The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-18
lOTED CATHOLIC JOURNALIST

zlOTED CATHOLIC JOURNALIST
\ Martin |. ]. Griffin of Philadelphia,
Author, Publisher and Editor,
Passes Away-Was a Founder of
/ the G. r. A. U. of America-Father
! I Of Rev. M. |. J. Griffin of the College
OF ST. Thomas.
| Martin /. j. Griffin of Philadelphia,
the well-known Catholic historian,
was stricken with paralysis on the 7th
inst, and died three days later. He
had been in his usual good health up
to the time he received the fatal
stroke and there was nothing to indi-
cate the near approach of death.
When the end came he was surround
ed by the members of his family, one
OF whom, the Rev. Martin I. J. Griffin,
Treasurer of the College of St.
Thomas, had made hurried trip from
the west to the bedside of his dying
parent who expired few hours after
his arrival at the family home. The
funeral services took place last Tues
day at the Church of Our Lady of
Mercy and were largely attended not
only by the laity, but by the clergy
The Solemn Mass of Requiem was
celebrated by his son, the Rev. Martin
/. J.. Griffin.
Sketch of His Life,
The deceased, who was widely
known as an author, publisher and
editor, was born in Philadelphia on
October %, 1912. He began life as
bookkeeper and shortly afterwards he
became correspondent for several
Catholic papers in the east and soon
established an enviable reputation in
Catholic journalistic circles. When
the Catholic Standard of Philadelphia
was founded he became it's city re-
porter and later on was part owner
and editor of the Guardian Angel, a
Sunday school paper. In 1870 he was
appointed assistant editor of the Cath
olic Standard, now the Catholic Stand
ard and Times of Philadelphia. Three
years afterwards he founded the Jour-
nal of the Irish Catholic Benevolent
Union of the United States and edited
1t for twenty-one years. During this
time he changed its name to Grif1n's
Journal. He organized the first Cath
olic Total Abstinence Society for
Boys in Philadelphia and was it's rep
resentative at the founding of the To
tai Abstinence Union of America at
Baltimore on February %, 1872. At
the time of his death he was the sole
surviving founder of the Catholic To-
tai Abstinence Union of Philadelphia,
as well as of the Catholic Historical
Society which was organized largely
through his efforts and as a result of
articles relating to Catholicity in Phil
adelphia which he began to publish in
1882. In 1887 he undertook the pub
lication of the American Catholic His
torical Researches and continued to
edit it until the time of his death. He
was recognized as an authority on
the history of the Catholic Church in
America and is said to have founded
more Catholic societies and to have
been connected with Catholic journal
ism longer than any other man in
the United States.
His Writings.
The most important historical works
of which he was the author are "His-
tory of Old st. Josephs Church. "His-
tory of st. Johns Church." Thomas
Fitzgerald, Pennsylvania's Catholic
Signer of the Constitution" !" "The Life
of Rt. Rev. Michael Egan, o. S. f., the
First Bishop of Philadelphia, "The
Trial Of John Ury," Documents Relat-
ing to the History of the Catholic
Church in America" and "The Life of
Jack Barry, Founder of the American
Navy besides mis- contributions to
magazines and periodicals
The news of Mr.. Grifins death was
great shock, not only to his more
intimate friends in Philadelphia, but
to that wider circle Of friends who
knew him through his writings. Dur
ing the past summer he paid a visit
to his son, Father Griffin, in st. Paul,
and seemed to be i'm the enjoyment of
his usual robust health. On his way
home to Philadelphia he attended the
national convention of Catholic edi-
tors at Columbus, Ohio, and delivered
an address. On the day he was strick-
en- he had gone over the proofs of his
latest work, the Life Of Rt Rev. Henry
Conwell, D. D., Second Bishop of Phila-
delphia, who died in 1912.
Mr.. Griffin was an aggressive writer
who did not mince matters where
questions of historical accuracy were
concerned He was a great deliver
into the records of the past and sue
ceeded in unearthing many facts in
connection with Catholicism in this
country which serve to show the part
Catholics played in the founding, pre-
servatfon and development of the Re