James Albert Duffy (September 13, 1873 – February 12, 1968) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop of the

Diocese of Grand Island The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The ''cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Nebr ...

in Nebraska from 1917 to 1931. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Kearney in Nebraska from 1913 until its dissolution in 1917.

Biography

Early life

James Duffy was born on September 13, 1873, in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, the third child of James J. Duffy and Johanna Shiely. When the death of the parents in 1879 orphaned the eight Duffy children, James Albert Duffy went to live at the Boys Orphan Asylum in Minneapolis. From 1887 to 1893, he was a student at the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

and subsequently attended Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity from 1894 to 1899.

Priesthood

Duffy was ordained into the priesthood on May 27, 1899, for the Archdiocese of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota, by Archbishop John Ireland. Following his ordination, Duffy served as a priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Minneapolis (1899-1902) and at St. Anne's Parish in Le Sueur, Minnesota (1902-1904). In 1904, he became rector at the cathedral parish of St. Mary's in Cheyenne, Wyoming, under Bishop James J. Keane, and subsequently authored the article on the Diocese of Cheyenne for the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.

Bishop of Grand Island

On January 27, 1913, Pope Pius X appointed Duffy as the first bishop of the

Diocese of Kearney The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The '' cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Ne ...

(which became the Diocese of Grand Island in 1917). Duffy was consecrated by Archbishop James J. Keane on April 13, 1913. Duffy oversaw construction of the Cathedral of St. Mary from 1926 to 1928, and also established the ''Nebraska Register''.

Retirement and legacy

On June 5, 1931, Pope Pius XI accepted Duffy's early retirement as bishop of Grand Island due to poor health and appointed him as

titular bishop of Silandus Silandus or Silandos ( grc, Σιλάνδος) was an episcopal city in the late Roman province of Lydia. It was near and gave its name to the present town of Selendi in Manisa Province, Turkey. Historical diocese The see of Silandus, a suffr ...

. Duffy died on February 12, 1968, at St. Joseph's Infirmary in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery,

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 census. Grand Island is the principal city of the Grand Island metropolitan area, which consists of Hall, Merrick, ...

. At the time of his death, he was the most senior bishop in the United States in both age and years of consecration.

References

1873 births 1968 deaths Clergy from Saint Paul, Minnesota Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Grand Island Religious leaders from Minnesota Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia {{US-RC-bishop-stub