GRIFFITH, Raymond. - Irish Dominican bishop, b. at Limerick on 15 Oct. 1798, d. at Cape Town on 18 June 1862.
A preacher in Ireland and prior of Dublin, he was consecrated in 1837 as vicar apostolic of the then newly erected vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
His administration was so zealous and energetic that after only ten years the vicariate had to be divided, and in 1850 the western subdivision, where he resided, was further divided. At his arrival there were only 700 Catholics; at his death there were 30,000, and the vicariate was provided with churches, schools, priests, and religious.
Bibl.: Acta Capituli prov. Prov. Hiberniae..., a. 1864, p. 2; A. Coleman, The ancient dominican foundations in Ireland, Dundalk 1902, pp. 59-60; L. Nolan, The Irish Dominicans in Rome, Grottaferrata 1913, pp. 71-73.