Father Paul Morrissey, OSA ‘57 has spent his life serving those on the margins with compassion, humility, and unwavering faith. As one of fourteen children in a devout Irish Catholic family, Fr. Paul was shaped by the brotherhood and example of the Augustinian priests who taught him at Bonner. Though he initially pursued a different path—earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Villanova University in 1961 and working for Sikorsky Aircraft—he ultimately felt called to religious life. “What drew me to the Augustinians was their brotherhood,” recalls Fr. Paul. “The way they taught, served, and laughed with us. They lived the Gospel with heart.”
Ordained in 1967, Fr. Paul’s ministry has spanned both sacred and secular settings. He served as chaplain and teacher at Villanova University, Biscayne College in Florida, Merrimack College in Massachusetts, and later at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, where he offered spiritual care to hospice patients and their families. His work with the dying became the subject of his first book, Let Someone Hold You: The Journey of a Hospice Priest.
At age 65, Fr. Paul began ministering in the Philadelphia prison system, visiting inmates and leading a weekly reentry support group at St. Rita’s Church in South Philadelphia, held every Thursday night, and has met over 900 times to date. Fr. Paul co-founded Voices from Prison on the Edge, a quarterly newsletter now shared in more than 35 prisons nationwide, amplifying the voices and faith stories of the incarcerated.
“I never thought I would get involved in prison ministry—until I looked into the eyes of someone society had given up on and saw the presence of Christ.”
Fr. Paul is also the visionary behind the Healing Garden outside St. Augustine Parish in Old City, a space built with the help of returning citizens and dedicated to victims of violence and their families. In addition to his ministry, Fr. Paul is the author of three books.
Now 85 and still in active ministry, Fr. Paul continues to lead with quiet courage.
In every endeavor, Fr. Paul remains dedicated to honoring the sacred worth of every person and reminding us all what it means to walk humbly with God. “You don’t retire from compassion,” he shares. “If your heart still works, you keep showing up”