John Gregory Murray (February 26, 1877 – October 11, 1956) was an American
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1931 until his death in 1956.
Murray previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the
Diocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 1920 to 1925 and as bishop of the
Diocese of Portland
The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Cat ...
in Maine from 1925 to 1932.
Biography
Early life
John G. Murray was born on February 26, 1877, in
Waterbury
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, to William and Mary Ellen (née Connor) Murray.
His parents were both Irish immigrants; his William was from
Carrickmacross,
County Monaghan
County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...
, and Mary Ellen was from
Maryborough,
County Leix (present-day
Portlaoise, County Laois
Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050, which was well above th ...
).
One of his brothers, James, was a prominent
lawyer in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
John Murray worked as a
paperboy
A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ce ...
in his youth.
He received his early education at
Waterbury Public Schools
Waterbury Public Schools is a school district based in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-larges ...
and graduated from high school in 1895.
Murray attended the
College of the Holy Cross in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, graduating in 1897 with the highest honors ever bestowed upon a student until that time.
He continued his studies at the
University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium.
Priesthood
While in Leuven, Murray was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
to the priesthood by Bishop Josephus van der Stappen for the Diocese of Hartford on April 14, 1900.
His first assignments, following his return to Connecticut, were as
chaplain at the Hartford County Jail and as professor of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and Latin at
St. Thomas Preparatory Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut.
He became
chancellor of the diocese in 1903.
Diocese of Hartford
On November 15, 1919, Murray was appointed
auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Hartford and
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of ''
Flavias
Flaviopolis ( grc, Φλαβιόπολις or Φλαοϋιόπολις), or Phlaouiopolis, or Flavias, was a town of ancient Cilicia. Respecting its history scarcely anything is known, and it cannot be ascertained whether it owed its name to the emp ...
'' by
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...
.
He received his
episcopal consecration on April 28, 1920, from Archbishop
Giovanni Bonzano
Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME (27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate ...
, with Bishops
John Joseph Nilan
John Joseph Nilan (August 1, 1855 – April 13, 1934) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hartford from 1910 until his death in 1934.
Biography
John Nilan was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and rec ...
and
Thomas Joseph Shahan
Thomas Joseph Shahan (September 11, 1857 – March 9, 1932) was an American Catholic theologian and educator, born at Manchester, New Hampshire, educated at Collège de Montréal (1872) at the Pontifical North American College, and at the P ...
serving as
co-consecrators.
Murray selected as his episcopal
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
: ''Mea Omnia Tua'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: "My Everything is Yours").
Murray was the first native of Connecticut to become a Catholic bishop, and the first auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Hartford.
In addition to his episcopal duties, he was named
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of St. Patrick's Parish in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
in 1922.
Diocese of Portland
Following the death of Bishop
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...
, Murray was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Portland in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
by
Pope Pius XI on May 29, 1925.
His installation took place at the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on October 12, 1925.
During his five-year tenure in Portland, Murray established thirty new parishes and dedicated himself to Catholic education.
He also founded a diocesan weekly newspaper, ''Church World'', in 1930.
During the
Great Depression, Murray organized relief committees to raise money for the homeless and unemployed families.
[ He was required to obtain ]loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
s and to mortgage
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any ...
church property to continue funding hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions.[ Consequently, the diocese accumulated millions of dollars in debt.][
]
Archdiocese of Saint Paul
Murray was appointed by Pius XI as the third archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul on October 29, 1931.[ He was installed at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul on January 27, 1932.][ To address the continuing effects of the Great Depression, Murray began a crusade of charity to support the poor and unemployed, and made himself available to the public by taking public transit and walking in the downtown areas.]
During his 24-year tenure, Murray established over 50 new parishes, eliminated debt at the College of St. Thomas
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...
, and constructed a science hall, gymnasium, and a new seminary library.[ He also began a radio show on WCCO called ''Church of the Air'', established the ]Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is a catechesis program of the Catholic Church, normally for children. It is also the name of an association that traditionally organises Catholic catechesis, which was established in Rome in 1562.
Rel ...
, the Family Guild, and mandated liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
reform in the archdiocese.[ In 1941, the national Eucharistic Congress was held at Saint Paul, an event which many considered a testament to Murray's influence.][ In 1949, he ordered Catholic parents to not allow their children to receive ]sex education
Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
in public or private schools.[ He also served as a member of the administrative board of the ]National Catholic Welfare Council The National Catholic Welfare Council (NCWC) was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council.
It co ...
.[
John Murray died of ]cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in St. Paul on October 11, 1956, at age 79. He is interred at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a to ...
.[
]
References
External links
Catholic-Hierarchy
Diocese of Portland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, John
1877 births
1956 deaths
Roman Catholic bishops of Portland
Roman Catholic archbishops of Saint Paul
American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
College of the Holy Cross alumni
People from Waterbury, Connecticut
Roman Catholic auxiliary bishops of Hartford
Catholics from Connecticut