Behind the Name: Life Mission
Knights of Columbus Art, Artifacts Collection
By Chris Cowles
Similar to the evolution of the faith it celebrates, the Knights of
Columbus continues to expand, but for all that is known about its storied
past helping those in need, the depth of its resources — especially when it
comes to artwork — is almost a well-kept secret.
Founded in 1882, the Knights is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with nearly 1.7 million members and their families and boasts more than 13,600 councils across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, the Philippines, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan.
To mark the order’s 100th anniversary, the Knights unveiled a new museum at its headquarters on Columbus Plaza in New Haven in an effort to showcase its fascinating history, but it would be long before the search was on for a new location to house the burgeoning collection.
Roll the clock forward less than 18 years and the Knights had taken ownership of the former Community Services Building located a block from the order’s headquarters. Deemed a perfect locale to truly exhibit its priceless collection of art, literature and religious artifacts from its 120-plus-year history, the 77,000-square-foot edifice was completely renovated and reopened to reveal a simplistic yet tasteful stateliness.
In addition to its expansive art collection, the museum also is home to hundreds of rare books about Christopher Columbus, the person for whom the order’s founders based their ideals since it was Columbus who is credited with bringing Christianity to the New World.
“It’s (museum) a celebration,” said Mary Lou Cummings, the curator of the facility. “It introduces people to a rich and vibrant history of the order and really tells the story of cultures and how they have changed over time.”
One of the most impressive parts of the museum is its awe-inspiring Wall of History. The 170-foot historical retrospective runs the length of an entire city block and chronicles a timeline of the establishment of Knights of Columbus and the scores of activities and programs it supports. Interspersed along the wall are freestanding kiosks devoted to each of the supreme knights — the elected leaders of the organization.
Some items at the museum are particularly unique, including a cross that once was atop the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for nearly four centuries and former President John F. Kennedy’s application to join the Knights in 1946. There is also a chunk of steel from one of the World Trade Center towers destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, which is displayed as a memorial to 50 members of the order killed that day. The Knights established the “Heroes Fund” following 9-11, and it has the distinction of being the first public collection to provide financial support to families of those killed that day.
The Knights, who worked closely with late Pope John Paul II during his 27-year pontificate, display a number of vestments worn by the Pope during his 1995 visit to the United States. The museum also has in its possession a specially designed chair the pontiff used to hold at Mass at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens, N.Y.
Noted as the top-ranked religious-themed museum in the country by USA Today, the attraction not only features a permanent collection of hundreds of pieces of art and an extensive array of photos and literature, but temporary exhibits that are normally on display for several months at a time.
A recent exhibit “Images of Faith and Art from Mexico” captured the
cultural and religious sensibilities of Mexico’s colonial era, a collection
with dates between 1520 and 1820. It has never before been shown in the
United States. Carl A. Anderson, the supreme knight and president of the
order, noted the significance of the exhibit. “It was the 100th anniversary
of the Knights of Columbus in Mexico,” he said. “The barriers (between the
two countries) are coming down — from NAFTA and the economic sphere and the
synod and the religious sphere — I think the Knights would have a leadership
role in the interaction of the two countries.”
Anderson is pleased with the growth of the museum as well as the varied collections, but he continues to look ahead.
“I think there are three or four areas we would like to develop in the next five to 10 years,” he said. “We’d like to tell our story a little bit better and the diversity of our story. I would like to see more of an expression of the religious diversity in the Catholic and Christian traditions in North America and beyond.
“We (Knights) are part of the immigrant experience in the U.S. and the story of the Knights is the story of diversity,” he said. “That we understand others' traditions and stories, the better off we all are.”
On Exhibit:
Intricate Objects, Eggs as Art
Colorful works of art, the Robert J. and Yvonne S. Klancko Collection of religious eggs is being displayed for the first time at the Knights of Columbus Museum.
More than 900 intricately decorated eggs are on display, and they vary in size from 18 inches to less than an inch in height. Crafted from papier-mâché, wood, porcelain, enameled metal and eggshell, some of the eggs were created by immigrant artists living in adopted lands, and many are originals that were created in the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Greece and Romania. Some are antiques.
Knights of Columbus Museum is located at One State Street, New Haven, Conn.
Admission is free. Hours are May 1 to Labor Day, Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Labor Day to May 1, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and Good Friday.) Parking is free, with off-street parking under the museum offering handicap access. For more information call (203) 865-0400
Book Look
Parish Priest : Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism by Douglas Brinkley, Julie Fenster
Father Michael McGivney (1852–1890) was born and raised in Connecticut. He entered the seminary when he was 16. When his father died unexpectedly, the young man had to stop his studies and work to help feed and support his family. Although a scholarship led him back to his path of learning, the young man learned a memorable lesson on how poverty could crush hopes and create hardships and abject poverty for a family. He dedicated his life to finding solutions and helping families in crisis.
Father McGivney is the founder the Knights of Columbus, an organization that has helped many families from hopelessness and fear. It now has an international membership of 1.7 million.
The Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven features paintings of Father McGivney and exhibits a collection of some of the priest's personal belongings. Copies of the book about him, published in 2006, is also available at the museum, from Amazon.com or from area bookstores.
Publisher is William Morrow.
