By Robert Camilleri
Special to the Herald
On Aug. 13, Hawaii Knights of Columbus, their wives and families, gathered at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu to attend the first anniversary feast day of the Mass of Blessed Michael McGivney, the recently beatified founder of the Knights of Columbus, celebrated by Bishop Larry Silva.
In his homily, Bishop Silva spoke about Blessed Michael and the anti-Catholic sentiment he faced in the late 1800s, his establishment of the Knights of Columbus in 1882 and its insurance program which provided monetary relief to widows, and the fact that the Knights have flourished to this day.
Bishop Silva lauded the Knights for their strong support of the pro-life cause through their participation in the annual March for Life at the Hawaii State Capitol and their purchase and distribution of ultrasound machines, which provide women considering abortion a picture of their baby in the womb.
The bishop also thanked the fraternal organization for its many good works in the Diocese of Honolulu. He described the Knights as men in service to our King, Jesus Christ.
At the end of the Mass, Sacred Hearts Father Lane Akiona, state chaplain of the Hawaii State Council, thanked Bishop Silva, a fourth degree Knight, for celebrating this Mass in honor of Blessed Michael McGivney; Father Alfred Omar Guerrero for organizing the Mass; the fourth degree honor guard; and the choir from St. Michael Parish in Waialua and Knights Council 16741 for providing the music for the Mass.
After the Mass, the Knights and their wives posed for a picture with the bishop.