The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-04
CHRIST BEARING-DOVES'
AN ADDRESS TO THE DUBUQUE
AND VISITING COUNCILS OF
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BY
ARCHBISHOP KEANE, RETIRED,
AT DUBUQUE CATHEDRAL.

buque Council of the Knights of
Columbus, and visiting Knights from
other Councils in Iowa, that day be-
ing the suspicious occasion of their
annual initiation. A class of seventy
candidates received the three degrees
of the order, the degrees being con-
ferred by State Deputy, knight J.
H. Crosby, of Cedar Rapids. Mass
was said by the Reverend Father ].
B. Craney, Chaplain of the Dubuque.
Council, at $3.50, the Knights attending
in body.
The address was delivered by the
Most Reverend Archbishop Keane,
retired, who said
I'm the Name of Our Blessed Lord
and Savior really here in the Blessed
Sacrament / welcome with my whole
heart the Knights of Columbus and
congratulate you heartily on the
notable addition to your numbers
which is the occasion of your present
gathering. From my heart l bless
you all in the Name of Christ and His
Immaculate Mother to whom you are
devoted like the knights of old.
In studying the history of the
ancient knights we know what it
means to be a knight of Columbus.
To you belong all the best glory of
the past, all the beauty of the present,
and all the brightest hopes of the
future. The Knights of Columbus are
the legitimate descendants of the
knights of the olden times, under
their various names of the knights
of st. John, the Knights of Malta, the
knights Hospitalers, Teutonic Knights,
Knights came into existence in the
most awful period of human history.
The Roman Empire, the mightiest in
history for three centuries had used
all it's might to crush the Church of
Christ Jesus; and when persecution
was at it's worst, Tertullian, early in
the third century could explain: We
are but of yesterday, and already have
we filled your cities, towns, islands,
your council-halls and camps, the
palace, senate, forum: We have left
you only the temples
Rome failed to recognize that it
was fighting against the Eternal God,
and i'll so doing brought about it's
own ruin. The barbarian hordes
came on it as the Scourge of God,
and under their onslaught the might
est Empire of the world crumbled to
dust. The Pope stopped their march;
the Church of Christ offered the only
resistance to these barbarians, with
bless them, to tame them, to civilize
them, to turn them into Christians.
Naturally they first resisted. They
would have anything but that; but con-
quered by the Great God they were
civilized and converted and redeemed
and built into the Kingdom of Christ
on earth. They built up the magnificent
age known in history as the Age
of Faith. Satan injected into their
hearts the leaVen of evil lust, evil
ambition, evil rivalry, evil inclina-
tons, and you have only to open
ton over which God and His angels
weep. But Our Blessed Lord was
all this time preparing remedy for
it all. God has given to us not only
the consecrated priesthood, but the
chivalrous knights of old who were
a glory to God and mankind. Thanks
be to God we have here in our wes-
tern world these same knights ready
to do the same work in such organiZa-
lions as the Knights of Columbus, the
Catholic knights Of America, and
others we need not specify.
"And he whose name you carry
bore a name of providential fitness
christopher Columbus How beauti-
fully symbolic is the name you bear
knights of Columbus knights of
the 'Dove'-Christian knights of the
Heavenly Dove. Christopher 'The
Christ-bearer,' and Columbus "a
Dove typifying the Spirit of Love.
God had fitted him to discover the
New World, where God will build UP
better civilization, and bring back
the spirit of the Age of Faith.
Animated by the spirit of his name
you choose in the Providence of God
to be Christopher Columbi,' doves
bearing Christ Christ bearing
doves, to spread abroad the gifts OF
the Heavenly Dove, Light and Love.
"You are to be Christ's Knights, and
| like the Knights of old to lay aside
the sword of destruction. Times will
come that will try mems souls and
show the spirit of which they are
made, times of battle against the ole
temptations. You have no need Of
Krupp guns, submarines, or any Of
the means of destruction that hellist
ingenuity has devised for destroying
human life. With these things the
knights of Columbus have nothing tt
do. If our country were ever attack
ed by venomous foes you woulC
stand like men to do or die. Blu
God grant that such times and the
need of such things may never come
You are doves bearing Christ tt
go where the need is ever greatest
| in the Spirit of Him Who would no
break the bruised reed, nor quencl
the smoking-fax, and to say in Hi'
Spirit, Come unto Me all ye tina
labor and are heavy-laden, and | will
refresh you, / will give you rest
Thus through Him you are to become
one with Him Who alone can maxi
humanity true and mighty, instead o
a wreck over which the angels weep