This past Sunday October 21, 2018 was a memorable Jerusalem Students Mass at St. Justin Martyr Church. The entire initiative goes back to 2011 when Mr. Hikmat Dandan, a member of Jesus the King Council of the Knights of Columbus was inspired by the call of then visiting Archbishop Joseph Jules Zerey to Toronto, and initiated the Jerusalem Students project with the purpose of of sponsoring needy Christian students in the Holy Land to help them get a decent education through the Melkite Catholic Patriarchal School under Archbishop Zerey at the time, go to university, graduate and ultimately form successful families thus strengthening the Christian presence in the area and reversing their diminishing trend. In its fraternal year 2012-2013, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus awarded the International Youth Service Award to Jesus the King Council received duly by Hikmat Dandan in San Antonio, Texas on August 7, 2013 (see http://jerusalemstudents.org and http://jerusalemstudents.org/award.html)
This year Hikmat Dandan is again, by election, the Grand Knight of Jesus the King Council, the first Arab Council of the Knights of Columbus in the world. Dandan's motto is taken from the Epistle by St. James where it is written "faith without works is dead" (James 2: 26)
In the Mass, presided over by the charismatic Rev. Monsignor Vid Vlasic, Honor Guard from St. John Paul II Assembly, Chinese Martyr Assembly and Bishop Grecco Assembly was very impressive. Why?? Because all of the Sir Knights love the Holy Land. Rev. Monsignor Vid Vlasic praised the sponsors and the Knights of Columbus for supporting these needy Christian students in the Holy Land. Then he blessed all and sprinkled them with Holy Water. Sir Knight Randy gave a short speech about the project and the student "Ramez", sponsored for several years by St. Justin Martyr Council who graduated this year, was present too. He said the members of the Council felt they were all his "Uncles" in Canada. At the end, Rev. Monsignor Vlasic asked all the Honor Guard to come and stand in front of the altar, blessed them and asked all the parishioners to give them a big hand for being the right arm of the Catholic Church. The clapping continued for a few minutes. The attending sponsors were around 25. Thanks to all the valued sponsors and the Sir Knights (Gold Sponsor Toronto Council: 6 Students, Silver Sponsor Jeannette & Michael Elliot: 4 Students). More than 70 needy Christian students have been sponsored. Sixteen already graduated under sponsorship; five of them this year.
The above reminds us that we can love others by good deeds even if they ate hundreds of thousands miles away. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" (John 13: 34).
