Michael Charles Barber, SJ (born July 13, 1954) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland in California since 2013.

Biography

Early life and education

Michael Barber was born on July 13, 1954, in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. He attended Saint Pius X Preparatory School in

Galt, California Galt is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 25,383 at the 2020 census, up from 23,647 at the 2010 census. History Galt was founded in 1869 by the Central ...

. After finishing high school, Barber decided to become a priest; he entered the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

(Jesuit)

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

in 1973. He then attended

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

in Los Angeles. To continue his education, Barber travelled to Spokane, Washington, to attend

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and history from Gonzaga in 1978. Barber in 1982 entered Regis College at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in Toronto, Ontario, where he received

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

and

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

degrees in 1985.

Ordination and ministry

Barber was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco by Archbishop

John Quinn John or Jack Quinn may refer to: Politicians and lawyers *John Quinn (advocate) (1954–2022), Attorney General of the Isle of Man *John Quinn (collector) (1870–1924), lawyer, collector of manuscripts and paintings, friend of T. S. Eliot and Ezr ...

for the Jesuits on June 8, 1985. After his ordination, the Jesuits sent Barber to

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabit ...

to serve as a missionary for two years. After leaving Samoa, Barber went to Rome to study at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. He received a Licentiate in Systematic Theology from the Gregorian in 1989. From 1990 to 1991, he served as an assistant professor at the university. In 1991, Barber enlisted as a chaplain in the U.S. Naval Reserve, achieving the rank of captain. The Jesuits sent Barber in 1992 to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to serve as a tutor and chaplain at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. During his six years in Oxford, Barber also worked as

bursar A bursar (derived from ''wikt:bursa, bursa'', Latin for 'Coin purse, purse') is a professional Administrator of the government, administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usual ...

of the Jesuit community at

Campion Hall Campion Hall is one of the four permanent private halls of the University of Oxford in England. A Catholic hall, it is run by the Society of Jesus and named after Edmund Campion, a martyr and fellow of St John's College, Oxford. The hall is lo ...

. Barber returned to San Francisco in 1998 after being named director of the School of Pastoral Leadership, with residence first at Saint Agnes Parish and then at Saint Ignatius College in San Francisco. In 2002, Barber was named as a professor and spiritual director at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He made his final vows to the Jesuits in 2005. In 2010, after eight years at St. Patrick's Seminary, Barber was appointed director of spiritual formation at Saint John's Seminary in Boston.

Bishop of Oakland

On May 3, 2013,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Barber as bishop of Oakland. He was consecrated by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone on May 25, 2013. Barber was the first American jesuit bishop appointed by Francis. Besides English, Barber speaks Italian, French, Samoan, liturgical Spanish and Latin. In March, 2014, Barber transferred two pastors, one of whom was openly gay, from Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. Barber refused to provide any explanation to the pastors or to unhappy parishioners for the transfers. In 2019, Barber opposed the proposed California State Senate Bill 360, which would have required priests to break the

seal of confession The Seal of the Confessional (also Seal of Confession or Sacramental Seal) is a Christian doctrine forbidding a priest from disclosing any information learned from a penitent during Confession. This doctrine is recognized by several Christian denomi ...

and report sexual abuse of minors. He was quoted "I will go to jail before I will obey this attack on our religious freedom." As of 2021, the ''motu proprio'' '' Traditionis custodes'' restricts the celebration of the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...

. On July 18, 2021, Barber approved the continued use of the Traditional Rite according to the 1962 missal in the Diocese of Oakland.

Honors

Barbert received the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

from the Navy and was invested as a

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (, OESSH), also called the Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The pope is the sovereign ...

and a magistral chaplain of the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland official website

Bishop Barber, Diocese of Oakland

Pope Names Jesuit as Bishop of Oakland

Pope names Jesuit to lead Oakland diocese

NOMINA DEL VESCOVO DI OAKLAND (U.S.A.)

Bishop Barber approves continued use of Traditional Latin Mass

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Michael C. 1954 births Living people 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American expatriates in Canada American expatriates in Italy Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Catholics from California Clergy from Salt Lake City Jesuit bishops Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre People from Galt, California People from Oakland, California Pontifical Gregorian University alumni