Reverend George V. Murry S.J., Ph.D.

1948 - 2020

The Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown

Passed away Friday morning, June 5, 2020, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Bishop Murry was born in Camden, N.J., on Dec. 28, 1948, the son of George Vance Murry II and Viola Brown Murry. After graduating from Catholic elementary and high school, he attended St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia; St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn.; and St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, Md., where he received a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1972. That same year he entered the Society of Jesus. He was ordained for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus on June 9, 1979. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley in 1979 and a doctorate in American Cultural History from George Washington University in Washington, D. C., in 1994.

Bishop Murry served on the faculty and was dean of student activities at Gonzaga College High School; was assistant professor of American Studies at Georgetown University; and president of Archbishop Carroll High School, all located in Washington D.C. In 1994 he was named Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit-Mercy. On Jan. 25, 1995, Saint Pope John Paul II appointed him Titular Bishop of Fuerteventura and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, where he was ordained to the episcopacy on March 20, 1995. In 1998, Saint Pope John Paul II appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and he became the Ordinary in 1999. On March 28, 2007, he was installed as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown. His Episcopal Motto is "Christ My Light." Bishop Murry has served on numerous boards including the University of Detroit and Loyola Academy, both in Detroit, Mich.; Mount St. Mary University in Emmitsburg, Md.; and the University of San Francisco in San Francisco. He served as Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and as Chair of the Committee Against Racism; Committee on Catholic Education; and Committee on Priorities and Plans. He has also been the Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Educational Association and a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services. In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him a member of the Synod of Bishops to discuss family life. As Bishop of Youngstown, in addition to guiding the diocese for the last 13 years, he implemented a Pastoral Plan for Evangelization, "Trusting in Christ: A Call to Discipleship," calling for the regionalization and collaboration of parishes, schools and resources to address the declining number of clergy and to ensure the continued vibrancy of the faith among the people of northeast Ohio.

Bishop Murry is survived by his brother, Judge Anthony (Laura) Murry, and their children.

Friends and all those wishing to pay their respects may call from 2 to 7 p.m., Thursday, June 11, at St. Columba Cathedral on Wood Street in downtown Youngstown, by using the front entrance to the cathedral. The Diocese of Youngstown requests that all persons attending calling hours observe proper social distancing protocols in effect and to quickly exit the cathedral after paying their respects to the bishop. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 12, at 1 p.m. at St. Columba Cathedral. Due to social distancing restrictions, the funeral Mass is not open to the public. The Mass will be broadcast live on WKBN-TV 27, and on WFMJ-TV sister station, WBCB. The service will also be live-streamed on the Catholic Television Network through doy.org, and on wfmj.com Memorial gifts may be sent to the Diocese of Youngstown Cathedral Renovation Fund. Arrangements have been entrusted to Kinnick Funeral Home, 477 N. Meridian Rd., Youngstown. Please visit kinnickfuneralhome.com to view and share this obituary, and to send condolences online.

Kinnick Funeral Home, 330-793-4675