One of the most important figures in Canisius's
Father J. Clayton Murray, S.J.

Fr. J. Clayton Murray in his older years.

World War II history was Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J.  A philosophy professor in his 40s, Fr. Murray proved to be an important leader in Canisius' efforts to maintain communications with Canisius servicemen during the war.

Fr. Murray's own involvement in World War II was initiated by Fr. Vincent Bellwoar, the freshman student counselor who feared that the college would soon lose touch with its servicemen.  In 1940, Fr. Bellwoar began corresponding with Canisius men through mail and sent them the weekly copies of the student newspaper, The Griffin.  In 1942, however, Fr. Bellwoar was transferred to Scranton University to help begin a freshman counseling program. 

Father Bellwoar

   
Fr. Murray, along with Canisius' St. Vincent de Paul Society of which he was moderator, took over Fr. Bellwoar's work.  In addition, he also helped direct the hastily established Canisius Alumni War Records Office whose duty it was to maintain contact with Canisians as well as keep track of their service records.  In a 1991 interview with Fr. James M. Demske, S.J., the President of Canisius at the time, Fr. Murray described some of the work involved:

"I tried to contact all those who went off to service.  We sent out return postal cards to their home addresses and did the best we could in that respect and tried to to keep them up to date in regards their comrades, etc. as to what might be happening here.  We sent them The Griffin so they were able to know what was going on in the school.  We had various categories for enlistments, marriages, engagements, or whatnot.  Of course, listing those who died in the service or were wounded, anything we could actually print.  It was something I enjoyed doing because the boys certainly appreciated it very much.  We got up to, I think, sending out about 1,000 copies of The Griffin."

Up until the February 19, 1943 issue, Canisius sent out complete copies of The Griffin.  It was at this time, however, that the College was informed by the military that aircraft carriers could no longer ship The Griffiins because of the need for space for war materials.  Because of this restriction, Fr. Murray and the St. Vincent de Paul Society began composing newsletters which gave a brief digest of The Griffin along with Fr. Murray's personal message to the servicemen.  These newsletters, which Fr. Murray continued to publish throughout the summer months, were then mailed as first class letters.

This excerpt in praise of Fr. Murray was found in a 1943 issue of The Griffin newsletters.

By 1944, The Griffin had three columns dedicated to the servicemen here and abroad.  The oldest column, "Letter to Camp" by Fr. Murray, provided college news, listings of servicemen's awards, marriages, deaths, and other information that may be of interest.  The next military-related column to join The Griffin was "On the Beam" which was first published in the April 2, 1943 issue.  This column was written and composed by the Army Air Cadets and mainly consisted of college gossip and society news.  The final column debuted in the January 14, 1944 issue known as "Griffins 'Round the Globe."  Due to the amount of correspondence with men serving at home or abroad, Fr. Murray decided to take excerpts from the letters he received and publish them in the new column.  It allowed the men to "catch up" with old friends and classmates who were stationed all over the world.


View the letters of servicemen Joseph Cutrona (L) and Joseph Kelly (R) to Fr. Murray.  Both survived the war. 

In addition to his efforts with The Griffin and keeping up with correspondence, Fr. Murray was also interested in the spiritual welfare of his boys abroad.  To this end, Fr. Murray mailed the servicemen waterproof confessional cards, one in Latin (the universal language of the Church) and one in English, which would allow the men to go to confession to any foreign priest. 

The waterproof confessional cards, one in Latin and the other in English, which Fr. Murray would send overseas to Canisius servicemen.

Fr. Murray also encouraged those still at the College to attend daily Mass, most particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays because these Masses were dedicated to the welfare of the Canisius servicemen.  Students who attended these services signed a Memory Book to show their support. 

In the summer of 1946, the Canisius Alumni War Records Office closed down after keeping track of the 1,763 Canisians who had taken part in World War II.  This July 7, 1946 article{pdf} from the Buffalo Courier Express highlights the impressive accomplishments of such an office.

Fr. Murray's dedication and work earned him the respect and admiration of the College.  Click here to learn more of Father Murray's life.