Bishop William K. Weigand will preside at the conferral of papal honors on two longtime priests of the diocese during a 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, March 4 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento.

At the bishop’s request, Pope Benedict XVI has named Father James Murphy, rector of the Cathedral, and Father Brendan O’Sullivan, pastor emeritus of St. Anthony Parish in Sacramento, Prelates of Honor to His Holiness, bearing with it the title of “monsignor.”

In a Feb. 9 letter to priests in the diocese, the bishop said he requested the papal honor for the two priests “in acknowledgement of their faithful and exceptional priestly service to the church.”

Both priests have held various leadership positions in the diocese for the past few decades.

Father Murphy, dean of the city deanery, has been rector of the Cathedral since September 2000. From August 2003 to November 2005, he played a key role in the comprehensive $34 million restoration of the landmark building.

Prior to his appointment to the Cathedral, Father Murphy, 63, served from 1994 to 2000 in a diocesan role as director of vocations, director of communications, associate publisher of The Catholic Herald, and director of the St. John Vianney House of Vocation Discernment.

During his tenure as director of vocations, the number of seminarians studying for the diocese grew each year. He recruited numerous seminarians for the diocese, including many from the Philippines, who have since been ordained to the priesthood.

In communications, he has served as the main spokesman for the diocese to local media. As associate publisher of The Herald, the diocesan newspaper expanded its distribution from 8,500 in 1994 to more than 55,000 households currently in the 20 counties of the diocese.

Father Murphy’s pastorates have included St. Mary Parish in Vacaville from 1990 to 1994, St. Anne Parish in Sacramento from 1986 to 1990, and St. Joseph Parish in Clarksburg from 1980 to 1986.

He has served on the diocese’s Council of Priests as an elected member and on the Priests’ Personnel Board.

He was editor and business manager of The Herald from 1974 to 1985 and associate editor from 1969 to 1974. He founded the diocese’s Spanish-language newspaper, El Heraldo Catolico, in 1979, the first such diocesan newspaper in the nation.

A native of the town of Meath, County West, Ireland, he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from University College in Dublin and completed his theology studies at All Hallows College in Dublin. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 16, 1968. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley.

In an interview, Father Murphy said it is “not my personal inclination to have this title.”

“I have known many priests over the years who didn’t receive this honor that probably deserved it much more than me,” he said. “I would have been happy to retire at some point just with the title of ‘father.’”

He added, “It’s been the mind of the church since Vatican II to de-emphasize things that encourage pomposity and triumphalism. And many dioceses had discontinued naming honorary prelates, including ours.

“All this said, I know from talking with Bishop Weigand that he sees the conferring of these papal honors as reserved for some senior priests who have performed service to the diocese, rather than just their own parish,” he said. “Because of this, it would be ungracious of me not to be thankful for the honor.”

Father O’Sullivan, 75, retired last October after serving for 31 years as the founding pastor of St. Anthony Parish in south Sacramento.

While serving at St. Anthony, he held several leadership posts in the diocese.

These included director of continuing education of priests from 1991 to 2005, dean of the city deanery, membership on the Council of Priests, chairman of the Priests’ Personnel Board and priests’ personnel director. He also served as an advisor in pastoral planning, to the permanent diaconate and in the recent diocesan synod process.

During the restoration of the Cathedral, Father O’Sullivan was a member of the liturgical design committee.

Prior to his pastorate at St. Anthony, he was assistant pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Redding, St. Patrick Parish in Grass Valley and St. Joseph Parish in Fortuna. He served from 1962 to 1965 as chaplain of the Newman Catholic Center at UC Davis. From 1965 to 1972, he was chairman of the religion department and a counselor at St. Francis Catholic High School in Sacramento, while also serving as chaplain of the Newman Club at American River College.

A native of the village of Cahermore, County Cork, in southwestern Ireland, Father O’Sullivan completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Thurles. He was ordained to the priesthood there on June 10, 1956. He holds a master’s degree in systematic theology from the University of San Francisco.

“I am deeply grateful to Bishop Weigand for this honor, so graciously conferred on me,” Father O’Sullivan told The Herald. “It is richly rewarding to have the signature of the bishop on a ministry that I have truly loved from the beginning.

“I suppose I could be forgiven for looking at it as a lifetime achievement award,” he added. “What makes this honor more meaningful for me is the joy that it will give to the many wonderful people who affirmed me in my priesthood and enriched my ministry every step of the way.”

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