Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American ... (ISBN 0060776854)

Interesting Historical Study of Parish Priest:
Fr. Michael McGivney lived for a mere 38 years during the latter half of the nineteenth century, yet he left an indelible mark on American Catholicism through his founding of the Knights of Columbus. He is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church,but that is not the reason that Douglas Brinkley and Julie Finster chose to write about him. Instead, they chose McGivney as a study of what it meant to be a parish priest during the difficult years when anti-Catholic sentiment was rampant and the immigrant church was struggling to get a foothold in America. "Parish Priest" is a biography rooted in history. McGivney is the central character but the book also explores life for the immigrant Irish in New Haven, CT. It explores social issues and the development of "secret" fraternal organizations. It also examines the need for life insurance which was one of the reasons the "Knights of Columbus" was founded. "Parish Priest" also describes the hard life for priests of that era. Catholics were fighting for their place in American society. In order to earn others' respect, they had to be "above reproach - and the priests, in particular, had to be perfect. They weren't perfect, of course. But through the years they did not sully the ideal." Standards for entering the seminary were strict, the courses hard, and the candidate's personal character had to be outstanding. There were too few priests for too many parishioners. They were overworked and died young. "Parish Priest" studies the establishment of the "Knights of Columbus." While today it is a powerful organization of over 1.7 million men in several countries, it got off to a very rocky beginning. The first meeting was held October 2, 1881 with two stated aims for the organization. The primary object was "to prevent people from entering Secret Societies (which was frowned upon by the Church), 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." Twelve men formed the initial committee. On March 29, 1882, the state of Connecticut recognized the Knights of Columbus with a charter and three days later the first members were inducted. All was not smooth sailing however as personalities clashed and recruitment slowed. It wasn't until 1883 when the second council formed in Meriden that the organization really began to blossom. One of the most interesting things in reading "Parish Priest" is how many issues that existed over 100 years ago are still with us today. While the government umbrella is definitely better, the issues of poverty, men deserting their families, and the struggle to integrate faith and secular life still exist. In addition, the way McGivney was able to change how the priesthood functioned in order to meet the needs of a new time is inspiring. The Church, throughout the centuries, has had to meet the needs of its people in different ways depending on what the world required. The same holds true today as the Church reaches out to people through modern technology. Fr. Michael McGivney was ultimately a "Parish Priest." That was all he desired to be. His creation of the "Knights of Columbus" was a way to help his parishioners and others like him. He cared deeply about the people under his spiritual care. He serves as a role model for all priests. The book "Parish Priest" is interesting reading, providing a window into American Catholic social history in the late 1800s as well as being an inspiring tale of a priest.

A moving biography . . .:
. . . of someone who may well become the first American priest to be canonized. The Venerable Servant of God, Fr. Michael McGivney, was the founder of the Catholic men's fraternal organization known as the Knights of Columbus. During a time when Catholics, especially ethnic Catholics were undergoing persecution and discrimination, it was extremely difficult for a young Catholic family to survive if the family breadwinner was disabled or killed (an all too common fate suffered by blue-collar laborers of the time.) "Parish Priest" shows how one man addressed this issue by forming a men's benevolent society which has grown into the largest Catholic men's fraternal organization in the world (1.7 million members). In his short life (Fr. McGivney died just days following his 38th birthday) accomplished much as a priest, and as a mentor to young men. This brief biography gives a good look, not only at the life and ministry of Fr. McGivney, but also provides a "snap-shot" of what life was like as an ethnic Catholic during the second half of the 19th century. Highly recommended. David Zampino Proud Knight of Columbus

A Role Model for the Ages:
I have long been familiar with and a fan of Douglas Brinkley's work and this wonderful biography of Father Michael McGivney was certainly up to the high standards that I have set in my mind for Mr. Brinkley's work. The work of Julie Fenster is also obvious to anyone who has read any of Mr. Brinkley's previous works because there is a slightly different tone here and it is a welcome tone. Mr. Brinkley is an excellent writer and historian and his books are top-notch works but they do tend to be a bit on the academic side and while there is nothing at all wrong with that it does tend to limit readership. This book for lack of a better word is just a bit more lively than some of the other biographies by Brinkley and it makes this book such an enjoyable read that I really hated to finish it. Father McGivney was the kind of Priest that all Priests and everyone else for that matter should use as a role model. He was someone who worked tirelessly for his flock and for the community and he proved himself more than willing to put himself on the line for his Parishioners. Despite the busy schedule that he kept however Father McGivney also took the time to look around him and see the everyday problems that the people were facing and he was heartbroken by the sorrow and suffering that he saw. Unlike so many of the rest of us though Father McGivney tried to do something about the problems that he saw and millions of Catholics have benefited from his work. The first problem that the good Father took on was alcoholism, which was rampant in his Parish and was destroying the lives of many men and causing great hardship for many families. A tireless worker for temperance he had some moderate success in that area but his legacy is of course the Knights of Columbus. During Father McGivney's time the death or serious injury of the family breadwinner, especially in Irish Catholic families could literally mean the end of the family. Widows with no income could not support the family and so the children were taken away and the family completely destroyed. After some thought Father McGivney came up with a plan to provide death benefits to widows and at the same time provide a fraternal organization for Catholic men. Thus was born the Knights of Columbus. This excellent book is a biography not only of Father McGivney but also of his time and place and provides an astonishing look at 19th century America. The research is outstanding and the story is told in an informative and also highly interesting way. With all of the recent scandal in the Church it is refreshing to find some information on a Priest who was exactly what a Priest ought to be. The truly sad thing is that the vast majority of Priests are just as tireless and caring as Father McGivney but a few bad apples have sullied their reputations. This book may go a long way toward correcting this terrible error.

personal opinion:
A very well written and informative biography of the founder of the Knights of Columbus. I would recommend it highly to members of the K of C.

Parish Priest:
A great biography of a great Catholic priest. He saw a need and acted on it creating a Order/company that has made many contirbutions to American history. A must read.