James Henry Ambrose Griffiths
Encyclopedia
James Henry Ambrose Griffiths (July 16, 1903—February 24, 1964) was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of New York
from 1950 to 1964.
, New York
, to James Henry and Helen Agatha (née O'Neil) Griffiths. He received his early education at St. Augustine's Academy from 1915 to 1919. He then attended St. John's University in Brooklyn, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1923. He studied for the priesthood
at the Almo Collegio Capranica
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
, both in Rome
. He received a doctorate in theology
from the Gregorian in 1927.
a priest in Rome on March 12, 1927. Following his return to New York, he was assigned as a curate
at St. Joseph's Church in Babylon
, where he remained for one year. He then served at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Queens
(1928-29) and at St. Augustine's Church in Park Slope
(1929-31). In addition to his pastoral duties, he was an instructor of New Testament
scripture at the Dominican Normal School in Amityville
from 1927 to 1929.
Griffiths was named secretary (1929) and later audit
or (1931) of the diocesan tribunal. From 1935 to 1943, he was vice-chancellor
of the Diocese of Brooklyn
. He also served as diocesan censor of books. He was named a papal chamberlain
in 1938, and raised to the rank of domestic prelate
in 1944. One of the co-founders of the Canon Law Society of America
, he served as its president from 1941 to 1942.
Following the United States' entry into World War II
in 1941, Griffiths was charged with the supervision of chaplain
s from the Diocese of Brooklyn. He also directed the work of the Vatican Information Service
in the diocese, transmitting messages monthly to and from persons in enemy-occupied countries. In November 1943, he was named chancellor of the Military Ordinariate, serving Catholics in the U.S. armed forces
throughout the world.
of the Archdiocese of New York
and titular bishop
of Gaza
by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on January 18, 1950 from Cardinal Francis Spellman, with Bishops Thomas Edmund Molloy
and William Richard Arnold
serving as co-consecrators
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral
. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as chancellor of the Military Ordinariate, a post which he held until 1955. In March 1952, Cardinal Spellman appointed Griffiths to the board of archdiocesan consultor
s. The following year, he was named to the Committee on Moral and Spiritual Resources of the International Information Administration, a federal agency that handled overseas information and Voice of America
.
In September 1955, Griffiths became pastor
of St. Monica's Church in New York City
. He represented the Holy See
at the United Nations
and was its permanent observer
at the Economic and Social Council
. He was also a member of the New York City Commission on the United Nations and assistant bishop for United Nations Affairs on the administrative board of the National Catholic Welfare Council
. During the Second Vatican Council
, he was named as one of the five members of the United States Bishops' Commission on the Liturgical Apostolate to study the introduction of English
in parts of the Mass
and other sacraments
.
Griffiths died from a heart attack
at the rectory
of St. Monica's Church, at age 60.
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 an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
from 1950 to 1964.
Early life and education
James Griffiths was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to James Henry and Helen Agatha (née O'Neil) Griffiths. He received his early education at St. Augustine's Academy from 1915 to 1919. He then attended St. John's University in Brooklyn, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1923. He studied for 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....
at the Almo Collegio Capranica
Almo Collegio Capranica
The Almo Collegio Capranica is the oldest Roman college, founded in 1457 by Cardinal Domenico Capranica in his own palace for 31 young clerics, who received an education suitable for the formation of good priests. Capranica himself drew up their rules and presented the college with his own library,...
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
, both 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...
. He received a doctorate in theology
Doctor of Sacred Theology
The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
from the Gregorian in 1927.
Priesthood
Griffiths was ordainedHoly 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....
a priest in Rome on March 12, 1927. Following his return to New York, he was assigned 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. Joseph's Church in Babylon
Babylon (town), New York
The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York . Located on Long Island, the town population was 211,792 as of the 2000 census. There is also a Village of Babylon located within the town. It borders Nassau County to the West, and the Atlantic Ocean to the South...
, where he remained for one year. He then served at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
(1928-29) and at St. Augustine's Church in Park Slope
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope is a neighborhood in western Brooklyn, New York City's most populous borough. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush Avenue to the north, and 15th Street to the south, though other definitions are sometimes offered. Generally...
(1929-31). In addition to his pastoral duties, he was an instructor of New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
scripture at the Dominican Normal School in Amityville
Amityville, New York
Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.-History:...
from 1927 to 1929.
Griffiths was named secretary (1929) and later audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
or (1931) of the diocesan tribunal. From 1935 to 1943, he was vice-chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
of the Diocese of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
. He also served as diocesan censor of books. He was named a papal chamberlain
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1938, and raised to the rank of domestic prelate
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1944. One of the co-founders of the Canon Law Society of America
Canon Law Society of America
The Canon Law Society of America is a professional association dedicated to the promotion of both the study and the application of canon law in the Catholic Church. The Society's membership includes over fifteen hundred men and women who reside in forty-three countries...
, he served as its president from 1941 to 1942.
Following the United States' entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941, Griffiths was charged with the supervision of chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s from the Diocese of Brooklyn. He also directed the work of the Vatican Information Service
Vatican Information Service
The Vatican Information Service is an official news service of the Holy See Press Office.The service was founded in 1991, and transmits news on a daily basis at 3pm Rome time, except during the month of August and on Vatican State holidays .The service is available in four languages: English,...
in the diocese, transmitting messages monthly to and from persons in enemy-occupied countries. In November 1943, he was named chancellor of the Military Ordinariate, serving Catholics in the U.S. armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
throughout the world.
Episcopacy
On October 15, 1949, Griffiths was appointed auxiliary bishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
and titular bishop
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 Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. 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 January 18, 1950 from Cardinal Francis Spellman, with Bishops Thomas Edmund Molloy
Thomas Edmund Molloy
Thomas Edmund Molloy was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1921 until his death in 1956.-Biography:...
and William Richard Arnold
William Richard Arnold (bishop)
Chaplain William Richard Arnold, USA was an American Army officer and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church...
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...
, at St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as chancellor of the Military Ordinariate, a post which he held until 1955. In March 1952, Cardinal Spellman appointed Griffiths to the board of archdiocesan consultor
Consultor
A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e. a counselor.In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions:*in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by a department...
s. The following year, he was named to the Committee on Moral and Spiritual Resources of the International Information Administration, a federal agency that handled overseas information and Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
.
In September 1955, Griffiths became 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 St. Monica's Church in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He represented the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and was its permanent observer
United Nations General Assembly observers
In addition to the current 193 member states, the United Nations welcomes many international organizations, entities, and non-member states as observers. Observer status is granted by a United Nations General Assembly resolution...
at the Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
. He was also a member of the New York City Commission on the United Nations and assistant bishop for United Nations Affairs on the administrative board of the National Catholic Welfare Council
National Catholic Welfare Council
The National Catholic Welfare Council was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council....
. During the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, he was named as one of the five members of the United States Bishops' Commission on the Liturgical Apostolate to study the introduction of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in parts of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and other sacraments
Sacraments of the Catholic Church
The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, "efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper...
.
Griffiths died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
of St. Monica's Church, at age 60.