Richard A. Grant, RIP

Richard A. Grant, a stalwart champion of the Catholic faith who dedicated his life to the work of Catholic education, passed away this morning.

For half a century, Mr. Grant served as secretary-treasurer, then executive director, and finally president of the Dan Murphy Foundation, which promotes numerous Catholic initiatives, especially those pertaining to schooling and the religious life. He began his tenure at the Foundation just a year before Thomas Aquinas College opened its doors and retired in 2020, on the eve of its 50^th anniversary. Over the intervening decades, he and his wife, Maria, played major roles, first in the development of the College’s California campus, and then in the planning of its New England campus, which launched in 2019.

“Richard was a faithful friend of Thomas Aquinas College from the very beginning, and through his work with the Dan Murphy Foundation, he played a critical role in building up and sustaining the College over our first 50 years,” says Paul J. O’Reilly, the College’s president. “We give thanks to God for the gift of his life and his friendship, and we pray for the repose of his soul, as well as for the consolation of Maria and their family.”

Under Mr. Grant’s leadership, the Dan Murphy Foundation contributed to the construction of many buildings on the California campus, making lead gifts for St. Bernardine of Siena Library and Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. In honor of this tremendous generosity, the College in 1993 inducted the Foundation into the Order of St. Albert the Great. The Grants themselves are longstanding members of the President’s Council and Legacy Society, and Mrs. Grant served for 22 years on the College’s Board of Governors, including 6 as chairman.

Mrs. Grant reports that her husband died peacefully, holding his Rosary.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
Amen.