Throughout the afternoon, people kept coming to pray at the relic of Blessed Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. In the end, Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated Mass at Most Precious Blood, with Fr. Mark Salas, who accompanied the relic, concelebrating.
The bishop recalled a bumper sticker he recently saw in his homily: “Visualize World Peace.” This goes along with Jesus’ prayer for unity, “That they all may be one” (Jn 17:21). “We can visualize World Peace in moments like Pope Francis' meeting with Muslims and Jews in Ur, the birthplace of Abraham,” Bishop Mulvey continued—or with the pope now visiting Indonesia.
Blessed Michael McGThe relic - a piece of bone.ivney saw in his parish many things that were not fostering World Peace—widows left behind, people mistreated at work and underpaid—and he acted. The bishop asked the Knights never to lose the spirit of Fr. McGivney, which essentially is the spirit and vision of Jesus Christ.
His words, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9), relate not only to World Peace but also to the small, everyday acts with which we can build peace, “starting at your workplace and in your families.”
He recalled Michael McGivney's three pillars: charity, fraternity, and unity. “Charity is not only almsgiving but getting to know each other.” Often, giving a few dollars without getting involved is very convenient. Fraternity means “putting up with one another”—only then can we visualize unity, Jesus’ dream. He recommended living out these principles as followers of Blessed Michael McGivney so that the world can visualize World Peace.
At the end of the Mass, the bishop blessed the people with the relic, a piece of bone of the founder. “Having this relic here is like Father McGivney is here with us,” said Texas State Deputy Ronald Alonzo.