Sir Daniel, as friends affectionately called him, served for more than 40 years as president and chairman of the Dan Murphy Foundation in Los Angeles, which promotes the very best Catholic initiatives, especially those pertaining to education and religious life. Under Sir Daniel’s leadership, it has provided extensive support to inner-city Catholic high schools throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, programs serving the poor, and the works of the Church throughout the world. It was also instrumental in the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Born in 1919 in Newark, New Jersey, Sir Daniel attended Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and completed graduate work in political science and social welfare at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and at the University of Chicago. In 1954 he married Bernardine Murphy and, in 1957, became a founding trustee of the Dan Murphy Foundation, named in honor of his father-in-law.
For many years, Sir Daniel worked closely with the Holy See and with cardinals and bishops around the world. Three Holy Fathers — Pius XII, John XXIII, and Paul VI — honored him as Knight Commander of St. Gregory, Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Holy Sepulchre, and Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. At the request of His Eminence, the late Timothy Cardinal Manning, Bl. Pope Paul VI named Sir Daniel a Gentleman in Waiting to His Holiness the Pope. He also conferred upon him the title, “Gentleman of His Holiness,” the highest award bestowed on a layman in the Church, and the first such Award ever given to an American.
Sir Daniel is survived by his sister, Rosemary E. Donohue, and his nieces, Julie Donohue Schwartz and Rosemary Donohue. A Vigil Service and Holy Rosary for Sir Daniel was held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Sunday, December 14, and his funeral Mass was offered at the Cathedral on Tuesday, December 16. Let us uphold in our prayer this very kind and generous benefactor of the Choir School.
