Supreme Knight's Report

Introduction

Pope Benedict XVI and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson

What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?

For the Apostles Peter and Andrew, it meant that when Jesus saw them casting their nets in the Sea of Galilee and said to them, “Follow me,” they said “Yes.”

And so it was for each of the other Apostles. And so it has been for every Christian. To be a follower of Christ begins with the word “yes.”

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said several years before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, “We are not allowed neutrality when faced with the question of God. We can only say yes or no.” My brother Knights, we are all part of a proud brotherhood of more than 1.7 million men who have said “yes” to Christ. But our response is possible only because Christ first said “yes” to each of us — because Christ first said “yes” to humanity.

And because Christ first made a gift of himself to us, we are able to make a gift of ourselves to others.

This week in Nashville we celebrate 125 years of putting our faith into action — of witnessing to the “yes” of Jesus Christ. We are the heirs of Michael McGivney, the son of immigrants, who said “yes” when he was called by Christ to be a priest.

Father Michael J. McGivney

And we are the heirs of the small group of men who said “yes” to Father McGivney just a few short years after his ordination, when he gathered them in the basement of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven to begin a noble experiment in faith and fraternalism.

Together they said “yes” to Christ in countless ways, with courage, determination and unbounded love for their fellow men. Over the past 125 years, the founders of the Knights of Columbus — and all of us who have followed in their footsteps — have compiled a record of charity that is second to none, and a record of service to our Church and communities, especially to those in need, that is truly extraordinary.

The Supreme Knight’s annual report given at each supreme convention usually covers the preceding year’s accomplishments. This year, as we celebrate our 125th anniversary, I will also mention highlights from our Order’s history from 1882 to the present.

Ours is a remarkable history. But it is also an important part of the history of the Catholic Church in the United States, in Canada, in México and in the Philippines. I have no doubt that we will also become an important part of Catholic life in our newest jurisdiction, Poland. Of course, our brother Knights in Poland have a bit deeper sense of the word “history,” since construction of the most important church in Poland — Wawel Cathedral — commenced nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus set off on his voyages of discovery and evangelization.

Just as Poland has always been among the most faithful and loyal of Catholic countries, from the very beginning the Knights of Columbus has sought to be the strong right arm of the Church — first as Father McGivney’s right arm, and soon after as the strong right arm of Catholic priests and bishops everywhere.

Now a Servant of God whose cause for canonization is before the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the inspired vision and determined spirit of Father McGivney continues to lead his Knights today. His practical foresight in founding an insurance benefit society to protect the families of members, his deep devotion to the Eucharist and parish life, and his firm belief in the vocation of the laity and their work of charity — all these serve as guides as we put our faith into action: to “build a better world” — one Knight, one family, one council at a time.

Throughout our history, the successors of Peter have recognized our service to the Church. We are especially pleased to welcome His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., the Vatican secretary of state, to our 125th Supreme Convention. This is his first visit to the United States as secretary of state, and we are deeply honored by his presence.

Twenty-five years ago, at our centennial celebration, then-Secretary of State Cardinal Agostino Casaroli and President Ronald Reagan both joined us, and the two men took the opportunity to meet privately together during our convention. Not long afterward, the United States established diplomatic relations with the Vatican for the first time.

It is fair to say that the meeting at our convention may well have helped things along. It may also interest you to know that today, the Rome office of the Knights of Columbus is located in an office suite a few steps from St. Peter’s Square that was the first home of the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican.

In 1920, Pope Benedict XV warmly welcomed a delegation of 235 Knights in a private audience at the Vatican, and praised the Order for the “unfailing help that [they] give both to bishops and parish priests for the carrying out of their pastoral ministry.”

Pope Benedict XV visiting with the Knights of Columbus in the Vatican Gardens, Aug. 29, 1920.

To their surprise, Pope Benedict then invited the Knights to “establish themselves in Rome,” and Supreme Knight Edward Hearn set about doing exactly that.

A few months later, after Benedict died and Pius XI had succeeded him, the new pope announced to Hearn in a private audience that he would donate property for the first of the Knights of Columbus recreation centers in Rome, a site that he could see from the windows of his Vatican apartment. Ultimately, five centers were built, and we continue to operate them today.

Over the years, the Order has had the privilege of serving each succeeding pope: Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and now Benedict XVI. We have helped to meet many needs at the Vatican, from a shortwave transmitter for Vatican Radio in 1966, to satellite television uplinks for broadcasting Vatican events, which we have provided since 1974.

In the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, we funded the construction of the Chapel of Saints Benedict, Cyril and Methodius, and the enlargement of the Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa. We paid for the restoration of the façade of St. Peter’s during the 1980s. And since it was established in our centennial year of 1982, earnings from our Vicarius Christi Fund have provided the Holy Father with more than $41 million for his personal charities.

Our support for the universal Church extends from the local parish to the Vatican, and a vast array of Catholic activities and organizations in between. Our support for The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., dates from 1899, when we endowed a Knights of Columbus Chair in American History. We are proud of its Columbus School of Law, which we helped establish and continue to support.

An artistic rendition of the Incarnation Dome now being installed in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.

Today, we are renovating one of the most prominent buildings on the CUA campus, and when the work is completed in the fall of 2008, it will be renamed Father McGivney Hall. It will serve as the new home of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, a graduate school of theology made possible in the United States since 1988 by the Knights of Columbus. Since beginning operations in the nation’s capital, the Institute has conferred 310 degrees, and will mark a major milestone with its 20th anniversary next year.

Just a short walk from the future McGivney Hall is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where brother Knights have been the official ushers for more than three decades, and where the Knights’ bell tower and carillon have summoned worshipers since its completion in 1959. This November, the beautiful new Knights of Columbus Incarnation Dome will be dedicated at the National Shrine. Fundraising for the new dome is under way, and the Fourth Degree has pledged to raise half of the $1 million cost. Please be generous when the Sir Knights of your local assembly ask you for help.

This year’s historic convention is being covered by much of the Catholic media. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) was founded by Mother Angelica back in 1981, when cable TV was in its infancy. Knights throughout the United States worked tirelessly to ensure that EWTN would be included on local cable systems.

I even had the privilege in those early days to accompany Mother Angelica to Rome for a meeting with Pope John Paul II. Today, EWTN is in 123 million homes in 140 countries. Over the years, the Knights of Columbus has contributed more than $4.5 million to EWTN to help bring quality Catholic programming to millions of people across North America.

We also welcome to our convention Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, a brother Knight, and his colleagues from Canada’s Salt & Light Television. In just four short years, the Toronto-based Salt & Light Television network has become a significant factor in Ontario and Québec, and it is available to viewers across Canada on digital satellite.

This convention will also be featured on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Catholic Channel, operated by the Archdiocese of New York.

Speaking of the media and its relationship to the Church, we should also note our long relationship with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, which began coordinating worldwide satellite telecasts of papal liturgies with the 1974 Christmas Midnight Mass.

The Knights of Columbus was there at the start, covering the cost of the satellite uplink, and later also funding the downlink to nations that could not afford to do so. We have been privileged to provide this service that has brought the Holy Father’s message into literally billions of homes on every continent, thus confirming the worldwide mission of the Church.

We have also been privileged to work closely with our brother Knight, Archbishop John P. Foley, who was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 until this summer. We are pleased that once again this year Archbishop Foley will address our convention.