Early life and education Michael Barber was born on July 13, 1954, in
Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Saint Pius X Preparatory School in
Galt, California. After finishing high school, Barber decided to become a priest; he entered the
Society of Jesus (Jesuit)
novitiate in 1973. He then attended
Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. To continue his education, Barber travelled to Spokane, Washington, to attend
Gonzaga University. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and history from Gonzaga in 1978. Barber in 1982 entered
Regis College at the
University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, where he received
Master of Divinity and
Bachelor of Sacred Theology degrees in 1985.
Ordination and ministry Barber was ordained a priest at the
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco by Archbishop
John Quinn for the Jesuits on June 8, 1985. After his ordination, the Jesuits sent Barber to
Apia in
Western Samoa to serve as a missionary for two years. After leaving Samoa, Barber went to Rome to study at the
Pontifical Gregorian University. He received a Licentiate in Systematic Theology from the Gregorian in 1989. From 1990 to 1991, he served as an assistant professor at the university. In March, 2014, Barber transferred two pastors, one of whom was openly gay, from Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish in
Berkeley, California. Barber refused to provide any explanation to the pastors or to unhappy parishioners for the transfers. In 2019, Barber opposed the proposed California State Senate Bill 360, which would have required priests to break the
seal of confession and report
sexual abuse of minors. He was quoted "I will go to jail before I will obey this attack on our religious freedom." As of 2021, the
motu proprio Traditionis custodes restricts the celebration of the
Tridentine Mass. On July 18, 2021, Barber approved the continued use of the Traditional Rite according to the 1962 missal in the Diocese of Oakland. == Honors ==