Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena
Contents
Show HideBlessed Michael J. McGivney was a priest who lived in the 1800s. He is well-known as the founder of the Knights of Columbus. He was also responsible for helping the Catholic Church in America grow during the 1800s.
Pope Francis announced in May 2020 that Blessed Michael J. McGivney will be beatified soon. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy priest in your life!
About Fr. Michael J. McGivney
Blessed Michael J. McGivney was born in 1852, in Connecticut. His parents were immigrants from Ireland, and his father worked in a brass mill. Michael had twelve younger siblings, but six of them died when they were very young.
As a child, Michael attended the local school in Waterbury, Connecticut. When he was thirteen years old, he left school to work in a brass mill as a spoon-maker, in order to help support his family.
When Michael was sixteen years old, he decided to pursue the priesthood. He quit his factory job and traveled to Quebec, Canada. Here, he began studies at the College of St. Hyacinthe in preparation for entrance to the seminary.
Then, Michael attended Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Niagara Falls, New York. After two years of study here, he moved to Montreal to attend the Jesuit seminary at St. Mary’s College.
In 1873, Michael’s father died. Michael had to postpone his studies and move home, in order to help raise his siblings. But he soon resumed his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore.
In 1877, Michael was ordained to the priesthood. He began his ministry as the curate of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven on Christmas Day. Those he served were mostly Irish immigrants.
Father’s McGivney’s ministry included instituting religious education classes for youth, as well as visiting inmates in jail. One prisoner whom he visited daily was a young Irishman who had killed a police officer while drunk. This man was sentenced to death, and Father McGivney was distraught on the day of execution. But the man told him that he now felt ready to face death, thanks to Father McGivney’s ministry to him.
In 1881, Father McGivney began to consider the formation of a lay fraternal society for Catholic men. He began to explore the idea that such an organization could both provide for the strengthening of its members’ Faith-lives and help provide for the financial needs of families facing hardship over the loss of their wage-earner.
After receiving approval for his idea from his bishop, Father McGivney sought as much information as he could about similar societies that already existed.
In 1882, Father McGivney established the Knights of Columbus. He continued working tirelessly in service to this society and to his parish for many years.
In 1890, when he was only 38 year old, Father McGivney died of pneumonia.
Father McGivney’s cause for canonization was opened in 1996 by the Archdiocese of Hartford. He was declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Pope Francis announced that Father McGivney has been approved for beatification.
Blessed Michael J. McGivney’s Feast Day: August 13th
Why Pray the Fr. Michael J. McGivney Novena?
There is not yet an official patronage for Blessed Michael J. McGivney. But you can seek his intercession in many circumstances.
You can ask Blessed Michael J. McGivney to pray for you if you are a Knight of Columbus, since he founded the Knights of Columbus. You can also ask him to pray for a Knight of Columbus whom you know, or for a particular chapter of the Knights of Columbus.
Additionally, you can seek Blessed Michael J. McGivney’s intercession if you are suffering emotionally and financially from the loss of a family member, since his family’s sufferings after his father’s death had a great impact on him.
You can pray the Blessed Michael J. McGivney Novena for any intention!
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena Prayers
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed throughout his life, beginning from the time of his Catholic upbringing.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you began on the path to holiness early in life. You were raised by Catholic parents, and you set out to serve God as a young man.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Your family life had a great influence upon you for the rest of your life. When your father died, you saw the need for organizations to help families in need like yours was.
Pray for me, that I may seek to serve God as faithfully as you did. Pray that I may grow in holiness each day, as He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael J. McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed throughout the sufferings he endured when his father died.
Fr. Micahel McGivney, the death of your father greatly influenced your life. You were forced to postpone your studies in the seminary, in order to help support your family. But you persevered in seeking to serve God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
Through your sufferings over the death of your father, you realized that there was a need for an organization that could assist families in such situations. You devoted the rest of your life to doing what you could to meet this need.
Pray for me, that I may seek to serve God through assisting those in need. Pray that I may never weary of doing God’s will in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in opening himself up to Your will for his life.
Fr. Michael McGivney, your life was marked with a constant willingness to serve God through meeting the immediate needs of those around you. You quit school on two different occasions to assist your family financially, and you continued seeking to do God’s will.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You worked tirelessly as a pastor for many years. When God called you to establish a fraternal society, you eagerly answered this call.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my openness to God’s will in my life. Pray that I may always seek to serve God to the best of my ability.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in choosing to serve You as a priest.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you set out on the path to the priesthood as a young man. Though you had to postpone your studies for the priesthood when your father died, you faithfully continued to pursue your vocation.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God with such faithfulness!
You were ordained to the priesthood when you were still a young man. Then, you spent the rest of your life carrying out the duties of your vocation faithfully.
Pray for me, that I may faithfully live out my vocation each day. Pray that I may never waver in seeking to carry out God’s will for my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his years of faithful service as a priest.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you chose to become a priest as a young man. You continued to pursue your priestly vocation, despite many setbacks and difficulties.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
As a priest, you worked hard to serve your parishioners for many years. You also devoted yourself to establishing a fraternal society that would benefit many people and would continue on in the Church to this day.
Pray for me, that I may be as faithful to my vocation as you were. Pray that I may never cease seeking to serve God to the best of my ability.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his concern and care for the poor.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you grew up in a working class family and experienced a measure of poverty from the time you were young. As you grew older, you saw that you were being called to serve God by seeking to meet the needs of the poor.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
As a priest, you ministered to many poor Irish immigrants. When you created the Knights of Columbus, you kept in mind the needs of poor families who suffer from the death of a wage-earner.
Pray for me, that I may always be conscious of the needs of my poor brothers and sisters. Pray that I may be eager to serve God through service to others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his constant service towards those in need.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you eagerly began serving your poor immigrant parishioners after you became a priest. You sought to serve God through spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so devotedly!
You instructed youth in the Faith, ministered to prisoners, and looked for a way to meet the needs of families who had lost their wage-earners. You poured yourself into this holy work out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may take every opportunity to serve those in need out of love for God. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to serve God through works of charity towards others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Fr. Michael McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in establishing the Knights of Columbus to help meet the spiritual and temporal needs of others.
Fr. Michael McGivney, you saw many things that were needed among your flock. Feeling called to attempt to meet these needs, you worked diligently to establish the Knights of Columbus.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You devoted yourself to establishing and strengthening the Knights of Columbus. You did all you could to answer God’s call in your life.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to respond to God’s call in my life. Pray that I may always be open to meeting the needs of others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Blessed Michael J. McGivney as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his life of service to Your Church.
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, you set out on the path of service to God’s Church as a young man. Despite the setbacks you experienced on the path to your vocation, you persevered in seeking to follow God’s call.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
As a priest, you saw the need for a fraternal society that could help provide for families in crisis. You worked diligently to meet this need and to faithfully serve God’s Church for the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may always serve God’s Church faithfully in my life. Pray that I may never waver in my desire to serve God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
Blessed Michael J. McGivney, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.