SAN ANTONIO — The Knights of Columbus are celebrating new record highs in charitable contributions, the further expansion of their order to Ukraine and Lithuania, and new awards that honored Catholics for their service in the aftermath of the Newtown massacre.

“We help change countless lives and communities around the world,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said. “Our charitable service not only helps the temporal needs of our neighbors, but our personal witness of charity can also evangelize as we live Christ’s commandment of love.”

Anderson announced the order’s record-breaking numbers at the beginning of their 131st Supreme Convention, held in San Antonio Aug. 5-8.The Knights had given more than $167.5 million to charity and more than 70 million hours of service during the fraternal year that has just finished, Anderson stated.

Among the charitable initiatives carried out by the Knights were programs which provided new winter coats to children, helped amputee victims in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, stocked food pantries and gave assistance to victims of disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, the recent explosion in West, Texas, and the tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Acknowledging the Pope as a model witness of charity, Anderson told the Knights that each of them ought to bring “the example of Pope Francis into his home, his parish and his community.”

He also highlighted the group’s record membership of 1.84 million and its expansion into Ukraine and Lithuania, as well as an insurance milestone of more than $90 billion of life insurance in force.

 

Remembering Newtown

During the San Antonio convention, the Knights also introduced the new Caritas Award, to recognize those who have shown “exemplary works of charity.” The inaugural awards were given to Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church and its corresponding St. Virgilius Knights of Columbus Council 185 in Newtown, Conn.

The parish was terribly affected by last December’s elementary-school shooting, in which 26 members of the community — mostly children — were killed. Several of the victims were parishioners at St. Rose of Lima.

Msgr. Weiss and the St. Virgilius Council exemplified Christian virtue at a time in which “so many around them faced suffering the likes of which we can hardly imagine,” said Anderson. “In the midst of tragedy, as so often happens, heroes rise to the occasion; Msgr. Weiss was heroic.”

Together, Msgr. Weiss and the Knights of Columbus set up prayer campaigns and signed up 105,000 people to pledge at least three Hail Marys for the victims and their families, the first responders and teachers and the Newtown community.

They also raised more than $70,000 for toys in honor of Caroline Previdi, one of the children killed in the shootings, who had been saving her money for the Knights Council's annual Christmas toy drive.

“Those we honor, like the Good Samaritan, treated their injured and suffering neighbors, classmates and friends with mercy and love,” said Anderson before a dinner audience of some 2,000, which included Knights from numerous countries and their guests.

Anderson also spoke of the organization’s commitment to the defense of life, marriage and religious liberty.

“The culture of life and civilization of love will not be built overnight,” he said. “But we will continue to work day and night to build them through our example, our words and our prayers.”

Anderson finished his Aug. 5 address to his fellow Knights by commending them for the work they had done,and encouraging them to live the conference’s theme, to “Be Protectors of God’s Gifts.”

He said, “For over the past year, you have been good stewards of God’s gifts! Our order is stronger today than ever before, and, my brother Knights, the best is yet to come!”