregrateful to all of our state and local council chaplains for allthey do for us as they follow in the footsteps of Michael,John and Patrick McGivney. To all of our chaplains, espe-cially in this Year for Priests, we say “thank you for yourdedication to helping us live lives of faith and devotion.”

CHARITYEarlier this summer, Pope Benedict XVI issued the third

encyclical of his papacy, entitled Charity in Truth. For theKnights of Columbus, whose first principle is charity, thevery title of the encyclical is an affirmation that his prior-ities are our priorities. In fact, the words “charity,” “unity”and “fraternity” are used so often in this new encyclicalthat one would almost conclude that it was written for us.

seven new priests ordained this summer by ArchbishopJohn Vlazny, after completing his studies at Mount AngelSeminary in St. Benedict, Oregon.

Among the many new priests who received RSVP sup-port while studying for the priesthood were Father JohnHollowell, supported by Councils 245 and 1096 in theArchdiocese of Indianapolis; Father Dale Maxfield,supported by Councils 1334, 1666 and 6165 in the Dio-cese of Belleville; Father Carl Melchior, supported byCouncils 7644 and 12165 in the Diocese of St. Peters-

burg, and Father Clinton Pendleton,supported by Councils 1614 and4866 in the Diocese of Kamloops,British Columbia.

These men are among 4,906 sem-inarians, postulants and novices whoreceived $2.9 million through theRSVP program this year in support oftheir studies. Since the program beganin 1981, Knights of Columbus coun-cils have used it to provide more than$44 million to over 70,000 seminar-ians, postulants and novices.

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

135

$Millions

136140

144 145150

CONTRIBUTIONS

Father Luke Strand, ordained this year in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, attended St. Francis de Sales Seminary with the help of aFather McGivney Vocations Scholarship.


2009


for more than 413,000 blood donations, and ourmembers made more than 5.5 million visits to the sickand bereaved.

A significant portion of our volunteer activity is con-ducted in conjunction with well-known charities.Knights volunteered more than 1.3 million hours inHabitat for Humanity projects last year.

Special Olympics is celebrating its 40th anniversaryin 2009, and we helped them celebrate by donating$1 million over the next four years to support theiractivities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.During the past fraternal year,Knights donated 177,651 hoursof their time to Special Olympicsevents and $2,216,000 in finan-cial support.

The Knights of Columbus hasbeen providing both financialand volunteer support for SpecialOlympics ever since it was estab-lished in 1969 by our brotherKnight Sargent Shriver and hiswife Eunice Kennedy Shriver, andwe have also been a major con-

The Holy Father is very clear: “Charity,” he says, “is atthe heart of the Church’s social doctrine.” And “For theChurch, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything.”

Despite the severe recession of the past year, the ded-ication of the Knights of Columbus to charity shonebrighter than ever. Again this year, we set new all-timerecords for charity. While total charitable giving in theUnited States fell by 2% last year, our total charitablecontributions went up by 3.5%. Knights of Columbusdonations to charity last year climbed by a spectacular$5.1 million, to more than $150 million.

Our members also donated 68,783,653 hours ofvolunteer service, a jump of almost 88,000 hours overlast year, and a new record. Independent Sector, a foun-dation that encourages charitable giving, estimates thatthe value of a volunteer hour in 2008 was $20.25. Thatwould put the total value of our volunteer efforts lastyear at $1.39 billion!

Over the past decade, we have donated more than$1.325 billion to charity and have given nearly626 million hours of our time to charitable service,with a value of more than $11 billion.

Once again this year, Canadian Knights won tophonors for total donations to charity. The Knights ofOntario took over first place, giving more than$9.1 million to charity.They were followed by Québec,with $8.5 million; Texas with $6.6 million; Illinoiswith $6.4 million; and Michigan at number 5, with$5.7 million. Rounding out the top ten jurisdictionswere Florida, California, New Jersey, Virginia andMissouri.

Looking at per capita donations to charity, Canadianjurisdictions once again dominated the list of topdonors. British Columbia led the way, with a per capitatotal of $213.95 donated per member. Ontario was sec-ond, with $160.87 per member.

A total of 14 jurisdictions had per capita donationsof more than $100 per member. Nine of the 14 wereCanadian jurisdictions, and the remaining five were inthe United States. Virginia had the highest U.S. percapita donation total, at $151.76 per member.

The compassion of Knights of Columbus is nevermore clear than when we help those who are sufferingfrom disease and injury. Last year, we were responsible

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

62

Millions

63.2 64.068.3 68.7 68.8

VOLUNTEER HOURS

Recipients of “KC Coats for Kids” in Washington, D.C.


tributor to many other programs for people withphysical and mental disabilities.

A more recent partner in our charitable work is nowknown as the Global Wheelchair Mission. Since 2002,the Knights of Columbus has sponsored the distribu-tion of 15,000 wheelchairs to people in need allaround the globe, and many individual jurisdictionshave taken an active role. A total of 38 states haveparticipated in our wheelchair program, led by Cali-fornia, which has raised $538,000 for distributionsthroughout Central and South America. CaliforniaKnights delivered 560 wheelchairs to Campeche andGuadalajara in Mexico in June, and Knights in Texaswill be making a distribution in Nuevo Laredo,Mexico, in October. Knights in every province inCanada have donated wheelchairs. Major contribu-tors in the United States., in addition to Californiaand Texas, include Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland,Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey and Florida. Recently,the Knights of Mexico Central became the firstMexican jurisdiction to participate in the program,raising money for wheelchairs that will be distrib-uted to people with physical disabilities in Mexico.

The weather here in Phoenix in August is always abit warm, and of course this week is no exception. Butlast January, in many cities farther north, the weatherwas very cold indeed. And in the midst of a severe re-cession, we knew that there would be many childrenfrom lower-income families who either didn’t have awinter coat or had outgrown last year’s coat, andwouldn’t be getting a new one this year.

We decided to partner with several major clothingmanufacturers and obtained a supply of nearly 8,000children’s coats at or near cost. Our “KC Coats forKids” program was off and running. We distributedthe first 1,200 coats in Washington, D.C. on MartinLuther King Day, Jan. 19, which the president had des-ignated as a National Day of Service. Thousands morewere distributed in the weeks that followed, byKnights in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and Duluth.

Our 2009 Coats for Kids program was a modestbeginning for a program that we intend to grow intoa significant charitable effort to benefit children inneed.

YEAR OF THE VOLUNTEEROur leadership in volunteering our time is well-

known among charities everywhere. And so when wedecided to sponsor a nationwide summit on volun-teerism in New York City last February, executives frommore than three dozen educational, corporate, charita-ble and governmental organizations responded.“Neighbors Helping Neighbors: A Summit on Volun-teerism as a Response to the Economic Crisis,” was ahuge success.

Among the groups participating were Habitat forHumanity, United Way, the Salvation Army, CatholicCharities, the National Fraternal Congress of America,the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, GeneralElectric, the Foodbank of Greater New Jersey, the Con-necticut Public Broadcasting Network, Goldman Sachsand Volunteers of America.

All of them understood immediately that if greed —one of the worst aspects of human nature — helpedpush us into the current economic crisis, then one ofthe best aspects of our nature — generosity — will benecessary to help pull us out of it.

We are grateful to His Eminence Edward CardinalEgan, who led off the conference agenda, and to FairfieldUniversity and its Center for Faith and Public Life, whichpartnered with us in sponsoring the summit. They areplaying a key role in following through on this vital firststep in helping our neighbors survive the most severeglobal economic downturn since the Great Depression.

One direct result of the Summit is a new partnershipbetween the Knights of Columbus and ConnecticutPublic Television. They have been a leader in encourag-ing their viewers to volunteer their time to help peoplein need. Now, they had begun a new and moreambitious project called “The Power of Giving,”designed to encourage a wide variety of philanthropyand volunteerism.

We became their Founding Partner, and on June 25tha two-hour “volunteer-a-thon” drew thousands ofviewers and hundreds of new volunteers.

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori speaks at the NeighborsHelping Neighbors volunteerism summit in New York City.


2009


Connecticut Public Television is now working to ex-port this approach to encouraging volunteerism to publicTV systems in other states. We believe that it is a powerfuland compelling approach, and we hope it will inspiremany similar efforts all around the country.

McGIVNEY CANCER CENTERFor more than 35 years, the Knights of Columbus has

had a close relationship with St. Raphael’s Hospital inour home city of New Haven, Conn. With our help, it

has become one of the premiercenters for cancer treatment inNew England. Several years ago weagreed to help St. Raphael’s expandits cancer treatment services to anew center in Hamden.

In June, I was proud to joinHartford Archbishop HenryMansell, Sister Maureen Shaugh-nessy, the general superior of theSisters of Charity of Saint Eliza-beth, and the doctors and admin-istrators of St. Raphael’s in

dedicating the new Father Michael J. McGivney CancerCenter. It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility that willprovide life-saving care, and it is highly appropriate thatthe center be named after our founder, a priest whocared so much about the health and welfare of hisparishioners. Our assistance to St. Raphael’s Hospital isemblematic of the work that Knights everywhere un-dertake to relieve suffering.

INSURANCE AND INVESTMENTSWhen he founded the Knights of Columbus, Venerable

Michael McGivney wanted to provide Catholic men withthe opportunity to strengthen their faith, to create astrong fraternal bond, to make charity a central part oftheir lives, and to protect their families from financialmisfortune. Today, 127 years later, we remain faithful toevery part of that vision.

Having touched upon our devotion to faith and char-ity, let me turn now to the part of Father McGivney’s vi-sion that deals with providing financial security to ourmembers and their families.

If you have read the pope’s new encyclical, Charity inTruth, you may have noticed that in discussing economicactivity around the world, he referred to “economic ac-tivity carried out by subjects who freely choose to actaccording to principles other than those of pure profit,”including “economic entities that draw their origin fromreligious and lay initiatives.”

If this sounds a lot like a way of describing the Knightsof Columbus, it is no accident. Pope Benedict’s descrip-tion of “hybrid forms of commercial behavior” is an-other way of describing Father McGivney’s vision for ourinsurance program, which protects the financial securityof our families as a commercial insurance firm would,but whose “profits” benefit a wide variety of charities,the Church, and our own insured members and theirfamilies.

In his encyclical, the pope identified the type of be-havior that led directly to this recession: “speculative useof financial resources that leads to the temptation ofseeking only short-term profit, without regard for thelong-term sustainability of the enterprise.”

And sure enough, over the past several years, manyfirms — some of which no longer exist — sought high

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

6

$Billions

6.26.4 6.5 6.6 6.7

NEW INSURANCE ISSUED

Sister Maureen Shaughnessy and Supreme Knight Anderson joinHartford Archbishop William J. Mansell as he blesses equipment atthe Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center in Hamden.


2009


& Poor’s and A.M. Best, and IMSA certification for ethicalstandards. The Knights of Columbus is one of them. InCanada, there is only one company that has all three. That’sright — it’s the Knights of Columbus.

Let me offer you some details about the way in whichwe manage your assets.

Our professional staff invested more than $8 millioneach and every day in 2008, and for the fifth year in arow, the investment staff was able to increase the yieldson newly issued bonds, which have gone up from 4.4%back in 2003 to 5.9% in 2008.That 1.5% increase may not soundlike a lot, but it has a dramatic im-pact on the income generated byour portfolio. Bear in mind that87% of our $14 billion in assets isinvested in a broadly diversifiedportfolio of bonds. The increase inyield on those bonds has not comeat the expense of quality. The aver-age rating of bonds purchased lastyear was once again AA. We had noissues in default at year’s end.

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

50

$Billions

53.4

57.761.5

66.170.1

INSURANCE IN FORCE

returns from high risk instruments that no one really un-derstood. The Knights of Columbus, on the other hand,is guided by Pope John Paul II’s observation that “invest-ment always has moral, as well as economic signifi-cance.” Our goal has never been short-term profit. Ourgoal is, instead, to put the long-term interests of ourmembers first, and that is why we have kept to whatStandard & Poor’s describes in their just-issued report onus as a “very conservative financial strategy.”

According to S&P, our “capital adequacy” — a meas-ure of the huge safety cushion that we maintain — “isamong the strongest in the industry.” Knights of Colum-bus management, they reported, “has a very low risk tol-erance and places a very high value on the society’sreputation.” That’s certainly true as far as it goes, but wewould put it another way. We place the highest value onyour safety and security.When we make vital business de-cisions, our first consideration is the welfare of ourbrother Knights and their families.

For Standard & Poor’s, their bottom line in this year’sreport is that we are “achieving [our] primary objectiveof providing members and their families with high-quality,low-cost insurance benefits.” Citing our “extremelystrong capital,” our “strong profitability,” and our “ex-tremely strong liquidity,” S&P gave us their highest rating— AAA (Extremely Strong) — for the 17th consecutiveyear. Moreover, they declared our outlook to be “stable,”meaning that they believe that our sound managementand careful investment strategy “even after applyingstress factors” will keep us at the top.

At A.M. Best, the story is the same. In their report thisyear, they cited our “consistently positive statutory earn-ings, excellent persistency and an exceptional level ofrisk-adjusted capitalization” in giving us their top ratingof A++ (Superior) for the 34th consecutive year.

Among the things that impressed A.M. Best about theKnights of Columbus is what they termed our “strongcommitment to ethical market conduct,” and the factthat we participate in the Customer Assurance Program,and are certified by the Insurance Marketplace StandardsAssociation (IMSA) for exhibiting the highest standardsof ethical business practice.

There are only four companies in the United States thisyear which have the highest rating from both Standard

College Knights at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,Minn., conduct a clothing drive for a homeless shelter in the city.


A relatively small portion of our assets are invested instocks, especially in the current environment. At the endof 2008, our common stock holdings totaled $222 mil-lion, after deliberately reducing our holdings from $330million a year earlier. When we do invest in equities, theyare generally preferred stock, which have better yieldsand are less volatile. Our focus has been on companieswith very strong balance sheets.

All of our investments are screened to ensure thatthey meet our religious, moral and ethical standardsand are not in conflict with the teachings of theCatholic Church. That is yet another way that we heedPope John Paul II’s teaching that “investment alwayshas moral significance.”

Our investment income increased to $814 million in2008, an increase of 2%. Our total portfolio yield was avery competitive 5.75%.

A relatively small portion of our investments in-volve real estate, including our ChurchLoan program,which made 18 new loans worth $21.2 million lastyear and grew overall by about $4 million to $124million. We also have a small diversified portfolio ofmulti-family housing, office, retail, industrial andwarehouse buildings, which brought a combinedyield in excess of 10%.

At the same time as our investment staff has been cop-ing successfully with a very challenging economic envi-ronment, our general agents and field agents have beenhaving remarkable success helping our members take ad-vantage of our new and improved products. Our fieldforce has now grown to more than 1,400 representa-

tives, all of whom are brotherKnights. And in its report thisyear, A.M. Best noted that our4-year agent retention rate is dou-ble that of the industry as awhole. These highly trained pro-fessional agents have been ex-tremely busy over the past year,helping members cope with eco-nomic uncertainty and under-stand our new product offerings.

Last October, we introducedthe new 800 Series insurance

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080

1.5

Millions

1.57 1.60 1.63 1.65 1.67

LIFE CERTIFICATES

Supreme Knight Anderson with leaders of the Outstanding CollegeCouncil of 2008, Texas A&M University Council 10624.

products, which are more competitively priced and havea number of new features that have been very popular.Sales were very strong during the fourth quarter of 2008,helping to achieve the record $6.6 billion of insurancewe sold last year. It was our eighth consecutive year ofsales growth. That has continued into 2009, and we arewell on our way to setting a new record again this year.

Once again in 2008, the Knights of Columbus led allfraternal benefit societies in new life certificates issued.Our 73,119 certificates issued was almost 40,000 morethan the number two society. Our overall number of lifecertificates in force has grown every single year since1970 and stood at 1,668,160 at the end of 2008. As ofJuly 8, the dollar value of our life insurance in force ex-ceeded $72 billion — a new all-time record.

With the collapse of stock prices last year, there hasbeen a major shift to quality and safety in both life in-surance and retirement planning.

During the first six months of 2009, our annuity salestotaled $256.1 million, compared with just $130.6 mil-lion during the same period a year earlier. That is an in-crease of 97.2%. We are having the best year in ourhistory for annuity sales, as people have come to realizethe safety and solid growth that we offer. And all this ison top of the fact that 2008 was a very good year: annu-ity contracts issued in 2008 had already grown by 40%over the previous year.

We also introduced a special new product in Canadaon the first of this year — a Tax Free Savings Account —and sales have been very brisk.

The ultimate story, of course, is not investment successor sales numbers. It is the benefit that has come toKnights and their families, and that is our tribute to thevision of our founder.

Last year, we paid more than $222 million in deathbenefits to Knights of Columbus families, providing ex-actly the kind of financial support that Father McGivneyintended we should provide to our survivors.

Last year, we paid more than $372 million in dividends to our insurance members, helping them to


2009


added 6,791 members, Visayas added 3,189 and Min-danao recruited 2,745 new members.

While there is plenty of good news to celebrate onthe membership front, we must not lose sight of thehuge unrealized potential in the countries where we areactive. In the United States, for example, we have morethan 1,287,000 members, but there are as many as 30million eligible Catholic men who are not yet Knights.In Canada, as many as 5 million Catholic men are eligi-ble to join our ranks, while our membership total is231,000. In Mexico, recent membership growth hasbeen very strong, and membership there now stands ataround 7,000, but as many as 49 million Catholic menare eligible to become Knights. Our brother Knights inthe Philippines have been doing an exceptional job atrecruiting new members and now number more than250,000. But our potential there is tremendous as well,with 27 million eligible men.

At last year’s convention in Quebec City, we werepleased to welcome a delegation of Knights from Cubafor the first time in 58 years. Members of the reactivatedSanta Maria Council 2479 in Camagüey have continuedto grow and prosper. They have formed their own FirstDegree team and just last week brought 15 new mem-bers into the Order. In the eastern part of Cuba, threedozen Catholic men in the Diocese of Manzinillo areworking to establish a new council. The bishop there isworking with Archbishop Juan Garcia and the men ofCouncil 2479 to move things ahead.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Knightsof Columbus in Cuba, and a wonderful article on theearly history of the Order there appears in the July issueof Columbia magazine.

In our newest jurisdiction in Poland, membershiphas grown by 225 members in the past year; andPoland now has 870 members in 14 councils. Thatrepresents growth of 35% in just one year and is a verygood sign of the health of the Order in our firstEuropean jurisdiction.

FOURTH DEGREE Membership in the Fourth Degree of the Order grew

to 310,719 during the fraternal year that ended on June30. There were 288 exemplifications held, and a total of

fulfill their goals of financial security in a time of eco-nomic uncertainty and turbulence.

In this as in everything else, we stand with Peter: ourmoral compass always points in the same direction.

MEMBERSHIPMembership growth is absolutely necessary if we are

to accomplish our goals of having a council in everyparish and being able to provide support to everypriest. I am proud to report to you today that for the

38th consecutive year, ourmembership has grown. A netgain of 22,211 membersbrought our membership to anew all-time record high of1,785,393. In the United States,Texas led the way in member-ship growth, with a net gain of2,024 members, followed byCalifornia with 952, Floridawith 666 and Kansas with 601.But the biggest gains came inthe Philippines, where Luzon

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

1.7

Millions

1.701.72

1.741.76

1.79

MEMBERSHIP

Bishop William E. Lori, Supreme Knight Anderson, ArchbishopDonald W. Wuerl and CUA President David O’Connell at thededication of McGivney Hall.


2009


15,403 men were initiated into our Patriotic Degree.After deaths, suspensions and withdrawals, we had a netincrease of 5,506 new Sir Knights.

We added 65 new Fourth Degree assemblies duringthe fraternal year, and there are now 2,862 assembliesaround the world.

Continuing to recruit new Fourth Degree members isimportant for a number of reasons, not least of which isbecause a Fourth Degree Knight is statistically muchmore likely to retain his membership in the Order andto be an active Knight.

The Supreme Master tracks information on brotherKnights who have given the last full measure of devotionin the conflict in the Middle East. Since the attack on9/11, 33 brother Knights serving in the armed forceshave lost their lives in combat, as well as two Squires andone civilian.

The most recent brother Knight to die of war-relatedinjuries was Father Henry Timothy Vakoc, an Army chap-lain who was severely wounded in northern Iraq in2004. Father Vakoc died June 20, after a five-year strug-gle with injuries sustained in an IED explosion as he wasleaving a site where he had just offered Mass. He was ina coma for two years afterward and, with the support ofmany friends and brother Knights, he fought to recoverfrom his wounds. He was retired from the Army withthe rank of major, and was a retired priest of the Arch-diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Father Vakoc was an honorary Life Member and aFourth Degree Knight. He joined the Order at the age of18. He was a member of Council 3656 and Assembly 526.

Father Vakoc is the only military chaplain to have beenkilled in action — or from wounds suffered while in ac-tion — in the Iraq War. He is the latest of a great manyKnight-priests who have died in the wars of the past cen-tury, serving the men and women of the armed forceswith great courage and dedication.

MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRSIn recent years, we have placed a special emphasis on

establishing councils at American military bases in theUnited States and around the world.

Today, we have 60 military councils, including six newcouncils established during the past year at Buckley and

Peterson Air Force Bases in Colorado; in Georgia at FortBenning and Fort Gordon; at Bolling Air Force Base inWashington, D.C.; and at Camp Zama in Japan. Four moreare in the works, with new councils expected soon at FortCarson, Colo., at Fort Lee in Washington, D.C., and atoverseas bases in Germany and Italy. And of course wecontinue to support round tables in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We also have a close relationship with the VeteransAffairs Voluntary Services at the Department of VeteransAffairs. Our Fourth Degree assemblies have embracedthis program as their own, and as-semblies have an officially recog-nized relationship with 128 VAMedical Centers around the UnitedStates. Nearly 900 Knights are reg-ularly scheduled volunteers at theseMedical Centers, and many moreprovide occasional service. All to-gether, Knights of Columbus volun-teers provided more than 91,000hours of their time through the Vet-erans Affairs Volunteer Services pro-gram last year.

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

18.5

Thousands22.8

18.819.2

21.9 22.2

MEMBERSHIP GROWTHJUNE 30

Father Tim Vakoc, Catholic priest, Army chaplain and FourthDegree Knight, died in June of injuries suffered in an IEDexplosion in Iraq in 2004, just after he said Mass for his troops.


We are committed to expanding this effort to all 153VA Medical Centers.

Finally, you will be glad to know that our support ofactive duty military now includes a new Canadian edi-tion of the prayer book that we have been providing toU.S. soldiers for some five years now. The Canadian prayerbook is entitled Armour of Faith, and the prayers are in bothEnglish and French.

YOUTH – COLLEGE KNIGHTS –SQUIRES – EDUCATION

The future of our Order depends upon the recruit-ment of young men in their teens, twenties and thirties.

Over the past year, we have added nine new collegecouncils — four in the United States and five in thePhilippines — for a total of 241. New college councilsin the United States are located at the University of Utah,the University of North Texas, Wichita State Universityand Marian College in Indianapolis. The new collegecouncils in the Philippines are all located in Visayas.

Most of our college councils — 159 of them — arein the United States, but our brother Knights in thePhilippines are expanding rapidly, and now have 66 col-lege councils. There are seven college councils in Canada,and three each in Mexico, the Dominican Republic andPuerto Rico.

In all, we recruited 1,077 new college Knights duringthe past fraternal year, and membership in our collegecouncils around the world now stands at 21,834.

Our leadership program for young Catholics who arestill in high school, the Columbian Squires, continues

strong.There are now 1,460 active

Squires circles, a net gain of 61circles for the year. As youwould expect, there is a lot ofturnover in the Squires programas participants graduate. Thisyear 5,629 new Squires joinedor transferred in, and 5,742graduated. Membership in theprogram stood at 22,845 as ofthe beginning of the new fra-ternal year on July 1.

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

12.5

Thousands

12.813.0

13.213.5

13.7

COUNCILSJUNE 30

I want to thank all of the councils who work so hardto make this program a success, and ask that you makeevery effort ensure that these young men are encouragedto join the Knights of Columbus when they turn 18.

Our long association with the Boy Scouts continuedto flourish last year, with councils in the United Statesand Canada sponsoring a total of 33,806 Scouts in 1,487Scout units.

On the campus of The Catholic University of Amer-ica, this year has been a milestone for the PontificalJohn Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Fam-ily, a graduate school of theology established in 1988with major support from the Knights of Columbus. TheInstitute celebrated its 20th anniversary by moving intothe completely renovated McGivney Hall, right at theheart of the campus, a few steps from the Basilica ofthe National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Thehall was dedicated Sept. 9, 2008, by Washington Arch-bishop Donald Wuerl and Supreme Chaplain BishopWilliam Lori.

During the most recent academic year, the John PaulII Institute added a new track of the Masters in Theolog-ical Studies program with a specialization in biotechnol-ogy and ethics, and graduated a total of 32 students.There are now more than 350 alumni of the Institute.

At a time when many people seem to have forgottenthe crucial role that marriage and family play in society,the work of the Institute is more important than ever. Itprovides advanced education in both the theological andempirical aspects of Christian marriage and family life,and in this regard is a beacon of light in a world desper-ately in need of it.

The Knights of Columbus provides a wide variety ofsupport for students who are pursuing a college educa-tion. Many of our local and state councils have scholar-ship programs, and the Supreme Council sponsors anumber of scholarships as well.

In addition to the Father McGivney and Bishop DailyScholarships I mentioned earlier in connection with oursupport for vocations, our Matthews and Swift Educa-tional Trust provides scholarships for children of Knightswho were killed or disabled in combat while serving inthe armed forces, or who died as the result of criminalviolence while serving as full-time law enforcement


2009


Knights of Columbus are always a large and visible presence atthe annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

officers or firefighters. This past year, we provided suchscholarships to eight students.

We also provide scholarships based on academic per-formance to members in good standing or to the sonsand daughters of members, including Pro Deo and ProPatria Scholarships in both the United States and Canada,special scholarship programs for students in Mexico,Puerto Rico and the Philippines, and various endowedscholarships.

During the academic year ending in June, we providedscholarship assistance to 687 students, for a total amountof over $1,540,000.

CHURCH ACTIVITIESAs you all know very well, our support for our Church

is legendary. Almost $45 million of our charitable dona-tions last year went to Church activities. And not a daygoes by that you won’t find Knights teaching religiouseducation classes, helping out at parish schools, servingas active laymen in the liturgy, or helping to fix the kneel-ers in the church or repair the sidewalk out front. Whena parish priest needs people to fill the hard-to-scheduleovernight slots at 24-hour Eucharistic adoration, theKnights respond. From meatless Friday night dinnersduring Lent to Mother’s Day breakfasts in the parish hallin May, Knights of Columbus roll up their sleeves and dowhat needs to be done.

It is true in the local parish, it is true at the cathedral,and it is true at the Vatican.

When Mexico City hosted the Vatican’s World Meetingof Families last January, we not only provided crucial fi-nancial help, but Mexican Knights were a major sourceof volunteers to help make the meeting a success. TheKnights of Columbus also provided a comprehensive setof catechetical materials on “The Family, Teacher inHuman and Christian Values” produced by the PontificalCouncil for the Family.

Last October, Bishop Lori and I made our annual visitto Pope Benedict to present him with a check for$1.6 million, the yearly earnings from our Vicarius

Christi Fund, which provides the Holy Father with fi-nancial support for his personal charities.

Later this week here in Phoenix, upon the conclusionof this 127th meeting of the Supreme Council, we willsponsor the very first International Marian Congress everheld honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a great priv-ilege for us to welcome the participation of so many inthe Church who have so much to contribute to our un-derstanding of the most extraordinary event in the his-tory of the hemisphere: the apparition of Our Lady to

Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531.We are grateful to our host, Bishop Thomas Olmsted

of Phoenix, for his enthusiasm and support. We aregrateful as well to His Eminence Norberto CardinalRivera Carrera of Mexico City and Supreme ChaplainBishop William Lori for their participation. And we lookforward to hearing as well from Msgr. Eduardo Chávez,the postulator of the cause for canonization of St. JuanDiego, whose knowledge of Our Lady of Guadalupe isunequalled anywhere in the world. Presentations byother experts, including Dr. Mario Pérez Campa, SisterDeyanira Flores, Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann and JorgeTraslosheros, will round out a program that is unprece-dented in its scope and depth.

Pope Benedict XVI received members of the Supreme Board ofDirectors in a private audience Oct. 3, 2008.


2009

Your presence at the Congress, and at the GuadalupeFestival that will conclude it on Saturday, will be an in-ternational sign of our witness and a sign of the bondbetween Mary and her Knights.

In Ecclesia in America, Pope John Paul II observed that,“America, which historically has been, and still is, amelting pot of peoples, has recognized in the mestiza faceof the Virgin of Tepeyac...an impressive example of a per-fectly inculturated evangelization”(10).

Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only an historic fact. Sheis a woman whose face changed an entire hemisphere.

Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe remains a true guideand inspiration, pointing us toward a new and greaterevangelization of our hemisphere. Patroness of the Amer-

icas and Patroness of the Cause of Life, she is that gra-cious advocate and guiding star that does not disappoint.

Our Lady of Guadalupe points us to the things thatunite us sacramentally as Catholics and that are farmore important than the political and economicboundaries that divide us. And who better to help con-vey this message than the Knights of Columbus, whichhas been uniting Knights and their families fromCanada, the United States, Mexico, Central Americaand the Philippines in Christian brotherhood for morethan a century.

This week’s congress and festival will be truly his-toric as we continue to lead the way to a truly globalunity in Christ.

FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIPConsistent with the guidance of the U.S. Conference

of Catholic Bishops in their document “Forming Con-sciences for Faithful Citizenship,” and similar materialsfrom other national bishops’ conferences, the Knights ofColumbus responds to their “Call to Political Responsi-bility” on a limited number of issues that are of funda-mental interest to faithful Catholics. This involves actiononly on non-partisan public policy issues, and never in-volves endorsement of candidates for public office.

Last fall, we joined with the Catholic bishops in threestates — California, Arizona and Florida — in encour-aging passage of state constitutional amendments to de-fine marriage as between one man and one woman,and all three amendments were approved. In fact, it isgenerally conceded that we probably made the differ-ence in California, and we can be very proud of ourrole there.

We also joined with the bishops of Washington in op-posing an assisted suicide measure, and with the bishopsof Michigan in opposing a measure that supported em-bryonic stem cell research. Unfortunately, both of thosemeasures were approved, reminding us that there is

much work to be done in educating the public on theseimportant issues of life and death.

In Connecticut and Iowa, state supreme courtsbrushed aside centuries of established law and created anewly-discovered “right” to same-sex marriage withoutregard for the clear language of their state constitutionsand the opposition of a majority of the people of thosestates. In Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, state leg-islators similarly ignored the will of the people and en-acted same-sex marriage statutes. In New York, a similareffort to enact same-sex marriage legislation was nar-rowly averted. In Maine, Knights worked with BishopRichard Malone and the Diocese of Portland to gathermore than 55,000 signatures to allow voters in Novem-ber to restore traditional marriage laws.

In our home state of Connecticut, there was a seriouseffort to move legislation that would have stripped thebishops and priests of the state of any administrative au-thority over their own churches. We joined with theConnecticut Catholic Conference in opposing this bla-tantly anti-Catholic legislation, and we carried the day.The bill was withdrawn, and legislators learned quicklythat we will always fight for our constitutionally-guaranteed religious liberties.

We were also able to win passage of an amendmentproviding religious liberty protections to a bill imple-menting the Connecticut Supreme Court’s decision onsame-sex marriage. Vermont and New Hampshire haveadopted similar language, providing at least some pro-tection for all who have religious objections to same-sexunions.

Since our last meeting, the Knights of Columbus hasmade possible two important conferences in Rome, oneon the subject of “Universal Human Rights and the Chal-lenge of Diversity,” and the other on “The ‘AmericanModel’ of Religious Freedom.” We are grateful to formerU.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon,who as the sponsor invited us to play an important rolein these conferences.

In his new encyclical, Pope Benedict makes clear thatall true charity begins with valuing human life. Thatmeans welcoming each new human life and sustainingour concern for the well-being of every person through-out his or her life.

Members of the newly reactivated Santa Maria Council 2479 inCamagüey, Cuba, with Archbishop Juan de la Caridad GarciaRodriguez, following the celebration of Mass.


2009


“Openness to life is at the center of true development,”the pope reminds us. And he continues, “The acceptanceof life strengthens moral fiber and makes people capableof mutual help.”

The Knights of Columbus remains firmly committedto defending the right to life of every human being,from the moment of conception to natural death. Butthe task ahead of us is even more formidable this yearthan in the past.

At the United Nations, the U.N. bureaucracy and itsallies in pro-abortion Non-Governmental Organizationshave applied increased pressure on heavily Catholiccountries like the Philippines, Mexico and Poland to le-galize abortion.

But there is a landmark shift taking place in public at-titudes toward abortion, and it is the result of the hard,patient work you have been doing for more than 35 years.

Working with the experts at the Marist College Insti-tute for Public Opinion, we have confirmed a dramaticshift in public attitudes on abortion. Late last year, wediscovered that 84% of Americans would significantlylimit abortion and that only 15% of those calling them-selves “pro-choice” favored abortion at any time duringa pregnancy. In fact, 71% of pro-choice respondents saidthey would significantly restrict abortions.

Since our poll last October, other polling firms havefinally confirmed the trend that we first identified. OnMay 15 of this year, Gallup announced that 51% consid-ered themselves pro-life, “the first time a majority of U.S.adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallupbegan asking the question in 1995.” Subsequent pollshave confirmed that there has been a significant shiftamong Americans to the pro-life position.

Just a few weeks ago, the latest Marist College/Knightsof Columbus Poll not only confirmed these trends, butfound a major shift among Americans, with an 11%change in favor of the pro-life position between October2008 and July 2009.

Many things have contributed to this dramatic shift inpublic opinion.

Not only does the annual March for Life in Washing-ton have an impact when it brings hundreds of thou-sands of people to the nation’s capital each January, butthe marches and walks for life that have sprung up in

Georgia Knights of Columbus present a brand new ultrasoundmachine to the Women’s Enrichment Center in Dalton, Ga., onthe Day of the Unborn Child, March 25.

other cities from coast to coast are having an impact too.The March for Life in Ottawa has grown dramatically inrecent years, and when the Deputy Supreme Knight andI participated this year, it was obvious that there is atremendous surge in pro-life determination in Canadaas well. Not only did pro-lifers turn out in large numbersin a driving rain, but there were also marches in nearlyevery Canadian provincial capital as well.

In short, our long-term strategy of working to changehearts and minds on abortion is working. And ultimately,the will of the people will prevail.

We anticipated the opportunity that the latest pollshave now identified when we voted last year to establisha new Culture of Life Fund. This fund will allow us toweigh in whenever opportunities present themselves,and this will be a tremendous advantage.

The new fund has enabled us to have a significant im-pact in many areas, both in providing additional resourcesto groups like the Sisters of Life, Birthright International,Project Rachel, the National Life Center and the NationalCatholic Bioethics Center, as well as projects closely asso-ciated with the bishops of the United States and Canada,including the U.S. Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat and theCatholic Organization for Life and Family in Canada.


The Culture of Life Fund has also enabled us to getnew projects off the ground quickly, like the UltrasoundInitiative, in which the Supreme Council matches stateand local council contributions for ultrasound machinesfor crisis pregnancy centers.

The first ultrasound machines were donated to theChoices Medical Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa, and theWomen’s Help Center in Jacksonville, Fla., on the 36thanniversary of Roe v. Wade in January of this year.

Since then, Knights of Columbus ultrasound machineshave been presented to the Women’s Enrichment Center

in Dalton, Ga.; the Problem Preg-nancy Center in Worcester, Mass.;Tomorrow’s Hope PregnancyCenter in Paris, Tenn.; the CarePregnancy Center in BatonRouge, La.; the Center forWomen in Jackson, Mich.; andLife Choices in Kearney, Neb.;and just a few days ago, LoretoHouse in Denton, Texas.

The Ultrasound Project saveslives. Up to 90% of women con-sidering abortion choose to have

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their baby after seeing an ultrasound image. They heartheir baby’s heartbeat, they see their baby’s head and fin-gers. They know that it is a child, not a “choice.”

And here’s the best part: you can’t change that deci-sion for life by an executive order. It can’t be reversed bya court decision. Once the baby is born, mother and herbaby have won. The Culture of Life has won. All of ushave won.

Today, we say to “pro-choice” advocates, “Why notallow women to make an informed choice with the helpof the latest ultrasound technology?” And to all thosewho say that they want to reduce the number of abor-tions, we say, “Come join us in a program that can reduceabortions by perhaps as much as 90%.”

We will work to put at least one ultrasound machinein every jurisdiction in the Order this year.

We should make sure that crisis pregnancy centershave all of the resources they need, not just from our ul-trasound program, not just from our Culture of LifeFund, but in the form of supplies and volunteer timefrom Knights and their families in thousands of councilsin communities large and small. Many mothers who de-cide to have their children will need help after the childis born. Building a Culture of Life will necessarily meanhelping them then, too.

My brother Knights, we have heard much talk latelyabout seeking “common ground” on abortion. That willnot be easy. But public opinion polls show that there isreal common ground: If people were allowed to choose,86% of the American people would choose to significantlyrestrict abortion. In our search for common ground, let usstart there.

Now Congress is considering health care reform leg-islation. We are told by the National Right to Life Com-mittee that, as currently drafted, this legislation wouldresult in the greatest expansion of abortion since theSupreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision in1973. Other experts say the bill will mandate taxpayer-funded abortions and abortion coverage in virtually allhealth care plans.

And now we are being warned this legislation mayeven start us down a path for government-encouragedeuthanasia. Clearly a health care system designed to savelives on the one hand must not become a vehicle for tak-

Knights played a major role at the annual Canadian March forLife in Ottawa on May 9, 2009. Other marches were held inprovincial capitals throughout Canada.


2009


ing lives through abortion and euthanasia. Health care reformlegislation must be abortion-free.

The solution is clear: Simply add a provision clearlyexcluding abortion and euthanasia from this legislation.That is what we urge Congress to do.

I am sometimes asked, “Why do the Knights stand sofirmly in defense of the sanctity of human life and thesanctity of the sanctuary of human life — marriage andthe family? Why not move on to other matters?” Thewords of Shakespeare from his play Henry V always cometo mind: “The sum of all our answer is but this: Wewould not seek a battle as we are; Nor, as we are, we saywe will not shun it” (Act III, Scene 6). This matter whichis so crucial to the future of our nations is in God’s handand no other. Its outcome will be determined as he willsit. It is up to us to us to remain faithful and steadfast.

My brother Knights, we have just ended the Year of St.Paul, and so it is fitting that we follow in this great saint’sfootsteps. “Let us run with patience the race that is setbefore us” (Heb 12:1).

Let us, like St. Paul, say that we too have fought a goodfight, have finished our course, and have kept the faith,that we too may claim “a crown of righteousness” notfor ourselves, but for those not yet born but who will beborn because of what we have done (2 Tim 4:7-8).

I began these remarks with a discussion of this year’sconvention theme: “We stand with Peter.” Perhaps some

of you were thinking at the time, “Well, of course westand with Peter. That’s what Catholics, and especiallyKnights, are supposed to do.”

But to stand with Peter implies something profound.Peter is the rock on which our Church is built. And whenwe stand with him, we stand on the firmest of ground.

We, the Knights of Columbus, have always stood withPeter.

Beginning in the 1920s, we stood with him in buildingsports facilities for the youth of Rome. In the 1950s westood with him in the creation of the Vatican Film Archivein St. Louis. More recently, we stood with him in our sub-stantial support of the restoration of St. Peter’s Basilica,and each year we stand with Peter by supporting his char-ities through our Vicarius Christi Fund. Beyond this, westand united to him in our prayers.

Because of this, we never stand alone. In standing withPeter, we also stand shoulder to shoulder with our priestsand bishops, in solidarity with them.

In a special way this year, we stand with Peter. Charityis the first and most important principle of our Order.From the moment we become First Degree Knights, weunderstand that for us, the practice of charity will always

Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori and Supreme KnightCarl A. Anderson present Pope Benedict XVI with $1.6 millionin annual proceeds from the Vicarius Christi Fund in October 2008.


be tied to Christ. “It is,” Pope Benedict says, “a force thathas its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth.”

In fact, “Charity rejoices in truth,” since “truth is thelight that gives meaning and value to charity.” So onceagain, my brother Knights, we will stand with Peter, thistime on the first principle of our Order.

Just a short time ago, we heard the wonderful messageto this convention of Our Holy Father conveyed by theVatican Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone, in which thepope described the Knights of Columbus “as a respectedand articulate voice of the Catholic faithful” and then heexpressed his “trust” in us that we “will continue to de-fend the teaching” of our Church “through reasoned ar-gument and responsible participation in civic andpolitical life.”

As I look out at the delegates to this Supreme Conven-tion and recall the dedication of countless brotherKnights, I know the trust that he has placed in us is wellfounded.

As Pope Benedict wrote, “Charity rejoices in truth,”and that “truth is the light that gives meaning and valueto charity.” So once again, my brother Knights, we willstand with Peter, this time on the first principle of ourOrder.

Earlier this year, speaking to the Board of Directors ofthe Knights of Columbus, Pope Benedict urged us to “de-fend the moral truths necessary for a free and humanesociety, including the fundamental right to life of everyhuman being.”

This is why we stand for the right to life.This is why we stand for ethical business practices.This is why we stand for helping the intellectually

disabled.This is why we stand for helping our neighbor in need.We stand with Peter. And there is no place we would

rather stand than on this rock. Vivat Jesus!


2009


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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Building a better world one council at a time

Every 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.

Lloyd Kelso, Glenn McClary and GeorgeRamsey flash their gold medals after re-turning from the 2009 National VeteransWheelchair Games in Spokane, Wash. Thenine K of C councils that comprise BishopMcGuinness Assembly in Raleigh, N.C.,donated funds to help send the athletes topartake in the annual competition.

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

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

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE

‘LET US PRAY THATGOD WILL GIVEHOLY PRIESTS TOHIS CHURCH.’

“The teaching which the Holy Curé of Ars con-tinues to pass on to us is that the priest must createan intimate personal union with Christ that hemust cultivate and increase, day after day. “Only if he is in love with Christ will the priest

be able to teach his union, this intimate friendshipwith the divine Teacher to all, and be able to movepeople’s hearts and open them to the Lord’s mer-ciful love. Only in this way, consequently, will hebe able to instill enthusiasm and spiritual vitalityin the communities the Lord entrusts to him. Letus pray that through the intercession of St. JohnMary Vianney, God will give holy priests to hisChurch and will increase in the faithful the desireto sustain and help them in their ministry.”

POPE BENEDICT XVIGeneral Audience, Aug. 5, 2009

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