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fatherdaniel
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May 14th, 2013

5/15/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Fred Murphy R.I.P

    I would like to dedicated this post to a man I admired a lot. Let me recall a couple of memories I still treasure and I hope my fading memory doesn’t take these memories away from me. Very often I heard people say that Fred played the organ prayerfully. I agree that sitting there at the organ he wasn’t simply playing music notations from the hymnbook but he was playing what he had prayed. The tune he played was his faith in Jesus. Last year during the overnight adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after the Mass of the Lord Supper I went to the church to spend some time at prayer. It was late but I found Jean and Fred sitting very close to the tabernacle in the Altar of Repose. When I saw Fred,  first I wanted to have a chat with him about some details of the God Friday Service that he was to play at. However I never had that chat with him as I was too shy to interrupt his chat with Christ. He was immersed so deeply in prayer that made me so captivated. I took a photo that night which I treasure as another Easter Story of Christ coming to converse with his disciple.
     The second thing I was always moved by was Fred’s nervousness as he was playing at Mass. We could think that after such a long time of being an organist it should be a piece of cake for him but what I came to believe was that Fred had never grown accustomed to his ministry. Every service was always like the first time when he played at Mass years ago. I only pray so that he could intercede for me to have this good nervousness when I approach the altar to celebrate Mass as if it were my first Mass ever. A few weeks ago at Easter I  heard Fred complained for the first time and the reason was that he wasn’t able
to be with us at the celebrations in the church. I suspect that even Jesus felt  uneasy about that, that’s why He called Fred to himself in Eastertide so that  he could harvest the fruits of Easter for all  eternity.

2 Comments
Thuan
5/18/2013 08:58:11 am

I really admire Fred and Jean, a touching story about their love for God and for each other. The church was more than full for the last mass with Fred and we all knew that he will be with us always. It's a pleasure for me to be their neighbor, I've just known Fred and Jean for a few months but I believe that even dead can't separate them. God created world and love is the most powerful thing he gave us.

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Margaret Flanagan
5/24/2013 10:32:48 am

Fr. Daniel this is a beautiful tribute to Fred, a truly wonderful, humble, spiritual man. I don't think he realised how much he was admired. Unfortunately we were away at the time of his death, but we watched the Titans rugby league match after his death but before his funeral and the coach and some of the players wore black arm bands and later attended his funeral as his son Stephen was assistant coach, he cast a long shadow! Also I love your stories of your travels but especially the photos they really bring the Holy Land alive to me. Keep safe for the rest of your trip, God bless.

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