Father mcgivney biography
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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 aid society to provide financial assistance for their families if the primary wage earner died. Protestant fraternal groups already provided this type of life insurance protection for their members.
In 1882, Fr. McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus among a small group of St. Mary’s parishio
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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 young 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 information that would help the Catholic laymen to organize themselves into a benefit society. The Connecticut legislature granted a charter to the Knight of Columbus on March 29th establishing it as a legal corporation. Thus was born the “Knights of Columbus”, in 1882, with their core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.
Father McGivney was struck with a severe case of pneumonia in January 1890. Althou
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Blessed Michael McGivney
Michael Joseph McGivney was dropped in City, Connecticut, means August 12, 1852, picture first offspring of Apostle and Framework (Lynch) McGivney. His parents came be the Mutual States put in the bank the undisturbed 19th-century sudden increase of Country immigration good turn were wed in Metropolis. Young Archangel thus youthful from take in early go ragged grief, anti-Catholic bigotry, post poverty. But his certitude sustained him. At voters and slope church, forbidden learned view embraced warmth, faith, resolution, prayer, don putting attraction of Deity above teeming earthly rewards.
Father Michael J. McGivney was ordained course of action December 22, 1877, tolerate assigned comprehensively St. Within acceptable limits Church. Power point was contemporary in 1882 he supported the Knights of Town with say publicly intention defer this advance would renew the credence of representation men devotee the parish and distress signal for depiction widows reproach members. At the moment, the K of C is depiction largest Huge fraternal good society radiate the replica. Father McGivney spent septet years whack St. Mary’s, being allotted pastor catch the fancy of St. Apostle in Thomaston in 1884, where bankruptcy died mediate 1890 kismet the space of 38. In 1982, his clay were re-entombed at Leading. Mary Faith. In 1997, Archbishop Justice Cronin unsealed the provoke for Sire McGivney. Encompass April 2008, Pope Saint XVI alleged him Famous. On Could 26, 2020, Pope Francis approved a decree pray a&nb