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“The Commandments of God” organization was formed when a
small group of men in the Knights of Columbus (10 to be
exact) saw the merits of this project. They realized that a
large segment of American society has been without a moral
compass. Many people, especially our youth, make serious
decisions without taking into consideration God's statutes;
simply basing their choices on feelings. Believing that the
Ten Commandments are truly God's directions for the lives of
His children, the objective was to collect donations for the
purchase of a monument of the Ten Commandments, which would
be offered as a gift to one of the parishes in the local
area.
A presentation was made to Father Jerry Brown, pastor of
Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Concord. Father
Brown was enthusiastic about the idea of having an 850 lb.
marble monument, 5’4” tall, installed near the entrance of
his church. He then asked if his K of C council was involved
and thought maybe his parishioners would also like to be
involved. As word of this effort spread, Brothers Jim
Francis, John Krajcir and Doug Hughes GK, all of the Saint
Francis of Assisi Council #13179 rolled up their sleeves and
started raising money. The initial goal was to collect
$4,500. It was obvious from the beginning that they would
exceed that amount and indeed they did.
The support and generosity of Father Brown was exceptional.
Saint Francis of Assisi, as is true with most of our
parishes, has a difficult enough time raising money just to
pay the bills, but when asked in an initial meeting if any
funds collected in excess of what was needed could be used
to purchase a monument for a poorer parish, Father Jerry did
not hesitate to say yes. What wonderful example of charity
to give to his council and parishioners.
The monument arrived at the church on January 22, 2005, and
by 11:00 a.m.. Sixteen knights stripped away the crating and
slid the monument off the pallet, positioning it on the
concrete in front of the church entrance. The monument is
positioned so that the parishioners, when arriving at
church, see the Ten Commandments listing things they should
and should not do, yes all ten of them; and when leaving
church see the Beatitudes listing all the rules for living a
Christian life. The comments of parishioners, when viewing
the Mount Sinai marble for the first time, were heartfelt
and enthusiastic.
On April 9, 2005, His Excellency Allen Vigneron, Bishop of
the Oakland Diocese, dedicated the monument immediately
following the 10:00 am Pro-Life mass. It was a pleasure to
have Color Corps from Francis B. Drass and Todos Santos
Assemblies en masse. K of C State Deputy Robert Rodriguez
honored us by his attendance and delivered a few remarks in
support of the Commandments of God Project. Other State
Officers were in attendance as were Chapter Officers and the
knights and families of Saint Francis of Assisi council
#13179.
It is amazing how much can be accomplished by so few. The
knights at Saint Francis made it very clear that they wanted
this to be their monument, for their parish, in front of
their church. There is pride of ownership each time they see
their monument.
“The Commandments of God” is an active group looking for
ways to help people readjust their moral focus through the
guidance of Our Lord.
These monuments make a powerful testimonial. Won't you help
us to spread the word of God and experience the pride in
making a positive statement of belief, counteracting the
ACLU and the liberal courts?
If you know of parishes that would be interested in
purchasing a monument, or desire to support the Commandments
of God Project, please contact us at 925-947-0597.
The Commandments of God
1032 Seneca Court -
Walnut Creek, CA 94598-4337
Phone: 925-947-0597
E-mail:
info@commandmentsofgod.com
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