A CAUSE FOR SAINTHOOD

A Man Of The People

for thee everlasting joy and eternal peace.

PLACE OF PRAYER & PILGRIMAGE

At a memorial service for Father McGivney, with delegations attending from nearly all of the 57 local councils that had been chartered in the Order’s first eight years, this tribute was given by a brother Knight who later became a priest:

He was a man of the people. He was zealous of the people’s welfare, and all the kindliness of his priestly soul asserted itself more strongly in his unceasing efforts for the betterment of their condition ...Oh, Reverend Founder. . .that act alone which gave life to the Knights of Columbus has surely secured

On the occasion of the centennial of the Knights of Columbus in 1982, initial steps were taken for the canonization cause. The body of Father McGivney was exhumed

God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Blessed Michael McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue, may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church.

Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify Blessed Michael McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request).

Through Christ our Lord. Amen from the family burial plot in Waterbury, Conn., and reinterred in a polished granite sarcophagus in St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, where he had founded the Order. There the faithful could visit his tomb, pray for his intercession and invoke his spiritual strength. Following years of preparation, the canonization cause was officially opened December 18, 1997, in the chancery of the Archdiocese of Hartford, under the care of then Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, and the Knights of Columbus became the leader or actor of the cause. Dominican Father Gabriel B. O’Donnell was appointed as the postulator (promoter). With approval from the Vatican (“nihil obstare”), Father McGivney was given the title “Servant of God,” the first step toward sainthood.

Father Michael J. McGivney Guild | Knights of Columbus (fathermcgivney.org)

HIS VISION, YOUR MISSION

You can play a key role in advancing Father McGivney’s cause by joining the Guild for free and praying for his intercession and canonization. May Father McGivney intercede for you!

The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild serves as a source for information about the life, works and spirituality of Father McGivney. The Guild publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers a weekly Mass for the intentions of members.