visit to Mexico City in September 1905 to oversee the establishment of Guadalupe Council number 1050, the first council south of the Rio Grande, he was greeted by Mexican President Porfirio Díaz at the home of John B. Frisbie. During his second visit the following February to confer the third degree, a banquet was held in his honor and he met with Archbishop Próspero Alarcón. As Supreme Knight, he was instrumental in raising funds to endow a chair of American history at The Catholic University of America. Hearn, who viewed the Order as a sort of Catholic anti-defamation league, said at the presentation of the check that "non-Catholic historians ... find no room in their histories to laud the magnificent work done in the early days of the nation by the Catholic missionaries and Catholic pioneers, ...These are the evils we seek to remedy by founding this Chair of American History." He also raised funds to establish a scholarship fund for graduate students to attend the national university. As Supreme Knight, Hearn also oversaw the institution of the Fourth Degree of the order and was involved in Catholic anti-deformation efforts. European work Hearn declined another term as Supreme Knight, but retired from the insurance industry in 1910 so that he could work full-time with the Knights of Columbus. During and after the Knights' efforts in World War I, Hearn became the Knights' Overseas Commissioner, overseeing the order's support of the troops and post-war rehabilitation work. He was also called upon by the Vatican to oversee several charitable works, including the Knights' project to build playgrounds for children in Rome. This request came at the personal request of Pope Benedict XV, who was worried about Protestant churches who were moving into Rome, dedicating churches on the "Anniversary of the Downfall of Papal Power," and setting up athletic facilities with the intent of converting the young people of Rome. Benedict's successor, Pope Pius XI, insisted that the facilities be open to all regardless of religion, a prospect which pleased Hearn, and donated a parcel of land for the project, that he could see from his apartment in the Vatican. As Hearn was preparing to shut down the Order's work in Europe in the early 1920s, he reported back that Pope Benedict's request came as a surprise to him. Following the request, he proposed that the Knights should establish a headquarters in Rome