Father Michael McGivney was born in Waterbury on August 12, 1852.
His parents, Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney, had arrived in the
great
Priesthood
Founder
In April 1882, Father McGivney, with the permission of
Bishop McMahon, wrote to all the pastors of the Diocese
of Hartford. The Order's primary objective, he wrote,
was to dissuade Catholics from joining secret societies
by providing them better advantages at times of death or
sickness.
Then in November 1884, he was named pastor of St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Connecticut, a factory town 10 miles from his hometown. It was a factory parish, heavily in debt, serving working-class parishioners with few resources beyond their faith. With prayerful acceptance, Father McGivney put his seven years at St. Mary's behind him. His New Haven parishioners, in a testimonial resolution elaborately superimposed on the drawing of a chalice and host, declared that despite burdens and afflictions, his courtesy, his kindness and the purity of his life had "secured the love and confidence of the people of St. Mary's, which will follow him in every future field of labor." In six subsequent years at St. Thomas, he wrestled with the church debt and built the same close ties of devotion and charitable concern he had developed in New Haven. He continued, as well, to serve as supreme chaplain, personally involved in helping the Order to extend its membership into Rhode Island. Later, from 1901 to 1939, his younger brothers, Msgrs. Patrick and John J. McGivney, served the Order as supreme chaplains.
Never robust in health, Father McGivney was suddenly
stricken with a serious case of pneumonia in
January 1890. It hung on. Various treatments for consumptive illness were tried, but his decline
persisted. The young priest
complied by Bill Malecki District Warden, KofC District #89 |
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19th century wave of Irish immigration. Patrick McGivney
became a molder in the heat and noxious fumes of a Waterbury brass
mill. Mary McGivney gave birth to 13 children, six of whom died in
infancy or childhood. So the first child, Michael, with four living
sisters and two brothers, learned early about sorrow and the harsh
grip of poverty. He also learned about the powers of love and faith,
and family fortitude.
When Michael reached the age of 16 in 1868, he left the factory.
With the priesthood clearly in mind, he traveled with his
Waterbury pastor to Quebec, Canada. There he registered at the
French-run College of St. Hyacinthe. He worked hard on subjects
which would prepare him to apply for seminary admission.
After a special Mass on the day of execution, the priest's
grief was intense. The young offender comforted him:
"Father, your saintly ministrations have enabled me to meet
death without a tremor. Do not fear for me, I must not break
down now."
Father McGivney worked closely with the young people of St.
Mary's parish, holding catechism classes and organizing a
total abstinence society to fight alcoholism. In 1881 he
began to explore with various laymen the idea of a Catholic,
fraternal benefit society. In an era when parish clubs and
fraternal societies had wide popular appeal, the young
priest felt there should be some way to strengthen religious
faith and at the same time provide for the financial needs
of families overwhelmed by illness or death of the
breadwinner.
He discussed this concept with Bishop Lawrence McMahon of
Hartford, and received his approval. He traveled to Boston
to talk with the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters,
and traveled to Brooklyn to consult the Catholic Benevolent
Legion. He met with other priests of the diocese. Wherever
he could, he sought information that would help the Catholic
laymen to organize themselves into a benefit society.
People who knew Father McGivney in this period were
impressed by his energy and intensity. Father Gordian Daley
later recalled, "I saw him but once, and yet I remember this
pale, beautiful face as if I saw it only yesterday. It was a
'priest's face' and that explains everything. It was a face
of wonderful repose. There was nothing harsh in that
countenance although there was everything that was strong."
William Geary, one of the Order's charter members, said
that at the first council meeting in 1882, he was
"acclaimed as founder by 24 men with hearts full of joy
and thanksgiving, recognizing that without his optimism,
his will to succeed, his counsel and advice they would
have failed."
Father McGivney had suggested Sons of Columbus as a name
for the Order. This would bind Catholicism and Americanism
together through the faith and bold vision of the New
World's discoverer.
The word "knights" replaced "sons" because key members of
the organizing group who were Irish-born Civil War
veterans felt it would help to apply a noble ritual in
support of the emerging cause of Catholic civil liberty.
He urged each pastor to exert influence "in
the formation of a Council in your parish." Father McGivney personally installed the first officers of San
Salvador Council 1 in New Haven, in May 1882.
By May 1883, Council 2 had been instituted in
Meriden, Connecticut and Bishop McMahon, so impressed
with the organization, became a member of Council 11
in 1884, and served it as council chaplain. By the end
of 1885, there were 31 councils in Connecticut.
Father McGivney's dedication to the Order was
evidenced in trips he made to all parts of Connecticut
and in handwritten correspondence—little of which
survives—about Knights of Columbus business. At St. Mary's, despite
all this, he remained the energetic curate with
constant concern for every parishioner's problems.
lost
physical strength just as the Order he founded
was moving toward new vitality. On August 14, 1890, Father
Michael J. McGivney died at the age of 38.
In his 13 brief, busy years as a priest,
Father McGivney's piety and compassion had
won the love of those he served as curate and pastor. His Christian
inspiration, leadership and administrative drive had brought him the
loyalty and affection of thousands who knew him as the founder of the
Knights of Columbus. From the moment he launched it, the organization
fortified Catholics in their faith, offered them ways to greater financial
security in a sometimes hostile world, and strengthened them in
self-esteem. Remarkably developed from its simple beginnings in a church
basement, the Knights of Columbus today combines Catholic fraternalism and
one of the most successful American insurance enterprises. The four towers
of the international headquarters symbolize the Order's worldwide
commitment to charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. More than 12,000
fraternal councils are active in 13 countries. Nearly 1.7 million Knights
contribute about $130 million and 61 million hours of volunteer
service to charitable causes each year. And—as a particular result of the
Order's multi-faceted services to the Church—the board of directors in
1988 conducted formal business of the Order for the first time in a room
named for the Knights of Columbus within the ancient St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome.