This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/nyregion/father-mcgivney-sainthood-coronavirus.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Knights of Columbus Founder, Who Died in a Pandemic, Moves Closer to Sainthood | Knights of Columbus Founder, Who Died in a Pandemic, Moves Closer to Sainthood |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The American priest who founded the Knights of Columbus, the Roman Catholic fraternal organization, moved a step closer to sainthood on Thursday when Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to him, the Vatican announced. | The American priest who founded the Knights of Columbus, the Roman Catholic fraternal organization, moved a step closer to sainthood on Thursday when Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to him, the Vatican announced. |
| According to the Knights of Columbus, the miracle involved a mother whose pregnancy was threatened by a medical condition in 2015. The family prayed to the Rev. Michael J. McGivney, the Knights of Columbus said, and the condition was healed. Pope Francis has now attributed this to Father McGivney, who died in 1890 at age 38. | |
| The step clears the way for Father McGivney to be beatified, or declared “blessed,” by the pope — the second-to-last step before a figure is canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. An additional miracle must be accredited to Father McGivney before he is declared a saint. | The step clears the way for Father McGivney to be beatified, or declared “blessed,” by the pope — the second-to-last step before a figure is canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. An additional miracle must be accredited to Father McGivney before he is declared a saint. |
| “Father McGivney has inspired generations of Catholic men to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action,” Carl A. Anderson, the leader of the Knights of Columbus, said in a statement. “Today, his spirit continues to shape the extraordinary charitable work of Knights as they continue to serve those on the margins of society as he served widows and orphans in the 1880s.” | “Father McGivney has inspired generations of Catholic men to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action,” Carl A. Anderson, the leader of the Knights of Columbus, said in a statement. “Today, his spirit continues to shape the extraordinary charitable work of Knights as they continue to serve those on the margins of society as he served widows and orphans in the 1880s.” |
| The child of Irish immigrants, Father McGivney was ordained in Baltimore in 1877 and served a largely Irish-American immigrant community. He was serving as a priest in Connecticut when he died of pneumonia in 1890 at the end of the so-called Russian flu pandemic. (New research suggests that global pandemic, which started in 1889 and lasted two years, was caused by a coronavirus not unlike the one responsible for the current pandemic.) | The child of Irish immigrants, Father McGivney was ordained in Baltimore in 1877 and served a largely Irish-American immigrant community. He was serving as a priest in Connecticut when he died of pneumonia in 1890 at the end of the so-called Russian flu pandemic. (New research suggests that global pandemic, which started in 1889 and lasted two years, was caused by a coronavirus not unlike the one responsible for the current pandemic.) |
| Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, named in honor of Christopher Columbus, in 1882 to provide support and financial resources to Catholic men and families who were coping with the loss of their sole provider. There are chapters of the order in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Japan, Cuba and Poland. | Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, named in honor of Christopher Columbus, in 1882 to provide support and financial resources to Catholic men and families who were coping with the loss of their sole provider. There are chapters of the order in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Japan, Cuba and Poland. |
| The cause for Father McGivney’s sainthood was started by the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut in 1997. | The cause for Father McGivney’s sainthood was started by the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut in 1997. |
| Eleven years later, in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared Father McGivney a Venerable Servant of God. That designation meant that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican had found after a long investigation that Father McGivney lived “a life of extraordinary and heroic virtue” and was worthy of imitation by the faithful. | Eleven years later, in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared Father McGivney a Venerable Servant of God. That designation meant that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican had found after a long investigation that Father McGivney lived “a life of extraordinary and heroic virtue” and was worthy of imitation by the faithful. |
| If Father McGivney were to be canonized, he would become the first man born in the United States ever to be elevated to sainthood. Three women born in the country have been canonized: Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton in 1975, Katharine Drexel in 2000 and Kateri Tekakwitha in 2012. | If Father McGivney were to be canonized, he would become the first man born in the United States ever to be elevated to sainthood. Three women born in the country have been canonized: Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton in 1975, Katharine Drexel in 2000 and Kateri Tekakwitha in 2012. |
| But while the beatification of Father McGivney is a significant step in the process of becoming a saint, it could take much longer for him to be canonized, said David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. | But while the beatification of Father McGivney is a significant step in the process of becoming a saint, it could take much longer for him to be canonized, said David Gibson, the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. |
| “That can take years, decades, centuries even,” Mr. Gibson said, adding that it took hundreds of years for Joan of Arc to be canonized. “It is the longest vetting process in the history of mankind, it is so in-depth.” | “That can take years, decades, centuries even,” Mr. Gibson said, adding that it took hundreds of years for Joan of Arc to be canonized. “It is the longest vetting process in the history of mankind, it is so in-depth.” |
| The process to become a saint has changed over the centuries, Mr. Gibson said. The process of declaring someone a saint was once a matter of popular devotion, but as the church became more bureaucratized, the Vatican took over canonizations. | The process to become a saint has changed over the centuries, Mr. Gibson said. The process of declaring someone a saint was once a matter of popular devotion, but as the church became more bureaucratized, the Vatican took over canonizations. |
| “They wanted to bring some kind of routine, process and verifiability to the canonization process,” Mr. Gibson said. | “They wanted to bring some kind of routine, process and verifiability to the canonization process,” Mr. Gibson said. |
| While the path to sainthood might be long, Mr. Gibson said that the Knights of Columbus could help the cause. | While the path to sainthood might be long, Mr. Gibson said that the Knights of Columbus could help the cause. |
| “I think he has the wind at his back,” Mr. Gibson said, predicting it might take five to 10 years for Father McGivney to reach sainthood. “He has momentum and influential backers in the Knights of Columbus.” | “I think he has the wind at his back,” Mr. Gibson said, predicting it might take five to 10 years for Father McGivney to reach sainthood. “He has momentum and influential backers in the Knights of Columbus.” |
| Over the decades, the Knights of Columbus have left their mark on the United States. A campaign that the order started in 1951 persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to sign a law that added the phrase “under god” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Currently, the order is working to secure housing, food and health care for displaced Christians in the Middle East. | Over the decades, the Knights of Columbus have left their mark on the United States. A campaign that the order started in 1951 persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to sign a law that added the phrase “under god” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Currently, the order is working to secure housing, food and health care for displaced Christians in the Middle East. |
| A date for Father McGivney’s beatification has not been set, but the Knights of Columbus said it would take place in Connecticut. | A date for Father McGivney’s beatification has not been set, but the Knights of Columbus said it would take place in Connecticut. |
| Jacey Fortin contributed reporting. | Jacey Fortin contributed reporting. |
| Jacey Fortin contributed reporting. | Jacey Fortin contributed reporting. |