fr_murray It’s been a year since Fr. Murray passed on into eternal life, on the very day of his sixty-third anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

Today would be his sixty-fourth anniversary.

Father Murray was born in Kalamazoo on October 31, 1926, son of Dennis and Dorothea (Kempf) Murray. He was baptized on November 7, 1926 at St. Augustine, Kalamazoo.

He was ordained by Bishop Joseph Albers at St. Mary Cathedral on June 2, 1951.

He was assigned to St. Johns twice: once from 1951 to 1955 as our Parochial Vicar, and again as our Pastor from 1979 to 1990.

During his funeral Mass, Bishop Boyea summed up Fr. Murray’s life quite succinctly by saying “Frank lived well, and died well”.

Part of the Rite of Ordination of a Priest says, “Do your part in the work of Christ the Priest with genuine joy and love and attend to the concerns of Christ before your own..” Father Murray exemplified that statement in all that he did.

From all the staff at St. John the Evangelist Parish, we thank God for blessing us with Fr. Murray.