UK Lay Organisation Responds to Call for Acts of Mercy

In the Bull of indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis noted that the Gospel of mercy calls us to respond in a practical way to the suffering of others. These practical responses are the works of spiritual and corporal mercy, and a lay organisation in the UK is encouraging people to exercise these works.

In the Scottish city of Glasgow, as in other places in the aftermath of the First World War, people were faced with a choice. On one hand, they could look inward and concentrate on their own needs and the needs of their families; on the other, they could live by the principle of charity. In 1919, twenty four men from the city chose the latter, and founded the Order of the Knights of Saint Columba. They did so at a time when social deprivation was a major problem in the UK. These men took as a sort of model for their constitution the encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII, Rerum novarum, which dealt with the condition of the working classes.

In the very early days of the Order, the first members believed that it was important to remain loyal and devoted to the clergy of the city and surround areas. This same loyalty and devotion to the clergy – as well as to the deprived members of society – is as important for its members today across the UK as it was for those first twenty four members in Glasgow.

In 2016, the Order boasts a membership of 4100. Every year, the Knights of Saint Columba are involved in a number of events in Scotland, England and Wales, including organizing and stewarding at Pro-Life Masses, prayer services and demonstrations, and an annual pilgrimage to the island of Iona, where Saint Columba settled and founded a monastery in 563 AD.

To mark the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Order has launched an initiative called ‘Open Your Heart to God’s Mercy’, which calls on its members and their families and friends to participate in a particular work of mercy, spiritual or corporal, every month. In some areas, members of the Order are supporting and running food banks. The Knights have also organized Year of Mercy Masses in the metropolitan cathedrals of the UK.

The response to Pope Francis’ opening of the Year of Mercy is not the first time that the Order has responded to the Supreme Pontiff. In 1982, and again in 2010, the Knights were at the heart of stewarding Papal Masses and events in the UK, when Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI made Apostolic visits there.

Speaking about the Papal Mass in Glasgow in 2010, the Order’s current Supreme Knight Charlie McCluskey told Vatican Radio, “I coordinated the 600 Knights and helpers at Bellahouston Park.” Reflecting on the request for 600 volunteers made by the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, Mr McCluskey said, “It was amazing how quickly members of the Order and their friends and families responded. I remember as the Mass ended and the Holy Father left the altar a real spirit of renewal had shown itself throughout the day. It is a memory I will never forget.”

The future is bright for the Order, which will soon celebrate its centenary. Mr McCluskey believes that the lay organization must once more refer to the encyclicals and newer documents coming from Rome so that its members are equipped to answer the sometimes difficult questions posed by those who do not yet understand the faith.

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