Day 1 – The Founder’s Family of Faith

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD;

the fruit of the womb is a reward (Ps 127:3).

Intention: For the domestic church, the church of the home, seedbed of love and vocation.

Virtue: Openness to God’s will.

Although they lived a century before St. John Paul II, Patrick and Mary McGivney embodied the late pope’s message on the domestic church: “Family, become what you are” (Familiaris Consortio, 17). Formed and blessed by God, the family is the place where parents are privileged to bring forth children and serve as the first examples of human love, unity and fraternity, amid daily joys, sacrifices and suffering. The McGivney family knew the grace of cooperating with God’s will, bringing 13 children into the world, as well as the grief that came when six of those children died as infants. Patrick and Mary had left Ireland’s potato famine for America and were married in Waterbury, Conn. Their first child, Michael Joseph, was born Aug. 12, 1852, and baptized a week later. He took on family responsibility early, watching over his younger siblings, earning honors in school, graduating at age 13, and then joining his father in factory work. Though not rich in material goods, the life of this family abounded in grace, and Michael learned discipline, compassion, and the rough-and-tumble fraternal charity that comes naturally in a large family. The McGivneys also received from God the great gift of vocations, as Michael’s younger brothers, Patrick and John, would join him in the priesthood.

Petitions

For a deeper appreciation of the importance of family life, that our domestic church may serve as a model of faith, hope and charity.

R/ Grant our prayer, Lord, through the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney.

For holy marriages founded on God’s love, that husbands and wives may have the grace to generously accept the gift of new life.

R/ Grant our prayer, Lord, through the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney.