By Msgr. Francis A. Carbine
There once was a cleric from Limerick Town
whose deeds were rewarded with fame and renown.
He learned words in Yiddish
and lived with the British
and served as an airman but not for the crown.
This limerick introduces Father Thomas Duffy – and, indeed, he is all of the above!
Thomas Duffy, son of Thomas Sr. and Eleanor Haley, was born in 1933. The family home was in Wynnefield, West Philadelphia. The Duffy family was the only non-Jewish family on his block.
Tom Duffy lived four doors from Rabbi Leon Album. As a newsboy, Tom encountered complications collecting payment on Friday evening — the beginning of Sabbath observance.
“We had no TV until 1951, when I was a senior In St. Joseph Prep, and so I went next door to the Rudney family to watch Bishop Sheen. Then we watched Milton Berle, Jewish entertainer.
“I played touch football, punch ball, and stick ball with my friends who taught me Yiddish phrases. I was often unaware of the meanings.”
The Duffy heraldic motto is “Like Lightning.” However, Father Duffy notes “there was no indication of speed in my family. We lived in the same house for 43 years.”
Tom walked to St. Barbara School and to St. Joseph University from which he graduated in 1955. He then entered the U.S. Air Force as an Officer. He served one year State-side, and two years in Wales and England.
Tom’s mother, Eleanor, lost her parents at age ten. She moved from Philadelphia to Locust Gap, Schuylkill County, and back to Philadelphia. She had no information on her Irish background.
She married Thomas Duffy in St. Francis de Sales Church, Philadelphia. Eleanor’s photo shows her as youthful, beautiful and with her Irish eyes smiling.
Father Duffy’s grandmother was Margaret Farrelly Duffy. Margaret had visited Ireland in 1897 and kept a journal of the trip. While this book has been lost, Tom remembered one phrase, “Virginia Chapel.”
“When I was stationed in England, I went to Ireland with an Air Force Chaplain and we tried to locate Virginia Chapel. We had no luck. I did not know that Catholic churches are called ‘chapels.’
“Recently, however, an Irish genealogist took up my challenge. He located Virginia City in County Cavan, home of St. Mary’s Catholic Chapel/Church, founded in 1832.
“Griffith’s Valuation, 1856, listed 35 residents named Farrelly, and only one Duffy!
“About my Duffy ancestors, I haven’t a clue. In Ireland, Duffy’s are everywhere. I hope that I am not related to Philip Duffy, contractor involved in Duffy’s Cut.
Thomas Duffy left the Air Force as first lieutenant and entered St. Charles Seminary in 1958. “The building was imposing. The institutional setting was stern. However, I jumped right into the routine.
“Our living conditions in England and Wales had been spartan. The accommodations at St. Charles were not a let down. It was, however, a different way of life. I now picked up the nickname, ‘General.’”
Ordained in 1966, Father Duffy’s initial assignment was to St. Joseph Parish, Warrington. After six months, he was appointed to Holy Spirit Parish, Sharon Hill.
Later he served in Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Doylestown, where he was asked to lead a pilgrimage to Ireland.
“In Dublin, a fellow pilgrim asked me to play golf. Afterward, we returned to the Club House for refreshments.
“On the wall were plaques honoring club champions. I looked a second time. The names triggered memories of Wynnefield!”
In 1995, Father Duffy was appointed pastor of St. Clare parish, Limerick, Montgomery County. [In 2006, this parish was absorbed by a new parish, St. Teresa of Calcutta.]
“My predecessor, Father Joseph Duffy – “a wonderful priest” — had died on December 7th. “Duffy” followed “Duffy” with colorful complications!
“I reported at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve in time to celebrate a children’s Mass at 4:00 P.M., and additional Masses on Christmas Eve and day.
“It was an interesting beginning!”
In September 2019, Father Duffy moved in retirement to St. Joseph Villa, Darby. He is a “poster boy” for the 2020 Catholic Charities Appeal.
The Duffy coat of arms displays a “Golden Lion on a Green Field.”
What could be more appropriate?