Faith and Family

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Murray with his wife Virginia (Bobby) and two children.

Joseph Murray married his wife Virginia (Bobby) Link in 1945, the two having first met at the Boston Symphony Orchestra while Murray was a student at Harvard Medical School. They had six children together: three sons (J. Link, Thomas and Richard) and three daughters (Virginia, Margaret and Katherine). At the time of his death, Murray had 18 grandchildren. The family lived in Wellesley, MA and spent summers on Chappaquiddick Island, Martha’s Vineyard, where Murray purchased land in 1970 and 1972.

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Draft of a letter from Murray to his son Tom Murray, detailing his religious beliefs.

Murray was a practicing Catholic and faith played a role in his professional as well as his personal life. During preparations for the 1954 transplant surgery, Murray and his team consulted clergy of all denominations while weighing the ethical issues of the procedure. He also faced backlash from some religious groups, who did not think the surgery should be performed.

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Murray shaking hands with Pope John Paul II.

Murray was a member of Voice of the Faithful, a Lay Catholic group that formed in 2002 in response to the Catholic sexual abuse scandal. In 1996 he was appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the Vatican on science issues.

Faith and Family