Synopses & Reviews
Acclaimed historian and biographer Douglas Brinkley, the New York Times bestselling author of Tour of Duty and The Boys of Pointe du Hoc, returns with an inandndash;depth biography of Father Michael J. McGivney, the Roman Catholic priest who stood up to antiandndash;Papal prejudice in America and founded The Knights of Columbus.
"Father McGivney's vision remains as relevant as ever in the changed circumstances of today's Church and society."
andndash;andndash;Pope John Paul II
Just about every day Catholic laymen bound in a common association gather to advance the welfare of their communities. They meet in harbor towns of Nova Scotia, suburban New Jersey, Mexican cities and Philippine villages. Some will help families pay off medical bills or secure aid for disaster victims. Others will help finance Catholic schools or independent living for people with disabilities.
They are the Knights of Columbus, the legacy of Father Michael J. McGivney. Since Father McGivney's cause for canonization began in 1997, the spreading of his story has increased. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. has added a stainedandndash;glass widow depicting his image.
Father McGivney dedicated his life to the spiritual and physical welfare of others, creating the Knights of Columbus to provide insurance for the protection of widows and orphans. Today, a growing number of schools, medical centres and social service agencies named for him associate their work with his charisma, and the Knights of Columbus insures the lives of more than 1.2 million men, women and children.
Synopsis
Father Michael McGivney was a man to whom "family values" represented more than mere rhetoric, a man who has left a legacy of hope still celebrated around the world.
In the late 1800s, discrimination against American Catholics was widespread. Called to action in 1882, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, an organization that helped to save countless families. It has since 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.
In an incredible work of academic research, Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster re-create the life of Father McGivney, a fiercely dynamic and yet tenderhearted man. 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.
About the Author
Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. 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.