By:Angela Marshall
Growing up the son of staunch Catholics in a Boston suburb, William F. Murphy always felt he was part of the Church and that the Church was part of him. So, when he received God's call, he couldn't ignore it.
It was faith in that call that led him to leave Harvard and enter the seminary in the early 1960s. And it is that same faith that has moved him to leave his beloved Boston at age 61 to lead the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
Murphy was installed as the fourth bishop of the Rockville Centre diocese Wednesday, one of 193 diocesan bishops in the United States.
"In the parish I grew up in, there was a sense that this was a noble and good thing if a man felt called to do it," Murphy said of becoming a priest.
Murphy's calling began in high school and soon after entering Harvard College, he knew that it was something he had to respond to. After his religious studies, he was ordained a priest on Dec. 16, 1964.
As often as he can, Murphy will share his own experiences with the youths of Long Island, and encouraging vocations.
Despite reports that the Catholic Church is facing a shortage of priests, especially American priests, Murphy refuses to be anything but optimistic. "I don't accept that there's a shortage of priests. You will never hear me use the term 'priest shortage.' You will hear me use the term 'opportunities for vocations' in the Church. And I'm going to be speaking as often as I can about the opportunities for vocations, priesthood and the consecrated life, because I'm convinced that there are just as many generous young people out there today as there were 25 years ago. We just have to show them the wonderful life that can be theirs in the Church."
Murphy was eager to talk about the health of Long Island's Catholic education system. "I'm not worried about it at all," he said. "I'm concerned that it be strengthened and I will do my best to strengthen it. But I think we have a healthy system. We have good schools. We have wonderful teachers. We have good leadership and most of all we have ... between 35,000 and 40,000 young people. So that's pretty good."
Murphy is also enthusiastic about building bridges to the Jewish community as he did in Boston. And he earned approval from many Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz of Rockville Centre's Temple B'nai Sholom, when he expressed this desire during his introductory speech in June.
Several Long Island rabbis have written or called Murphy, welcoming him and inviting him to visit their temples and synagogues.
"I intend to deal with the Jewish community on Long Island the same as I did [in Boston]," he said, "with great respect, with great appreciation, with a desire to get to know them and to work with them on issues of mutual concern."
He will learn of the Jewish community in much the same way he learns about his new Catholic flock. Being a newcomer to the island, the bishop knows the only way to really understand it is to get out and meet the people. "I'm going to travel around a great deal until I get to know as many people as I can."
The Rockville Centre diocese had been without a bishop since December, when Bishop James T. McHugh lost his battle with cancer. Msgr. John A. Alesandro served as diocesan administrator until this week and Murphy praised him for his efforts, saying "He is an extraordinarily wonderful priest."
Murphy said he feels blessed that the Pope chose to send him to such a beautiful village. "I've been down a few times quietly and I just think [it is] a wonderful, wonderful community. [Rockville Centre's] going to be my home for the rest of my life. And so I really look forward to being a part of the village and part of the life of the town."
Murphy declined to comment in a general way on the possibility of the Church's reexamination of its teachings on hot-button issues such as birth control, divorce, abortion, the role of women in the church and priestly celibacy. "Each one of those issues deserves serious consideration," he said. "You will hear me speak about these things as the years go on."
Murphy has served as the vicar general and moderator for the Archdiocese of Boston since 1993. Following his ordination at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in 1964, he served as an assistant pastor in Boston and taught theology at Emmanuel College. In 1972, he was assigned to doctoral studies in systematic theology in Rome, which he completed in two years.
Upon returning to Boston, Murphy taught theology at Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. Within a few months, he was appointed to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome. He served the Holy See from 1975 to 1987, during which time he participated in Vatican delegations in Asia, Latin America and Europe. He also taught theology at pontifical universities in Rome, the Gregorian and the Angelicum.
Named an honorary prelate, Murphy returned to Boston in 1987, where he held a variety of positions, including administrator of Sacred Heart Parish in Lexington, director of the Office of Social Justice and the secretary for community relations. He served in this position until 1993 until he was appointed by Cardinal Bernard Law as the archdiocese vicar.
