William Francis Murphy, the American Roman Catholic prelate who served as auxiliary bishop of Boston from 1995 to 2001 and bishop of Rockville Centre from 2001 to 2016, died on March 26, 2026.
Born in Boston on May 14, 1940, he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1964 after studying at Saint John’s Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University. He later served in parish assignments in Massachusetts before being appointed auxiliary bishop of Boston and then bishop of Rockville Centre, where he led the diocese until 2016.
He died in Rockville Centre, New York, at the age of 85.
William Francis Murphy (May 14, 1940 – March 26, 2026) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York in the United States, from 2001 to 2016 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1995 to 2001.