The Rev. James Murphy, retired pastor of St. Conrad Catholic Church, was instrumental in bringing stained-glass windows to the church. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

The Rev. James Murphy’s 22 years of service as pastor at St. Conrad Catholic Church in Butler Township could not be celebrated when he retired during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, but his flock will finally have a chance to show their love and gratitude on Saturday, May 20.

The dinner at the church social hall, which is sold out, will celebrate all of Murphy’s 50-plus years as a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Those unable to attend the dinner can attend a 5 p.m. Mass at St. Conrad, where Murphy will serve as celebrant in his former pulpit.

Murphy, who was ordained in 1970, arrived at St. Conrad on Sept. 30, 1996. For more than a year, his main task was to organize what was then the new St. Fidelis Parish.

“That took a little adjustment for everyone,” he said.

As the congregation was getting bigger, Murphy noticed the former Bauman Hall’s small basketball court in the CCD building was insufficient, especially for the church’s popular Friday night fish fries during Lent.

“We could see that was going to be too small, because we were growing,” Murphy said.