Denver Catholic

5 DENVER CATHOLIC | FEBRUARY 11-24, 2017 Independent Living Assisted Living Adult Day Services 2835 West 32nd Avenue Denver, CO 80211 Home is here. Call 303.964.3804 and ask about this month's move-in special. homeishere.org of the end for the Klan in Colorado. They had reached too far. IT WON'T LAST The greatest contribution of Father Smith was his guidance to Catholics on how to respond to such a real and tan- gible threat to the very existence of the Church. At stake was the Church's abil- ity to educate its children in Catholic schools, and celebrate Mass. These were not small issues. His advice was to not react, especially not with violence, to remain vigilant in exposing the Klan for what it was, and to be patient. "Such a movement cannot last," he wrote in an Aug. 14, 1924 article meant to console Catholics following the re-election of Mayor Ben Stapleton, at the time a Klansmen (he later turned on the Klan). "Founded on hate, which is naturally repulsive to the human heart; built on princi- ples which must inevitably bring discord among its own members, it may get a temporary hearing … but the air of America is too friendly to permit such a disease to last." "The way to fi ght such movements as this one," another editorial said on Nov. 13, 1924, "is not by violence. That only adds impetus to them. It gives them favorable publicity as being persecuted. Not only that, it is morally wrong. "But at the same time we shouldn't sit back and hope to see them die a nat- ural death. Too many people believe that silence gives consent. An organized system of publishing truth and facts concerning the Church, that is what we want." "If we spread truth among our non-Catholic friends," he added optimis- tically, "sooner or later they will realize that such a movement as the Klan has no place in our American institution." Wise words, published in a truly Catholic newspaper. Long live a robust, faithful, courageous Catholic press. This 1927 cartoon, which shows the Ku Klux Klan chasing the Roman Cath- olic Church, personifi ed by St. Patrick, from the shores of America, shows how much of a target the church was for the Klan. Among the "snakes" are various supposed negative attributes of the Church, including superstition, union of church and state, control of public schools, and intolerance. BRANFORD CLARKE, WIKIMEDIA THANK YOU… to all who were a part of our 6th Annual Gala on January 30th. We deeply appreciate our sponsors, volunteers and attendees. Catholic Charities' expansion of Women's Services under the name "Marisol Services" and the launch of Marisol Health centers puts the Church's support for life-arming care at every stage into action. To learn more or to donate visit: BOHGala.org Gala Beacon 2017 Hope of Gala Beacon 2016 Hope of Celebrate the Joy of Life MARISOL SERVICES NO PROBLEMS JUST OPPORTUNITIES Join us for an event with nationally known speaker Justin Fatica and the Hard as Nails Team, who will bring a message of HOPE that will change your life forever. Be encouraged, challenged and inspired like never before, and realize just how amazing you are! BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC SCHOOL Presents February 14, 2017 • 1953 Elm St. • Denver, CO 80220 10am – 12pm Grades 6-8 Assembly with other schools 1:30 – 2:30pm K-5 Children's Book Reading 6:30 – 8:30pm Youth & Parent Event $10 donation

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