MILITARY
KNIGHTS
Vol. 5, Issue 5, May 2010
IN
ACTION
Reports from K of C units
providing aid to members
of the armed forces
Supreme Knight Visits Military Councils in Japan
by Patrick Scalisi
UPPER RIGHT: CNS photo/Grzegorz Jakubowski, Newscom
apan is not the first locale that people
JKnights
consider in connection with the
of Columbus, but Supreme
Knight Carl A. Anderson found no lack
of fraternal spirit there during his recent
visit to Asia. Brother Knights from councils in Japan and Korea welcomed the
supreme knight during a trip that included a tour of the USS George Washington, a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our
Lady of Mount Fuji and a dinner banquet with K of C members at the U.S.
Army base at Camp Zama, Japan.
After attending the 8th Knights of
Columbus Philippine National Convention in Visayas, Anderson stopped in
Japan to meet with military Knights and
to install the district deputy of a new military district. Accompanying the supreme
knight was Col. Charles H. Gallina
(USMC-Ret.), the Supreme Council’s assistant for military and veterans affairs
and a past state deputy of the District of
Columbia.
Among the more than 14,000 K of C
councils around the world, 62 are located
on U.S. military bases. In Japan alone
there are five councils: Yokosuka Council
12488 at Yokosuka Naval Base; TwentySix Martyrs Council 12970 at Naval Air
Facility Atsugi; Martyrs of Tsuwano
Council 13316 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni; Father Charles Ermin Bantle Council 13945 in Okinawa; and St.
Francis Xavier Council 14821 at the U.S.
Army base in Zama. In nearby Korea,
Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 at
U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan was established in 2007 as the Order’s first presence
[Above] Master Chief Petty
Officer Larry Forsythe, who
serves as deputy grand knight of
Yokosuka Council 12488 at
Yokosuka (Japan) Naval Base,
stands with Supreme Knight
Carl A. Anderson on the deck of
the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft
carrier. [Left] Anderson delivers remarks following a dinner
at Camp Zama, Japan, for more
than 60 Knights and their family members.
Continued on next page.
Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the
Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.
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MILITA RY K NI G HT S I N AC T I O N
­
in that country. e council is named for
the late auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, who
was a 35-year member of the Knights at
the time of his death.
“When people ask me why we do so
much with military councils, why we try
to do so much with veterans — it’s because the military and veterans understand essentially what the brotherhood
idea of the Knights of Columbus is
about, what it means to stand firm on
principle, to be committed, to not retreat,” said Anderson during remarks at
Camp Zama.
The trip began April 19 with Mass
aboard the USS George Washington,
coupled with a tour of the nuclearpowered aircraft carrier. Lt. Cmdr. Jose
Pimentel, the Catholic chaplain aboard
the George Washington, offered Mass
and spoke about his ministry to the
more than 1,000 Catholics that serve
aboard the vessel. Afterward, Anderson
took a tour of the ship, which included
a visit to the flight deck, control room,
the bridge and the quarterdeck. The
supreme knight also discussed with
Master Chief Petty Officer Larry
Forsythe, deputy grand knight of
Council 12488, the challenges of deployed military Knights.
On the following day, Anderson led
a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of
Mount Fuji. ere, he installed Roger
Avery as the district deputy of Far East
(From left) Father Paul Passamonti, Supreme
Knight Carl A. Anderson and Grand Knight Roy
Mellon of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223
at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, South Korea, tour
the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the U.S. Army
base at Camp Zama, Japan. The Catholic chapel is
adjacent to the base’s interdenominational worship
space and includes a consecrated altar, an unusual
feature on a military base. Father Passamonti, a
former Army intelligence specialist, is a member of
Chaplain Charles J. Watters Council 8792 in
Stuttgart, Germany.
Overseas Military District #2, which
comprises the military councils in Japan
and Korea. Surrounded by the mountain’s
lush foliage, the Knights prayed for the
continued success of the military councils
and for the safe return of all the men and
women serving in the armed forces.
The supreme knight’s visit to Japan
ended with a dinner at Camp Zama for
more than 60 Knights and their family
members. Anderson delivered remarks
following the meal, handed out copies
of Armed with the Faith, the Order’s
prayer book for Catholic military personnel, and signed copies of his book, A
Civilization of Love.
“I think that men in the military
understand, maybe better than anybody
else, what it means to make a sacrifice,”
said Anderson during his talk. “One
might say that someone who is dedicated to the art of war is incompatible
with the civilization of love, when in
fact the commitment that that man or
woman makes is a commitment of selfless giving for another. Men in a military council understand first what the
Knights of Columbus ought to be as a
brotherhood and secondly what it
means to sacrifice to build a civilization
of love because that’s what they’re prepared to do.”
Following the supreme knight’s visit,
Grand Knight Roy Mellon of Council
14223 reflected, “is was an especially
rare opportunity for [military] Knights to
meet the supreme knight and his staff.
is visit marked the advent of a new
phase of the future of the Knights of
Columbus in Asia.”∑­
PATRICK SCALISI
magazine.
New Military District Established
W
ith the expanding presence of the Knights of Columbus overseas in Europe and Asia, two military districts have been formed in the past three
years to help administer these councils and their unique needs. The newest district is Far East Overseas Military District #2, which was instituted April 20 by
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson during his visit to Japan. The district encompasses five military councils in Japan and one in Korea.
The district deputies provide strong “theater”-level oversight and guidance
over council activities, new council development, ceremonials, recruitment and
retention, and reporting.
The first military district, European Overseas Military District #1, was formed
in 2006 and encompasses councils in Germany, Great Britain and Italy.
Pictured at left, Supreme Knight Anderson congratulates Roger Avery after his
installation as district deputy of the new Far East Overseas Military District #2.
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is the associate editor of Columbia