“We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant, Fr. Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will.”
How many tens of millions, hundreds of millions of times has our loving God heard this sentence from the prayer for Fr. McGivney’s canonization? Asking only to fulfill God’s holy will; requested humbly. No doubt, you, like I, have been saying this prayer of supplication for years. Now those prayers have been answered as our Venerable Founder becomes our Blessed Founder. The journey began December 18, 1997 when the Cause for Sainthood was opened in Hartford, Connecticut by Archbishop Daniel Cronin. Nearly five years later the official document, the Positio, outlining the case for Fr. McGivney’s cause was sent to Rome. On March 15, 2008 Fr. McGivney was declared “Venerable” indicating he lived a life of heroic virtue. This year on May 27, nearly twenty-three years after his cause was opened, Pope Francis authorized a decree that a miracle attributed to Fr. McGivney’s intercession has been approved.
October 2020 will long be remembered as the month Fr. McGivney’s beatification Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. It is currently scheduled for October 31. This will be a time of great joy and happiness for all members of the Knights of Columbus.
Spotlighting our founder and his reasons for founding the Order; i.e., to strengthen men in their faith and to provide for the financial needs of families overwhelmed by illness or death of the breadwinner, this spotlight will draw more Catholic men to join with us. Our Order is an immense force for good in this world with the billions of dollars donated to worthy causes over the past decade, strengthening our fraternal bonds with acts of charity. The Knights of Columbus helps us husbands and fathers not only fortify our faith, but also provides an opportunity for us to protect our families. Is it significant that the approved miracle involved the son of one of our general agents from our insurance program?
I like to think so. When Patrick McGivney died unexpectedly, young Michael had to leave the seminary to help provide for his family. He and his family struggled through the loss of his father and then as the curate at St. Mary’s he saw parishioners facing similar situations. He saw a need and he took action. He organized; he led, he inspired. He was concerned with both the spiritual and the temporal well-being of those around him.
Speaking of being a man of action, now is the time for you to take action: You will soon receive, if you have not yet already received it, the 2020 Fraternal Survey. It may be filled out in paper form or online. Whether on paper or online, please take a minute to complete it. It will be prefilled with much of your information to make it a snap to complete. It will provide information that will help me serve you better. There is a very informative insert included in the survey packet. Please take a minute to review that, too.
I consider it a worthy calling to carry on the work of our soon to be Blessed Founder. It’s been my great pleasure to work with many of you to help you protect your family and I look forward to continuing to serve you. Please call me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks to you for all the good works you carry out in the name of the Order. Your acts of charity are even more critical considering this current pandemic.
Thank you for all you do!
Vivat Jesus!
