12/22/2025
148 years ago today, on Dec. 22, 1877, a young Michael McGivney was ordained a priest in Baltimore.
Formed at the first Catholic seminary in the United States and ordained in America’s first cathedral by Archbishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons, Father McGivney stepped into ministry at a pivotal moment in our nation’s Catholic history.
Just days after his ordination, he returned home to Waterbury, Conn., to offer his first public solemn Mass for Christmas with his widowed mother in the pews.
From that humble beginning came a life of remarkable pastoral love, and, eventually, the founding of the Knights of Columbus. Today, we remember his priestly ‘yes’ and give thanks to God for the gift of Blessed Michael McGivney’s priesthood!
Vivat Jesus!
(Photo of Father McGivney with his fellow priests by John Tierney. Father McGivney is seated in the front row, second from the right)