Extreme poverty. Hope. Happiness.
Archbishop WIilliam E. Lori noticed all these things during his travels with the Knights of Columbus to the Philippines in August.
As Supreme Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, Archbishop Lori spent almost two weeks traveling with Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and his family on his inaugural visit to the Asian nation. The archbishop celebrated Masses, visited the local ministries supported by the Knights and witnessed the power of faith in people who have little or nothing.
“The faith is so strong in the Philippines – very, very strong,” Archbishop Lori said. “It is hard to describe how ingrained the church is with the culture there, how strong the church is and how strong the religious practice is.”
There are churches all over the Philippines, he said, and he celebrated Mass in many “tremendously beautiful churches.” During one Mass with 3,000 students, “you could hear a pin drop.”
He visited the spot where Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, planted a cross in 1521. The Baltimore archbishop celebrated Mass outside near an active volcano that made its presence known the next day by spewing enough ash that it would have canceled the Mass due to low visibility. He met many bishops and also enjoyed local customs, dances and a talent show that “was second to none.”
All of this was underlined with visits to homes for street children and abandoned elderly, food assistance programs similar to Our Daily Bread in Baltimore and landfills, including Aroma, which was aptly named, he said, and the village inside it called HappyLand.
“You saw people who were scavengers, looking for food and there are different levels of people who get the garbage first all the way down to the people who get it after it’s been picked over,” Archbishop Lori said, of the slum’s hierarchy. “You don’t believe people live like that, but they do.”
What surprised him, however, was the upbeat feeling.
“People were friendly,” the archbishop said. “They were happy to see us. It was a bit of an eye-opener to me. I have been to Haiti before and the Dominican Republic and have seen things like this but it’s pretty massive in the Philippines.”
In his remarks at the Philippines National Dinner, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said there were more than half a million Filipino Knights spread across the country’s 4,000 councils, and that the number grew every year. The Filipino Knights, he said, “are an example of leadership” and mentioned many of the Knights’ ministries that he and Archbishop Lori visited.
Kelly also noted the Knights in Cebu’s partnership with the Arise Foundation, a program nicknamed “Guardians of Dignity,” which helps spot the signs of human trafficking. Trafficking is common in the Philippines as well as in other parts of Southeast Asia, Archbishop Lori said, and it was “heart rending” to meet with victims, some as young as infants and others in their 20s and 30s.
Archbishop Lori said he was proud of the Knights’ many ministries. Founded in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney to help men be better husbands and fathers, its mission is also to provide for the men’s families in the event of their death. The Knights operate a large insurance company, Archbishop Lori said, with profits going to charitable work.
“The charity, the unity, the fraternity for which the Knights of Columbus is famous were very, very evident, not only in your warm hospitality but also in the works of charity and faith we have been witnessing during these days,” Archbishop Lori said in his remarks at the Knights of Columbus National Dinner in Manila. “Thank you, brother Knights, thanks to your wives and families, for your deep faith, your continued growth, your strong leadership, your partnership, and dedication to the church’s mission.”
“It was an amazing visit,” Archbishop Lori said. “It is a beautiful country.”
Email Katie Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
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