Utah Knights of Columbus attend national 125th anniversary celebration of organization’s Fourth Degree; plan a local event for March 29
NEW YORK CITY — Five Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus from Utah traveled to New York City to join the national celebration of the Catholic fraternal organization’s 125th anniversary of the Fourth Degree.
The first three degrees of the Knights of Columbus are charity, unity and fraternity; these were part of the organization when it was founded in 1882. The Fourth Degree, patriotism, was added in 1900; these men “lead the efforts to reach out to veterans and active military and to embody the fact that one can be a faithful Catholic and also be a faithful citizen,” states www.kofc.org.
Fourth Degree Knights hold the title “Sir Knight” and can participate in honor and color guards. Knights of the first three degrees meet in councils, but once they are inducted into the Fourth Degree they are part of an assembly usually made up of three to four councils.
The Feb. 22 Exemplification of Patriotism at St. Patrick’s Cathedral included a welcome by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, and remarks by Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly.
Utah District Master Nick Nielson, Supreme Knight Ed Ortega, Brian Vallese, Ray Salazar and Joe Bouley of Assembly 3586 and St. Olaf Parish represented the state at the ceremony.
The celebration began with the unveiling and blessing of a bronze statue of the order’s founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, commissioned for the cathedral by the Supreme Council and gifted by the Fourth Degree. Then, during an Exemplification of Patriotism, more than 650 candidates for the Fourth Degree pledged fidelity to God and love for country. Following this, Cardinal Dolan presided at a vigil Mass, which was concelebrated by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who is the Knights’ Supreme Chaplain, and 20 priests.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Nielson said. ‘It was great, having Cardinal Dolan speak, seeing the candidates from West Point and [other places] leading the colors and then become Fourth Degree. It was very special, and the fact that I got to spend it with my family and see the new degree as well as four other brothers from Utah came out to watch it as well was wonderful. It was a great experience.”
For Bouley, the attraction was that “It was historic; you know, 125th year anniversary to the day, plus a lot of my other Sir Knight friends were going to go, so I wanted to go with the group,” he said. “Even though it was one day, just to go to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is an event by itself and then, together with the 1,000 other Sir Knights in New York, it was special, very special.”
Utah Knights will have their own Fourth Degree 125th anniversary celebration on March 29 at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. This will include an exemplification ceremony that will be open to families and friends, a break from the past where the ceremonies were only open to Knights and candidates. Afterward will be a Mass at which Bishop Oscar A. Solis will preside, followed by a banquet.
Although becoming a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus is a significant commitment, it can help a man become a better Catholic and Christian, Nielson said.
“I joined the Knights in general at a time where I had been laid off from my job and was unemployed, and I didn’t have a way to give back monetarily,” he said. “So joining the Knights was a vehicle for me to give back to my community, my parishes and joining the Fourth Degree has extended that even further. I would encourage other people to do it; you get out of it way more than you put into it.”
For Bouley, who served in the Air Force for 22 years, being a Fourth Degree Knight is about service and patriotism, he said.
“I think, nowadays we need the patriotic degree,” he said. “It’s special for me, being a veteran.”
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