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About Paul Murphy
April 24, 1939 - February 10, 1976
These brief excerpts about Paul's life are taken from the book A Man to Move Hearts, available for purchase by following the links to the right.
The Murphys were typical of a type of Catholic family that thrived in the America of the 1940s and 1950s. They were a large family – nine boys! – and were confident in their Catholic identity. Their home in Wilmette, near Chicago, was a large and comfortable one, and as the boys were growing up, the basement was given over to them for their games and activities. This was the sort of home to which other boys from the neighbourhood naturally gravitated – it was cheerful and welcoming and there was always plenty going on.
A number of things made this family stand out. For one thing, among the nine boys were no less than three sets of twins – Kevin and Frank, James (Jim) and Paul, and Don and Bob. And all the boys were impressive athletes and sportsmen.
The family were not just “Sunday Catholics”. The Faith was lived out in everyday life, and Edward and Dorothy Murphy were dedicated and committed to the beliefs, values and moral teachings of the Church.
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As they grew up, the boys made decisions about their future. Paul’s twin, Jim, had wanted to be a priest since early boyhood. Paul was keen to study architecture, and the University of Notre Dame had a good Architecture Department which offered exactly the courses he wanted. It was the beginning of what was to become a highly successful professional career.
Among those who knew Paul during his college days, there is the sense of a young man full of zest for life. He was not focused on himself, but was always interested in others and how they were doing. He was fun to be with, and seemed to give people a sense of moral “lift” – somehow, everyone felt better after some time in his company.
Paul’s studies went well and he graduated with great success. It was 1961 and full adult life now stretched before him.
Jim was studying at the seminary now and would in due course become a priest, as would another Murphy brother, Kevin, who was joining the Benedictine order. Paul took another route. He signed up for the United States Navy, joining a squadron that was responsible for designing and building the various bases that the Navy needed. In due course he became a Lieutenant. The life was an exciting and satisfying one, and Paul was talented and good at his work: architecture was something he loved. He sailed to many different parts of the world, and the next three years were to be enjoyable ones.
Throughout his time in the Navy, Paul remained an enthusiastic and dedicated Catholic. He was popular and high-spirited, finding easily among friends and work colleagues the companionship that he had known at home. He enjoyed giving of his best in everything,
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While on a posting to Spain, Paul heard from one of his older brothers, Don. All the Murphy boys had remained close even though they were now working and studying in different parts of America or the wider world. Don had joined a Catholic group called “Miles Jesu”, one of what later came to be known as the “New Movements” in the Church. It was involved with short courses, known as “Cursillos in Christianity”, aimed at reviving and inspiring Catholics in their faith. Don’s interest and enthusiasm were infectious. Paul’s Navy service was due to finish shortly. When it did, he flew out to join Don in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended one of these courses.
Always devout, Paul now found something new and thrilling. The year was 1965 and many changes were in the air. The post-war generation was asking questions, and the Church was seeking to respond in new ways to new challenges. But the Cursillo retreat was not part of this: it was rooted in a traditional and authentic Catholicism that was intellectually and morally satisfying. As the retreat began, Paul Murphy met Father Alphonsus Duran, founder of Miles Jesu. Immediately, the priest recognised in the tall young man something special and significant. He was open and eager to give himself generously in service to God. Later, when the retreat was over, the priest was aware that the young man had made a deep commitment to God in a new and important way.
The idea of doing sincerely what God wanted – and only what God wanted – was evidently the one thing that mattered to Paul Murphy. After some further discussion, Fr. Duran made another suggestion: that Paul continue with his plan of becoming an architect, but give his life over wholly to God. This would mean giving up personal possessions – taking a vow of poverty – and giving up the idea of marriage and a family, choosing instead to live a celibate life, serving God and his fellow-men with complete unselfishness, under a vow of obedience. This struck a chord deep inside Paul. It was what he knew that he really was called to do. Later he would say “I felt like everything fell into place”. He wept. He had found his life’s vocation.
What was Paul joining? Miles Jesu is the Latin for “Soldier of Jesus”. The idea of the Institute is that it consists of people who are wholly dedicated to Christ. Some, who know that they are specially called to do so, live together in community and make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, similar to that of the Religious Orders of the Church. Paul would continue with his career as an architect. But he would live simply with the other men of the Miles Jesu community, all of them sharing their income and taking responsibility for various apostolic works.
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As a member of this new community, Paul would prove himself hard-working, dedicated and popular. The main contribution that he made to everyone’s lives was that he made people laugh. He was fun – he cheered people up. He had the ability to lift a dreary moment or make something ordinary seem enjoyable and light-hearted. He was extremely happy in Miles Jesu and his joy in his chosen life was infectious. He believed in working hard, and demanding much from himself – he wanted to be tough, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
In the evenings and at weekends, Paul was with the Miles Jesu team – working with the poor, helping on community projects, running youth events. His architectural skills were put to good use on voluntary projects, and he was perfectly happy to do mundane work as well as more glamorous jobs. He designed a new home for a family who were moving to the local area, and for another family he designed and built a badly-needed cesspool.
Much of the work of Miles Jesu involves activities with young people. The members of the Miles Jesu community in Arizona ran weekend and evening groups where boys would learn about the Catholic Faith, pray together and enjoy sports and all sorts of outdoor activities. There were also drama presentations, games, and events for the whole family. Children gravitated naturally to Paul. He was fun, and always seemed to have time for them. He had a way of making the Faith come alive for them: without ever preaching or being pious he communicated the radiance of the Christian message, and taught them by example what it is to live in a way that means daily seeking to do God’s will.
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It was at a professional conference – a meeting of the American Institute of Architects in Tucson, Arizona – that Paul first fell ill. Quite suddenly, with no warning that anything was wrong, he had a seizure and passed out. He was unconscious for about 45 minutes. Of course a doctor was called, but initially no one could find anything wrong. Once he was back home with the community, however, Fr. Duran decided that a second opinion was needed.
A specialist was called.After a detailed series of examinations and several X-rays, grim news emerged. Paul had a serious brain tumour. It was on top of the pituitary gland, and therefore inoperable. The tumour was cancerous. Paul was going to die.
The treatment to try to reduce the tumour involved drugs that robbed Paul of his good looks, making his face puffy and fat and causing his hair to fall out. People were shocked when they saw him – but found that he was the same patient, good humoured, gentle and faith-filled man they had always known. As the weeks and months of his illness wore on, he seemed to grow in calmness of spirit. There was a great peace about him. He was courageous in facing his medical treatment, and always keen to put other people at their ease if they now felt awkward in his company.
One morning, Paul was not in the chapel for Mass. As he was never late, Don and Fr. Duran went to his room to see what was wrong. They found him holding his head and when asked if he was in pain, he said “a little bit”. He never complained, and they knew that he was in real agony. They helped him back to bed, but he would not stay and badly wanted to pray in the chapel. He was kneeling there when he had a series of bad seizures. His brother, Don, laid him on the floor and an ambulance was called. Though Paul was rushed to the hospital nothing could be done, and he went into a coma around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 1975.
Eventually, when it became clear that Paul was in his last days, he was moved to a house run by Miles Jesu, where he would receive 24-hour care from members of the Miles Jesu “family”. The nurse who cared for him at the very end remembered later how she had picked up a crucifix (in fact, it was one which had been left for Paul by the Bishop) and placed it on the pillow saying “Paul, you are in the arms of Jesus”. Tears welled up in Paul’s eyes “I believed then, as I do now, that they were tears of joy, not sorrow”. A few hours later he died.
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