Assignment Record – Rev. Cornelius K. "Neil" Murphy, s.j.

Summary of Case: Neil K. Murphy was a Jesuit of the Oregon Province, ordained in 1945. He spent his entire career in Alaska, assisting and pastoring at parishes in Nome, Bethel and Fairbanks. He was longtime director of the Fairbanks' diocese's Family Life Office and worked on the Tribunal and Bishop's Council. Murphy died in 1982. According to the Fairbanks diocese's bankruptcy reorganization documents in 2010, there was at some point a complaint against Murphy of sexual abuse.

Ordained: 1945
Died: April 16, 1982

   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1945

San Francisco archbishop was John Joseph Mitty (1935-1961).

1946 Alma College Alma CA  

1946

Albany bishop was Edmund Francis Gibbons (1919-1954).

1947 Our Lady of Martyrs Auriesville NY Jesuit Tertianship  

1947

Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska bishop was Walter James Fitzgerald, s.j. (1945-1947), followed by Francis Doyle Gleeson, s.j. (1948-1968).

1956 St. Joseph's Nome AK 1/1, 1/2  
1947 1955   White Mountain AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.
1947 1956   Mary's Igloo AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.
1950 1951   King Island AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.
1950 1956   Teller AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.
1950 1951   Diomede Island AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.
1951 1956   Lost River AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Nome.

1956

Fairbanks was elevated to a diocese Aug. 8, 1962.

1965 Immaculate Conception Fairbanks AK 2/2, 2/3, Immaculate Conception had a school with 352-307 students, and a high school (Monroe High) with 36-107 students.
1956 1962   Nenana AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.
1956 1960   Highway Park AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.
1956 1962   Suntrana AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.
1956 1965

College AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.
1960 1962   Clear AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.
1962 1965   Harding Lake AK   This was a station of Immaculate Conception in Fairbanks.

1965

Gleeson was succeeded as Fairbanks bishop by Robert Louis Whelan, s.j. (1968-1985).

1973 St. Joseph's Nome AK   The 1966-1973 Directories index Murphy twice: as "Cornelius" at St. Joseph's in Nome, and as "Neil" otherwise. The Directories never list Murphy in the Fairbanks pages as at St. Joseph's in Nome, however.
1965 1967 Immaculate Conception Bethel AK 1/2 Murphy is indexed and listed in the Fairbanks archdiocesan pages of the 1966 and 1967 Directories as "Neil".
1965 1967   Aniak, Goodness Bay, Kalskag, McGrath, Medfra, Nyac, Platinum AK   These were stations of Immaculate Conception in Bethel.
1965 1980 Family Life Office Fairbanks AK director  
1971 1973 Tribunal Fairbanks AK notarii  
1974 1978 Bishop's Council Fairbanks AK diocesan consultors  
1967 1982 Immaculate Conception Fairbanks AK 2/2, 2/3, 2/4, 1/3, 1/2 Murphy died April 16, 1982.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1946-1983)

• Excerpt from Bankruptcy Reorganization Documents for Fairbanks Diocese, Jan. 25, 2010, p. 2

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 April 12, 2014.