Harry S. Murphy Award

This page is dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Harry S. Murphy
Member of Division 22, Queens, NY

The "Harry S. Murphy Award" is given each year at our Annual Dinner Dance to an individual that the Catholic Action Chairman and the County President deem to have made an outstanding contribution in support of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The following write-up to describe Br. Harry Murphy was written by ED WILKINSON (Editor-in-Chief, THE TABLET, November 20, 2000) who was himself the recipient of the award in 1999.

The Editor's Space

Hibernians' Award Recalls Good Deeds of Harry Murphy

In all honesty, I had never heard of the late Harry Murphy before receiving a letter from the Queens County Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians asking me to accept its Harry Murphy Award.
To do justice to the honor, I set out to find out what I could about Harry Murphy. I'm told that he was a parishioner of St. Gregory the Great parish, Bellerose, and a dedicated member of the Hibernians who brought a social conscience to the group.
A son of County Kerry, he was an accountant by trade. His activities with the Hibernians included organizing a bus to Washington every year to protest the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion; encouraging his brother and sister Hibernians to participate in Bishop Daily's monthly prayer vigils at the sites of abortion; and organizing the defense of the ie St. Patrick's Day Parade against the criticisms from dissident gay groups.
He held all the major offices for Hibernians but it was in his role as head of the State Cathohc Action Council that he is best remembered.

So when I was called upon to accept the Harry Murphy Award at the Queens Hibernians' 124th annual al ball Saturday, Nov. 13, at The Reception House in Flushing, it was with a sense of pride and humility that I would be considered in the same class as Harry Murphy.
This social action award for defense of Church teachN ing actually was inaugurated by Murphy himself. Prior to Harry's death from cancer in February, 1996, the recipients included Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and Newsweek columnist John Leo. After Harry's death, the award was named in his honor. The first Harry Murphy Award was presented to him posthumously and accepted by his wife Noreen. Last year, the recipient was Jerry Cronin, the founder and director of the Msgr. Ferris Life Center in Rockaway Beach. Pretty lofty company!
Bob Lynch, who also was honored at this year's dinner as the Hibernian of the Year, said that Murphy was a special friend of his. "He was a great guy, a real Irish gentleman," recalled Lynch.

The Great Harry
As a tribute to his friend. Lynch continues to organize the annual bus ride to Washington every January for the March for Life. He simply remembers his friend as "the late, great Harry Murphy."
Mary Lynch, Bob's wife, tells the story about seeing Harry Murphy praying with Bishop Daily at an abortion clinic located in American Martyrs parish, Bayside.
"Harry was fresh out of the hospital for his cancer treatment. It was below zero degrees. But there was Harry. I told him to pull his hat down around his ears so he wouldn't freeze," she recalled.
Bob Lynch, a member of St. Robert Bellarmine parish, Bayside, was chosen for his award for his 22 years of service, which include serving as president of division 13, as well as vice president, recording secretary, historian and marshal. He currently is Harry Murphy's successor as Chairman of Social Action.

The Ladies Auxiliary of the Queens Hibernians honored two of their own on the same occasion Noreenanne and Eileenmary Linehan, sisters who were born only II months apart.
A member of LAOH, division 14, Noreenanne has served as Chairman of the Catholic Action, Chairman of Missions and Charities and co-chair of the County's annual ball. She was honored for her "strong commitment to her Church, her interest in the well-being of the members of her community, her pride in he Irish heritage, and her devotion to the LAOH."
Eileenmary has served as a County officer, Chairman of the Missions and Charities, Chairman of Social Action, Sentinel and co-Chair of the annual ball.
Both women are members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, South Ozone Park.
There are plenty more good people like Harry Murphy out there - people who are dedicated to the faith and who aren't afraid to put their beliefs into action. You don't always hear about them because they're usually too busy doing good deeds rather than making the headlines. When you attend a Hibernian function, you see a lot of them. Which is why I was able to tell the group that evening how comfortable I felt being with them and how honored I was to accept their Harry Murphy Award.
Special thanks to Mike Kearney, president of the Queens County Board, Joan Kearney, Pat Butler and Marianne Fleischer and Inez Magee, president of the Lady Hibernians, for making the evening such a wonderful memory.

(End of newspaper write-up)

THE FIRST AWARD 1994
Br. Harry Murphy (left) presents the first award to Dr. William Donohue, President of the CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights, and Br. Tom Phelan (right).
(After Harry passed away, the award was renamed the "Harry S. Murphy Award")

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