Feast Day of Our Founder
August 13 is the recently designated Feast Day of Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. Fr. McGivney was born on August 12, 1852 and died on August 14, 1890. I May 2020, the Vatican gave the official recognition of the miracle healing of an unborn child in the United States, who in 2015, was healed in utero of a life-threatening condition, to which prayers were offered by his family to Fr. McGivney.
For those that do not know about this great man, Fr. McGivney was the Irish-American priest who noticed the continual economic and personal struggles of Catholic families in his home town of New Haven, Connecticut, particularly those whose fathers had died leaving large families without a money earner. Also noticing the discrimination against Catholics throughout American society (then predominately of the Irish background), particularly in the areas of employment, he would be moved to take action.
As a result of these injustices, Fr. McGivney would found the Knights of Columbus in 1882, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organizations, with over 2 million members who are part of more than 16,000 local Knights of Columbus councils around the world (primarily in North America), including over 300 on college campuses.
Fr. McGivney also set up the Knights of Columbus insurance program, one of the largest life insurance programs in North America today.
Today, millions of Knights worldwide serve the wider community while defending Catholic traditions and values.
News & Notes
Pope Leo XIV joins the faithful at the conclusion of the prayer of the Rosary in the Vatican Gardens, to mark the end of the Marian month.
In a video message screened at the Shrine St John Vianney in Ars-sur-Formans, Cardinal Lazzaro Heung-sik You, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, reflects on the life of the saint on the centenary of his canonization: “To you, dear priests, I would like to say: do not be afraid of being weak. Do not fear if you are not always understood.”
Over 150 people have died in flood-struck north-central Nigeria where emergency responders are at work. The government has activated temporary shelter assistance for the more than 3.000 displaced persons but analysts say more needs to be done to prevent foreseeable tragedies.
