Born Timothy Cornelius Murphy in West Hoboken, New Jersey on November 20, 1891, he was the son of Cornelius and Mary Kearns. He came from a large family and had limited schooling. At a young age he went into the work force as a clerk. On September 23, 1917 Timothy decided to join the military. By April 1918 he was a corporal and by August 1918 a sergeant, followed by a first sergeant in October 1918. He was with C company in the 161st Infantry in France. While he did not go into battle he was within in earshot of the canon fire. He was appointed to the Infantry Candidate School. The war ended before his schooling was complete. Still, on April 18, 1919 he was awarded a 2nd Lieutenant commission. He began to reflect on the meaning of suffering during the war years and was impressed by the sisters in a nearby French convent who worked all through the war. Upon his return to the United States he was back in New Jersey and attended St. Michael’s Monastery Church in West Hoboken. Timothy’s father had died when he was in France. At the same time, though it was difficult to leave his mother, he felt a call to be an Alexian Brother and applied to the congregation’s novitiate in Chicago, Illinois in 1920. This did not suit him so he applied to be a Passionist brother in Norwood Park, Chicago rather than return to the eastern United States. After a six month probation at the monastery in Louisville, Kentucky he entered the novitiate and professed his vows on January 24, 1922. His religious name was Michael. In his years after profession he was a cook and a refectorian. He lived in the various houses except for the ones in California and St. Paul, Kansas. He died in Detroit, Michigan.
Birth Date:
November 20, 1891
Profession Date:
January 24, 1922
Death Date:
June 29, 1945