Father mcgivney biography
•
Blessed Michael J. McGivney
The Beatification of Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Founder of the Knights of Columbus, took place Saturday October 31st, 2020 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, CT. Members of the Knights of Columbus along with other faithful Catholic Clergy and Laity have been fervently praying for his eventual Canonization and eagerly anticipate this great milestone of his Beatification.
His Beatification presents an opportunity to learn about his good works in his brief time on earth that led to the worldwide charitable impacts of the Knights of Columbus since their founding in 1882.
Below are resources gathered by the Knights of Columbus and the Diocese of Harrisburg.
Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on August 12, 1852. He was the first of thirteen children. His parents immigrated to the United States in the 19th-century from Ireland.
Life for Irish immigrants was not easy at that time. &
•
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney
Fr. Michael McGivney was born August 12, 1852 in Waterbury, Connecticut, one of 13 children. At the age of 16, Michael traveled to Quebec, Canada where he registered at the French-run College of St. Hyacinthe to prepare him for seminary admission.
After 2 years at Our Lady of Angels Seminary and four years at St. Mary’s Seminary he was ordained. He offered his first Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Waterbury. His priestly ministry began on Christmas Day, 1877, as curate of St. Mary’s Church.
One of the responsibilities of St. Mary’s priests was pastoral care on inmates in the city jail. He worked closely with the ung people of St. Mary’s, holding catechism classes and organizing a total abstinence society to fight alcoholism. In an age when parish clubs and fraternal societies had wide popularity, Fr. Michael sought upplysning that would help the Catholic laymen to organize themselves into a benefit society. The Connecticut legislature grant
•
Blessed Michael J. McGivney
Image: CNS-McGivney beatification
Saint of the Day for August 13
(August 12, 1852 – August 14, 1890)
Blessed Michael McGivney’s Story
The eldest son of an immigrant Irish family in Connecticut, young Michael left school at 13 to work in a brass factory making spoons. At 16 he began studies for the priesthood in Quebec, but was obliged to leave to help support the family when his father died. Michael completed his education in Baltimore, Maryland, and was ordained for the diocese of Hartford in 1877.
Assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Fr. McGivney was very active in parish and civic affairs, serving as director of public plays and fairs. He volunteered to become the guardian of Alfred Downes, a minor whose father had died leaving a large family in poverty. This situation as well as his own family’s circumstances and that of other immigrants impressed on Fr. McGivney the need for lay Catholic men to establish a mutual a