NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Every
day, Knights of Columbus live out the principles of charity, unity and
fraternity, and through this daily witness in society, they must redouble their
efforts to combat racism, violence and hatred, the top Knight told his
confreres.
"Living these
principles," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, "is the highest
expression of patriotism today."
He made the comments in an
address the evening of Aug. 4 during the fraternal organization's 138th annual
convention, held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Many of our fellow
citizens are still treated differently because of the color of their
skin," said Anderson. "Whenever and wherever this happens, it is
wrong. And it must be righted."
Anderson recommitted the
Knights to its programs in support of Native Americans and to foster an
"honest recounting of their history." He lamented the recent
desecration of churches and statues of saints, especially St. Junipero Serra,
whom he called a "heroic and saintly missionary."
"Where others seek to
divide," said Anderson, "let us promote unity. And where racism
festers, let us build fraternity."
"Living in fraternity
is what we do every day," said Anderson. "It is this commitment to
fraternity that gives us the strength to do the great works of charity that our
times demand."
The convention, which had as
its theme "Knights of Fraternity," officially opened with an evening
Mass Aug. 4 celebrated by Hartford Archbishop Leonard. P. Blair at historic St.
Mary's Church in New Haven, where Father Michael J. McGivney founded the
Knights of Columbus and where his remains are interred.
The archbishop had news of
his own to share: Father McGivney's beatification will take place at the
Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford Oct. 31.
The Knights expect COVID-19
restrictions to be in place on the date of the beatification and are making
preparations to broadcast the Mass to a worldwide audience, so the public is
able to join the celebration.
Ahead of the Mass at St.
Mary's Church, Anderson announced the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven
will be transformed into the Blessed Michael J. McGivney Pilgrimage Center.
On May 27, the Vatican
announced that Pope Francis, who met with the board of directors of the Knights
of Columbus in February, had signed the decree recognizing a miracle through
the intercession of Father McGivney, clearing the way for his beatification.
Once he is beatified, he
will be called "Blessed." In general, confirmation of a second
miracle occurring through the intercession of the sainthood candidate is needed
for canonization.
In his address, Anderson
created Father McGivney, with a "spiritual genius" for bringing men
together as brothers who care for others through lives of charity.
Anderson suggested that
Father McGivney's beatification is timely since he understood well the pain of
prejudice and discrimination as religious bigotry in the 19th-century targeted
Catholics. However, the priest and his contemporaries identified a uniquely
American way forward.
"They saw in the
freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment a path offered to them that could be
found in no other country," said Anderson. He cited a similar insight
expressed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who placed hope in the U.S.
Constitution and Declaration of Independence because they constitute a
"promissory note to ... every American."
Anderson also used his
addressed to deliver the Knights' annual report, which shows that Knights
donated more than $187 million and volunteered more than 77 million hours of
service valued at more than $2 billion.
The organization responded
to the pandemic with the Knights' locally driven "Leave No Neighbor
Behind" program to help neighbors most vulnerable to the illness, as well
as blood drives and support for food banks in the U.S. and Canada. Other
initiatives included million-dollar lines of credit to dioceses in financial
trouble and financial aid to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu hospital for children
in Rome.
Those programs are being
carried out in tandem with the Knights' ongoing activities for the disabled via
Special Olympics and programs to help the needy, including Coats for Kids and
disaster relief.
Despite the economic downturn
due to the virus, Anderson reported insurance sales of $8.4 billion over the
past 12 months with agents adopting a virtual business model since the start of
the pandemic. With nearly $27 billion in assets under management, he said, the
Knights of Columbus is meeting both its financial obligations, and its
charitable goals.
In April, the Knights of
Columbus was one of six companies to receive the highest ranking in a Standard
& Poor's review of North American life insurance companies. The
rankings released April 6 give the Knights an AA+ and in the categories of
"outlook," "business risk profile" and "financial risk
profile," the Knights are considered, respectively "stable,"
"very strong" and excellent.
Others insurance companies
among the six are Guardian Life Insurance Group and New York Life Insurance
Group.
Anderson had a final word
about Father McGivney's beatification and how it is both a cause for joy and a
call to higher standards of charity, unity and fraternity.
"We step forward
together," he said, "as Knights of Columbus — 'Knights of Fraternity'
— to continue our great work."