Today was the Feast Day of Blessed Michael J McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus

 

Blessed Michael J. McGivney

Saint of the Day for August 13

(August 12, 1852 – August 14, 1890)

Blessed Michael McGivney’s Story

The eldest son of an immigrant Irish family in Connecticut, young Michael left school at 13 to work in a brass factory making spoons. At 16 he began studies for the priesthood in Quebec, but was obliged to leave to help support the family when his father died. Michael completed his education in Baltimore, Maryland, and was ordained for the diocese of Hartford in 1877.

Assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Fr. McGivney was very active in parish and civic affairs, serving as director of public plays and fairs. He volunteered to become the guardian of Alfred Downes, a minor whose father had died leaving a large family in poverty. This situation as well as his own family’s circumstances and that of other immigrants impressed on Fr. McGivney the need for lay Catholic men to establish a mutual aid society to provide financial assistance for their families if the primary wage earner died. Protestant fraternal groups already provided this type of life insurance protection for their members.

In 1882, Fr. McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus among a small group of St. Mary’s parishioners to promote charity, unity, and fraternity, assisting widows and orphans. Because of the Knights’ emphasis on serving Church, community and family, the organization grew and did not remain strictly parish-based. Patriotism was added as a founding principle in 1900.

Father McGivney died from pneumonia in 1890 and was buried in Waterbury, Connecticut. Later his body was moved back to St. Mary’s in New Haven where it remains today. He was beatified in 2020.

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Reflection

Michael Joseph McGivney was a genuine pastor who, in the words of Pope Francis, was unafraid to share “the smell of his sheep.” He promoted families whose members were strong in their faith expressed through generous following of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In a decree read at the beatification Mass, Pope Francis praised Fr. McGivney’s “zeal and the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for his brothers and sisters.” These “made him an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance.”

Today was also the Feast Day of Bl. Michael J McGivney, Priest, Founder of Knights of Columbus

 

Saint of the Day for August 13 Blessed Michael J. McGivney

By: Gary Merritt - Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024 

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Blessed Father Michael McGivney Feast Day – August 13

The official Feast Day in the Catholic Church of Blessed Father Michael McGivney is August 13. Patron and founder of the Knights of Columbus. The feast is celebrated annually across the universal Catholic Church. Bl. Fr. McGivney was born on August 12, 1852 and passed away on August 14, 1890 (aged 38). His feast day is celebrated on the 13th because it falls between these two dates. Bl. Fr. McGivney was Beatified on October 31, 2020 at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin (on behalf of Pope Francis). This Cathedral is the Diocese Seat for the Bl. Fr. McGivney’s shrine that also was the final parish church he served at during his life as a Priest and also where he founded the Knights (Church of Saint Mary in New Haven, Connecticut).

You can learn more about Bl. Fr. McGivney here.

Knights of Columbus announce new initiative to help men grow in faith and spirituality

 With formation, prayer, fraternity, Knights’ Cor initiative aims to strengthen Catholic men’s faith

by Kimberley Heatherington

 

October 28, 2023

(OSV News) — When Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, leader of more than 2 million Knights of Columbus members worldwide, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in April, he shared an insight about the era in which the organization’s founder, Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, evangelized.

“The culture of Father McGivney’s time was hostile to the truths of our Catholic faith,” said Kelly, “and the culture today is perhaps even more hostile.”

Such a reality could be profoundly discouraging, but it instead inspired Kelly to launch a robust new set of initiatives to “sharpen” Knights as courageous witnesses to Jesus Christ.

It’s faith formation for what some have called a post-Christian society.

‘Cor’: A program for the heart

Dubbed “Cor” — Latin for “heart” — the initiative is designed, its website says, “to form and strengthen Catholic men in faith and virtue as missionary disciples by drawing them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, formation, and fraternity.”

“We asked our guys, ‘What if we found a way, at the council-level, to provide quality prayer, faith formation, and fraternity — separate from our traditional business meeting?’ We simply asked our guys around the world,” said Damien J. O’Connor, vice president of evangelization and faith formation in the Department of Fraternal Mission at the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut.

There are more than 16,000 local Knights of Columbus councils worldwide.

“And the response was overwhelmingly positive. We said, ‘You know, at the grassroots level, we can provide these opportunities for our men — and any man in the parish — to give them that space to come together, to receive those three things,'” O’Connor told OSV News. “So over the last two years, we’ve been developing this initiative. We have over 70 jurisdictions worldwide. Sixty-one have currently adopted this and are trying to implement it at the council level.”

Back to the basics

Kelly announced Cor at the Knights’ 140th Supreme Convention, held Aug. 1-3 in Orlando, Florida. Components include “Into the Breach,” a 12-episode video series; “Men of the Word,” a Bible study; “Patris Corde,” a study of St. Joseph’s life as a model for Catholic men; recitation of the rosary; Holy Hour; a monthly challenge from the Knights’ supreme chaplain; and a wealth of supporting materials, with more to come.

“What we’re being more intentional about is actually going back to the basics, of when Blessed McGivney started the order,” O’Connor explained. “It was very much to help the widows and orphans; no doubt about it. But if you read the history of him and his writings, he cared deeply about the formation of men. And so we’re simply being more intentional about that. It’s nothing new for the Knights; it might feel that way, but it’s really not.”

Members are responding

Reactions speak for themselves.

“Into the Breach” had so many views — over a million — that a second series is planned, focusing on the family.

When O’Connor attended the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in August, he came supplied with “Men of the Word” Bible study packages. “I thought, ‘Well, we’ll bring a lot extra, and whatever we don’t give out, we’ll take back,” he recalled. “Every single one of them was taken.”

As a result of Cor, “What we’re finding is men are now asking to join the Knights of Columbus, rather than us asking them,” O’Connor said. “Because they’re growing in their faith; they’re enjoying their time together — and they want more.”

Kelly, O’Connor emphasized, “deserves all the credit.”

“I remember saying to Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly — maybe six, seven years ago — ‘If we could really evangelize our guys; if we could really offer them quality faith formation, I believe it changes the world, because we have 2 million members. So if you had, even, 30% that really became evangelists, it changes the world,” O’Connor reflected. “And I remember he said, ‘I think about this every day.'”

Equipping men to share the Faith

Jimmy Dee, jurisdictional director of evangelization and faith formation for the Tennessee Knights of Columbus, said that Tennessee “was one of the original pilot locations” that helped the Knights’ Supreme Council “design and launch this series of new truly incredible, Christo-centric programs — an initiative that’s helping reignite the hearts of our Catholic men across the country and around the world.”

“We’ve been a wonderful observer and participant in its growth from an idea to, now, a national call to all Knights to return to our roots,” said Dee.

He is enthusiastic about Cor’s flexible design.

“What I like the most about the way this particular initiative has been designed is that it’s both Christo-centric and parish-centric — in that each parish will find its own proper mix of these events and activities that will speak to the men of their parish,” Dee explained. “So, unlike more traditional programs that we’ve offered in the past — which were very much replicated the same, regardless of where you were, in what council, or what parish — this initiative is driven at the parish level, by the hearts of those who are literally on the front lines.

“And they are the ones who are listening to the needs of their pastors, and then taking actionable steps to help our priests with their pastoral mission.”

Meeting the needs of different parishes

And that can differ from parish to parish.

“It may be the church needs a boost in the fraternal activities, or the things that bring people together in a fun and joyous way. Maybe they need to focus more on helping men create better prayer habits in their day-to-day routines. Or is it possible they could use a little more catechesis, and learning more about the details of our faith?,” Dee commented. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all. It’s what we are hearing in the pews and with our priests that we need to be able to provide in order to strengthen the Catholic man; the Catholic family; as well as the parish, and our Catholic community as a whole.”

The response in Tennessee has mirrored the nationwide response.

“Better that 65-70% of our Knights across Tennessee have either adopted a Cor model of program,” Dee said, “or are in the process of building one.”

A pathway for discipleship

But Cor isn’t simply about personal enrichment, Dee stressed.

“These events and activities are helping us to build and create programs and pathways of discipleship that will help men gain that confidence necessary for them to be a witness of their faith and share it with others, while inviting them into a relationship with Jesus Christ,” noted Dee.

“We’re getting right down to that front-line problem of, Catholics are great when it comes to practicing their faith, but we’re not real good at sharing it. This initiative is getting to the absolute heart of that problem — pun intended,” he laughed. “In Tennessee — keeping in line with this new initiative — we’re telling people that our new state motto is, ‘We are Knights to our Cor.'”

Attracting new members

In Laredo, Texas, Héctor Chapa — grand Knight for Council No. 9626 at St. Martin De Porres Catholic Church, district deputy of District 232, and coordinator of evangelization and faith formation for the Diocese of Laredo — has witnessed his council’s membership double since it began Cor gatherings.

A council that previously had 12 Knights now has almost 30, with as many as 46 weekly attendees.

“They’ll start asking, ‘What do I need to do to join?’ It’s just great,” Chapa said of the Cor participants. “It builds character within the parish itself. We have a better understanding and working relationship with our priest.”

Chapa added, “Once we got started, they wanted more.” Fall and spring sessions offered an interactive, multi-week men’s program called “That Man Is You!” developed by Paradisus Dei, but Chapa and his fellow Knights explored the “Into the Breach” video series during the summer.

“We were able to grow by another 15 members,” said Chapa. “The video itself is very well-presented,” he emphasized, noting the council will soon place an order for the next series. “It’s real down-to-earth. It’s easy to watch. It’s easy to understand.”

New momentum

Activities have gained such momentum that the council has held a Eucharistic procession; a popular fish fry; and soon, their first men’s retreat.

“Our common hope here is, we need to do everything that we need to do to make sure we get our families to heaven,” Chapa said, “before anything else.”

The Cor initiative, Chapa is certain, contributes to that effort.

“It sets you up to be able to build yourself up, and basically — hey, we need to go into battle, guys! We understand that the devil is coming after our families,” Chapa cautioned. “What are we going to do about it? We need to sharpen our swords, more than anything else.”

The Knights of Columbus and our Namesake, his Legacy, his Holiday

 

Honoring our Namesake and His Legacy

Knights celebrate Columbus Day, knowing that our namesake gave voice to generations of Catholics, and helped pave a path for our diverse society.

by Corporate Communications Staff10/7/2020

When founding the Knights of Columbus, Father Michael McGivney picked Christopher Columbus as a namesake for the organization because in a time when anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant feeling ran rampant, the American public embraced this famous explorer.

Father McGivney and his Knights understood that using Columbus as their Order's namesake asserted an important truth: that not only was there a place for Catholics and immigrants within American society, but that such a person had already played a part in creating the young, free world around them.

Times have changed and today there are those who contest Columbus’ achievements and protest the national holiday held in his honor. They look to make Columbus responsible for all the atrocities against Native Americans.

In an article that appeared in RealClear Politics two years ago and also in recent testimony in New Haven, Conn., Patrick Mason (a member of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors and also of the Osage Nation), said there is a danger that blaming Columbus misses the lessons of history and adds to the risk of repeating it.

“As American citizens, we need to remember our history, both the good and the bad, so that we are not set up to repeat history’s mistakes,” Mason said. “We need to take an honest look at all our fore-fathers. We need to give them the credit they deserve for what they did well, while being mindful of the things that they should have been done differently or better.”

He added that the current debate brings with it the opportunity honor and acknowledge indigenous people while preserving the great explorer’s legacy.

The Knights of Columbus continue to celebrate Columbus Day, knowing that the explorer gave voice and representation to generations of Catholics, and helped pave a path for the diverse society we have today.

Sunday is also the Feast of the founder of the Knights of Columbus

 

Blessed Father Michael McGivney – Feast Day

On May 26, 2020, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father McGivney and opening the way for his beatification. On Oct. 31, the Mass for Beatification was celebrated in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Conn. An Apostolic Letter was read from Pope Francis that declared Father McGivney would now have the title of Blessed Michael McGivney. He is the third priest born in the United States to be raised to this honor, and the first priest to be beatified who spent his whole priestly ministry in a US parish.

The pope’s Apostolic Letter stated that Blessed Michael McGivney’s “zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for the needs of his brothers and sisters made him an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance.”

The Cause for Canonization for Father McGivney was opened in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1997, when he was given the title Servant of God. On March 15, 2008, his heroic virtue was recognized by Pope Benedict XVI, and Father McGivney was given the title Venerable Servant of God. This important step occurred after years of careful investigation of Father McGivney’s life, spirituality and holiness by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The declaration of Venerable confirmed what those who knew him in life, and others who call upon him since his death, have believed about Father McGivney: He lived a life of heroic virtue with an extraordinary love of God and neighbor.

Having been raised to the honors of the altar, Blessed Michael McGivney has an annual feast day of Aug. 13, the day between his birthday (in 1852) and the day he passed into eternal life (in 1890). His cause has now entered the final phase toward canonization or sainthood. One more confirmed miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney is needed for him to be declared saint.

All Knights and their families, as well as all those devoted to Father McGivney, are asked to pray for his intercession in their daily needs, especially in cases of serious illness, and to report any favors and healings to the Guild. You may submit your reports here.

One parish in Connecticut comprising 8 Catholic Churches to be named for the founder of the Knights of Columbus

 

8 New Haven Catholic churches to merge into Blessed Michael McGivney Parish next month

Meghan Friedmann
Staff writer

NEW HAVEN — While the city’s eight Roman Catholic churches will remain open for the foreseeable future, they will officially merge into one parish next month under a plan that the Archdiocese of Hartford set in motion in 2021.

Ultimately, leaders hope the change will create one united Catholic community in New Haven and help more successfully spread the Catholic faith, said the Rev. Ryan Lerner, who was named moderator of the citywide parish in December 2021.

On June 7, Archbishop Leonard Blair issued a decree formalizing the merger: as of July 1, the churches of Saint Michael, Saint Anthony, Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Stanislaus, Saints Aiden and Brendan, Saint Francis, Saint Mary and Saint Joseph will become part of the Blessed Michael McGivney Parish.

In the short term, churchgoers are unlikely to see major changes in their religious life, Lerner said. None of the churches is closing, he said, and there will not immediately be any major personnel changes.

Officials hope “to keep (the churches) open for as long as we can, but all of that always depends on the resources, and obviously that’s financial, property and facilities,” Lerner said.

Though July 1 marks the official date of the merger, Lerner said the transition will take longer. Once it is complete, the eight churches will share finances and operate under a single administration based at St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue, according to Lerner.

Sacramental registers, records and historic documents also will be housed there, per Blair’s decree.

“It’s quite a process to bring everything together,” said Lerner. “That’s going to take time, you know, to sort out the civil aspects.”

The Church’s broader goal is to unite the faithful in New Haven.

“The biggest thing, the most important thing, the most challenging thing is to create a culture of unity,” Lerner said.

Catholicism is practiced in many different ways, he noted, and the communities within the city’s Roman Catholic Church are diverse.

New Haven, for example, is home to the St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, one of the few historically Black Catholic churches in the region. Meanwhile, the fastest-growing group of worshippers in city churches is Latino, according to Lerner.

Next to Spanish and English, Polish is the most spoken language in New Haven’s Catholic community, he said.

With those factors in mind, three pastors are overseeing the merger, with Lerner guiding the conversation as moderator.

The other pastors are the Revs. Hector Rangel of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Sebastian Kos of St. Stanislaus Parish, according to Lerner, who said Rangel speaks Spanish while Kos speaks Polish.

A decrease in Mass attendance, insufficient priestly personnel and the proximity of New Haven’s churches to one another were a few of the factors behind Blair’s decision to create a citywide parish, his decree says.

By pooling resources, Church leaders hope to set the archdiocese up for “a more vibrant future” and to increase “the number of people who are actually practicing the faith,” Lerner said.

“Bringing these (resources) together, we believe that we can … position ourselves to do the real work, you know, which is to spread the gospel, rather than managing the decline,” he said.

Eucharistic miracle in Connecticut investigation to get Vatican guidance

 

Hartford Archdiocese asks Vatican to investigate possible eucharistic miracle

By Joe Bukuras

Boston, Mass., May 4, 2023 / 16:00 pm

The Archdiocese of Hartford is appealing to the Vatican for guidance on how to proceed with its investigation of a possible eucharistic miracle at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Thomaston, Connecticut.

The referral is the first public update by the archdiocese since it was first reported in late March that Jesus, truly present in the holy Eucharist, appeared to multiply himself in the ciborium, typically a gold chalice that holds the eucharistic body of Christ. 

“Reports such as the alleged miracle in Thomaston require referral to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. The archdiocese has proceeded accordingly and will await a response in due time,” David Elliott, a spokesman for the archdiocese, told CNA Thursday.

It’s unclear how long the dicastery could take to respond to the archdiocese’s request, Elliott told CNA.

Since news of the possible eucharistic miracle spread, a number of pilgrims have flocked to the church where Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was once the pastor.

On March 5 at the the conclusion of Mass, Father Joseph Crowley announced that a eucharistic minister witnessed something unexplainable as he was distributing Communion.

“One of our eucharistic ministers was running out of hosts and suddenly there were more hosts in the ciborium. God just duplicated himself in the ciborium,” an emotional Crowley told the faithful.

“It’s really, really cool when God does these things, and it’s really, really cool when we realize what he’s done, and it just happened today,” the priest said.

“Very powerful, very awesome, very real, very shocking. But also, it happens, and today it happened,” he said.

“They were running out of hosts and all of a sudden more hosts were there. So today not only did we have the miracle of the Eucharist, we also had a bigger miracle. It’s pretty cool,” the priest said.

On March 28, the Archdiocese of Hartford put out a statement saying: “As people of faith we know that miracles can and do happen, as they did during Christ’s earthly ministry. Miracles are divine signs calling us to faith or to deepen our faith.”

“Roman Catholics experience a daily miracle because every time Mass is celebrated what was bread becomes the Body of Christ and what was wine becomes his Blood,” the statement said.

“Through the centuries this daily miracle has sometimes been confirmed by extraordinary signs from Heaven, but the Church is always careful to investigate reports of such signs with caution, lest credence is given to something that proves to be unfounded,” the statement continued.

“What has been reported to have occurred at our parish church in Thomaston, of which Blessed Michael McGivney was once pastor, if verified, would constitute a sign or wonder that can only be attributed to divine power to strengthen our faith in the daily miracle of the Most Holy Eucharist. It would also be a source of blessing from Heaven for the effort that the U.S. bishops are making to renew and deepen the faith and practice of our Catholic people with regard to this great Sacrament,” the statement said.

Relic of Blessed Michael J McGivney on pilgrimmage

First Blessed McGivney relic pilgrimage sparks remarkable ‘God moments’

Katie Yoder March 29, 2023

 

Dena Wolf was planning her husband’s funeral when she got the call: Blessed Michael McGivney’s relic was making a special stop just for her and her 11-year-old daughter, Riley.

Father McGivney, who is perhaps best known as the founder of the Knights of Columbus — the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization — holds special significance in the Wolf family. Dena’s husband, Brad, led the local Knights council before passing away unexpectedly at 39.

The relic arrived at the Wolfs’ parish, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Windthorst, Texas, on March 9. It was the day after Dena buried her husband.

“I got to hold the relic and my daughter did too,” Dena revealed to Our Sunday Visitor. “It was very heartwarming. … It gave me a lot of peace.”

The visit was a meaningful one: Father McGivney began the Knights in 1882 with the intention of, among other things, creating a financial safety net for widows and orphans of deceased members.

The relic — a bone fragment — originally arrived in Texas as part of a special relic pilgrimage to the Dioceses of Fort Worth, San Angelo, and Lubbock held March 5-9. The listed stops included five Catholic churches, including two cathedrals. But the relic also visited Catholic schools, a hospital — and the Wolf family.

“It was not lost on us that, here, Father McGivney gets into town and God puts a widow and an orphan in our path,” Chris Stark, a general agent of Northwest Texas for the Knights, told Our Sunday Visitor.

Stark, together with Father Jonathan Kalisch, a Dominican who serves as director of chaplains and spiritual development for the Knights, accompanied the relic during the pilgrimage — a pilgrimage that they hope will expand nationally.

“This was the first organized relic pilgrimage of Father McGivney since he was beatified” in 2020, Father Kalisch told Our Sunday Visitor. “We’re hoping that this … will lead to other requests and other visits around the country.”

The pilgrimage began in Texas, he said, after Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth invited them. Stark also played a role.

“He’s like, ‘Hey Father, what do we have to do to bring the relics to Texas?'” Father Kalisch remembered, after calling Stark the “idea man behind this whole trip.”

Father Kalisch estimated that, during the pilgrimage, more than 10,000 people prayed in front of the relic.

“I’d like to say it’s the start of bringing his relics to a wider audience and, really, to draw the attention to the legacy, the spiritual charism, and exemplar of Blessed Michael and to continue to ask for his intercession,” he said.

The pilgrimage also made history as Father McGivney’s first trip to Texas, Stark said. The state, he added, represents one of the largest jurisdictions for the Knights and has more members than any other state.

Along the way, they had the support of Catholic leaders, including Bishop Olson, who preached at the closing Mass, and Bishop Michael J. Sis of San Angelo, the Texas Knights of Columbus state chaplain, who was involved in bringing the relic to churches as well as a priest retreat.

For dioceses, parishes, or schools who want the relic to visit them, Father Kalisch recommended that they contact the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild, which promotes Father McGivney’s cause for sainthood, and the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, which is dedicated to advancing Father McGivney’s vision.

Witnessing ‘God moments’

At the pilgrimage stops, Father Kalisch set up the relic for veneration before Mass. Along the way, he collected thousands of prayer intentions to take back to Father McGivney’s tomb at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Haven, Connecticut — the church where the Knights began.

In Texas, Father Kalisch remembered encountering a variety of people, including a large number of Mexican Americans, young families, people struggling with cancer or terminal illnesses — and women.

“We know the Knights as the largest Catholic men’s organization,” Father Kalisch said. “But the miracles that I’ve heard about and that have occurred, almost all are on mothers and women.”

He and Stark burst with stories of God’s involvement in the pilgrimage.

At one stop, they recalled spotting a 20-year-old woman who was praying nearby. She eventually left, only to return in the evening with a man who appeared to be her boyfriend.

Father Kalisch remembered bringing the relic over to the couple, who were praying, in order to bless them with it.

“The man with her, whoever he was, kind of backed away like he didn’t want to be here,” he said. “So I prayed over her and she just started bawling.”

Stark witnessed the whole encounter.

“From my perspective … it looked like this young couple was discerning a pregnancy,” he suggested. “It felt like Father McGivney might have just saved a baby.”

At another point, a young mother approached Father Kalisch and shared how Father McGivney helped her during a difficult pregnancy. She said she began praying to the priest for her child after someone handed her a prayer card and told her about the miracle that led to his beatification: healing an unborn baby diagnosed with fetal hydrops, a life-threatening condition where fluid builds up in the baby’s body.

She came to visit the relic, that day, to give thanks: She gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy just two weeks ago, she said.

Another encounter took place after a fellow Knight asked if the relic could visit his 13-year-old daughter undergoing treatment for cancer at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. Father Kalisch and Stark met her in the chapel and let her pray with the relic.

Then, another family approached.

“The chapel door opened and this family — they saw us in there — they were not going to come in. I said, ‘No, please come in,'” Father Kalisch remembered.

They did. The Mexican-American family pushed their young son (around four or five years old, Stark said) into the chapel with a wheelchair. That’s when Father Kalisch discovered that this was the first time the boy had left his bed in 90 days. The Catholic family had never heard of Father McGivney before, but they embraced the relic and prayed for healing.

“To me, those are the God moments, right?” Father Kalisch asked.

Finding peace

Throughout their trip, Father Kalisch and Stark said that they kept the Wolf family in their prayers. They took the relic not only to Dena and Riley, but also to the local Knights of Columbus hall and — at Father Kalisch’s suggestion — Brad’s grave.

“It was so moving,” he remembered. “I can only describe it as the consolation of faith was there, praise God, because … they were just at peace — and I think one of the fruits of the presence of Father McGivney is that he, unbeknownst to them, he accompanied them and their husband in these last days so much so that after they buried their [husband and] father, he’s there at the tomb.”

With the help of Father Kalisch, Dena said that she began to realize all of the similarities between her husband and Father McGivney. To name a few: Father McGivney passed away at 38; her husband was 39. Both loved baseball — and played left field. Both attended churches named after Mary. Both were leaders in their communities.

“My lesson from all this?” Stark asked. “Father McGivney hasn’t stopped working. I pray that this sparks a national pilgrimage of the relic and that more people get to see this. There are many, many miracles being performed. Are they the miracle [to lead to his canonization]? Probably not. But one day there will be the miracle and he will be a saint.”

“It’s just a matter of when, and hopefully it’s in my lifetime,” he concluded. “And part of this is me helping to make that happen.”

Katie Yoder is a contributing editor for Our Sunday Visitor.