NEW HAVEN, CT — A new Web site — www.fathermcgivney.org — devoted to the
life and legacy of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of
Columbus, has been launched to promote his cause for canonization and
spread the message of his spiritual genius. An assistant parish priest at
St. Mary’s Church in New Haven when he founded the Knights with a handful
of laymen in 1882, Father McGivney was given the title Servant of God by
the Vatican after his cause was opened in 1997. His remains are entombed at
St. Mary’s Church.
Pope John Paul II recently praised Father McGivney’s “prophetic
vision,” and the Vatican is investigating a possible medical miracle
performed through the intercession of Father McGivney, a step toward
beatification.
The new Web site is hosted by the Father McGivney Guild, the official
organization promoting his cause for sainthood, and by the Knights of
Columbus. It is offered in three languages: English, Spanish and French.
The Guild, with 85,000 members worldwide, is responsible for gathering
information about Father McGivney’s life and work, as well as personal
testimony regarding miracles and other favors attributed to his
intercession. An interactive section of the site allows users to post
prayer intentions and favors received, and to read the postings of other
users.
Father McGivney was a deeply spiritual man who experienced the
hardships common to urban families of the mid-19th century. The eldest
child of a large family in Waterbury, Conn., he went to work at age 13 in a
brass factory before beginning studies for the priesthood. His father died
while he was in the seminary, leaving his mother to care for the family.
These experiences were among the reasons Father McGivney was determined to
found a Catholic fraternal benefit society that would provide for widows
and children when a breadwinner died. The story of his priesthood is told
under sections headed “Servant of Charity,” “Joyful Celebrant,” “Confessor
of Souls,” “Apostle to the Young,” “Protector of Christian Family Life” and
“Man of Pastoral Action.”
His greatest legacy is the growth and vitality of the Knights of
Columbus, which today has some 1.7 million members in 13,000 councils
throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries. In 2003
Knights raised and donated $130 million to charity and giving 61 million
hours of service to the Catholic Church and their communities. The Order’s
insurance program has more then $50 billion in force covering members and
their families.
Church
Knights of Columbus Prayer for Vocations
January, 2010
O God, who wishes all
people to be saved, touch with
grace the hearts of many young
men and women, moving them
to offer themselves as candidates
for the priesthood and religious life.
Inspire fathers and mothers
and all members of Christian
families to become aware of
the great need for religious vocations.
Endow all people with reverence
for these sacred callings
that they may encourage many
to serve God and mankind in
the ranks of religion…These
blessings we ask through Christ
Our Lord. Amen.
2006
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