Addresses and Homilies

Dear Knights of Columbus,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

	Marc Cardinal Ouellet of Quebec

The Archdiocese of Québec is very honoured to host the 126th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Québec city on the four hundredth anniversary of foundation of the city. I greet you all on behalf of the local Church and population, thanking you wholeheartedly for the Blessing of your presence and your personal witness. I greet the Supreme knight, Carl Anderson, his wife Dorian, all the cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people who are taking part in this Convention. Welcome!

Je suis très heureux de souhaiter la plus cordiale bienvenue à tous les Chevaliers de même qu’à leurs familles, et de vous inviter à découvrir Québec en cette année exceptionnelle du 400ième de sa fondation. Que son site enchanteur, ses murs fortifiés et ses monuments vous inspirent et vous rappellent l’histoire émouvante des fondateurs et fondatrices de l’Église en Amérique du Nord. A los hermanos y hermanas de habla castellana un saludo muy cordial con el augurio de una estadia agradable en la ciudad de Quebec.  

May you enjoy Québec city, the city of Champlain and Laval, a city of explorers and  saints, the cradle of Evangelization in North America, a Eucharistic city which has hosted some weeks ago the 49th International Eucharistic Congress. This memorable World event was deeply appreciated and remains engraved in our hearts as a milestone on the path of the Church’s mission in our times. I see the presence here of the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus as a sort of epilogue of this World event, an opportunity to ponder and gather the fruits of this extraordinary Blessing. The Supreme Convention bears always witness to Christ by Eucharistic adoration, fraternity and commitment of charity and service in many works of mercy and solidarity. But it must be even more so this year in Quebec City in the wake of the International Eucharistic Event celebrating the gift of God for the life of the world.  

The presence of the Ark of the New Covenant in our midst symbolizes the renewed Eucharistic commitment we are invited to promote in the life of the Church. The great success of the Congress was due to the prayer and involvement of many actors and benefactors, among which -- I tell you sincerely -- the Knights of Columbus were the most committed organisation at all levels. The Knights took care of the pilgrimage of the Ark across Canada for the spiritual preparation, they did a great deal of volunteer work and provided an extraordinary financial support. May God reward you with many spiritual blessings and prosperity. May He grant you a special Gift of love, fruitfulness and hope during this Supreme Convention in Quebec City.

Dear brothers and sisters, in Canada we celebrate today the feast of Blessed Father Frederic Janssoone, a Franciscan Friar born in France in 1838, who came to Canada in 1888 as a preacher and a promoter of charities in favour of the Holy Land. He had a strong devotion to the way of the Cross and to our Lady and was an outstanding preacher of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He was so inspiring and creative that the people were fascinated by his ability to sell the good news by all kind of means, not only from the pulpit, but also by publications, pilgrimages, collections and the development of the third order Franciscan. Father Frederic was a priest of great zeal and creativity.  He is recognized to be the cofounder of the national Shrine of Notre-Dame du Cap in the city of Trois-Rivières. He died in Montreal in 1916 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

Saint Paul’s celebration of Christian Love in chapter 13 of the Letter to the Corinthians fits perfectly the description of the main inspiration in the life of Blessed Father Frederic, « le bon Père Frédéric» as he was called, as well as the inspiration of our Convention in the Eucharistic City of Québec. Pope Benedict titled His Apostolic Exhortation after the Synod on the Eucharist: Sacramentum caritatis, the Sacrament of Charity, which is one of the best names of this Most Holy Sacrament. He invites us to draw from the wellspring of Christ’s Eucharistic love the grace to be transformed in this love and the courage to better witness the coming of the Kingdom in our world.              

During the Eucharistic Congress, several key witnesses called us to adoration and action in facing the challenges of today’s world. Against violence, hatred, addictions, despair, the love stemming from the Eucharist is able to foster hope, reconciliation and peace. Jean Vanier, Nicolas Buttet, Marguerite Barankitse and many others reminded us what Saint Paul says about love. Love is kind, patient, generous, humble and hopeful. In family life, we are called to bear witness to Christ by being faithful and fruitful. In public life we are called to respect other beliefs but at the same time to be committed to one’s own faith and mission. « Christian recognize your dignity » and behave accordingly, used to repeat Saint Gregory the Great to his flock. Thus, « you shall be my people, and I will be your God », says the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah.
 
As an international Catholic Fraternity, the Knights of Columbus have a special role to play in witnessing the love of Christ in today’s world under the wise leadership of Pope Benedict the XVIth. At forty years of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae and despite the cultural opposition to this Church teaching, we are called to revisit this document and to realize how prophetic it was and still is. It speaks of human love and openness to life. It discards contraception as a threat for human love and a slippery slope towards demoralization of our society. The message has not yet been truly received despite the confirmation that came from the evolution of the culture towards divorce, abortion, homosexuality and destruction of marriage and family. These sad consequences were foretold to some extent in the message of Humanae Vitae. May we thank God for the teaching of the Church and reaffirm our faith in her wisdom, despite the critics we hear from within and outside the Church. 
      
It seems to me that the Knights have grown a lot over the years, not only in prosperity but also in spiritual awakening, family committment and social solidarity. May we continue to grow in holiness on the personal level and to be present as a social body on the public scene, particularly by promoting the values of the family, among which the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception to the last breath of natural death. It is not easy to embody those values in today’s context, especially in Canada where the culture of death is making further steps of domination by rewarding publicly an activist of abortion. It is time for us to wake up and to hear the word of the Lord: « Do not be afraid » when the storm hits the boat, « come to me » and « hold firm my hand », the hand of the Church. May our reaction to the sad events in the world not be of « little faith » but of a new faith commitment to hold firmly the Church teaching on human life and love and to engage with courage the cultural challenges by promoting more strongly a culture of life and a civilization of love. 

Let us now welcome the gift of God in the Holy Eucharist, bread of life, bread from Heaven, a foretaste of eternal life. While longing for a renewed sense of adoration and thanksgiving in the Church, let us offer ourselves to God in order to be transformed by His Spirit of Truth and Love and to be sent to the world with greater Hope and Joy. The Kingdom of God has come near, believe in the Good News! Amen!