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by Father Gabriel B. O’Donnell, O.P.
Ten years ago, on Dec. 10, 1997, the cause for canonization of the Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney was opened by the Archdiocese of Hartford, with the cooperation of the Knights of Columbus. Simultaneously, The Father McGivney Guild was established to gather and disseminate information on the life and legacy of this 19th century parish priest and the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
Virtually every day since then, applications for Guild membership have arrived at the McGivney Guild office. Many are accompanied by letters attesting to devotion to Father McGivney and expressing great confidence in the power of his intercession. A special thank you is necessary for all who have enrolled in the Guild, for supporting the cause these past 10 years, and most importantly, for praying that Father McGivney be raised to the honors of the altar. Without this enthusiastic support, it would be impossible to spread the good news about Father McGivney, his holiness and the power of his intercession.
The mail also brings questions about the process of beatification and canonization. After 10 years of patient waiting and praying, some may be beginning to wonder just where the cause stands. In brief, after the cause got under way, an exhaustive investigation into Father McGivney’s life, work and virtue was undertaken. When this was completed in March 2000, the process moved to Rome where the positio, or argument for Father McGivney’s heroic virtue, was finished and presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 2002. The historical consultors to the congregation reviewed and approved the document in 2004; the theological consultors have not yet made their judgment.
From the several supposed miracles attributed to Father McGivney’s intercession and reported to the Father McGivney Guild, one was chosen for a thorough study. This was begun in 2000, completed in 2001, and forwarded to Rome. This involved the testimony of medical experts in the United States. The Holy See required a better explanation of some of the medical terms used in the report, and a supplemental study was sent in 2003.
Since then, we have been given a time of waiting in expectation and prayer for the Church’s judgment. We await the opinion of the theological consultants regarding the position on Father McGivney’s life; we await judgment on the reported miracle attributed to his intercession; and, finally, we await the possible issuance of a decree of virtue that will make possible the use of the title “Venerable Servant of God.”
The only thing left for us to do to promote the cause is to imitate Father McGivney’s example of holiness and virtue.
Dominican Father Gabriel B. O’Donnell is director of the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild and postulator of Father McGivney’s cause for canonization.
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