Blessed Father McGivney's Early Life

          Michael Joseph McGivney was born in Waterbury, Conn., on August 12, 1852, the first child of Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney. His parents came to the United States in the great 19th-century wave of Irish immigration and were married in Waterbury. Patrick was a molder in the heat and noxious fumes of a brass mill. Mary gave birth to 13 children, six of whom died young, leaving Michael with four living sisters and two brothers. Life was not easy, especially for Catholic immigrant families who often faced prejudice, social exclusion, and financial and social disadvantages. Young Michael thus experienced from an early age grief, anti-Catholic bigotry and poverty. But his faith sustained him. At home and in church, he learned and embraced love, faith, fortitude, prayer and putting love of God above any earthly rewards.  

         Michael attended the public schools of Waterbury’s working-class neighborhoods. A good student, he was noted for “Excellent deportment and proficiency in his studies.” At age 13, shortly after the Civil War, he graduated three years early and began work in the spoon-making department of a brass factory to provide a few more dollars for his family.

         In 1868, 16-year-old Michael left home to pursue God’s call to the priesthood. His formation as a seminarian was rich and diverse, spanning two countries, four seminaries and instruction by three religious orders — the charity-oriented Vincentians, the academically rigorous Jesuits, and the experienced formers of diocesan clergy, the Sulpicians.

       Throughout his formation, his personal virtues, concern for others and use of God-given intellectual talents shone forth. At the College of St. Hyacinthe in Quebec, Canada, he received an award for his studious dedication. He also stood out academically at Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and St. Mary’s Seminary in Montreal.

       In June 1873, tragedy struck with the death of his father, nearly upending 20-year-old Michael’s vocation. He returned to Waterbury for the funeral, unsure whether he would need to leave seminary and return to factory work to support the family. By God’s grace, the bishop of Hartford intervened. Seeing Michael’s great priestly potential, he provided financial support for him to enter St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. There, Michael was appointed sacristan, a responsibility that underscored his reputation for piety and orderliness. Holiness did not make him aloof, and he was remembered for his sense of humor — as well as for his enthusiasm for the relatively new game of baseball.

       After four years of study, Michael was ordained by Archbishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons on Dec. 22, 1877, in Baltimore’s historic Cathedral of the Assumption, the nation’s first cathedral. A few days later, with his widowed mother present, Father Michael J. McGivney celebrated his first public Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Waterbury, beginning his life as a priest — a busy and difficult vocation — which then had a life expectancy of only about 40 years.