Pro-Life Programs

Local and State Council Programs

1. Roses for Life Weekend

   Every January, the State Council distributes paper roses to Councils. Councils hand out the roses, typically at or after Masses at their local parishes. The 2008 Roses for Life Drive was January 6 - 7. The paper roses contain a space for name and address, as a statement of support for pro-life. This year our Council collected over $300, more than double our 2007 collection of $112. From these funds, $100 each was send to the Vitae Society and to Birthright. The remaining funds were used to defer travel costs for Allison Rohman and Rachel Lee to attend the Washington, DC, March for Life, to hand deliver our roses to our legislators in Congress, and for the purchase of current and future years' roses.

2. Vitae Caring Foundation

   Incredibly……Life, the RIGHT to be born and live, has become a matter of debate in our society. Legal abortion has demoralized our society. Life itself has become a commodity. We watch in horror as our moral and spiritual values are trampled by disrespect and violence, a reflection of a society that allows mothers to kill their unborn children.
   With the support of all the local Knights of Columbus Brothers and Ladies, the Vitae Caring Foundation is using the mass media to educate the public. We are extremely proud that the research shows our efforts are having a substantial impact in reducing the number of abortions in Missouri. Our work is just beginning.
   With the statewide force of the Knights and their families our goal is sponsor one month of Vitae commercials in Missouri.

Supreme Council Programs

1. Education

   Bishops' Workshop on Medical-Moral Issues
   In order to present the Church's position on biomedical and health issues in the public forum clearly and faithfully, bishops, priests and other experts need to be trained adequately. To that end, the Knights of Columbus underwrites the bishops' workshop on medical-moral issues held every other year in Dallas by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston.

   Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
   Since 1988, the Knights of Columbus has sponsored the North American session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in Washington, D.C. Annually, dozens of students graduate from the institute with advanced degrees in the Church's teaching on marriage and family life and begin careers in diocesan family life offices or other institutions where they can impart to others the power and beauty of the Gospel of Life.

   Columbia Magazine
   Regularly, Columbia magazine publishes pro-life features in addition to columns and stories that promote family.

   Running of the Silver Rose
   The Silver Rose program features a sculpted silver rose carried by Knights from Canada, through the United States, to Mexico, bringing the Culture of Life message on its journey. The silver rose is received at councils and parishes along its way and Masses and prayer services are offered. Special border ceremonies with Fourth Degree honor guards are held when the rose is transferred from one state to another. The Silver Rose program is a sign of the Order's unity on life issues.

2. Prayer

   Day of the Unborn Child
   This international program is held annually on March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. Focusing on the pro-life meaning of the Annunciation, councils hold pro-life prayer services. In 2003, the Supreme Council sponsored a Holy Hour in St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, that was broadcast live by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

   Respect Life Month
   The Order collaborates with the Pro-Life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the observance of October as "Respect Life Month." The Order distributes the Respect Life Program folder to thousands of Knights of Columbus leaders to assist them with pro-life programming on the local level. The Order also provides substantial annual funding for the U.S. bishops' public information and education office and the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning. Funding is also provided to the bishops' conferences of Canada, Mexico and the Philippines for pro-life and family projects.

3. Public Policy

   Culture of Life Legislative Initiative
   As Catholics, Knights of Columbus have the responsibility to work for the common good of society. Catholics--and especially Knights--must, in the words of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and a privilege, but as an opportunity to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every voice counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power." The Culture of Life Legislative Initiative seeks to assist councils in becoming more effective in the public sphere.

   Legislative Priorities
   The Legislative Priorities section of this website informs our membership on vital issues and enables them, directly from the site, to contact their senators and representative.

   Vote Pro-Life
   Led by the Fourth Degree, the Order encourages its own members--and all people--to vote pro-life. The Knights of Columbus feels that the right to life is not a partisan issue, but rather the pre-eminent moral issue of our time.

   A United Nations Non-Governmental Organization
   The United Nations has granted the Knights of Columbus status as a nongovernmental organization (NGO). This designation entitles the Order to participate in U.N. conferences and activities at a variety of levels.

4. Financial Contributions

   The Knights of Columbus also supports a number of Pro-Life efforts and charities, including:

   • U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pro-Life Secretariat
   • The New York State Catholic Conference pro-life legislative initiatives
   • Canada's Catholic Office of Life and Family
   • The Mexican Bishops' Conference
   • The Archdiocese of Mexico pro-life campaign
   • The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
   • Americans United for Life in Chicago
   • Life Athletes
   • Birthright USA
   • The National Life Center
   • The Nurturing Network
   • The Human Life Foundation
   • Seminarians for Life
   • March for Life

Send comments or questions to the web page editor, info@kofc1376.org.