Beatification of Fr. Michael McGivney

Earlier this year, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney. A Connecticut priest who served his faith community during the pandemic of 1890, he will be beatified during a special Mass October 31, 2020, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford, Connecticut He will be the first American parish priest to be beatified.

Fr. McGivney (1852-1890), the son of Irish immigrants, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and ordained a priest in 1877 for what is now the Archdiocese of Hartford. He founded the Knights of Columbus 138 years ago to enable Catholic men to support one another and their families with spiritual and temporal needs. Today, this fraternal order has become the largest lay Catholic organization in the world with 2 million members, sponsoring a wide range of educational, charitable, and religious activities.

The Early Years

During his short lifetime, Fr. McGivney led by example in works of charity, evangelization, and empowerment of the laity. His first priestly assignment was at St. Mary’s, the first Catholic parish in New Haven, Connecticut, as an assistant priest. There he came fact-to-face with challenges that continue to afflict us today, including priest shortages, parish debt, illnesses, and hostility toward Catholics, according to The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild.

With a priestly heart, he accompanied people of all ages and walks of life in their suffering and uncertainty and discovered practical ways to address their growing needs. While his first concern was always the faith of his flock, he was also attuned to familial, social, financial, civic, and societal issues.

Fr. McGivney is often viewed as a martyr of a pandemic. When he died of pneumonia complications in 1890 at age 38, it was during an outbreak of influenza known as the Russian flu. Some recent evidence, according to the Knights of Columbus, indicates the outbreak may have been the result of a coronavirus, making his beatification in 2020 a fitting placement.

On the Road to Sainthood

The initial work on his sainthood cause began in 1982 on the Knights' centenary. His cause was formally opened in Hartford in 1997, and he was given the title "servant of God." In March 2008, the Catholic Church recognized the priest “heroically lived the Christian virtues,” so he was given the title "venerable."

In 2015, a miracle attributed to him was recognized by the Vatican and involved a baby still in utero with a life-threatening condition that, under most circumstances, could have led to an abortion. Expectant parents, Dan and Michelle Schachle, of Dickson, Tennessee, prayed to Fr. McGivney to intercede with God to save their son, who was given no hope of surviving a life-threatening case of fetal hydrops.

Today, that baby, Mikey Schachle, is a thriving 5-year-old.

At Fr. McGivney’s beatification Mass, an apostolic letter from Pope Francis will be read along with the bestowing of the title “Blessed,” a step just prior to sainthood. An additional miracle attributed to his intercession will be required for his canonization as a saint.

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