NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Knights of Columbus
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson today announced the creation of a new
pilgrimage destination named for the Order's founder. The Blessed
Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will be located at the current
Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven,
Connecticut.
Fr. McGivney, a priest in the St. Mary's Parish in New Haven, founded the Knights of Columbus 138
years ago to enable Catholic men to support one another and their
families with spiritual and temporal needs. On May 27, 2020, Pope Francis approved a decree
recognizing a miracle attributed to Fr. McGivney's intercession,
qualifying Fr. McGivney for beatification.
At today's opening Mass of the Knights of Columbus' 138th annual
Supreme Convention, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of the Archdiocese
of Hartford shared that Father
McGivney's beatification Mass will take place on Oct. 31, 2020, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in
Hartford, Connecticut. At that
liturgical celebration, an apostolic letter from the Holy Father
will be read along with the bestowing of the title "Blessed" on
Father McGivney. This is the step just prior to sainthood. An
additional miracle attributed to Father McGivney's intercession
will be required for his canonization as a saint.
Supreme Knight Anderson said, "For members of the Knights of
Columbus and many others, the news of the beatification is a time
of great joy and celebration. Father McGivney ministered to those
on the margins of society in the 19th century, and his example has
inspired millions of Knights to follow his example in their own
parishes and communities."
Father McGivney served his flock during the pandemic of 1890,
before himself becoming ill and dying of pneumonia. Today's opening
Mass of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention was celebrated
by Archbishop Blair at St. Mary's in New
Haven. In addition to being the historic location where the
Knights was founded, Father McGivney's remains are interred
there.
Anderson added, "While the museum will continue to recount the
Knights' history, it will also broaden its mission by focusing more
on the spirituality and charitable vision of our founder and his
legacy. A visit to the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center
will enhance the formative experience of a pilgrimage to Father
McGivney's tomb at St. Mary's."
It is anticipated that COVID-19 restrictions will be in place on
the date of the beatification, and preparations to broadcast the
Mass to a worldwide audience are being made so that the public
might join the celebration.
About the Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus
is one of the world's leading fraternal and service organizations
with 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based
councils. During the past year, Knights around the world
donated more than 77 million service hours and $187 million for worthy causes in their
communities. The organization also provides financial services to
groups and individuals, resulting in more than $112 billion of life insurance in force, and
through its money management firm, Knights of Columbus Asset
Advisors, it invests in accord with Catholic social teachings. From
helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the
disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and
affordable insurance products to its members, the Knights of
Columbus has supported families and communities for more than 138
years.
About Venerable Father Michael
McGivney
Nearly a century before the Second Vatican
Council, Venerable Michael McGivney's prescient vision empowered
the laity to serve Church and neighbor in a new way. Today, the
Knights of Columbus is one of the largest Catholic organizations in
the world with 2 million members in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.
The miracle recognized as coming through Father McGivney's
intercession involved an unborn child in the United States who in 2015 was healed in
utero of a fatal condition after prayers by his family to Father
McGivney.
In March 2008, he was declared a
Venerable Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI, who during his visit
to St. Patrick's Cathedral cited the "remarkable accomplishment of
that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney,
whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of
Columbus."
Two recent books also tell the story of Father McGivney and his
legacy: Parish Priest (2006), his biography; and the The
Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History (2020).
More information is also available at www.FatherMcGivney.org.
Photos and other visual resources are available here.
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SOURCE Knights of Columbus