William Aloysius Griffin (November 20, 1885 – January 1, 1950) was 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 ...
. He served as bishop of the
Diocese of Trenton
The Diocese of Trenton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties in central New Jersey. The Diocese of Trenton is a suffragan diocese in the ecc ...
in New Jersey from 1940 until his death in 1950. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and Catholic school, schools ...
in New Jersey from 1938 to 1940.
Biography
Early life
William Griffin was born in
, the eleventh of twelve children of John J. and Catherine (née Lyons) Griffin.
One of his brothers, John J. Griffin, was
city attorney of Elizabeth and a
Democratic member of the
New Jersey General Assembly.
He received his early education at the
parochial school
A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...
of St. Patrick Parish in Elizabeth, and then attended
St. Patrick High School, also in Elizabeth.
Griffin then attended
Seton Hall College
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...
in South Orange, New Jersey before studying for the priesthood at
Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall.
Priesthood
Griffin was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
a priest for the
Diocese of Newark on August 15, 1910.
His first assignment was as
principal of Bayley Hall, a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
attached to Seton Hall College.
A member of the faculty at Seton Hall for fifteen years, Griffin taught
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
Greek, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in the preparatory school before becoming professor of
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and English in the college.
In December 1924, Griffin was appointed diocesan director of the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
He later became national
treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
of the same organization in 1935.
From 1929 to 1938, he was
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. Michael Parish in
Jersey City, New Jerseu.
He was named a
papal chamberlain in 1930.
Griffin also served as administrator of St. John and St. Augustine Parishes in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, and state
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
of the
Ancient Order of Hibernians and the
Catholic Daughters of the Americas
Catholic Daughters of the Americas was founded in 1903, is one of the largest women's organizations in the Americas. Founded in Utica, New York, it has its headquarters in Manhattan, New York City.
History
The Catholic Daughters of the Am ...
.
Auxiliary Bishop of Newark
On February 26, 1938, Griffin was appointed
auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark and
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of ''Sanavo'' by
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
.
He received his
episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
on May 1, 1938, from Archbishop
Thomas J. Walsh
Thomas James Walsh (June 12, 1859March 2, 1933) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Helena, Montana who represented Montana in the US Senate from 1913 to 1933. He was initially elected by the state legislature, and from 1 ...
, with Bishops
John A. Duffy
John Aloysius Duffy (October 29, 1884 – September 27, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse in New York from 1933 to 1937, and as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New ...
and
Moses E. Kiley
Moses Elias Kiley (November 13, 1876 – April 15, 1953) was a Canadian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Trenton in New Jersey (1934–1940) and the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Wisc ...
serving as
co-consecrators
A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop.
The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...
, at
Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to:
Africa
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Moundou, Chad
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bamako, Mali
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown, Sierra Leone
*Sacred Heart Cathedra ...
in Newark.
As an auxiliary bishop, he served as
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Immaculate Conception Seminary.
Bishop of Trenton
Following the promotion of Bishop Kiley to
Archbishop of Milwaukee, Giffin was named bishop of the Diocese of Trenton on May 21, 1940, by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
.
His installation took place at
St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton on July 23, 1940.
William Griffin died from a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
at the home of his brother-in-law and sister in Elizabeth on January 2, 1950; he was age 64.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, William A.
1885 births
1950 deaths
People from Elizabeth, New Jersey
Seton Hall University alumni
Catholics from New Jersey
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Roman Catholic bishops of Trenton