Thursday, May 19, 2005

Fr. McGivney and I

Today I've been thinking alot about being a Knight of Columbus. It may be a little late, now that I've already joined (!) but I thought I'd do some research into the history of the organization and its founder.

I found a great website about their founder, Fr. Michael J. McGivney. I noticed that I have a couple of things in common with him! He went to seminary at St. Mary's in Baltimore which is one of the seminaries that the Archdiocese uses! I also thought it was cool that his first parish was at a church called St. Mary's (in New Haven, CT). He was also very involved in young adult ministry, as I am. The site says:
Apostle to the Young

There was in Father McGivney some spark, some magnetism, that drew the young to him. He was at ease with little children and lost some of his natural reserve and formality with them. But it was to the young adults of his day that he was given a particular mission. Father McGivney was bonded to the young men and women of his flock in a mutual admiration and respect that endured even after his death in 1890. He was relatively young himself, only 25, when he began his first priestly assignment at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Conn., and so he understood their aspirations as well as their struggles and temptations.

"Apostle" means "one who is sent. "Father McGivney was sent by God to the young people of his time to lead them along a secure path to Christian adulthood. In an age experiencing the growing despair and violence of teenagers and young adults, it is imperative that we look to models such as Father McGivney to learn the art of drawing the youth of our society to a life of moral excellence and the nobility of Christian service of God and neighbor. No stranger to adversity, Father McGivney is an apostle to those who, in our own era, struggle to find meaning and purpose in life. He is a heavenly patron for young men and women of the third millennium.


Mary, Mother of the Apostles, pray for us!

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