Knights of Columbus push for founder to be a saint

Fr. Michael McGivney. https://www.fathermcgivney.ph/

The Knights of Columbus, one of the world’s largest Roman Catholic fraternal service organizations, has set up a website in the Philippines to gather accounts of miracles or answered prayers attributed to its founder, Fr. Michael McGivney, in a bid to promote his beatification.

The online portal www.fathermcgivney.ph was launched Friday to allow Filipinos, among others, to post the favors they received through the intercession of  Fr. McGivney.

“We are hoping that one of the entries  would warrant a miracle that would catapult him to beatification,” said Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, a member of the Knights and media director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

In an interview with reporters, Quitorio said online visitors will be asked  their name and contact number and to give a little narrative of the favor they received.

Prayer cards are also available on the website, where users can also write their wishes and appeals through Fr. McGivney, said Quitorio.

So far, at least four accounts of answered preyers have been posted on the website.

One of them, from Iloilo City, said  that a colleague, who fell into a coma due to a viral infection, woke up a week after he sent a prayer intention through Fr. McGivney.

“I read your website from a Knights of Columbus magazine and I [tried] to send a prayer intention for her and after a week, she woke up and now she reports back to the office…Thanks to Almighty God that He granted my wish through the help of Fr. McGivney,” wrote the online visitor.

In his visit to Manila last month, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said it was highly possible that a miracle that would help advance their founder to beatification would come from the Philippines because of the Filipinos’ “faith and devotion.”

Aside from gathering accounts of miracles and answered favors, the online portal also provides information about Fr. McGivney, including his early life, priesthood and ministry.

McGivney, son of Irish immigrants to the United States, was ordained  a Catholic priest on Dec. 22, 1877. He founded the Knights of Columbus in March 29, 1882,  while  an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven,  Connecticut. He died of pneumonia in 1890 at the age of 38.

Starting with a small group of parishioners in Connecticut, the organization now has over 1.8 million members in 15,000 councils—about 200 of which are on college campuses.  In the Philippines, membership has grown to over 260,000.