Michael Joseph McGivney − Founder of the Knights of Columbus
Abstract
Father Michael McGivney was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA, on August 12, 1852. His parents, Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney, had arrived in the great 19th century wave of Irish immigration. Michael from an early age manifested a desire to be a priest, and despite the many difficulties of the economic situation was ordained a priest on December 22, 1877. Newly ordained Father McGivney began working in a parish in New Haven. The young vicar worked vigorously and with great commitment, battled alcoholism and intensively worked with youth and prisoners.
The primary motivation for the Order was to be a mutual benefit society. As aparish priest in an immigrant community, McGivney saw what could happen to a family when the breadwinner died and wanted to provide insurance to care for the widows and orphans left behind. He himself had to temporarily leave his seminary studies to care for his family when his father died. In the late 19th century, Catholics in USA were regularly excluded from labor unions and other organizations that provided social services. In addition, Catholics were either barred from many of the popular fraternal organizations, or, as in the case of Freemasonry, forbidden from joining by the Catholic Church itself. McGivney wished to provide them an alternative. He also believed that Catholicism and fraternalism were not incompatible and wished to found a society that would encourage men to be proud of their American-Catholic heritage.
On March 29, the Connecticut legislature granted a charter to the Knights of Columbus, formally establishing it as a legal corporation. The Order's principles in 1882 were “unity” and “charity”. The concepts of “fraternity” and “patriotism” were added later. Today, there are more than 1.8 million members. Membership is limited to “practical Catholic” men aged 18 or older. Councils have been chartered mainly in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and from 2006 in Poland and from 2013 in Ukraine and Lithuania. The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization.
Father Michael McGivney fell sick with pneumonia in January 1890 while serving as pastor of St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Conn. After months of attempted “cures” and laboring to carry on his pastoral duties, he died on August 14, two days past his 38th birthday. His funeral in his home parish in Waterbury was attended by throngs of faithful who recognized his virtue and sanctity. In March of 2008, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the title “Venerable” on Father Michael McGivney.
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