Philip J. Murnion Papers

Fonds

Identifier: PJM

Staff Only

Scope and Content

Papers of Philip J. Murnion, 1961-2003; consisting of talks, lecture material, board meeting files, lay ministry material, files on Church trends, social ministry, community, small Christian communities, culture ministers, parishes, pastors, Pastoral Life Conferences, social justice, inner city ministry, Catholic schools, Biblical studies, Call to Action, Mexico, military chaplains, Cardinal Bernardin, the Second Vatican Council, civil rights, Brencanda, and other material of interest to the National Pastoral Life Center. Also Material having to do with his funeral, condolences, memorial services, etc.; issues of Church magazine; photographs, including portraits of Murnion, snapshots, and a photo album of his ordination and anniversary photos; memorabilia, plaques, awards, paperweights, book ends, and artworks; digital data and audio-visual material; and a copy of his doctoral dissertation.

Dates

Creation: 1961-2003.

Creator

Murnion, Philip J. (Person)

Language of Materials

English.

Background

Philip J. Murnion, born 1 March 1938, graduated from St. Joseph's Seminary in New York with a B.A. in 1959 and an M.A. in 1963. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York 1 June 1963. He served as an associate pastor starting in 1963 and as a taecher at Msgr. Farrell High School from 1964-1966. He earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University (1971) and taught in the summer program in pastoral and social ministry at the University of Notre Dame starting in 1973. He was one of the directors of the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life. He also taught at Fordham University and Boston College.

He served as the director of the Parish Project for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and director of the Office of Pastoral Research for the Archdiocese of New York. He served on the national board of the Catholic Committee on Urban Ministry. He served as a consultant to the Roundtable (Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors) and tothe Committee on Lay Ecclesial Ministry of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In 1983 he founded the National Pastoral Life Center and served as editor-in-chief of the Center's quarterly, Church magazine. He directed the Catholic Common Ground Initiative founded by Cardinal Bernardin in 1996.

He wrote New Parish Ministers (1992) and Parishes and Parish Ministers (1999). He edited Catholics and Nuclear War (1983). He died 19 August 2003.