26-Initial celebration of the sacrament of holy orders
Bishop Murphy conferred the sacrament of holy orders for the first time on Rev. Mr. Thomas Beggin on May 25, 1979 in St. Pius X Church in Billings. MT. Vocations to the priesthood were a top priority for Bishop Murphy. His first opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of holy orders was a very special moment for him.
He shared the following thought in the May 22, 1979 edition of the Montana Catholic Register, “In so many ways, the ordination of a priest is not just a celebration of family and friends. It is a celebration of the church, a celebration of a diocese, a celebration of a group of people who call forth a member of the community to serve that community as priest. A man ordained to the priesthood is a person who is asked to serve a community, not on his terms, but on the terms of a community, which asks him to proclaim the Gospel, celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments, and to gather together that community in the spirit of the Gospel.”