Culture

During his four years in Rome, Msgr. Murray took and collected hundreds of photographs, which survive today in the Archives.

The Archive Department is currently processing the photographs of Msgr. Edward G. Murray (1906-1986), rector of St. John's Seminary from 1938 to 1950, friend and confidant of Cardinal Richard J. Cushing, leader in ecumenical and interreligious affairs, and longtime pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale.
Msgr. Murray was born in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood in 1906. He attended the Prince School on Newbury Street and Boston Latin School, where he excelled, earning a four-year scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. After graduating from Holy Cross in 1925, he attended Harvard Law School for a year before discerning a call to the priesthood. He entered St. John's Seminary in 1926 and was assigned the following year to study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in 1930. The following year, he earned his doctorate in sacred theology.

During his four years in Rome, Msgr. Murray took and collected hundreds of photographs, which survive today in the Archives. The photographs capture the beauty and grandeur of liturgies and processions throughout the Eternal City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They capture the magnificence of several of the churches of Rome: Santa Susanna, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls (before its frescoes were destroyed by Allied bombings during World War II), St. John Lateran, and, of course, St. Peter's Basilica. But they capture ordinary moments, too: seminarians at study or laughing and joking together, games of tennis on the grounds of the North American College, lunches and dinners, outings through the crowded streets of Rome.
On returning home to the archdiocese, Msgr. Murray taught psychology, philosophy, and theology at St. John's Seminary. In 1933, Cardinal William H. O'Connell appointed the young priest vice-chancellor of the archdiocese. In this role, he must have excelled, because five years later, when he was just 32 years old, Cardinal O'Connell appointed him rector of the seminary.
In his role as seminary rector, Msgr. Murray oversaw the formation of hundreds of young men preparing for the priesthood. His photographs from the time include, of course, dozens of photographs of ordinations and first Masses. They also document a number of important events at the seminary, including the fire that destroyed the seminary's "Philosophy House" in 1936 and the visit of Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) to the seminary in the same year.
The largest set of event photographs from these years are from the funeral Mass of Boston's Cardinal William H. O'Connell, who died in 1944 and was buried on the seminary grounds. These photographs -- the most complete set held by the archives-- give many perspectives of the event. They show not just the Church and civil dignitaries who came out to pay their respects to the late cardinal, but the thousands of ordinary mourners who lined the streets around the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to see the funeral procession go by. They not only show the burial ceremony on the grounds of St. John's, but also the workers who erected temporary wooden stands for the press to film and photograph the occasion, and the seminarians and workers who dismantled the stands and cleaned up afterwards.
In 1951, Msgr. Murray was named pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale, where he would serve for 20 years. While at Sacred Heart, Msgr. Murray oversaw the construction of a new school building, which is still open today as Sacred Heart STEM School (1035 Canterbury Street, Boston). Photographs show the construction of the new building, including one charming photograph of Cardinal Richard J. Cushing "operating" a bulldozer at the worksite. They show newly completed hallways, classrooms, an auditorium, and the cafeteria, all bright with fresh paint. They show the people, too: smiling photographs of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who ran and staffed the school, class after class of graduates, students in classrooms during instruction time.
Photographs of parish life also abound. First Communions, confirmations, special Masses, May processions, parish dinners -- all were documented by Msgr. Murray's camera lens or given to him by others and diligently filed.
It is easy to see, from the scope of events and duties covered by the photographs, that Msgr. Murray could have devoted all of his time to parish work. But he was always active in civil and charitable affairs, as well. He served as a trustee of the Boston Public Library, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He also served on the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and the Italian Home for Children. Traveling in so many circles of public life, Msgr. Murray came to personally know many politicians and celebrities of his day. He was photographed with filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Mayors of Boston John Collins and John Hynes, Massachusetts Gov. Endicott Peabody, and many others.
But his great love was working in the world of ecumenical and interreligious affairs. At the Second Vatican Council, Msgr. Murray had been a key advisor to Cardinal Cushing, who in turn was one of the most significant figures shaping the document that would become "Nostra aetate," which formally encouraged dialogue and mutual respect between Catholics and the non-Christian religions of the world. After the council, Msgr. Murray became involved in a number of organizations that promoted ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, including the Massachusetts Committee for Catholics, Protestants, and Jews and the National Conference for Christians and Jews. In 1974, he was appointed archdiocesan vicar for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, allowing him to continue his activities in a formal capacity. Photographs of rabbis and Protestant ministers -- many of them personally and affectionately inscribed to Msgr. Murray -- are found throughout the collection.
Msgr. Edward G. Murray's extensive photograph collection can be viewed by appointment in the Archdiocesan Archives. Select photographs have been digitized and are available online at: tinyurl.com/EGMurray.

VIOLET HURST IS AN ARCHIVIST FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.

- Violet Hurst is an archivist for the Archdiocese of Boston.

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