Pope Francis explained the importance of the specific Commission on the Martyrs: “Martyrs in the Church are witnesses of hope that springs from faith in Christ and incites to true charity. Hope keeps alive the profound conviction that good is stronger than evil, because God, in Christ, has overcome sin and death.”

The Pontiff ponders the historical link between this new Commission and the work undertaken by a similar Commission in the context of the Great Jubilee of the Tear 2000: “The Commission will continue the search already initiated on the occasion of The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, to identify the Witnesses of the Faith in this first quarter of the century and continue it in the future.” In fact, Pope Francis recalls the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente of Saint John Paul II, where the latter wrote: “everything possible must be done not to lose the legacy of the cloud of “unknown soldiers of the great cause of God” (37). They were remembered on May 7, 2000 in an ecumenical celebration, which gathered in the Colosseum Representatives of Churches and Ecclesial Communities from around the world, to evoke, together with the Bishop of Rome, the richness of what I later called “ecumenism of blood.” And he adds: “In the coming Jubilee [of 2025, ndt] we will also unite in a celebration of this type.”

The Supreme Pontiff also clarifies that “This initiative  does not intend to establish new criteria for the canonical assessment of martyrdom, but continue with the initial highlighting of those who up to now, continue being killed for the sole fact of being Christians,” adding “It’s about continuing the historical recognition to collect the testimonies of life to the shedding of blood, of these sisters and brothers of ours , so that their memory is erected in a treasure that the Christian community treasures. “

However, there are novelties:

“The research will refer not only to the Catholic Church, but will be extended to all the Christian Confessions, including in our time, in which we witness a change of epoch, Christians continue showing, in contexts of great risk, the vitality of the Baptism that unites us. In fact, not few are those that, despite being aware of the dangers they run, manifest their faith or take part in the Sunday Eucharist. Others die in the effort to help in charity the life of the poor, for helping the rejected by society, for valuing and promoting the gift of peace and the power of forgiveness. Others are silent, individual or collective victims of the avatars of history. We have a great debt with all of them and we cannot forget them. The Commission’s works will make it possible to place, together with the martyrs officially recognized by the Church, the documented testimonies – and there are many – of these brothers and sisters of ours, in a vast panorama in which the unique voice of martyrdom of Christians resounds.”

The Commission of New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith, is made up of the following individuals: 

Prefect: Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints;

President: Monsignor Fabio Fabene, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints;

Vice-President: Professor Andrea Riccardi, Founder of Sant’Egidio Community;

Secretary: Monsignor Marco Gnavi, Parish Priest of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and former Secretary of the “New Martyrs” Commission of the Great Jubilee of the Year 200;

The Card. Semeraro at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Photo: Vatican Media

Members:

Fe. Dominique Arnauld, M. Afr;

Revd. Kikou Mawuena Ambroise Atakpa;

Sister Nadia Coppa, A,.S.C.;

Professor Gianni La Bella

Professor Maria Lupi;

Fr. Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, O.F.M. Conv.;

Deacon Didier Rance;

Revd. Roberto Regoli;

Revd. Angelo Romano;

Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal, S.J.

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As is known, in 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three little shepherds in Cova di Iria, Portugal: Lucia dos Santos, 10; Jacinta Marto, 7; and Francisco Marto, 9. Jacinta and Francisco died very young, and Lucia entered the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Coimbra. She resided there until her death. It was Lucia who certified the secrets revealed by the Virgin, including the third secret related to the attack on Saint John Paul II. 

Sister Lucia died in the odour of sanctity in 2005; she was 97. Benedict XVI dispensed the obligation to wait five years to begin her process of Beatification. Pope Francis canonized Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta in 2017. 

With the recognition of her heroic virtues, Sister Lucia now advances in her cause of Canonization, namely, with the public recognition of the holiness of the seer and Carmelite nun. 

The other Servants of God, whose martyrdom and heroic virtues were also recognized, are:  

• The martyrdom of the Servants of God Manuel González-Serna Rodríguez and his 19 companions, diocesan priests, seminarians, and lay men and women killed out of hatred for the faith in Spain in 1936.
•  The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, of the Salesian Society of Saint John Bosco, Archbishop of Fortaleza, born on February 11, 1886 in São João del Rei, Brazil, and died on August 14, 1974 in Carpina, Brazil.
• The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Antonio Pagani (in the world: Marco), professed priest of the Order of Minor Brothers, Founder of the Society of Resigned Sisters Daughters of Mary Immaculate, born in 1526 in Venice, Italy, and died on January 4, 1589 in Vicenza, Italy.
• The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Mary Lange (born: Elizabeth), Foundress of the Institute of Oblate Sisters of Divine Providence, born around 1794 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba and died on February 3, 1882 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 
• The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Ana Cantalupo (in the world: Pia), of the Society of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul; born September 3, 1888 in Naples, Italy, and died March 17, 1983 in  Catania, Italy. 

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Already on the first day of the conflict, the RSE said they had taken control of the Presidential Palace and of three airports, including that of Khartoum. Nevertheless, to date it cannot be said that they are winning. On the contrary, the fighting is spreading and, according to several of the media, it has already cost some 300 lives and more than 3,000 wounded. 

Kinga von Schierstaedt, Coordinator of Aid to the Church in Need’s projects in Africa, and responsible for the projects in Sudan, has talked about the situation in the country and the consequences of the conflict.

* * *

Question: What are your contacts saying about the situation in the capital? 

Answer: I’ve just talked by phone with a projects partner who is north of Khartoum, not far from a place where the Rapid Support Forces are entrenched. During the call I could hear shots in the background. My contact tells me that the streets are empty, as in a ghost city: cars aren’t circulating, no one can be seen and not a single voice is heard in the whole neighbourhood. People can’t leave their  homes or, rather, they don’t dare to do so. However, as no one was prepared for this, they haven’t stocked up on food, although it would not be of great help, as the electrical network has collapsed; hence, a fridge only works when they start a generator, for which they have only a bit of diesel fuel for a short time. But, worse than the lack of food is the lack of water. As there is no longer any running water, they have to go to a well , which in  reality is only used to water the garden and which must be boiled before being consumed. At present, during the day [the temperature] rises to over 40°C in the shade. 

Again and again military planes fly over the area to attack the entrenched RSF; hence they fear that, accidentally, the bombs will reach them also. 

Question: What are the objectives of the coup?

Answer: It is Hemedti’s attempt to bring down Al Burhan and, at the same time it is the explosion of the latent tension since the coup of October 2021. In that coup, both ousted the transition government established after the fall of dictator Omar al Bashir in April of 2019. 

Deep down it’s not about ideologies but about how and with whom to govern; about interests, power, wealth and the integration of the RSF. Hemedti considers that his RSF is crucial for the country’s security and he demands more power. 

The negotiations over the inclusion of this paramilitary group in the Army are a stumbling block between the two, and Al Burhan’s decision to transfer the RSF troops to different areas of the country — which Hemedti warned was an attempt to undermine his power — was the spark that caused the coup explosion.

However, there is another important motive. Sudan is the third producer of Africa’s gold, and Hemedti owns gold mines in the north of the country. Up to US$ 16 billion a year come out of there destined to the United Arab Emirates. Hemedti  has made gold his business; gold is his power and one of his interests. At the same time, the Army also owns a great quantity of properties and all sorts of businesses, and resists turning them over to a civil Government.

Question: Are the battles limited to the capital or does the threat exist that they will spark a civil war throughout the country? 

Answer: Apart from the capital, where at present the battles are more intense, there are also confrontations in Merowe, El Obeid and the Darfur area. Heavy fighting, street confrontations and shootings is going on in El Obeid. The Cathedral has also become a battlefield. Two large explosive devices fell on Thursday, April 20 in the church’s premises. One broke the stained glass windows into smithereens, and another the priests’ house. Thank God there were no human losses. 

The danger that the conflict will spread is always present because it is a power struggle and both sides are entrenched in their positions. I’ve talked with one of our project partners in Kosti, in the south of the country, on the border with South Sudan, where the situation is calm for the time being. 

Question: The Sudanese Catholic Church is very small, as close to 95% of the population is Muslim, but as it’s not about an ideological or religious conflict, all the citizens are equally affected. Believers, priests and religious can’t leave their houses. Sunday Mass has been cancelled and priests can’t celebrate daily Mass in the churches. The life of faith, in crisis areas, takes place only in homes. 

Question: What are the most foreseeable consequences? 

Answer: One of our project partners formulated it thus: “I have the sensation that the situation in Sudan is getting darker.” The country was already in a desperate economic situation, with enormous inflation and lack of liquidity. The conflict has made prices soar even more and people lack money. 

Question: Often these conflicts cause waves of displaced people. Are there already indications of something like this happening?

Answer: Many people are leaving the neighbourhoods of cities where there is shooting. Moreover, in some they don’t have electricity or the necessary water to survive, so they flee to the homes of relatives or acquaintances that live outside the city. We still don’t have news of large waves of displaced people or camps of the displaced but, undoubtedly, there is a flight from the cities. 

Question: Is there still a possibility to contain this conflict, and who could influence in this direction? 

Answer: At present, the positions of both sides are terribly obstinate. Our contacts say that neither side cedes or wins. There won’t be a quick end to the conflict. So we can only hope that common sense will prevail and, of course, pray. We must pray that a Government will come to power that seeks justice and peace. This is what all our contacts ask us, as they point out  that, for the time being, they cannot be helped with material aid. “The only thing that can give us strength now is to know that you support us in prayer,” they assured me.

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In the name of the Holy See, Nwachukwu, whom Pope Francis recently appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, focused on “the situation of many people and communities that suffer persecution because of their religious creed.”

“Peace also exacts universal recognition of religious freedom,” said the Prelate, quoting the Pope. “It is worrying that people are persecuted for the mere fact of professing their faith publicly, and that in many countries religious freedom is restricted. Close to one third of the world’s population lives in these conditions. “

Increase of Repression

Over the last years we have witnessed the recrudescence of repressive measures and abuses, including by National Authorities, against religious minorities in many countries of the world,” he added. “Often believers are denied the right to express and practice their faith, even when it does not endanger public security or violate the rights of other groups or individuals.”

Moreover, “the profanation and destruction of places of worship and religious sites, as well as violent attacks against religious leaders, have intensified recently and are ever more frequent.” On the other hand, though not less worrying, “is the condition of believers in some countries where, behind the façade of tolerance and inclusion, a more subtle and insidious discrimination is perpetrated,” said Monsignor Nwachukwu.

Subtle Discrimination and Censure

“In a growing number of countries , we witness the imposition of different forms of censure, which reduce the possibility to express one’s beliefs both publicly as well as politically, with the pretext of avoiding offending the sensibility of others,” he continued. 

“Thus, much space is lost for a healthy dialogue and also for public discourse. To the degree that this space diminishes, so does our capacity to express the fundamental right of religious freedom, as well as freedom of thought and conscience, which are also a prior indispensable requirement to attain peace and build a just society,” he concluded.

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(ZENIT News / Bordeaux-Toulouse, 27.02.2023).- Saint Thomas Aquinas’ relics left Toulouse for the first time since 1369 and were in Bordeaux from February 12-27, 2023. 

The temporary transfer of the relics of one of the most important Saints and intellectuals of the Catholic Church is taking place in the context of a triple Jubilee: the 700 years of his Canonization, the 750th anniversary of his death (in 2024) and the 800th anniversary of his birth (in 2025). Last January 23, in fact, Saint Thomas Aquinas’ cranium was placed in a new reliquary, which enables the public to see it. 

The new reliquary is a work of art given the many details of goldsmithing, carpentry, cabinet-making, sculpture and sewing. The transfer from the old container to the new reliquary was made in strict observance of the protocols that help to certify that it is, in fact, a relic of the Saint. Because, although the cranium is in France, the greater part of Saint Thomas’ body is in his homeland, Italy. To be noted is the fact that there is a place in Italy that claims it has his cranium, but Toulouse has older certificates and the Vatican’s support. 

As regards the triple Jubilee , Pope Francis has already granted, through the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Plenary Indulgence for the faithful that will venerate Saint Thomas’ relics. 

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******

“In [our previous Encyclical] We referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.”

Now what I just read to you were the opening lines of Quas Primas, the encyclical of Pope Pius XI in which he instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King, the solemnity we are celebrating today.

This was published in December of 1925. And although it is 95 years later, nothing much has changed. In fact, it easily could be argued that the world has become a lot worse. We are living in an era in which many people pay no attention to Christ nor to all the gifts that He has given us.

Out of love, our Blessed Lord has given us the means to be with Him in heaven when we die. He has given us the means to experience eternal happiness. He has even given us His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to take within our interior a reality that is beyond belief.

And yet, there are so many people in the world who drift along like spiritual corpses … never embracing the goodness … the love … and the Mercy which the King of the Universe freely offers us.

These people talk about God. They speak of heaven and hell but they don’t set a foot into a church on Sunday to worship God, which is His due.

I am in my late-60’s but I can easily observe that what Pope Pius XI said 95 years ago is absolutely true. For example, when I was in grade school I remember going to the homes of my friends. And even though the family was not Catholic I could sense their belief in God. Their faith life was palpable.

But I will tell you, my friends, except for our parish and a few other similar parishes, I don’t experience that feeling much anymore.

Many people in the world are falling away from Christ and this is readily being observed by those who conduct social research. For example, in one of their surveys, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that one-third of people who are raised Catholic lose their faith by the time they reach adulthood.

Just as a third of the angels fell from heaven when tested by God; it seems that a third of the Catholics in this country fall from the grace of baptism as well as confirmation, penance, Eucharist, and matrimony.

If Jesus is God then He is King by definition because He made all things and all things are subject to Him. All things belong to Him.

Even children can understand this.  And yet, Christ is no longer king for a staggering number of people in this nation who were brought into the Church as children. And we wonder how it could be that Our Lady of Fatima told the visionaries that in our age souls are falling to hell like snowflakes.

When Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King, he was responding to the increasing secularization that he saw going on in the world.

Now, there is one basic fact that we need to remember in our faith life. And this needs to be in the forefront of our thinking. And that fact is this:

No matter how successful the evil one is in leading souls astray, and no matter how dark people’s behavior and thinking can become, there always will be people who will give glory to God by what they say and do.

God may be ignored, mocked, and abandoned by wayward souls but He will never be overpowered by the efforts of the evil one. And a riveting proof of this comes during the reign of Pope Pius XI himself.

For while he was writing about how individuals and states were no longer submitting to the rule of Christ the King there were people in Mexico who were offering their lives in the name of Christ the King.

These were men and women who fought the Mexican government when it aggressively turned upon the Catholic Church during the mid-1920s.

During that time, the presidency of Mexico was governed by a succession of socialist, bitterly anti-Catholic thugs who tried to exterminate Catholicism.

The people responded civilly with petition campaigns. They also developed organizations with representatives who brought their concerns before the government. All the people wanted was their religious freedom but nothing worked.

The Mexican constitution of 1917 was explicit in the intent to squelch all public expression of Catholicism and to eliminate civil influence of the clergy.

• #3 of that constitution allowed only secular education in the schools.
• #5 banned monastic orders.
• #24 allowed worship only inside churches out of the sight of the public.
• #27 restricted the right of religious organizations to hold property.
• #130 deprived priests and nuns of basic rights making them second-class citizens.

Priests were forbidden to wear clerical attire and Nuns were forbidden to wear their habits.

Priests and nuns were not allowed to vote. They were not allowed to criticize government officials. And they were not allowed to comment on public affairs in religious periodicals.

Clearly, the government had a stranglehold on religious freedom and the Catholic faith in particular.

A formal rebellion against the government began on January 1^st, 1927 and over a 3 year period, 90,000 people were killed.

The people who fought for their religious freedom were called “Cristeros” … those of Christ.

Their battle cry was “Viva, Cristo Rey” –  long live Christ the King.

And many people died with these words on their lips.

Probably the most touching account was that of St. Jose Louis Sanchez del Rio. I have a picture of him in the sacristy if you want to see it after Mass.

St. Jose was 14 years old and was the flag bearer for the Cristeros.

Eventually, he was captured by the government and was tortured in order to make him renounce his allegiance to the faith.

Unable to shake him from his love for God, some government brute cut the bottoms of Jose’s feet and together with an execution squad made him walk through the town to the cemetery.

As they walked, they cut Jose with a machete and he bled from several wounds. He whimpered with pain but he did not give in.

Along the way, they said to him: “We will spare your life if you say ‘Death to Christ the King.’”

The young boy said, “I will never give in. Viva, Cristo Rey.”

And when they reached the place of execution, soldiers stabbed Jose repeatedly with bayonets.

The commander was so furious over the fact that they could not break Jose’s resolve that he shot the boy. While on the ground, Jose drew a cross in the dirt and kissed it.

He then perished from his wounds and went to the arms of his beloved Lord and King a martyr.

My friends, I am telling you all of this because I want you to see how ugly people’s behavior can become when they do not recognize Christ the King and they trample upon religious beliefs.

Those who want control over the people must rid the country of religion and religious expression because religion has a powerful influence in directing people’s lives.

Religion instills morality among the people and this is a threat to those who want to promulgate a state that is contrary to the natural law and the revelation of God.

The desire for this is pathological and is instigated by the evil one.

Throughout history … the crushing of religious freedom has occurred in Mexico … Cuba … Russia … England … Nazi Germany … and other countries as well.

And if we think that this cannot happen in our beloved America, we are sadly mistaken.

Just take a moment and reflect on all the riots, fires, human assault, and the destruction of private property that has recently occurred in the streets of cities around this country.

I would argue that none of the people who caused this mayhem possess the desire to subject themselves to the order of God. They act as though the world and all of it’s resources belong to them.

Well, they are wrong. Everything belongs to Christ the King. When we come to Mass and are nourished by the Word in Scripture and the Word made Flesh we must leave with the resolve of St. John the Baptist, remembering that we are the Church Militant, never looking to start a fight but being ever ready to defend what God has given us.

During the 1940s and 50s, the Church enjoyed a time of relative peace. Catholicism was not challenged and there was no reason to rouse the troops.

But today, secularism has infected every facet of life. What concerned Pope Pius XI in 1925 must concern us today.

As the Church Militant, we need to bring out Padre Pio’s weapon – the Rosary – and beg the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Patroness of America, to help us fight modern-day secularism.

We must work at witnessing our faith in the culture by our words and deeds.

We must be active at passing on the faith to our children and our grandchildren.

We need to remember that we are a priestly people and actively offer sacrifices to God.

We have to engage the culture with our Catholic values.

My dear friends, at our confirmation we became soldiers of Christ. This isn’t just a nice set of words that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It is the truth. And as soldiers of Christ we have to fight for Christ.

Therefore, let us stand together in fighting for the Kingdom. That is the work if the Church Militant. Because we belong to the Truth, we listen to the voice of the One who is truth itself.

Cling tightly to Christ and all that He has provided for our salvation. Never forget that there is no other hope for happiness.

If St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, a boy who was only 14 years old, could exercise his will to stand for Christ the King, we can do the same.

Viva, Cristo Rey!

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The metropolitan of Warsaw recalled today that «holiness is nothing else than constant union with the holiness of God.» He also asked the gathered people not to doubt the holiness of the Church. – The Church consists of weak and sinful people who strive for holiness. Our path to holiness is a response to everything that is weak and sinful in the Church, he emphasized.

The beatification process of Sr. Wanda Boniszewska begins 17 years after her death in the opinion of sanctity. It was initiated by her sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of the Angels and will be led by the Archdiocese of Warsaw, where the candidate for the altar has died.

The delegate of the Metropolitan of Warsaw at the Tribunal will be Fr. Dr. Jacek Wiliński. The promoter of justice – Fr. Michał Turkowski, notary public, Fr. Dr. Bartłomiej Pergoł and Sr. Aleksandra Więcek CSA as an auxiliary notary.

The postulator in this process will be Fr. Dr. Michał Siennicki SAC, canon lawyer, graduate of the University of Santa Croce in Rome, and a study for the postulators of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

«The process starting today aims to show that heroism is possible even in the most difficult circumstances of life. Wanda Boniszewska, despite the unjust sentencing to years of Soviet prison, remained heroically in front of Christ, witnessing to him and bearing the wounds of Christ on her body and sacrificing her sufferings, the priests said during the first session of the trial» Fr. Siennicki said. He also added that during the trial the «gift of stigmas» and the message that Christ entrusted to Sister Boniszewska will also be examined.

The postulator also recalled the words of John Paul II, who at the beginning of the third millennium of Christianity said «We must rediscover the mystery of the universal call to holiness» and stressed that it concerns all Christians, not only some baptized. – Such a lifestyle and such a desire for holiness were appropriate for Wanda Boniszewska – added Cardinal Kazimierz.

The Tribunal established today in the beatification process will examine the heroic virtues of the Servant of God, verify the evidence and fame of her holiness.

At the end of the first, solemn session in the beatification process, Card. Nycz led the prayer through the intercession of Sr. Wanda Boniszewska.

Sister Wanda Boniszewska from the Congregation of the Sisters of the Angels died in the opinion of holiness on March 2, 2003, at the age of 96 in Konstancin-Jeziorna, after 76 years of religious life. In 2016, her «Spiritual Diary» was published in book form, including notebooks from 1921-1980, which contained her notes written at the behest of her confessor. They revealed – as he wrote in the edict of Cardinal Nycz – «what during her life was hidden from the world a secret».

A special trait of Sister Wanda Boniszewska’s spirituality was her making compensatory suffering, most often offered for priests. According to theologians, she appears to be an exemplary «apostle of rewarding penance» and her attitude teaches the extraordinary value of mystical life and passionate spirituality.

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Today we have gathered in a moment of grief and grace.   Grief because we have come to say farewell to a great son of Kachin, a great son of Myanmar, a great and beloved son of mother church.  This is also a moment of grace because God the Lord in his infinite grace granted to us a great shepherd in Archbishop Paul.   Archbishop Paul is the great gift of God to Kachins, Catholics, and Myanmar.

There will be never another one like him.  We have come here not to bury him, but to praise him.  He will not be happy that we shed only tears:  he will like all of us to remember him as a man who loved the Kachins, the Catholics, and every Burmese with a heart that had space for everyone.   We bid farewell to his mortal body, but we will live with his legacy of love and large-heartedness.

This is the moment of gratitude.

Gratitude to his parents:  a good tree gives good fruit.  Bishop Paul is not only good fruit.  The best fruit.  God chose him ‘ calling him by name’ – with the great name of the apostle Paul.   Archbishop is the apostle of Paul of Kachins.

Gratitude to God: God was his mentor. He guided the Archbishop. When the Columban missionaries left at the age of 38 he took over as the Bishop of a young and challenged Kachin church.  For five decades, his wisdom, his intelligence, and his inspiring example steadied the church.   His quiet but firm qualities helped in building the church.  Today Myitkyina is a very vibrant Catholic community, giving birth to two other dioceses.   All due to his pioneering spirit.

Gratitude to Our Archbishop:  For his great inspiring spiritual personality.  He was born poor; lived through ferocious war; periods of tears and brokenness of the Kachin people – Yet steadied the people through his calmness, fortified by a vibrant faith. He wore humility as his identity. Yet his quietness hid a strong character that helped him to pursue priesthood despite many challenges as one of the first priests.  His firmness was combined with an all-embracing love for everyone.   In his presence, even a child felt at ease.  He related to everyone as a human person,  making every encounter with him a deep experience of love and acceptance.  His was a forgiving and reconciling love.   Hundreds have been touched by his simplicity, his personal interest in each person, his fatherly love for the priests in his care, his pastoral passion for his people.

His first love was for everything that is Kachin.  He loved his Kachin people with deep love.  He was a proud Kachin, he loved the Kachin language, culture, Kachin food.   But that had not prevented him from loving other tribes.  He was a soothing presence in any church function anywhere, in any tribe.     He had a huge heart that accommodated every one: Christian and non-Christian. Partiality is an unknown word to him.  Nondiscrimination was his way of life.

One of the great things about Archbishop Paul was his thirst for knowledge; he nourished a great curiosity; he was a humble student in major church seminars, attending even when he retired. He would sit down to learn from teachers who were not even half his age.   Knowledge for him was a sacramental activity. Sacred.

We grateful today that he served not only Kachins: He served the Myanmar Church and the Asian Church.   He was twice President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Burma (CMCB), and served in various commissions in the Federation of Bishops Conference of Asia (FABC).

Hailing from a poor and challenged family Archbishop attained greatness which is very difficult to emulate.  He is part of the history of Kachin, Catholics, and Myanmar.  Today is an end of an era.   He could say with a full heart: Nunc Dimittis.

He can sing with Mary his own Magnificat :

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and has exalted the lowly

Today I stand here also how grateful to My mentor, my spiritual Father, and an enduring friend.   My heart is choked with sorrow, but it also sings the praise of the fatherly care with which he nourished me when I was suddenly to take up apostolic administrator and Prefect Apostolic in Lashio  – he was my Guru.   In my moments of challenges,  I reached out to his sage advice, calmed by his assuring words and presence.  I feel his loss so much.   I am indebted to him for my life’s challenges and those of my mission.   He nurtured an empowering relationship with empathy with me.    He showed his love in action always:  every one of my invitations for dinner was honored with grace and gratefulness.  He would stay with me for private talks – with full of appreciation and guidance.   He was my good shepherd – leading to green pastures. I will miss him immensely.   I would always cherish every gracious moment of mutual accompaniment.

I am sure he would continue to be our pastor beyond this world, interceding for all Kachins and Catholics for peace and prosperity.  His heart would continue to beat for every one of us gathered here to bid farewell to him.  He would join the great company of saints, where the Lord will  welcome with the words: “

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with small things; I will put you in charge of big things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  (Mathew 25:23)

Farwell  our dearest Shepherd!

My last encounter was on Friday night.  He was already unconscious.  I spoke through the phone for twenty minutes.  I knew he was unconscious.  I was not sure his ears were listening.  But since archbishop Paul always listened with his heart and responded with love in life,  he would have listened to my last words with his heart. I am sure he wished me and all of us well.

Death is a transition to eternal life; those who believe in Jesus, do not die, they rise to Christ.  Archbishop Paul has reached his destiny. We will meet him as we live with his grace-filled memory and legacy.

Till that heavenly encounter happens in the presence of the almighty,  it is our tear-filled farewell.

In the name of the living God the Father, grace of the redeeming love of Jesus and the empowering presence of Holy Spirit – Amen

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Fr. McGivney, a priest in the St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, founded the Knights of Columbus 138 years ago to enable Catholic men to support one another and their families with spiritual and temporal needs. On May 27, 2020, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to Fr. McGivney’s intercession, qualifying Fr. McGivney for beatification.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, “For members of the Knights of Columbus and many others, the news of the beatification is a time of great joy and celebration. Father McGivney ministered to those on the margins of society in the 19th century, and his example has inspired millions of Knights to follow his example in their own parishes and communities.”

Father McGivney served his flock during the pandemic of 1890, before himself becoming ill and dying of pneumonia. Nearly a century before the Second Vatican Council, Blessed Michael McGivney’s prescient vision empowered the laity to serve Church and neighbor in a new way. Today, the Knights of Columbus is one of the largest Catholic organizations in the world with 2 million members in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.

The miracle recognized as coming through Father McGivney’s intercession involved an unborn child in the United States who in 2015 was healed in utero of a fatal condition after prayers by his family to Father McGivney.

In March 2008, he was declared a Venerable Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI, who during his visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral cited the “remarkable accomplishment of that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney, whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of Columbus.”

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There is no “one size fits all” for saints.

They come in every size and shape, of every time in history, male and female, young and old, rich and poor. Some were quiet voices praying in the wilderness; some led great armies or founded global religious congregations.

At the simplest level, a saint is someone who has led an exceptionally holy and Godly life, although that exemplary life may have come after an imperfect start. Sainthood comes after death and requires proof that at least two miracles have followed the prayers to the deceased holy one.

A perusal of the book of saints will offer potential disappointment to anyone who hopes to become a saint: many suffered greatly to the faith, often to the point of death in most cruel ways.

Fr. Michael McGivney seated in studio rectory setting, dressed in a long cassock, seated in high-backed upholstered chair, opened book in lap. feet by hassock, newspaper on floor. Photo attributed to John J. Tierney. 1870-1880

Michael McGivney was born in Waterbury on August 12, 1852. He could easily have become just another child of Irish immigrants who came to America to escape hunger and poverty in their native land. Many like him became factory and mill workers, living a harsh life to make ends meet, sometimes facing discrimination due to their Catholic faith.

Michael’s parents,  Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney, had arrived in the great 19th Century wave of Irish immigration.

Patrick McGivney became a molder in the heat and noxious fumes of a Waterbury brass mill. Mary McGivney gave birth to 13 children, six of whom died in infancy or childhood.

Michael was the oldest and thus experienced the death of family members and the family’s battle with poverty. He attended a small neighborhood school and was praised as a good student but left at age 13 to work in a brass mill.

He made spoons.  Fortunately, for Michael and the rest of the world, he left three years later and started on the path to the priesthood. He traveled with his Waterbury pastor to Quebec, Canada, registered at the French-run College of St. Hyacinthe, and dove into his studies.

Two academic years followed at Our Lady of Angels Seminary, attached to Niagara University in Niagara Falls, New York. He then moved next to Montreal to attend seminary classes at the Jesuit-run St. Mary’s College.

He was there when his father died in June of 1873. He returned home to help his family, then entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, MD. After four years of study, on December 22, 1877, he was ordained in Baltimore’s historic Cathedral of the Assumption by Archbishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons. A few days later, with his widowed mother present, he said his first Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Waterbury.

Fr. Michael J.McGivney postcard portrait. Detail without inscription. 1880-1889 approx
Scanned from copy print

Fr. Michael McGivney began his priestly ministry on Christmas Day in 1877 as curate at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. It was the city’s first parish and he quickly learned that the wealthy residents of the community weren’t happy about having a Catholic Church in their neighborhood.

There was tension between the “classes” and it likely didn’t add to Fr. McGivney’s peace of mind that one of his first responsibilities was to minister to inmates at the county jail – including a young man scheduled for execution. The priest was beset with sorrow over the execution but was comforted by the man who was to be hanged: “Father, your saintly ministrations have enabled me to meet death without a tremor. Do not fear for me, I must not break down now.”

Fr. McGivney was an activist in the best sense.  He created catechism classes and a program to combat alcoholism in the Irish neighborhood. However, he believed some organization should be created to help with the financial and spiritual needs of families, especially when the breadwinner had died or was unable to work.

He looked around for a model to follow among the nation’s fledgling benevolent organizations and talked with numerous church leaders. From those explorations came what today is the Knights of Columbus.

In the first public reference to the Order on February 8, 1882, the New Haven Morning Journal and Courier said the Knights of Columbus’ initial meeting had been held the night before. On March 29, the Connecticut legislature granted a charter to the Knights of Columbus, formally establishing it as a legal corporation.

The Order’s principles in 1882 were “Unity” and “Charity.” The concepts of “Fraternity” and “Patriotism” were added later.

Fr. McGivney installed the first officers of San Salvador Council No. 1 in New Haven, in May of 1882. By May 1883, Council No. 2 had been instituted in Meriden, Connecticut and Bishop McMahon, so impressed with the organization, became himself a member of Council No. 11 in 1884 and served it as council chaplain. By the end of 1885, there were 31 councils in Connecticut.

Today, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus. There are more than 1.7 million members in 14,000 councils, with nearly 200 councils on college campuses. Councils have been chartered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, and most recently in Poland.

Fr. McGivney moved on to become pastor of St. Thomas’ Church in Thomaston, Connecticut, a factory town, where he continued to minister to families struggling with poverty and harsh working conditions. Like many on the path to sainthood before and after, he didn’t avoid the stress of life.

Never robust of health, he developed pneumonia in early 1890. None of the treatments doctors tried were effective. On August 14 of that year, he died at the age of 38 after serving just 13 years as a priest. But it can’t be denied that those were 13 remarkable years that left a lasting impression.

Fr. Joseph G. Daley, a contemporary of Fr. McGivney, described the candidate saint in a Knights of Columbus publication in 1900:

His special vocation was to develop Catholic manhood, to bind into one conspicuous solidarity all the elements that make for strength of character and so, indeed, to bring out that solidity of character — in other words, that Catholicity — prominently in its strength before the world. Thanks to his labors, the Society of the Knights of Columbus was organized in 1882. Its purpose was to create among Catholic laymen a confraternity which, while not being a religious society in the strict sense of the word, exacted from its members certain religious qualifications, that is to say, the open profession of the Catholic faith and filial submission to the Church in all matters of doctrine, discipline and morals.

Father McGivney Institutions and Memorials Around the World

 Devotion to Father Michael McGivney spans the globe, wherever Knights of Columbus are active. From a school in the U.S. capital to a cupola in the capital of the Philippines, the life and legacy of the Order’s founder serve as a model for Catholics today. Here are some of the more notable sites that honor Father McGivney.

The Catholic University of America — Washington, D.C.

With a major grant from the Knights of Columbus, The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., renovated a prominent academic building and converted it into McGivney Hall, which was dedicated on Sept. 8, 2008. Formerly Keane Hall, the five-story limestone structure of modern-classical design was built in 1958 and now serves as the home for the North American campus of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, a graduate school of theology supported by the Knights of Columbus. Catholic University Council 9542 also meets in the building.

McGivney House — Erbil, Iraq

As part of its ongoing efforts to aid Christians in the Middle East, the Knights of Columbus sponsored an apartment building for families who were driven from their homes by ISIS. Opened in early 2019 in Erbil, Iraq, McGivney House features 140 units, with special apartments for the elderly who need extra assistance. The building includes a chapel and is located within walking distance of a Catholic church. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson visited the facility in March 2019, when Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil blessed an image of Father McGivney that was placed in the building’s chapel. Funds for the project came from the Knights’ Christian Refugee Relief Fund, which has underwritten projects to aid persecuted Christians throughout the Middle East.

Father Michael J. McGivney Boulevard — Waterbury, Connecticut

Father McGivney’s hometown of Waterbury, Conn., honored its native son in 1957, when it erected a memorial statue at a major intersection near city and state offices. The monumental bronze statue stands high upon a granite pedestal, depicting Father McGivney holding a copy of the Gospels in his left arm as he lifts his right hand toward heaven. The four polished sides of the pedestal represent the four principles of the Knights of Columbus: charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The statue was dedicated for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Knights of Columbus.

One of the streets abutting the traffic island was renamed Father Michael J. McGivney Boulevard in 2004. In a ceremony with city officials, Supreme Knight Anderson, and a gathering of more than 200 area Knights, Father McGivney Boulevard street signs were unveiled to replace Waterbury’s Grand Street.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception — Washington, D.C.

A stained-glass window of Father McGivney, funded by the Knights of Columbus, was dedicated November 15, 1998, in the sacristy of the Crypt Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Bishop Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn, supreme chaplain at the time, blessed the image, which priests can see daily when preparing for Mass. The Knights have made a number of other gifts to the shrine, including the Knights’ Tower, which can be seen from all points of the nation’s capital, and the Knights of Columbus Incarnation Dome, a mosaic adorning the interior of one of the shrine’s five domes.

Father Michael J. McGivney Academy — Markham, Ontario, Canada

Built at the cost of $20 million by the York Catholic School District in the early 1990s, Father Michael J. McGivney Academy is a state-of-the-art high school in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Stained-glass windows, contributed by Markham Knights of Columbus, depict Father McGivney comforting widows, orphans, and the sick.

Father McGivney Catholic High School — Maryville, Illinois

The first U.S. high school to be named for Father McGivney was opened in the fall of 2012 with 19 freshmen in the unused wing of another Catholic school in Maryville, Illinois. A freshman class was added each year until all grades, 9-12, were at full enrollment. In August 2015, Father McGivney Catholic High School opened in its own newly constructed building in Glen Carbon, Illinois, with 125 students. Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield blessed and dedicated the building. The school motto is “Servire Culturae Vitae” (To Serve the Culture of Life).

St. John Fisher Seminary — Stamford, Connecticut

A stained-glass window depicting Father McGivney was dedicated on Sept. 12, 2009, at St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, Connecticut. Supreme Chaplain William E. Lori, the then-bishop of Bridgeport, celebrated a dedication Mass at the seminary chapel.

Pontifical North American College — Rome, Italy

An addition to the 160-year-old Pontifical North American College in Rome features a stained-glass window of Father McGivney — one of two U.S. priests portrayed in the new facility’s chapel. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, dedicated the building on Jan. 6, 2015, the feast of the Epiphany.

The building includes the new St. John Paul II Chapel, which features stained-glass windows of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. John Paul II, St. Teresa of Calcutta, Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Father McGivney. The Knights of Columbus has provided support for the Pontifical North American College for decades.

St. Mary’s University College — Calgary, Canada

With support from Calgary councils and the Supreme Council, the Knights of Columbus donated $235,000 to renovate an old Protestant church into the new Father Michael J. McGivney Hall at St. Mary’s University College. The only school of its kind in Canada, St. Mary’s prepares teachers to work specifically in Catholic schools. A plaque commemorating the Order’s contribution was blessed in July 2011 by then-Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary.

St. Mary’s Seminary — Baltimore, Maryland

A bronze bust of Father McGivney occupies a prominent position at the front of the assembly room of St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, where the future priest studied from 1873-77. The figure was funded through the generosity of the seminarians who wished to honor the memory of one of the school’s most noteworthy alumni.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines — Manila, Philippines

Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Incorporated — Manila, Philippines

Three sites in the Philippines — where the Order was established in 1905 — were dedicated to Father McGivney during the May 2012 visit of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. Statues of Father McGivney were blessed and placed in these locations: a multimedia studio at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP); a cupola outside the headquarters of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Incorporated (KCFAPI), the Knights’ insurance program in the Philippines; and an oratory inside the headquarters.

St. Mary’s Church — Crosserlough, Ireland

In honor of the Irish heritage of the McGivney family, a bronze plaque was placed in St. Mary’s Church in Crosserlough, County Cavan, where Father McGivney’s father, Patrick, was born. Supreme Knight Anderson presented the plaque, along with an image of Father McGivney and the flags of the United States and Ireland, to Father Michael Quinn, pastor of the church. The plaque’s inscription notes that Patrick was born in Crosserlough, and his wife, Mary (Lynch) McGivney, came from the neighboring parish of Castlerahan. The two were married after settling in America, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1852 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Present-day members of the Irish branches of the McGivney and Lynch families attended the plaque ceremony on April 9, 2018.

St. Thomas Church — Thomaston, Connecticut

In the Connecticut parish where Father McGivney served as pastor before he passed away on Aug. 14, 1890, a statue of the Knights of Columbus founder was installed by the local council and blessed by the current pastor. With the encouragement of Father Robert J. Grant, Knights of Columbus Atlantic Council 18 of Thomaston purchased the 4-foot statue of Father McGivney and installed it just inside the front entrance of St. Thomas Church. During Sunday Mass, Nov. 11, 2012, Father Grant blessed the statue and asked parishioners to turn to Father McGivney as a heavenly intercessor in times of trouble and illness. The street outside the church is named Father McGivney Way.

Immaculate Conception Church — Terryville, Connecticut

When Father McGivney was pastor of St. Thomas parish, he also cared for Immaculate Conception mission, a few miles away in Terryville, Connecticut. Commuting by horse and buggy on Sundays to celebrate Mass in each church was taxing, but he performed his duties well. In his honor, an image of Father McGivney lifting a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament was painted with other images in the church’s sanctuary.

St. Patrick’s Basilica — Ottawa, Canada

At St. Patrick’s Basilica in Ottawa, a 4-foot statue of Father McGivney stands in a place of honor in the center of the basilica’s grotto. The window on the back wall of the prayer space bears the emblems of the Order, Fourth Degree and Squires, and the Knights of Columbus Insurance shield. The site was constructed with seed money from a Canadian K of C general agent and is maintained by the Venerable Michael J. McGivney Honoris Committee.

St. Francis Xavier Church — Metairie, Louisiana

A stained-glass window depicting Father McGivney was blessed and dedicated October 18, 2015, in St. Francis Xavier Church in Metairie, La. Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans performed the rites. Sponsored by Knights of Columbus Msgr. Henry Bezou Council 8546, which is based at the parish, the stained-glass window depicts the Knights of Columbus founder in a cassock, holding a Bible in his left hand and the Knights of Columbus emblem in his right. The inscription reads: Rev. Michael McGivney, Founder of Knights of Columbus.

Holy Family Church — Ogden, Utah

Showing that they serve as the “strong right arm” of their pastor, members of Knights of Columbus Bishop Joseph Federal Council 14399 in South Ogden, Utah, placed an image of Father McGivney in Holy Family Church. The council consulted a liturgical designer to create and install the window, which was blessed by Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester on Aug. 18, 2012.

St. Mary of the Cataract Church — Niagara Falls, New York

The most noticeable feature of a $200,000 renovation at St. Mary of the Cataract Church in Niagara Falls, N.Y., is a series of eight roundels, or round portraits, that adorn the church’s interior. The mosaics feature North American saints such as Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frances Xavier Cabrini, and Katharine Drexel, as well as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. One image is of Father McGivney, who studied in the 1870s at the College and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels, now known as Niagara University.

Sacred Heart Church — Norwich, Connecticut

Father McGivney is memorialized at Sacred Heart Church in Norwich, Connecticut, where 18-inch stained- glass insets in new mahogany doors grace the church’s entrance. The windows are part of a $450,000 renovation of the church, funded by parishioners and Knights of Columbus White Cross Council 13 in Norwich. Father McGivney’s face is featured on a blue-green diamond background at the center of one of the new doors, with the Knights of Columbus emblem located at the center of the adjacent door. The renovated church was rededicated in January 2004 by Bishop Michael R. Cote of Norwich.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish — Bridgeport, Connecticut

St. Charles Borromeo Parish’s community center in Bridgeport, Conn., was founded in 1992 and offers after-school education and recreation programs for young people in need. The parish has a close association with the McGivney name. Two younger brothers of Father Michael McGivney served as pastor: Father Patrick McGivney (1913-28) and Father John McGivney (1928-39). The two also followed their older brother in serving at different times as supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

Photos, graphic, and content for article courtesy of Knights of Columbus

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