Knights of Columbus’ generous Christmas spirit lasts year-round

Charity. Unity. Fraternity. Patriotism.

The four core values of the Knights of Columbus, a worldwide organization for Catholic men, encourage a spirit of giving and goodwill 365 days a year. Through service projects and church activities, members have become fixtures in their communities, always ready to lend a hand with their time, talent and treasure.

The Knights of Columbus have made a tremendous impact here in the Islands as well. This Christmas season, local Knights are providing outreach to the less fortunate and aid to charitable causes. Leaders of the group hope more men will join their work underscoring the Gospel imperative of service.

Countering discrimination

Father Michael J. McGivney, a priest in New Haven, Connecticut, founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. As assistant pastor of the area’s St. Mary Church, Father McGivney witnessed discrimination of many Irish Catholic families. Dangerous working conditions also regularly claimed the lives of Catholic men in his region.

Seeing those struggles, Father McGivney came up with the idea of a fraternal organization that would provide mutual financial support to its members’ families. He pioneered this new form of “insurance” which continues to benefit Knights of Columbus members today.

The group was named for famed explorer Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the Americas. Father McGivney, today a candidate for sainthood, thought his namesake would allow men to show pride in both their Catholic faith and their allegiance to their country.

The fraternalism of the Knights of Columbus expanded it from a localized insurance group to a comprehensive, community-oriented network. The Knights promoted fellowship among members’ families and, according to the website, www.kofc.org, encouraged “serving one’s church, community and family with virtue.”

Today, more than 14,000 Knights of Columbus “councils” exist in parishes and regions of the world. Roughly 1.8 million members are spread across 14 countries, including the U.S., Philippines, Poland and Cuba.

Knights of Columbus councils operate their own service and parish activities based on local needs. The Knights as a whole, however, have also been involved in larger-scale work, such as the creation of the St. John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C., and relief efforts for victims of disaster and persecution.

The Hawaii jurisdiction

In Hawaii, the Knights of Columbus established its first council more than 50 years ago. According to Knights of Columbus state deputy Steve Lopez, the Islands now have 28 councils with a membership of almost 2,000 local Catholics.

Bishop Larry Silva and diocesan vicar general Father Gary Secor are among the Knights of Columbus members in Hawaii.

The “Hawaii jurisdiction,” Lopez said, also includes American Samoa, though the council there at present is inactive.

Lopez, who started his term as state deputy about six months ago, believes the Knights of Columbus has found a solid footing in the Pacific because parishioners here have a genuine, neighborly spirit of giving.

“We as practicing Catholics have always contributed to our churches,” he said. “It was just natural” to serve further “under a broader umbrella. We’re locking arms from parish to parish.”

A member since 2002, Lopez said he personally was moved by the opportunity to be part of the Knights’ involvement in local liturgies and events honoring Sts. Marianne Cope and Damien de Veuster. That humbling experience has kept him inspired in his service work.

“In my life, it’s just been a blessing and beyond,” said Lopez, a parishioner at St. Michael Church in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

While each local council functions independently with its own officers and service projects, Lopez is there to ensure that finances, membership and Catholic principles are fostered properly.

“We need constant growth and momentum” to keep the Knights’ goodwill efforts thriving, he said. The organization — which accepts Catholic men age 18 and older — appreciates the “vitality” of new and younger members.

Hawaii’s Knights of Columbus have participated in everything from diocesan Masses, to special initiatives for the Pregnancy Problem Center, Catholic Charities Hawaii and the annual March for Life. Many councils have also partnered with parish outreach ministries in innovative ways to serve the homeless.

The Knights also have a longstanding tradition of supporting local seminarians and clergy. They are helping the diocesan Office of Vocations on projects for the “Year of Consecrated Life,” which began on the first Sunday of Advent and ends in February 2016.

The organization recently donated 20,000 copies of the book, “Following Love Poor, Chaste and Obedient: The Consecrated Life” to be distributed at Island parishes in the coming months.

Christmas activities

The generosity of the Knights of Columbus overflows during the charitable season of Christmas.

Cicero Seisdedos, the Knights’ local public relations chairman, noted the following activities various councils will be participating in for the holidays:

• Brother Joseph Dutton Council 7156, headquartered at Star of the Sea Church in Waialae, will be making a monetary donation to the Mauli Ola Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Jamie O’Brien Surf Day at Alii Beach Park. The Knights will also be serving sandwiches and drinks to families and surfers.
• Led by Deacon Kin Borja of St. Elizabeth Church, the Knights of Columbus in Aiea will be hosting a family for Christmas, providing them with gifts and dinner.
• St. Joseph the Worker Council 15124, which serves the Sacred Heart Church, Punahou, and the Maryknoll School community, will be working with Catholic Charities to serve food at the annual Homeless Memorial, Dec. 21. The event at McCoy Pavilion honors homeless men and women who died in 2014.
• Kamiano Council 11743 at St. Augustine Church in Waikiki is organizing a food drive to support Aunty Carmen’s Soup Kitchen, which offers free, hot, nutritious meals for the needy.
• Father Jose Reyes Nacu Council 12935 at Our Lady of the Mount Church in Kalihi Valley will be collecting and distributing non-perishable food.
• Council 13227 of St. Michael Church in Kailua-Kona has an ongoing “Knights Harvest” project, which collects fruit from private residences for donation to the Hawaii Food Bank, The Food Basket and The Friendly Place.
• The Hilo Council 15952, Ka Aha O’Kana (St. Marianne Cope) is pursuing its own Knights Harvest program as well.

Seisdedos said this list offers just a small scope of the array of the Knights’ work.

The spirit of Christmas was present at Sacred Heart Church in Waianae on Dec. 9 at the Leeward Oahu Knights’ weekly food distribution for the homeless. More than 150 people came to the church to receive fresh fruit and other rations for the holidays.

Gilbert Jose, one of the Knights from Sacred Heart Church, has been working with the parish outreach ministry to organize the food distributions. This initiative provided the homeless with hot meals and day of live music for Thanksgiving, and will also give away free turkeys for Christmas.

“I like what I do,” Jose said. “I just like to see the people’s faces.”

For many Knights, charitable work during the holidays and throughout the year is a faith-building experience. Bill Rodrigues of the Brother Joseph Dutton Council said his involvement in community and church life is a testimony for what God has done for him.

“This is my way of paying him back,” said Rodrigues, a parishioner of St. George Church in Waimanalo. “I’m doing it for the Lord.”

Michael Victorino of St Anthony Church in Wailuku, Maui, has been a Knights of Columbus member for “almost 25 years.” He recently became the first Hawaii Knight elected to the position of Supreme Warden on the national Knights of Columbus board of directors.

Victorino, also a past state deputy, said he has seen the Knights of Columbus grow in the Islands in an amazing way.

“I saw all the benefits it did for our community,” he said. “It strengthened my faith tremendously. I’m very thankful.”