The Edward Douglass White Council of the Knights of Columbus
are selling olivewood “solidarity crosses” made by Christian
families in Bethlehem to raise money for the organization’s
Christian Refugee Relief Fund. The fund provides aid to
victims of religious persecution, specifically in the Middle
East. The crosses are being sold for $10 each with 100
percent of the proceeds going to the archdioceses of Aleppo
and Irbil, as well as to Catholic Charities working in the
region.
EDW Grand Knight John White said the fundraising idea came
from the Supreme Order. The crosses cost the council $5 a
piece to purchase from families in Bethlehem, but rather than
keeping the other $5 to recoup the cost, the council decided
to give the entire $10 made from each cross to the relief
fund.
According to White, there are 19 councils and assemblies in
Virginia participating in the Solidarity Cross program, with
an estimated 1,499 crosses sold thus far. In addition to the
Edward Douglass White Council, the other participating
councils in the Arlington Diocese are: Springfield Council,
Springfield; John Paul I Council, Dale City; Fr. Widmer
Council, Stafford; and St. Mary of Sorrows Council, Fairfax
Station.
White said they have already sold 420 crosses, and the very
first one was purchased by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde
with a personal check.
The next 119 were sold at a state meeting of the Knights of
Columbus, he said. “It was a great effort on the part of the
Knights throughout the state to kick this off, and then we
brought it home here to Arlington.”
The council has sold the crosses at St. Agnes in Arlington,
St. James in Falls Church, and will sell them at St. Ann in
Arlington July 3, which will be the last day of the
fundraiser.
When White announced the effort during an early morning Mass
at his parish, St. Agnes, he said they sold out of crosses
after the second Mass that day. “But people were still giving
us money,” White said. “We raised over $6,000 from St. Agnes
alone, which is incredible. And we raised more money when we
ran out of crosses than when we had them.”
He said more than 400 people have contributed to the
fundraiser thus far through purchasing the crosses and
through direct donations. The council is just shy of raising
$10,000.
The Christian Refugee Relief Fund was created to help support
those suffering religious persecution in Iraq and Syria.
Since launching the fund in August 2014, the Knights have
raised more than $10 million. All of the donations go toward
humanitarian assistance and efforts to raise awareness of the
persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.
In areas occupied by the Islamic State group, Christians are
forced to pay the jizya – a head tax levied against them
because of their faith – or pressured to convert to Islam. If
they refuse to adhere to these conditions, they face
violence, loss of wealth and property, or death. A 2014 study
conducted by the Pew Research Center reported that more
Christians face “harassment or intimidation” than any
religious group.
“I have a young daughter, she’s 9 years old, and I can only
imagine the stuff she’d have to go through if she was over in
Syria or Iraq right now. It’s unfathomable,” White said.
“It’s hard for us to see other people suffer when they don’t
need to be.”
The fundraising campaign will end July 3 at St. Ann with a
speech by Chris Bannon, the council’s grand knight-elect.
Those interested in donating to the fund can follow the link
posted on the Knights of Columbus
Edward Douglass White Council 2473 Facebook page.
Husar can be reached at [email protected].
Find out more
To learn more about the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, go to
christiansatrisk.org.
