For decades, Bishop William F. Murphy moved comfortably between parish life and the global Church, bringing a Roman breadth of experience to Boston and, later, to Long Island as bishop of Rockville Centre.

His very full life began in Boston in a strongly Catholic family in West Roxbury, where his family were parishioners of Holy Name parish. He was one of six children of the late Cornelius and Norma (Duggan) Murphy. His sister Cornelia (Sister Paul St. Katherine, SNDdeN, Worcester) is the sole surviving sibling.

He attended Boston Latin School and Harvard College before entering the archdiocesan seminaries, first at Cardinal O'Connell in Jamaica Plain, and St. John's Seminary, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1961.

He was one of four Bostonians sent to the Pontifical North American College in Rome for his theological education, and he was ordained to the priesthood at St. Peter's Basilica on Dec. 16, 1964.

The following spring, he returned to the archdiocese as an assistant at St. Patrick Parish, Groveland. Fellow Latin School alumnus and Merrimack Regional Bishop Robert F. Hennessey told The Pilot that shortly after Bishop Murphy's death was announced in the area, someone told him that he remembered the young Father Murphy very well. Having been in Rome during most of the years of the Second Vatican Council, Bill was familiar with its documents and started an adult education program to introduce them.

He went on to serve in other local parishes and on the faculty of Emmanuel College before returning to Rome in 1972 for graduate studies. After briefly returning to the archdiocese in 1974 to serve on the faculty of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, he spent the next 12 years back in Rome completing doctoral studies and was assigned to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. His familiarity with the conciliar and post-conciliar social teachings of the Church served him and the Council well. His own experience and appreciation for the universality of the Church expanded.

Always gregarious and at ease with people, his list of friends continued to grow. He had a facility with languages, and so he became an important contact person for visitors to Rome. He also served as a wise counselor, even informally, for seminarians and graduate priests at his Roman alma mater.

Cardinal Bernard Law called him back to the archdiocese in 1987 and initially named him administrator of Sacred Heart Parish, Lexington. Soon, however, he was named secretary for community relations in the recently organized curia and cabinet of the archdiocese.

Bishop Murphy knew his way around the archdiocese and its cities, and had a very good sense of the labyrinth that is the Commonwealth's local political scene. He served in that capacity until 1993, when he was named vicar general and moderator of the curia, the second-in-command under Bernard Cardinal Law. In 1979, he was named a chaplain of His Holiness, and in 1987, a prelate of honor, both bearing the title of reverend monsignor.

This office of vicar general and moderator of the curia entailed managing the central administration of the archdiocesan offices and coordinating the work and efforts of 300 staff members spread across several locations beyond the main offices in Brighton. He was initially in residence at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Wellesley, and then moved to the Chancery Residence at Brighton.

Pope St. John Paul II named him titular bishop of Saia Maior and auxiliary of the archdiocese on Nov. 21, 1995, together with his "episcopal twin," the late Bishop John B. McCormack. Cardinal Law ordained both to the episcopate at Holy Cross Cathedral on Dec. 27, 1995.

This added to Bishop Murphy's already busy schedule, but it gave him the chance to get out of the office and celebrate the sacraments, especially confirmations. The visits also gave him an opportunity to see the priests of the archdiocese in the parish settings.

He was also very active in the work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, serving on various committees and boards. Beyond the episcopal conference, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America and was a member of several papal orders, including the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of Malta.

On June 26, 2001, Pope St. John Paul II named him the fourth bishop of Rockville Centre. He was installed at the Cathedral of St. Agnes on Sept. 5, 2001. Less than a week later, on Sept. 11, 2001, "everything changed." The toppling of the towers in Manhattan could be seen from points in his new diocese.

For the next 15 years, there would be rebuilding not only of the towers across the river, but also of the shattered lives of survivors and families across the diocese.

Msgr. Joseph DeGrocco, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst, New York, served as Bishop Murphy's personal secretary and later worked with him on diocesan projects.

Speaking of Bishop Murphy's Rockville Centre years, he said, "Bishop Murphy was completely dedicated to spending his life for Christ and for His Church. With his background and experience, Bishop Murphy brought to our diocese, and to me personally, a greater sense of the universal Church and our oneness in the Lord. He truly believed that the Lord was present in His Church and wanted people to know the Lord through the life of the Church."

About his pastoral care of the diocese, he said, "One of the ways that was most evident to me is that Bishop Murphy loved going to parishes for celebrations -- confirmations, parish anniversaries, and any events for which he would be invited. He loved being with people, and when he was talking with parishioners, he conveyed the sense that at that moment, that person was the most important thing to him. He always had a kind word or a jovial remark to offer to someone, to make them laugh or to help them to feel affirmed. The comment that I am hearing most from people in our diocese is, "I liked him. He was always so joyful and friendly." Indeed, he was, as he thoroughly enjoyed being a bishop and being with his people. I personally feel that I learned from him that a priest could be both a good administrator and someone who is totally interested in his people; Bishop Murphy was both."

And about his most important collaborators -- his priests, Msgr. DeGrocco said, "In addition, Bishop Murphy cared deeply about his priests. He was genuinely interested in each and every one, and he knew every priest by name and knew each priest's background and history. He was concerned about priests being in the right assignment; many, many times, I heard him remark that it was all about "finding the right fit." To me, that was a sign of his deep concern for both the priest himself and the people the priest would be serving."

Bishop Murphy completed the pastoral governance of the Rockville Centre Diocese on Jan. 31, 2017, with the installation of his successor. He continued to be very active in the diocese and in the bishops' conference.

He lived in the diocese until about a year ago, when he required more attention to his healthcare and was welcomed to Regina Cleri Residence in Boston. While among Boston priests, he reminded them often that he was a "priest of Rockville Centre, now."

Bishop Murphy's funeral Mass was celebrated on April 7, 2026, at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre. His successor, Bishop John O. Barres, was the principal celebrant. Brooklyn Bishop Robert J. Brennan, who had served as vicar general and auxiliary bishop for Bishop Murphy in Rockville Centre, was the homilist. The Final Commendation was celebrated by Cardinal James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. He and Bishop Murphy have been friends for decades, stemming from their years together in Rome.

Among the archbishops at the funeral Mass were Boston's Richard G. Henning and Baltimore's William Lori. Among the bishops were Albany's Mark O'Connell, Portland's Emeritus Robert Deeley (both former auxiliary bishops of Boston), several bishops from other New York dioceses, and from other U.S. sees, as well.

Following the funeral Mass, Bishop Murphy was entombed in the mausoleum crypt of Queen of Peace Cemetery, Old Westbury, New York.