Mary-lynn Murray remembered as holy woman who defied stereotypes

VANCOUVER—Staff at the Archdiocese of Vancouver are grieving the death of long-time employee and driven, caring office manager Mary-lynn Murray.

“Mary-lynn was a woman of strong character and equally strong faith,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, who attended her funeral at St. Francis de Sales Parish Oct. 16.

The church was full with friends, family members, co-workers, and more than 20 priests at the funeral Mass.

Archbishop Miller said Murray had a special affection for local clergy. “She enjoyed her work at the Pastoral Centre and was deeply appreciated by the priests who she referred to – in their absence – as ‘my boys.’”

Murray started her long career in the service of the local church with an entry-level administrative position in 1992. She worked her way up until she became the office manager of the chancery, a role she held for about a decade, until 2016.

“She knew how to take the bull by the horns and get the job done,” said vice-chancellor Barbara Dowding, who first met her at the archdiocesan offices more than two decades ago.

“Mary-lynn would answer every question and fix every problem. She was almost never at her desk because she was helping someone.” As Murray loved priests, she loved her staff also. “She took people under her wing. She was able to know when to look after somebody.”

Murray brought that care and compassion to the care home where her father was living with Alzheimer’s. She extended her concern to him and to all of the men living near him.

“She would give the shirt off her back any day. She should have been a nurse or doctor; she had that compassionate care side to her.”

She was also a fierce defender of the Church and its image; whenever the City of Vancouver property in front of the former Pastoral Centre office at 150 Robson Street became messy, the city could expect a call from Murray.

Murray was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015. She retired from the Archdiocese of Vancouver to undergo treatment, and even during her illness remembered to send birthday cards to friends, priests, and co-workers. She died of the disease Oct. 10, at the age of 65.

Her faith was real, and it was deep, and one spiritual lesson she leaves with us today is that holiness comes in many shapes and sizes.

Msgr. Gregory Smith, a dear friend and one of “her boys,” remembers Murray as a holy woman who defied stereotypes.

“Her faith was not of the pious variety, and she had very little time for those who were more pious than pleasant. But her faith was real, and it was deep, and one spiritual lesson she leaves with us today is that holiness comes in many shapes and sizes,” he said during the homily at the funeral Mass.

“We tended to think that holy employees in the chancery office were the ones who spent their lunch hour in the chapel, rather than chasing people away from the archbishop’s parking spot – but as the years have gone by I’ve come to see that authentic holiness fits no stereotype.”

He encouraged those present to reflect on God’s love as they grieved over Murray’s death. “Let us entrust her to the loving hands of her Maker, whose Church she served with such loyalty and love.”

Murray is survived by her husband, Bruce, son Trevor (and his wife Selena and daughter Jayda), her mother Connie, and her sister Fran (Alan).