James Anthony Griffin

Catholic bishop (born 1934)

His Excellency, The Most Reverend James Anthony Griffin
Bishop Emeritus of Columbus
Bishop Griffin in Dublin in 2019
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Diocese	Columbus
Appointed	February 4, 1983
Installed	April 25, 1983
Retired	October 14, 2004
Predecessor	Edward John Herrmann
Successor	Frederick F. Campbell
Orders
Ordination	May 28, 1960 by John Krol
Consecration	August 1, 1979 by James Aloysius Hickey, Clarence George Issenmann, and Joseph Abel Francis
Personal details
Born	(1934-06-13) June 13, 1934 (age 89) Fairview Park, Ohio
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland and Titular Bishop of Hólar (1979–1983)
Education	St. Charles College Borromeo College St. Mary Seminary Pontifical Lateran University Cleveland State University
Motto	Radicati in ipso (Rooted in Him)
Signature

Styles of James Anthony Griffin

Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

James Anthony Griffin (born June 13, 1934) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Griffin served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1983 to 2004. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1979 to 1983.

Biography

The fifth of seven children, Griffin was born in Fairview Park, Ohio, on June 13, 1934, to Thomas Griffin and Margaret Hanousek. He attended St. Angela Merici School in Fairview Park, Ohio, and Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland.^[1]

After high school, Griffin went to St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland. He finished his undergraduate studies at Borromeo College in Wickliffe, Ohio, receiving his Bachelor of Philosophy degree. Griffin then attended St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland.^[1]

Ministry

On May 28, 1960, Bishop John Krol 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 at St. Jerome Parish in Cleveland. In 1961, Griffin was posted to Rome to study at the Pontifical Lateran University. In 1963, he received his Licentiate of Canon Law magna cum laude from Lateran University.^[1]

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.^[1]

In January 1978, Bishop James Hickey named Griffin as vicar general and administrator pro tem of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Parish. In April 1978, he was appointed pastor of St. William Parish in Euclid, Ohio.^[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

On June 30, 1979, Pope John Paul II appointed Griffin as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and titular bishop of Hólar. He was consecrated by Hickey on August 1, 1979.^[1]

Bishop of Columbus

On February 7, 1983, John Paul II appointed Griffin as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus. He was installed on April 25, 1983.^[1]

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 and was president of Catholic Relief Services (1991–1995).^[1]

In 1993, Griffin removed Reverend 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 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 for sexual abuse of minors.^[2]

Retirement

On October 14, 2004, Griffin sent his letter of resignation as Bishop of Columbus to Pope John Paul, citing his arthritis. He was succeeded by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell.^[1] In retirement, Griffin served as a professor of theology at Ohio Dominican University^[3] and 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. ^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Most Reverend James Anthony Griffin, J.D., J.C.L." Diocese of Columbus. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^ Staff Writer. "Ousted Columbus priest arrested". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
^ "FORMER BISHOP TO TEACH AT OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY". The Columbus Dispatch. 25 May 2005. pp. 10C.
^ "'Thank God for our senior priests!'". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2022-08-17.

External links

Diocese of Columbus
Catholic-Hierarchy.org ^{[self-published]}
Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Official Site

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Edward John Herrmann	Bishop of Columbus 1983–2004	Succeeded by Frederick F. Campbell
Preceded by -	Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland 1979–1983	Succeeded by -

Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus

Bishops

Ordinaries: Sylvester Horton Rosecrans; John Ambrose Watterson; Henry K. Moeller; James Joseph Hartley; Michael Joseph Ready; Clarence George Issenmann; John Carberry; Clarence Edward Elwell; Edward John Herrmann; James Anthony Griffin; Frederick F. Campbell; Robert J. Brennan; Earl K. Fernandes

Auxiliaries: Edward Gerard Hettinger; George Avis Fulcher

Churches

Cathedral: St. Joseph Cathedral

Basilica: Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster

Parishes: St. Mary's Church, Delaware; St. John the Evangelist Church, Logan; St. Mary's Church, Portsmouth; St. Joseph's Church, Somerset; St. Nicholas Church, Zanesville; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Zanesville; St. Patrick Church, Columbus; Holy Cross Church, Columbus; Sacred Heart Church, Columbus; Holy Family Church, Columbus

Oratory: St. Leo Oratory, Columbus

Education

Higher education: Ohio Dominican University

Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum

High schools: Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus; Bishop Ready High School, Columbus; Bishop Rosecrans High School, Zanesville; Bishop Watterson High School, Columbus; Cristo Rey Columbus High School, Columbus; Newark Catholic High School, Newark; Notre Dame High School, Portsmouth; Saint Charles Preparatory School, Columbus; St. Francis DeSales High School, Columbus; Saints Peter and Paul Seminary, Heath; Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, New Philadelphia; William V. Fisher Catholic High School, Lancaster

Priests

Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher

Francis William Howard

Leonard J. Fick

Museums

Museum of Catholic Art and History

Shrines

St. Therese Retreat Center

Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Bishops	Ordinaries Louis Amadeus Rappe Richard Gilmour Ignatius Frederick Horstmann John Patrick Farrelly Joseph Schrembs Edward Francis Hoban Clarence George Issenmann James Aloysius Hickey Anthony Michael Pilla Richard Gerard Lennon Nelson J. Pérez Edward Charles Malesic Auxiliaries Joseph Maria Koudelka James A. McFadden William Michael Cosgrove John Raphael Hagan Floyd Lawrence Begin John Krol Clarence Edward Elwell John Francis Whealon Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon Michael Joseph Murphy James Anthony Griffin James Patterson Lyke Anthony Edward Pevec Alexander James Quinn Martin John Amos Roger William Gries Michael G. Woost
Churches	List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Parishes Holy Rosary Church, Cleveland Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Cleveland St. Barbara Church, Cleveland St. Casimir Church, Cleveland St. Elizabeth's Magyar Church, Cleveland St. Michael the Archangel Church, Cleveland St. Paul's Church, Cleveland St. Peter Church, Cleveland Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus, Cleveland St. Stephen Church, Cleveland St. Vitus's Church, Cleveland St. Mary's Church, Elyria Immaculate Conception Church, Grafton St. Martin's Church, Valley City St. Patrick's Church, Wellington Former parishes Annunciation Church, Cleveland Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Cleveland St. Joseph's Church, Cleveland St. Mary's on the Flats, Cleveland Transfiguration Church, Cleveland St. Ladislaus Church, Lorain
Higher education	Colleges & universities John Carroll University Ursuline College Seminary Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology Former colleges Notre Dame College St. John's College, Cleveland
Priests	Timothy P. Broglio John Dearden Raymond Joseph Gallagher Louis de Goesbriand Paul John Hallinan Joseph Patrick Hurley Charles Hubert Le Blond Edward Aloysius Mooney Thomas Charles O'Reilly Michael Joseph Ready John Patrick Treacy
Miscellany	St. Joseph Convent and Academy Complex
Catholicism portal