The information below is a time line of major events and accomplishments of Father Michael J. McGivney. There is more information regarding Father Michael J. McGivney in the biography "Parish Priest:Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism" by Douglas Brinkley & Julie M. Fenster. This book is available through the McGivney Guild, in bookstores and can be ordered thru the Knights of Columbus web site www.kofc.org

• On August 12, 1852 Michael J. McGivney was born. He was the first of 13 children (six of whom died young) and his parents were Irish Immigrates.
  
  
• On August 19, 1852 Michael J. McGivney was baptized at St Peter's church in Waterbury, Connecticut.
  
  
• Michael left school at the age of 13 to go to work and support the family.
  
  
• Between 1868 and 1871 Michael J. McGivney, at the age of 16, undertakes studies for the priesthood at St. Hyacinthe seminary in Quebec.
  
  
• Between 1871 and 1872 Michael J. McGivney continues his studies for the priesthood at the Lady of the Angels Seminary in Niagara Falls, New York.
  
  
• On December 23, 1876 Michael J. McGivney was ordained a deacon at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Baltimore, Maryland.
  
  
• On December 25, 1877 Father Michael J. McGivney conducted his first solemn mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Waterbury, Connecticut.
  
  
• On October 2, 1881 80 men meet for the first time in the basement of St Mary's to discuss the formation of a Catholic association of men that would meet their material and spiritual needs.
  
  
• On February 6, 1882 The Knights of Columbus was formed. The constitution and bylaws were drafted. Father Michael J. McGivney suggested the organization should be called "Sons of Columbus", but the members at the time who were Irish born civil war veterans felt "Knights" would be better because it would be a noble ritual in support of the emerging cause of Catholic Civil Liberties.
  
  
• On March 29, 1882 the Connecticut State Legislature grants a charter to the Knights and Father Michael J. McGivney servers as Supreme Secretary.
  
  
• On June 16, 1882 the first Knights of Columbus convention was held. The members elect Father Michael J. McGivney to serve as Supreme Chaplain and to the board of directors.
  
  
• On August 23, 1883 Father Michael J. McGivney publishes an explanation of the organization in a local Catholic newspaper promoting its virtues.
  
  
• On October 7, 1883 Father Michael J. McGivney urges devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, the Blessed Mother.
  
  
• On October 19, 1883 Father Michael J. McGivney was part of a delegation to establish a Knights council in Middletown, Connecticut.
  
  
• On October 26, 1884 Father Michael J. McGivney urges members to vote according to their conscience when it comes to public elections.
  
  
• On November 1, 1884 Father Michael J. McGivney was appointed pastor at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Connecticut and on November 26, 1886 he was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Terryville, Connecticut.
  
  
• On August 14, 1890 at the age of 38 Father Michael J. McGivney died of Pneumonia and was buried at St Joseph's Church with family members in Waterbury, Connecticut.
  
  
• On March 29,1982, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus, the body of Father Michael J. McGivney was moved to St. Mary's church in New Haven, Connecticut.
  
• On December 18, 1997 the process of canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney was started.

Latest News

New Haven, CT-March 16, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI Saturday approved a decree recognizing the heroic virtue of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. The pope's declaration significantly advances the priest's process toward sainthood and gives the parish priest the distinction of "Venerable Servant of God" If canonized, Fr. McGivney would be the first American born priest to be so honored.

"All of us who are members of the Knights of Columbus are profoundly grateful for this recognition of the holiness of our founder", said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "The strength of the Knights of Columbus today is a testament to his timeless vision, his holiness and his ideals"

Worried about the religious faith and financial stability of immigrant families, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus with the help of several men of St. Mary's Parish in New Haven in 1882 to help strengthen the faith of the men of his parish and to provide financial assistance in the event of their death to the widows and orphans they left behind. He was also known for his tireless work among his parishioners.

Born in Waterbury, Conn., Aug 12, 1852, Michael Joseph McGivney, was the first of Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney's 13 children, six of whom died in infancy or early childhood. His parents, natives of Ireland, had immigrated to the United States during the 19th century, Patrick was a molder in a Waterbury brass mill, where Michael himself worked for a brief time as a child to help support his family.

From an early age, however, he realized a calling to the Catholic priesthood. After studying in several seminaries, he was ordained in that Baltimore's historic Cathedral by Cardinal James Gibbons Dec 22, 1877. He took up his first assignment, as curate at St. Mary's Church. New Haven, Conn., Jan 2, 1878. Father McGivney was named pastor of St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Conn.in 1884. He became seriously ill with pneumonia in January 1890 and died Aug 14, 1890 at age 38.

The cause, or process, for Father McGivney's sainthood, was opened by Hartford Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, in December 1997. The cause was presented to the Vatican in 2000, where it has been under review by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. With the pope's recent decree, and the authentication of a miracle at Father McGivney's intercession, the priest could be beatified. A second miracle would be required for canonization.

Still maintaining its headquarters in New Haven, the Knights of Columbus is the worlds largest Catholic Fraternal Organization with more than 1.7 million members in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean islands, the Philippines, Guam and, most recently, Poland.