The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-02-16

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hreathes where it will. But in the
case Of Father Murphy, the virtues
| and graces of baptism were nurtured
| by his prayers. We cannot imagine
Father Murphy, even as a child, any
| thing but prayerful. We feel sure
the little prayers and the confidence
in the Blessed Virgin he learned at
his good mothers knees he never for
| pot
| "When the call of the Master came
to him, he at once ansered, Lord, thy
servant heareth; speak, what wilt
thou have me to do His response
was mott half-hearted,- it was full
souled. He wished to give hlmself
utterly to the Lord. In fact one of
his characteristics was to do things
| in a generous manner
| when the call came to him, he
consulted the proper authority, the
Bishop of Hartford. and finding 1t
was genuine, he at once set about
preparing himself for the Catholic
Priesthood AS seminarian he was
model to his fellow students. True,
he was full grown man, and should
be a model to the youths that were
studying with him. Yet there was
about him something more than the
ordinary man would have. for that
prayerful spirit had found sure
| place where it could open itself utter
ly to God. And it did. The spirit of
| prayer had come home and found a
! sure home in which to rest, and it
found healthy and invigorating food
for it's nourishment and its growth,
and it ate it unsparingly. We can
! certainly say that this, the spirit of
| prayer, was the great characteristic
| in the life of Father Murphy as
priest Of the Catholic church. If any
one carried out the counsel of our
| Lord, pray, pray always, pray I'M
ceasingly, pray in season and out of
season, certainly Father Murphy did.
| He loved prayer, and that love only
| increased with his increasing years.
He was faithful to all the duties
which the virtue of prayer imposes
on the priest, who is essentially
| man Of prayer. His morning medita-
| ton was performed conscientiously
and with exactness. as also were the
various hours of his brievary or Of
| flee. These became pleasing tasks
| for him on account of the generous
way in which he performed them.
The recitation of his rosary was never
omitted, and we all know how faith
full and how devoted he was to daily
mass, until his recent illness prevent
ed him entirely from celebrating
mass. For night unto forty years
he stood at the altar of the Most
High each morning and offered up
the clean oblation of the .crucif1ed
Jesus the Holy Mass. And he al
ways did this with sufficient prepara-
ton, pious attention and \ heartfelt
thanksgiving. By prayer more Is
wrought than this world dreams of,
so we can understand why the spirit
of prayer produced such results for
| such priests as the Cure de AIRS
Father Drumgoole and Father Muir
ply. His life in this respect can
well stimulate all of us, his brothers
in the clergy, as well as his brethren
in the laity.
another notable virtue in the life
of Father Murphy was his simplicity
Of life, and his detestation for osten-
tation and display. With modesty as
sensitive as ever adorned a Christian,
he shrank from display and ostenta-
tion. He loved to be among those
whom he knew we'll and who knew
him well. When he was in a great
gathering he sought out a place
where he would be least in view, for
his modesty and childlike simplicity
made him really bashful. When it
was a question Of the performance
of duty, it was otherwise His simple
yet large faith in the conscientious
performance of duty took away all
fear, all timidity. No one can as
sure you Of this better than the par
ishoners IN the various parishes
where he labored. One and all of
them was endeared to him, because
they knew how punctual he ever was
in the attendance of the sick and the
dying, and what consoling words
would well out of that prayerful
heart to comfort those in bereave-
ment. And so my beloved brothers
of the clergy and beloved brethren
of the laity who are. gathered here
today to pay our respects to the re-
mains of Father Murphy and to
show our appreciation for the good
he has done among us, and to offer
up for his soul the highest homage
of prayers the Holy Mass with all the
solemnity of the church's ritual, we
can. see how worthy he is of all of
this. We can only say a few things
| in the funeral sermon. It would re-
quire volume to contain the deeds
and virtues of any good priest. But
from the few things we have said
we can see Father Murphy was a
faithful and wise servant whom his
loved Lord has placed over his fam
lily to give them meat in season. And
when the Lord came and called him
the Master found him so doing, and
the Master by his own voice has de-
| clared such one blessed Let our
prayer be this for Father Murphy
that he is blessed, for we may be full
sure that would be his prayer for u.s.
AS even the just man falls into slight
failings frequently, so none of u.s.
even the best can claim absolutely
perfection, to be without spot or
stain. = OF such only is heavens in
habitants. If st. Paul begged the
prayers from his Pensioners, telling
them to pray for him always lest
whilst he had preached to Others he
himself would be a castaway, how
much more should we bespeak the
prayers OF our friends for the priests
Father Murphy, who loved prayer so
intensely, begs in the spirit Of Sts
Peter and Paul and OF all the Saints.
that you and we pray for his soul
often, eternal rest grant to him, oh
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