James Aloysius Griffin
Encyclopedia
James Aloysius Griffin was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois
from 1924 until his death in 1948.
, to Thomas and Catherine (née Woulfe) Griffin. He attended St. Gabriel High School and St. Ignatius College
in Chicago before furthering his studies in Rome
at Propaganda College
, from where he obtained a Ph.D.
(1906) and a Doctor of Divinity
(1910). While in Rome, he served as secretary
to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val. Griffin was ordained
to the priesthood
on July 4, 1909. Upon his return to the United States
in 1910, he served as a curate
at St. James Church in Chicago until 1915, when he was transferred to St. Brendan Church. He served as pastor
of Assumption Church in Coal City
(1917-1921) and of St. Mary Church in Joliet
(1921-1924).
On November 10, 1923, Griffin was appointed the fourth Bishop of Springfield
by Pope Pius XI
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on February 25, 1924 from Archbishop George Mundelein, with Bishops Samuel Stritch and Edward Francis Hoban
serving as co-consecrators
. He dedicated the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
in 1928. Griffin erected 51 new churches, schools
, convent
s and charitable institutions; the total cost spent in his first ten years was close to $6.5 million. He established Marquette Catholic High School
in Alton
, and Springfield College.
In 1939 he joined Bishop John Mark Gannon
and Monsignor Michael Joseph Ready
in a visit to Mexico
to confer with Archbishop Luis Martínez
on a seminary
founded in Las Vegas
, New Mexico
, to supply priests for the Mexican Church, since seminaries were at that time illegal in that country. Following the election of George D. Stoddard as president of the University of Illinois in 1945, Griffin condemned Stoddard's assertion in his book The Meaning of Intelligence that, "Man-made concepts, such as devil
s, witches
, taboo
s, hell
fire, original sin
...and divine revelation
...have distorted the intellectual processes of millions of persons." Griffin said, "We want to know what we're paying for...Thousands of [Dr. Stoddard's] future students believe in the objective validity of [original sin and hell]...He will evidently try to dispossess his charges of their feeble-mindedness." In response, Stoddard said he "should be much happier if the Bishop and his group read the whole book" and that, taken as a whole, it actually urged a "return to religion."
Griffin died, aged 65. He is buried in one of five crypt
s of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the south central Illinois region of the United States...
from 1924 until his death in 1948.
Biography
James Griffin was born in Chicago, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, to Thomas and Catherine (née Woulfe) Griffin. He attended St. Gabriel High School and St. Ignatius College
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
in Chicago before furthering his studies in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at Propaganda College
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
, from where he obtained a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(1906) and a Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
(1910). While in Rome, he served as secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val. Griffin was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on July 4, 1909. Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1910, he served as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. James Church in Chicago until 1915, when he was transferred to St. Brendan Church. He served as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of Assumption Church in Coal City
Coal City, Illinois
Coal City is a village located in Braceville and Felix Townships in Grundy County, and a small portion in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,587 at the 2010 census. The Santa Fe Railway formerly served Coal City at Coal City Station....
(1917-1921) and of St. Mary Church in Joliet
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
(1921-1924).
On November 10, 1923, Griffin was appointed the fourth Bishop of Springfield
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the south central Illinois region of the United States...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on February 25, 1924 from Archbishop George Mundelein, with Bishops Samuel Stritch and Edward Francis Hoban
Edward Francis Hoban
Edward Francis Hoban was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Rockford and Bishop of Cleveland .-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He dedicated the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Springfield, Illinois)
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Springfield, Illinois. The cathedral, for which the cornerstone was laid on August 14, 1927, was dedicated on October 14, 1928...
in 1928. Griffin erected 51 new churches, schools
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
, convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
s and charitable institutions; the total cost spent in his first ten years was close to $6.5 million. He established Marquette Catholic High School
Marquette Catholic High School (Alton, Illinois)
Marquette Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Alton, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.-History:...
in Alton
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
, and Springfield College.
In 1939 he joined Bishop John Mark Gannon
John Mark Gannon
John Mark Gannon was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Erie from 1920 to 1966, and was given the personal title of Archbishop in 1953.-Biography:...
and Monsignor Michael Joseph Ready
Michael Joseph Ready
Michael Joseph Ready was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Columbus from 1944 until his death.-Early life and education:...
in a visit to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to confer with Archbishop Luis Martínez
Luis María Martínez
Luis María Martínez y Rodríguez was the Catholic archbishop of Mexico and a member of the Academia Mexicana de la Lengua ....
on a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
founded in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, to supply priests for the Mexican Church, since seminaries were at that time illegal in that country. Following the election of George D. Stoddard as president of the University of Illinois in 1945, Griffin condemned Stoddard's assertion in his book The Meaning of Intelligence that, "Man-made concepts, such as devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
s, witches
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s, hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
fire, original sin
Original sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
...and divine revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
...have distorted the intellectual processes of millions of persons." Griffin said, "We want to know what we're paying for...Thousands of [Dr. Stoddard's] future students believe in the objective validity of [original sin and hell]...He will evidently try to dispossess his charges of their feeble-mindedness." In response, Stoddard said he "should be much happier if the Bishop and his group read the whole book" and that, taken as a whole, it actually urged a "return to religion."
Griffin died, aged 65. He is buried in one of five crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
s of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.