Thomas Austin Murphy (May 11, 1911—November 17, 1991) was an American bishop 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 an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of M ...

from 1962 to 1984.

Biography

Thomas Murphy was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the second of five children of Thomas Andrew and Ella Cecilia (née Brady) Murphy. He received his early education at St. Martin parochial school, and graduated from high school in 1925. He attended St. Charles College in Catonsville and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. On June 10, 1937, he 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 va ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop

Michael Joseph Curley Michael Joseph Curley (October 12, 1879 – May 16, 1947) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington (1939–1947). He served as the tenth archbishop of the Archdio ...

. His first assignment was as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at his hometown parish of St. Martin Church and afterward a
St. Dominic Church
In 1951, Murphy was transferred t
St. Rose of Lima Church
of which he became pastor in 1961. He also served as director of the

Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictu ...

, moderator of the Archdiocesan Veteran Mission Crusade, and a member of the Archdiocesan Tribunal, Clergymen's Interfaith Committee on Human Rights, and Social Action Committee. On May 23, 1962, Murphy was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore 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 an ...

of ''Appiaria'' by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on the following July 3 from Archbishop

Egidio Vagnozzi Egidio Vagnozzi (26 February 1906 – 26 December 1980) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the second president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to ...

, with Bishops

John Joyce Russell John Joyce Russell (December 1, 1897 – March 17, 1993) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1958 to 1973. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of C ...

and

Michael William Hyle Michael William Hyle (October 13, 1901 – December 26, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware from 1960 until his death in 1967. Biography Early life Micha ...

serving as co-consecrators, at the

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Catholic cathedral located in northern Baltimore, Maryland. The structure, remarkable in size, was completed in 1959. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, joining the Basilica of the Nati ...

. He remained as pastor of St. Rose until 1972, but continued his residence there. He continued to serve as an auxiliary bishop until his retirement on May 29, 1984. Murphy died at age 80, and was buried in the crypt at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Thomas Austin 1911 births 1981 deaths Participants in the Second Vatican Council Religious leaders from Baltimore 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops St. Charles College alumni St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni

Biography

See also

References