St Mary of the Mount High School - St Mary Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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- ' prisoners of the Allegheny County Jail and of the Boys of Morganza Training School. During his Chap- laincy Father Griffin became associ- ated with the Reverend Walter Elliot, a noted Paulist missionary, in conducting missions for non- Catholics throughout the Pitts- burgh diocese. Although ill health from over- work forced Father Griffin to re- linquish his Chaplaincy and his mission vork, he never abandoned the idea of finding ways and means to reach out to the souls in outlying regions where there were no means of Catholic Instruction. After a short period of eight steps from Duquesne Heights to Carson Street months at St. Joseph ' s in North Oakland, Father Griffin regained his health and assumed the pastorate of St. Joseph ' s Parish in New Brighton. From New Brighton he came to St. Mary of the Mount in 1903. Through his missionary experiences with Father Elliot, Father Griffin was aware of the spiritual condition of the people residing in the remote sections of the widely- scattered Pittsburgh diocese vhere there vere neither Churches nor priests. Like a

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McMahon became resident pastor, the parish rented a small frame house on Belonda Street. However, during the pastorate of Father Tobin, a hotise was pur- chased (supposedly by Father Tobin ' s family) and served as a Rectory imtil the present St. Mary of the Mount Church on Grandview Avenue vas built. The rec- tory occupied by Father O ' Connell was a small house next to the Church on Cirand- view Avenue. One can readily imagine its inadequacy when one realizes that it fit compactly between the Chtirch and the present rectory property. This, then, was the living quarters for the priests when Father Griffin came to the Mount in 1903. The Apostolate House on Ulysses Street was home to the priests who assisted Father Griffin in his Confraternity v ' ork while Father Griffin and his assistant, Father Benson, lived in the makeshift rectory. The steady growth of the parish required the help of another priest and Father Munster joined Father Griffin and Father Benson at St. Mary of the Motnit. So inadeqtiate was the rectory, that Father Munster was compelled to live at the Apostolate House. These imfavorable living conditions contintied until 1923 at which time Father Griffin completed negotia- tions (through a third party) for the purchasing of the Harper Estate, which estate adjoined the Church property. Work on the Harper home was begtm immediately, and in an incredibly short time the present comfortable rectory was ready for occupancy. Fathers Griffin, Benson and Munster gratefully took up residence in their new home. The old rectory was rented for a while, but in 1933, was torn down to make room for the present baptistry. Since St. Mary of the Mount played such a vital part in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and in the formation of the Apostolate, no history of the parish woidd be complete without a history of the Confraternity and the Apostolate. THE PITTSBURGH APOSTOLATE Prior to, and for a time, in conjtmction with his strenuous pastoral duties at St. Mary of the Mount, Father Griffin vas a great moving force behind the Apostolate in the diocese of Pittsbingh. In retrospect, let us glance at the life of this zealous priest of God who so generously emptied himself to become all things to all men. The son of Ed vard J. and Mary Keary Ciriffin, Father Griffin was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 4, 1863. Both his college and seminary studies were pursued at St. Vincent ' s College and Seminary in Latrobe, Pa. On July 13, 1888, he was ordained by Bishop Phelan and almost immediately began his priestly ministrations at St. John Baptist Church on 36th Street. After two years he was appointed as pastor of SS. Philip and James Church in Meyersdale, Pa. In 1891 Father Griffin, in accordance vith the wish of his Bishop assumed the Chaplaincy of St. Paul ' s Orphanage. This appointment also incltided the spiritual care of

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true apostle, he was desirous of bringing Christ to those remote regions. Shortly after becoming established at the Mount, Father Griffin conceived the idea of organizing a Pittsburgh Apostolate. The work of the Apostolate had been successfully organized by Father Elliot in Detroit, Michigan, and Father Griffin was confident that the same kind of missionary work could be carried out in the Pittsburgh diocese. In 1904, Father Griffin placed his well-drawn plans before Bishop Canevin, who gave wholehearted consent and lu-ged Father Griffin to execute his plans on a diocesan basis and to assume fidl responsibility for the organization as its first direc- tor. Thus, St. Mary of the Mount became the first home of the Apostolate and the house on 127 Ulysses St. became the headquarters for the missionary work of the diocese. The priests appointed to assist Father Griffin, Very Reverend William J. MiUlen and Reverend J. Quinn, made their residence at the place of the Apostolate Headquarters, which became known as i he Apostolate House. This building stands today next to the Church on Ulysses St. and is now used as the home of the custodian of the Church and the School. These first priests were soon to be joined by others and the Apostolate became a very active organization of secular priests giving missions throughout the diocese. To get an idea of the tremendous work accomplished by the Missionary Workers, we give here the contents of a public report which Father Griffin pre- sented on September 20, 1910. The report included the various missionary works that were accomplished from September, 1909, to July, 1910. The report stated that the year had been a most successful one and that the missionaries were justly proud of their 47 missions and 16, 652 confessions. Father regretted the fact that because of lack of funds the Apostolate was unable to give missions for more non-Catholics. In conducting the Catholic Missions, Father pointed out that each mission included rmong its spiritual exercises, an Hour ' s adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and a Holy Name Rally. As a result, ten Confraternities of the Holy Name were organized by the Apostolate during the year. The missionaries ' greatest consolation, the report continued, was the number of very splendid converts whom the priests of the Apostolate had received into the Church in that one year. Another great grace was the return to the Church of 1 1 8 schismatics. Because Father Griffin forsaw that the coming year 1910-1911 was to be a very demanding year for the Apostolate, he urged pastors desiring missions to make application for them early. Father concluded his report by announcing that the missionaries of the Apostolate were prepared to hear confessions in English, Ger- man, Italian, French, Polish, Hungarian and Lithuanian.