Société des Missions Africaines – Province d'Irlande

né le 10 avril 1909 à Glasgow dans l’archidiocèse de Glasgow (Grande-Bretagne) membre de la SMA le 2 juillet 1930 prêtre le 10 juin 1934 décédé le 24 juin 1963

1934-1951 missionnaire au Liberia 1953-1958 Blackrock Road, Cork, 1958-1963 Ballinafad, professeur décédé à Cork, Irlande, le 24 juin 1963, à l’âge de 54 ans

A Cork (Irlande), le 24 juin 1963, retour à Dieu du père Patrick Joseph Duffy, à l'âge de 54 ans.

Patrick Joseph Duffy naquit dans le diocèse de Glasgow, (Angleterre) en 1909. Il fit le serment en 1930 et fut ordonné prêtre le 10 juin 1934. La même année, le père Duffy partait pour le vicariat apostolique du Liberia. En 1958, il était nommé professeur au petit séminaire de Ballinafad. En 1963, il était hospitalisé à Notre-Dame de Bon Secours à Cork.

Father Patrick Joseph DUFFY (1909 - 1963)

Patrick Duffy was born in Glasgow on l0 April 1909. He died, unexpectedly, in the Bon Secours hospital, Cork, on 24 June 1963.

Although born in Glasgow, Patrick (Joe) spent his early life at 49 Ladbrook Drive, Belfast and was confirmed in the diocese of Down and Connor. He was educated in the colleges of the Society. He studied in the Sacred Heart college, Ballinafad, Co Mayo (1924 1925) and in St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork (1925 1928), before joining the novitiate and house of philosophy, at Kilcolgan, Co Galway, in the autumn of 1928. He studied theology in the major seminary, at Dromantine, Co Down between 1930 1934. Joe took his oath of membership on 2 July 1930 and was ordained priest by Bishop Edward Mulhern of Dromore diocese, at St. Colman's cathedral, Newry, on 10 June 1934. He was one of a group of seventeen ordained on that day.

After ordination Joe was appointed to the vicariate of Liberia. This was the first mission confided to the Irish Province on its foundation in 1912. The S.M.A. had come to Liberia in 1906 when Stephen Kyne, an Irish member, led a small team of missionaries to Monrovia, the capital city. Several previous efforts to plant the Church in Liberia had failed. Mgr. Kyne, however, succeeded in establishing a mission at Kekru, near Monrovia; and his successor, Jean Ogé, founded several mission stations on the Kru Coast (some 150 miles east of Monrovia) from 1912 onwards. In the year Joe was ordained the jurisdiction, formerly a prefecture, had been erected as a vicariate and John Collins was ordained bishop. On his arrival in Liberia, in October 1934, Joe was posted to Bassa district. This coastal mission district, some 70 miles east of Monrovia, had been founded in 1929 and comprised one principal station and three secondary stations. There were some 300 Catholics in the district. After six months in Bassa Joe was posted to Monrovia district. Several attempts to establish the Church here had failed in the 19th and early 20th century. The Monrovia mission had been re-opened by Mgr. Ogé in 1921. Joe was to spend two years in Monrovia, after which he went to Cape Palmas, on the Kru Coast, for six months. Joe came to Ireland on his first home leave in June 1937.

On his return to Liberia, a year later, he was posted to Monrovia, where he served with John Kennedy, Alex Matthews, and Francis Carroll. At that time Monrovia district comprised a catholic community of almost 1,000 members with 500 catechumens, four schools with 600 boys and 200 girls, a convent and two secondary stations (Kakatown and Owensgrove). The Fathers also ministered in Krootown, Bassatown, Whiteplains, New Georgia and in the large Firestone rubber plantation, north-west of the capital. Early in 1940 Joe was transferred to Grand Cess where he was to spend the next four years. Grand Cess, on the Kru Coast, was one of the largest stations in Liberia, opened in 1916 under the patronage of St. Patrick. It had a catholic community of almost 2,000 members, six schools and several large secondary stations, including Kinihale, Kinikale, Topo, Filokli and Bielopo. Joe spent the last six months of this second tour of duty as superior of Bassa mission. When he returned from his next home leave, in December 1946, Joe was re-appointed superior of Grand Cess, with Martin Whyte as his assistant. A year later he was transferred to the district of Sannequellie, a mission in the interior, north-east of Monrovia, founded in 1932. In 1950 Joe had the joy of seeing the Liberia vicariate divided into two new jurisdictions, the 'vicariate of Monrovia' and the 'prefecture of Cape Palmas' (which extended over the Kru Coast). Joseph was incorporated into the Monrovia vicariate staff and appointed superior at Bassa.

In October 1951 Joe was invalided to Ireland with a duodenal ulcer and arthritis. After hospitalisation and a long period of convalescence, in January 1953 he was assigned to the Provincial house staff, at Blackrock Road, Cork. He worked in the financial department and in the main promotion office and, for a period, was attached to St. Joseph's public church, adjoining the S.M.A. house, where he became well-known as a confessor and preacher. In 1958 he was appointed to teach in the Sacred Heart college, Ballinafad, a responsibility he discharged until the year of his death. Joe will be remembered with affection by those who knew him - gentle and affable, generous with his time, a brilliant teacher of maths. He was a first cousin of Bernard (Ben) Dolan who was ordained for the Society in 1946.

He is buried in Wilton cemetery.