Assignment Record– Rev. Kenneth B. Murphy

Summary of Case: Murphy was ordained for the Boston archdiocese in 1946. He worked in Lowell, Weymouth and several Boston neighborhoods, retiring in 1996 to West Hyannis, MA. He died in 1999. Murphy's name was included on a list of accused priests posted by the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian on January 19, 2011. Per Garabedian, at least one claim against Murphy was settled.

Born: 1921
Ordained: 1946
Died: May 22, 1999

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
6/26/46 9/10/46 St. Patrick's Lowell MA assistant  

9/11/46

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

5/15/49 St. Jerome's Weymouth MA 3/3, 2/3  

5/16/49

Cushing was succeeded by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

 8/30/71 St. Francis De Sales Boston (Charlestown) MA 4/4, 3/3, 3/4, 3/5, 2/3

Parish had a school with 362-120 boys and 407-120 boys.

Murphy is said to have supervised a youth group called "The Hawks" in Charlestown, beginning in 1959. (Charlestown Online, July 20, 2006)

Per his obituary, Murphy founded Rescue, Inc., which was a suicide prevention program. He was a member of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Knights of Columbus Council 3049 in West Roxbury, and the Fourth Degree Father McGivney Assembly in West Roxbury. He as also state chaplain emeritus of the MA Knights of Columbus. (The Boston Herald, May 27, 1999)

8/31/71 7/23/73 St. Vincent De Paul's (South) Boston MA 1/5  

7/24/73

Bernard Francis Law replaced Medeiros (1984-2002).

6/30/96 Holy Name Boston (West Roxbury) MA 1/6, 1/5, 1/4, 1/2, 1/3 Parish had a school with 771-600 students.
7/01/96 5/22/99 Senior Priest/Retired West Hyannisport MA   Murphy died May 22, 1999.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1947-2000); Kenneth B. Murphy Assignment Record, Archdiocese of Boston

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Murphy's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on October 28, 2015.