Harry Anselm Clinch
Encyclopedia
Harry Anselm Clinch was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Monterey in California
from 1967 to 1982.
, California
, to Henry Joseph and Mary E. (née McLoughlin) Clinch. In 1915, he moved with his family to Fresno
, where he attended John Muir Elementary School and Fresno High School
(1924-25). In 1925, he was accepted by Bishop John MacGinley
as a seminarian for the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno
. He entered St. Benedict's Seminary
in Atchison
, Kansas
, with a grant from the Students Endowment Fund established by the Catholic Church Extension Society
. He attended St. Joseph's College in Mountain View
from 1928 to 1930, and St. Patrick's Seminary
in Menlo Park
from 1930 to 1936.
to the priesthood
by Bishop Philip Scher
on June 6, 1936. He was diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
from 1936 to 1948. In 1937, he founded and became director of Santa Teresita Camp, the diocesan summer camp
for children. He also served as diocesan director of the Catholic Youth Organization
(1939-40), a chaplain
at St. Agnes Hospital (1942-46), and dean of Kern
and Inyo Counties
.
From 1941 to 1948, Clinch was editor
of the diocesan newspaper
, Central California Register. He received his first assignment as a pastor
in 1946, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Clovis
, where he remained for two years. In 1948, he became the founding pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Fresno. At Sacred Heart, he constructed a church and established a parochial school
.
Clinch was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church in Taft
in 1948. He was elevated to the rank of domestic prelate
in October 1952. In 1958, he was assigned to the Carmel Mission Basilica
in Carmel-by-the-Sea
.
of Monterey-Fresno and titular bishop
of Badiae by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on February 27, 1957 from Bishop Aloysius Willinger
, with Bishops Timothy Manning and Merlin Guilfoyle serving as co-consecrators
. He was the thirteenth native Californian to become a Catholic bishop. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve at the Carmel Mission Basilica. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
between 1962 and 1965.
Following the split of the Diocese of Monterey
from the Diocese of Fresno
, Clinch was named Bishop of Monterey
by Pope Paul VI
on October 16, 1967. During his 14-year tenure, he implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, ordained 22 priests, and established five new parishes. In May 1969, he succeeded Cardinal John Wright as episcopal adviser to the National Catholic Laymen's Retreat Conference.
and donated the proceeds to establish the Bishop Harry A. Clinch Endowment Fund. He then spent his retirement at a retirement community in Santa Cruz
, where he later died at age 94. At the time of his death, he was believed to be the oldest Catholic bishop in and last surviving participant of the Second Vatican Council
in the United States.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Monterey in California
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...
from 1967 to 1982.
Early life and education
Harry Clinch was born in San AnselmoSan Anselmo, California
San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, in the western United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet . It is located about north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, and Ross to the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to Henry Joseph and Mary E. (née McLoughlin) Clinch. In 1915, he moved with his family to Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, where he attended John Muir Elementary School and Fresno High School
Fresno High School
Fresno High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fresno, California. Fresno High is the oldest high school in the Fresno metropolitan area and one of the few International Baccalaureate schools; in addition it continues to be the most populous and most diverse campus in Fresno. Dr....
(1924-25). In 1925, he was accepted by Bishop John MacGinley
John Bernard MacGinley
John Bernard MacGinley was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Nueva Caceres and Bishop of Monterey-Fresno .-Biography:...
as a seminarian for the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey-Fresno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey-Fresno was formerly a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in California, United States. The diocese was composed of the present dioceses of Monterey and Fresno The diocese was erected in 1922—split off from the former Diocese of Monterey-Los...
. He entered St. Benedict's Seminary
Benedictine College
Benedictine College is a co-educational university in Atchison, Kansas, founded in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College for men and Mount St. Scholastica College for women. It is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential college located on bluffs overlooking the...
in Atchison
Atchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, with a grant from the Students Endowment Fund established by the Catholic Church Extension Society
Catholic Church Extension Society
The Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States of America is a charitable organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church that seeks to support the Church's activities in under-resourced and isolated communities in the United States...
. He attended St. Joseph's College in Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
from 1928 to 1930, and St. Patrick's Seminary
Saint Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park
Saint Patrick's Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California is a Roman Catholic post-graduate seminary whose primary mission is the formation of clergy for Western and Pacific Rim dioceses, orders, religious congregations and secular institutes...
in Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
from 1930 to 1936.
Priesthood
Clinch was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop Philip Scher
Philip George Scher
Philip George Scher was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Monterey-Fresno from 1933 until his death in 1953.-Biography:...
on June 6, 1936. He was diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an international association for the assistance by prayers and alms of Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns engaged in preaching the Gospel in non-Catholic countries...
from 1936 to 1948. In 1937, he founded and became director of Santa Teresita Camp, the diocesan summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
for children. He also served as diocesan director of the Catholic Youth Organization
Catholic Youth Organization
A Catholic Youth Organization is an organization for young Catholics. Usually each group uses the church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. It was initiated by Bishop Bernard J...
(1939-40), a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at St. Agnes Hospital (1942-46), and dean of Kern
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
and Inyo Counties
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
.
From 1941 to 1948, Clinch was editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the diocesan newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, Central California Register. He received his first assignment as a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in 1946, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Clovis
Clovis, California
Clovis is a city in Fresno County, California, United States, northeast of Fresno. The population is estimated to be 97,218 as of September, 2011. Clovis is located northeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 361 feet .-History:...
, where he remained for two years. In 1948, he became the founding pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Fresno. At Sacred Heart, he constructed a church and established a parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
.
Clinch was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church in Taft
Taft, California
Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Taft is located west-southwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 955 feet . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census...
in 1948. He was elevated to the rank of domestic prelate
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in October 1952. In 1958, he was assigned to the Carmel Mission Basilica
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, also known as the Carmel Mission, is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel, California. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S...
in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
.
Episcopacy
On December 5, 1956, Clinch was appointed auxiliary bishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Monterey-Fresno and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Badiae by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on February 27, 1957 from Bishop Aloysius Willinger
Aloysius Joseph Willinger
Aloysius Joseph Willinger, C.Ss.R. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Ponce from 1929 to 1946, and Bishop of Monterey-Fresno from 1953 to 1967.-Biography:...
, with Bishops Timothy Manning and Merlin Guilfoyle serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He was the thirteenth native Californian to become a Catholic bishop. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve at the Carmel Mission Basilica. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
between 1962 and 1965.
Following the split of the Diocese of Monterey
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...
from the Diocese of Fresno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States, in the State of California. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
, Clinch was named Bishop of Monterey
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on October 16, 1967. During his 14-year tenure, he implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, ordained 22 priests, and established five new parishes. In May 1969, he succeeded Cardinal John Wright as episcopal adviser to the National Catholic Laymen's Retreat Conference.
Later life and death
Clinch resigned as Bishop of Monterey on January 19, 1982. He sold his house in Pebble BeachPebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3 feet . Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort destination, home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links....
and donated the proceeds to establish the Bishop Harry A. Clinch Endowment Fund. He then spent his retirement at a retirement community in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, where he later died at age 94. At the time of his death, he was believed to be the oldest Catholic bishop in and last surviving participant of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in the United States.