Meet The Rev. Julie Murdoch!

Mother Julie attended college and law school at the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia, receiving her undergraduate degree in business administration in 1980 and law degree in 1983.

Following law school, Mother Julie joined the Army as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, serving as a prosecutor at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  She also served in the Office of the Judge Advocate General at the Pentagon, specializing in medico-legal and constitutional law.  After leaving active duty, Mother Julie worked as a consulting attorney at the Federal Aviation Administration and for a private consulting firm.

Although raised Roman Catholic, Mother Julie began attending an Episcopal church in 1986.  In 1999, after years of active lay ministry, she entered the discernment process in the Diocese of Washington.  She was ordained to the diaconate in July, 2003, and served as deacon at her home parish, Holy Trinity, Bowie.  After her graduation from Virginia Theological Seminary she was called as Assistant to the Rector at St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where she was ordained to the priesthood in June 2004.  After four years at St. Barnabas’ and feeling ready to serve as a rector, Mother Julie accepted a call to St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church in Morgantown, West Virginia, where she served for 8 years.

Unfortunately, life took a hard and difficult turn for the Murdoch family in February 2012 when one of her sons, Christopher, was in a catastrophic car accident.  As a consequence of the accident and Christopher’s grueling hospitalizations and lengthy recovery, Mother Julie was later diagnosed with severe PTSD.  In consultation with her bishop and her therapist, and after much prayerful discernment, Mother Julie decided that she needed to leave active ministry.  

Following a time of rest, and restoration, and realizing God still had work for her to do, in late 2017 Mother Julie accepted her first call as an interim rector, serving Christ Church, Fairmont, as the parish recovered from a time of conflict and change.  In late 2018, Mother Julie moved with her husband, Scott, and Christopher to Pittsboro to be closer to her two sisters and mother, who all live in Chapel Hill.  She then served as interim associate rector at Emmanuel, Southern Pines, from November 2019 through August 2020, and is currently serving as interim priest-in-charge at Good Shepherd, Asheboro, during the rector’s medical leave.

Mother Julie has been married to Scott, a retired Army civilian attorney, for over 35 years.  They have three sons:  Travis, Christopher, and Morgan.

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The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

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