Excerpt from 2008 Supreme Knight's Report

Pope Benedict's visit was an enormous gift to us: millions of Catholics are now more willing to live the Catholic life more actively. But it is up to us to follow through on this opportunity.

QUEBEC CITY (Knights of Columbus) - Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson presented his annual report at the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus today. Catholic Online is pleased to present an excerpt.The entire report can be found at the special report at their web site:

"2008 will undoubtedly be regarded as one of the most momentous years in our history. In mid-March, Pope Benedict XVI declared that Father McGivney had led a life of heroic virtue, and pronounced him "venerable."

A few short weeks later, during his historic visit to the United States, the Pope singled him out as a shining example during a homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. In a stirring call for unity and renewal of the Church, Benedict declared that "unity of vision and purpose - rooted in faith and a spirit of constant conversion and self-sacrifice - [was] the secret of the impressive growth of the Church" in America.

"We need but think," the Pope said, "of the remarkable accomplishment of that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney, whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of Columbus."

For us Knights, it was the most exciting highlight of a five-day visit that had many highlights. Knights were very much in evidence at every major event that week, from the extraordinary welcoming event on the South Lawn of the White House to the huge outdoor Masses at Nationals Park in Washington and Yankee Stadium in New York, and ending with a fond farewell at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

During the Pope's extraordinary meeting with leaders of many other faiths at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, he used a chair that had been used by John Paul II when he celebrated a papal Mass at Aqueduct in New York in 1995. The Order had commissioned the creation of the special chair, and it has been on display in our Museum in New Haven since it opened in 2000.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and Deputy Supreme Knight Dennis Savoie meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C. We helped prepare the way for the Pope's visit with a special television program, a website created just for the occasion, a special issue of Columbia, and with public opinion polls conducted both before and after the visit.

The survey results were extraordinary: 87 percent of Americans saw, read or heard about the papal visit in the media. And what they saw left a deep impression, especially among Catholics. Twothirds of Catholics said his trip made them appreciate being a member of the Church to a greater degree. Fully half said they would make family a bigger part of their lives, and lead a more moral life. And 45 percent said the Pope's trip made them more likely to attend religious services.

In short, Pope Benedict's visit was an enormous gift to us: millions of Catholics are now more willing to live the Catholic life more actively. But it is up to us to follow through on this opportunity. We must take advantage of the renewed interest in the Catholic faith that has burst forth because of his visit.

And so we've already taken steps with ads in Catholic newspapers, and especially on Internet websites, urging all Catholics to join us in answering Benedict's call to build up the Church. The names of those who respond will be provided to local coucils. The key to success will be to act immediately.

It is vital that we bring these men into the Order as quickly as possible. Then we must involve them in our charitable and church-related activities right away. Let us be co-workers in the renewal of the Church that our great Pope is leading.