Following the death of Bishop Donal Murray RIP, bishops offered prayers for the happy repose the soul of the late Bishop Murray.
Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said that that the passing of Bishop Murray has brought to an end the life of a deeply spiritual man endowed with a brilliant mind and gentle soul.
Bishop Leahy spoke of Bishop Murray’s enormous contribution to spiritual nourishment of the people of the diocese since his appointment as Bishop of Limerick in 1996, becoming the first priest form outside of the diocese to assume the role in 200 years. In particular, Bishop Leahy said, Bishop Murray sought to play his part in building a Church of tomorrow and a Church for all.
Bishop Leahy said, “Bishop Murray will be remembered for so much and, indeed, his work in Limerick overseeing the completion of the conservation works on Saint John’s Cathedral is a lasting physical memory of his time here. But, more than anything, he was attuned to the fast changing ecclesial and social context and the challenge of rebuilding the community of faith. His great mind was always working on building a Church of tomorrow, not on holding onto a Church of the past.
“A hugely deep, wise and brilliant thinker, he addressed these questions in two significant pastorals, ‘We are God’s Temple’ and ‘How can we Know the Way?’ At the same time, he acknowledged the implications of the steep fall in vocations to the priesthood and religious life for the future of the Church in Limerick,” he said.
Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly SMA of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, said, “I thank God for Bishop Donal’s years of ministry and service. He endeavoured to serve faithfully – through his ministry of priest and bishop – the community of believers entrusted to his care.”
Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh said, “I remember Bishop Murray as a prayerful pastor, who reflected deeply on the challenges and new opportunities facing the Church in contemporary Ireland. His contributions to discussions at the Conference table were grounded in a strong commitment to new evangelisation and to a theology of hope.”
Archbishop Martin continued, “Bishop Murray was fascinated reflecting on the interface and overlap between faith and culture; between the sacred and the secular. Speaking to the Céifin Conference in 2007, he remarked: ‘The secular is the world in which faith is lived. If believers do not reflect and pray and understand what the Gospel has to say to all the complex dimensions of that world, and act on that reflection, they cooperate in confining God and silencing the big questions.’ Instead he was convinced that faith lives in all the realities of life. Bishop Donal believed strongly that God alone “can satisfy the deepest cravings of the human heart.”
“On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, I wish to offer my prayers for the happy repose of Bishop Murray’s soul, and extend my condolences to his family, friends and to the bishops, priests, religious and faithful of the dioceses of Dublin and Limerick, and to all who loved him.”
Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin said, “I offer my personal sympathies and prayers to his family, to the priests, religious, friends, and to the many people whose lives he touched throughout his 54 years of priestly and episcopal ministry. We ask the Lord to grant him eternal rest.
“I ask that the priests, religious and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Dublin and all those who knew Bishop Murray to join with me in praying for the repose of the soul of this faithful shepherd and a person who followed Christ with all his heart.”
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore, said, “Bishop Donal was always kind to me and a gentle shepherd, with a brilliant mind and keen but understated sense of humour. One was always at ease in his company. He cared deeply for the Church and for people. He suffered a lot in his latter years but, I have no doubt, bore his suffering with the grace of Jesus Christ. Having served God’s Church on earth so well, may he enjoy the fruits of his labour in the vineyard of the Lord who promises eternal life to those who follow Him. May he rest in peace.”
To read these statements in full, please see www.catholicbishops.ie
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