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Lifting every brick John Woodford is a man of the church and an oral historian. Even a casual glance at the numerous awards that line his living
room wall are evidence that he is unflappably Catholic. Yet this lay Catholic never considered joining the Knights of
Columbus. “Why would I?” Woodford asked, understanding the questions raised
by his response. Woodford, after all, has been a Knight of Peter Claver for nearly 60 years. While he is no prisoner to modesty, one fact demands retelling.
It was the voice of a determined black woman that brought Claverism
to Chicago. Prior to the 1930s, the Knights of Peter Claver, founded in 1909
in Mobile, Ala., were primarily based in the South. In New Orleans,
said Woodford, a “little lady named Adele Stadeker” learned about
the group and soon after joined its Ladies Auxiliary Court. After moving to Chicago in the ’20s, Stadeker joined St. Elizabeth
Church and immediately asked its pastor, Divine Word Father Joseph
Eckert, why there weren’t councils and courts in the archdiocese.
Then, as today, the pastor’s response was rooted in the high volume
of parish programs and organizations that already existed. In January 1930, a fire ravaged St. Elizabeth, destroying the
church. Months passed before the archdiocese took any action to
rebuild. Stadeker reportedly returned to Eckert, a renowned evangelizer
in the black community, with this message: “If we had the Knights
of Peter Claver in Chicago, they’d rebuild your church.” “Clavers in the North laid the bricks for many buildings in Chicago,”
said Woodford. Eckert now understood this wasn’t just another group. “He was interested, but [Cardinal George] Mundelein didn’t want
to,” Woodford said. Despite Mundelein’s reluctance, Eckert’s prodding
brought about the first Claver council. Council #67 was formed
in June. In 1932, the first Ladies Auxiliary Court was formed. On Sept. 10, Clavers met to celebrate their patron at St. Eulalia
Parish, Maywood. At that event, hosted by the parish’s Court and Council 356, the Lady Adele Stadeker Award was established.
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