|
| John Paul II | 
John Paul II in 1993 | | Papacy began | 16
October 1978 | | Papacy ended | 2 April 2005 | | Predecessor | John Paul I | | Successor | Benedict XVI | | Personal details | | Birth name | Karol Józef Wojtyła | | Born | 18 May 1920(1920-05-18)
Wadowice, Poland | | Died | 2 April 2005 (aged 84)
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City | | Signature |  |
Knights of Columbus and John Paul II
Review historic moments in the papacy of Pope John Paul II,
and his relationship with the Order, in photographs. | | | | Cause for Canonization
Pope Benedict XVI announced the opening of the cause for sainthood of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtila,
d. April 2, 2005), on May 13, 2005. On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict declared that John Paul lived a life of “heroic
virtue” or holiness, and that the Church considers the late pope as “Venerable.” This important step allows
for John Paul to be beatified after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints certifies a miracle through his intercession.
After the announcement of the pope’s heroic virtue, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson spoke with Zenit and Catholic News Agency, reflecting on the life, teachings and example of Pope John Paul II. | | |
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Since the beginning of his papacy, the Knights of Columbus developed a long history of collaboration with
Pope John Paul II. Supreme Knight's Statement Great and holy works marked the pontificate of Pope John Paul. In them, the pope could always and ever count
on the Knights of Columbus for support. The links below provide decade-by-decade look at the extent
of the Order's support for John Paul the Great during his 27-year pontificate.
 The September, 2003 issue of Columbia magazine also highlighted the many ways Knights of Columbus expressed solidarity with John Paul.
Over the years the Knights' collaboration with the pope took place in three main areas: communications and technology, restoration and additions to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the funding of papal projects.
Communications and Technology The Knights of Columbus has played a vital role in the technological development
and world wide communications ability of the Vatican under John Paul II. When Pope John Paul II's installation to the
papacy was broadcast around the world in 1978, it was the Knights who funded the telecast to mission countries. Shortly
thereafter, it was the Knights who funded the creation of a film about the pope's visit to Mexico City and the shrine
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the first pilgrimage of John Paul II's papacy. From those beginnings, the Knights involvement
and collaboration with the Vatican in the areas of communications and technology grew greater and greater. When the pope
visited the United States in 1979, it was the Knights who again funded the filming of his journey. A few years later,
in 1985, the Knights funded the Vatican Television Center's (CTV) purchase of a mobile television studio. Two new production
vans, also funded by the Knights, were added in 1991 and 1993.  In addition, the Knights purchased a new transmitter for Radio Veritas in 1985, and collaborated with the Vatican or
provided funding for a variety of satellite broadcasts of papal events including: The World Day of Peace in Assisi (1986),
the Peace Summit in Assisi (2002), World Youth Day in Manila (1995), World Youth Day in Rome (2000), the Opening of the Holy
Door at St. Peter's for the Millennial Jubilee (1999), the Holy Father's visit to Nazareth (2000), and several other
events through the Knights' Satellite Uplink Program. In addition to funding satellite uplinks and filming of papal
events and Vatican television production capabilities, the Knights have funded several computerization projects for Pope
John Paul II's Vatican including the computerization of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints (1992), the computerization
of the catalogue system of the Pontifical Urban University in Rome (2002), and the production of an online tour of the pope's
private Redemptoris Mater Chapel to capture the beauty of its mosaics designed by Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, who was working
also on a redesign of the Holy Family Chapel in the Supreme Office headquarters. Renovations and Additions to St. Peter's Basilica  During the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, the Knights of Columbus has been a major contributor to the recent renovations
and additions at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In 1981, the Knights collaborated with the Fabbrica di San Pietro in
the construction in the grottoes of St. Peter's Basilica, including the building of a chapel dedicated to Saints Benedict,
Cyril and Methodius, co-patrons of Europe, and the enlargement of the existing Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa, a Polish
image of the Virgin Mary to which the Pope had a special devotion, to one and one-half its former size. That was just
the beginning. The first renovation of the façade of St. Peter's in 350 years was funded by the Knights (1985),
who also funded the renovation of the 17th century atrium and the Holy Door of St. Peter's (1999) in preparation for
the millennial Jubilee. Several restorations of Vatican art were also funded by the Knights including the restoration of
the ceiling of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St. Peter's (1993) and the restoration of several artworks in the grottoes
of the basilica (2002). In appreciation for the Knights work on the façade, in 1985, the Pope sent the bronze cross,
which had been held by the statue of Christ atop St. Peter's since 1614, to the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven.
In addition to the many restoration projects undertaken by the Knights, more than 100 architectural artifacts and pieces
of art related to the creation of St. Peter's Basilica were displayed in the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven.
Other Papal Projects  Along with collaboration with the Vatican on technology, communications and renovations during the pontificate of Pope John
Paul II, the Knights of Columbus have also funded several specific projects for the Holy Father, and have worked in tandem
with him on a variety of projects.
One of the most important initiatives of the Knights of Columbus in aiding the
papacy of John Paul II, occurred in 1981, when the Knights established the Vicarius Christi Fund. The fund provided an endowment
of $1 million, the interest from which would be given to the pope for use at his discretion. Since that time, the fund has
grown to $20 million and its earnings have provided the Pope with $35 million. In support of the Holy Father's
stand against secular atheism and atheistic communism, the Knights funded a Vatican colloquium entitled "The Common
Christian Roots of the European Nations." The Knights also funded the printing and distribution of some 1,500 two-volume
sets of the proceedings of this conference. They were disseminated throughout then-communist Eastern Europe. The Knights
also supported the pope's travels, contributing to the expenses of the Holy Father's visit to Canada in 1984, and
to his trip to the United States in 1987. Several papal documents have also been published by the Knights including "The
Pope Speaks to the American Church," a complete collection of the pope's addresses to Catholics in the United States
between 1979 and 1988, in collaboration with the Cambridge (Mass.) Center for Study of Faith and Culture. The Knights also
developed and distributed a study guide on the 1989 encyclical Christifideles Laici. In addition, the Knights
have provided financial assistance to the Holy Father to help offset the annual operating budget of the San Lorenzo International
Youth Center in Rome, which is designed to provide a prayerful place for young pilgrims to become familiar with the Vatican
and Rome in congenial surroundings. Between 1995 and 1999, the Knights of Columbus purchased and ultimately paid
off in its entirety, the $1.5 million Vatican's U.N. Permanent Observer Mission headquarters in New York City. Beyond
financial support, the Knights of Columbus have answered the pope's call to active lay involvement in the Church as part
of the New Evangelization. In addition to the countless hours and dollars the Knights of Columbus has put at the service
of the Church, the organization has also stood alongside the pope on a wide range of social issues, seeking to answer the
pope's call to spread the Gospel and foster a Culture of Life. In recognition of the service of the Knights of
Columbus, Pope John Paul II has sent an annual letter to the Knights for over 20 years. He has also granted audiences both
to the Board of Directors, and on several occasions to the Supreme Knight. |
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Knights'
Support for John Paul II - 1970s |
Follow links below for a look at the extent of the Order's support for John Paul the Great during other decades
of his 27-year pontificate.
1970s
 | | Past Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant with Pope John Paul in 1978. |
- 1977 -- The Knights of Columbus agrees to underwrite the creation of a Vatican Film Library, whose
purpose is to gather and preserve every foot of useful film ever taken of a Holy Father, from Pope Leo XIII.
- 1977 -- The Knights assist with a Vatican project, Radio Veritas, through which the Holy See transmits
programming on the faith to one-fourth of the world's population living under communist rule, from a radio station in
the Far East.
 | 1978 -- The Order underwrites the costs of the uplink and downlink
in mission countries of the telecast of the installation of Pope John Paul II. The Order funds a film made from videotape
of the Holy Father's visit to Mexico. | - 1979 -- In October,
the Order collaborates with the U.S. Conference of Bishops by providing funding for the filming of the entire journey of
Pope John Paul II to the United States, at a cost of $75,000.
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Knights' Support for John Paul II - 1980s | Follow links below for a look at the extent of the Order's support for John Paul the Great
during other decades of his 27-year pontificate.
1980s - 1981 -- At the Convention
in Louisville, Ky., the Order establishes the Knights of Columbus Vicarius Christi Foundation, in the amount of $10 million,
the earnings of which will be presented to the Holy Father in perpetuity for his charitable purposes.
 - 1981 -- The Order collaborates with the Fabica di San Pietro in the construction in the grottoes
of St. Peter's Basilica, of a chapel dedicated to Saints Benedict, Cyril, and Methodius, co-patrons of Europe, and enlarge
the existing Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa to one and one-half the former size.
- 1981 --
In November, the Order provides funding for a colloquium of some 200 scholars in the Vatican on a subject dear to the heart
of the Holy Father:"The Common Christian Roots of the European Nations." The Order also funds the printing and
distribution of some 1,500 two-volume sets of the proceedings of this Conference.They were disseminated throughout Eastern
Europe.
- 1983 -- The Order provides financial assistance to the Holy Father to help offset
the annual operating budget of the San Lorenzo International Youth Center in Rome.It is designed to provide a gathering place
for young persons who travel to Rome, that they might pray together and become familiar with the Vatican and Rome in congenial
surroundings.
-
1984 -- At the request of Canadian Knights, the Supreme Council authorizes
a special $1 per capita on Canadian members to assist the Canadian Conference of Bishops in defraying expenses coincident
with the Holy Father's visit to Canada.The Board also votes $100,000 toward the Holy Father's visit to minority
peoples in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, unfortunately canceled because of poor weather.(He did make the trip on a
subsequent journey.)
- 1985 -- The Order provides funding to enable the Vatican Television Center (CTV)
to purchase a completely equipped television production studio housed in a van and trailer, which enables CTV to document
the words and activities of the Holy Father for use by the world press, and to produce other programs on the Holy Father's
journeys, activities and speeches.
- 1985 -- The Order buys a new transmitter for Radio
Veritas, which transmits news of the faith and of the Holy Father to the Far East from its studios in Manila.
- 1985 -- At the wish of the Holy Father, expressed through the Fabica di San Pietro, the Order is
presented with the opportunity to restore the entire façade of St. Peter's Basilica, which has not been touched
for 350 years.The decision to fund this project was made by the Board of Directors. The work takes place over a period of
months.
- 1986 -- The Holy Father presents as a gift to the Knights of Columbus Museum
in New Haven, the copper cross held in the arms of the statue of the Savior on the very top of St. Peter's façade.
It had stood there from 1614 until the presentation. This was in appreciation for the collaboration of the Knights of Columbus
in restoring the façade of St. Peter's, the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul in the square, the reconfiguration
of two rooms in the Basilica, known as The Rooms of the Architects, into six, and other related works.
- 1986,
October -- The Order collaborates with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in telecasting the World
Day of Peace hosted by the Holy Father on Oct. 27, 1986 in Assisi.
- 1987 -- During the
September visit of the Holy Father to the United States, and in particular to the Southwest, the pope grants an audience
to the Board of Directors in San Francisco.The Order provides $250,000 to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help
defray expenses of the pope's visit.
- 1988 -- The Order gives funding to the Second
International Congress on Moral Theology in Rome, marking the 20th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae. The pope thanks
the Knights.
- 1989 -- The Knights of Columbus provides funding for the publication of
"The Pope Speaks to the American Church," a complete collection of the pope's addresses to Catholics in the
United States 1979-88, in collaboration with the Camidge (Mass.) Center for Study of Faith and Culture.
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Knights' Support for John Paul II - 1990s | Follow links below for a look at the extent of the Order's support for John Paul the Great
during other decades of his 27-year pontificate.
1990s 1994-1996 - 1997-1999 - 1990 -- The Order develops and distributes a study guide on the
1989 encyclical Christifideles Laici.
- 1991, August -- The Knights launch an Orderwide Quincentennial Prayer Service centering
on replicas of the cross presented by Pope John Paul II to the bishops of the Americas in 1984 in the Dominican Republic.
- 1991 -- The Order donates new equipment for the CTV mobile production van.
- 1992,November -- Pope John Paul II beatifies 25 Mexican martyrs killed
during the 1926-1929 revolution in Mexico.Six are priest-members of the Order.
- 1992--
The Order provides financial assistance to the Vatican Pavilion at the Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain.The Holy Father
acknowledges the gift through Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state.
- 1992--
The Order funds computerization of operations at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
- 1992--
The Knights purchase new equipment for the Vatican Film Liary.
- 1992-- The Order provides
funding for the Pontifical School of Theology in Krakow, Poland, for training of priests for Eastern Europe.
- 1993, March-- Renovations of the roof and mosaics in the Blessed Sacrament
Chapel in St. Peter's Basilica are offered as a gift to the Holy Father by the Order.
- 1993
-- The Order purchases a second mobile TV production van for Centro Televisivo Vaticano.
- 1993,
August-- World Youth Day in Denver-- The Order staffs a booth and distributes 100,000 Rosaries, 200,000 rosary prayer
cards, and 100,000 confession cards.
- 1993-- The Fourth Degree funds restoration of the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver to commemorate Pope John Paul II's visit there for World Youth Day.The
grant is $100,000.
- 1994-- As part of Pope John Paul II's visit to the U.N. and United States, the Order is invited to co-host
with the Diocese of ooklyn a family prayer service at Shea Stadium.(When the pope is taken ill, the event is postponed.)
- 1994,October-- The Order approves TV uplink funding for the Holy Father's Mass for
Families and for the Jan. 15, 1995 World Youth Day Mass in Manila, Philippines.
- 1995, Jan. 15-- Supreme Knight and party attend the closing World Youth Day
Mass of the Holy Father in Manila. The Order sponsors extended uplinks through the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
- 1995, October -- The Knights of Columbus and the Diocese of
Brooklyn co-host the Holy Father's Mass at Aqueduct.
- 1995 -- The Order purchases a portable pipe organ for the Sistine Chapel.
- 1995
-- Start-up grant is given by Knights to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.
- 1995,
October -- Pope John Paul II blesses the new headquarters of the Permanent Observer Mission at the United Nations
in New York City, which was funded by the Order.
- 1996 -- The Order provides
grants to the Pontifical Academy for Life.
- 1996, Fall -- The Order publishes a study
guide for Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
- 1996 -- The Knights of Columbus Museum
exhibits the chair commissioned by the Order and used by the Holy Father at the Aqueduct Mass.
- 1997 -- The Order gives a grant to the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."
- 1997 -- Grant is given to the Pontifical Council for the Laity
to support World Youth Day in Paris. The Order sends nine college council representatives to attend.
- 1997,
October -- Supreme Knight and Mrs. Virgil C. Dechant represent the Order at the Rio de Janeiro International Conference
on Family attended by Pope John Paul II.
- 1997, December -- The Holy Father receives the
Supreme Officers in audience. A spiritual bouquet of prayers is offered by Knights to mark his 50th Anniversary as a priest.
- 1998, January -- Grant given by Knights to the bishops' conference of Cuba
to help with expenses of Pope John Paul's visit there.
- 1998 -- The Order subsidizes
the publication of "Serving the Human Family," a collection of Vatican interventions at major U.N. Conferences
over the past 10 years.
- 1999, January -- The Holy Father travels to Mexico City. Supreme Knight Dechant
and Supreme Chaplain Bishop Thomas V. Daily of ooklyn, N.Y., attend. Holy Father then goes to St. Louis. The Order provides
a grant to offset extraordinary charges.
- 1999, January -- The Order announces funding
for the restoration of the 17th Century Maderno Atrium in St. Peter's Basilica as a gift to the Holy Father and to the
universal Church for Jubilee 2000. The restoration is completed in 11 months, ready for the opening of the Holy Door on Christmas
Eve. The Holy Door is also restored. The ppening of the Holy Door and midnight Mass are televised globally through the Order's
Satellite Uplink Program. At the conclusion of the work a special medallion is struck in gold, silver and onze and presented
to the Holy Father as a momento of this monumental work.
- 1999, October -- The Holy Father
receives the Board of Directors in audience. He blesses a mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe commissioned from the Vatican
Mosaic Studios for the Knights of Columbus Museum.
- 1999 -- The Order presents the Holy
Father with a paid-in-full mortgage note on the Permanent Observer Mission headquarters in New York City -- $1.5 million
plus waived interest.
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Knights' Support
for John Paul II - 2000s | Follow
links below for a look at the extent of the Order's support for John Paul the Great during other decades of his 27-year
pontificate.
2000s 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2000, May 21 -- Pope John Paul II canonized 25 Mexican martyrs,
victims of the religious persecution of the 1920s, of whom six were priests, who were members of the Knights of Columbus.
The priests had been beatified on November 22, 1992.
- 2000, February -- Then Supreme Secretary
Carl A. Anderson participated in Vatican events marking the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's encyclical on life
issues -- Evangelium Vitae . He also delivered a paper on attempts to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the United States
and Canada.
- 2000, March -- The Order funded the telecast of the Holy Father's visit
to the Holy Land, and in particular to Nazareth.
- 2000, October -- Supreme Knight Carl
A. Anderson took part in the Third World Meeting of Families with the Holy Father in Rome. On Oct. 14, the Supreme Knight
spoke to an audience of approximately 300,000 people in St. Peter's Square, focusing his talk on the need for governments
to enact laws and uphold policies that promote respect for the family. The Order provided funding for the telecast worldwide
of this Jubilee family event.
- 2000 -- Pope John Paul II announced that the Church in
Canada would sponsor the next World Youth Day, to be held in Toronto from July 18-28, 2002. The Knights of Columbus has had
a long history of support and participation in World Youth Days, the Holy Father's own program for gathering youth throughout
the world in celebration of the faith. In 1995 in Denver the Supreme Council sponsored a booth and distributed rosaries,
prayer cards and other items to the pilgrims. In 1997 the Order coordinated a traveling cross program with the Philippines
bishops' conference. The Order also underwrote the worldwide satellite telecast of Pope John Paul II's concluding
Mass from Manila. In 1999 a delegation of College Knights represented the Order at World Youth Day in Paris. In Denver,
Toronto and Manila Knights were among the largest groups of volunteers, helping to assure that the various logistics of handling
large crowds and providing services to them would be taken care of.
- 2000 -- The Order
invested $400,000 in support of the documentary film based on "Witness to Hope," a much-praised biography of Pope
John Paul II by George Weigel.
- 2000 -- Among Vatican dicasteries helped during the Year
2000 were the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," which coordinates the Church's worldwide relief and development
efforts; the Congregation for Oriental Churches to support a Congress of some 100 ordinaries and leaders of Eastern Catholic
churches in the Americas and Oceania held in Boston; the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C.; the Apostolic Vatican
Library for the annual cost of maintaining its important reference sources, called The Index.
- 2000,
July -- The Order participated in and subsidized telecasting of the events of World Youth Day held in Rome.
- 2001, April 29 -- In St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II beatified Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, a member of the
Knights of Columbus in Puerto Rico.
- 2001, April -- In Montreal, the Order participated
through major funding and active involvement in the Third Continental Congress on Vocations, a meeting requested by Pope
John Paul II.
- 2001, May -- The Holy Father marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment
of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. In 1988, the Order sponsored a North American
Campus of the Institute, which today is located at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The North American
Campus has awarded more than 200 advanced degrees, such as doctorates and masters degrees.
- 2001,
June -- The Holy Father made a gift to the Knights of Columbus of a mitre worn by him during the Jubilee Year, specifically
at a Mass celebrated on March 21, 2000, in Amman, Jordan, during his visit to the Holy Land. The mitre is on display in
the Papal Gallery at the Knights of Columbus Museum.
- 2001 -- Beginning on Sept. 30, Supreme
Knight Anderson participated as an auditor in the month-long Synod of Bishops, having been named to that post by Pope John
Paul II, one of 22 auditors chosen by the Holy Father from throughout the world.
- 2001
-- On Oct. 10, the Supreme Knight addressed the session of the Synod of Bishops, discussing the relationship between the
family and the bishop in fulfilling its role in the new evangelization. The Supreme Knight also served as a reader at the
opening Mass of the Synod on Sept. 30.
- 2002, January -- The Order authorized a grant of $1 million to fund "Duc in Altum" park, where the sacrament
of reconciliation was available to young people attending World Youth Day in Toronto. Here again the Order was well represented
among the volunteers, and also in providing assistance to the young people.
- 2002, January
-- The Order once again provided funding for the worldwide satellite coverage of a papal event, namely the Jan. 24 peace
summit, convened by the Holy Father in Assisi, which attracted more than 200 religious leaders from around the world.
- 2002, February 25 -- The Holy Father appointed Supreme Knight Anderson as one of 25 new members
of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. In that same month the Supreme Knight also took part in a meeting of the Pontifical
Academy for Life, of which he is also a member.
- 2002, March -- As a sign of solidarity
with the Holy Father, whose strongest desire is world peace, the Order established in March the $2 million Pacem in Terris
Fund, the earnings of which will be used to promote peace initiatives in the Holy Land and to assist the Latin patriarchate
in supporting the Christian community there.
- 2002, April -- Supreme Knight Anderson is
granted a private audience by Pope John Paul II, at which time they discussed the Cause for Canonization of Father Michael
J. McGivney. A sculptural representation of Father McGivney created by Donatella Gismondi is presented to the Holy Father,
who expresses keen interest in Father McGivney's cause.
- 2002 -- The Knights of Columbus
receives the gift of a small oil lamp used by Pope John Paul II at the World Peace Summit he hosted in Assisi the previous
January. The gift is being displayed in the Knights of Columbus Museum.
- 2002 -- The Order
collaborates once again with the Fabbrica di San Pietro to restore precious artworks in the grottoes of St. Peter's
Basilica. These include centuries-old paintings and marble work in the Peribolo of Clement II; the Chapel of the Madonna
of the Parturient; the Chapel of the Budding Madonna; and the Sepulchre of Pius XII.
- 2002, Nov.
23 -- Supreme Knight Anderson is given a letter on peace personally handwritten by the Pope. The letter became the
centerpiece of a display at the Knights of Columbus Museum: "John Paul II -- A Passion for Peace." He also presented
the Holy Father with a resolution from the Board of Directors, thanking him for his apostolic letter on the rosary, and the
announcement on the new Luminous Mysteries.
- 2002 -- For Christmas, the Order collaborated
with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in a streaming video production of a 24-hour television program celebrating
the 25th Christmas of the Holy Father's Pontificate.
- 2003, January -- The Board of Directors votes to provide assistance to the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration,
a subsidiary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Funding also is provided for the Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples to computerize the catalogue system at the Pontifical Library at the Pontifical Urban University
in Rome.
- 2003 -- In response to the call of the Holy Father for support for vocations,
the Order undertakes a 2003 program centered on the 40th annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations, observed on May 11.
- 2003 -- On May 11, the Knights of Columbus Museum opens an exhibit titled "John Paul II --
A Passion for Peace." Many of the items on display are on loan from the Vatican. Among items on display were a rosary
crafted by a Polish political prisoner, a painting from the Pope's personal collection depicting prisoners exiled to
Siberia, and a mosaic titled "The Hand of God" from the Vatican Museums. Two special oil lamps are also part of
the exhibit. One, loaned by the Archbishop of Sarajevo, was used during a papal prayer service for peace during the pope's
visit there in 1997. The second lamp was used by the Holy Father at the World Summit for Peace held in Assisi.
- 2003, July -- The Holy Father's Encyclical on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia was the
topic of the second Knights of Columbus Eucharistic Congress held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, D.C., August 7-8.
- 2003 -- In October, the Order begins a year-long prayer program in honor
of Pope John Paul II and priests through a "Divine Mercy Prayer Service" featuring the image of Divine Mercy, which
will travel to Councils throughout the Order. The image being used by the Knights was blessed by the Holy Father earlier
in 2003.
- 2003, Oct. 9 -- The Holy Father receives the Board of Directors in audience,
at which time Supreme Knight Anderson presents the pope with a gift of $2.5 million, including earnings on the Vicarius Christi
Fund. This gift brought to more than $35 million the amount presented to the Holy Father in connection with the $20 million
Vicarius Christi Fund first established in 1981 and increased in 1988.
- 2003 -- In connection
with the opening of the scholastic year 2003, the Supreme Council presents to some 4,000 seminarians gift copies of Pope
John Paul II's volume: "Gift and Mystery." The book was a special edition with an introduction by Supreme Knight
Anderson. The volume commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Holy Father's priesthood celebrated in 1996.
- 2003, October -- At an audience granted to the Board of Directors, Pope John Paul II encouraged
the Knights as follows: "In fidelity to the vision of Father Michael J. McGivney, may you continue to seek new ways
of being a leaven of the Gospel in the world, and a spiritual force for the renewal of the Church."
- 2003,
October -- The Order begins its celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's pontificate with
a special issue of Columbia, highlighting his accomplishments and Knights of Columbus solidarity with him throughout these
25 years.
- 2003, Nov. 24 -- The Holy Father named Supreme Knight Anderson as a consultant
to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the only American among 10 new appointees.
- 2003,
December -- More than 100 works of art and architecture from the Vatican go on exhibit at the Knights of Columbus
Museum for the show "Creating St. Peter's -- Architectural Treasures of the Vatican." The show's centerpiece
is a 16-foot-tall cutaway model of the dome of St. Peter's, designed by Michelangelo. The opening on Dec. 10 was highlighted
by the presence of Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, archpriest of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica.
 | - 2004, Jan. 17 -- In the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, Maestro Gilbert Levine leads the Pittsburgh
Symphony and several international choral groups in a presentation of the "Concert of Faiths -- the Papal Concert for
Reconciliation," in the presence of the Holy Father. Attending are representatives of the three Abrahamic religions:
the Holy Father; the former Chief Rabbi of Rome; and the Iman of the Rome Mosque. The concert was funded by the Order. Other
representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem faiths also attended. The concert was cosponsored by the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity, the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialog, and the respective Vatican commissions
for religious relations with the Jews and with Muslims. A film of the concert was produced, and debuted at the Lincoln Center
in March. In June it was screened at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The program has aired nearly 100 times
on more than 80 public broadcasting stations throughout the United States, and a DVD has been released.
2004 -- To assist the Holy Father, the Order provides financial assistance
to several Vatican congregations and to other projects associated with the Holy See. Among them: continuation of the Satellite
Uplink Program for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and support for the Pontifical Academy for Life and
the Pontifical Mission Library. The Order also contributes funding for an online tour of the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, the
Holy Father's personal chapel, to capture the beauty of its mosaics designed by Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, who was also
working also on a redesign of the Holy Family Chapel in the Supreme Council office in New Haven. - 2004
-- In solidarity with the Holy Father and his proclamation that October 2004-2005 will be the Year of the Eucharist, the
Knights of Columbus plans a third Knights of Columbus Eucharistic Congress. It will take place immediately following the
Supreme Council Meeting in August 2005 in Chicago.
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