The Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus is dedicated to safeguarding the Church, the Order, and the various nations where Knights are active. It is a natural progression for Knights who have achieved the First, Second, and Third Degrees to aspire to join the Fourth Degree. Becoming a member of the Fourth Degree enables a Knight to demonstrate pride in his country while continuing to serve his community and Church.
Our Source of Inspiration
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
FATHER MICHAEL MCGIVNEY
COMMANDER JOHN J. SHEA
Why the Knights of Columbus?
For much of U.S. history, Columbus has symbolized civic unity and the hope of building an inclusive society
by William J. Connell 9/1/2020
The information included here comes from an article in Columbia magazine by William J. Connell. For the full article and many others that examine Christopher Columbus's history, character, and legacy, please visit the Columbia magazine portal on the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council website.
During the long summer of 2020, when scores of statues of Christopher Columbus have been vandalized or removed around the United States, it is important to remember why those statues were erected. How did Columbus come to be such an important figure in the popular imagination during most of the nation’s history?
Above all it had to do with the possibility of building in the Western hemisphere a new civilization — one that would bring together European traditions and ideas with the Native American peoples, traditions and the flora and fauna of the new continent. What remains striking, after more than five centuries, is the hopefulness of this venture, and the belief that there was an opportunity to create a better way of life that immigrants to, and within, the New World still share today.
The first members of the Knights of Columbus were influenced by this vision and also instrumental in promoting it. Just two years after the death of the Knights’ founder, Father Michael McGivney, councils enthusiastically participated in the first national Columbus Day, declared in 1892 for the quadricentennial of the great navigator’s landing. For them and many others, Columbus was celebrated as a figure of civic unity and a symbol that immigrants, particularly Catholics, possessed a rightful share in American identity.
THE ATTRACTION OF ‘COLUMBUS’
As early as the colonial period, the name “Columbia” was used as a figurative synonym for America. The poet Phillis Wheatley, an African American, wrote several striking poems in praise of Columbia during the Revolutionary War. After independence, the capital of the United States was sited in a district called Columbia, while artists represented Columbia as an allegorical female figure embodying the virtues and the hopes of a new civilization no longer bound to Europe.
It was especially after the Civil War, however, that Columbus soared in popularity. Much of this attraction can be explained by the explosion in sea traffic in the second half of the 1800s. The technological shift from sail to steam and the lower cost of travel opened the oceans to the masses on both sides of the Atlantic. As the first transoceanic seafarer, Columbus became a popular hero, and in the decades before and after 1900 he was admired in Europe almost as much as in the Americas. It was no coincidence that the many statues and monuments to him (Barcelona, Genoa, Buenos Aires, New York City) began to be built around that time.
It was also no coincidence that certain immigrant groups — Irish, Italians, Hispanics and other Catholics — that felt marginalized in a still WASP-dominated United States identified themselves with a universally admired historical figure who also happened to have been Italian, to have sailed for Spain, and to have brought Catholic Christianity to the Western Hemisphere. Columbus could be presented as legitimating their presence at a time when anti-Catholicism and anti-immigrant nativism were quite common. This, of course, was the atmosphere in which the Knights of Columbus was founded.
When Father McGivney, the son of Irish immigrants, proposed a name for the fraternal and charitable organization in 1882, his choice was “Sons of Columbus.” After debate with the founding members — all of them laymen, most of them Irish — the group finally settled upon “Knights of Columbus.”
While “Knights” invoked the chivalric orders, with their code of ethics, aspiration to virtue and defense of the most vulnerable, the adoption of Columbus as patron signified that Catholics had been in the New World from the beginning — that is, from the very day that it became “New.”
As founding member William Geary put it, the name conveyed that Catholics “were not aliens” in America but rather participated in the very foundation of this new civilization. With respect to American society at large, the choice of Columbus was a comfortable one, since it embraced an existing and very popular object of admiration.
CATHOLICS HAD BEEN IN THE NEW WORLD FROM THE BEGINNING — THAT IS, FROM THE VERY DAY THAT IT BECAME ‘NEW.’
CELEBRATING CIVIC UNITY
When President Benjamin Harrison first proclaimed Oct. 12, 1892, as Columbus Day, the idea — lost on present-day critics — was that the holiday would recognize both Native Americans, who were here before Columbus, and the many immigrants who were then coming to this country in astounding numbers. Like the Columbian Exposition dedicated in Chicago that year, it was to be about our land and all its people.
The 1892 Columbus Day parade in New York City was telling in this regard. Harrison had especially designated the schools as centers of the Columbus celebration, and thousands of public school students marched, followed by students from Catholic and other private schools, each wearing their respective uniforms. These included the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, the Dante Alighieri Italian College of Astoria and the Native American marching band from the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, which speaks volumes about the spirit of the original Columbus Day.
On the same day, 6,000 Knights of Columbus marched in a parade in New Haven, Conn., where a 600-voice choir, led by the choir director of St. Mary’s Church, performed a concert that included various national anthems. The event drew some 40,000 people, then the largest crowd in New Haven’s history.
In the years that followed, the Knights of Columbus encouraged Columbus Day celebrations around the country as well as monuments in Columbus’ honor.
In 1906, Colorado became the first state to declare Columbus Day an annual holiday, and within six years, the movement had taken on national proportions, with observances in 30 states.
The Ku Klux Klan was among the holiday’s strongest opponents, since it commemorated a man who was Catholic and a non-Anglo. Despite attempts to put an end to Columbus Day as a state holiday, it continued to be observed. Oct. 12 was established as a national celebration by annual presidential proclamation in 1934; it became a federal holiday in 1968.
What sometimes gets overlooked in current discussions is that we neither commemorate Columbus’ birthday (as is the practice for many public figures) nor his death date (when Christian saints are usually memorialized), but rather the date of his arrival in the New World.
Columbus Day marks the first encounter that brought together the original and future Americans. A lot of suffering followed Columbus’ landing on San Salvador, and a lot of achievement, too. It was a momentous, world-changing occasion, such as has rarely happened in human history.
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WILLIAM J. CONNELL holds the La Motta Chair in Italian Studies at Seton Hall University. He is author and editor of several books, including the Routledge History of Italian Americans (2018).
Blessed Michael McGivney
The founder of the Knights of Columbus, Father Michael J. McGivney was a central figure in the growth of Catholicism in America, and he remains a model today. His example of charity, evangelization and empowerment of the laity continues to bear fruit and guide Knights of Columbus around the world.
In his Apostolic Letter that was read at the Mass for Beatification on Oct. 31, 2020, Pope Francis stated that Blessed Michael McGivney’s “zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for the needs of his brothers and sisters made him an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance.” The Holy Father set his annual feast day for Aug. 13, the day between Father McGivney’s birthday (in 1852) and the day he entered eternal life (in 1890).
The beatification ceremony in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Conn., was a high point in a long process that began with the opening of the Cause for Canonization in December 1997. Shortly after Father McGivney was named a Venerable Servant of God in March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI cited him as a key figure in “the impressive growth” of the Church in the United States, stating, “We need but think 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.” Through the spiritual genius of Father McGivney, the Knights of Columbus has become a way for Catholic men to transform friends into brothers — brothers who care for one another.
Just as those in need sought Father McGivney’s help in life, understanding that he was a “Good Samaritan” figure, more than 2 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families, and many others around the world, continue to seek out Father McGivney as a heavenly helper in times of need today. On May 26, 2020, Pope Francis approved a decree for a miracle attributed to his intercession, opening the way for Father McGivney to be beatified. A second approved miracle is needed for him to be canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church.
Those who knew him best in life saw in him both a “genial” countenance and a man with an “indomitable will” to achieve the good. In sum, his founding of the Knights of Columbus “attests to the love in which he held his brother man.”
In these pages, you will get to know Father McGivney better, and join us in praying for his intercession as well as his canonization. You also can read accounts by contemporaries of Father McGivney about his life, works and virtues.
Commander John J. Shea
1944-1973
John Joseph Shea, born in Cambridge, Mass., on 13 January 1898, enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force (USNRF) on 11 June 1918. At the time of his release from active duty in 1919, he was promoted to the rank of ensign. He was honorably discharged in 1921 and reappointed in 1923. With the abolition of the USNRF in 1925, he was transferred to the Fleet Reserve. In 1941, he was transferred to the Regular Navy in the rank of lieutenant commander.
Lt. Comdr. Shea was serving in the aircraft carrier Wasp (CV-7) on 15 September 1942, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese. He left the relative safety of his own station to direct the fight against the raging inferno on Wasp's flight deck. Amid frequent explosions and flying debris, he worked to save the ship. He was leading out another hose to continue the struggle against the fires in a ready ammunition room when a shattering explosion occurred. In all probability, Lt. Cmdr. Shea perished in that explosion; but, lacking concrete proof of death, he was declared Missing in Action until a year and a day later when he was declared legally dead. Shea was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart medals and was promoted to commander, all posthumously.
(DM-30: displacement 2,200; length 376'6"; beam 40'0"; draft 18'8"; speed 34.2 knots; complement 363; armament 6 5-inch, 12 40 millimeter, 8 20 millimeter, 4 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks ; class Robert H. Smith)
Shea (DD-750) was laid down on 23 December 1943, two days after Christmas, at Staten Island, N.Y., by the Bethlehem Steel Co., yard; launched on 20 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John J. Shea; widow of the late Lt. Cmdr. Shea; selected for conversion to a light minelayer and redesignated DM-30 on 20 July 1944; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y., on 30 September 1944, Cmdr. Charles C. Kirkpatrick in command.
Shea spent 15 more days completing her fitting-out. She then loaded ammunition at Earle and Bayonne, N.J., returned briefly to New York and departed for her shakedown cruise on 21 October 1944. She completed shakedown training at and around Great Sound Bay, Bermuda, and was underway for Norfolk, Va., on 16 November. Shea's crew underwent a month of further training in the Norfolk area before embarking, 13 December, for Brooklyn, arriving the next day.
From Brooklyn, Shea moved on to San Francisco Bay, California. Sailing with Task Group (TG) 27.3, she transited the Panama Canal, 20-22 December, and made San Francisco on the last day of 1944. Four days later, she was underway for Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, and 13 more days of training . Another round of exercises complete, she steamed out of Pearl Harbor bound for Eniwetok Atoll in the western Pacific, arriving on 2 March. After 17 days in the vicinity of Eniwetok, her crew engaged in still more of the perennial training exercises. Shea departed for Ulithi Atoll on the first leg of her voyage toward Okinawa.
On 19 March 1945, she sailed from Ulithi and joined TG 52.3. By 24 March, Shea was off Okinawa helping prepare the way for the 1 April invasion. While her primary mission was to protect and assist the minesweepers clearing the area of enemy mines, she also stood radar picket duty all around Okinawa. During the period 24 March-4 May, she was constantly fending off Japanese air attacks and guarding against enemy submarines. Moreover, she probably sank or severely damaged at least one submarine and, on 16 April, in the space of 10 minutes, splashed no less than six enemy planes.
On the morning of 4 May 1945, Shea was en route to radar picket duty 20 miles northeast of Zampa Misaki, Okinawa. She arrived just after 0600, having encountered two Japanese aircraft along the way, firing on both and possibly splashing one. Upon receipt of reports indicating the approach of large Japanese air formations, Shea's crew went to General Quarters. Soon thereafter, a “considerable smoke haze blew over the ship from the Hagushi beaches” and “visibility was at a maximum 5.000 yards.” At 0854 a single enemy Mitsyubishi G4M Type 97 land attack plane [Betty] was sighted six miles distant; and, four minutes later, one was shot down by Shea-directed CAP.
At 0859, five minutes after the initial sighting, a lookout spotted a Japanese Baka bomb on Shea's starboard beam, closing the ship at better than 450 knots. Almost instantaneously, the Baka crashed Shea "on the starboard side of her bridge structure, entering the sonar room, traversing the chart house, passageway and hatch, and exploding beyond the port side on the surface of the water. Fire broke out in the mess hall, CIC, chart house, division commander's stateroom, [no.] 2 upper handling room, and compartment A-304-L." Shea lost all ship's communications, her forward twin 5-inch mounts [Mt. 51 and Mt. 52] were knocked out, and the forward port 20 millimeter guns damaged. The main director was jammed in train and the gyro and computer rendered unserviceable. One officer and 26 men were killed, and 91 others were wounded to varying degrees.
With repair parties and survivors from damaged areas scurrying about, helping the wounded and fighting fires, Shea, listing 5 degrees to port, began limping off to Hagushi and medical assistance. She arrived there at 1052; her most seriously wounded crew members were transferred to the attack transport Crescent City (APA-21) ; and the bodies of the 27 dead were removed for burial on Okinawa. Shea then resumed her limping, this time to Kerama Retto anchorage. At Kerama Retto, she underwent repairs and disgorged all but 10 percent of her ammunition. In addition, much of her gear, particularly radar and fighter direction equipment, was transferred to DesRon 2 for distribution to less severely damaged ships. After a memorial service on 11 May for her deadcrewmen and the removal of some armament, Shea was underway on 15 May to join convoy OKU 4 (Task Unit 51.29.9), heading for Ulithi Atoll.
Shea got underway from Ulithi on 27 May 1945 and, after a three-day layover at Pearl Harbor, departed for Philadelphia on 9 June. She arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 2 July, visiting San Diego and transiting the Panama Canal en route. Shea underwent extensive repairs and post-repair trials before leaving Philadelphia on 11 October for shakedown at Casco Bay, Maine. While in the area, Shea celebrated her first peacetime Navy Day at Bath, Maine.
From 1946 to late 1953, Shea was engaged in normal operations with the Atlantic Fleet. Assigned to Mine Division 2 and based at Charleston, S.C., she ranged the Atlantic seaboard and Caribbean Sea. This employment was interrupted late in 1950 by a Mediterranean cruise, during which she visited Trieste on a liaison mission with the British forces in the area. Shea returned to Charleston and the Atlantic Fleet on 1 February 1951 and remained so engaged until September 1953 when she reentered the Pacific.
Shea spent the remainder of her active service in the Pacific, based at Long Beach, California. She participated in numerous minelaying and antisubmarine exercises off the west coast, covering the area from Mexico north to British Columbia and west to Hawaii. In the spring of 1954, she made her only excursion out of that area when she took part in the atomic tests conducted at Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This was her first and only return to any of her old World War II haunts. She arrived back in Long Beach on 28 May and remained in the area until 9 April 1958 when she was placed out of commission in reserve.
Shea was reclassified as a fast minelayer, MMD-30, on 1 January 1969, but never returned tio active service, Surveyed and deemed not to be up to fleet standards, she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1973 and disposed of, by Navy Sale exactly one year later, on 1 September 1974.
Shea received the Navy Unit Commendation for her performance of duty off Okinawa (24 March-4 May 1945).in addition to one battle star for her participation in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (25 March-16 May 1945)
Updated, Robert J. Cressman,
13 May 2020
Published: Wed May 13 18:15:52 EDT 2020
