About
Archbishop Emeritus
Murphy Pakiam
The Most Rev. Tan Sri Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam, DD; PSM PJN is the third archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Murphy was born in Tapah in 1938 on the feast of St. Nicholas. Named after a well-known Jesuit priest in Loyola College in Madras, the young Murphy received his early education in Sultan Yusuf School in Batu Gajah.
He entered the minor seminary in 1955 and 3 years later moved to College General in Penang for his priestly formation.
He was ordained on May 10 1964 and served as assistant priest at St. Louis Church, Taiping. He was subsequently posted to St. Francis Xavier’s parish in Penang in 1965 and then to Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Silibin in Ipoh in 1967. In 1970 he became parish priest. He completed his studies in Masters in Moral Theology in Rome and upon his return in 1974, he became a lecturer in College General and four years later was appointed Rector in 1978. After two terms as Rector he left in 1989 for Manila to do a Masters in Guidance and Counselling and on his return was appointed parish priest of the Church of Nativity, Butterworth.
Two of the subjects closest to his heart are family life and social justice. St. John's Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur is the seat of Archbishop Murphy, and the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.
Coat of Arm
Ecclesiastical heraldry dates back to the eleventh century, but Christian symbols were used as early as the second century. The use of ecclesiastical heraldry today fills a need for the stability of tradition and the mark of identity conferred by the deep and instant appeal of the beautiful picture language of the Church.
The armorial bearings of the Most Reverend Murphy Pakiam elaborates his motto which is MERCY AND PEACE or HESSED WE SHALOM in Hebrew. The saving Mercy and Peace of God comes to us through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit and is mediated for us in the Church – which nourishes us with the Word and the Sacraments; inspires us with the example of the saints; and shepherds us with apostolic authority. Thus the Bishop reminds himself that he has to become the instrument of God’s Mercy and Peace to his flock.
The following is the brief description of the significance of the various symbols of the Bishop’s coat of arms:
Office of Archbishop Emeritus
Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health
Lorong Satu, Kampung Pandan
55100 Kuala Lumpur
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Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam is a Emeritus Bishop in residence at Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health, Kg Pandan, Kuala Lumpur.
