UPCOMING

By J.D. Long-García | May 7, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Every year, thousands of men in the Knights of Columbus come together to pray, rekindle friendships and “tell their story” during the Supreme Convention.

This August, they’ll be converging on Phoenix.

“We have a story to tell,” said Arizona State Deputy Stanley Schroeder. “That story is that we are here helping our communities. What we do is for the good of the Church.”

Knights will begin arriving at the Desert Ridge Marriott Hotel for the 127th Annual Supreme Convention July 31, but the opening Mass will be celebrated Aug. 4. During the interim, the local Knights have organized a series of family-oriented tours for visitors.

During the convention, members of the Knights of Columbus develop new programs and evaluate ongoing efforts. This year, the Knights will be discussing a new initiative to support a culture of life.

The registration fee for the convention is $30, but the different tours range in price, from $55-$175. Tickets for the Guadalupe Festival, which follows the convention Aug. 8, are free.

The Knights have been serving the Church since 1881. That’s when Fr. Michael McGivney founded the Knights, the largest fraternal organization in the Church, in New Haven, Conn.

“We were founded to support widows and orphans of our members and to provide assistance to families who might have lost their breadwinner,” said Richard Jeffrey, who’s heading up the local effort to organize the Guadalupe Festival.

The festival in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will mark the first time the Knights have put on an international Marian conference. They hope to fill Jobing.com Arena and, if they do, it will be the largest Catholic gathering in Phoenix since the 1987 papal visit.

In part, the success of Rosary Sunday — which draws thousands of Catholics from throughout the diocese to honor the Blessed Mother each October — led the Knights to choose Phoenix for the festival.

The Marian Congress, which will begin on Aug. 6 and lead up to the Aug. 8 festival, will feature a number of speakers, including Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico City, and Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will speak, as will Msgr. Eduardo Chavez, postulator of the cause of canonization for Juan Diego, and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson.