Beginning Oct. 23, join in praying this novena with Catholics around the country in preparation for the Oct. 31 beatification of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.
Day 1: Father McGivney, help us grow in faith!
Father Michael McGivney was motivated to help his people know the Catholic faith but also to live by it increasingly each day. He was an effective and clear preacher, applying the principles of faith to his sermons and making the Faith relevant to the lives of his flock. Father McGivney also was dedicated to teaching the Faith to young people in his parishes. His motivation was his great faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
Pray the Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 2: Father McGivney, motivate us to hope!
Father Michael McGivney’s desire for his parishioners was for them to become the saints God created them to be. The priest helped awaken a desire for holiness in the hearts of his people. Through his ministry, he nourished them with the sacraments and fortified them by preaching the Gospel. He was also motivated by the hope that he would one day share in God’s heavenly banquet. In word and deed, Father McGivney was a man who longed for deeper union with Christ.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 3: Father McGivney, show us how to love!
As a priest, Father Michael McGivney became acutely aware of the many difficulties and trials faced by his brothers and sisters in Christ. His compassionate heart was moved to action in response to what he saw. Ever-attentive to the needs of others, Father McGivney loved all with a father’s heart. His great charity inspired him to establish the Knights of Columbus as a fraternal society that financially assisted families during times of hardship.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 4: Father McGivney, inspire us to be generous!
Father Michael McGivney consistently put others first, especially in his priestly ministry. Each day, he visited a man condemned to death. He stood up in a courtroom and pledged to serve as legal custodian for a young man facing separation from his family. When a pandemic struck, Father McGivney continued to minister to the sick, eventually contracting the virus himself. He died at the age of 38 and is remembered as a selfless, generous servant of Christ.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 5: Father McGivney, teach us how to persevere!
The road to priesthood was difficult for Father Michael McGivney. During the course of his study, he moved seminaries multiple times. When his father died, leaving him without necessary financial support, he returned home. He completed his seminary training in Baltimore only after his bishop decided to sponsor his studies, something unusual for the time. Despite these odds, Father McGivney was ordained a priest in 1877.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 6: Father McGivney, persuade us to be humble!
Father Michael McGivney accepted a variety of tasks to which few priests in his day would have agreed. For the youth of the parish, he served as director of their plays. To help the parish reduce its debt, he opened a coffee house. He rarely took time off and was joyously overextended. Father McGivney was unconcerned about the earthly dignities often associated with his office, and he had no ambitions beyond what the Lord was asking of him.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 7: Father McGivney, instruct us to be prudent!
When Father Michael McGivney was inspired to begin a Catholic men’s fraternity, which became known as the Knights of Columbus, he knew that he had to go about things the right way. He researched and investigated other similar groups thoroughly. He was a visionary who saw the need of an active, engaged laity, and a group to help foster that participation in the life of the Church. And he planned for it to live on long past his own life — a legacy that remains today.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 8: Father McGivney, galvanize our piety!
Father Michael McGivney was a holy priest. He was faithful in his life of prayer, devoted to the Blessed Mother and man of the Eucharist. Through the Knights of Columbus, Father McGivney desired to instill in Catholic men a spirit of piety, which would extend to their families and communities. He also knew that piety was not an end in itself but the means to an end — to live in such a way that we become saints.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 9: Father McGivney, intercede for us!
One of the requirements for beatification is that a miracle is attributed to the intercession of the individual in question. This miracle is vigorously investigated by Church authorities, even with the help of non-believers, before it is approved by the pope. We know that such a miracle has been attributed to Father McGivney’s intercession, and so we, as well, can turn to him with our needs. May we remember to seek his intercession in times of need.
Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney
God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic.