American prelate
John Aloysius Duffy (October 29, 1884 – September 27, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church . He served as bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse in New York from 1933 to 1937, and as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 1937 until his death in 1944.
Biography
Early life
John Duffy was born on October 29, 1884, in Jersey City, New Jersey , to Patrick Joseph and Anna Marie (née Smith) Duffy.[ 1] As a young man, he worked as a boilermaker in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Bayonne, New Jersey .[ 2]
Priesthood
Our Lady of Grace Church, Hoboken, New Jersey (2010)
Duffy was ordained to the priesthood in Rome by Cardinal Pietro Respighi for the Diocese of Newark on June 13, 1908.[ 3]
After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned as assistant pastor at the Our Lady of Grace Parish in Hoboken, New Jersey. He also taught literature and languages at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, and was an instructor in church history at the archdiocesan seminary .[ 1] The Vatican named Duffy as a domestic prelate , and he served as chancellor and vicar general for the diocese. As vicar general, Duffy was instrumental in the establishment of Queen of Angels, the first parish for people of color in the archdiocese.[ 4] He was the diocese's apostolic administrator , running the archdiocese between the death of Archbishop John O'Connor and the appointment of Bishop Thomas Walsh . He also served as pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Jersey City.[ 1]
Bishop of Syracuse
On April 21, 1933, Duffy was appointed the fourth bishop of Syracuse by Pope Pius XI . He received his episcopal consecration in Newark at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on June 29, 1933, from Archbishop Walsh, with Bishops James Griffin and Alphonse Smith serving as co-consecrators .[ 3] Duffy selected as his episcopal motto : "Wisdom from Above." In 1934, when fan dancer Sally Rand was scheduled to perform in Syracuse, Duffy stated,
"I must regard the presence of the Rand woman on the stage as an act of public defiance of the Catholic people of Syracuse."[ 5]
Bishop of Buffalo
Pius XI named Duffy as the seventh bishop of Buffalo on January 9, 1937.[ 6] He was installed on April 14, 1937. In 1939 and 1940. he served as secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Council .[ 7]
During his tenure in Buffalo, Duffy established the diocesan Fund for the Faith for those left destitute because of the Great Depression of the 1930s. He erected parishes in the sparsely settled areas of the diocese, and organized the Catholic Youth Organization , the Bishop's Committee for Christian Home and Family, a chapter of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine , and Newman Clubs in local colleges and universities.[ 8]
Death
John Duffy died in Buffalo on September 27, 1944, at age 59.[ 3] He was buried next to his parents in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.[ 1]
References
^ a b c d "Most Rev. John Aloysius Duffy" . Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse . Archived from the original on 2009-06-09.
^ New York History Review , New York History Review Press, Elmira, 2015, p. 146 ISBN 9781329936577
^ a b c "Bishop John Aloysius Duffy [Catholic-Hierarchy]" . www.catholic-hierarchy.org . Retrieved 2025-09-29 .
^ Ward, Mary A., A Mission for Justice: The History of the First African American Catholic Church in Newark, New Jersey , Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2002, p. 39 ISBN 9781572331914
^ "Legion of Decency (Cont'd)" . TIME Magazine . 1934-07-12. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
^ "Bishop of Syracuse Sent to Buffalo", The New York Times , January 10, 1937
^ Our Bishops Speak , National Catholic Welfare Conference, Bruce, 1952, p. 389
^ "Diocesan Bishops Through the Years" . Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo .
Ordinaries Churches Education
High schools
Bishop Ludden-Grimes Junior/Senior High School, Syracuse
Notre Dame Junior Senior High School, Utica
Seton Catholic Central High School, Binghamton
Independent high schools
Christian Brothers Academy, Syracuse
Holy Cross Academy, Oneida
Closed
Catholic Central High School, Binghamton
SS. Cyril and Methodius High School, Binghamton
St. Patrick's High School, Binghamton
St. Paul's High School, Binghamton
St. Mary's High School, Cortland
Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School – East Syracuse
St. Ambrose High School, Endicott
Seton Catholic High School, Endicott
St. Paul's High School, Norwich
St. Patrick's High School, Oneida
Bishop Cunningham High School, Oswego
St. Paul's High School, Oswego
Academy of the Holy Names, Rome
Rome Catholic High School, Rome
St. Aloysius Academy, Rome
St. Mary of the Assumption High School, Rome
Assumption Academy, Syracuse
Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School, Syracuse
Cathedral Academy, Syracuse
The Franciscan Academy, Syracuse
Most Holy Rosary High School, Syracuse
Sacred Heart High School, Syracuse
St. Anthony of Padua High School, Syracuse
St. John the Baptist High School, Syracuse
St. John the Evangelist High School, Syracuse
St. Lucy's High School, Syracuse
St. Patrick's High School, Syracuse
St. Vincent De Paul High School, Syracuse
St. Francis De Sales High School, Utica
Utica Catholic Academy, Utica
Ordinaries Churches
List
List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo
Basilicas
Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna
St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, Olean
Basilica of The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Lewiston
Chapel
Our Lady Help of Christians Chapel, Cheektowaga
Parishes
All Saints Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
Blessed Sacrament Church, Buffalo
Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
Church of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, Buffalo
Corpus Christi Church, Buffalo
Holy Angels Church, Buffalo
St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
Former parishes
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church Complex, Niagara Falls
St. Adalbert's Basilica, Buffalo
St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Parish, Buffalo
St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
Saint Mary of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo
Education
Colleges and universities
Canisius University, Buffalo
D'Youville University, Buffalo
Hilbert College, Hamburg
Niagara University, Niagara County
St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure
Trocaire College, Buffalo
Villa Maria College, Buffalo
High schools
Archbishop Walsh High School, Olean
Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School, Buffalo
Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, Buffalo
Canisius High School, Buffalo
Cardinal O'Hara High School, Town of Tonawanda
Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo
Mount Saint Mary Academy, Kenmore
Nardin Academy, Buffalo
Notre Dame High School, Batavia
Saint Francis High School, Athol Springs
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Buffalo
St. Mary's High School, Lancaster
Closed
St. Elizabeth's Academy, Allegany
St. Elizabeth Teacher College, Allegany
Annunciation High School, Buffalo
Archbishop Carroll High School, Buffalo
Bishop Colton High School, Buffalo
Bishop Fallon High School, Buffalo
Bishop McMahon High School, Buffalo
Bishop O'Hearn High School, Buffalo
Bishop Quigley High School, Buffalo
Bishop Ryan High School, Buffalo
Bishop Turner High School, Buffalo
Calasanctius Preparatory School, Buffalo
Cardinal Dougherty High School, Buffalo
Holy Angels Academy, Buffalo
Holy Angels Collegiate Institute, Buffalo
Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy, Buffalo
Medaille University, Buffalo
Mount St. Joseph Academy, Buffalo
Nottingham Academy, Buffalo
St. Ann's Commercial High School, Buffalo
St. Mary's Academy, Buffalo
St. Mary's Commercial High School, Buffalo
St. Mary Magdalene High School, Buffalo
St. Nicholas High School, Buffalo
Turner-Carroll High School, Buffalo
Villa Maria Academy, Buffalo
Our Lady Help of Christians High School, Cheektowaga
St. Paul High School, Derby
Cardinal Mindszenty High School, Dunkirk
St. Mary's High School, Dunkirk
Immaculate Conception High School, East Eden
Immaculata Academy, Hamburg
St. James High School, Jamestown
St. Peter and Paul High School, Jamestown
Mount St. Mary Teacher Training College, Kenmore
St. John the Baptist High School, Kenmore
Baker-Victory High School, Lackawanna
Our Lady of Victory High School, Lackawanna
Stella Niagara High School, Lewiston
DeSales High School, Lockport
St. Joseph's Academy, Lockport
Bishop Duffy High School, Niagara Falls
Madonna High School, Niagara Falls
Niagara Catholic High School, Niagara Falls
St. Joseph's High School, Niagara Falls
St. Mary of the Cataract High School, Niagara Falls
St. Mary of the Angels High School, Olean
Ascension High School, North Tonawanda
Bishop Gibbons High School, North Tonawanda
Our Lady of Czestochowa High School, North Tonawanda
Immaculate Conception High School, Wellsville
Bishop Neumann High School, Williamsville
St. Clare's College, Williamsville
Former
Rosary Hill College, Amherst
Priests