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Council History

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Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Timeline 1928 - 1996

Cardinal Bernardin Bio Timeline

April 2, 1928 Born in Columbia, SC

1947 St Mary’s College, Kentucky (one year, studied Latin)

1948 Graduated – St Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore

1952 Graduated Master of Arts from Catholic University of America

April 26, 1952 Ordained

1952 – 1966 Diocese of Charleston, SC,

1952 Assistant pastor & high school faculty

1954 Chancery Staff: Chancellor, Superintendent of diocesan cemeteries also served Chaplain at the Citadel in Charleston

1959 named papal chamberlain/monsignor by Pope John XXIII

1962 Named domestic prelate by Pope John XXIII – membership in papal household with honors

1966 Archdiocese of Atlanta – Auxiliary Bishop by Pope Paul VI

            Also, titular bishop of Liguria (at the time youngest US Bishop)

            Rector Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta

1968 National Council of Catholic Bishops – General Secretary,   

1969 Helped found the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

1972 Affiliated with the Order of Friars Minor

1972 Archdiocese of Cincinnati – Archbishop by Pope Paul VI

            Appointed to Sacred Congregation of Bishops in Rome and to permanent council of Synod of Bishops

1982 Archdiocese of Chicago – Archbishop by Pope John Paul II

1983 Elevated to College of Cardinals (got his red cap) by Pope John Paul II

1983 Popularized Seamless Garmen:  consistent logic - every human life is sacred and must be treated equally, from conception to natural death (abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, immigration, poverty, social injustice)

1996 Died of pancreatic cancer

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KofC Founder - Bl. Fr. Michael McGivney

About Bl. Fr. McGivney

The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center mission focuses on the spirituality and charitable vision of the founder of the Knights of Columbus and his legacy.

The center was established on Nov. 1, 2020, to advance the vision of Knights of Columbus founder Father Michael J. McGivney (1852-1890). A priest of New Haven, Conn., who is being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church, he established the new fraternal benefit society on the principles of unity and charity more than a century ago.

The McGivney Center welcomes visitors to learn about this holy priest’s life and legacy, imitate his benevolent outreach to the needy and outcast, and invoke his heavenly intercession for needs great and small in their own lives.

The Pilgrimage Center is the new manifestation of the Knights of Columbus Museum, Inc., established in 1982 as a nonprofit institution serving the general public through exhibitions of history, art and faith. The Center will continue that mission by serving as an archive for the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council and maintaining a permanent gallery showcasing the organization’s history, in addition to its greater focus on Father McGivney.

A visit to the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center will enhance the formative experience of a pilgrimage to Father McGivney’s tomb at St. Mary’s Church, also in New Haven.

In Waterbury, CT, at his family’s parish - Basilica of the Immaculate Conception he celebrated his first public mass in December 1877. Then he moved to New Have and St. Mary’s Church and the start of the Knights of Columbus.

Following his seven years at St. Mary’s Father McGivney was assigned pastor at St Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT, in 1884. While there, he tended the mission church – Immaculate Conception in Terryville, CT, using his horse and buggy to make the Sunday Mass circuit. In 1890 he was stricken with severe pneumonia and died.

References:

www.fathermcgivney.org – McGivney guild

https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/learn/

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