January 2004

Chaplain's Counsel

Dear brother Knights,

Here it is January again, the month we march for life in Washington and put up marchers for the night. The annual Archdiocesan Youth Rally and Mass for Life will be held January 22 at the MCI Center, 601 F Street, NW (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro). The rally, featuring performances by the hip-hop and rap-singing Fr. Stan Fortuna, recording artist and composer Steve Agrisano and the dynamic "Who Do You Say I Am?" Band will be at 9:00 AM. The Mass, celebrated by Cardinal McCarrick, will be at 10:00 AM. All are invited, young and old! (I will probably be there, only trouble is, I hate rap.) I guess it is my penance for the babies!

That same evening, we will have our priest appreciation dinner. It is something for which the priests really look forward each year. Make a special effort to invite personally our local pastors. We need priests and the clergy have no better friends than the Knights. Please continue to keep Father George Golden (Mount Calvary) in your prayers. His cancer has returned and he might lose a kidney. I would also ask you to pray for the recently deceased clergy: Rev. Edward B. Pritchard (Nov. 10, 2002); Rev. Msgr. Robert O. McMain (Dec. 20, 2002); Rev. Msgr. Louis W. Albert (Dec 23, 2002); Rev. Mr. Thomas Beall Ricker, Jr. (Dec. 31, 2002); Rev. Canice Treacy (Jan. 6, 2003); Rev. Paul R. Holden (March 16, 2003); Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Grodavent (May 25, 2003); and Rev. Matthew J. Siekierski (Aug. 3, 2003).

Another announcement is the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Mass. It will be held Friday, January 17, 7:00 PM at the Church of the Nativity in Northwest Washington. Bishop Olivier will be the principal celebrant and homilist. The Mass will feature the Archdiocesan Mass Choir. The theme will be "40 Years and Marching . . ." in honor of the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington.

The Office of Family Life and the Pope John Paul II Institute are co-sponsoring To Follow Christ: The Vocation of Marriage and Family. The January 31 conference is designed to present an overview of Pope John Paul II's vast teaching on the theology of marriage and family life and offer practical advice and guidelines on how to implement this grand vision at parish and diocesan levels. Stanislaw Grygiel, a friend of Pope John Paul II for more than 50 years, will speak on how the family saved Polish culture during the Nazi and Soviet occupations.

Congratulations to Father DePorter who celebrated 40 years of priesthood last month. The Lord has assuredly blessed his ministry. He is a good friend to us all.

Have a happy and holy new year, fraternally yours,
Father Joe Jenkins