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Half a World Away

by Brian Caulfield 

Mabuhay from the Philippines, where Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson just attended the 8th Philippine National Convention of the Knights of Columbus. I was privileged to be a part of the “traveling team” to work at the event held in Cebu City (Visayas) and to witness a significant chapter in the history of the Knights of Columbus, as the supreme knight made his second visit to the Asian nation.

You can find all the details on the convention at the Supreme Council website. I wish to focus in this brief column on two statements made by the supreme knight which are applicable to all 1.8 million Knights of Columbus, and in some way to all Catholics everywhere.

In his keynote at the convention banquet on April 16, the supreme knight recounted the 105-year history of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, and how the Knights in the country continued to grow and serve the needy through many difficult days, including the hardships of World War II. He then outlined the challenges that Knights – and by extension, all Catholics – must take on today.

“I ask you to teach the sanctity of human life in your homes and in your schools, and to defend it in the public square,” Anderson said. “Teach about the beauty of marriage and marital love, and the central role of the family in the health of a just society. We in America, we at the Supreme Council, we will stand with you as you seek to preserve, defend and promote the Catholic culture of the Philippines.”

In many countries, such as the United States, the Church is seeking to restore a culture of life against the culture of death that has been imposed by unjust decisions by courts or legislatures. In the Philippines, the culture of life still stands strong both in the hearts of the people and in the laws of the land, but there are voices in both government and the media seeking to promote widespread contraception and even abortion to address what they see as a “population problem.”

The Knights in the Philippines are doing much to support the bishops in their defense of life, and as Catholic laymen, they are also acting in the public square to be apostles of life. Last month, thousands of Knights in the three regions of the country – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – gathered on the same day for three different March for Life events that were designed to give a unified witness. Public events such as this one are helping to rally pro-life opinion and giving support to the majority of Filipinos who in their hearts are pro-life and pro-family.
 
On the afternoon following the convention banquet, Supreme Knight Anderson offered an unscripted response to an inspiring talk by Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, which is located in Mindanao, in the south. The archbishop said that the fraternal charity of the Knights of Columbus must be practiced not only among members, but it also must impel Knights to extend their concern to other communities.

Anderson remarked, “The Knights of Columbus in the Philippines has never been stronger, it has never been more dedicated, it has never made a greater contribution to the good of this society than today, under the current leadership of this great organization. What we have to ask ourselves today when we hear the challenge given to us by Archbishop Quevedo and by Cardinal Vidal and by the other members of the hierarchy is this:

“Will we do more?”

The supreme knight said that the basis for the Order’s response should be the Christian understanding to the question found in the Book of Genesis – “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It is up to organizations such as the Knights of Columbus to answer yes to that question by devising practical, everyday programs of service to the poor and needy, Anderson concluded.

From my brief visit to the Philippines, and through extensive conversations and interactions with the Knights there, I am convinced that the Order is poised to make a historic contribution to the future of the country not only in terms of pro-life issues, but also in the social justice area that the Philippine bishops have placed so high on their agenda.

We Knights throughout the Order, and we Catholics in America, must offer our support through prayer. We must also exercise solidarity with those in the Philippines by living out fraternal charity in our own lives, to build a Culture of Life in our own country. The Philippines may be half a world away, but through our Catholic faith we share the one Word of God, and the one heart of Christ.

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(The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Headline Bistro or the Knights of Columbus.)