Vatican approves miracles for Fr. Michael McGivney and Bl. Charles de Faucauld

The Vatican on Wednesday promoted two Catholic figures on the path to sainthood. The first is Fr. Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, and the second, Blessed Charles de Faucauld. The Vatican approved miracles for both men, advancing their causes for sainthood. 

Fr. Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus.

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
5/29/2020 (4 years ago)

Published in Christian Saints & Heroes

Keywords: Fr. Michael McGivney, Bl. Charles de Faucauld, Vatican, miracles, sainthood

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The Vatican announced Wednesday that it recognized miracles attributed to Fr. Michael McGivney and Blessed Charles de Faucauld.

Fr. McGivney is known for founding the Knights of Columbus, which is a major Catholic charitable organization in North America. Meanwhile, Blessed Charles de Faucauld, a French hermit, will now be recognized as a saint. 

Remarkably, both saints are especially relevant at this moment. Fr. McGivney died during a pandemic in 1890, presumably of a coronavirus that caused him to suffer pneumonia. Fr. McGiveny was only 38 at the time of his passing. Fr. McGivney became fatally ill while serving the sick. 

And Blessed Charles de Faucauld was a hermit who wrote extensively on the experience of silence and solitude. Blessed Charles de Faucauld was assassinated by bandits in 1916 while living and working in Algeria. 

The miracle attributed to Fr. McGivney is related to the health of an unborn baby diagnosed with a life-threatening condition prior to birth. By his intercession, the child was born in 2015 fully cured. The family reported seeking Fr. McGivney's intercession during the pregnancy. 

No date has been set for the canonization of Blessed Charles de Faucauld. The rules on canonization require one more miracle be attributed to Fr. McGivney before he can be recognized as a saint.