The next American to be beatified is Father Michael McGivney. Beatification is the last step before canonization to sainthood, Fr. McGivney was ordained in 1877 and assigned to St. Mary’s Church, the first Catholic parish in New Haven, CT. There he faced challenges, not unlike today, including a priest shortage, financial hardships, rampant disease and hostility toward Catholics. As a young priest, he recognized that financial problems often split up families, endangering the faith of their members. Hence, he devised a way to strengthen the Catholic faith of men, while providing financial protection for their families when they suffered the death of the breadwinner.
Knowing that keeping families together helped address both temporal and spiritual needs, he founded the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization for Catholic men in 1882. His intent was to draw his people into the life and activities of the parish and provide Catholic men with an alternative to anti-Catholic secret societies that at that time offered social and employment advancement but drew them away from the faith. In 1890, he died at age 38 after being stricken with a respiratory infections. Fr. McGivney will be beatified at a special Mass on October 31 in Hartford.
In the future, watch for more information on Fr. McGivney and the Knights who still perpetuate his vision and mission. Find out more information and contact a Knight at knights@sainti.org.
