Father Daniel Griffith

From Father Daniel Griffith: This blog explores the intersection of the Catholic faith, culture, law, and politics. My hope is to provide a constructive voice that seeks to glean and apply the wisdom of a two thousand year faith tradition to contemporary issues that affect us all. Having been concerned about the increasing polarization in society, politics and the Church and the increasing rancor that marks our public discourse, my intent is to bring a more centrist approach and humane tone to the issues I will explore.

Father Griffith was interviewed on The Drew Mariani Show on October 1, 2019 on the topic: "Healing from the Church sex abuse scandal & Restorative Justice." Father's late mother Susan Griffith was on the inaugural Relevant Radio board when it launched locally in the Diocese of Green Bay in 2000! Relevant Radio now includes 127 stations and reaches 39 states.

Father Daniel Griffith was raised in Northeastern Wisconsin, the youngest of nine children. He has happily resided in the Twin Cities for the past 25 years. Fr. Griffith was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2002 and has served five parishes since his ordination.

In July 2012, Fr. Griffith was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Minneapolis, where he currently serves in conjunction with his appointment to the faculty of the St. Thomas University School of Law.  In 2019, he was also named the Liaison for Restorative Justice and Healing for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In 2017, he was named the inaugural Wenger Family Faculty Fellow of Law at St. Thomas.  He also serves as fellow and chaplain of the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy. Fr. Griffith has taught as an adjunct professor at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and in the Catholic Studies Masters of Arts program on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas.

During his priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, Fr. Griffith has served as a member of the College of Consultors, as a member of the Presbyteral Council, as chaplain to the Men’s Apostolate of the Archdiocese, and most recently as Archdiocesan Delegate for Safe Environment. During his work as a lawyer, Fr. Griffith has represented clients pro bono in the areas of criminal law and immigration law and has taught a number of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses. Fr. Griffith’s scholarly interests lie in the intersection of Catholic social thought and law and Christian ethics and law. At St. Thomas Law, Fr. Griffith has taught the following courses: Jurisprudence; Catholic Thought, Law and Policy; Law and Theology;  and Law and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. In 2019, Father Griffith was named Liaison for Restorative Justice and Healing for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.