The Harvard Knights of Columbus are deeply
saddened by the "reenactment of a satanic black mass" being hosted by a
university club on campus. The black mass is a ritual that has been
unequivocally condemned by the Church throughout its history. It is an
intentional perversion of the Catholic Mass intended to be incredibly
offensive to Christians and Catholics in particular while desecrating
what we hold to be Jesus Christ himself present in the Eucharist.
The
organizers of this event have so far responded to criticism by citing
the protections of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion - both
venerable principles on which our great nation was built. Some have
played down the offensive nature of the event by billing it as
"educational," while others have pointed out that the ritual is
satirical at its very core, and so is acceptable no matter how much it
offends. Both of these points dangerously ignore the evil inherent in
the ritual itself. Furthermore, the message that these positions provide
is that it is okay to attack someone else's religious beliefs so long
as you openly admit that you are doing so. This is a notion that we
wholeheartedly reject. While we are partial to the Catholic faith, we
oppose the notion of offending people of any creed for the sake of being
offensive.
We hope that you will join us in prayerfully
responding to this terrible event occurring at our fair university. If
you are on or near campus, we invite you to join us at St. Paul Parish
at the corner of Bow and Arrow Streets in Harvard Square on Monday, May
12th, from 8:00 to 9:00 PM for a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Benediction.
If you will not be in the area, then we encourage you to pray with us in
solidarity wherever you might be. Let us join together in the presence
of Our Lord and Savior and under the guidance of Our Blessed Lady to
show the world that the power of darkness will never prevail over the
light of Christ.
Vivat Iesus!
Curtis St. Pierre, Grand Knight
Pope John Paul II Council 14188
Harvard University Knights of Columbus
