By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 10/30/03)

"He’s done a lot for [Bishop O’Connell High School] and Catholic education," said Al Burch, principal of Bishop O’Connell in Arlington, about Msgr. James McMurtrie. "He pushed Catholic education more than any priest I’ve ever known."

Msgr. McMurtrie, who died Oct. 20, was well known and loved at many Catholic schools in the area but especially at O’Connell, where he was principal in the 1970s; at St. Theresa School in Ashburn, where he was founding pastor and built the school in the 1990s; and at St. Agnes, where he was pastor from 2002 until the time of his death.

"He was always doing things to make it good for kids so they could get all of it, spiritual, academic and extracurricular," Burch said. "In every aspect of school life, he preached it, lived it and everyone believed it because they saw the products coming out of the school."

Msgr. McMurtrie was first involved at Bishop O’Connell in 1970 when he became assistant principal. He arrived at O’Connell during years of transition as the Christian Brothers were leaving the school. During his first two years there, enrollment was declining rapidly, and there was talk that the school might close. "I can remember Monsignor saying ‘O’Connell will never close,’" said Burch, who was a physical education teacher at the time.

In 1972, the year Msgr. McMurtrie became principal, O’Connell was one of the first Catholic schools in the area to go co-ed. "Enrollment went crazy," said Burch. That year, the school enrolled 1,600 students and had a waiting list of another 200.

Then-Arlington Bishop Thomas J. Welsh created Paul VI High School in Fairfax in 1983 because of the waiting list at Bishop O’Connell.

Msgr. McMurtrie started several O’Connell traditions in the 1970s. In 1973, the school held its first Chunky Soup Drive and living rosary, a tradition that Msgr. McMurtrie took with him to other schools, including St. Theresa and St. Agnes.

In 1976, under the direction of Msgr. McMurtrie, O’Connell held its first SuperDance to raise funds for cystic fibrosis research.

Maura and Brenda O’Donnell were O’Connell students in the 1970s who had cystic fibrosis. Two of their siblings had died of the disease and Brenda died before her graduation. Maura talked to Msgr. McMurtrie about holding a dance marathon to raise research money for a cure for cystic fibrosis. Since then, O’Connell has donated over $2.5 million to cystic fibrosis research foundations.

While he was principal, Msgr. McMurtrie was present at every activity at O’Connell, Burch said. Every athletic event, drama production, "It’s Academic" taping, Parent Teacher Organizations meetings; the monsignor was there for everything.

"He had more energy than anyone I’ve ever known," Burch said. "Any activity, he was there. He was there for the kids."

For this reason, O’Connell High School recently renamed its football field the Monsignor James W. McMurtrie Field and placed a bronze plaque in his honor adjacent to it.

Out of everything Msgr. McMurtrie did for Bishop O’Connell, Burch said, "the greatest gift he left us is his genuine pride in O’Connell."

Not only did Msgr. McMurtrie shape O’Connell while he was principal, but he also shaped the man who would follow in his footsteps and lead the school for the next three decades. If it weren’t for Msgr. McMurtrie, "I’d probably be in Cooperstown Hall of Fame by now," said Burch. "He saw in me things I didn’t see. I’d never dreamed of being a principal of a high school." But he’s done it successfully for 27 years.

After leaving O’Connell in the hands of Burch in 1977, Msgr. McMurtrie served as pastor at St. Louis Parish in Alexandria, where he worked hard to support the school and built a gymnasium. In 1983, he became pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Annandale where he also built a gymnasium for the school.

In 1991, he became the founding pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Ashburn, where his initial priority was building the first Catholic school in Loudoun County. St. Theresa School opened in 1995.

In a 1997 interview with the HERALD, Msgr. McMurtrie said, "I always want a school wherever I am." Msgr. McMurtrie was particularly fond of St. Theresa Parish because he was allowed to name it after his mother, Mary Theresa.

St. Theresa School was a lot like a child to Msgr. McMurtrie. He watched it grow from 150 students in 1994, to 500 students in 2003. In 1999, he was there when the school added a new wing to accommodate the growth.

Jacqueline Mackenzie, principal, said Msgr. McMurtrie, "loved and was loved by the students."

She said this was evident by the reflections students were encouraged to write after they learned their beloved priest had died.

One student wrote, "Dear God, please take care of Monsignor in heaven. Please be nice to him as he was nice to us."

His good rapport with the students and sense of humor are also evident in the students’ remarks. "When I was serving my first Mass, I was very nervous," a student wrote. "Monsignor said if I fell, kiss the ground three times and get back up, that way it will look good and no one will notice my accident. I felt a lot better then."

Mackenzie said, "Monsignor set the tone for our school, one of showing love and being friendly."

Msgr. McMurtrie spent the last two years at St. Agnes Parish in Arlington. Although he was not at the parish as long, he had a similar impact there.

Vivian Uthe, principal at St. Agnes, said Msgr. McMurtrie wanted St. Agnes to be a great Catholic school. "He wanted the children to enjoy coming to school. He wanted to impress upon them God and religion, as well as academics."

"He truly loved the children, loved to play with them and joke around with them," said Uthe. "He really had a sense of humor. We truly miss seeing his smiling face."