Anticipation abounds as Church prepares to declare Knights of Columbus founder blessed
Monsignor Robert A. Kurwicki once accompanied a group of Missouri pilgrims to St. Mary Church in New Haven, Connecticut, where Venerable Father Michael McGivney and a group of laymen founded the Knights of Columbus in 1881.
The monsignor offered Mass 25 years ago in the soaring gothic edifice where Fr. McGivney’s earthly remains now rest in a tomb.
The pilgrims then visited the parish hall below the church. They were surprised to find that the place where the original Knights of Columbus gathered nearly 140 years ago retains its intended use — an ordinary hall for extraordinary fellowship.
“The Knights of Columbus is not a museum, it is not a piece of history,” stated Msgr. Kurwicki, who is now pastor of St. Michael Parish in Russellville, vicar general for the Jefferson City diocese and former state chaplain for the Knights. “It is something that is living and breathing and helping the Church and people today and every day.”
Msgr. Kurwicki spoke of the upcoming beatification of Venerable Fr. McGivney, on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut.
He will be the first American parish priest to be beatified, an important step toward being declared a saint.
“He was a young associate pastor who met with a small group of young men — not in the upper room but in a lowly church basement,” he said. “Who could have known that in answering the call to Priesthood, one young man would help change the course of the Church in this country and around the world?”
Bishop W. Shawn McKnight said Fr. McGivney was a good and holy priest who cared deeply about his parishioners and all the souls entrusted to his care.
His passion for charity helped him forge a productive working relationship with the laypeople of his parish, which brought about the founding of the Knights of Columbus.
“We see in Venerable Father Michael McGivney not only a powerful intercessor in heaven but an ingenious model for drawing individuals and families into a deeper communion with the Church,” said Bishop McKnight.
Specifically, he galvanized those first Knights into a cohort devoted to becoming better husbands and fathers, closer friends to one another, and more knowledgeable, prayerful, active followers of Christ.
He convinced them that they could become stronger and accomplish more by working together.
“As priests and laypeople alike, may we continue to call on him to join us in prayer in times of need, while striving to emulate his zeal for putting our faith into practice through our fidelity to the sacraments and concrete acts of charity,” said Bishop McKnight.
Devoted to charity
Fr. McGivney knew firsthand of many of the social concerns of his day, as did most of the laypeople he was sent to minister to.
He was the oldest son of poor Irish immigrants. Six of his 13 siblings died in infancy or early childhood.
He left school at age 13 to work in a factory to help support his family. He entered the seminary at age 16. His father died while he was studying for the Priesthood.
Fr. McGivney was ordained a priest in 1877.
In 1881, after receiving permission from his bishop and consulting with several Catholic fraternal societies, he founded the Knights of Columbus to protect the wives and children of working men, and to foster their faith and spiritual progress.
He also wanted to offer a Catholic alternative to secret societies, which were popular at that time.
Twenty-four men attended the first meeting.
In a mix of faith and patriotism, he named the order Sons of Columbus, after the Catholic man who verified the existence of the New World.
Charter members who were Irish-born Civil War veterans suggested substituting the name Knights.
The founding father died of pneumonia, at age 38, the following year.
The order grew from state to state, with the first Missouri council being established in 1899.
Today, with more than 2 million members worldwide, the Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic men’s fraternal organization in the world.
High standards
Charles Bernskoetter served as Missouri’s district deputy to the Knights of Columbus from 1994-96 and later for many years as the state director for the Fr. McGivney Guild.
That organization’s purpose is to spread the good word about Fr. McGivney’s holiness in life, to encourage devotion to his memory, and to seek his intercession before the throne of God.
Mr. Bernskoetter said the guild continues to seek the intercession of the Knights’ founder.
“We’re excited that he is being declared blessed, and we look forward to the day when he is declared a saint,” said Mr. Bernskoetter, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson City.
He said Fr. McGivney’s influence remains strong in every aspect of Church life, especially in the United States.
Knights and women’s auxiliary members have provided incalculable service in their parishes and throughout the world.
Missouri members of the order take their Knighthood seriously. Representatives throughout the state meet regularly to discuss ways to help members grow in faith and carry out targeted works of charity.
Individual Knights and councils work to build up the Church, promote vocations, support and defend the Priesthood and help pastors lead souls to Christ.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard, just as Fr. McGivney did,” said Mr. Bernskoetter.
Then and now
Monsignor Marion Makarewicz, a former Missouri state chaplain for the Knights, said Fr. McGivney’s life and legacy rivals many of the great saints of the 19th century.
“Although it’s not a competition to get to heaven, even Paul talks about winning the crown of victory,” said Msgr. Makarewicz, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Ozark. “Fr. McGivney’s beatification should inspire us all to devote our lives to service and prayer, as he did.”
He called Fr. McGivney a vessel of grace chosen by Christ for a particular time and place.
“God raises up the saints that the times require,” Msgr. Makarewicz said. “We must heed their call and support them, as many followed the leadership of this humble priest. His beatification should make all of us respond to the tasks the Lord puts in front of us in response to the suffering that surrounds us.”
Msgr. Kurwicki noted that the four pillars upon which Fr. McGivney founded the Knights — charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism — remain as relevant as ever.
Knights, he said, look out for each other and pull together for the same efforts for which the order is so well known: fostering vocations to the Priesthood; defending human life at all stages; increasing Catholic knowledge and education; and helping families plan for and survive the worst.
“He loved the Lord, he loved the Church,” said Msgr. Kurwicki. “The Church is stronger because of who he was and what he did. We count on his continued prayers for us.”
kofc.org/en/events/father-mcgivney-beatification
Father Michael McGivney’s Beatification Mass will be livestreamed from the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut, at 10 a.m. central time on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Visit kofc.org/beatification and follow the hashtag #McGivney for a schedule of events, livestreaming videos and more.
Events will also be aired on EWTN (ewtn.com) and the Catholic TV Network (catholictv.org).
