The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08

they will More than one-third of this
fund has already been raised chiefly
| by contributions from the different
Councils and the members CT the
Order throughout the country.
With this amount the Knights have
undertaken the erection of seventy
| one buildings in the different canton
| ments and encampments; fifty-one of
these are already completed and in
operation; the others are in process
of construction. Seventy-four paid
secretaries are now at work in these
buildings, and forty-two chaplains are
on the payroll in this country and
eight in France, in addition to Com
missioner, Mr.. Herman, authorized to
act as official representative of the
Order in France. More buildings are
necessary not only in this country but
especially in France at the ports of
camps; and it is to enable them to do
this work that the additional $4,000
900 is necessary.
Many people are under the impress
sion that this fund is to be raised
by the Knights from their own mem
bership exclusively. Such is not the
case. The knights of Columbus act
as the representatives of the Church
in this important work and are Off
cially recognized as such by the Gov
ernment. They undertook to procure
the necessary funds for the work and
fn a6n nj ctQ no
ficiaries of their religious ministra-
tions are not exclusively Knights of
Columbus or sons of Knights. of
Columbus, but all Catholics in the
service; while all soldiers, irrespective
of religious affiliations, will have equal
access to the facilities provided by
the Knights of Columbus recreation
centers. The work of the knights of
| Columbus is therefore a Catholic work
| in the fullest sense of the word, and
every Catholic should feel in duty
bound to contribute to it. Many
Catholics deemed it their privilege as
American citizens to aid the Y. M.
G. A. which is doing good work but
which cannot minister to the spiritual
tneeds of Catholic soldiers. 1t is like
wise not only their privilege but their
conscientious duty to contribute at
least as generously to the Knights Of
| Columbus War Fund.
Since the war began Catholics have
| shown their patriotism in a remark
able degree. They form about thirty
five per cent of the army, and nearly
| fifty per cent of the navy. In other
words, Catholics, constituting about
| eighteen percent of the population of
| this country, furnished nearly twice
their proportion of men to the army
and nearly three times their quota
to the navy. Hence the value of the
work undertaken by the Knights of
| Columbus and the need of generous
! support from all Catholics.
The hundreds of thousands of
Catholic men now in the ranks, or
soon to be added to the fighting forces
of this nation-many of whom will
make the supreme sacrifice for their
country-are entitled to all the COM
| forts, inspiration and consolation our
faith affords. They must be given an
opportunity whenever possible to at
tend Mass in Catholic chapels;
priests must be provided to minister
to their spiritual needs; and it is for
us Catholics to supply the necessary
fund for this purpose. Never before
have the Catholics of America been
called upon to make sacrifices for an
object more essential to the future of
the Church in this country than that
of making her spiritual administra-
tions accessible to the great national
army now being equipped to make the
world "safe for democracy"