Culture Of Life Monument
Background
In the 1990’s the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council initiated a “Tomb For The Unborn” program encouraging councils to erect a monument bringing a focus to the tragedy to human life caused by abortion. Hundreds of councils order-wide erected these monuments. At the onset of this program, the Bishop Greco Council #9499 in Clemmons was quite young (chartered in 1987). In the early 2000’s, we began efforts to build our new sanctuary and plans for a monument were put on hold. Over the last few years, our council has been searching for a location and design for this monument. Brother Knight Walter Capiga initiated these discussions by presenting several design proposals. From these ideas arose a committee in late 2015.
At the very beginning of these discussions, it was decided to erect a monument that focused on the entire Pro-Life message of “From Conception to Natural Death”. We also desired to make this monument unique in design and serve a “purpose”. From this discussion emerged a Pro-Life message blended into a brick bench design. The original plan included a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The Monument
The monument design incorporates a brick bench flanked by two pillars. The left pillar has a marble plaque engraved with “From Conception” while the right pillar’s plaque reads “To Natural Death”. These plaques define that the sanctity of human life must be upheld from the very beginning of life (conception) until the person succumbs to a natural death.
There are four engraved plaques placed within the bench. Each plaque has a single word – Unborn, Vulnerable, Forgotten, Aged – bringing focus to the times in which society often devalues life. The “Unborn” plaque represents the nearly 1 million children aborted in the US each year. The “Vulnerable” plaque represents the disabled, homeless, abused, and those who are often pushed aside as less than worthy of living a life as God intends. The “Forgotten” plaque represents those who are lonely, poor, hungry, and those who are overlooked by society. The “Aged” plaque represents those who are approaching the later years of their life and are often denied care, understanding, love, and are considered less worthy of life.
The central pillar supports a marble statue of Saint Teresa of Calcutta (a.k.a. Mother Teresa). In this statue, St. Teresa is seen holding a newborn baby while caring for a sick/elderly man. Throughout St. Teresa’s life, she reached out to the unborn, vulnerable, forgotten, and aged while declaring to the entire world that all life is precious. The bronze plaque just below the statue reads, “All Life is Precious”, followed by a quote from St. Teresa, “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces that we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” The project also included the construction of two additional benches.