William Murphy (bishop of Rockville Centre)

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For other people named William Murphy, see William Murphy (disambiguation).
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Francis Murphy
Bishop Emeritus of Rockville Centre
ChurchRoman Catholicism
DioceseRockville Centre
AppointedJune 26, 2001
InstalledSeptember 5, 2001
RetiredJanuary 31, 2017
PredecessorJames T. McHugh
SuccessorJohn Barres
Orders
OrdinationDecember 16, 1964
by Francis Frederick Reh
ConsecrationDecember 27, 1995
by Bernard Law, William Wakefield Baum, and Alfred Clifton Hughes
Personal details
Born (1940-05-14) May 14, 1940 (age 83)
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Previous post(s)
MottoNo other name
Styles of
William Francis Murphy
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop
Ordination history of
William Murphy
History
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated byBernard Law (Boston)
DateDecember 27, 1995
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by William Murphy as principal consecrator
Paul Henry WalshMay 29, 2003
Peter Anthony LibasciJune 1, 2007
Nelson J. PerezJuly 25, 2012
Robert J. BrennanJuly 25, 2012
Andrzej Jerzy ZglejszewskiMarch 25, 2014

William Francis Murphy (born May 14, 1940) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York, from 2001 to 2016 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1995 to 2001.[1]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

William Murphy was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 14, 1940. He received his secondary education at Boston Latin School in Boston, then attended Saint John's Seminary in Boston, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961. He was then sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he received a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree.[2]

Priesthood[edit]

Service in Rome[edit]

Murphy was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City by Bishop Francis Reh on December 16, 1964. Murphy received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1965 from the Gregorian University. After his ordination, Murphy returned to Boston, where he served as an assistant pastor at parishes in Groveland, Winchester and East Boston. During this period, he also taught at Emmanuel College in Boston and Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.[2]

Murphy in 1974 returned to Rome to become an official in the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He became a lecturer in theology at University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 1976, teaching there for the next four years. He was named chaplain of his holiness by the Vatican in 1979. In 1980, Murphy was appointed as undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He would hold that post until 1987, when he went back to Boston.[2]

Service in Boston[edit]

After returning to Boston in 1987, Murphy was appointed as secretary of community relations for the archdiocese, director of the Office of Social Justice and director of the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. In 1987, he was named a prelate of honor by the Vatican. He also lectured on social ethics at St. John’s Seminary.[2]

In 1993, Murphy was appointed vicar general and moderator of the curia for the archdiocese. In this role, he was the principal assistant to Cardinal Bernard Law, responsible for the clergy.[2]

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston[edit]

Pope John Paul II appointed Murphy as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston on November 21, 1995.[3] He was consecrated on December 27, 1995 by Cardinal Law.[2]

Bishop of Rockville Centre[edit]

John Paul II appointed Murphy as bishop of Rockville Centre on June 26, 2001. He was installed on September 5, 2001.[3][2] He signed the 1994 document Evangelicals and Catholics Together. In 2007, he was appointed the head of the Domestic Policy Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).[4] He is fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish.[2]

Massachusetts report[edit]

On July 23, 2003, Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly released the report The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The report described Murphy, when auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, as being in close consultation with Cardinal Law on sexual abuse issues with clergy.[5] The report stated that Murphy did some positive things, but it presented this evaluation of his actions:

Bishop Murphy did not report to law enforcement any of the numerous allegations of clerical sexual abuse he reviewed nor did he ever advise the cardinal to do so. And even with undeniable information available to him, Bishop Murphy continued to place a higher priority on preventing scandal and providing support to alleged abusers than on protecting children from sexual abuse.[5]

In response to the report, Murphy claimed that another archdiocesan official was in charge of these cases.[6][7] On August 3, 2003, in response to the attorney general report, the Long Island chapter of the group Voice of the Faithful called for Murphy to resign as bishop.[8] Murphy banned Voice of the Faithful from meeting on diocese property soon after that declaration.[9]

Monsignor Alan J. Placa, a Rockville Centre diocesan priest, was cleared by the tribunal of the Diocese of Albany, the home diocese of the complainant, of allegations made against him in June 2002. The decision was subsequently confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which instructed Murphy "to do what we can to restore his good name.”[10]

Renovation of bishop's quarters[edit]

Soon after Murphy was installed as Bishop of Rockville Centre in 2001, he decided that his private quarters in the cathedral rectory lacked privacy and sufficient space to entertain visiting clergy. He decided to take over the top floor of an old convent building at the cathedral. The diocese had been planning to create rooms for nuns on that floor, but Murphy asked them to accept some different accommodations. The project ended up costing $800,000.[11] As news of the project and its cost became public, Murphy invited a Newsday reporter and photographer to tour the apartment.. They reported that the residence included a large suite with a new fireplace with an oak mantel, a temperature-controlled wine storage cabinet, and a marble bathroom.[11]

Meeting with clergy[edit]

In October 2003, 52 priests requested a meeting with Murphy after sending a letter that spoke of anger and dissatisfaction within the diocese and "a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership." Issues raised included Murphy's management style, the cost of his new living quarters, the sexual abuse scandal in Boston[12] and his ban against Long Island Voice of the Faithful.[13]

Catholic school closings[edit]

On December 5, 2011, Murphy announced the closing of six Catholic elementary schools on Long Island:

Resignation[edit]

On reaching age 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, Murphy sent a letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese Rockville Centre to the pope. On December 9, 2016, Pope Francis accepted his resignation.[15]

Honors and awards[edit]

Murphy served as a trustee of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is a knight commander with Star of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, ecclesiastical commander of grace in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, and assistant chaplain of the American Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta in 2002.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bishop Murphy of Rockville Centre retires; Bishop Barres named successor". Catholic News Service. 9 December 2016. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Most Reverend William Murphy, D.D., S.T.D. - The Diocese of Rockville Centre". 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  3. ^ a b "Bishop William Francis Murphy". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. ^ NewsDay: "LI Bishop to Head National Catholic Panel" By Bart Jones December 4, 2007
  5. ^ a b "The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston". Office of the Attorney General Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 23, 2002. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Lambert, Bruce (2004-02-12). "L.I. Bishop Is Accused Of Shielding Sex Abusers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  7. ^ DONOVAN, GILL. "Church in Crisis: Records reveal bishops's role in Boston scandal". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  8. ^ Rather, John (2003-08-03). "The Battle Is Joined Over Bishop Murphy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  9. ^ "Catholic bishops ban reform group at churches". Tampa Bay Times. August 17, 2002. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  10. ^ "Welcome to the Archdiocese of Baltimore". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  11. ^ a b RYAN, DICK. "One bishop's high cost of living". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  12. ^ New York Times: "Priests Say Murphy Takes a First Step' January 25, 2004
  13. ^ Rather, John (2006-03-19). "Can a Mediator Heal the Rift in the Diocese?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  14. ^ "Six Catholic schools to close on Long Island | ABC7 New York | abc7ny.com". ABC7 New York. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  15. ^ "Bishop William Francis Murphy [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.

External links[edit]

Episcopal succession[edit]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Rockville Centre
2001–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
1995–2001 		Succeeded by
–
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