Neighboring Bishop’s Jubilee Was Occasion to Hear Christ’s Call

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On the first Sunday of Advent, when the Church begins a period of watchful preparation to herald Christ’s birth, Cardinal Dolan visited a neighboring diocese whose shepherd was marking 50 years of priesthood.

Bishop William Murphy, who has headed the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island since 2001, was the principal celebrant of the Nov. 30 Mass in St. Agnes Cathedral marking his golden jubilee.

Drawing on the ancient Advent prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come,” Cardinal Dolan said one of the ways the Lord has “come” for half a century is through the priesthood of Bishop Murphy, 74, who was ordained in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Dec. 16, 1964.

“We thank God for the grace and mercy that has come to us through your priestly ministry,” said the cardinal in his homily at the Mass in the Rockville Centre cathedral filled with the bishop’s friends and diocesan staff as well as parishioners of St. Agnes.

“Bishop Murphy, congratulations and happy anniversary,” the cardinal said to applause from the congregation.

Cardinal Dolan, as Archbishop of New York, serves as metropolitan archbishop of the eight Catholic dioceses in New York. He knows Bishop Murphy as a close friend and collaborator.

As we whisper the words of the simple Advent prayer, it can be easy to miss the Lord’s response because he comes “so subtly, so softly, so gently, so tenderly,” the cardinal cautioned. For five decades of priesthood, Bishop Murphy has listened closely to the Lord and helped others to hear him, the cardinal said.

The cardinal cited three ways that “Jesus comes to us” in the bishop’s “vocation of priestly watchfulness.”

The first is through the Catholic Church. The cardinal noted that the bishop’s jubilee could be likened to “a wedding anniversary” because of the spousal nature of the priest’s relationship with the Church.

Jesus also comes to us through the successor of St. Peter, Pope Francis. Outlining Bishop Murphy’s service in Rome, where for 13 years the native of Boston was a member and then undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the cardinal said it is clear that the bishop “loves Rome and her bishop.”

Jesus is present through his friends. Bishop Murphy cherishes the friendships of those who are close to him, and is a dependable and loyal friend in return, the cardinal said.

In comments near the end of Mass, the bishop expressed his gratitude to Cardinal Dolan “for words I do not deserve but which I hope, with God’s grace, to continue prayerfully to try to fulfill.”

Bishop Murphy, speaking to the congregation, also promised “to spend whatever days left to me in loving prayer to bring Christ to you and you to Christ.”

A letter imparting the apostolic blessing of Pope Francis was also read.

Following Mass, the bishop greeted well-wishers in the parish center. Father Robert Badillo, M.Id., pastor of Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominic parish in the Bronx, was among the clergy who were present. He is a member of the Idente Missionaries, who administer Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominic and another Bronx parish, Santa Maria. They also run two parishes in the Rockville Centre Diocese.

“We give thanks for his priesthood and for his devotion to the Blessed Mother,” Father Badillo said of Bishop Murphy.

“He is a great gift to our community.”