John Courtney Murray

John Courtney Murray, SJ, was omitted into the Society of Jesus, otherwise known as the Jesuits, in 1920. He was ordained a priest in 1933 and shortly after enrolled in Gregorian University in Rome and recieved his doctorate in 1937. With his high level of education Murray moved to Woodstock, Maryland and became a professor of theology. While he was enlightening the mind of young men on the Theology of grace and the Trinity, he was also had major contributions to public theology. He spoke of the connection between the American constitutionalism and Roman Catholicism. He was especially concerned with church, state, and society. He preached about these topics and taught theology until the day he died in 1967. John Courtney Murray decied to live out his Catholic life the Jesuits way. He devoted most of his time to educating people on the theology of the Catholic Church. As a theologian Murray was mostly interested in the Trinity and the grace in human life. He was also very interested in what it meant for Catholicism to thrive in pluralistic societies. Pluralistic meaning, the principle in Democratic society that allows different interests to coexist. For example, people in the United States are allowed to be whatever religion they want and they are not forced to follow a certain religion. Murray believed there was a connection between Roman Catholicism and the American Constitution. He presented his views in the book, We Hold These Truths. "The American Catholic is on good ground when he refuses to make an ideological idol out of religious freedom and separation of church and state, when he refuses to 'believe' in them as articles of faith." In this quote he shows how he feels about the laws separating Church and State. Murray believed that it was necessary for the separation of Church and State. Not only was John Courtney Murray concerned with the Theology of Catholicism but he also want to apply it to the constitution of the United States. A