IN LOVING MEMORY FR. MICHAEL J. McGIVNEY  August 12, 1852 - August 14, 1890   O great and glorious God, you imbued Your holy priest, Fr. Michael J. McGivney, with deep priestly virtue and especially with pastoral concern for the poor, the orphan, the widow, for the Christian education of youth, for the protection of the faith of the working man of his day.  Now that his priestly ministry continues to spread to countless millions throughout the world, through the efforts and influence of the Order of the Knights of Columbus, which Father McGivney founded, we beseech You, Heavenly Father, to raise your faithful servant, Michael, to  the honors of the altar. We ask this favor through our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother, Mary and our Mother, Amen.

 Composed by the Most Rev. Charles Greco Former

Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus

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     The cause for Fr. McGivney's canonization as a saint has been granted a nihil obstat by Rome, meaning that the Holy See has determined that there are no serious objections or obstacles in the way. Just over a century after his death, the holiness and wisdom of the founder of   the Knights of Columbus is shining through in the cause of his beatification through the efforts of the Father McGivney Guild.  Dominican Father, Gabriel B. O' Donnell, postulator, in a reflection on Fr. McGivney in the January 1998 issue of COLUMBIA, the monthly magazine of the Knights, presents the remarkable virtues of this priest, little known outside of  the Knights and their families. Although Fr. Michael McGivney lived a short life in human terms, he lived very long indeed, based on the legacy he has bequeathed to us who come after him. I cite from the article:   "Long before capital  was an issue and the inhumanity of prison conditions a social concern, Father McGivney was quietly ministering to the inmates of the  New Haven City Jail with remarkable sensitivity and compassion. The wardens there remembered him long after his death and often recounted his visits to the prisoners . . ..   At the same time that he was ministering to the condemned man he was collaborating with other young men of New Haven in the foundation  and   organization of the Knights of Columbus . . . The spiritual and material needs of the young were Fr. McGivney's constant concern . . . aware of how spiritually  vulnerable the young are."   THE FATHER McGIVNEY GUILD  has begun distributing a newsletter, which is available to those who are not members of the KC.  Now that the cause for Father McGivney has formally begun, your prayers are  requested and help in promoting the cause for his canonization. WRITE: THE FATHER McGIVNEY GUILD One Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510 

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