McGivney to be beatified in October in Hartford

NEW HAVEN — The beatification of the Rev. Michael McGivney, who founded the Knights of Columbus 138 years ago, will take place Oct. 31 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Archbishop Leonard Blair announced Tuesday.

The announcement was made during the opening Mass of the Knights’ annual convention. It was celebrated at St. Mary Church, where McGivney founded the fraternal order and where his tomb is located.

The Rev. John Paul Walker, pastor of St. Mary, welcomed the Knights, saying until recently the church had been “covered in scaffolding” and that “it is with joy and no small amount of relief that we gather in this newly restored sanctuary for the first time since the incredible news of Father McGivney’s upcoming beatification to celebrate here where our founder’s priesthood began.”

He said the restoration of the church was made possible “through the tremendous generosity of the Knights of Columbus” and he welcomed the Knights to their “spiritual home.”

In his opening remarks, Blair said, “Though we are socially distant, we are brought spiritually close in this parish church of St. Mary’s . ... As the archbishop of Hartford and a member of the order, it is a very great joy for me to announce that following the recognition of a miracle attributed to our founder’s intercession, Pope Francis has approved Oct. 31, 2020, as the date of Father McGivney’s beatification. Under the circumstances of the pandemic, this joyful event will be celebrated in the cathedral of Hartford.”

The cathedral is the largest church in the archdiocese.

Pope Francis announced May 26 that McGivney would be beatified, one step away from sainthood, after he recognized the 2015 healing of a fetus with a life-threatening condition as a miracle attributed to McGivney’s intercession. A second miracle is required for sainthood.

Also on Tuesday, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will be created at the Knights of Columbus Museum.

“For members of the Knights of Columbus and many others, the news of the beatification is a time of great joy and celebration,” Anderson said in a press release. “Father McGivney ministered to those on the margins of society in the 19th century, and his example has inspired millions of Knights to follow his example in their own parishes and communities.”

Anderson said the museum will “broaden its mission by focusing more on the spirituality and charitable vision of our founder and his legacy.”

In his homily, released in advance of Tuesday’s Mass, Blair compared McGivney to St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, whose memorial day is Aug. 4. “What could be more fitting as we rejoice at the news that another great parish priest, Fr. Michael McGivney, a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford and founder of the Knights of Columbus, will soon be beatified as a model of heroic virtue, as an inspiration to priests and faithful alike in striving for ‘the holiness without which we cannot see God.’”

McGivney