Kenneth Murphy
Questions and Answers with Kenneth Murphy
Kenneth Murphy was born and raised in Ireland but moved to the United States in 2007 to work in the mission of spreading the Fatima message with America Needs Fatima.
Once a year he visits his parents and siblings back home.
QUESTION:
Why have you decided to devote your life to this mission?
Mr. Murphy:
I attribute my preservation in the faith to my parents who insisted on a daily family rosary. Praying the rosary was not on my list of fun things to do as a child, but it formed a habit which everyone in our family keeps to this day. My older brother is a history professor in Ireland, and when we talk on the phone, many times he finishes with, “I need to go finish my rosary”. My sister recently dedicated herself as a nun in Italy. I also have two brothers who are much better at saying the rosary than I was.
Before joining this work, I visited a seminary to discern God’s plans for me, but came to believe that the priesthood was not my calling. Instead, I felt called to spread Our Lady’s Fatima message. The world needs both good priests and good laymen to go out and refill the churches. The promises of the rosary show that it is a most powerful tool to turn normal Catholics into strong Catholics, and even non-Catholics into Catholics.
After doing the work of the Fatima Visits for four years, my Mom told me that when she was expecting me it was a difficult pregnancy. Holding a picture of Our Lady of Fatima in the hospital, she promised the Blessed Mother that if I was born without complications she would dedicate me to her. This picture of Our Lady hangs in my room today, a confirmation that I am where she wants me.
QUESTION:
What effects/graces/challenges, etc. have you witnessed at the Fatima visits?
Mr. Murphy:
Some people have told me about miracles and cures that they received during or after a presentation but I believe the most incredible graces are when families decide to change and take to heart the three things Our Lady called for: prayer, sacrifice and amendment of life. At every visit you can see at least a few people making strong resolutions.
I recently revisited a family at whose home I had done a presentation two years before. When the time came to say the rosary, the husband told the children to fetch their rosaries, to which the children quickly disappeared into their rooms, all returning rosary in hand. They all knew the prayers perfectly, a huge transformation from the previous visit.
QUESTION:
Can you share with us your favorite Fatima story?
Mr. Murphy:
Doing a Fatima presentation in Anaheim, California, the host told me that he had been at a Fatima Visit in 1998. He only attended because his mother, who was dying as a result of a malpractice, asked it of him. He said he listened to the presentation with a closed heart, but because of the explanation about the rosary, decided to pray for a miracle. However, during the rosary, his heart again hardened and he made up his mind to kill the doctor after the Fatima visit. He went to his room to retrieve his gun, but the key to the gun case, which he normally carried in his key ring, was nowhere to be found. He searched everywhere, and asked his brothers if they had seen the key. They all swore they had not touched it. A month later, he found the key in his room. By this time, his mother had passed, and he had simmered down. Sensing the hand of providence, he thanked Our Lady for having kept him from such a crime, and began to say his rosary daily. In 2013, receiving a Fatima postcard in the mail, he scheduled a Fatima visit himself.
QUESTION:
Please offer any other comments that would be helpful to readers.
Mr. Murphy:
Schedule a Fatima visit! Have a presentation at your home. And if you live in Boston keep in mind that I prefer savory food over cakes, water over soda and beer over everything else.
