Stafford Poole

The Reverend Stafford Poole, C.M., (born March 6, 1930) is a Catholic priest and a research historian. He was formerly a professor of history at, and later served as President of, the former St. John's Seminary College (closed 2002) in Camarillo, California. Additionally, he is known for his extensive writings about the history of the Catholic Church in Mexico and the devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Poole was born in Oxnard, California, the son of Beatrice Hessie Smith and Joseph Outhwaite Poole, Sr., and was raised in North Hollywood. While in grammar schools there, his classmates included both the sons of the noted singer, Bing Crosby, as well as the future Cardinal Roger Mahony. For high school, he attended Los Angeles College, which was a minor seminary run by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for high-school age boys who were considering the priesthood.

Upon his graduation in 1947 he joined the Congregation of the Mission of Saint Vincent de Paul, taking his vows in 1949. He did his seminary studies at the Vincentian seminary in Perryville, Missouri, earning a bachelor's degree in 1952. He completed his theological studies and was ordained in 1956, afterwards teaching in seminaries in the Midwestern United States. He received a Master's degree in Spanish literature in 1958 and then in 1961 his doctorate in history, both from St. Louis University.