Historic days will be taking place this week in Phoenix. Arizona’s capital is known for its 100-degree temperatures in the summer, but for the opening days of August this year, it will also be the site for the 127th annual Knights of Columbus Convention. In addition, the Convention will be followed by the first-ever Marian Congress devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe and a lively Guadalupe Festival.
Some of the proceedings will be broadcast live on EWTN, Boston's Catholic TV and Canada’s Salt and Light Television Network.
At the Convention, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson will deliver his annual report, an overview of the operations of the Knights of Columbus, which once again set records in charitable activity. In 2008, the Catholic fraternal Order, which has 1.78 million members, donated more than $150 million to charitable causes, and members volunteered more than 68 million hours of their time to help those in need. Impressive numbers that underscore the Gospel words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
At the close of the convention on August 6 (Thursday), the Marian Congress will begin three days of spiritual and scholarly study of the greatest religious event ever to occur on American soil – the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531. The event occurred in what is now Mexico City, and was the catalyst for the conversion of millions of people throughout the New World to Christianity. You will not want to miss the coverage of this event, which you will be able to find on the Knights of Columbus website (www.kofc.org).
The Marian Congress will close on Saturday (August 8) with the Guadalupe Festival, a multicultural afternoon of song, prayer, dancing and witness talks.
The message of these days is that the Blessed Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, wishes to bring all people of America (and the world) under the mantle of her motherly protection, as she leads them to her Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Visit www.kofc.org often throughout the week for daily updates on the proceedings of these historic days.
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