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ATTLEBORO - In February, St. Joseph's Parish was in need of a pastor, and Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River called upon the Rev. John Murray to fill the vacancy.

The parish had been staffed for the past 10 years by the Rev. Michael Carvill and the Rev. Accursio Ciaccio of the Missionary Society of St. Charles Borromeo, but the North American Superior of the Society decided to take on a parish in Colorado, where the two priests are now stationed.

At the same time, Coleman also called upon Murray to serve as pastor of the nearby Holy Ghost Parish, where the Rev. John Raposo had been asked by Coleman to fill another vacancy elsewhere.

After giving the challenge some serious consideration, Murray says he decided to accept Coleman's invitation to become a pastor and to do his "best to lead these two great parish communities."

Murray, whom Coleman described in his letter to parishioners as an energetic and dedicated young priest, began serving the two parishes in June. Although Murray was ordained as a priest in 1998, this is his first time serving as a pastor.

He has, however, held several different pastoral assignments, most of which have been parish ministry, with nine of his 11 years as a priest spent serving parishes on Cape Cod.

He also has spent time as a hospital chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis and a year as a high school chaplain at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.

In his first-time role as pastor of not one but two parishes, as also noted by Coleman in his letter, part of Murray's assignment is to see that "the parishes are maintained as separate communities," while also seeking "to identify areas in which there can be sharing between the two."

Toward the goal of sharing, there has been much success already, according to Murray, who says the parishes have been more than cooperative with regard to Mass changes as well as some administrative changes.

"Seeing the people of both parishes work together and pray together is a great blessing," he said.

Topping his personal goals, he hopes to come to know the richness of each parish, noting: "Each community has such a beauty about it that reflects so profoundly the diversity of our Church."

Toward another personal goal, Murray hopes to work alongside other community leaders in Attleboro to serve the needs of the city, saying, "As a Church, we are meant to work in the world and in our local community."

Summing up his overall purpose in leading the Holy Ghost and St. Joseph's parishes, Murray offers the following:

"As a pastor in Attleboro I look forward to many opportunities of collaboration within our city. While each of us belongs to a particular parish community, we also belong to the larger community of the Roman Catholic Church. This is important for all of us to remember. "Jesus established his kingdom and founded his church on the faith of the Apostles and that faith continues today. It is expressed in our universal Church, our local Church here in the Diocese of Fall River and here in our own city of Attleboro.

St. Joseph's and Holy Ghost Parishes are integral parts of the larger community to which we belong, and it is a joy to serve as pastor of both parishes."

Janette Boulay can be reached by phone or fax at 508-222-0993 or via janette.boulay@gmail.com.