Two Homes

Two Homes. . , Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven., Michael had two homes: one where he was born on Aug. 12, 1852, and another one where he was baptized one week later., His parents, Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney, had left Ireland struck by social unrest and the Great Hunger, which claimed more than 1 million lives and forced another million people to flee their homeland. They met on American soil, in Waterbury, one of the industrial centres of Connecticut, and eventually found their heaven in a cozy house on the Naugatuck River's west bank., "It was a romantic spot, ...beneath the shade of the dense foliage that surrounded the cottage, where the music of the river, the song of myriads of wild birds and an occasional shriek from a locomotive were the only things that broke the stillness of their rural home." , "K. of C. Memorial Day," Waterbury Democrot, June 9, 1900, That was the music to which their first child was born., The McGivneys were a close-knit, hardworking family with their Catholic faith at the center of daily existence and their social life integrated with the activities of the parish., In 1851, Patrick and Mary got married at Saint Peter's Church in Waterbury and the following year brought their newborn son, Michael Joseph, to be baptized. The McGivneys were a close-knit, hardworking family with their Catholic faith at the center of daily existence. Social life integrated with the activities of the parish. When he turned six, Michael attended school in the basement of Saint Peter's. Church became his second home. These were laborious, devout and carefree years., (image captions) , , House in Waterbury where Michael McGivney was raised / Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives , , Saint Peter's Church / Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives , , Michael McGivney's (first from the left) graduation / Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives