(photo: courtesy of Sean Walsh)

On Friday evening, 11 January, several family members and the clergy of Bendigo and palliative carers were around the bed at the last moments of life of Monsignor John Duffus. They saw a, dedicated and greatly esteemed priest of Sandhurst quietly and peacefully leave this earthly life to enter into eternal life.

John Denis Duffus born 26 September 1933 was raised on his family farm at Boorhaman near Wangaratta with his parents and two brothers, Edmund and Allan. His schooling at the local state school and later Xavier College Kew were very formative and later became the source of many homilies, spiritual talks and amusing anecdotes. After completing Pharmacy and practising for a while at Wangaratta Hospital he entered Corpus Christi College Werribee to study for the Priesthood for the Diocese of Sandhurst. He remembered those years with affection and gratitude.

He was ordained by Bishop Bernard Stewart in St Patrick’s Wangaratta on 21 July 1962 and was appointed as assistant priests to Benalla, Kennington and Wangaratta before he followed his yearning for missionary work in Papua New Guinea in the Mendi Diocese. In his latter years in PNG he had the opportunity to study Spiritual Theology in Rome in 1974 and work in priestly formation in the local seminary at Bomana.

As the Cathedral in Bendigo was nearing its completion he was appointed to the parish to begin planning the liturgies and music for its consecration and official opening. He remained at the Cathedral for the rest of his life fulfilling numerous offices and duties: chaplain to Mt Alvernia Hospital, St Mary’s College and later Catholic College Bendigo, Bishop’s secretary, Diocesan Master of Ceremonies, Director of the Marriage Tribunal, Diocesan Director of Religious Education, Spiritual Counsellor of Equipes Notre Dame, locally and for Oceania, Chancellor of the Diocesan, Secretary to the Curia, and Administrator of the Cathedral Parish. In July 2000, after Bishop Daly resigned as Bishop of Sandhurst, Monsignor John was appointed Administrator of the Diocese. Pope John Paul II awarded him with the high papal honour of Prothonotary Apostolic in 1991. In the last two years he also became administrator of Quarry Hill Parish.

As pastor of a large parish he personally preparing many couples for marriage, baptising their children and many others and performing the ordinary duties of visiting the sick in homes, celebrating Masses for school children the elderly with extraordinary generosity and care. He was a gifted homilist, musician and administrator, and would often find it much quicker to do a task than to delegate it, frustrating many parish pastoral councillors, finance workers, chancery personnel and leaving altar servers empty handed as he rushed to the credence table before them. Yet he was much loved and admired by all who worked with him and those he served as priest, healer of marriages, educator and chaplain.

After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, with little to no hope of treatment and very limited life expectancy, he fulfilled a wish he expressed many years earlier: "I’ll just keep going, fulfilling the appointments in my diary, for that is what God has given me." He was able to speak frankly and confidently about his imminent death, quietly struggled with the pain or the effects of medication, continuing to be a faithful witness of Christ to his fellow Christians.

Requiescat in Pace

Many Gather to Celebrate the Funeral Mass of Mgr John Duffus

By Damian Griffin, editor of SandPiper (Diocesan Newspaper) February 2008 

“AN inspiration to the many thousands he touched through his priestly ministry.”

This was how close friend and Vicar General of the Sandhurst Diocese, Mgr John White, described  John Duffus during his funeral at Bendigo’s Sacred Heart Cathedral on January 18.

“Administering the sacraments, offering Mass, preaching, teaching, missionary activity in Papua New Guinea - to his fellow priests of the Diocese of Sandhurst and beyond,” he said as he listed some of the accomplishments Mgr Duffus achieved during his 45 years in the priesthood - more than 30 of which were spent in the Sandhurst Diocese.

Mons Duffus died from pancreatic cancer on Friday 11 January, and was buried at Bendigo Monumental Cemetery following his funeral Mass. He was aged 74.

About 2000 mourners packed the Cathedral for the Requiem Mass, which was also attended by overseas and interstate mourners including retired Archbishop Frank Carroll of the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese, Archbishop Doyle of Hobart, Bishop Peter Connors of the Ballarat Diocese and retired Bishop Jeremiah Coffey from the Diocese of Sale.

Bishop Joe Grech led the service where readings from the books of Isaiah, Philippians and Luke were read.

During the service, students from Catholic College Bendigo led the  Prayers

of Intercession and Mgr Duffus’ nieces Suzanne Ion, Rachel Duffus, Terese Knight and Philipa Nolan took gifts to the altar.

Mgr White described how, in the months before he was diagnosed in June last year, the two had planned a trip to Darwin together, which instead turned into a pilgrimage to visit places in Victoria that Mgr Duffus held dear.

“To places and people he knew he would, in all probability, never see again.”

Together they visited Xavier College where Mgr Duffus had attended - and kept a blazer all his life - and to Corpus Christi College (now Werribee Mansion) where the two had trained together for the priesthood.

“There was a certain poignancy as we drove away, knowing that John would never visit Werribee again,” he said.

On return, Mgr Duffus visited his oncologist and decided not to undergo treatment and instead, to live out his remaining days with palliative care. His oncologist then asked him how he would mentally and psychologically adjust to his situation.

“John’s reply was classical ‘Duffo’ - he said ‘in manus was Domine commendo spiritum meum’ quoting Christ’s words on the cross - ‘into your hands O Lord I commend my spirit’.”

“His reply showed the measure of his faith, the depth of his acceptance of God’s will.

“John truly accepted his condition and freely accepted his death.

“Prayer and daily Mass were always part of John’s program - you would always find him early in the morning in the chapel no matter what time he went to bed, he would be there just before dawn.

“He was a man whose life was founded on love, love of God and love of the people of God.”

At the conclusion of the service, mourners joined an honour guard of past and present students from Catholic College Bendigo, to farewell him as the hearse left the Cathedral grounds.

His life and appointments

Born, 26 September 1933 in Melbourne

Baptised, 25 October 1933 at St Columba’s Church, Elwood

Attended Xavier College, 1944 - 1950

Qualified in Pharmacy, 1953

Ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Bernard Stewart, 21 July 1962

Assistant Priest, Wangaratta, Wangaratta South, 23 December 1962

Assistant Priest, Cathedral, 2 February 1963

Assistant Priest, Kennington, August 1965

Assistant Priest, Benalla, 27 January 1968

Ministry in Papua New Guinea, 1 January 1969

Assistant Priest, Wangaratta, 14 February 1976

Assistant Priest, Cathedral, 12 February 1977

Director of the Marriage Tribunal, 1978 - 2008

Episcopal Vicar for Religious, 9 January 1980 - 2008

Diocesan Director of Religious Education, 9 January 1980 - 19 January 1985

Appointed Prothonotary Apostolic, 8 April 1991

Administrator of the Cathedral, 20 December 1994 - 2008

Diocesan Chancellor, 20 December 1994 - 2008

Diocesan Administrator, 1 July 2000 - 27 April 2001

Administrator, Quarry Hill Parish, 2006-2008

See also: Catholic College Bendigo News for more stories and tributes.