KCs hold 130th international convention

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Following the very successful Guadalupe Celebration in which tens of thousands of the faithful flocked to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe organized by the Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles – the Knights of Columbus began their 130th annual International Convention in Anaheim on Aug. 7.

It will be the largest gathering of Catholic bishops and cardinals in America outside of the annual U.S. Bishops Conference meetings. More than 80 archbishops and bishops – including 12 cardinals – and scores of clergy will join more than 2,000 Knights of Columbus and their families for the convention. Members and bishops will come from throughout North America, the Caribbean, the Philippines and Poland.

The meeting is a mixture of business, recognition and fellowship, highlighted by the annual report of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. Activities begin with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Tod Brown of Orange. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), CatholicTV, Canada’s Salt and Light Television and EWTN Radio will broadcast the Mass live.

Attendees will hear a keynote address from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York at a formal dinner. More than 500 delegates will participate in business sessions, and many service and achievement awards will be presented.

Tuesday's events —Sirius/XM's The Catholic Channel will broadcast its popular Busted Halo program live from the convention site Monday and Tuesday.

Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven Conn, founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. The organization has grown to 1.8 million members worldwide. In 2011, Knights donated more than $158 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.