AMERICA : KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CONVENTION - RECORD BREAKING DONATIONS

The Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic Organization in the world, held its 130th Annual Supreme Convention in Anaheim, Calif. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson delivered his annual report, the good works and deep faith of the more than 1.8 million Knights of Columbus. “The history of the Catholics in the United States is a history of working for religious freedom,” Anderson said. “And the work of the Knights of Columbus on behalf of religious freedom is a key part of that history.” Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter of greeting to the convention, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone. The letter offered the Pope’s encouragement of Knights’ work for religious liberty and expressed confidence that the Order will continue to lead the laity “to counter reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about issues which are determining the future of American society.” In attendence were also several Cardinals, Bishops and Priests. Pictured below are Cardinal Wuerl, of Washington DC, Cardinal Collins of Toronto, Canada, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo. Knights’ defense of religious liberty is a natural outgrowth of their charitable activities. Their work for religious freedom “has always been motivated by and inseparable from our commitment to charity,” Anderson said. The Knights of Columbus – donated more than $158 million to charity and 70 million hours of their time to charitable work. According to Independent Sector, which calculates the value of volunteer time each year, those 70 million hours are valued at $1.5 billion. The Order’s Healing Haiti’s Children, Food for Families and Coats for Kids programs continued to grow and reach more of those in need, and jurisdictions Orderwide continued to innovate and create programs to address their communities’ needs. Also growing in the past year was the Knights of Columbus’ insurance program, adding $5 billion of insurance in force, bringing the total to $86 billion and yielding a 6.9 percent increase in total assets. Speaking on the recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ health insurance mandate, which would require Catholic employers like the Knights of Columbus to pay for or be complicit with contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients, Supreme Knight Anderson noted. “Catholic voters have the power to transform our politics.” “Is it not time,” he asked, “for Catholic voters to say ‘no’ – no to every candidate of every political party who supports such intrinsic evil?” Reflecting on the Order’s founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, and the first men who became Knights of Columbus, the supreme knight closed with an inspirational message for the future. “[Father McGivney] knew their faith and he knew their aspirations,” Anderson said. “He knew what they were capable of. I also believe our saintly founder sees into the hearts of his brother Knights today and there he finds those same qualities. One hundred years from now, he will not be surprised by what his brother Knights continue to accomplish. Edited from Knights of Columbus Press Release