Photo Caption: Hundreds of Catholic men take part in the 2011 “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith.” The 2012 men’s march and Mass is Saturday, April 14.

So you’re a grand knight or some other leader in a Knights of Columbus council in our diocese, and you’ve learned in this special issue of The Catholic Post that Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, is about to observe his 10th anniversary as our bishop.

What might you do?

Or maybe you’re involved in your parish’s men’s club.

Maybe you’re a parish priest or deacon.

Maybe you’re a grandfather, or a Dad.

Maybe you’re just a Catholic guy. About half our diocesan population of 160,000 is, you know.

In our special section on Bishop Jenky’s approaching anniversary, Msgr. Stanley Deptula suggests a very appropriate gift — attending and/or being a sponsor for the Bishop’s Anniversary Gala benefiting Catholic Charities on June 1. We second that motion.

But we have another, more immediate, recommendation specifically for Catholic men. And guys, there’s no shopping required.

Give Bishop Jenky the gift of your presence on Saturday morning, April 14, at the “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith” march and Mass in downtown Peoria. (See Frequently Asked Questions about the Men’s March.)

The annual riverfront gathering and public witness in defense of faith, family and the priesthood has drawn up to 1,000 men in past years. But if there ever was a year that the line of marchers through downtown Peoria should stretch for blocks and blocks, spilling out of St. Mary’s Cathedral for Mass, it’s 2012.

For this year, there’s something else precious to defend: our religious freedom. In 2011, a dispute with the state resulted in the slashing of our Catholic Charities services. This year, the federal government has threatened nearly every Catholic institution by insisting that our insurance programs fund not only contraceptives but sterilizations and abortion-causing drugs.

“We will not cooperate,” Bishop Jenky told a crowd of 250 at a rally at the Peoria County Courthouse last Friday. “We will resist that by every strength we may have and that God will give us.”

Bishop Jenky has been an outspoken voice in this fight — a fight that he acknowledges we didn’t pick. Boys, it’s time to follow the leader. All you have to do in this case is show up.

If you’re a Knight, spread the word among your council. Same for men’s club members. Parish leaders, issue a stronger invitation to the event this year. Family guys, bring your sons and grandsons. Men’s march veterans? Make this the year you insist a friend or five come along with you.

Don’t let this opportunity pass for a round of golf or cleaning the garage. The bishop will appreciate the gift of your presence. But our experience is that you’ll receive greater gifts: a boost in your faith, a realization of our strength when united in Christ, and some serious (and not so serious) guy time. — Thomas J. Dermody