• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, left, prays Aug. 4, 2020, at the granite sarcophagus holding the remains of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Conn. Later at the opening Mass of the Knights' 138th annual Supreme Convention, it was announced a new Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will be created at the current Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven. (CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus)

Archbishop Lori will assist at Father McGivney’s beatification Oct. 31

October 26, 2020
By Christopher Gunty
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Feature, Knights of Columbus, Local News, News, Radio Interview

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, CEO of the Knights of Columbus, is seen Aug. 6, 2019, at the 137th annual Knights convention in Minneapolis. (CNS photo/Tamino Petelinsek, courtesy Knights of Columbus )

Editor’s note: Scroll down for a Catholic Review radio interview with Archbishop Lori and Carl Anderson about Father Michael McGivney.

With Venerable Father Michael McGivney, the parish priest who founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882, to be beatified Oct. 31 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford, Conn., Archbishop William E. Lori was looking forward to witnessing history and honoring the man he referred to as “the parish priest of my soul.”

“Through the years as supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, I have developed a very special devotion to Father McGivney,” Archbishop Lori said. “I’ve read much about him, reflected upon his life and at one point referred to him as the parish priest of my soul. To see him be beatified will be a great joy and it’ll be a joy that I will share with Knights of Columbus all over the world.”

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told the Catholic Review that COVID-19 restrictions mean that only 200 people will be able to attend the beatification Mass in person, but the event will be broadcast on EWTN and livestreamed. “We hope a lot of people and, of course, lots of Knights of Columbus across the country and in Canada and Philippines and in Europe will watch,” he said. The order has about 2 million members in 16,000 local councils around the world.

A radio interview with Archbishop Lori and Carl Anderson follows. Story continues below.

CatholicReview · Oct. 25, 2020 | Beatification of Fr. Michael McGivney

Both Archbishop Lori and Anderson praised Father McGivney for his devotion to his parishioners and the people in his community when he was pastor of St. Mary Parish in New Haven, Conn. The global order is still based in that city.

The archbishop noted that Father McGivney was familiar with the fact that the death of the husband and father could devastate a family. His priesthood coincided with a surge in Catholics joining “secret societies” in order to get ahead in business and the community.

“Catholic men were looking for a way to provide for their families in the event of their death. And second, Father McGivney saw the need to help the men of his parish to be better husbands, better fathers and more engaged in living their faith. So, they sort of put these two things together,” the archbishop said.

“With what I call the genius of holiness, (Father McGivney) came up with this wonderful, fraternal, Catholic men’s organization that provides insurance benefits for families. To this day, those same two purposes remain equally important,” he said.

A statue of Father Michael J. McGivney is seen at The Catholic University of America in Washington Oct. 20, 2020. The founder of the Knights of Columbus will be beatified Oct. 31 during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Anderson said that in such an era when the social environment was in many ways hostile to Catholics, it would have been easy for the faithful to stay closed in on themselves. “But what Father McGivney did with founding the Knights of Columbus was saying, look, we’re not going to do that,” Anderson said.

“We’re going to be out in society. We’re going to influence society. We’re going to be proud Catholics, and we are going to influence society by very fundamental Christian principles: charity, unity and brotherhood,” he said.

Archbishop Lori said Father ­McGivney was surprisingly contemporary in modeling a missionary style of pastoral leadership that respects layperson’s gifts and abilities.

His style took him “into all the corners of his parish to deal with all the pastoral needs of his people, especially the needs of Catholic families – a missionary style of leadership that brought him beyond the walls of the parish as he engaged the wider community, a style of leadership that has a real heart for the poor and the marginalized and the despised,” the archbishop said.

In founding the Knights of Columbus, he ensured that the order would be lay-led because he wanted the men to take the reins.

“As I said to Pope Francis back in February of this year, ‘You know, Father McGivney was a Pope Francis kind of a priest long before there was a Pope Francis,’ ” Archbishop Lori said.

More coverage of the Knights of Columbus

Archbishop Wenski leads Knights on Bikes to pray rosary at Alligator Alcatraz

Archbishop Lori and Supreme Knight Kelly meet with Pope Leo

Knights of Columbus announces June 19 novena for intention of Pope Leo

Knights of Columbus honored for pro-life support

Toddler’s recovery from drowning attributed to Blessed McGivney novena

Knights of Columbus mark 125 years of patriotic degree at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Copyright © 2020 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Christopher Gunty

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Father Robert Wojsław dies at 52

  • Quo Vadis attracts biggest crowd ever, promotes camaraderie and faith

  • NBC’s Tom Llamas says Catholic education deepened his faith, pushed him to always do his best

  • New Catholic scouting patch honors Pope Leo XIV

  • Top Republican appears to walk back probe of Catholic entities amid charged committee hearing

| Latest Local News |

Radio Interview: Youth ministry changing with the times

Quo Vadis attracts biggest crowd ever, promotes camaraderie and faith

Lay associates journey with the Oblate Sisters of Providence

Father Robert Wojsław dies at 52

Scopes Monkey Trial ignited century-long debate on evolution and belief 

| Latest World News |

Archbishop Wenski leads Knights on Bikes to pray rosary at Alligator Alcatraz

Poland’s government clashes with bishops over migration remarks while cardinal urges a shift in language

Patriarch’s visit hailed ‘a miracle,’ while parishioners in Gaza feel horror, desperation

Pope celebrates Apollo 11 anniversary with peek at the heavens, call to astronaut

Pope, Palestinian president discuss humanitarian tragedy in Gaza during phone call

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Archbishop Wenski leads Knights on Bikes to pray rosary at Alligator Alcatraz
  • Poland’s government clashes with bishops over migration remarks while cardinal urges a shift in language
  • Patriarch’s visit hailed ‘a miracle,’ while parishioners in Gaza feel horror, desperation
  • Pope celebrates Apollo 11 anniversary with peek at the heavens, call to astronaut
  • Pope, Palestinian president discuss humanitarian tragedy in Gaza during phone call
  • Is NFP finally breaking into medical schools?
  • Radio Interview: Youth ministry changing with the times
  • Gaza’s Catholic pastor recalls ‘terrible’ attack as Parolin decries ‘war without limits’
  • Pope condemns Israel’s attack against church, calls for end to ‘barbarity’

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en