Michael J. McGivney

Michael Joseph McGivney (August 12, 1852 – August 14, 1890) was an American Catholic priest based in New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and insurance organization, particularly for immigrants and their families. It developed through the 20th century as the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization.

The cause for his canonization started in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1996; in March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared McGivney "Venerable" in recognition of his "heroic virtue". On May 27, 2020, Pope Francis announced that McGivney had been approved for beatification, which officially occurred on October 31, 2020.

Early life

Childhood and youth Michael McGivney was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on August 12, 1852, to Irish immigrant parents, Patrick and Mary (née Devine) McGivney. He was the eldest of 13 children, six of whom died in infancy or childhood. Patrick worked as a molder at a brass mill in Waterbury.

McGivney attended public school in Waterbury. Termed a well behaved and proficient student, he was able to graduate high school in 1865 at age 13. McGivney then started working in one of brass mills in Waterbury, making metal spoons.

A year later, McGivney enrolled in the Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal, operated by the Jesuits in Montreal, Quebec. Patrick McGivney died in 1873, forcing his son to leave Sainte-Marie. McGivney staged Pyke O’Callaghan, an Irish melodrama, in 1880 at the Grand Opera House in New Haven.

A parishioner at St. Mary's, Edward Downes, died during this period, leaving his wife and four children with no money. Under Connecticut law, the state could place indigent children in institutions if a surety bond could not be placed by someone to guarantee their care. One of the three children, Alfred Downes, could not be bonded. At a hearing in probate court, McGivney told the judge that he would pay the $1,500 bond for Alfred. McGivney did not have the money, but a local grocer lent it to him. Alfred was able to stay with his family.

Visiting condemned murderer In December 1881, an intoxicated James "Chip" Smith was causing a disturbance in Ansonia, Connecticut, shooting his gun in the air. He was a 22-year-old Catholic man with a history of alcohol abuse who had recently threatened the lives of his mother and others. When the local chief of police tried to arrest Smith, he shot the policeman, fatally wounding him.

Over the next few months, McGivney visited Smith in prison on an almost daily basis. The two men talked and prayed together. Smith was convicted of murder in April 1882 and sentenced to be hung in May of that year. On the night before his execution, Smith requested an altar for his cell so he could pray. The local newspapers commended McGivney for his positive influence on Smith. The bishops were very receptive to the creation of fraternal groups that embrace Catholic values and American patriotism. From his own experience, McGivney recognized the devastating effect on immigrant families of the father's untimely death. Many of these families were split, with the children suffering the loss of parents and estrangement from the Catholic Church. It was designed as a mutual aid society. If a knight died, the other member would provide financial aid to the widow and children. The organization developed as a fraternal society. The archdiocese had submitted two possible miracles attributed to McGivney to the Congregation, but they had been dismissed after investigation.

At that point, McGivney met all the criteria for beatification. On October 31, 2020, the beatification mass for McGivney was celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut with Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin presiding on the Pope's behalf. The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center opened in November 2020 in New Haven.

Legacy As of 2026, the Knights of Columbus had over two million members in 17,000 councils worldwide. The organization donated over $200 million to charities in 2025 and recorded 48 million volunteer hours by its members. The New York State Council Knights of Columbus has a project to install a statue of McGivney in every Catholic diocese in the state. As of 2026, it has placed statues in the Dioceses of Brooklyn, New York, Ogdensburg and Rockville Centre.

In a 2020 article in the National Catholic Register, the priest Roger J. Landry noted that McGivney did not leave any written records - sermons, speeches, journal entries or letters. His legacy was in the actions and deeds that he performed as a parish priest. Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon, Illinois Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in Markham, Ontario. McGivney Hall, Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. McGivney statue, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City Stained-glass window of McGivney, St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, Connecticut