John A. Duffy
Encyclopedia
John Aloysius Duffy was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Syracuse
from 1933 to 1937, and as Bishop of Buffalo
from 1937 until his death.
, to Patrick Joseph and Anna Marie (née Smith) Duffy. A onetime boilermaker
, he was ordained
to the priesthood
on June 13, 1908. Duffy then served as assistant pastor
at Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken
, professor
of literature
and language
s at Seton Hall
, and instructor in Church history
at the Newark
seminary
.
He became a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness
, and served as chancellor
and vicar general
for the Diocese of Newark
. He was the diocese's Apostolic Administrator
between the death of John O'Connor
and the appointment of Thomas Walsh, and served as pastor
of St. Joseph's Church in Jersey City.
by Pope Pius XI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following June 29 from Archbishop Walsh, with Bishops James Griffin
and Alphonse Smith
serving as co-consecrators
. He selected as his episcopal motto
: "Wisdom from Above." In 1934, when fan dance
r Sally Rand
was scheduled to appear in Syracuse, the Bishop said, "I must regard the presence of the Rand woman on the stage as an act of public defiance of the Catholic people of Syracuse."
Duffy was later named the seventh Bishop of Buffalo
on January 9, 1937. He was installed
as Bishop on April 14 of that year. In 1939, he said, "[I]f the United States
ever joined in a foreign war with Russia
, I would advise every Catholic boy to refuse to serve in the United States Army
." During his tenure, he established the Diocesan
Fund for the Faith for those left in need because of the Great Depression
, erected parishes
in the sparsely settled areas of the diocese, and organized the Catholic Youth Organization
, Bishop's Committee for Christian Home and Family, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
, and Newman Clubs
.
Duffy died at age 59, and was buried next to his parents in Holy Name Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
from 1933 to 1937, and as Bishop of Buffalo
Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
The Diocese of Buffalo is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Buffalo, New York, USA. The current Bishop is the Most Rev. Edward U. Kmiec.The Diocese of Buffalo was established 23 April 1847. It consists of Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties...
from 1937 until his death.
Early life and ministry
John Duffy was born in Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, to Patrick Joseph and Anna Marie (née Smith) Duffy. A onetime boilermaker
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
, he was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on June 13, 1908. Duffy then served as assistant pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s at Seton Hall
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, and instructor in Church history
History of Christianity
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
at the Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
.
He became a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
, and served as chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
and vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
for the Diocese of Newark
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex .-History:Originally established as the Diocese of...
. He was the diocese's Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
between the death of John O'Connor
John Joseph O'Connor (Bishop of Newark)
John Joseph O'Connor was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Newark from 1901 until his death in 1927.-Early life and education:...
and the appointment of Thomas Walsh, and served as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Joseph's Church in Jersey City.
Episcopal career
On April 21, 1933, Duffy was appointed the fourth Bishop of SyracuseRoman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following June 29 from Archbishop Walsh, with Bishops James Griffin
James Aloysius Griffin
James Aloysius Griffin was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois from 1924 until his death in 1948.-Biography:...
and Alphonse Smith
Alphonse John Smith
Alphonse John Smith, was a 20th century bishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Nashville from 1923-35.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He selected as his episcopal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: "Wisdom from Above." In 1934, when fan dance
Fan dance
A fan dance is a dance performed with one or more fans. This form has been adapted in various countries. The Korean fan dance, for example, evolved from Joseon Dynasty court dances and remains a popular form of traditional Korean dance. The Spanish or Portuguese flamenco makes dramatic use of fans...
r Sally Rand
Sally Rand
Sally Rand was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.-Early life and career:...
was scheduled to appear in Syracuse, the Bishop said, "I must regard the presence of the Rand woman on the stage as an act of public defiance of the Catholic people of Syracuse."
Duffy was later named the seventh Bishop of Buffalo
Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
The Diocese of Buffalo is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Buffalo, New York, USA. The current Bishop is the Most Rev. Edward U. Kmiec.The Diocese of Buffalo was established 23 April 1847. It consists of Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties...
on January 9, 1937. He was installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
as Bishop on April 14 of that year. In 1939, he said, "[I]f the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ever joined in a foreign war with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, I would advise every Catholic boy to refuse to serve in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
." During his tenure, he established the Diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
Fund for the Faith for those left in need because of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, erected parishes
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
in the sparsely settled areas of the diocese, and organized the Catholic Youth Organization
Catholic Youth Organization
A Catholic Youth Organization is an organization for young Catholics. Usually each group uses the church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. It was initiated by Bishop Bernard J...
, Bishop's Committee for Christian Home and Family, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education. Its modern usage, often abbreviated CCD or C.C.D., is a religious education program of the Catholic Church, normally designed for children.-History:Until the...
, and Newman Clubs
Newman Centre
Named in honour of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, the Newman Centers are residence and Catholic ministry centers at non-Catholic universities throughout the world. They were inspired by Newman's writings encouraging societies for Catholic students attending secular universities.In 1888 the...
.
Duffy died at age 59, and was buried next to his parents in Holy Name Cemetery
Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City
Holy Name Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. It was established in 1866 and at the end of calendar year 2002 has accepted 264,984 burials. The cemetery parcel is and all but has been developed and sold for...
.