In his 13 years of priestly ministry, until his untimely death in 1890, Father Michael McGivney left a lasting impact on the Connecticut parishes where he served. Since he founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882, the spiritual legacy of this humble parish priest has expanded across the globe — from throughout North America to the Philippines and South Korea, to parts of Europe.
Five years after his beatification on Oct. 31, 2020, schools, residences and works of art erected around the world bear witness to how Father McGivney continues to inspire love of neighbor across continents.
The towns and parishes in Connecticut where he lived and ministered have become cherished places of pilgrimage and prayer — including St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, where he founded the Order and is now buried. Ahead of the beatification anniversary, Knights from several international jurisdictions shared how making pilgrimages in Blessed Michael McGivney’s footsteps has impacted their spirituality as men of faith and action.
MEXICO: A VISION THAT INSPIRES
While participating in a Cor training in New Haven with delegates from all five of Mexico’s jurisdictions in September 2024, State Deputy René Sansores of Mexico South visited St. Mary’s Church, where he experienced a moment of unexpected grace.
“At Mass, I was invited to make a petition in Spanish during the prayer of the faithful — at the very altar where Father McGivney once celebrated holy Mass,” he said. “That moment profoundly marked my life as a Knight of Columbus and strengthened my commitment to inspire more hearts through the example of Blessed Michael McGivney.”
Sansores believes McGivney’s example of perseverance is critically important for Knights in his country. “In Mexico, we are living through very difficult times, particularly for the poor and the young,” he said. “Had Father McGivney, in his time, given up in the face of adversity, the Order itself would not exist.”
Father Cyriaque Mounkoro, chaplain of Santísima Trinidad Council 18633 in Querétaro and past state chaplain of Mexico Central, visited St. Mary’s Church in New Haven and St. Thomas Church in Thomaston — parishes where Father McGivney served as pastor — during the State Chaplains Meeting last June. The experience fortified him as a priest and chaplain, he said.
“Through their devotion to Blessed Michael McGivney, the Knights offer men the opportunity to reconnect with God in their daily lives,” said Father Mounkoro, noting that his council organizes Eucharistic adoration, weekly Cor meetings and other opportunities for communal prayer. “There is a visible conversion taking place in the lives of many Knights, men and parishioners as a result of their devotion to Blessed Michael McGivney.”
Such devotion, according to Father Mounkoro, is what inspires members of Council 18633 to put their faith into action through weekly visits to addiction treatment centers, providing support and sharing their faith.
“Father McGivney did not confine himself to the sacristy or rectory,” Father Mounkoro said. “The needs of his people took him far from the church doors as he listened to suffering families.”
POLAND: ‘THIS IS NO BOOK CHARACTER’
In February 2025, a delegation of Knights from Poland traveled to Connecticut after attending the Feb. 22 celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Fourth Degree at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Several Polish Knights received the Patriotic Degree during the inaugural presentation of a newly revised exemplification.
The pilgrimage route through Connecticut included places where Father McGivney lived and served during his lifetime, including locations in New Haven, Thomaston and Terryville.
“This is no book character we are dealing with; it felt like we had truly encountered Father McGivney,” said State Secretary Jacek Pisz. “Perhaps not physically, but spiritually, through simply being in those places, meeting people whose ancestors worked with Father McGivney or who lived with him.”
Beginning in Waterbury, where Father McGivney was born in 1852, the group also visited Terryville and Thomaston, where he served as pastor after his first assignment at St. Mary’s. Everywhere the Knights stopped, local residents were eager to share their pride in Father McGivney’s legacy.
“You could see that these people keep his memory alive and are proud that such a priest was once among them,” recalled Pisz. “Through encountering this history, we’ve come to see how important Father McGivney’s legacy is for us as well.”
In Thomaston, the group learned about Father McGivney’s humility in accepting a new pastoral assignment in that town only two years after founding the Knights of Columbus in New Haven. “He simply entrusted the future of the Order to God and moved on when asked to,” said Pisz. “This spirit of obedience and service is at the heart of our mission.
During a previous pilgrimage to Connecticut with 21 Polish Knights in April 2024, Father Krystian Wilczyński, chaplain of St. Sister Faustina Council 17906 in Gdańsk, also gained fresh insight into Father McGvney’s mission.
“Before he acted,” Father Wilczyński observed, “our Blessed Founder engaged in spiritual discernment, and he often made decisions after consulting with parishioners.”
SOUTH KOREA: CALLED TO INTEGRATE FAITH AND ACTION
Following the 142nd Supreme Convention in Quebec City in August 2024, a delegation of Knights from the Republic of Korea took the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to New Haven.
Territorial Deputy Maj. Gen. Shin Kyoung-soo, who led the delegation, said devotion to Blessed Michael McGivney is deeply woven into the spiritual life of Korean Knights.
“His beatification in 2020 strengthened our resolve to follow his example of selfless service and pastoral care for those in need,” Shin said.
Visiting Father McGivney’s tomb in New Haven deepened this connection. “Kneeling in prayer before his resting place, I felt as if he were still guiding us in our mission,” said Shin. “Praying in the same place where he ministered filled me with awe at his courage, faith and vision.”
For Korean Knights, Blessed Michael McGivney’s example has a special dimension, Shin continued. “As former military officers, businessmen and professionals, many Korean Knights see his advocacy for the vulnerable as a call to integrate faith into their daily lives and to stand for love and justice,” he said.
UKRAINE: ‘A SIGN OF HIS SPECIAL BLESSING’
Mykola Mostovyak was officially installed as state deputy of Ukraine at the conclusion of Mass at St. Mary’s Church on June 7, 2024. The Mass, marking the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, took place during the annual Organizational Meeting of State Deputies.
“It was a powerful moment, being installed as a state deputy in this historic place,” he said. “The medal of office that I received during the ceremony had been placed on Father McGivney’s tomb beforehand, which I took as a sign of his special blessing.”
Reflecting further on the occasion, Mostovyak highlighted the breadth of Knights’ brotherhood across the world, but also the importance of devotion to Father McGivney in Ukraine.
“Since September, we have been greatly blessed by the presence of relics of Blessed Michael McGivney touring throughout our councils,” he said, adding that Father McGivney was a “zealous priest who was ahead of his time.”
FRANCE: ‘A TRUE BROTHER IN THE PRIESTHOOD’
Father Pierre Amar, state chaplain of France, developed a deep spiritual bond with Blessed Michael McGivney through translating his biography, Parish Priest, into French. A pilgrimage to Connecticut in February further strengthened this affinity, as Father Amar explored Father McGivney’s legacy and prayed at his grave.
“I have come closer to his person, his temperament and his priestly style,” said Father Amar. “Michael McGivney is no longer just the subject of a biography. No, he has become a true brother in the priesthood.”
Father Amar acknowledged how Blessed Michael McGivney knew the hearts of men and responded to their deepest needs — both human and spiritual.
“The first, very chivalrous need is to protect their families — wives and children — in order to assume the responsibility of head of a domestic church,” he observed. “The second need is to serve their parish — by being close to the priest and making themselves useful. The third need is to contribute to the evangelization of society through the pooling of goods and talents, embracing a healthy and authentically Christian patriotism.”
These pillars — strengthening the domestic Church, parish service, and evangelization — continue to guide the Knights of Columbus to this day, Father Amar said. Father McGivney’s priesthood was rooted in bringing Christ to the world, hearing confessions, and ministering to all — even the most distant, he said.
“He remained attached to the fundamentals of the priesthood, which is to bring Jesus to the world in the fruitfulness of celibacy,” added Father Amar, further noting that all Knights share a distinctive bond of fraternity. “We understand each other. We are more than friends; we are brothers!”