Who was Fr. Griffin?

Our Knights of Columbus Council #3586 is named after Fr. Ambrose M. Griffin, O.S.M. Fr. Griffin was a member of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary also known as the Servites.

The Servites were founded in 1233, about the same time as the Franciscan and Dominican Orders were founded. Inspired by a vision of the Blessed Virgin, seven noblemen from Florence, Italy left their families and possessions to found a religious order devoted to the Sorrowful Mother. The seven Florentine noblemen are known as the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. Servite priests devote themselves to prayer, study and care of souls.

While attending the First Vatican Council in 1870, Bishop Joseph Melchor invited a group of Irish Servites to come to the United States and serve in his diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Coincidentally, before becoming a bishop, Fr. Joseph Melchor had been the pastor of Assumption-Mattese, which is now served by this Knights of Columbus Council.

The Irish Servite community in the United States was blessed with many vocations and began serving in many dioceses. Soon, Cardinal Glennon invited the Servites to serve in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. They founded Seven Holy Founders Parish in 1927 with thirty-two families.

Fr. Griffin was born in Ireland in 1881. The Christian Brothers in Cork, Ireland educated him before immigrating to the United States in 1899. Then he attended Notre Dame University in Indiana. He served as an instructor at Notre Dame University in Indiana, and St. Norbert's College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

Fr. Griffin entered the Green Bay Servite community in 1909. Fr. Griffin contributed articles to the Catholic Encyclopedia published in 1914, which is still used today as a valuable recourse on the history, doctrine, and discipline of the Catholic Church. The entire Catholic Encyclopedia is online at newadvent.org. He was ordained a priest in 1916. He was a joyful priest well known for his "Irish wit," his hard work, and his exceptional talents for preaching, education, and pastoral care.

Fr Griffin was the principal of St. Philip's High School in Chicago from 1918-1820. Fr Griffin served as pastor of St. Domatilla Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1923 until he was transferred to St. Louis where he was the second pastor of Seven Holy Founders Parish from 1936 until his death in 1945.

As Fr. Griffin became pastor of Seven Holy Founders, many new families were building homes in the Affton area. The parish grew robustly under Fr. Griffin and he is remembered for introducing the Servite Perpetual Novena of Our Sorrowful Mother, which was a special devotion every Friday night, when hundreds of people gathered to honor Our Lady and pray for the sick. He vacated the priest's residence and moved into a nearby home to make room for additional nuns to teach in the school. The number of students reached 500 while he was pastor. He began a hot meal program for the students. He retired the parish debt. He began sending men for an annual silent retreat at the Jesuit White House Retreat Center.

Fr. Griffin received his eternal reward at the relatively early age of 64 on the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception, December 13, 1945.

The Knights of Columbus Council #3586 was founded in 1953 and was named in memory for the hard working, holy, and zealous Fr. Griffin.