DREXEL
HILL — Among the many goals of the Catholic Youth Organization
(CYO) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, one that is paramount is the
support of school, parish and Church leaders in their mission to prepare
young people to hear and respond to the call of Jesus.
Whether through service programs or athletics, the CYO states that,
through the Office for Youth and Young Adults, it “works to draw
young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work
of the Catholic faith community as well as fostering the total personal
and spiritual growth of each person.”
At the 15th annual CYO Hall of Fame Awards dinner April 22 at the Drexelbrook
Country Club, the organization honored four individuals — Auxiliary
Bishop Robert Maginnis, Linus McGinty and married couple Dave and Kim
Savage — who used their own education throughout their lives to
serve the Catholic Church.
The youngest of four siblings, Bishop Maginnis graduated from St. Aloysius
Academy grade school and St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School.
In 1961, he was in the first seminary class ordained by the late Cardinal
John Krol. He went on to become the assistant CYO director and then
served as its director for 21 years until he was appointed pastor of
St. Alphonsus Parish in Maple Glen in 1988.
In 1991, Bishop Maginnis was named regional vicar for Montgomery County,
a position he held until he was ordained an auxiliary bishop for Philadelphia
in 1996. When he learned of his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop from
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, he was clearly humbled.
“I ask for the prayers of all the people of this local Church,
that I may preach the message of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with great
devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, serve his Eminence and this
Archdiocese, to the best of my ability,” he said.
Linus McGinty was an only child. He encountered the CYO as a member
of St. Barnabas Parish. After graduating from West Catholic in 1964
and spending a year at LaSalle College (now University) he enlisted
in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Intelligence Division in
Vietnam.
McGinty eventually graduated from St. Joseph’s University and
earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling. He began
a career in education as a teacher at Our Lady of the Rosary School.
He later accepted a position teaching and coaching basketball at Archbishop
Carroll High School in Radnor, and then went to Cardinal O’Hara
High School, Springfield, where he still teaches today.
He and his wife, Diane, have been married 35 years. They have two sons,
Linus and Patrick.
McGinty inherited the reins of O’Hara’s girls’ basketball
program in 1995. He received an already championship-caliber team and
kept the Lions in that same mode. Under McGinty’s direction, O’Hara
has reached the Catholic League championship 13 of the past 14 seasons,
winning eight titles along the way.
Dave and Kim Savage have been married since 2005. They are the parents
of two young children and members of St. Katharine of Siena Parish in
Wayne.
Both as individuals and as a married couple, they’ve been described
as “dynamic leaders” in the Church, and for good reason.
Dave Savage helped jump-start three successful Catholic lay movements
in the Philadelphia area. He is also a founding board member of the
Catholic Leadership Institute and the Theology of the Body Institute.
The latter is a non-profit apostolate dedicated to spreading Pope John
Paul II’s teaching on human sexuality.
Kim Savage had a career at an industrial marketing, advertising and
public relations firm before founding Generation Life, a movement dedicated
to spreading pro-life and chastity messages to young people. According
to Savage, Generation Life reaches thousands of elementary and high
school students each year and has been instrumental in helping many
mothers choose life over abortion. She is now the president of its board
of directors.
All four individuals demonstrate precisely why a Catholic education
so often produces a domino effect on an entire community.
John Knebels may be reached at jknebs@aol.com.