This oral history interview with the Reverend Bertram F. Griffin was conducted by Sister Pauline Rose Waibel in three sessions from November 30, 1992, to March 30, 1993. The interview was conducted as part of the Legacy of Hope: Catholics and Social Justice Project, which collected interviews with Catholic clergy and social justice activists in Oregon about their work on social action in the Roman Catholic tradition.

In this interview, Griffin discusses his family background and early life in Portland, Oregon, including his education at Catholic schools. He talks about his experiences while studying at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon; at St. Thomas Seminary in Kenmore, Washington; and at Lateran University in Rome, Italy. He discusses the reforms of Vatican II, and speaks about studying canon law. He also talks about his work with youth in the late 1960s, including conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. He speaks about working with Robert J. Dwyer, archbishop of Portland, and about how the Catholic Church changed during the 1970s. He discusses his social justice work while serving as a pastor of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Portland's Albina district, and describes accusations of communism that he experienced as a result. He discusses the transition from the urban parish of St. Andrew to the suburban parish of St. Pius X in Cedar Mill. He closes the interview with his thoughts about a decline in the number of people entering the clergy, and how the decline will affect the future of the Catholic Church.