On Saturday October 31, Fourth Degree Knights at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville joined Parishioners and local families in cleaning up the St. Joseph Cemetery. The event began with a brief history of the area and the Catholic settlement of Northwest Arkansas given by Paul Warren, Fourth Degree Knight, and Director of Church Operations for St. Joseph Parish. The event was sponsored by the Parish, and next year, this event would be a great opportunity for the Knights to honor the faithful departed.
November 1st and 2nd are the Solemnities of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, respectively. They present an opportunity to recognize the victory of the Saints in living Christian lives and to honor the faithful departed. As in years past, there is an opportunity to earn an indulgence for the poor souls in Purgatory during this time. By taking Communion, giving Confession, praying an Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of the Pope, praying in a Cemetery, and being totally detached from sin you may earn a plenary indulgence for one poor soul each day November 1st to November 8th. For 2020, Pope Francis has extended this opportunity for the entirety of the month of November.
The newly-cleaned St. Joseph Cemetery will be destination for the faithful throughout the month. There will also be a special Mass for All Souls on Monday, November 2nd at noon.
The Cemetery itself is true historic treasure for Catholics in Northwest Arkansas. From gravesites of the original settling Catholic families, to headstones honoring numerous Catholic veterans, there is much to see. There are also many opportunities for the Knights of Columbus to do good works here -- both temporal and spiritual. These will be put on our long-term activity plan.
Among the markers most relevant to the Knights of Columbus in Northwest Arkansas is the final resting place of Father Charles A. McCauley. Father McCauley is the patron of Council #6609 in Fayetteville. He died in a fire at the old Rectory the day after Christmas in 1946. Pictured above are Sir Knights Paul Warren and Rich Oloffson at Fr. McCauley's gravesite, after the clean-up.
This event help show the some real opportunities for the Assembly to have a spiritual impact in the community moving forward:
There are numerous veterans interred here, and we can honor their gravesites with flags on the appropriate patriotic holidays.
We can honor Fr. McCauley by placing flowers at his gravesite on the anniversary of his passing.
We can become more involved in the clean-up and maintenance of the Cemetery itself. The event lasted three hours, but the time and quality could both be improved by more active participation from the Knights next year.
In conclusion, the clean-up was a great way to begin the celebration of our Saints and all the faithful departed. Next year the Knights -- both of the Third and Fourth Degree will be welcome additions to the project.
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