William Murphy (Bishop of Rockville Centre) - Renovation of Bishop Quarters Controversy

Renovation of Bishop Quarters Controversy

Murphy was heavily criticized for spending more than US$5 million on renovations for St. Agnes Cathedral that included a private residence for himself. Murphy took over the third floor of an old convent that was being renovated to accommodate six nuns and forced them to relocate. The convent had room for 37 apartments. "The sisters, I think, were disappointed," Murphy said, "but a disappointment they expressed with great generosity. They understood my dilemma."

Murphy deemed his current living quarters in the cathedral rectory as unsatisfactory because they lacked privacy, and that a separate donated house was not large enough to entertain visiting prelates. After construction started, the original estimate of $500,000 for construction and furnishings increased to $800,000.

Murphy invited a Newsday reporter to review the accommodations. The reporter indicated that the suite consisted of a lavishly decorated living room, a new fireplace with an oak mantel, a kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances (including a temperature-controlled wine storage cabinet for 50 bottles of wine), a marble bathroom, a bedroom and study for the bishop's secretary, a separate suite called “the cardinal’s suite," and a public wing with a fourth bedroom for visiting laity. An extra $120,000 was spent on three Oriental rugs. Murphy believes that the cost was justified since the new bishop's residence can serve simultaneously as a residence for the bishop, his secretary, the cardinal, and other visiting laity.

Shortly after the story about the new residence broke, the local Catholic Charities branch operating in the Diocese of Rockville Centre announced that it was terminating a $1.1 million home care program that had served 500 poor, mentally ill people on Long Island. Catholic Charities attributed its decision to “mounting expenses.” Kate Bishop, the program’s coordinator stated to the press: “It’s interesting that our deficit is about the same amount as what the church is spending on the kitchen appliances and Oriental rugs in the residence.” “Our mission is to serve people who are marginalized and disenfranchised. For them to turn around, with no notice, and end the program, is horrible.”