Michael Charles Barber, SJ (born July 13, 1954) 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 'pref ...

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 ...

who has been serving as bishop of the

Diocese of Oakland The Diocese of Oakland ( la, Diœcesis Quercopolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Th ...

in California since 2013.

Biography

Early life and education

Michael Barber was born on July 13, 1954, in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. After attending Saint Pius X Preparatory School in Galt, California, Barber entered the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

in 1973. He then attended Loyola Marymount University. Barber received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and history at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington in 1978. From 1982 to 1985, Barber studied

sacred theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

at Regis College at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in Toronto, Ontario. In 1989, he obtained a Licentiate in Systematic Theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome.

Ordination and ministry

Barber was ordained a priest by Archbishop

John Quinn John or Jack Quinn may refer to: Politicians and lawyers *John Quinn (advocate) (1954–2022), Attorney General of the Isle of Man *John Quinn (collector) (1870–1924), lawyer, collector of manuscripts and paintings, friend of T. S. Eliot and Ezr ...

for the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

on June 8, 1985. He made his final vows in 2005. After his ordination, Barber he held the following positions: * Missionary in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

, Western Samoa (1985-1987) * Assistant professor at the Gregorian University (1990-1991) * Tutor and chaplain at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in England and bursar of the Jesuit community at

Campion Hall Campion Hall is one of the five permanent private halls of the University of Oxford in England. It is run by the Society of Jesus and named after Edmund Campion, a martyr and fellow of St John's College, Oxford. The hall is located on Brewer St ...

at Oxford (1992-1998) * Director of the School of Pastoral Leadership for the archdiocese with residence at Saint Agnes Parish, and then, at the Saint Ignatius College in San Francisco (1998-2001) * Professor and spiritual director at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California (2002-2010) In 1991, Barber became a chaplain in the

U.S. Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

, achieving the rank of captain. He received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Navy and was invested as a knight of the holy sepulchre and a magistral chaplain of the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. In 2010, Barber became the director of spiritual formation at Saint John's Seminary in the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

Bishop of Oakland

On May 3, 2013,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Barber as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland. He was consecrated by Archbishop

Salvatore J. Cordileone Salvatore Joseph Cordileone (born June 5, 1956) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church and the archbishop of Archdiocese of San Francisco in California since 2012. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland in California f ...

on May 25, 2013. Barber was the first American bishop appointed by Pope Francis. Besides English, Barber speaks Italian, French, Samoan, liturgical Spanish and Latin. In March, 2014, Barber transferred two pastors, one of whom was openly gay, from Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. Barber refused to provide any explanation to the pastors or to unhappy parishioners for the transfers. In 2019, Barber positioned himself against the proposed California State Senate Bill 360, which would require priests to break the seal of confession and report

sexual abuse of minors Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...

. He was quoted "I will go to jail before I will obey this attack on our religious freedom." As of 2021, the ''motu proprio'' '' Traditionis custodes'' restricts the celebration of the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

. On July 18, 2021, Barber approved the continued use of the Traditional Rite according to the 1962 missal in the Diocese of Oakland.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland official website

Bishop Barber, Diocese of Oakland

Pope Names Jesuit as Bishop of Oakland

Pope names Jesuit to lead Oakland diocese

NOMINA DEL VESCOVO DI OAKLAND (U.S.A.)

Bishop Barber approves continued use of Traditional Latin Mass

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Michael C. 1954 births Living people 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American expatriates in Canada American expatriates in Italy Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Catholics from California Clergy from Salt Lake City Jesuit bishops Knights of the Holy Sepulchre People from Galt, California People from Oakland, California Pontifical Gregorian University alumni