Rev. Patrick J. Griffin, C.M. ’13HON, Reflects on Lifelong Ministry of Teaching and Service

Reverend Patrick J. Griffin, C.M. ’13HON, felt the call to priesthood at a young age, and as he grew and matured, that vocation crystallized through study, experience, service, and introspection.

He officially entered the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, in 1972. Fr. Griffin has been Executive Director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society (VCCS) at St. John’s University since 2015.

One of seven children, Fr. Griffin was born to Irish immigrants who settled in Brooklyn, NY. His family attended St. Saviour Church, and Fr. Griffin attended the parish school. He began considering the priesthood near the end of grammar school.

“A Vincentian priest visited St. Saviour and asked the boys to consider if we might have a vocation,” he explained. “I was already thinking in that direction, and it seemed like a good way to go.”

It would be years before Fr. Griffin fully understood the Vincentian charism. He added, “Like everything else, the reason why you do something when you’re 13 years old isn’t the same as when you’re ordained at 26.”

Fr. Griffin decided to attend St. Joseph’s Preparatory Seminary in Princeton, NJ, for high school. “I got an excellent education there, and the Vincentians decided we would attend college at Niagara University, where I majored in physics.”

Possessed of an abiding interest in math and science, Fr. Griffin noted, “I try to pay attention to what is going on in the scientific community. I’m very interested in numbers and their fantastic character.”

In between his second and third year at Niagara, Fr. Griffin completed his novitiate year. “That’s where we really learned about the Vincentian charism and spent serious time in prayer and retreat.”

After four years at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, PA, Fr. Griffin was ordained in 1979. During this time, he earned master’s degrees in divinity and theology there.

Upon ordination, Fr. Griffin was asked by his superiors to complete further study rather than enter ministry, which is the more common path. “I always expected I’d be asked to study theology somewhere—but not so soon,” he noted. The eventual goal was for Fr. Griffin to teach Biblical Studies at Mary Immaculate, but he first needed to learn German. So, he spent time in Europe absorbing the first of many languages he would accumulate over the years.

After that, Fr. Griffin began a period of scholarship, which took him to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “Catholic University has a language-oriented scripture program,” he explained. “Different scripture programs have a particular emphasis, which meant that you couldn’t take a course unless you knew a particular language because they wanted to teach the course by using text from the original language.” Over time, Fr. Griffin would learn Greek and some semitic languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac).

Fr. Griffin earned his master’s in Biblical Studies in 1983 and his doctoral degree in Biblical Studies in 1984. For the first half of his priestly life, Fr. Griffin spent most of his time teaching and as an administrator. His first assignment was teaching scripture to college students at Niagara University, but the program moved to St. John’s in 1985. This was the first of his three stints there.

He would go on to teach and serve as Director of students at Mary Immaculate Seminary and then move to the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, NY. Fr. Griffin thought he would have a long tenure at Immaculate Conception and was surprised to receive a call from the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission asking him to become General Treasurer of the Congregation, a post located in Rome, Italy.

By this time, Fr. Griffin was used to heeding the call of his superiors and going where the need was greatest. “He knew me well and knew I was good with numbers, so, with no degree in accounting or economics, I went.”

Fr. Griffin helped computerize their accounting system there, teaching himself the necessary programs. He served in that role until 1999, when he was called back to work at Immaculate Conception.

In 2008, Fr. Griffin returned to St. John’s as Executive Vice President for Mission and Branch Campuses. He held that role until 2010, when the Superior General again called, asking him to become Director General for the Daughters of Charity in Paris, France. In that post, Fr. Griffin visited various provinces for the Daughters worldwide.

“It gave me lots of opportunities to travel to other countries and see the work that was done by the Congregation and by the Daughters and Sisters of Charity. It was a real education, seeing the work they did with the seriously poor in desperate circumstances.”

Fr. Griffin stressed that what he witnessed caused him to be “deeply enamored” of the work done by the entire Vincentian community, offering him an insight into that experience he previously did not possess. “It was at that point I became more familiar than ever before with the Vincentian charism. It made a big difference in terms of my appreciation for who St. Vincent de Paul was. That was great for me and deepened my commitment to our work.”

Health concerns forced Fr. Griffin to relinquish that role in Paris in 2014, but the insight he gained and the widened perspective serve him well in his current role as Executive Director of VCCS. “The work I do now is rather specialized,” he said. “They need someone who has a finished degree because I often deal with faculty who need to see me as a peer, so it gives me a certain voice with them.”

VCCS serves as a vital link between St. John’s University, the Church, service organizations, and the community at large. Among his many disparate roles, Fr. Griffin is responsible for helping decide who will hold the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice, which entails delivering a series of lectures throughout the academic year on issues that speak to the heart of the Vincentian charism, theoretically and practically.

“I’m not afraid to make decisions regarding what person we’re going to bring in or what topic we will cover. I talk to many different people, but when I finally land on something, I go with it. I think this role makes good use of my talents.”

Fr. Griffin remarked that had he not gone into the priesthood, he could envision himself as a teacher, perhaps at the high school or college level, and married with a family. However, he has no regrets.

“Could I have seen myself in another life? Sure,” he reflected. “That is because I think I can do many different things. However, I’m not regretful in any way of my choices. I’m happy to continue carrying out my vocation. I like working with the young and forming the future. I hope it’s the community’s intent that I finish out my time at St. John’s.”