Bishop Michael J. Murphy

Peace and Compassion

A gregarious, kind leader, Bishop Michael Murphy served as the auxiliary bishop of Cleveland for two years before traveling to Erie when he was appointed as the second coadjutor bishop of Erie in 1978.

His motto, “Peace and compassion,” fared him well: He was a people person and cared very deeply about getting people to work together. This came to light particularly in his work on “Share His Gifts – His Mission,” a capital campaign which organized funds to renovate the cathedral, among other projects. The song, “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” comes to mind, Father Pino says, when seeking to describe Bishop Murphy’s cheerful, gentle and pastoral demeanor.

“He would do anything for you,” according to the archivist.

As co-adjutor, he enjoyed his visits to parishes and institutions throughout the diocese. He also sought to improve the region’s Catholic schools, wrote a pastoral letter on marriage and instituted a marriage preparation program for all couples looking to marry in the church—all before officially becoming the eighth bishop of Erie upon Bishop Watson’s retirement in 1983.

Bishop Murphy took care in setting up programs and procedures to improve the diocese. He was concerned about the growing stress on priests as they took on more roles in the modern church, so he established the Emmaus program, an annual retreat for priests and deacons to experience spiritual renewal and fellowship. He instituted a new set of guidelines on mandatory retirement for priests at age 75, although he himself was tireless, once quipping that he should replace the symbols on his coat of arms with the Energizer Bunny.

Bishop Murphy should also be remembered for consolidating all of the diocesan offices at St. Mark Catholic Center, as well as for requiring each parish to have a finance council, ensuring a stable future for their parish communities.

Bishop Murphy lived to be 91 years old. Resigning from his post as bishop in 1990 and passing on in April 2007—just after receiving the Eucharist that morning—he was the longest retired bishop in the history of the diocese. He spent the majority of his retired years living at St. Patrick Parish in Erie.