K of C to host Catholic Civil War chaplains program

Published: December 9, 2020

Event Details

Date: December 17, 2020
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Virtual: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/629626877
Contact: 479-202-3691

By Richard Oloffson

On December 17 at 8 pm, the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree in Tontitown will be holding a special online history presentation. Visiting guest speaker, Fr. David Endres, PhD., will be presenting on the stories in (and behind) his latest book Soldiers of the Cross: The Heroism of Catholic Chaplains and Sisters in the American Civil War. The presentation will touch on the personal stories of the Catholic religious who served in both the Union and Confederate armies, and how their service shaped perceptions of Catholics during the CivilWar era.

“I am very excited and am extremely proud that this event is taking place. I've mentioned it to my K of C brothers and have seen interest across the US in joining in. We are eagerly looking forward to it.," said Jeff Priore, K of C District Master for Arkansas, of Russellville, AR

Every year at Christmastime, Fr. David travels from Ohio to visit his sister’s family in Fayetteville. He has become a familiar face at St. Joseph Parish in Fayetteville, concelebrating Christmas mass for the past several years. What most parishioners there probably do not know is that Fr. David is also an accomplished historian. Fr. David received his PhD. in Church History from the Catholic University of America in 2007. He is the Academic Dean and an Associate Professor of Church History at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. Since 2013, he has been theeditor of the scholarly journal U.S. Catholic Historian.

“The goal of the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree is to promote patriotism and active Catholic citizenship. Deepening our communities’ understanding of the contributions Catholics have made in shaping US History is a big part of that goal. Who better to help us do that than the editor of U.S. Catholic Historian?” said Rich Oloffson, Faithful Navigator, K of C Assembly #3101, of Fayetteville

Due to COVID, the event will be online only. The livestream of the presentation will begin at 8 pm on Thursday, December 17. The event is free and open to the public. “Seating” is limited to the first 240 participants who join via this link after 7:45 pm on Dec. 17. You can also learn more about the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree, Fr. David, his book, and the event, by visiting kofc4thdegreenwa.com.

With more than 1.7 million members, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, the community, families, and young people.