Father McGivney: A Blessed for Today
Knights of Columbus founder Fr. Michael McGivney was beatified October 31, 2020. This gathering at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut, commemorated the second anniversary of that honor. Presenters included Fr. Ryan Lerner, pastor of St. Mary's Church in New Haven; Fr. Anthony Federico, Parochial Vicar at St. Mary's; Brian Caulfield, Vice Postulator of Blessed Michael McGivney's Cause for Canonization; and Daniel, Michelle and Michael Schachle, whose miracle healing resulted in Fr. McGivney's beatification.
K of C Baseball: Heading for Home
Throughout its 140-year history, the Knights of Columbus has grown and flourished alongside the game of baseball, otherwise known as America’s Pastime. K of C founder Father Michael McGivney played baseball and promoted the game both as wholesome recreation as well as a means of building fraternity. Knights have been closely connected to professional baseball through time, even to the present day. In his final segment on the relationship between the Knights of Columbus and the game of baseball, Andrew Fowler highlights modern players and others associated with the game and how their K of C membership supports their practice of faith.
A Blessing Beyond Blessings
Joseph McGivney, a financial advisor and father of two in Florida, was aware that he shared a name and a family connection with the founder of the Knights of Columbus. But even when Father Michael J. McGivney was beatified in October 2020, the connection wasn’t especially meaningful to Joe, since he was neither a Knight nor an active Catholic at the time. That all changed several months later in the face of a sudden and serious medical crisis. His unexpected recovery from that condition, called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome – aided by an aunt and his heavenly namesake – led to renewed faith and trust in God.
KofC Baseball: From ‘Over There’ to the Great Bambino
The Knights of Columbus celebrated its 140th anniversary in March 2022. The Order has grown and flourished alongside the game of baseball: America's Pastime. K of C founder Father Michael McGivney played baseball and promoted the game both as wholesome recreation as well as a means of building fraternity. Perhaps through his inspiration, Knights have always remained connected to the game. In fact, the most famous baseball player in history, Babe Ruth, was a Knight of Columbus. Explore the web exhibit "KofC & Baseball: An American Story" at https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/en/baseball-intro.html
Catholicism in the American ‘Melting Pot’
The Catholic Church in the United States in the late-19th century was predominantly an immigrant church. Catholic newcomers faced religious and ethnic prejudice and dangerous, low-paying working conditions that threatened their families and communities. Dr. Seth Smith discusses how Catholics dealt with these challenges by creating new social, economic, and spiritual supports like the Knights of Columbus. The result was a diverse, thriving Catholic culture and society in America at the turn of the century. Dr. Smith is a Clinical Assistant Professor of History and Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at The Catholic University of America. He is a historian of Catholicism in the United States with particular interests in Catholic identity and the relationships between Catholics and their non-Catholic neighbors.
The Nativity Story: Art of the Crèche
Father Timothy Goldrick, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River (Massachusetts), is known as Father Christmas for his keen interest and knowledge of Nativity scenes, or crèches. A longtime collector, Father Goldrick generously donated an extensive assortment of Nativity scenes to the Knights of Columbus Museum, many of which are displayed in this year’s Christmas exhibit, “The Nativity Story: Art of the Crèche.” Father Goldrick shares information about the history and devotion of these artistic representations of the Jesus’ birth and offer details about each crèche from his collection that is part of this year’s display.
Knights in the Fall Classic
KofC Baseball: An American Story researcher and curator Andrew Fowler looks specifically at the World Series and the prominent members of the Knights of Columbus that have taken part in the Fall Classic through its century-long history. Explore the web exhibit "KofC & Baseball: An American Story" at https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/en/baseball-intro.html
Knights of Columbus Baseball: An American Story
Beginning October 1, 2021, The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will display an online exhibition centering on the Knights of Columbus connection with baseball, which spans almost a century and a half. The game of baseball historically is known as America’s Pastime. It has been played professionally for more than a century and has produced events, players and venues that are enduring in American lore. Beyond the fame and legend, however, is a less considered but significant dimension of the game. Baseball unites people. Whether at a professional ballpark, a community diamond or a church picnic, baseball brings people together in activity and in spirit. Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-1890) realized this. He played the game as a seminarian and introduced it to others during his priesthood. Andrew Fowler has researched the Knights of Columbus founder’s attraction to baseball. Many who followed him shared his affection for the game. Some enjoyed it social and recreationally; others pursued it passionately, even to the Hall of Fame. For the Knights of Columbus, the game served as an early avenue of assimilation for Catholic immigrants and first-generation Americans. Today, baseball continues to serve as a path toward spiritual bonds and friendship for Knights and their families. These values stem from Father McGivney, who founded the fraternal organization on the principles of charity and unity. In a four-part series, Knights of Columbus Baseball: An American Story, Fowler recounts the unique, untold Catholic-American story of how the Knights of Columbus as an organization and individual Knights — including some of baseball’s mightiest heroes — stepped up to the plate to produce memorable moments and shape America’s Pastime for the better. The first segment, opening October 1, details Father McGivney’s personal experiences with the game and the appeal it had among the members of his fledgling organization. Subsequent segments, to be introduced at
Blessed Michael McGivney: The New Haven Years
Father Michael McGivney was ordained a priest December 22, 1877, and assigned immediately to St Mary’s Church in New Haven. For the next seven years, he provided sacramental ministry and spiritual guidance to the faithful of his parish and beyond. It was while stationed at St Mary’s that Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic fraternal organization that continues “his work of caring for the needy and the outcast.” Dominican Father John Paul Walker, pastor of St Mary’s Church, knows and appreciates the significance of Father McGivney’s ministry there and will discuss both the historical events and conditions of the era, as well as Father McGivney’s vision for the parish and its faithful and how it shaped the Knights of Columbus.
Abolition in Ireland: Daniel O’Connell and Frederick Douglass
This is the last in a series of three online lectures based on the Knights of Columbus Museum’s “Voices for Freedom” display. The series presenter, Christine Kinealy PhD, Director of the Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University, examines the improbable alliance forged by and escaped American slave turned statesman, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), and an Irish abolitionist and political leader, Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), also credited for his efforts to regain Catholics the right to sit in Parliament.
Abolition in America: William Lloyd Garrison
This is the second in a series of three online lectures based on the Knights of Columbus Museum’s “Voices for Freedom” display. The series presenter, Christine Kinealy PhD, examines the fight for abolition and civil rights by focusing on key protagonists and a transatlantic alliance that formed among the movement. Today's presentation centers on William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), a Massachusetts native and co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society who published and printed an abolitionist weekly called “The Liberator” from 1831 until ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 ended slavery throughout the United States.
Abolition in Britain: Thomas Clarkson & William Wilberforce
This is the first in a series of three online lectures based on the Knights of Columbus Museum’s "Voices for Freedom" display. The series presenter, Christine Kinealy PhD, examines the fight for abolition and civil rights by focusing on key protagonists and a transatlantic alliance that formed during the movement. This presentation centers on Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce and abolition efforts in the United Kingdom. "Voices for Freedom" includes two first-edition antislavery books by Clarkson (1760-1846), a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire and later abolition worldwide. Wilberforce (1759-1833), a Member of Parliament, led the legislative campaign against the British slave trade culminating with passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
"The Nativity Story: Art of the Crèche" clip- China
Come visit the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, where you can experience Christmas in July with the exhibit “Highlights of The Nativity Story: Art of the Crèche.” Depictions of the birth of Christ from around the world are displayed, including this wood-carved Chinese nativity.
This crèche reflects true Chinese culture, with figures dressed in traditional regional clothing and a landscape which includes trees revered in Chinese tradition. During an online presentation by Father Timothy Goldrick for the McGivney Pilgrimage Center in 2021, he explained “the secret of this crèche is in the trees, there is a language to the trees… (pine, cherry and plum) are symbolic in Chinese culture…” Discover more about crèches from Father Goldrick at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhWbQMsulKU
#ChristmasInJuly #ChristmasIsComing #ChristmasSpirit #Christmas2022 #ChristmasCountDown #ChristmasStartsWithChrist #CelebrateChrist #Nativity #NativityScene #Nativities #Presepe #Presépio #Krippe #CrècheNoël #BelénNavideño #Szopka #VisitFromHome
K of C Baseball : Joltin’ Joe, WWII, the Color Barrier and Yankee Stadium
The Knights of Columbus celebrates its 140th anniversary in 2022. The fraternal organization has grown and flourished alongside the game of baseball: America's Pastime. K of C founder Father Michael McGivney played baseball and promoted the game both as wholesome recreation as well as a means of building fraternity. Perhaps through his inspiration, Knights have always remained connected to the game. In fact, many noted baseball player in history, including Babe Ruth, have been Knights of Columbus.
Researcher and writer Andy Fowler has developed a four-part, online history presentation showcasing the continuous link between the Knights of Columbus and organized baseball. In his third installment, debuting today, Andy focuses on the World War II period, the era’s heroes of the diamond, breaking the color barrier and the unlikely owner of the plot of ground on which sat the “house that Ruth built.” Andy will offer highlights of his exhibit's new segment -- Third Base -- as baseball reaches the midpoint of its season. Explore the online exhibit “KofC & Baseball: An American Story” at https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/en/baseball-intro.html
"The Founding of the Knights of Columbus" radio play excerpt
Did you know that in 1940, then-Supreme Knight Francis Matthews, second from left in the photo, lent his voice for a radio play commissioned for Founder's Week? Two years later, the Knights bought airtime for and provided radio stations with the recording, “The Founding of the Knights of Columbus.” This dramatization of the KofC’s founding includes dialogue and atmosphere-setting organ music. Some characters are identified as “Irish” with their exaggerated accents.
Discover more of the Knights of Columbus’ faith in action and its roots in the web exhibit “The Knights of Columbus 140 Years of Faith in Action”: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/en/exhibits/140-years-of-faith-in-action.html
📸 Founder's week radio program recording, 1940. Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives.
🔊 Excerpt from the Radio Play, “The Founding of the Knights of Columbus,” 1942. Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives.
#DYK #ThrowbackThursday #FaithInAction #KnightsInAction #KnightsofColumbus #KofC #VisitFromHome
We Stand for Peace. We Stand with Ukraine.
Today we observe World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000.
The Knights of Columbus have stood in solidarity with refugees since the Cristero War of the 1920s. Their commitment to aiding the displaced has continued over the past century, including historic work to rebuild the lives of persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
Within 24 hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly announced the Ukraine Solidarity Fund. To date more than 17 million dollars in donations have facilitated supplies and services to those forced to flee the catastrophic destruction of war. Knights’ Mercy Centers along the Polish-Ukrainian border and in parishes throughout Poland offer a safe haven for refugees.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center’s new photo display, “We Stand for Peace. We Stand with Ukraine,” highlights this humanitarian aid by the KofC. To learn more, visit kofc.org/ukraine
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#WorldRefugeeDay2022 #WithRefugees #WorldRefugeeDay
From War to Welfare: The USCCB and American Catholic Life in the early 20th century
The evolution of national Catholic institutions in the early 20th-century United States sought to address changing needs as the Catholic population increased substantially between 1890 and 1920. Institutions related to education, charity, immigration, and politics were established as part of a drive to serve Catholics in a predominantly Protestant culture.
A key institution in these developments was the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops. Initially established in 1917 as the National Catholic War Council to coordinate (with the Knights of Columbus) outreach and support for U.S. Catholic soldiers during World War I, the organization later transitioned to the National Catholic Welfare Conference, the forerunner of today’s USCCB. This presentation will recount the early collaboration of the bishops during wartime through their progression as an institution overseeing the development of a constellation of institutions serving American Catholics in the early 20th century.
This online session was led by Dr. Maria Mazzenga, Curator of American Catholic History Collections at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Her research and publications focus on society and culture in the 1920-1950 period, and on American Catholic life in the United States.
Mexico's Father McGivney: San Pedro Maldonado (English)
St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero (1892-1937) is one of six Knights of Columbus priests killed in Mexico during the early 20th century. They were among a group of 25 Mexican martyrs canonized in 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II. Their feast day is May 21.
Like Knights of Columbus founder Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-1890), St. Pedro was a parish priest. Born in Chihuahua, he was ordained during a period of anti-Catholic violence and oppression by the Mexican government. St. Pedro was a K of C chaplain with lifelong devotion to the Eucharist. He ministered to the marginalized: laborers and migrants as well as many widows and orphans.
Father Mark Salas, a priest of the Diocese of El Paso and Associate State Chaplain of the Texas State Council, will share an account of St. Pedro’s priesthood, spent entirely in persecution, and the common legacy he shares with Father McGivney in living the Beatitudes and practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as a role model for the men.
Father Salas's presentation was also recorded in Spanish and is available on the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center page.
San Pedro Maldonado: El padre McGivney de México (Español)
San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero (1892-1937) es uno de los seis Caballeros de Colón que fue asesinado en México a principios del siglo XX. Él está en el grupo de 25 mártires mexicanos que el Papa san Juan Pablo II canonizó en el año 2000. Su día festivo es el 21 de mayo.
Al igual que el fundador de los Caballeros de Colón, el Beato Michael McGivney (1852-1890), san Pedro de Jesús fue párroco. Nació en Chihuahua y fue ordenado durante un período de violencia anticatólica y opresión por parte del gobierno mexicano. San Pedro de Jesús fue capellán de los Caballeros de Colón con una devoción de por vida a la Eucaristía. Ministró a los marginados: trabajadores y migrantes, así como a muchas viudas y huérfanos.
El Padre Mark Salas, sacerdote de la Diócesis de El Paso y Capellán de Estado Asociado del Consejo de Estado de Texas, compartirá un relato sobre el sacerdocio de san Pedro, período que paso por completo siendo perseguido, y el legado co.
Day 9: Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
On this ninth and final day of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney, join in prayer with Father Robert Higgins, South Carolina State Chaplain, for the People of Ukraine.
Day 8: Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Pray with Father Jamin David, Louisiana State Chaplain, on Day 8 of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine.
Day 7: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Join Father Jeffrey Romans, Connecticut State Chaplain, in prayer on Day 7 of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine.
CT Knights of Columbus
Day 6: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
For this sixth day of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney, pray with Father Chad Wilhelm, North Dakota State Chaplain, for the People of Ukraine.
Knights of Columbus in North Dakota
North Dakota Knights of Columbus
Day 5: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Today is the halfway point of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney. Join Father M Price Oswalt, Oklahoma State Chaplain, in prayer on Day 5 for the People of Ukraine.
Oklahoma Knights of Columbus
Day 4: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Pray with Father Theodore Lange, Oregon State Chaplain, on Day 4 of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine.
Knights of Columbus - Oregon State Council
Day 3: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
For this third day of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney, pray with Father Frank Donio, District of Columbia State Chaplain, for the People of Ukraine.
Day 2: Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Join Father Matthew Westcott, Massachusetts State Chaplain, in prayer on Day 2 of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine.
Day 1: Founder's Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine
Pray with Bishop Bryan Bayda, Saskatchewan Associate State Chaplain, for Day 1 of the Founder’s Day Novena to Blessed Michael McGivney for the People of Ukraine.
Knights of Columbus Saskatchewan State Council
Catholicism in the American 'Melting Pot'
The Catholic Church in the United States in the late-19th century was predominantly an immigrant church. Catholic newcomers faced religious and ethnic prejudice and dangerous, low-paying working conditions that threatened their families and communities. Dr. Seth Smith discusses how Catholics dealt with these challenges by creating new social, economic, and spiritual supports like the Knights of Columbus. The result was a diverse, thriving Catholic culture and society in America at the turn of the century.
Dr. Smith is a Clinical Assistant Professor of History and Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at The Catholic University of America. He is a historian of Catholicism in the United States with particular interests in Catholic identity and the relationships between Catholics and their non-Catholic neighbors.
Recorded March 9, 2022.
2021 Advent Meditation for Week 4
Week 4 Advent Meditation from Msgr. John Bevins
Msgr. John Bevins is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut, the birthplace of Knights of Columbus founder Blessed Michael McGivney. Ordained a priest in 1958, he spent more than two decades and traveled the world as a U.S. Navy chaplain. On returning to parish ministry, he was assigned to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury and was instrumental in its designation as a basilica.
Monsignor is a longtime devotee of Father Michael McGivney. In these Advent meditations he reflects on Father McGivney's example of Christian charity, especially as they are manifest in the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.
