Michael J. McGivney

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Blessed

Michael J. McGivney
Father McGivney 300.jpg
Fr. Michael J. McGivney, c. 1890
Priest and Founder
BornMichael Joseph McGivney
(1852-08-12)August 12, 1852
Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
DiedAugust 14, 1890(1890-08-14) (aged 38)
Thomaston, Connecticut, United States
Venerated inCatholic Church
Beatified31 October 2020, Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Hartford, Connecticut, United States by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin (on behalf of Pope Francis)
Major shrineChurch of Saint Mary, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Feast13 August
AttributesPriest attire
Books
Rosary
PatronageKnights of Columbus

Michael Joseph McGivney (August 12, 1852 – August 14, 1890) was an Irish-American Catholic priest based in New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and fraternal insurance organization, particularly for immigrants and their families. It developed through the 20th century as the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization.

The cause for his canonization started in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1996; in March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared McGivney "Venerable" in recognition of his "heroic virtue".[1] On May 27, 2020, Pope Francis announced that McGivney had been approved for beatification, which officially happened on October 31, 2020.[2] The pope's action means that McGivney can be declared "Blessed", the step just prior to sainthood. An additional miracle attributed to McGivney's intercession will be required for his canonization as a saint.[3][4]

Early life[]

He was born to Irish immigrant parents, Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney. He was the eldest of 13 children, six of whom died in infancy or childhood. His father worked as a molder in a Waterbury, Connecticut, brass mill. Michael attended the local Waterbury district school but left at 13 to work in one of the brass mills' spoon-making departments.[5]

Studies[]

In 1868, at the age of 16, he entered the Séminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. He continued his studies at Our Lady of Angels Seminary, near Niagara Falls, New York,[5] (1871–1872) and at the Jesuits' St. Mary's College, in Montreal, Quebec. He had to leave the seminary, returning home to help finish raising his siblings after his father's death in June 1873.[6] McGivney later resumed his studies at St. Mary's Seminary, in Baltimore, Maryland; he was ordained a priest on December 22, 1877, by Archbishop James Gibbons at the Baltimore Cathedral of the Assumption.[5]

Michael J. McGivney

Founding of the Knights of Columbus[]

From his own experience, McGivney recognized the devastating effect on immigrant families of the father and wage earner's untimely death. Many Catholics were still struggling to assimilate into the American economy.[6] On March 29, 1882, while an assistant pastor at Saint Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, with a small group of parishioners,[6] as a mutual aid society, to provide financial assistance, in the event of the men's deaths, to their widows and orphans. The organization developed as a fraternal society. McGivney was also known for his tireless work among his parishioners.[1]

McGivney spent seven years at St. Mary's, then became pastor of St. Thomas Church in Thomaston in 1884. He died from pneumonia at the age of 38 in Thomaston on the eve of the Assumption in 1890.[7]

The Knights of Columbus was among the first groups to recruit blood donors, with formal efforts dating to 1937 during the Great Depression. As of 2013, the order has more than 1.8 million member families and 15,000 councils. During the 2012 fraternal year, the order donated $167 million and 70 million man-hours to charity.[8]

By 2020, the order reached the 2 million member mark.[9] During the 2019 fraternal year, the order donated $187 million and 77 million man-hours to charity.

Mikey Schachle at age 5 in 2020

Cause of beatification and canonization[]

Monument of Michael J. McGivney, Founder of Knights of Columbus, at the Church of the Ascension in Saratoga, California, USA

In 1996, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford opened the cause for canonization, an investigation into McGivney's life with a view towards formal recognition by the Catholic Church of his sainthood. Gabriel O'Donnell is the postulator of McGivney's cause. He is also the director of the Fr. McGivney Guild, which now has 150,000 members supporting his cause.[10]

The diocesan investigation was closed in 2000, and the case was passed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Vatican City. On March 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI approved a decree recognizing McGivney's heroic virtue, thus declaring him as "Venerable."[6]

As of August 6, 2013, a miracle attributed to McGivney's intercession was under investigation at the Vatican.[10] On May 27, 2020, the miracle attributed to the intercession of McGivney was approved by Congregation for the Causes of Saints and authorized by Pope Francis.[2] The Miracle involved the healing of Michael "Mikey" Schachle in his mother's womb after being given a zero percent chance of survival by doctors at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. in 2015.[11]

On October 31, 2020, the beatification Mass of Michael McGivney was celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut with Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin presiding on the Pope's behalf.[12][13]

Legacy[]

Fr. Michael J. McGivney monument in Sts. Peter & Paul Parish Church, Bauang, La Union, Philippines

See also[]

  • List of beatified people
  • Roman Catholicism in the United States#American Catholic Servants of God, Venerables, Beatified, and Saints

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Knights of Columbus Founder Declared Venerable". Zenit.org. March 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Knights of Columbus founder Fr. Michael McGivney to be beatified". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Michael McGivney closer to sainthood".
  4. ^ "Promulgazione di Decreti della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, 27.05.2020". Holy See Press Office (in Italian). May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Early Years : Father Michael McGivney Office – Philippines". Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Father Michael McGivney," Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network Archived September 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "St Mary's Parish | New Haven, CT". ST MARY PARISH. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "Knights set record for giving $167 million, 70 million volunteer hours, in 2012", Catholic Philly, June 2013
  9. ^ "Knights of Columbus unveils new initiation ceremony that will be public". Archdiocese of Baltimore. January 29, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Annual Report of the Supreme Knight" (PDF). Knights of Columbus. August 6, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference tennesseeregister.com/miracle-for-mikey-dickson-boys-cure-opens-door-to-k-of-c-founders-beatification was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Beatification of Fr. Michael McGivney: Example for post-pandemic parish renewal - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  13. ^ "Beatification of Father Michael J. McGivney To Be Held Saturday". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  14. ^ Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy
  15. ^ "McGivney Institutions and Memorials", Father McGivney Guild

External links[]

Further reading[]

  • Brinkley, Douglas; Julie M. Fenster (January 10, 2006). Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism. William Morrow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-077684-8.
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