may 20 11 ! volume 28 ! number 5 ! www.kofc.org KNIGKHNIGHTS OFT COLUMLBUS In SIervice toN One. In ServicE e to All. news for knights of columbus leaders ! 1 columbus Plaza, new haven, ct 06510-3326, usa ‘Making God’s Work Our Own’ Supreme Knight Delivers Talk Knights of Columbus Tops $80 on JFK’s Inaugural Address Billion of Life Insurance in Force ith the backdrop of historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, Supreme he Knights of Columbus insurance program W Knight Carl A. Anderson delivered a speech April 7 titled T passed a major milestone in late April when total “Making God’s Work Our Own: The Importance of President John F. insurance in force exceeded $80 billion. The amount of Kennedy’s Inaugural Address 50 Years Later.” More than 400 digni - life insurance in force has doubled in just over a decade, taries, Knights, seminarians, and members of the public were on hand from $40 billion in 2000. Supreme Knight Carl A. to hear the supreme knight’s comments on President Kennedy’s mem - Anderson cited the record sales growth as resulting from orable speech. Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, delivered the organization’s philosophy of sustainable investment and the invocation, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, and ethical business practices. “Despite the difficult economic con - Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport were also ditions in the United States, the Knights of Columbus has maintained present.The event was co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and its strength, and has improved its standing relative to the insurance in - the Boston Leadership Forum. dustry as a whole,” the supreme knight said. “There is no higher-rated Throughout his talk, the supreme knight repeatedly touched on two insurer than the Knights of Columbus, and we have every confidence of the major quotations from President Kennedy’s address: “The rights in our continued success because we have a fundamentally solid busi - of man [come] not because of the state but because of the hand of ness model, which continues to serve us well.” The Knights of Colum - God” and “... ask not what your country can do for you — ask what bus has more than $17 billion in assets and ranks in the Fortune 1000 you can do for your country.” He expressed how themes of human list of America’s largest companies. It is one of only five insurers in North America to receive the highest possible rating for financial sta - SEE JFK , P AGE 4 bility from both Standard & Poor’s (AAA) and A.M. Best (A++). Salt + Light Television CEO Speaks on John Paul II Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, chief executive officer of Salt + Light Television in Canada, presented a two-part lecture se - ries at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., in conjunction with the opening of the Pope John Paul II exhibit “Blessed.” Having served as the National Director and CEO for World Youth Day 2002, Father Rosica’s first talk, April 6, was dedicated to the gift of the late pontiff to the youth of the world: Laboratories of Faith: World Youth Days in the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II . His second talk, delivered the next day, was titled The Suffering and Death of a Shepherd: What Pope John Paul II Taught Us at the End . ­ LOUISIANA KNIGHTS GATHER AID SUPPLIES FOR JAPAN hen Louisiana District Deputy Darrel Gonzales and other mem - W bers of Archbishop Rummel Council 5747 in New Orleans were putting the finishing touches on preparations for their annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival during the last weekend in March, he and his fellow Knights quickly added a significant new item to the festival plans: collect - ing food and other supplies for the people of Northeastern Japan. Due to their own losses during Hurricane Katrina that had devastated the area, the local Knights had firsthand experience with the needs and trials faced by the Japanese people in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. The Knights rented a large truck, parked it next to the festival site, and put out word in the media that donations were being sought. As the festival began on Thursday evening, cars were already dropping off food and other sta - ples, often in case-sized quantities. The Crawfish Festival is major fundraiser for Council 5747, and enables the Knights to fund a wide variety of char - itable activities. It is an “all hands” effort, and more than 200 of the coun - cil’s 281 members turned out to work during the festival’s four-day run. Three other councils in the area — 3068, 3441, 8442 — provide signifi - cant support. Contributions for the Japan or Haiti efforts can be made by visiting kofc.org . Donations (in the United States) are tax deductible to the ex - tent allowed by law to Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In Canada, donations are tax creditable to the ex - tent allowed by law to Knights of Columbus Canada Charities, Inc., a registered charity with the CRA. Please write “Hope for Haiti’s Children” or “Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” on the memo line of the check. Checks should be sent and made payable to: Knights of Columbus Char - ities, One Columbus Plaza, PO Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509- 1966. For Canada, please mail checks made out to: Knights of Columbus Knights from throughout St. Bernard Parish and surrounding Louisiana communi - Canada Charities, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 7252 Station A, ties led an effort to collect donations of food and other supplies for victims of Japan’s Toronto, ON M5W 1X9. earthquake and tsunami. HAS YOUR COUNCIL CONDUCTED AN OUTSTANDING PROJECT LIKE THIS? If so, we’d like to hear about it. Please send information on your project (including the when, where, what, who, why and how of the activity) and photos to [email protected]. If you have any questions about sending in photos, call us at 203-752-4264. In addition, if you think your council has an event or program that is an outstanding example of one of the six “Surge … with Service” categories — Church, Family, Pro-Life, Youth, Community or Council — let us know. We would like to produce a listing of upcoming events that we can pursue for possible promo - tion with local media and/or for use as a feature article in one of our publications. Please send a brief description of your upcoming event (one or two sentences describing it, the date, the location and contact information) to [email protected] or call 203-752-4264. We look forward to hearing from you. Knights ‘Walk for Life’ Throughout the Philippines “Defend life” was a rallying cry for Knights and other Gaudencio B. Rosales and members of the Order, pro-life advocates who participated in simultaneous drew almost 400,000 supporters. The following day “Walk for Life” events in Luzon, Visayas and Min - the Knights of Columbus of Luzon held their “Walk for danao. The activities were held through March,in sup - Life” and it was attended by almost 10,000 members port of the culture of life and in opposition to the from the different councils in Manila. Reproductive Health Bill, a measure that seeks to pro - Meanwhile, councils in Visayas held marches in three mote contraceptives. Similar government legislation different locations. On March 12 an event held in that would have created what it touted as a measure Cebu City was attended by nearly 10,000 members on maternal health care failed last year because the and other supporters. Philippine Congress ran out of time to deliberate on A rally held on March 18 in Bacolod City drew 18,000 the matter. participants including Knights and their families. In Mindanao also held a “Walk for Life” on March 12 in On March 25 in Luzon, an interfaith rally organized by Iloilo City, on March 25, nearly 3,000 Knights and Davao City with 5,000 Knights. A second event was the Archdiocese of Manila against the Reproductive other supporters also held a demonstration against held simultaneously in Digos City, Davao del Sur with Health Bill took place. The rally, attended by Cardinal the bill. 1,000 Knights attending. 2 Mexico Knights Make Pilgrimage to Christ the King Mountain nights of Columbus from throughout K Mexico traveled to the Shrine of Christ the King at the top of Cerro del Cu - bilete (Cubilete Hill) March 27 for a special day of worship in memory of the K of C martyrs who were killed during the persecu - tion of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s. Approximately 400 Knights and their fami - lies, some traveling as long as 15 hours from the far ends of the country, joined Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson for the event, which included a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Juan Sandoval, archbishop of Guadalajara. Cardinal Sandoval emphasized the need for the Order to grow in Mexico and for Knights to give witness to their faith, following the ex - ample of the Order’s founder, Father Michael J. McGivney, and of the martyrs being com - Top: Fourth Degree Knights align a procession into the chapel at the Shrine of Christ the King. Above: Cardinal memorated. Juan Sandoval, archbishop of Guadalajara, and Supreme Knight Anderson are pictured with the state deputies of In remarks delivered in Spanish following the four Mexican jurisdictions. The supreme knight, Cardinal Sandoval and the state deputies had an opportunity Mass, the supreme knight also reflected on the to talk about the development of the Order in Mexico before Mass.