Turning Friends into Brothers

Turning Friends into Brothers. . , Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy., Judged by its churches, Connecticut seemed to be a state stricken by devastating war. Churches were practically without men. The Civil War, the high mortality rate of Catholics living in poor neighborhoods, and the popularity of anti-religious secret societies contributed to the shortage of men in the pews. Catholic men remained without any spiritual support, which was ruining their health and families. Father McGivney’s response was a new way of engaging them. He made the parish a center of religious life and development for everyone. The men found new friends there , a “band of brothers” who helped them remain faithful.

“Father McGivney’s influence over men was something extraordinary. Young men particularly were attracted to him and hung upon his words with an eagerness which he himself often wondered at; hundreds petitioned for the light of his counseling and sent others too, to share his advice.” , Father Joseph Doley

Eventually, at the invitation of McGivney the Catholic “young go-ahead men of New Haven” met in the basement of Saint Mary’s Church on Oct. 2, 1881. These were the catacombs where the new chapter of the history of the Catholic Church and global civil society was opened.

Their primary purpose was “to prevent people from entering Secret Societies, by offering the same, if not better, advantages to our members. Secondly, to unite the men of our Faith throughout the diocese of Hartford, that we may thereby gain strength to aid each other in time of sickness; to provide for decent burial, and to render pecuniary assistance to the families of deceased members.” , Father Michael McGivney, letter to Connecticut parish priests, April 1882

The widow and orphan are helped from their hand , At the husband and father’s demise. , They are true to their faith, too, , by which they will stand , Till death knocks at each of their doors , The poem written by a Knights of Columbus wife, 1888 , "The _____ of the K. of C." Connecticut Catholic, Feb. 11, 1888,, p.5, The Knights of Columbus was McGivney’s lasting accomplishment. And he was still in his 20s when he founded this fraternal association of Catholic men. In this “purely original organization,” he managed to combine elements that were seemingly contradictory, but which brought about vitality of movement. It was established by a priest but run by laymen. It was a combination of insurance endeavor, charity and a faith-based fraternal organization. It was focused on the Catholic men to provide mutual help to support widows and orphans. It was formed by the Irish Americans who took as their hero an Italian, Christopher Columbus to show their fidelity to America. It addressed men’s needs in Connecticut, but it spread all over the world. In many ways, it fulfilled the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching before it was even formulated., Through this spiritual genius of Father McGivney, the Knights of Columbus became the way for Catholic men to transform strangers into friends, and friends into brothers , brothers who care for their families and for one another. Brothers who are men of charity, unity and fraternity.