1941-2019

Words of Remembrance for Brother Timothy Murphy, FSC

Given by Brother Brian Carty, FSC
Mass of Christian Burial
Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers
Manhattan College
Riverdale, NY
December 10, 2019

I first met Tim in September of 1958 when I arrived at Barrytown as a sophomore in the Juniorate. Tim was a senior and was one of the giants in his class, someone to reckon with. His classmates included some incredibly talented men with names like “Captain Bill,,” Jim Casey, Big Otto Fagin, Wally Sullivan, John Harrington, Roger Bracken, Eamon Coughlin, Joe Resigna, to name a few. Some great athletes there. They ruled the Juniorate. Tim would laugh if he knew that his name would be listed as one of the jocks! While some of these classmates were admired, Tim was respected by all. His claim to fame was that he had presence. There was a seriousness about him. He treated us underclassmen well. In many ways their treatment of us was an important part of the formation of folks like Ray Meagher and me.

Tim had a special way of getting things done. If he was displeased, he threw you the “Murphy Look.” He was also admired by all because he seemed to know everything and he got things done. He remembered the small details and was detail oriented. He expected you to do the same. He was also a “rules man.” He played by the book. He possessed a keen power of observation and somehow always knew what was going on. He didn’t miss a trick. These skills would help to define his career in the Brothers.

We met again in the Scholasticate. Those were turbulent times. There were two Directors, Leo Kirby and Gus Loes. Tim and his class had Leo Kirby. Kirby ran the place by the book while Gus Loes was with the younger ones, authoring a new one. Tim was comfortable with the Ancien Regime! Change for Tim had to be measured. He adapted to the loosening up. He was the type of person who made changes by asking permission. There were some of us who made changes by asking forgiveness. However, whatever his style with the changes, he was instrumental in creating change his way.

Kirby had agreed to allow the Scholastics to become involved in Boys Village, the DC and County Juvenile detention center. Tim was in charge and sought out folks to help. The Brothers who volunteered taught CCD and spent some time with the kids. Having the Brothers visit was a breather for the kids. It was a transformational experience to a few of us who found ourselves drawn to the apostolate of child care. Mike Reiss, Ray Meagher, Mike Finnegan and me, just to name a few. The experience certainly changed Tim’s life.

I am not sure if it was by request or the wisdom of the superiors, but Tim was granted the opportunity to forego teaching in the classroom and instead to be assigned right from the Scholasticate to Lincoln Hall. Here he joined a great group of dedicated men who were leaders, doers, smart, opinionated, competitive, and willing to do whatever it took to look out for their kids. They were a great group of men to help Tim learn the ropes. For those who are familiar with Linky lingo, he ran a tight ship and the Crest Cottage didn’t have a lot of MOPOS.

Tim’s assignment to Lincoln Hall opened the doors for younger Brothers to work in the Child Care apostolate. Mike Reiss soon followed and his great work in Ocean Tides comes back to his Lincoln Hall experience with Tim. In the summer of 1965, two rising senior scholastics were assigned to Lincoln Hall for the summer to learn to fine art of prefecting. It certainly changed the lives of Ray Meagher and me. We worked with such giants as Mike Dwyer, Leo McAlice, Greg Myles, Ed McGuire. Tim looked out for us young Brothers. We were taught that being a prefect meant that you were fully dedicated to the needs and safety of the young men confided to your care. We learned that the needs of the boys came first. Tim was a living example of a good prefect, caring for others. This characteristic of Tim as a care taker came to define him in his later life.

Tim was faithful. He was always at exercises. He developed a prayer life of fidelity to the laxer rules and regs that were not always followed by all. He was obedient. He could adapt. Change wasn’t always easy for him. He did what he had to do with pride and professionalism. Over the years at Lincoln Hall, Tim became an administrator. By the late 1970s, Tim was the Community Director and the Assistant Executive Director. The field of child care was changing and deinstitutionalization was increasingly the norm of the politicians in Albany. The boys who were coming to Lincoln Hall were more violent and sociopathic. The days of Lincoln Hall as we knew it were coming to an end. In 1980, a tragedy occurred that changed everything for the Brothers. Three of our older youngsters ran away and committed a murder of a famous couple who were our neighbors at the Hall. The Prouty murders made the national news. While being the Assistant Executive Director, he was asked to be the one who was the public face of Lincoln Hall in dealing with the press and the media. Just try to imagine Tim being peppered by reporters with non-stop questions about the case and what was going to happen going forward to protect the neighbors. We who lived with Tim know what that did to him. He handled it like a pro, but it took a toll on him. He had a shy side to him and didn’t enjoy the spotlight. I was the Sub Director of the community at the time. We walked and talked a lot. He truly was masterful in his handling of the stress and the press.

Tim also had a wicked sense of humor. He had a way of asking questions with a twinkle in his eye. You knew that he was going to opine on something or get you to do so. He was the master of the loaded question! He also liked to tease and deflate wind bags. A case in point; Tim and I would shop for the community and kept the Brothers supplied with refreshments before supper. We tried to please the Brothers and not go overboard on the budget. Well, there were a few Brothers in the community who had developed a special friendship with a wealthy gentleman from Kentucky by the name of Jack Daniels. On and on they would go about his special qualities, there was no other like him. Here I will admit that I could be a bad influence on Tim. I came up with the plan of saving the empties and refilling them with a local concoction on the cheap. The stuff had to be terrible. Well, this went on for about six weeks or so when our plan was uncovered by a visitor who had a longer relationship with Mr. Daniels and could tell the difference. Tim and I were still laughing about our prank just a few short weeks ago.

Tim’s career after Lincoln Hall found him in leadership positions where his well-honed skills as a prefect served him well. As the Dean of Discipline at La Salle Academy he had the kids in amazement because he always knew what was going on and routinely busted the mischievous. He didn’t enjoy being the cop, but he did his job well. As time passed, his ability to care and protect became stronger as he got older. His career as counselor and administrator of the Outreach Clinic speak to his willingness to go the extra mile for the people he helped. He made a difference. Through all of the curve balls that life threw at him, his resilience was his trademark. He never stopped caring for others. He endured. So Irish of him!

His time with the Brothers at Manhattan is truly the apex of his career as a caretaker. I jokingly called him the First Prefect of the Brothers’ Community at Manhattan College. Not much got by him and he was there to be of service. He showed his love by his attention to the details of caring for a community of men who didn’t always want to be cared for. The stories that will be told of his generosity are innumerable. He was the loving prefect to the end of his life; others before self.

Family, formation, confreres, apostolate aligned perfectly in shaping and molding Tim into a great Brother, friend, caretaker, inspiration, son of Saint La Salle. To me the place that made him into the holy Brother that he was, was Lincoln Hall. He was called to sacrifice self and to be of service and he responded beyond measure. In the paraphrased words of William Shakespeare:

WE FEW, WE HAPPY FEW, WE BAND OF BROTHERS THAT CLIMBED THE HILLS OF LINCOLN HALL TO CARE FOR OUR CHILDREN, GO FORTH FROM THIS DAY TO OUR ETERNAL REWARDS, FOR WHOEVER GIVES OF THEIR LIVES TO THE CHILDREN CONFIDED TO OUR CARE WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN IN HEAVEN AS BROTHER PREFECTS.

Thanks, Tim, for living the gospel with us, sharing your special gift of love, looking out for us and being there for us when needed. All of us who knew you and were loved by your care, will keep your spirit alive. Live Jesus in our hearts! FOREVER

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Brother Timothy Murphy, FSC

Born Timothy Andrew Murphy in New York NY on 29 August 1941

Entered the Barrytown NY Novitiate on 24 June 1959

Received the Religious Habit and Name, Brother Dennis of Mary, on 7 September 1959

Pronounced Perpetual Vows in Riverdale NY, 1966

Died at Saint Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx NY on 5 December 2019

 

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

Monday, 9 December 2019

Viewing from 3.00pm to 7.00pm

Manhattan College Community
4415 Post Road
Bronx NY 10471

Tuesday, 10 December 2019

Mass of Christian Burial – 10.00am

Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers – Manhattan College
4513 Manhattan College Parkway
Riverdale NY 10471

Burial following

Gate of Heaven Cemetery
10 West Stevens Avenue
Hawthorne NY 10532

 

The District of Eastern North America remembers Brother Timothy with memorial liturgies according to the tradition of the Institute. Through their prayers, communities, and individuals entrust Brother Timothy to God’s loving care.

Brother Timothy passed away Thursday evening after experiencing severe head trauma that resulted from a fall. May he rest in peace.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

1960–1964
Washington DC
Catholic University of America: study

1964–1979
Lincolndale NY
Lincoln Hall: teacher

1979–1981
Lincolndale NY
Lincoln Hall: administrator

1981–1983
New York NY
La Salle Academy: administrator

1983–1983
Yonkers NY
Sacred Heart School (residence): study

1983–1984
New York NY
La Salle Academy: study and guidance counselor

1984–1984
Santa Fe NM
Sangre de Cristo: renewal (1st semester)

1984–1987
New York NY
La Salle Academy: study and guidance counselor

1987–1989
Albany NY
La Salle School: counselor

1989–1993
West Warwick RI
Tides Family Services: counselor

1993–1997
Bronx NY
Saint Raymond Family Outreach Center: teacher

1997–2004
Bronx NY
Saint Raymond Family Outreach Center: administrator

2004–2010
Riverdale NY
Manhattan College: counseling center

2010–2019
Riverdale NY
Manhattan College: resident