James Anthony Griffin (born June 13, 1934) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Griffin served as bishop of the

Diocese of Columbus The Diocese of Columbus ( la, Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The dioce ...

in Ohio from 1983 to 2004. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in te ...

in Ohio from 1979 to 1983.

Biography

The fifth of seven children, Griffin was born in

Fairview Park, Ohio Fairview Park is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it once formed part of the historical Rockport Township, along with the area of West Park and the suburbs of Lakewood and Rocky River. It borders Clevela ...

, on June 13, 1934, to Thomas Anthony Griffin and Margaret Mary Hanousek. He attended St. Angela Merici School in

, and Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland. After high school, Griffin went to St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland He finished his undergraduate studies at

Borromeo College ''For the former Borromeo College in the United States see Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology#Borromeo College'' The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. ...

in Wickliffe, Ohio, receiving his

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

degree. Griffin then attended St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland.

Ministry

On May 28, 1960, Bishop

John Krol John Joseph Krol (October 26, 1910 – March 3, 1996) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961 to 1988, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland (195 ...

ordained Griffin to the priesthood for the Diocese of Cleveland in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland. After his ordination, Griffin was assigned as

associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at St. Jerome Parish in Cleveland. In 1961, Griffin was posted to Rome to study at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pont ...

. In 1963, he received his

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

''magna cum laude'' from Lateran University. After returning to Cleveland in 1963, Griffin served as secretary-notary of the Marriage Court of the diocese. In 1965, he was appointed associate chancellor and vice chancellor. During that time, he attended night classes at Cleveland State University, receiving his Doctorate in Civil Law ''summa cum laude'' in 1972. Griffin then passed the Ohio Bar Exam. In 1973, Griffin was appointed chancellor of the diocese. In January 1978, Bishop James Hickey named Griffin as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

and administrator ''pro tem'' of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Parish. In April 1978, he was appointed

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. William Parish in

Euclid, Ohio Euclid is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner ring suburb of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 49,692. History The City of Euclid was originally a part of Euclid Township, first m ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

On June 30, 1979,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Griffin as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and titular bishop of

Hólar Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland. Location Hólar is in the Hjaltadalur valley, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is th ...

. He was consecrated by then Archbishop James Hickey on August 1, 1979.

Bishop of Columbus

On February 7, 1983, John Paul II appointed Griffin as the tenth

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Columbus. He was installed on April 25, 1983. In 1985, Griffin established the Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus and initiated the Legacy of Catholic Learning campaign in 1989 and Challenge In Changing Times campaign. He also established "Breaking The Silence" task force to reduce family violence. Griffin also served on a number of committees of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

and was president of

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...

(1991–1995). In 1993, Griffin removed a priest, Phillip Jacobs, from his parish due to allegations that he had sexually abused a teenage boy. The boy's family requested that the police not be notified, but years later Griffin made the notification. When the Diocese of Victoria in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

was considering hiring Jacobs, Griffin informed them about the allegations against him. The Diocese of Victoria hired Jacobs anyway. In 2019, Jacobs was arrested in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

for sexual abuse of minors.

Retirement

On October 14, 2004, Griffin sent his letter of resignation as Bishop of Columbus to Pope John Paul, citing his arthritis. He was succeed by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell. In retirement, Griffin served as a weekend associate at St. Joan of Arc parish in Powell, Ohio, where he rents a condo. He continues to occasionally aid parishes in need of a priest in the Diocese and attends diocesan clergy gatherings.

References

External links

Diocese of Columbus

Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, James Anthony 1934 births Living people People from Fairview Park, Ohio Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Roman Catholic bishops of Columbus 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States St. Charles College alumni Cleveland–Marshall College of Law alumni