Pope praises Fr. McGivney as an
"exemplary American priest"
Homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral cites his
"vision and zeal"
(NEW YORK, NY) - During
his homily at this morning's Mass for Clergy and
Religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Pope
Benedict XVI made special mention of "the
remarkable accomplishment of that exemplary
American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney,
whose vision and zeal led to the establishment
of the Knights of Columbus." McGivney's cause
for sainthood is being considered at the
Vatican, and the Pope declared him a venerable
servant of God in mid-March.
Supreme Knight Carl A.
Anderson made the following statement regarding
the Pope's remarks:
"This morning, Pope
Benedict reminded America's clergy that the
'secret of the impressive growth of the Church'
in the U.S. was a 'unity of vision and purpose -
rooted in faith and a spirit of constant
conversion and self-sacrifice,' and held up as a
prime example our founder, Fr. McGivney.
"The Pope's selection of
Fr. McGivney as a role model for today's priests
and religious is very important for us.
Thousands of priests are among the 1.7 million
members of the Knights of Columbus, including
Cardinal Egan and hundreds of others in the
Archdiocese of New York. Each and every day,
all of us in the Knights of Columbus look to Fr.
McGivney's vision and example as a guide to our
work of charity and evangelization. At a time
when our priests are in need of our support more
than ever, the Pope's promotion of Fr. McGivney
as a role model for clergy everywhere is both
timely and enormously appreciated. We pledge
our fervent support for his call to revitalize
and renew the Catholic Church here and around
the world."
