Knights of Columbus connect Asia to a blessed American
Blessed Michael McGivney was 'decades ahead of his time in giving the laity an important role within the Church'
Father Michael McGivney, who was beatified on Oct. 31, is not a name familiar to most Asian Catholics. He is the founder of the Knights of Columbus, a society that has touched many lives in Asia.
When Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in the United States in the 19th century, his priority was to check Catholics deserting the Church to join secret societies, which were often anti-Catholic.
Born of Irish immigrant parents in 1852 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Blessed McGivney played a vital role in the dramatic growth of the Church in the US. Ordained in 1877, he ministered to a heavily immigrant community.
He found an antidote to the problem of Catholics leaving the faith: build a positive image for the Church by helping people in need. In 1882 he founded the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal society connecting Catholic Americans and immigrant Catholics.
With a group of lay Catholics, he set up the society to provide assistance to widows and children. The Knights of Columbus soon became a force to be reckoned with in the areas of evangelization, charity, racial integration and the defense of religious freedom.
That was when the world witnessed the mushrooming of secret societies, some of which still operate in Asian countries. Knights of Columbus, although it sounds like a secret society, remains an open society promoting Catholic views on all aspects of life.
There was a strong anti-Catholic sentiment at the time, and Knights of Columbus was Blessed Michael McGivney’s way of responding to it. And it remains relevant to most Catholics in Asian nations where they need to promote Catholic views in sociopolitical life.
Although the Connecticut-born priest started small, by the time of his beatification, Knights of Columbus has become the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, with nearly 2 million members.
The organization has been in the forefront defending persecuted Christians in Asia and has engaged in developmental works on the continent and provided a lifeline to Asians during several natural calamities.
The Knights serve all those on society's margins, just as Blessed Michael McGivney cared for widows and orphans in the 1880s.
He also stands as a role model for parish priests, particularly in Asia. He has left behind a legacy of effective cooperation between clergy and the laity. The Knights are mostly lay Catholics, rooted in sacramental life, motivated by Biblical ideas.
Works in Asia
The stress helped spread the Knights of Columbus, who are active today in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.
The Knights' spirit of service has a tangible presence in Asia.
In Iraq, an apartment complex, was set up for families and victims of Islamic State. Opened in early 2019 in Erbil, Iraq, McGivney House features 140 units, with a special care home for the elderly.
In Manila, too, the Knights are active. They manage a multimedia studio at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines as well as a cupola and oratory at the headquarters of the Knights' insurance program in the Philippines.
The Knights of Columbus were active in Asia after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the region. They distributed aid to international relief organizations and Catholic congregations to lessen the miseries. They have funded new schools, boarding houses and training centers in India and Sri Lanka, both badly hit by the tsunami.
In the Philippines, the society has more than 200,000 members and provides aid and support to the needy, such as the victims of recent typhoons.
To highlight ongoing persecution, at an annual conference in 2019 the society adopted a special resolution expressing solidarity with persecuted Christians across Africa and Asia, approaching the US government to assist these communities.
The Knights are also associated with the Eastern-rite Syro-Malabar Church based in southern India's Kerala state and run programs for migrant people in North America.
Inspiration for generations
Blessed Michael McGivney dedicated his entire priesthood to the parish ministry and died of pneumonia on Aug. 14, 1890 — two days after he celebrated his 38th birthday.
He fell ill during the 1889–90 flu pandemic, also known as the Asiatic flu that killed about 1 million people worldwide.
Famous for his devotion to the faith and his embodiment of all characteristics of a Good Samaritan, Blessed McGivney empowered the laity to serve the Church and see their neighbor in a new way nearly a century before the Second Vatican Council.
He "has inspired generations of Catholic men to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said.
In an earlier address to the Knights of Columbus board of directors, Pope Francis said Blessed Michael McGivney was "decades ahead of his time in giving the laity an important role within the Church."
In March 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared Michael McGivney a “Venerable” in recognition of his “heroic virtue,” and on Oct. 31 this year Pope Francis beatified him, bringing him one step closer to sainthood.