Beacon Q3 2019...The Beacon Page 5 11/11/2019 St. Augustine Council Knights of Columbus (Council...

The Beacon 11/11/2019

2019-2020 Council Leaders

From Left to Right: Jim Gambardella, Grand Knight; Fouad Faraj Musleh, Deputy Grand Knight; Nick

Amaral, Chancellor; Peter Lentini, District Deputy; Jerry Scannell, Fiscal Secretary; John Marcello, Treasurer;

Bob Chase, PGK, Trustee

Donating Dr Hahn’s Sign of Life book to St Augustine’s RCIA

From Left to Right: Kathy Morry, Jim Dempsey and

Sr. Dorothy Schwarz – RCIA Teaching Team Far Right is our handsome Past Grand Knight, Trustee and Community Director, Bob Chase

1BThe Beacon 0BPublished by St. Augustine's Council #10557

Volume 2019, Issue 3

I n s i d e t h i s I s s u e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Page 1: New Council Leaders /Book Donation to RCIA Page 2: GK Korner Page 3: Heavenly Portrait - The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe Page 5: Council Taking a Stand Against Christopher Columbus Statue Page 7: Painting Railings @ Our Lady of Providence Seminary Page 8: Replacing Flags at North Burial Grounds

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Grand Knights Korner

By [GK Jim Gambardella]

The Columbian Year started July of this year by receiving the Fr. McGivney/Founders’ Combination Award for 2018-2019 fraternal year. Congratulations to Past Grand Knight Robert Chase, for his efforts in attaining the award and all who worked to recruit new members, a great job well done! DD Peter Lentini installed the newly appointed Officers. The Directors and Officers established a calendar of events to be held during this Columbian year. Brother Bob Chace, PGK, the Community Director and his team will continue its work to help Elmhurst Green and Clean by assisting them on monthly projects. The team planted trees and flowers, helped repair and repaint the hand railings at the Seminary located on Mt. Pleasant Ave. The team was featured in the RI Catholic, October’s edition, and the State’s K of C newsletter thanks to Fr. Murphy. The team will assist at the Veterans Cemetery North Burial Ground to replace flags that are torn and weathered. The Silver Rose prayer service was on display at St. Augustine’s, Friday, Oct.4. The St Augustine’s Human Life League and the Knights sponsored the movie Unplanned which was held at St. Augustine’s church and well attended by 200 parishioners. Brother John Marcello, PSGK, Director of the membership committee and his team will be present at the weekend masses of Nov. 15 and 16 as part of their semi-annual membership drive. Brother Paul Caranci will be selling his newly published book at the weekend masses Nov. 9 and 10, “The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe” Paul will generously donate half of the proceeds to the Council. Thank you, Brother Paul! Events that are up and coming include:

Christmas card sale to be held on Nov. 15 and 16 after each mass Christmas New York trip scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7 am Christ the King Mass Nov. 24 at SS. Peter & Paul, mass at 10 am Charity Ball Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 pm Council Christmas Party, Dec. 10, at 6 pm

For information, contact Grand Knight James Gambardella at [email protected].


New Book Examines the Scientific Evidence Supporting the

Authenticity of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Heavenly Portrait: The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the tenth book

published by award-winning author Paul F. Caranci

Suddenly it was there. The most beautifully detailed self-portrait that Bishop Juan de Zumarraga had ever seen. Crafted by the hand of the Mother of God, it was displayed on a cheap cloak worn by a lowly Indian native. A full-color portrait of a pregnant Virgin, so precise in detail that some features wouldn't be detected for almost five centuries, and then, only after the discovery of microscopic and scientific techniques needed for their revelation. Historian and author Paul F. Caranci said that, “The Virgin Mary's semblance on the textile is without doubt miraculous. So much so that even today, almost five-hundred years later, inexplicable detail is being discovered hidden

deep within the weave of Juan Diego’s tilma, a cloak contrived from the cheapest of cactus fibers.” In 1521, just ten years before Her appearance, the area now known as central Mexico was under the control of a band of Aztec Indians led by a brilliant strategist and innovator by the name of Moctezuma. Though leading his people in agricultural and scientific modernizations that were extraordinarily sophisticated for the times, “Moctezuma was also a vicious leader intent on satisfying the many blood-thirsty Aztec gods with the most heinous forms of human sacrifices and cannibalism that included the torture of women and children,” according to Caranci. Though conquered by Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes, the Aztecs refused to relinquish their own gods for the Spaniard’s Catholic notion of monotheism. Despite the efforts of the Franciscan and Dominican missionaries, whose forced religious conversions led to the abuse of thousands of Aztecs, only a few thousand Indians were converted. “Then She appeared,” Caranci continued, “and left an image that simultaneously spoke directly to the hearts of both the Spanish and the Aztecs. Overnight, hearts and minds were changed and over the course of the next ten years there were over eight-million voluntary conversions of Aztecs to Catholicism.” Heavenly Portrait: The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is the story of God's Divine Providence, the birth of Catholicism in the Americas, and an image so miraculous that “for five-hundred years it has withstood destructive natural elements, physical abuse, wars and intentional attempts at destruction, to remain a sign of the strength and power of God's love for all people and the appointment of His Blessed Mother as protector of all mankind,” Caranci explained. “All that is needed to absorb its power is an open mind and heart.”


Caranci said that Heavenly Portrait will transport the reader back in time to the new beginnings of a savage nation. “It will open the reader’s mind to the endless possibilities and enable their heart to absorb all the love of the Mother of Life Herself,” Caranci concluded. Caranci has written ten books, four of which have won critical acclaim. His last two books, The Promise of Fatima: One Hundred Years of History, Mystery and Faith (2018) and I Am the Immaculate Conception: The Story of Bernadette of Lourdes (2019), were each named finalists in the International Book Awards held in Los Angeles in May of 2018 and 2019 respectively. Copies of Heavenly Portrait: The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as well as any of his previous books, may be purchased at Stillwater Books, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, at many other area bookstores, and on Amazon.com by searching by title and/or author. Signed copies of the new book may be obtained by mailing a check for $20.00, (free shipping) to Paul Caranci, 26 East Avenue, North Providence, RI 02911, or contacting the author at [email protected]. For additional information contact: Paul F. Caranci – Member of Council #10557 401-639-4502

Paul Caranci Biography Paul F. Caranci is a third-generation resident of North

Providence and has been a student of history for many years. Paul served as Rhode Island’s Deputy Secretary of State from 2007 to 2015 and was elected to the North Providence Town Council where he served from 1994 to 2010. He has a BA in political science from Providence College and is working toward an MPA from Roger Williams University.

Together with his wife Margie he founded the Municipal Heritage Group in 2009. He is an incorporating member of the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA) and a member of the board of the RI Publications Society. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Heritage Harbor Museum and the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. He is past Chairman of the Diabetes Foundation of Rhode Island (formerly the American Diabetes Association, Rhode Island Affiliate) where he served on the Board for over 15 years.

Paul is an author with ten published books to his credit including four award winning books. The Hanging & Redemption of John Gordon: The True Story of Rhode Island’s Last Execution (The History Press, 2013) was voted one of the top five non-fiction books of 2013 by the Providence Journal. Scoundrels: Defining Corruption Through Tales of Political Intrigue in Rhode Island (Stillwater River Publications, 2016) was the winner of the 2016 Dorry Award as the non-fiction book of the year. The Promise of Fatima: One Hundred Years of History, Mystery, and Faith (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) earned Paul a spot as a finalist in the International Book Awards, and I Am The Immaculate Conception: The Story of Bernadette of Lourdes, (Stillwater River Publications, 2019) landed Paul the same honor. Paul’s memoir, Wired: A Shocking True Story of Political Corruption and the FBI Informant Who Risked Everything to Expose It (Stillwater River Publications, 2017) tells his own story of courage in the face of the political corruption that surrounded him. Paul’s most recent book, released in October 2019, is titled; Heavenly Portrait: The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It examines the scientific evidence supporting the authenticity of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe who appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531.

Paul and his wife Margie recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary. The couple have two adult children, Heather and Matthew; and four grandchildren, Matthew, Jacob, Vincent and Casey. They continue to make residence in the Town of North Providence.


St. Augustine Council Knights of Columbus (Council 10557) Decry the Anti-Catholic Bigotry

Perpetrated by Those Who Vilify Christopher Columbus

The Council Reacts to the Recent Acts of Vandalism in Columbus Park, Providence

The St. Augustine Council of the Knights of Columbus (Council 10557) was outraged, disgusted, and appalled to see the national Columbus Day celebrations marred again this year by

the desecration of statues of Christopher Columbus. One of the more serious acts of vandalism took place right here in Rhode Island; it was reported that the statue located in Columbus Park at the intersection of Reservoir and Elmwood Avenues in Providence was doused with red paint by cowardly protestors. “What is worse,” according to Grand Knight Jim Gambardella, “is that one of the City’s councilwomen, sworn to uphold the laws and constitution, defend our values, sustain our history, applauded the acts of vandalism and noted her support for future acts of civil disobedience against historical figures demonized by revisionist history. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the Providence statue was designed by renowned sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, whose other works include the Statue of Liberty. That statue has stood at this site since 1892, unmolested until recent years. “The K of C Council 10557 find these acts disturbing for many reasons,” Gambardella explained, “but two stand out more prominently than others. First, the venomous hatred toward and a misguided attempt to stamp out anything Christian from our society. Second, a maleficient desire to change our culture and destroy the traditional family unit, the cell of society,” the Grand Knight continued. In recent years, political activists and partisan academics have trended to misrepresent Christopher Columbus’ legacy. However, the reality is that he was a courageous man. While some accuse Columbus of “perpetrating acts of genocide, slavery, ‘ecocide’ and oppression,”i historical facts say otherwise. In a 2017 interview, former Brown and Sanford Universities professor, Carol Delaney, an expert on Columbus, noted that the explorer found the native peoples to be “very intelligent” and his relations with them “tended to be benign.”ii At his arrival, he strictly instructed his crew “not to do things like maraud or rape, and instead [were] to treat the native people with respect.”iii Some of his men, however, rebelled and disobeyed his orders, particularly during his long absences.

Delaney has read all Columbus’ writings that are extant and points to many examples of such instruction and rebellion within them. She notes that Columbus wasn’t even there when these atrocities occurred, and that most deaths among the native population emanated from disease, something for which Columbus could hardly be blamed. Delaney’s own understanding of Columbus changed “the more [she] read of his own writings and [those] of his contemporaries.”iv Delaney chronicles all her research in her 2011 book entitled Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem, and is quick to point out that none of her research even suggests that Columbus ever owned a slave despite the fact that slavery was the common practice of the times. Delaney said that the explorer, “fervently believed it was the duty of every Christian to try to save the souls of non-Christians, [a passion that] led him on a great adventure, an encounter such as the world has never seen.”v So, if history tells a different story about Columbus, what motivates today’s activists to villainize him? Anti-Christian bias or a gross ignorance of historical facts seems to be the only logical answer.


The modern-day attacks on Columbus question his integrity and his intentions purporting “that Columbus intended nothing good,”vi but rather intended to destroy an innocent population of native Americans. Real history does not support this characterization of Columbus. It would seem fair and logical to research, study, ruminate, and grasp a historical event before taking issue with it. whoever takes the time to do this would never villainize this fine man so cruelly. Therefore, The St. Augustine Council of the Knights of Columbus invites all those who seem to have a problem with Columbus to please put the efforts necessary to discover who that man was and represented before embarking in vicious acts.

The K of C supports the position of the popes who have praised Columbus’ mission of evangelization since the late 19th century. We support the view of Saint Pope John Paul II who, in a 1992 celebration of Mass at a Columbus monument in the Dominican Republic, noted that the cross shaped memorial ‘means to symbolize the cross of Christ planted in this land in 1492, for where the Cross is raised, the Good News of Man's salvation has reached that place through Love. Where the cross is raised, a new day has dawned—a day of hope, love, forgiveness, respect, justice and freedom.’vii We also stand with Pope Francis who, in a presentation to young people in Genoa in May of this year, said that a disciple of Christ needs the ‘virtue of a navigator,’” pointing out that Columbus, ‘though facing great challenges, showed great courage,’ a quality essential to becoming a good missionary.” The Grand Knight concluded, “The St. Augustine Knights of Columbus will continue to pray that people will stop using the divisiveness of political correctness as a weapon in the self-serving promotion of their specific agendas.” For additional information contact Grand Knight Jim Gambardella

i. Korson, Gerald, Christopher Columbus and Fake History, Columbia Magazine, September 2017. ii. Pelowski, Alton, Why Columbus Sailed, Columbia Magazine, October 2017. iii. Korson, Gerald, Christopher Columbus and Fake History, Columbia Magazine, September 2017. iv. Pelowski, Alton, Why Columbus Sailed, Columbia Magazine, October 2017. v. Pelowski, Alton, Why Columbus Sailed, Columbia Magazine, October 2017. vi. Korson, Gerald, Christopher Columbus and Fake History, Columbia Magazine, September 2017. vii. Ibid.


Our Council Members Diligently Working at Our Lady of Providence Seminary

Thanks to our Community Director and PGK, Bob Chase this activity came to be. He noticed that the railings at Our Lady of Providence needed some TLC and he reached out to Fr Murphy who is a Knight himself and welcomed the idea. It was such a privilege for our council to server Fr Murphy and the Seminary.

From Left to RightTop: Bob Chase, Community Director/Trustee; Ron Volpe; Jim Gambardella, Grand Knight Bottom: Steven Calise, Faith Director; Fouad Faraj Musleh, Deputy Grand Knight


From Left to Right: Steven Calise, Family Director;

Gambardella, Grand Knight; Bob Chase, PGK, Trustee; Robert Gallant, Master of the Patriotic Degree

From Left to Right: Steven Calise, Family Director; Ashley Richard, Director of City Cemeteries Bob

Chase, PGK, Trustee; Robert Gallant, Master of the Patriotic Degree

Our Brothers Serving the Veterans by Replacing Tattered Flags at North Burial Grounds

Beacon Q3 2019...The Beacon Page 5 11/11/2019 St. Augustine Council Knights of Columbus (Council...

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