Father Michael J. McGivney would be first American born priest to be
                              declared a saint

    NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pope Benedict XVI
Saturday approved a decree recognizing the heroic virtue of Father Michael
J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. The pope's declaration
significantly advances the priest's process toward sainthood and gives the
parish priest the distinction of "Venerable Servant of God." If canonized,
Fr. McGivney would be the first American born priest to be so honored.

    "All of us who are members of the Knights of Columbus are profoundly
grateful for this recognition of the holiness of our founder," said Supreme
Knight Carl Anderson. "The strength of the Knights of Columbus today is a
testament to his timeless vision, his holiness and his ideals."

    [Carl Anderson is available for interviews today on the Vatican
declaration on Father McGivney.]

    Worried about the religious faith and financial stability of immigrant
families, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus with the help of
several men of St. Mary's Parish in New Haven in 1882 to help strengthen
the faith of the men of his parish and to provide financial assistance in
the event of their death to the widows and orphans they left behind. He was
also known for his tireless work among his parishioners.

    Born in Waterbury, Conn., Aug. 12, 1852, Michael Joseph McGivney, was
the first of Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney's 13 children, six of whom
died in infancy or early childhood. His parents, natives of Ireland, had
immigrated to the United States during the 19th century. Patrick was a
molder in a Waterbury brass mill, where Michael himself worked for a brief
time as a child to help support the family.

    From an early age, however, he realized a calling to the Catholic
priesthood. After studying in several seminaries, he was ordained in that
Baltimore's historic Cathedral by Cardinal James Gibbons Dec. 22, 1877. He
took up his first assignment, as curate at St. Mary's Church, New Haven,
Conn., Jan. 2, 1878. Father McGivney was named pastor of St. Thomas Church
in Thomaston, Conn. in 1884. He became seriously ill with pneumonia in
January 1890, and died Aug. 14, 1890 at age 38.

    The cause, or process, for Father McGivney's sainthood, was opened by
Hartford Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, in December 1997. The cause was
presented to the Vatican in 2000, where it has been under review by the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints. With the pope's recent decree, and
the authentication of a miracle at Father McGivney's intercession, the
priest could be beatified. A second miracle would be required for
canonization.

    Still maintaining its headquarters in New Haven, the Knights of
Columbus is the world's largest Catholic Fraternal Organization with more
than 1.7 million members in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central
America, the Caribbean islands, the Philippines, Guam and, most recently,
Poland.

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