Merlin Guilfoyle

Merlin Joseph Guilfoyle (July 15, 1908 – November 20, 1981) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Stockton in California from 1969 to 1979. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in California from 1950 to 1969.

Biography

Early life Merlin Guilfoyle was born on July 15, 1908, in San Francisco, California, to John Joseph and Teresa (née Bassity) Guilfoyle. His parents' home was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Prior to Guilfoyle's birth, they returned to San Francisco from two years living in Oakland, California.

Guilfoyle attended St. James Boys' School in San Francisco from 1914 to 1922, and St. Joseph's College in Mountain View from 1922 to 1927. He then studied (1927-1933) at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park.

Priesthood Guilfoyle was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Edward Joseph Hanna in San Francisco on June 10, 1933 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In 1937, he earned a Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Bishop of Stockton Guilfoyle was named the second bishop of Stockton by Pope Paul VI on November 12, 1969.