Michael McGivney

         Michael Joseph McGivney was the first of thirteen children born to Irish immigrant parents.  Born on August 12, 1852, in Waterbury, Connecticut, the story of McGivney’s early life reflects many of the challenges seen in life during this period of United States history.  As the oldest child, he experienced the death of 6 siblings.  Michael did well in school, but had to leave at the age of 13 to work in a brass mill to help support his family.  He experienced the difficult life of an immigrant family and the anti-Catholic bigotry that was common then.

         Michael felt called to the priesthood and, in 1868, at 16, he entered the seminary at the College of St. Hyacinthe in Quebec, Canada.  His priestly formation would span many years and different seminaries.  After St. Hyacinthe, Michael continued his studies at Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Niagara Falls, New York, and then returned to Canada to attend St. Mary’s Seminary in Montreal.  In June of 1873, McGivney’s father died.  Michael returned home to Waterbury for the funeral, likely expecting that to end his vocation, needing to return to factory work to support his mother and other siblings.  However, the Bishop of Hartford provided financial support that allowed him to resume studies for the priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland.  He did well, developed a reputation for holiness, and showed himself to be a fairly adept baseball player.  On December 22, 1877, Archbishop James Gibbons ordained McGivney at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Baltimore.

         Fr. McGivney’s first assignment was an assistant priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut.  It was a difficult assignment, but one that he met with zeal and great care for souls.  Fr. McGivney understood the challenges Catholic immigrants faced, and how the social and financial challenges his flock faced in a culture that questioned if Catholics could be Americans presented additional hurdles to fostering their faith.  For his part, however, he seemed to navigate these waters well, garnering a reputation as a wise spiritual leader, even among the Protestant community of New Haven.   

         Fr. McGivney embodied the Good Shepherd willing to go after the lost sheep.  For example, he ministered to James Smith, a young man who was sentenced to death for, while drunk, killing a police officer.  Every day, he visited the man as he awaited execution, praying with and counseling him, even saying Mass in the jail.  Fr. McGivney remained steadfast, staying with the young man to the end, walking him to the scaffold.  The young man thanked Fr. McGivney for enabling him to face death with faith not fear.

         Fr. McGivney is most well known for founding the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal benefit society for lay Catholic men, in 1882.  Today, the Knights of Columbus have millions of members worldwide, serving the Church and communities in many profound ways.  Its origin traces to Fr. McGivney’s desire to address the tangible spiritual and physical needs of Catholic men of his day.  Life was difficult, and from his own experience he understood the stress families went through when the wage-earning father died.  Families might have to be split up, and in an anti-Catholic environment that would make persevering in the Catholic faith harder.  To address the financial risk that loss of a breadwinner brings, and to otherwise socially advance, some men turned to organizations like the Freemasons, which were not in line with the Catholic faith.  So the Knights of Columbus was born as an alternative.  One of its innovations was to create an insurance program so that families who lost a Knight would receive financial support that could keep the family together. He named the Order after Christopher Columbus, highlighting that the United States had Catholic roots despite the Anti-Catholicism of the times. Unity and charity were chosen as the governing principles of the Knights, to which fraternity and patriotism were added later. The first Knights wanted to make Fr. McGivney The head of the Order, but he insisted a layman lead the organization and that he could best serve it as their chaplain.  The Knights flourished, with councils starting throughout Connecticut and in other States.    

         In November of 1884, Fr. McGivney was transferred to Thomaston, Connecticut, to serve as pastor of St. Thomas Church. He served there for 6 years, bringing the same zeal he brought to the larger city of New Haven.

         Fr. McGivney died on August 14, 1890, two days after he turned 38.  His health had declined due to several illnesses during the flu pandemics of 1889 and later tuberculosis and pneumonia in 1890.  His last days were spent in bed at the rectory of St. Thomas parish in Thomaston, Connecticut, where he also received the last rites.  Many came to show their love and respect to the holy pastor, with  the bishop, numerous priests and community leaders, and delegations from nearly all the Knights of Columbus councils attending his funeral.

         Fr. McGivney was beatified on All Hallow’s Eve in 2020 at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut.  Earlier in 2020, the Vatican approved a miracle, attributed to Fr. McGivney, concerning the healing of a young boy from Tennessee while his mother was pregnant with him.  Doctors discovered that the child had a rare condition called hydrops fetalis, a condition that causes fluid to build up in a baby’s organs and tissue, causing swelling.  Doctors judged the condition as fatal with zero chance for survival given the severity of this case.  The family turned to prayer and sought Fr. McGivney’s intercession, promising to name the child after him if cured.  5 years later, Michael McGivney Schachle carried Blessed McGivney’s relics during the beatification mass.

         Blessed Michael McGivney is the third priest born in the United States to be beatified.  Blessed McGivney is entombed in a sarcophagus in St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, where he originally founded the Knights of Columbus, and which is now part of the Blessed Michael McGivney Parish.  Nearby, the Knights of Columbus also operate the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, which contains exhibits on his life and the legacy of the Knights of Columbus.  He is considered a natural patron and model for Catholic men of the United States.