BLESSED MICHAEL McGIVNEY BEATIFIED

HARTFORD, CONN. — Attendees at St. Joseph’s  Cathedral in Hartford, Conn., erupted in applause and church bells rang  as Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was  officially declared “blessed” at his beatification Mass held on Oct. 31.

In a decree from the Vatican that was read at the  Mass, Pope Francis credited now-Blessed Michael McGivney for his “zeal  for the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for his brothers  and sisters” that “made him an outstanding witness of Christian  solidarity and fraternal assistance.”

The Vatican decree was read by Cardinal Joseph Tobin  of Newark, the main celebrant of the Mass, with Archbishop William Lori  of Baltimore — Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus — providing a  translation. Other dignitaries present included Cardinal Timothy Dolan  of New York, Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston,  Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford, as well as Supreme Knight Carl  Anderson and other Supreme Council officers.

The celebrations emphasized Blessed McGivney’s  humility, his holy witness and his love for the parishioners he served,  with his “crowning achievement” being the establishment of the Knights  of Columbus.

The beatification Mass follows five months after the  May 27 announcement that Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing a  miracle attributed to the intercession of Father McGivney. The miracle  involved the healing of Michael “Mikey” Schachle from fetal hydrops,  which causes a fatal accumulation of fluids throughout the body of an  unborn child.

The Schachle family, including Mikey, attended the  beatification Mass and presented Cardinal Tobin with one of Blessed  McGivney’s relic. Members of the K of C founder’s remaining relatives  also participated in the celebration.

During the event, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson read a  brief biography of the K of C founder, stating that Blessed McGivney  remains a witness and inspiring example for the more than 2 million  members of the Knights of Columbus around the world.

“Nearly a century before the Second Vatican Council,  Father McGivney’s vision empowered the laity to serve the Church and  their neighbors in a new way, through a greater commitment to charity  and build effective cooperation between laity and clergy,” Supreme  Knight Anderson said. “Today’s beatification serves to encourage that  vision of lay leadership and fellowship.”

Blessed McGivney was born of Irish immigrant parents  in 1852 in Waterbury, Conn., and began his priestly ministry in 1887  after being ordained in Baltimore. At a time of anti-Catholic sentiment,  he worked tirelessly to offer practical solutions to immigrant Catholic  communities in Connecticut. In 1882, he founded the Knights of Columbus  to provide spiritual support to men and offer financial resources for  families that had suffered the loss of a breadwinner. He died of  pneumonia on Aug. 14, 1890, after falling ill amid a pneumonia pandemic.

The process for his possible canonization officially  opened in 1997. In March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared Father  McGivney “a Venerable Servant of God,” citing the “remarkable  accomplishment of that exemplary American priest.” Today’s beatification  brings Father McGivney one step further in the canonization process,  which could eventually lead to a declaration of Father McGivney’s  sainthood.

Supreme Knight Anderson thanked Pope Francis,  Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop Blair and others for their support in this  process, saying that he believes that the beatification will  reinvigorate the Knights’ charity and strengthen the Order’s fraternal  brotherhood. He evoked Pope Francis’ new encyclical Fratelli Tutti — which calls Catholics to decide whether to be “Good Samaritans or  indifferent bystanders” — saying it was “providential” that it was  published the same month as Blessed McGivney’s beatification.

“We know the decision blessed Father Michael  McGivney made, and we know the decision many of his brother Knights made  following his example,” Supreme Knight Anderson said. “Inspired by the  example of blessed Father Michael McGivney, let us now go forward with a  renewed spirit of charity so that we too can be a blessing to all  people.”

Blessed Michael McGivney’s liturgical memorial  will be observed annually on Aug. 13, the day in-between his birth (Aug.  12) and death (Aug. 14).