Prayer Calendar: Deceased Priests who have ministered the Catholic Faith throughout Toowoomba and districts, 1864–2025, Compiled by Annie Carrett, Diocesan Archivist, 2001, Updated by Gabrielle Saide, Diocesan Archivist, 2023:
Rev Peter James Murphy, died 18 Nov 2012

Peter James Murphy was born in Maryborough, Queensland on 26th May 1931 one of five children to Peter Murphy and Josephine O'Brien.
His Primary school education took place at the Convent of Mercy and Christian Brothers in Maryborough and the State School Capella. His secondary Education took place at St Mary's Christian Brothers in Toowoomba and at Nudgee College in Brisbane. He studied for the Priesthood at Pius XII Seminary, Brisbane and was ordained on 29th June 1955 in St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane by Coadjutor Archbishop O'Donnell.
First Appointment as Curate was at Holy Name, then Warwick between 1956 and 1962.
He was on loan to Melbourne working with Y.C.W. in 1962. During this time he was Curate at Clifton Hill Parish.
Between January 1963 and January 1971, he worked full-time with Youth, Vocations and Propagation of the Faith. This position involved much travelling around the Diocese and elsewhere. He made life-long friends through this work. During this time he lived in Warwick for two years and at Holy Name for five years.
He was Parish Priest of Quilpie from January 1971 to January 1973 and Administrator of Clifton from January 1973 to May 1976.
In August 1976 he went to Maynooth in Ireland where he completed a Diploma in Religious Studies. Fr Peter was in Maynooth until July 1977.
Prior to going to Ireland, Fr Peter had worked beside the Missionary Sisters of Service in Catechetics and Bishop Kelly recognized his interest in this area and allowed him 12 months leave to undertake the necessary study.
He was appointed the first Director of Religious Education in July 1977. This role came at a time when Catholic Education Offices everywhere were undergoing major changes with fewer Religious teaching in schools.
When Fr Bill Behm retired as Director of Catholic Education in 1981, Fr Peter became its new Director.
At the end of 1984 Fr Peter decided to return to Parish duties and was appointed Parish Priest of Dalby in January 1985.
In January 1986 he was appointed Director of the Ministry to Priests Programme in the Diocese. For a number of reasons, this Ministry ceased to function about 1992.
Ill health in Ireland in August 1995 while on Sabbatical leave.
Fr Peter went back to Dalby parish then retired in June 1997 and lived at Dalby for some time until he moved to St Thomas More's Presbytery to live in retirement.
In this phase of his retirement Fr Peter was more than happy to relieve in parishes around the Diocese when Priests were on holidays and continued to do this until 2004. He was a welcome priest visitor in parishes whenever he did supply. He always told a joke at the end of Mass.
In 2002, Fr Peter was part of the organizing committee for a Y.C.W. reunion which brought to Toowoomba members of the NCGM and YCW from its earliest beginnings in the Diocese.
In his retirement, Fr Peter recognized his gift for writing and started researching information on priests who had served in the Diocese from 1929 especially those who had served in the Outback under trying conditions. Fr Peter not only knew most of these priests well but was good friends with many of them.
When he finished the profiles of 25 priests, friends encouraged him to publish these stories in book form. The book "Outback Priests" was launched at the Diocesan Assembly in June 2004 and within 2 weeks, 1000 copies were sold.
This book is not only one to relish but one that records our personal story as a Diocese (Fr Michael McClure at the book launch).
After Fr Peter completed Outback Priests, he commenced researching for another book a tribute to some of the early Irish Priests and families. Fr Peter engaged the help of some of the families of the early Irish settlers in the Warwick district to write their stories and the end result was the book "Warwick and the Irish." Sadly Fr Peter's health prevented him from carrying this through to the publishing stage and he was assisted by the Diocesan Archivist and a member of one of the families he was researching. He was able to attend the launch in Warwick in March 2005 at a celebration to mark several parish milestones.
Fr Peter moved to Lourdes Home soon after this and was well looked after by the staff and enjoyed visits from family and friends.
His health started to deteriorate and he died in St Vincent's Hospital on 18th November 2012.
A Vigil was celebrated at Lourdes Home Chapel on the evening of 21st November and his funeral Mass took place at St Patrick's Cathedral in Toowoomba on 22nd November 2012. Fr Peter is buried at the Garden of Remembrance. There were 3 Bishops and 34 priests present at his funeral.

Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.