Knights of Columbus mark 125 years of patriotic degree at St. Patrick's Cathedral

NEW YORK (OSV News) -- The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, celebrated the 125th anniversary of its patriotic fourth degree with an exemplification ceremony, Mass, and unveiling of a statue of its founder Blessed Michael J. McGivney at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

The day-long event Feb. 22 marked 125 years to the day -- in the city where the first such dedication took place -- where Catholic men committed themselves not only to being good men of faith but good citizens of their country.

More than 700 candidates and over 1,600 family members, Knights of Columbus, Columbiettes and others attended the 2 1/2 hour ceremony.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York presided over the exemplification.

"This is better than the St. Patrick's Day parade," he said to laughter and thunderous applause. "What organization radiates the wedding of (faith and freedom) than our beloved Knights of Columbus, a statue of whose founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, will now adorn this cathedral?"

The Knights of Columbus are exemplified by three virtues -- charity, unity, and fraternity -- each representing a "degree" of membership. Patriotism was added as a fourth degree in 1900, at a time when the loyalty of many American Catholics was questioned due to Catholics' loyalty to the pope. The fourth degree is not required for membership in the Knights.

The fourth-degree exemplification is a newly revised format that was used for the first time that Saturday. It is when candidates learn about the Catholic history of the United States, including its European exploration by France, Italy, and Spain, the establishment of Maryland as a Catholic colony, contributions to the nation's founding by Catholics such as Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, and prominent Catholic figures throughout American history, including President John F. Kennedy, himself a fourth-degree Knight.

Toward the beginning of the ceremony, Cardinal Dolan was joined by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and members of the family of Blessed Michael McGivney. Together, they unveiled a slightly larger-than-life-size bronze statue of Father McGivney, which will remain in St. Patrick's Cathedral permanently. The unveiling and blessing of the statue marked the final placement of nine such likenesses of the founder by sculptor Chas Fagan, installed at all nine Catholic cathedrals in New York state by the New York State Knights of Columbus.

In a 10-minute speech, Kelly spoke of Father McGivney's legacy.

"While our founder, that hardworking parish priest, was a model of many Christian virtues, his greatest contribution was his vision. Father McGivney saw a future in which lay Catholics would take a greater role. In founding the Knights of Columbus, he made that vision a reality. That humble pastor refused to lead the fraternal brotherhood that he had founded. Instead, he placed the burden of responsibility on the men of his parish, ensuring close collaboration with their priests, and he challenged those men to help build a society that reflected the teachings of Christ and his church."

Father Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, to foster faith among Catholic men and also to assist in providing for those who were injured or killed in workplace accidents, or who died from illness without leaving any provision for their families. The organization now claims over 2 million members worldwide.

The exemplification ceremony concluded with the candidates taking an oath to their Catholic faith and to serve as model citizens, followed by each approaching the altar to be "knighted" into the order by a senior member of the Knights' supreme council.

After a break, Cardinal Dolan celebrated the evening vigil Mass, concelebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, the Knights of Columbus supreme chaplain, and Father Brian McWeeney, the Knights' New York state chaplain.

"We're so happy to welcome the Knights of Columbus, whom we love and we appreciate," Cardinal Dolan said in his opening remarks. He also welcomed again Kelly and Archbishop Lori.

Referring to St. Peter's request for his Roman executioners to crucify him upside down, Cardinal Dolan said in his homily, "My brother Knights of Columbus, sons of Blessed Father McGivney, you new fourth-degree members, and we salute today Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori -- thank you for repairing the chair in Rome. Thank you more for, along with St. Peter and his successors, turning the world upside down on the cross."

The Knights of Columbus supported the restoration of the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter in St. Peter's Basilica.

Many guests and their families then moved to a banquet at the Midtown Hilton on Sixth Avenue, attended by more than 1,000 people.

After an invocation by Cardinal Dolan, Kelly addressed the issues surrounding patriotism today.

"Today the question is not whether Catholics can be patriots. Many now pose a different question: whether anyone should be a patriot. At the highest levels of society in some places, cultural elites tell us the answer is no. We've all heard it. We hear that patriotism means the same thing as blind nationalism, that it tends toward arrogance, aggression, and advancing one country's interests at the expense of others," Kelly said.

However, he added, "But as Knights and as members of the fourth degree, we refuse to accept these lies. On the contrary, we stand for the true meaning of patriotism.

"Our church teaches us that patriotism is not and never has been about national supremacy, nor is it a call to exclude or vilify the foreigner or the immigrant. It's not a weapon to be used against other nations or peoples," he said. "Rather, the church reminds us that patriotism is a duty that flows from a sense of gratitude -- gratitude to God, gratitude to our family, and gratitude to our nation for the gifts that we have been given, the gifts that shape and sustain us: hearth and home, church, culture, and community."

Mark Larson, a district master from the Knights of Columbus Oregon District, told The Good Newsroom, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of New York, why the Knights are still relevant.

"We're facing the same issues as we did then, being ostracized for being Catholic," he said. "Without the Catholics, we would not be the nation that we are."