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
Previous post(s)|

* Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland and Titular Bishop of Hólar (1979–1983)

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 91)

Fairview Park, Ohio

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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. As of 2022, Griffin still filled in occasionally for parishes in need of a priest and attended diocesan clergy gatherings.[4]

## See also

[edit]

* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Catholic Church in the United States
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

* Biography portal
* Catholicism portal
* Ohio portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ Staff Writer. "Ousted Columbus priest arrested". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
3. ^ "FORMER BISHOP TO TEACH AT OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY". The Columbus Dispatch. 25 May 2005. pp. 10C.
4. ^ "'Thank God for our senior priests!'". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2022-08-17.

## External links

[edit]

* 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

* v
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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

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Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster

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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

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List
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Cathedral
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

Parishes
Holy Rosary Church, Cleveland
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Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus, Cleveland
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St. Patrick's Church, Wellington

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Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology

Former colleges
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Timothy P. Broglio
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