Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council #7444
• P.O. Box 7444 • Milford, MI 48381 • 248-363-0646 •
Who is Father McGivney?
Worried about the religious faith and financial stability of immigrant families, Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus with the help of several men of St. Mary's Parish in New Haven in 1882. Fr. McGivney's vision was 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, on August 12, 1852, Michael Joseph McGivney was the first of Patrick and Mary McGivney's 13 children. Michael worked with his father as molder in a Waterbury brass mill. But from an early age, he realized a calling to the Catholic priesthood. After studying in several seminaries, he was ordained in Baltimore's cathedral by Cardinal James Gibbons on December 22, 1877.
He took up his first assignment as curate at St. Mary's Church on January 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 August 14, at the age of 38.
On Saturday, March 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI approved a decree recognizing the heroic virtue of Father McGivney. The pope's declaration significantly advances Father McGivney's process toward sainthood and gives the parish priest the distinction of "Venerable Servant of God." If canonized, Father McGivney would be the first American born priest to be so honored.
(VENERABLE, the title allowed one whose cause for beatification has been officially accepted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and who has been the subject of a special decree published in the name of the pope. This decree, issued within the course of the apostolic, or papal, process (as distinguished from the earlier one known as the ordinary, or diocesan, process) declares that the servant of God has practiced his all the virtues in heroic degree. In the case of a martyr, it declares his martyrdom well proved. No public cult is allowed, though a private cult may exist, e.g. praising his virtues, praying to him - Catholic Encyclopedia)
Who is Fulton
Sheen?
Fulton J. Sheen was born on May 8th, 1895 in El Paso Illinois to
Newton and Delia Sheen. He had three brothers, Joseph, Aloysices,
and Thomas. Fulton Sheen was baptized with the
name of Peter by his parents but his grandfather always called him
Fulton's bed and when he entered grade school, a nun put his name on the
register as Fulton J. Sheen and it stayed that way until his death.
He was ordained on September 20, 1919, was made a monsignor in 1934
and was ordained a Bishop in 1951, and was
appointed Archbishop in 1969.
Father Sheen was a well-known scholar who wrote
over 90 books, phamplets and articles and had his own radio and
television shows. His radio program began in 1926 with a series of talks
broadcast in New York City. He soon went on to reach even
more listeners through his national radio program, The Catholic Hour,
which has an estimated audience of 4 million listeners each week.
Bishop Sheen was then 'suggested' that he share his gift with the
masses, and so, in 1952 Bishop Sheen began his famous television series,
Life is worth Living. His half-hour television
show was rated over Milton Berles back in the 1950s. He often credited his
writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
He was also the chairman for the Propagation of
the Faith from 1966 to 1977.
Sheens legacy
to the world is indeed a rich one. Fans young and old will cherish
his autobiography for years to come. For it is, without doubt, a
lasting testament to a life that was worth living and Bishop Sheen lived
life to its fullest.
He was popular not only because of his message
spoke to the common man; he took a complex idea and presented it in a way that
anyone could understand. He also had a very diverse audience. Although he was a Catholic
Bishop, viewers of many faiths routinely watched his program. Bishop Sheen's message did not
condemn other religious traditions, but embraced them. In fact, the majority
of fan letters he recevied came from Jewish viewers, followed by
Protestants, and then Catholics.
Bishop Sheen took every advantage of his popularity, using this
gift for the glory of God. He asked fans to send spare change for mission work,
and in his autobiography, Sheen later recalled, "In the
course of years, thanks to the gifts that were spontaneously sent, returns
for the missions ran into millions of dollars, every cent of which
found its way to some poor area of this earth for the building of
hospitals and schools and further communication of the Word."
Bishop Sheen died on December 9, 1970. and he clearly did his part to proclaim the
Gospel message in creative ways. A true media pioneer, as well as a Knight
of Columbus, Archbishop Sheen used every communication tool as his disposal
to share the Good News on a global level.
On December 13, John
Rogers submitted the name of Archbishop Fulton J Sheen for our Council's
name. The idea came from John's wife Marilyn and it was the first
ever taken as a Council's name. The council was instituted on January
13, 1980 at St. Mary's of the Snows Church. The candidates
attended the 8:00am Mass offered by Fr. Bill Sinatra The
initation followed at 9:30. Some 122 men, new candidates, and 22
transfers went through that morning - the biggest class of the year for a
single council.
| Past Grand Knights | ||||||
| William
Cosnowski 2005 -
Present Larry Donnellon 2003 - 2004 Don Green 2002 - 2002 Tim Hannon 2000 - 2002 John Rogers 1998 - 1999 Mike Polcyn 1997 - 1997 Bill Upleger 1995 - 1996 Ray Kosal 1993 - 1995 George Grant 1991 - 1992 John Rogers 1987 - 1990 John Schimetz 1986 - 1987 Joe Marx 1984 - 1985 Jerry Hurst 1983 - 1984 John Rogers 1980 - 1983 |
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