MORRILTON — The Knights of Columbus council at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston is living out one of the founding principles of the men’s Catholic fraternal organization: charity.
On Saturday, May 19, 14 men joined together to start construction of a walking path lined with the Stations of the Cross at the Holy Family Mission in Morrilton, which was founded by Bob and Penny Lord as a place for retreats and area for the production and distribution of their videos and books.
“My wife and I stopped by the mission one day. We met Bob and Penny Lord and learned about their mission and desire to build the stations,” Mark Verkamp, grand knight-elect of the Charleston council. “We’re always eager to volunteer to fill a need.”
On May 19 Verkamp and the other Knights from Charleston descended on the Holy Family Mission to start construction. The walking path will be nearly a quarter-mile stretch beginning at the Holy House, which is a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto, Italy, and ending at a 35-foot wooden cross near the front of the property, Verkamp said.
During the one-day trip, the men completed several projects, including digging and pouring the concrete for the grotto foundations for the Stations of the Cross, repairing damage to the wooden cross, laying landscaping cloth and filling the walking path with gravel.
“We’re very grateful to the Lord,” Penny Lord said. “The treasure here is the people. Everyone is so supportive.”
Over the next several months, the stations will be added. The Knights will build the grotto frames in Charleston and then transport them to the mission and attach them to the foundations, Verkamp said.
The Way of the Cross has been a dream of the Lords for some time, but because the mission employs only four people, the project seemed too large for the small organization, known as Journeys of Faith.
During the discussions on the construction of the walking path and grottos that will house the stations, Verkamp learned that the Lords are working on a documentary about Father Michael McGivney, the parish priest from Connecticut who founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882.
The couple decided to film a documentary after attending a Lenten mission in Connecticut near where Father McGivney founded the Knights.
“This parish priest, born in the U. S., set an example for all young men,” Bob Lord said. “Father McGivney had a profound effect on us. We hope that through this film, more young men will join if they see that the Knights are a viable part of the community.”
Bob Lord said plans are to finish filming and editing of the documentary in time for the Knights of Columbus international convention, which will be held in Nashville, Tenn., in August honoring the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Knights.
As part of the documentary, clips from the day’s work at the Holy Family Mission will be used to illustrate the Knights commitment to charity and service to others, Verkamp said.
The Knights of Columbus have more than 13,000 councils in 13 countries with a membership numbering about 1.7 million. They are headquartered in New Haven, Conn. The Charleston council only began in 2001, Verkamp said. The council has about 114 members.
“I have to give credit to Father Peter (Sharum, OSB) at Sacred Heart. He is a strong supporter of the Knights,” Verkamp said. “He is truly a spiritual father and a leader to us.”
Although Bob and Penny Lord have been in ministry for more than 30 years, the Holy Family Mission was founded in 1999 and since then has slowly taken shape as a gathering place for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“The original purpose for us was a place to produce, write, edit and ship our materials,” Penny Lord said. “We’ve never had as much support from people as we’ve had here.”
The Knights in Charleston have made a long-term commitment to the Holy Family Mission. Next the group plans to build a basketball court, volleyball court and fishing dock at the pond on the property. Later the group will tackle building another walking path hosting the 20 mysteries of the rosary.
