Catholic Men Hello, Columbus

Oct 10, 2011

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Do schoolchildren still learn this little ditty about the brave Christopher Columbus taking on the dangers of the sea to discover America?

Or are they learning that Columbus didn’t “discover” America since the Caribbean island where he landed was already inhabited, and that he brought smallpox and other diseases that decimated the native population? Children are off from school today, but what do they know about the man and his mission?

The image and legend of Columbus have gone through some revision in recent decades, which is fine if the goal is historical truth. But too often the “search for Columbus” has been fueled by anti-American sentiment, with the idea of deflating the American spirit by debunking our beginning.

This can undermine the very idea of America and its place in the world. Every people and their culture need a coherent and respected story of origin. The Old Testament has numerous genealogies (the old “begats”) that establish the ancient heritage of the Jewish people, and lists of kings that show their royal lineage.

The Jewish people were unique, however, in having God as their true leader and lawgiver. They remembered this fact whenever they recited the great prayer, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God…” which was passed on from father to son.

The New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus, linking him to David, king of Israel, and declaring him to be the Messiah.

Now, of course, the story of Columbus is not on par with these biblical accounts. But we still need to be careful how we “revise” Columbus.

Since I work at the headquarters of the Knights of Columbus, I am occasionally asked why our fraternal Order was named after the explorer who has something of a mixed reputation these days. The simple fact is that when the Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882, Christopher Columbus was a highly revered and universally respected hero.

The group of Catholic men who gathered with Father Michael McGivney nearly 130 years ago in the basement of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., chose “Columbus” to show that they were both fully Catholic and fully American to a hostile Protestant culture. Those were the days of “Irish Need Not Apply,” when Catholics were not welcome in some jobs or most sectors of society. Fr. McGivney saw first-hand that Catholics needed an organization that would lift their spirits, protect their interests, defend their faith and provide a death benefit to widows and orphans when the breadwinner of the family died, a frequent occurrence at a time when most Catholic men worked dangerous jobs in factories, construction and railroads.

On top of all this, the founding members of the Knights of Columbus wanted to remind Americans that the man who discovered America was a Catholic who brought the ancient faith to a New World. Therefore, Catholics immigrants of the 19th century were not strangers in a strange land, but followers of Columbus.

In the courtyard of the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, there is a monumental bronze statue of the great explorer, placed above a fountain. As the figure of Columbus steps forward to place his foot upon the New World, he also plants with his right arm the cross of Christ. This is what we as Knights and Catholics see as the greatest and most enduring contribution of Columbus – he brought Christ to a new land.

Whatever revisions are made to his history, we all should revere Columbus for opening a new era and a New World that have been – despite the sins of men – a positive development for humanity.

On this Columbus Day, let us remember his legacy with gratitude.

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