This article originally appeared in the fall 2024 issue of the Western Province’s quarterly newsletter, The Vincentian. It is the first of three article from our parish in New Orleans, St. Joseph.
After four decades in St. Louis, Fr. Ed Murphy embraces move to New Orleans
St. Louis and New Orleans are connected by the Mississippi River, winding its way from one to the other before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., says the two cities are connected in many other ways as well.
Before becoming pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in New Orleans a little over a year ago, Fr. Murphy served for four decades in St. Louis, the last 11 as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
“It was tough, leaving everything I’ve done and the connections I have built up my entire priesthood, but it couldn’t have turned out better,” Fr. Murphy said. “It is a great parish and a great city. From day one, people have been coming up to me and asking, ‘What do you need? How can I help?’”
The parish, established in 1844, has been in the Vincentian family since 1858, and the current church building, one of the largest in the South, was dedicated in December 1892. Fr. Murphy says there is a strong sense of service there.
“I will make an announcement that I need folks to help decorate the church and 50 people will show up,” Fr. Murphy said.
The centerpiece of the parish’s service orientation is the Rebuild Center, located on the church’s property and run cooperatively by three organizations: Lantern Light, which provides breakfast and lunch; the Harry Thompson Center, which provides showers, clothes, and personal items and starts the process of getting the Center’s guests off the streets; and DePaul USA New Orleans, which works to get them into “permanent supportive housing” and more.
The Center provides a variety of other services, such as health services, psychiatric care, and art and music therapy.
“They provide breakfast and lunch to 150 people a day, and that leads people to the other services,” Fr. Murphy said.
The Center was founded after Hurricane Katrina, a historic storm that flooded 80 percent of the city. The idea was to provide a place for people to rebuild their lives.
“Fr. Perry Henry (C.M.) was pastor here then and was instrumental in bringing the agencies together to found the center,” Fr. Murphy said, “and Fr. Tom Stehlik (C.M.) really did a great job of building on that when he was pastor.”
At the end of the day, Fr. Murphy can look upriver and think of a city that is not so different from the one he lives in now. Though one has Blues and the other has Jazz, both have strong Catholic populations, and both share a commitment to serve the poor.
“I could not be happier,” he said.