Rejoice in the Lord Always!

Following is our special tribute section honoring the third Bishop for the Diocese of Kalamazoo.


BISHOP EMERITUS JAMES A. MURRAY died in the early morning of June 5, 2020. He had been challenged with declining health in recent months. Hundreds of parishioners came to pay their respects to the beloved bishop who shepherded the diocese for more than 11 years. On Wednesday, June 10, Bishop Murray’s body was received at St. Augustine Cathedral. He remained in state as Visitation was held throughout the day. Diocesan staff gathered informally to pray the rosary together at 2 p.m. Priests and deacons as well as lay faithful came together at 5 p.m. to pray Vespers. During the prayer and service, Bishop Bradley offered a brief reflection,


“Bishop Murray loved to preach about God’s Love; he loved to tell people about Jesus’ Mercy; he had a gift for helping people to understand the Mysteries of God in ways they could relate to. And he believed strongly that of all that we do, my brothers, in our ordained lives as deacons, priests and bishops, preaching was the most important. In the Preface to the book, he wrote: “The office of ordained ministry carries with it many duties for deacons, priests and bishops. One of the most important is (quoting Canon 762): ‘Sacred ministers are to value greatly the task of preaching since among their principal duties is the proclaiming of the Gospel of God to all.’ He also wrote: ‘the homilist must try to preach in a way to ‘bring together’ the people of God, never to cause division or alienation. The homilist has a highly valuable opportunity to instruct and inspire, to move and motivate, to help and heal
the people of God.’”


The evening concluded with the praying of the rosary led by Msgr. Michael Hazard, Vicar General.


On Thursday, June 11, the Mass of Christian Burial was held with visiting bishops and clergy attending as well as close family and friends. During his homily, Msgr. Thomas Martin, Judicial Vicar for the Diocese and Pastor, St. Martin of Tours and St. Edward Parishes, said, “Bishop Murray was a man of great integrity, great principle and great, great kindness and love. A man of great wit; he reveled in meeting other left-handed people and would tell them, with great solemnity ‘God created all people to be left-handed. And they all stay left-handed until they commit their first mortal sin.’ We have been touched by greatness. Was revealed to us ... a man of great faith ... great courage ... great kindness and love who sought to bring that out in each and every one.”



T H E  L I F E  O F
Most Rev. James A. Murray
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During the Great Depression in the mid-sized Michigan town of Jackson, James and Clare Murray welcomed their third son, James on July 5, 1932. His early years were spent playing baseball and running around with his two older brothers, Bill and Jack. He attended St. Mary Catholic Elementary school and was taught by the Sisters of Charity. Jim was naturally left-handed and was fond of retelling the story of the Sisters calling his mom to school concerned about this. She told them, “We know Jim’s a little off, but we like him that way.” And so he remained left-handed and was known throughout his life for his beautiful penmanship.


As evidenced by his St. Mary’s High School yearbook (which he served as editor), Jim excelled academically and also participated in many extracurricular activities, including baseball, boxing, the Glee Club, and chairman of the Prom Committee; not surprisingly, he was also elected Senior Class President at St. Mary High School. During those days, he recounted that he had ideas of becoming a priest but also entertained thoughts of being a doctor or a lawyer.


The calling to the Priesthood won out, and Jim studied at Sacred Heart Seminary where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and at St. John Seminary, Plymouth earned a Bachelor of Theology degree. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop Joseph H. Albers on June 7, 1958 at St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing. He celebrated his first Mass in his hometown of Jackson at St. Mary Parish and was assisted by long-time friend Fr. John Young, who would later serve with him in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Providentially, then Father Murray’s first pastoral assignment was to St. Joseph Parish, St. Joseph, Mich., which would become a part of the Diocese of Kalamazoo upon its founding in 1971. Father Murray served the people of St. Joseph from 1958 to 1961. He then became assistant pastor of St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing from June 1961 to September 1962. Upon his return from a two-year sabbatical at Catholic University of America, where he earned his Licentiate of Canon Law, he served as assistant pastor at two other parishes in Lansing: St. Therese, (from June 1964 to August 1968 and St. Gerard from 1968 to 1973) before returning to St. Mary Cathedral in September 1973 as Rector. He also served as Chancellor for the Diocese of Lansing from 1968 to 1997 serving four bishops: Bishop Joseph Albers, Bishop Alexander Zaleski, Bishop Kenneth Povish and Bishop Carl Mengeling. In addition he served as Chaplain of the Lansing Police Department from 1972 to 1997.


He was beloved as the Chancellor, recounts his friend Father James O’Leary, which was a difficult feat. “The fact of the matter was that chancellors were almost always disliked. We were happy about his appointment because he was fair, wise and without ambitions for promotion. I do believe that almost all the priests remember him fondly. For one in that position, that seems almost impossible.”


In 1993, Father Murray was named by Pope St. John Paul II as “Honorary Prelate” (and granted the title monsignor). He had the occasion to meet Pope St. John Paul on a few occasions and was deeply inspired.


Despite his many administrative responsibilities, Msgr. Murray was famous for his dislike of meetings. He proudly formed the “no meeting council,” which had one meeting, he explained, and that was to disband the council. He would also joke that he thought people in hell were forced to participate in small groups.


In late 1997, Msgr. Murray, approaching his late 60’s, was looking forward to retirement where he envisioned days spent sailing on his boat, “Innocence,” fishing and going on traveling adventures with his dear friends, Msgr. Robert Lunsford and Sister Joan Meerschart, and indulging his love of reading. However, God had other plans. Msgr. Murray was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo by Pope St. John Paul II and was installed on Jan. 27, 1998 at St. Augustine Cathedral by Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit. His sailing and fishing days would have to wait, however, as Bishop Murray recounted years later, “My entire seminary training taught there was only one answer when your Church asked you to do something, and that was ‘yes.’”


Bishop Murray chose as his episcopal motto, “Rejoice in the Lord Always,” [Phil. 4:4] and he exemplified this by his warm and generous nature and also his expert teaching through his brilliant homilies. His motto also was aptly chosen as the title of his book, Rejoice in the Lord Always (2001), a collection of his homilies delivered while Rector of St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing. Throughout his 11 years as Bishop, he was known for his strong support of the Catholic schools as well as the ministry outreach to the growing Hispanic/Latino resident and migrant farmworker community and in 2006 released the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Latino Ministry. He approved the creation and implementation of the diocesan Trauma Recovery Program offered to all those who suffer from childhood trauma. Bishop Murray also contributed greatly to the work of the Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC), including his work as Advisor and author of MCC’s first assisted suicide education program (1993).


His greatest joy was celebrating the sacraments. During his time as Bishop of Kalamazoo, he presided over 15 ordinations to the priesthood; ordained 28 men to the permanent diaconate; confirmed 14,394 young Catholics; honored more than 1,100 married couples with the “Golden Anniversary” diocesan Mass; dedicated 11 new churches and welcomed more than 3,100 new Catholics into the community through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), held each year during Easter Vigil Mass.


In March of 2009, Bishop Murray was overjoyed when 18 months after turning in his official letter of resignation to the Pope (required upon his 75th birthday) he received the news that Bishop Paul J. Bradley had been named his successor.


Now finally able to retire at age 77, Bishop Murray quickly discovered that having the luxury of free time wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. He didn’t sail off into the sunset but instead chose to stay in the diocese as a trusted Bishop Emeritus to be around the people he described as “diverse, generous, reverent and faithful.”


Throughout the past 11 years Bishop Murray enjoyed volunteering his time to hear confessions at Newman’s Bookshoppe on Friday afternoons and regaling diocesan staff with his engaging stories when he’d stop by the office to pick up his mail. As Bishop Emeritus he would be called upon to fill-in on occasion. Bishop Bradley offered his gratitude, “for his wonderful priestly example of providing pastoral assistance wherever and whenever he could, and for being such an exemplary priest and bishop of Jesus Christ.” He enjoyed time spent with family, especially his nephew Tim Murray, and getaways to his favorite spot, his cottage on Chippewa Lake.


To his devoted diocesan staff, Bishop Murray was known for his no-nonsense approach and dislike for the spotlight. He was conveniently always out of town for his Ordination to the Priesthood Anniversary (June 7) as well as his birthday (July 5). However, in 2018, on the occasion of his 60th Priestly Anniversary, under the guise of an evening out with friends Laurie Tichvon, her son Colin and Msgr. Martin, he was surprised at his residence, the Fountains, with a party attended by current and former diocesan staff members. At the sight of those waiting for him, he simply said, with his signature Irish twinkle in his eye, “You scoundrels.”


As he neared the end of his life and experienced a natural slowing down, Bishop Murray was fond of saying, “I’m ready, I don’t know what God’s waiting for.” However, in true faithful servanthood, he accepted God’s timing when he was called home on the morning of June 5, 2020, just two days shy of the 62nd Anniversary of his Priestly Ordination.


“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”


Well done, good and faithful servant.


BY THE NUMBERS
During his time as bishop of Kalamazoo he presided over:

• Ordinations: 15 men to the priesthood;
• Ordinations: 28 men to the permanent diaconate;
• Confirmations: 14,394 young Catholics;
• Dedications: 11 new churches and
• Rite of Christian Initiation: more than 3,100 new Catholics into the community through RCIA held each year during Easter Vigil Mass.


AT A GLANCE:

• Born, July 5, 1932, in Jackson, Mich., to James and Clare Murray.
• June 7, 1958: Bishop Murray was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop Joseph H. Albers at St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing.
• June 1958-1961: His first pastoral assignment of assistant pastor of St. Joseph in St. Joseph, Mich.
• June 1961-Sept. 1962: Assistant pastor at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing.
• Sept. 1962-June 1964: Two-year sabbatical at Catholic University of America where he earned his Canon Law Degree.
• June 1964-Aug. 1968: Assistant pastor at St. Therese and St. Gerard in Lansing.
• 1968-1973: Assistant pastor, St. Gerard.
• 1968-1997: Chancellor for the diocese of Lansing.
• 1972-1997: Chaplain for the Lansing Police Department.
• Sept. 1973: Rector, St. Mary Cathedral.
• June 13, 1993: Named as Honorary Prelate (Monsignor) by Pope St. John Paul II.
• Nov. 18, 1997: Appointed bishop of the diocese of Kalamazoo, succeeding Bishop Alfred J. Markiewicz, who died Jan. 9, 1997.
• Jan. 27, 1998: Installed as bishop at St. Augustine Cathedral. As his motto, Bishop Murray chose “Rejoice in the Lord Always.” [Philippians 4:4]
• Bishop Murray officially retired on April 6, 2009 when Bishop Paul J. Bradley was named the fourth bishop for the diocese of Kalamazoo.