Harry Clinch was born on October 27, 1908, in San Anselmo, California, to Henry Joseph and Mary E. (née McLoughlin) Clinch.[1] In 1915, he moved with his family to Fresno, where he attended John Muir Elementary School and Fresno High School (1924–1925).[2]
From 1941 to 1948, Clinch was editor of the diocesan newspaper, Central California Register.[1] He received his first assignment as a pastor in 1946 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Clovis, California, where he remained for two years.[1] In 1948, Clinch became the founding pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Fresno, California.[4] At Sacred Heart, he constructed a church and established a parochial school.[4]
Following the split of the Diocese of Monterey from the Diocese of Fresno, Clinch was named bishop of Monterey by Pope Paul VI on October 16, 1967.[3] During his 14-year tenure, Clinch implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, ordained 22 priests, and established five new parishes.[5] In May 1969, he succeeded Cardinal John Wright as episcopal adviser to the National Catholic Laymen's Retreat Conference.[6]
Resignation and legacy
On January 19, 1982, Pope John Paul II accepted Clinch's resignation as bishop of the Diocese Monterey.[3] He sold his house in Pebble Beach, California, and used the proceeds to establish the Bishop Harry A. Clinch Endowment Fund.[5] Harry Clinch moved to a retirement community in Santa Cruz, California, where he died on March 8, 2003, at age 94.[5] At the time of his death, he was believed to be the last surviving American participant of the Second Vatican Council.[5]
