John Gregory Murray

John Gregory Murray (February 26, 1877 – October 11, 1956) was an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1931 until his death in 1956. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 1920 to 1925 and as bishop of Portland in Maine from 1925 to 1932.

Biography

Early life John G. Murray was born on February 26, 1877, in Waterbury, Connecticut, to William and Mary Ellen (née Connor) Murray. His parents were both Irish immigrants; his William was from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, and Mary Ellen was from Maryborough, County Leix (present-day Portlaoise, County Laois). One of his brothers, James, was a prominent lawyer in New York City. John Murray worked as a paperboy in his youth. He received his early education at Waterbury Public Schools and graduated from high school in 1895. He continued his studies at the University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium.

Priesthood While in Leuven, Murray was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Josephus van der Stappen for the Diocese of Hartford on April 14, 1900. His first assignments, following his return to Connecticut, were as chaplain at the Hartford County Jail and as professor of Greek and Latin at St. Thomas Preparatory Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut.

Murray was the first native of Connecticut to become a Catholic bishop, and the first auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Hartford.

During his 24-year tenure, Murray established over 50 new parishes, eliminated debt at the College of St. Thomas, and constructed a science hall, gymnasium, and a new seminary library. He also began a radio show on WCCO called Church of the Air, established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, the Family Guild, and mandated liturgical reform in the archdiocese. In 1941, the national Eucharistic Congress was held at Saint Paul, an event which many considered a testament to Murray's influence. In 1949, he ordered Catholic parents to not allow their children to receive sex education in public or private schools. He also served as a member of the administrative board of the National Catholic Welfare Council.

John Murray died of cancer in St. Paul on October 11, 1956, at age 79. He is interred at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.