True love

Non sequitur

Well-Known Member
This is a letter sent from a prison inmate who's on Death Row about his experience in the years he's known Bp. Daniel Dolan

The Transcription below should make it possible for translation into other languages.

""""""DEVOTEDCOMPASSION"""""

This is being sent to you so that you can know the Most Reverend Daniel L. Dolan a little better, and see what kind of man he was.

"The Story of Rev. Daniel Dolan & Joseph Murphy"

--Part One--

In the late Months of 1993 I lost my last state court appeal in the Ohio supreme court. The court set a date for me to be put to death in the electric chair. I've been on death row now for 6 years waiting to die, and I was at a all time low. I've always thought that I was normal, but as my court trial went on I see that nothing was normal about me.

At this time in life with the loss of my state appeal all I wanted to do was die. And I didn't want the state to put me to death, so I knew to save all my asthma pills and end my life. After 90 days of saving them I was ready to die. But something in the back of my mind told me to find out if God is real and if so maybe He will help me. So now how
was I to prove God is real?? I didn't know, after all I was 27 years old with the mind of a 9 year old child. But I knew I wanted to give God a real chance to prove He is real. So I got a Bible that is gave to every death row inmate and I set with it on my lap and said my very first prayer. "GOD, IF YOUR REAL PROVE IT TO ME NOW AND I'LL BE YOURS"

I started reading the Bible and trying to find a way to prove He is real. And as I was reading it I come across the story in Luke about Jesus and His followers. Jesus
was put to death. And now His followers was walking to a small city. I wonder how then men felt? To lose your good friend and now have to go on alone? I thought they may of felt the way I feel now. Very alone and lost and unwanted and unloved. I felt darkness all around me. I got a pen and paper and wrote down the story so after I kill myself people can see it and put two and two together and know how I felt and why I took my life. I went back to reading the Bible and now a passerby told the followers Jesus is
alive. And out of the blue I was overcome with heartfelt emotions and I cried out yelling "He's alive. He's real." "He's alive, He's real" and the tears run down my face as I knew for a fact that God answered my prayer and He DID prove that He is real. The other inmates on death row thought I went crazy so they started hitting the prison bars with a tin cup and yelling for the officers to come help me. Officers come running and ask me what's going on. I was in the back of my cell on my knee's crying out, "He's real, He's alive," so the officers ask me to come to the door so they can talk to me. They ask me to tell them what's going on and I told them EVERYTHING and even gave them the pills. And they ask me how did God prove that He is real. I told them that I was reading the Bible and after reading the story of Luke I wanted to write it down so people will know that I died as a man full of hurt like Jesus' followers when they was walking to the city. And that's when God proved that He is real. Most of the officers went back to the office but one kept asking how did it prove anything? So I showed him my notes I wrote. I then got out my court papers where DRs and mental health workers told the court that I've never been to school and I cannot read or write and that because of my childhood I've never had a chance to grow and I have the mind of a 9 year old child. And I was reading the documents to him. And said "So you see, God proved that He is real by giving me the gift to read and write His word." The officer said thank you Murphy, I said thank me for what? He said that his wife has always told him that one day Jesus will visit death row and save someone. So he said thank you because I can now go home and tell my wife that today Jesus was on death row. He prayed with me and then went back to work.

But I wanted to keep my end of the deal so now I wanted to give myseIf to God and be His. I needed to reach out and ask for help on doing this, but I had no money so I started giving my food trays away every day for a stamp. And I wouId watch TV with the CC on teaching myself to read and write by hearing the words and seeing what they look like. After I had what I needed I wrote 31 letters to 31 churches in Ohio. I got the addresses out of the Sunday newspaper, and I mailed them all out. I was at my all time low and I was broken and alone, and the world wanted me to be put to death. But now sending out letters I now had hope.

A week went by and no one wrote me back, a month went by and no one had wrote me. So I knew I had to find out how to be a child of God all on my own, and tried every day. Then one day the officer was walking me back to my cell after recreation. As he took the cuffs off my hands I seen a letter on my bed. I pick it up and hand it to him telling him I got someone's mail. He looked at it and handed it back saying it's for you. A big smile come over my face and I look at the letter. To Joseph Murphy from Rev. D. L. Dolan. I keep looking at it and it smells so good. I open the letter to read what he had to say.

This is when a great holy man come into my life and would care for my soul needs and give me a father's love and compassion, when all the world dropped me. Bishop Daniel L. Dolan picked me up.

--Part Two--

"Dear Mr. Joseph Murphy, My name is Father Daniel L. Dolan and I'm a priest at ST.
GERTRUDE THE GREAT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. I was out of the country, when I got home I found your letter. I'll be very happy to help you become a child of God. I'm going to send a Nun to visit you and teach you the Catholic Faith. When she says you're ready I'll visit you and do your Baptism and First Holy Communion and you'll be well on your way to be in God's army." I cried after reading the letter, it was the very first letter that I've got in the mail. I held it and with thoughts of soon being God's child I drift off to sleep. The very next day I was called to a visit. I go in the visiting room and set to wait for Sister Mary. She comes walking in and everyone stop talking to look at her, she was dress in all black and had a cross hanging from a string of beads. She smiled at me and set down. We had a good visit and she taught me how to do the Sign of the Cross. And she taught me a song, "Jesus, Jesus come to me" and her voice rang down the hallways and though the prison, it was so sweet. She told me that she will be sending me stuff to study, and that Father Dolan said if I need anything like food or clothing he will get it for me. In the weeks to come she taught me how to pray the Rosary. It was so amazing how the world gave up on me and wanted me dead and no one would help me to get to know God, then this very nice priest took me in. Time was going so slow and I didn't think I would make it. So I prayed, "Dear Good, if You make this happen for me so that I can be Your child, I'll pray the Holy Rosary 4 times a day at 9am-1pm-5pm-9pm for the rest of my life". It took about a year but I was ready and Father Dolan set up a visit to do my Baptism and First Holy Communion. He come in with a smile and said today is your new Birthday Joseph, because today you are born a child of God. So I got on my knees and I prayed as he did what he had to do. And then we set for a long time praying. Father Dolan told me that he will now send a priest to visit me every month to bring me Our Lord and pray with me. And soon Father Collins was visiting me all the way from Jacksonville, Florida. And I kept my word, to this day I pray the Holy Rosary every 4 hours 4 times a day. Father Dolan told people about me and they started writing me from all over the world. I would cover my walls with Christmas cards I got. I would get visits from people I didn't know. People would send me food and for the first time in my life I felt loved. All because Father was so compassionate. Father Dolan would write me every week. He was looking after my soul and make sure I'm doing right. He knew that I had a bad life but he loved me anyway. He had a man write me name Jack Heath, and after Mr. Heath got to know me after many many visits he started sending me $100 a month for food and needs. It made me feel good to have what I need and not be hungry. He become a good friend. But sadly he got cancer. I talk to him on the phone and he told me to say "Oh my God I love Thee" over and over. After the call he went to sleep and died in his chair. His wife told me that Jack wanted me to have his car to do with it as I wish. I told Father Dolan and he told me that I need to pass blessings on, and he trust me to do good. So I knew a family that come to visit me and she has 14 kids. So I called Father Collins and ask him to let her know that I have a nice car for her, a free gift.

Father Dolan had become a Bishop and I was so happy for him. After the death of Mr. Heath Bishop Dolan started sending me $75 a month for food and stuff I need $150 on Christmas and Birthdays. He's done this now for many years. It was now my time to be put to death and everyone has told me to just go in peace and be with God. But a few people along with Bishop Dolan wanted to fight. He knew that I have a good heart, and he knows that I'm better in prison helping inmates that do not know God. And he has said that I'm a fisherman of souls. So he wrote to the Governor of Ohio along with a few other people asking him NOT to kill me, all I needed was to be loved, and now I am, and should not be put to death. Here I am 11 years later and still helping inmates to know God. I started doing a newsletter on death row with the help and support of Bishop Dolan, and I'm still doing it to this day. But now with him gone, I don't know what's next for me. But I do know that Bishop Dolan was a great man. He seen that I was at an all time low and he pulled me out of the darkness. He seen the good in me and he taught me to be my best and never feel alone because I'm not. He would always address me as, "My Dear Son" and I always addressed him as "Dad" because he was like a father to me. But he was more than a father he was a friend.

In his last email to me he told me that bit by bit he's getting stronger and that the warmth of spring and sun helps. He has took me under his wing and was very good to me. And I'm sure everyone has a story like mine. And he would tell me today if he was here, my Dear Son, go forward and go with God, do what you do best, and you'll be fine. No time for tears or sadness. Be strong my Dear Son.

It was hard and tearful to write this, but a friend ask me to do it and I knew that that's what Bishop Dolan would also want of me. I will miss him so much and he can help me much more because he is with the Holy Family. He has been all over the world doing the will of God and now he can rest in peace and we can move forward knowing that we knew one of the world's greatest holy men. We sometimes talked in emails about this stuff, and he said that his church is the only one that responded to my letter because God wanted to make sure that I belong to the one true faith and Church.

The Most Rev. Bishop Daniel L. Dolan
May 28 1951 ---- April 26 2002
Rest in peace Dad. I'll forever pray for your soul.
Joseph Dismas Murphy
With all the worries of the modern world some men are building the future.
 

Box Ox

Well-Known Member
Oh goodie, a TLDR meme free thread!

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