After his voyages, Columbus wrote a summary account of his voyages as a report for Ferdinand and Isabella which clearly reveals his Christian motivation. The following quotes are from this ¹letter:

"The great success of this enterprise is not to be ascribed to my own merits, but to the holy Catholic faith and the piety of our Sovereigns, the Lord often granting to men what they never imagine themselves capable of effecting, as he is accustomed to hear the prayers of his servants and those who love his commandments, even in that which appears impossible; in this manner has it happened to me who have succeeded in an undertaking never before accomplished by man. For although some persons have written or spoken of the existence of these islands, they have all rested their assertions upon conjecture, no one having ever affirmed that he saw them, on which account their existence has been deemed fabulous."

"And now ought the King, Queen, Princes, and all their dominions, as well as the whole of Christians, to give thanks to our Saviour Jesus Christ who has granted us such a victory and great success. Let processions be ordered, let solemn festivals be celebrated, let the temples be filled with boughs and flowers. Let Christ rejoice upon earth as he does in heaven, to witness the coming salvation of so many people, heretofore given over to perdition. Let us rejoice for the exaltation of our faith, as well as for the augmentation of our temporal prosperity, in which not only Spain but all Christendom shall participate. Such are the events which I have described to you with brevity. Adieu."

What is Columbus Day? The first organized recognition to mark the 300^th year anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landing was in 1792. One hundred years later, in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation to mark Columbus Day as an official holiday. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Oct. 12 as Columbus Day but in 1971 Congress declared this a federal holiday and set it to fall on the second Monday in October, where it remains today.

The Knights of Columbus (a Catholic men's fraternal benefit society) and Italian-Americans were instrumental in promoting Columbus Day. Over the years, Americans have celebrated this day with school programs, plays, and parades.

More recently, debate has stirred over whether or not this is a day to celebrate. Some people oppose Columbus Day, claiming his achievements are not worthy of a holiday. They view it as a celebration of conquest and genocide by the Spaniards. Historically, we no longer believe that Columbus was the first to discover America although he was the first European to successfully bring European culture and to the Americas.