A Chain of Charity

Nov. 1, 2022

It was a privilege to meet my brother Knights in Poland and Ukraine and witness their works of mercy

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

Nov. 1, 2022

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

Last month, as I made a short pilgrimage to Poland and Ukraine, I witnessed the Order’s first principle on steroids. There I saw firsthand the charity of brother Knights and their families and the vitality of the Knights of Columbus.

I arrived in Kraków on Sept. 30 and was met by the Order’s staff there, who would be my guides throughout the visit. We hit the ground running, first visiting the Divine Mercy Shrine and praying at the tomb of St. Faustina Kowalska, before celebrating Mass at the near-by shrine dedicated to St. John Paul II.

On Oct. 1, I visited an orphanage near Częstochowa, where children displaced by war in eastern Ukraine had been welcomed into a former retreat center. In this place, they found love. I was happy to join the Polish Knights in distributing warm winter coats through our familiar Coats for Kids program and in handing out candy and fruit at lunch. The charity of my brother Knights and their co-workers registered on the faces of these young people.

Soon I found myself at the Mercy Center at St. Wojciech Parish, where Father Ryszard, a dynamic pastor and Knights of Columbus chaplain, welcomed me into a virtual mall of charity — free clothing, shoes and other necessities, all destined for Ukrainian refugees, and even a food court run by Ukrainian women; I sampled the pierogi, and they were good!

That night, we crossed the border into Ukraine with the help of Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, the Roman Catholic state chaplain and my gracious host. The next morning, I went with the archbishop to a newly constructed Benedictine monastery and to St. John Paul II Parish, a new church built with help from the Knights of Columbus. Both had been transformed into housing for internally displaced persons. I met many who were suffering from the war and listened to their stories. After celebrating Mass, I had the privilege of ceremonially installing the state officers of the Ukraine State Council. Visiting with them, I heard accounts of heroic charity, including Knights who risked their lives to drive 18-wheelers filled with food and supplies into war-torn areas of Ukraine.

These priests are courageously carrying forward their ministry amid war, without counting the cost. They deeply appreciate the fraternal support of their brother Knights and families.

The next day, I visited a clothing distribution center run by brother Knights and their wives, and I met elderly people for whom this center is a lifeline. Afterward, I was happy to address more than 160 Ukrainian Greek Catholic seminarians, and I urged them all to become members of the Knights. I also met His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Bishop Mykhaylo Bubniy of Odessa, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic state chaplain. They spoke with me about the atrocities the Ukrainian people are suffering, as well as their spirit of hope and resilience, and they thanked me most warmly for the support they are receiving from the Knights.

Before leaving Ukraine, I was privileged to meet and celebrate Mass with Knights of Columbus chaplains from across the country, many of whom serve as chaplains in the armed forces. Like so many people I met during my visit, these priests are courageously carrying forward their ministry amid war, without counting the cost. They deeply appreciate the fraternal support of their brother Knights and families.

I concluded my visit in Radom, Poland, where I met with chaplains from across the country and visited a former church converted into a care package assembly site. Knights, chaplains and volunteers were putting together boxes that would be sent to Ukraine — and I helped as well.

All this and more is possible because both Knights and chaplains are being formed in the spirituality of Blessed Michael McGivney. Rooted in love, may we, the family of the Knights of Columbus, continue to support them in an unbroken chain of charity.

Metal bucket at draw-well in European village.

A Chain of Charity

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