BLESSED MICHAEL McGIVNEY

The founder of the Knights of Columbus, Father Michael J. McGivney, was a central figure in the growth of Catholicism in America, and he remains a model today. His example of charity, evangelization, and empowerment of the laity continues to bear fruit and guide Knights of Columbus around the world.

For Father McGivney’s newly formed Knights, protecting the faith of Catholics was the prime concern, and this quickly took three forms.

First, the Knights would serve as an antidote to those secret societies that lured Catholic men away from their faith by offering financial benefits.

Second, the Order’s insurance program would help keep Catholic families together when a breadwinner died; this would also help prevent a loss of faith among widows and orphans forced to live in state institutions or with non-Catholic relatives or adoptive families.

Third, the Knights would champion the full rights of American citizenship for Catholics. This, too, would support the Church, since ensuring equal rights for Catholics would help limit the social or civil pressure on them to abandon their faith.

The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild promotes the cause for the sainthood of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, who was beatified on Oct. 31, 2020. Members of the Guild, and anyone devoted to Father McGivney, can play an active role in the cause by praying for his intercession in times of need, especially in cases of serious illness, and reporting to the Guild any favors received. 

Membership in the Guild is free and open to anyone devoted to Father McGivney and wishes to invoke his intercession and assist in his sainthood cause through prayer. Members receive a quarterly newsletter and are remembered in a weekly Mass offered for their intentions.

Visit the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild to find out more.