Bernard Griffin
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His Eminence Bernard Griffin |
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| Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster | |
Cardinal Griffin in Fulda, Germany, 1954
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| Diocese | Westminster |
| Appointed | 18 December 1943 |
| Term ended | 19 August 1956 |
| Predecessor | Arthur Hinsley |
| Successor | William Godfrey |
| Other posts | Cardinal Priest of Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1 November 1924 |
| Consecration | 30 June 1939 by Thomas Leighton Williams |
| Created Cardinal | 18 February 1946 |
| Rank | Cardinal Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Bernard William Griffin |
| Born |
21 February 1899 Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Died | 19 August 1956 (aged 57) New Polzeath, Cornwall, United Kingdom |
| Buried | Westminster Cathedral, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | William Griffin & Helen Swadkins |
| Previous post |
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| Alma mater | English College, Rome |
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Styles of Bernard Griffin |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Bernard William Griffin (1899–1956) was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1943 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.
Bernard and his twin brother Basil were born in Birmingham to William and Helen (née Swadkins) Griffin. His father was a Bicycle Manufacturer, Birmingham City councillor and justice of the peace.
They were a devoted family and were under the watchful eye of their parish priest. One day, both twins went to confession. When they came out the brothers found that Father O’Hagan had asked them both the same question; ‘What are you going to be?’. They had both answered, ‘I want to be a priest’. Both boys were clever and won scholarships to the local grammar school but Bernard’s desire to be a priest led him to transfer to Cotton College in Staffordshire.
When the First World War broke out in 1914 both Bernard and Basil joined the Royal Naval Air Service, with whom Bernard served as an air-raid warden. During this time he suffered a heart attack but concealed it from physicians in order to avoid a discharge which he feared would prevent his acceptance for the priesthood.
After the war Bernard went to Oscott College in Birmingham to train to be a priest. Ordained to the priesthood on 1 November 1924, he finished his studies at the Venerable English College in Rome in 1927. Griffin then worked as private secretary to John McIntyre, the Archbishop of Birmingham, until 1937. From 1929 to 1938, he served as diocesan chancellor of Birmingham, director of studies of the Catholic Evidence Guild, Catholic representative on the BBC's religious advisory committee, and administrator of diocesan charitable homes.
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