Early life William Murphy was born in
Boston, Massachusetts, on May 14, 1940. He had two brothers, Paul and Robert, and three sisters, Virginia, Katherine, and Cornelia Ann who became a nun as Sister Paul St. Katherine Murphy, SND de Namur. Their parents were Cornelius and Nora Veronica (Duggan) Murphy.
Priesthood Murphy was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston at
Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City by Bishop
Francis Reh on December 16, 1964. Murphy received his
Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1965 from the Gregorian University. After his ordination, Murphy returned to Massachusetts, where the archdiocese assigned him as an assistant pastor at parishes in Groveland, Winchester and East Boston. During this period, he also taught at
Emmanuel College in Boston and
Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. He was fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish. The report stated that Murphy did some positive things, but also noted thatBishop Murphy did not report to law enforcement any of the numerous allegations of clerical sexual abuse he reviewed nor did he ever advise the cardinal to do so. And even with undeniable information available to him, Bishop Murphy continued to place a higher priority on preventing scandal and providing support to alleged abusers than on protecting children from sexual abuse. On August 3, 2003, in response to the attorney general report, the Long Island chapter of the group
Voice of the Faithful called for Murphy to resign. Murphy banned
Voice of the Faithful from meeting on diocese property soon after that declaration. Alan J. Placa, a Rockville Centre diocesan priest, was cleared by the tribunal of the
Diocese of Albany, the home diocese of the complainant, of allegations made against him in June 2002. The decision was subsequently confirmed by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, which instructed Murphy "to do what we can to restore his good name".
Renovation of bishop's quarters Soon after Murphy was installed as bishop of Rockville Centre in 2001, he decided that his private quarters in the cathedral
rectory lacked privacy and sufficient space to entertain visiting clergy. He decided to take over the top floor of an old convent building at the cathedral. The diocese had been planning to create rooms for nuns on that floor, but Murphy asked them to accept some different accommodations. The project ended up costing $800,000. As news of the project and its cost became public, Murphy invited a
Newsday reporter and photographer to tour the apartment. They reported that the residence included a large suite with a new fireplace with an oak mantel, a temperature-controlled wine storage cabinet, and a marble bathroom. and his ban against
Long Island Voice of the Faithful.
Catholic school closings In December 2011, Murphy announced the closing of six Catholic elementary schools on
Long Island.
Resignation and death On reaching age 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, Murphy sent a letter of resignation to the pope. On December 9, 2016,
Pope Francis accepted his resignation. Murphy died on March 26, 2026, at the age of 85, in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts where he lived in the
Regina Cleri residence for retired clergy. He is buried in Queen of Peace Cemetery, Old Westbury, New York. == Honors and awards ==