John Murphy coordinated transition of diocesan offices from downtown to Pastoral Center
When Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo hired John Murphy to direct the Diocese of Richmond’s Office of Facilities Management in June 2006, the hiree’s department was responsible for four retreat centers and the buildings that comprised the diocesan offices.
A week before his June 25 retirement, Murphy looked back on his 15 years in that position with joy.
“The funnest thing is it always changes. You just go with what is needed by the bishop to help his leadership of the diocese. You find a way to make it happen,” he said. “You have no clue what you’re going to get each day because it involves people, it involves buildings, it involves operators. Whatever happens, you roll with it and take care of it — whether it is people, buildings, cars, logistics. Whatever you need to do, just take care of it.”
The diocesan office building he managed when he retired was much different than what he oversaw when he started.
“I had been hired to manage eight houses — beautiful, old, three-story homes, interconnected,” he recalled of the structures across from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Cathedral Place. “They were over a hundred years old, and they were not built for the wear and tear of constant movement.”
They also lacked meeting space and nearby parking. In fall 2006, Bishop DiLorenzo decided the offices needed to move.
According to Murphy, “A committee was formed, John Barrett (the late diocesan CFO) found the building, we hired the architect, started construction in May 2007 and moved in right after Thanksgiving Day.”
The committee of which Murphy was a part included Bishop DiLorenzo; Msgr. Thomas Shreve, vicar general and chairman of the committee; Msgr. Mark Richard Lane, vicar for clergy; Msgr. William V. Sullivan, rector of the cathedral who suggested that the new facility be called the Pastoral Center; Anne Edwards, assistant to the bishop; and Barrett.
Even though Murphy did not know at the time of his hiring that he would be part of this project, he welcomed it.
“This place was one of the funnest places in the world to do because the whole process was to figure out what the people needed here at the diocese and then transform it into what they thought would work,” he said of the committee’s work.
The 56,000-square-foot building, located at 7800 Carousel Lane, was built in 1982 and had been home to various businesses over the years. To make it usable for diocesan office needs, it was, with the exception of the elevator and the restrooms, gutted and built out.
“It was one of the biggest projects and most involved with so many different people,” Murphy said. “Not only did you have the directors of the ministries, but you had the IT department, The Catholic Virginian, the bishop’s thoughts. Pulling everybody together was just a joy.”
What he described as “one of the funniest things that happened” with the project involved an important part of the building.
The committee presented the plans to Bishop DiLorenzo, according to Murphy, and the bishop said, “Are we done?” They assured him they were, and he said, “The project is locked down. No more changes.”
Msgr. Shreve and Murphy took the plans to the diocesan Building and Renovation Committee to get their OK.
“The first thing to come out of one of the member’s mouths is, ‘Why is the chapel located at the end of the building and not in the middle?’” Murphy recalled. “So, we had to go back to the bishop and ask him if we could unlock the plan and move the chapel to its current spot. Of course, he said yes, and it turned out great.”
A Richmond native who went to St. Benedict School and Benedictine College Prep before earning a degree in economics from Randolph- Macon College, Murphy worked in the oil industry for 27 years before going to work for the diocese.
He and his wife, Susan, have been married for 42 years and are the parents of four children. He said he enjoyed his job with the diocese and worked “with some very wonderful people in the facilities department.” So, why the decision to retire?
“We have seven grandkids — all age 7 and under. They’re in Richmond, Maine and West Virginia,” he said. “It’s time for my wife and me to see them.”
He continued, “I have truly enjoyed every bit of my time here. If it wasn’t for seeing the grandkids, I wouldn’t have retired. This is an awesome place to be.”