Patrick Joseph McGrath ( ; June 11, 1945 – May 7, 2023) was an Irish-born American prelate 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 ...
. He served as bishop of the Diocese of San Jose in California from 1999 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin language, Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Arquidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the nort ...
from 1989 to 1998.
Biography
Early life
Patrick McGrath was born in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, on June 11, 1945. He was the youngest of three sons of Patrick Joseph McGrath, Sr., and Eileen Gaule McGrath. For secondary school, Patrick McGrath attended Chanel College in Dublin. In 1964, at age 19, McGrath entered St. John's Seminary in
Waterford, Ireland
Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest Reprinted in
Priesthood
In 1970, McGrath was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood in Waterford by Michael Russell (bishop of Waterford and Lismore) for service in the
Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Arquidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unit ...
. McGrath moved to San Francisco, where he was assigned as parochial vicar of St. Anne of the Sunset Parish and as a member of the archdiocesan tribunal.
In 1974, he was sent to Rome to continue his education, earning a
Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...
degree from the
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...
on June 11, 1977. After returning to San Francisco. McGrath was appointed the vice-officialis, then
officialis
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
appointed McGrath as an
auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese.
The coa ...
of the Diocese of San Jose on June 30, 1998. When Bishop
Pierre DuMaine
Roland Pierre DuMaine (August 2, 1931 – June 13, 2019) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of San José in California from 1981 to 1999. He also served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Franci ...
retired on November 27, 1999, McGrath automatically succeeded him.
On August 23, 2018, the diocese, with McGrath's approval, paid US$2.3 million for a 3,269 square foot, five-bedroom home in
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
to serve as McGrath's retirement residence. McGrath explained that the money for house came from a fund that was dedicated only for housing expenses for retired bishops. However, facing criticism about the purchase, McGrath said a day later that the parish would sell the house and he would eventually retire in a parish
rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...
instead.
On October 23, 2018, McGrath released a list of 15 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse against minors. As part of the investigative process, McGrath held several listening sessions with individuals impacted by the alleged crimes.
Retirement and death
Before having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops, McGrath submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of San Jose to
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 ...
. The pope accepted it on May 1, 2019.
McGrath died on May 7, 2023, at the age of 77.
See also
*
Catholic Church in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...
*
Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gif ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
*
List of Catholic bishops in the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. The list also includes bishops in the American Territories of the United States, territories of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and ...
*
Lists of popes, patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishops in the Catholic Chu ...