Fr. Carter Griffin

Instructor, Theology of the Body

Father Carter Griffin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.  Raised Presbyterian, he converted to Catholicism while attending Princeton University.  After graduating in 1994, he served for four years as a line officer in the United States Navy prior to entering the seminary.  He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland for two years of philosophy followed by the North American College in Rome for five years of theology.  Father Griffin was ordained to the priesthood in 2004 and served as priest-secretary for three years before beginning doctoral studies in Rome in 2008.  After completing his doctorate and serving as the parochial vicar of St. Peter’s parish on Capitol Hill, in 2011 he was appointed Director of Priest Vocations for the Archdiocese of Washington and Vice-Rector of St. John Paul II Seminary, where he now serves as Rector. He is the author of Why Celibacy: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest, published in 2019 by Emmaus Road.

  • Module 11: The Way of Manhood in Christ

    Loving the Church well as a celibate priest relies upon an understanding of manhood, chastity, spiritual fatherhood, and celibacy. This module will explore these four themes as elements of a healthy celibate and priestly life, capable of giving life in the order of grace in such a way that it contributes to the priest’s own flourishing and happiness as a man.