What is the definition of fog? According to Fr. Jim Murphy SJ, fog is “a cloud that touches the Earth”. 

            Fr. Jim was born in St. John, New Brunswick in 1914, one of nine children. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1934, and was ordained a priest in 1947. He studied theology in Bogota, Colombia, and did doctoral studies in Toronto. Much of his life was spent in Halifax, where he taught chemistry at St. Mary's University.

            A main area of research for Fr. Jim, and a topic on which he was always glad to converse, was that of fog. So enthusiastic was he about this topic that he came to be affectionately referred to as “Foggy Murphy”. And why study fog? He explains that the traffic and navigation difficulties caused by fog motivated his research. Also, he was born in, and taught in, some of the foggiest places in Canada. Nova Scotia sees about 81 fog days per year.

            Despite the nickname, Fr. Jim's mind is not particularly foggy – even as he approaches his 99th birthday. As I chatted with him recently, he recalled his time in Colombia in the 1940s, including the mosquitoes he encountered there. As we watched television, and ad came on for the film “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Fr. Jim proceeded to tell me about the time that he rode on that very streetcar, in New Orleans. (This must have been before 1948, as the streetcar ceased operating at that time.)

            There's a line from the Gospels where Jesus is quoted as saying: “if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” Fr. Jim explained to me once the science behind this metaphor: a salt lick, as can be found on farms, can be licked clean of its salt. The block remains, but it has lost its saltiness.

            Along with “foggy”, perhaps “salty” is a good desciptor for Fr. Jim. He has not lost his saltiness, as in his quick wit and zest for life. Perhaps he also has a good level of salt content in his body, as he was known for liberally sprinkling salt on his food while claiming that our bodies require a certain amount of iodine. As well, Fr. Jim's doctoral research at the University of Toronto was on the topic of molten salts. 

            Nowadays, Fr. Jim resides at the Jesuit infirmary in Pickering, Ontario. One tough thing about reaching such a ripe old age is that you have outlived many of your friends and family members. His brother Barry died recently, which means that he is the last surviving of the nine siblings. While being well cared for at the infirmary, Fr. Jim told a friend recently that he “misses people”. He also misses the Maritimes, where, as he says, “you know all the places”.

            “A cloud that touches the Earth” is how Fr. Jim described fog. As is the case with the cloud, so God comes down from the heavens and mingles with Creation. God is found in the world all around us, including in people who embody His loving presence. In this sense, I would say, Fr. Jim can aptly be called by the name “Foggy” Murphy.