Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism

by Douglas Brinkley, Julie M. Fenster

"Father McGivney's vision remains as relevant as ever in the changed circumstances of today's church and society."—Pope John Paul II Is now the time for an American parish priest to be declared a Catholic saint? In Father Michael McGivney (1852-1890), born and raised in a Connecticut factory town, the modern era's ideal of the priesthood hit its zenith. The son of Irish immigrants, he was a man to whom "family values" represented more than mere rhetoric. And he left a legacy of hope still celebrated around the world. In the late 1800s, discrimination against American Catholics was widespread. Many Catholics struggled to find work and ended up in infernolike mills. An injury or the death of the wage earner would leave a family penniless. The grim threat of chronic homelessness and even starvation could fast become realities. Called to action in 1882 by his sympathy for these suffering people, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, an organization that has helped to save countless families from the indignity of destitution. From its uncertain beginnings, when Father McGivney was the only person willing to work toward its success, it has grown to an international membership of 1.7 million men. At heart, though, Father McGivney was never anything more than an American parish priest, and nothing less than that, either—beloved by children, trusted by young adults, and regarded as a "positive saint" by the elderly in his New Haven parish. In an incredible work of academic research, Douglas Brinkley (The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc, Tour of Duty) and Julie M. Fenster (Race of the Century, Ether Day) re-create the life of Father McGivney, a fiercely dynamic yet tenderhearted man. Though he was only thirty-eight when he died, Father McGivney has never been forgotten. He remains a true "people's priest," a genuinely holy man—and perhaps the most beloved parish priest in U.S. history. Moving and inspirational, Parish Priest chronicles the process of canonization that may well make Father McGivney the first American-born parish priest to be declared a saint by the Vatican.

Genres: Biography, Catholic, History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him “America’s new past master.” His most recent books are The Quiet World, The Wilderness Warrior, and The Great Deluge. Six of his books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the latter part of the 1800s, an anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant attitude prevailed in America. In the midst of this setting in Connecticut was a young, caring Catholic priest. His concern for widows and orphans led him to form a fraternal organization of Catholic men to aid widows and orphans. This is the story of Father McGivney's short life and the beginning of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic organization today. Father McGivney is undergoing the path to be declared a saint. In this day and age of wayward religious, it is good to read about a priest or other religious from any faith who tried to walk in Christ's footsteps.

[Thadeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of laying out the life of a parish priest in America. It also gives a lot of great information about the founding of the Knights of Columbus which is a Catholic fraternal order focused on charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism that supports church and family.

Highly recommended.

[Derek Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“His life, however, was not described by great occasions or grand gestures. His was the humility of moments, and the power beheld in the lightest of touches” (202). These lines at the end of this great book describe the life of Father Michael McGivney but may make some wonder why there is a biography of him. McGivney is the founder of the Knights of Columbus, a group for men in the Catholic Church which today numbers nearly 2 million men. But the authors don’t focus so much on that aspect as they use McGivney as an example of American Catholicism in the 19th century. More importantly, they give us insight in the role of the parish priest.

They bring alive the Connecticut atmosphere and connect it with the overall status of priests at the time to give a sense of what life would be like for these servants of God. While it makes no claims to be an overview of all American Catholicism during that time period, the book shows what it was like in the established East Coast and, surprisingly, recognizes the demands that parish priests face today.

McGivney becomes a priest after some of the more violent actions toward Catholics have subsided in the U.S., but prejudice against him because of his faith is something he shares with all his parishioners. In addition, we see how the Irish Catholics supplement the shortage of priests by importing priests from their homeland. McGivney is American born and goes through an educational process similar to today when a diocese directs their future priests to certain seminaries. It is this mix of Irish priests trying to connect with a more diverse parish that pushes McGivney from a quiet priest to one determined to meet people where they live. Before this priests were expected to spend most of their time on church grounds, but McGivney and others realize they need to reach out to people.

Right out of seminary he is put into a church with an ailing head priest and a mountain of debt, which he works at reducing but will never fully succeed at doing. The ailing priest is not an old priest, just another worn-out priest. The authors note that over a 12-year span the Hartford diocese had 83 priests. During the same time, 70 priests died, creating an 85% turnover rate. Why? While priests were exposed to more disease than most, they were also greatly overworked and had little, if any, time off. The authors note that most priests knew they would not live to be 50 years old, but to be fair we have to realize the average lifespan at that time was around 42 years. McGivney had just turned 38 when he died. Yet in the midst of all that, McGivney started yet another project with the Knights of Columbus.

Men’s groups were very popular during this time and many of them contributed funds in an early version of life insurance for widows and children. McGivney saw that many Catholic men were becoming more involved in these groups than the church, so he created the Knights as a way to offer a group that followed Catholic teaching yet created the same benefits for its members. In this, he was more successful than he would ever realize. Here I would like the authors to spend more time on this history because what is presented is so negative it is a surprise the Knights survived. Clearly, we are missing something.

There is now an official process underway for McGivney to be considered for sainthood. Since the book was published in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI declared McGivney “Venerable” in 2008. Catholics may now seek his intercession in prayers and if a miracle is attributed to him, he moves on to be called “Blessed.” This can be a long process, but if it occurs he would be the first American-born parish priest to be canonized.

Whether he is canonized or not (and the book takes no stand on that) McGivney is a priest worth reading about and this book is an excellent look into his life and American Catholicism in the late 19th century. If you are interested, you can visit the Knights of Columbus site to learn more about the group McGivney founded.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's remarkable that today we seem to think the only way someone can be discriminated against is by the color of their skin. As a Franco-American raised Catholic, I've long been interested in its other forms. Part of the history behind this diverging avenue can be found among the many and well-publicized Irish immigrants who came to America in the 1800s, who were also by and large Catholics. This book explores perhaps the most famous continuing legacy of those times (other than the presidency of JFK), the Knights of Columbus, and the man who founded them, Father Michael McGivney.

It's not the subject matter I'm rating low, by any means. It's the fact that Douglas Brinkley and Julie Fenster seem to have taken for granted that their subject matter would probably not attract an audience far beyond Catholics or Knights. Their depth of insight into the times is acceptable, but in trying to tell McGivney's story with an apparent scant personal record (despite referencing a 700 page document of his activities), they generalize just about every topic they touch. The impression is that they stretch an article into a book.

Personally, I find this kind of history lacking. If you have to spend time filling in blanks with background material from other sources, leave your conjecture to its proper place, limited to introduction and epilogue. And if you find conclusions that can easily be drawn from the material, which can be found throughout this book but never hazarded, then make them.

It's a good book, all considered, for shedding light on a particular aspect of Catholic history, and perhaps later someone will come along and truly do the subject justice. This was the first McGivney biography. It proves there's fruitful material. It also proves that timidity is probably not something that ought to be associated with this man.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written account of the life of Father Michael McGivney using limited documentation. The bio information was sparse and the authors filled in with the history of the Catholic Church in Connecticut and New England in general. The founding of the Knights of Columbus was covered well as it is essential to the ongoing legacy of the life of Father McGivney. If you have an expectation of a full biography you will be disappointed. If you temper your expectations to a more general coverage of Father McGivney and Catholicism in Connecticut, you will be pleased.
A bit more on the expansion of the Knights of Columbus and Father McGivney's shadow role would have been welcome, although with limited documentation to validate it, it would have been conjecture.

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a biography of a man I had never heard of before, Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. As the son of a Lutheran minister, I find myself sympathetic to finding out about the lives of people who choose the ministry as an occupation. Using mainly newspaper articles, the authors recreate the life of this parish priest from Connecticut until his death in 1890 at the age of 38. I found their discussion on Catholicism's place in the America of the late 1800s to be very interesting, as well the retelling of Father McGivney's life story. His involvement in founding the Knights of Columbus meant very little to me, but the book gives a good sense of this good and kind man and the times in which he lived.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. Author used some vocabulary that was hard to understand and I had to look up to know what he was saying - it could have been said in simpler words to make reading more accessible to everyone. I have a master's degree and read hundreds of books each year and still had to find out what some words meant.

I was interested in the story because I am Catholic and I work at an organization that was started by the Knights of Columbus so I wanted to know more about their founder, Fr. McGivney

[J.A.R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Michael McGivney was a revolutionary priest. Douglas Brinkley wrote an excellent biography and it was a pleasure to read. The book was quick read, and I enjoyed every section. I was astounded by the work of the Irish Catholics and their contribution to American Catholicism in the 1850s. If you are Irish and Catholic, I think you would be surprised of how much of a legacy your history has in America. Overall, I rank the book 4 out of 5 and it should take a great reader about 4 days to ready it.

[AJ Fifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care for non-fiction books often but as a Knights of Columbus I felt compelled to read a book about our founder. Like the story of the saints this book tells of the man the literally worked himself to death. He exemplified strong Catholic values, which lives on in the order he founded. Overall I find myself rereading this book yearly to remember the lessons Fr. McGivney thought throughout his life and for which his order of the Knights of Columbus still stand for today.

[Matthew Picchietti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. I read this because Douglas Brinkley decided that it was a subject worth writing about. As a lapsed Catholic with a healthy dose of appropriate skepticism at most things religiously dogmatic, I like stories about people that seemed to have done it right. McGivney was a true servant. He cared about the souls of those in his congregation, but more importantly, he cared about their mortal lives and livelihoods. This is what made him special. The Knights of Columbus resulted.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of Father McGivney greatly increased my respect for parish priests. He also displayed excellent diplomatic skills while founding the Knights of Columbus, which I never realized was a Catholic alternative to other fraternal organizations. I definitely learned a lot for only a few hundred pages!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this is a page turner. At a time in my life when it is like pulling teeth to make progress on the latest book, I finished this book in less than two days. It is inspiring. It is motivating. It is beautiful. Everybody must read this book. Father McGivney will be recognized as the Saint that he is, without a doubt!

[Patrick Macke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to find out that being a "parish priest" in the mid-nineteenth century was a virtual guarantee of a shortened lifespan; these men literally worked themselves to death ... Father McGivney represents everything good and holy about the Catholic church and it's an uplifting story

[John Teske · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history of the KCs and Fr Michael McGivney.

I was unaware of the influences and environment under which the KCs were founded.

Glad to have read it - will be passing this book along to my parish priest!

[Bill Weisensel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Interesting and inspiring.

[dignsnowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read about the founder of the Knights of Columbus.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice book about an inspiring man

[Gerry Dincher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the biographical parts of the story. I feel like the authors go into too much detail about the formation of the Knights of Columbus.

[Helen Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was about a good man!

[Lee Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of Blessed Father McGivney and the foundation of the Knights of Columbus. Not too detailed nor a lot of research in the footnotes. Good background.

[Casan Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent. By the end of it, I was a little disillusioned with the Knights. Hopefully, that will change. Seems like a fun group to be a part of

[Joseph Tuttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, except that it didn't really discuss the spiritual life of Fr. McGivney and it seemed to follow the people around him more than the man himself.

[Ramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my books reviews will have this disclaimer. Most of the books in my library are audiobooks. I prefer audiobooks especially on long trips. I feel that if the book is that bad at least my time was not a complete waste. With that said I liked this book. The turn of the Century was trying for many Priest. The Parish Priest life Expectancy was less than 50 years old. During that time the cities had inadequate welfare for the poor. During that time many secret societies began to spring up which pulled many men away from families and had secret rituals. Father used his Social awareness and his willingness to bring men together to form a Faternal organization which could provide Insurance in the case of Death or illness but also an alternative to the secret society and encouraged men to be good Fathers and have good family values. The other secret societies left out politics and religion but Fr McGivney wanted men to have Catholicism in every part of their lives. It was a great book about a great man. He was a simple Priest but he touched many lives. I knew some Fr McGivney's growing up. Fr. Roderick from the Netherlands who started SQPN, Mother Angelica who started EWTN, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Fr. Damien who worked with the Lepers in Hawaii.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough, from the standpoint of learning a bit about the man who was responsible for founding the Knights of Columbus, but only moderately informative of the latter part of the title: American Catholocism.

I would not call this a stellar piece of writing, though perhaps the authors did the best they could with what information they had available. I was expecting a bit more from Douglas Brinkley, author of The Boys of Pointe du Hoc.

As with any biography, there is some value in the included bits of historical context.

But anything longer than the 200 pages of this book would scarcely have been worth the time spent in reading.

[Russ Louch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parish Priest is a fascinating look into the life of Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney, best known as the founder of the Knights of Columbus, as well as the broader story of the Catholic Church in the United States.

As a relatively new Knight, I found the portrait of Father McGivney, and the story of how he came to found and guide the Order, to be of great interest. The book is very well researched, with the authors providing copius endnotes. They also do an outstanding job of weaving his story into the broader theme of American Catholicism, providing historical details and context that I was previously unaware of, even growing up as I did in a Catholic home.

[Nitrorockets · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend that you read this if you are Catholic or are interested in social work. His social ideas have saved the lives of many Catholics in this country, as well as in others. Learning about this fraternal society and how it began will certainly amaze you. To think that the Knights of Columbus started out as a small organization serving the needs of one small Connecticut Parrish to one day became this multinational organization that has provided assistance to millions is remarkable. We all can learn from the compassion and determination of this man, Catholic or not.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book so much more than I expected to. Fr. McGivney is just the sort of priest we all want in our parishes. Hopefully, my immigrant ancestors were administered to by such a wonderful priest. His admirable efforts and focus on the needs of his flock were inspiring. I loved the insight into the late 19th century and, particularly, my new understanding of the origins of the Knights of Columbus and other such societies. Before the govt stepped up to social services, the local parish was the only resource for widows and orphans.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an Irish Catholic living in New Haven, CT - and I work with immigrants. I must be the target audience for this book, a biography of Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney, son of Irish immigrants and founder of the Knights of Columbus.

The book wants to share the story of McGivney's life, and especially his career as (you guessed it) a parish priest, and the authors acquit themselves in a workmanlike way. Occasional attempts at humor fell rather flat, but I believe they achieved their purpose: I learned a lot about McGivney's life and about the Church in my very own city about 150 years ago.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book interesting from an historical perspective, but boring to read. I did learn quite a bit about the growth of Catholicism in Connecticut, but not necessarily about American Catholicism or the Knights of Columbus. It might have helped if the author had given some background information about the current organization. He made too many assumptions about the reader's background knowledge. Last, but not least, I just expected a more scholarly book from a college professor.

[Fr. Peter Calabrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a catholic Priest, founder of the Knights of Columbus. Book great for anyone who wants to know about not only the Knights but what it was like to be a Catholic and a priest in the 19th Century. Good read for high school students and older on up. Knights will love it to learn of the beginnings of the Order. Knight Chaplains will find in him the model that the Knights see for their chaplains. The stories conveyed have great relevance for today.