Monsignor Jeremiah Timothy Murphy passed away on March 1, 2017; he was 79. Murphy was the pastor of St. Brendan’s Catholic Church from 1988 to 2000.  A vigil will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 7:00 PM at St. Victor Church, 8634 Holloway Dr., West Hollywood, CA 90069. The funeral Mass will be at St. Victor on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 11:00 AM.
Below are excerpts from the obituary printed in the Los Angeles Times.
August 19, 1937 – March 1, 2017. Monsignor Jeremiah Timothy Murphy, the inspiring, eloquent and forward-thinking pastor of St. Victor Catholic Church in West Hollywood, CA, passed away on March 1, 2017. He was 79.
Monsignor Murphy, a Los Angeles native, was the son of Patrick Joseph Murphy and Marie Cremins Murphy. During his education at Transfiguration, he decided that he had a calling to the priesthood and entered St. John’s Seminary. He was ordained at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral on May 1, 1963 and began his lifetime career as a dedicated and innovative priest in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Over the course of his graduate education, he obtained Master’s degrees in Science, Arts and Religious Studies from Mount Saint Mary’s University; a Master’s of Business Administration and Doctorate of Education from Pepperdine University; and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Southern California.
After being ordained, Monsignor Murphy was tapped to helm numerous positions for the Archdiocese. During his first years as a priest, he was the associate pastor of American Martyrs School, Manhattan Beach; the associate pastor of our Lady of Guadalupe, La Habra; and was in residence at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim as well as at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Baldwin Park.
While he was in residence at St. John the Baptist, Monsignor Murphy was the vice principal of Bishop Amat High School. He went on to teach at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs from 1967 to 1973 while simultaneously serving on the Liturgical Commission. In 1973, he was made principal of Bishop Amat High School, a position he held until 1976.
Monsignor Murphy subsequently served as associate superintendent of high schools for the Archdiocese and was promoted to superintendent of high schools and colleges, serving for nearly a decade in this position. While in residence at St. Basil’s, he was named administrator pro tempore and again, named administrator pro tempore at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church from 1986 -1988.
Elevated to the position of Monsignor in 1978, he served as secretariat director for the Archdiocese from 1986 to 1991 and pastor of St. Brendan, Hancock Park from 1988 to 2000. Appointed as Administrator of St. Victor, West Hollywood in 2000, Monsignor Murphy was named pastor in 2003 where he served until his passing, continuing to shepherd the parish beyond the customary retirement age of 75 for priests.
