| By News Report
Monsignor John Duffus: Obituary
THE story of John Duffus is a story of love – his love of God who first loved him and his love of the people he served and the tremendous love and affection felt for him by so many whom he befriended and to whom he ministered.
He saw his role as that of servant priest and throughout his ministry he put the needs of others before his own.
John Duffus was born in 1933 and grew up in Boorhaman, close to Wangaratta.
He was educated at the Boorhaman State School and later at Xavier College in Melbourne.
He became a pharmacist, graduating from Melbourne University in 1955 but, in the meantime, had decided that God was calling him to priesthood rather than to pharmacy.
He was ordained as a Priest for the Diocese of Sandhurst on July 21, 1962.
After a number of appointments around the Sandhurst Diocese, Monsignor went to Papua New Guinea in 1969.
He stayed there for seven years working in both Kap and Bomana – minor and major seminaries. He enjoyed his time and experiences in New Guinea, adding Pidgin to his already solid list of languages.
Monsignor took time out to study Spiritual Theology in Rome in 1974.
He returned to Australia in 1976 having given “invaluable service to the Church in Papua New Guinea”
according to the Bishop of Mendi.
In 1977 he was appointed to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, first as assistant and later as administrator.
His work in the parish included a monthly mass and luncheon for the senior parishioners; constant visitation to the sick and housebound and hours spent preparing young couples for marriage.
Monsignor loved sharing his faith and his experience of God with others.
People in need would ring the door bell at all hours of the day and night and he always tried to help them.
Monsignor particularly enjoyed young people and always encouraged them to “have a go” at whatever they felt would make the parish a place of life for them.
The younger children used to love to line up at the end of the pew when Mass was finished to give Mons a “high five” as he processed out of the Cathedral.
In addition to his parish work, he was for many years secretary to the former Bishop of Sandhurst, Noel Daly DD, and the Chancellor of the Diocese and the Director of the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal.
In 1998 he was appointed the Spiritual Counsellor for the Oceania Region of the Teams movement – a world-wide organisation which supports married couples.
The Oceania region includes Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Fiji and New Caledonia.
International Teams meetings are often frustrating because of the difficulties of language.
Monsignor John endeared himself to everyone at one of those meetings when he celebrated mass and gave a short sermon in English, French and Italian – a testimony to his gift with languages.
Monsignor was chaplain to three separate Teams at a local level and provided much support and encouragement to the couples involved.
Monsignor John was Chaplain at Catholic College Bendigo from the time it began in 1983 until he died.
The students loved him and could ask him anything. His classroom sessions were enjoyed by students and staff alike and when last November he was asked in a class “What is it like to be dying, Mons?” he spent an hour with those students teaching them life lessons they will never forget.
Catholic College is a school of 1732 students and each year Monsignor John celebrated a mass for every class and gave them another lesson of “talk time”.
In July 2000, after Bishop Daly resigned from his position as Bishop of Sandhurst due to ill health, Monsignor John was appointed Administrator of the Diocese and he brought his gifts of leadership and wisdom to the position until Bishop Grech was installed as the 6th Bishop of Sandhurst on the April 27, 2001.
He had a number of ups and downs over the years – battling with ill health at times and at one stage being assaulted by some lads trying to rob the presbytery.
His response to those lads was to pray for them.
The pancreatic cancer which caused his death brought him pain and limitation in the things he could do but, to the end, he battled on ministering and giving to those around him, providing all with a wonderful example of faith and a surety that God was with him.
Monsignor John is held in great affection by the people and priests of the Diocese of Sandhurst and far beyond.
His priestliness, prayerfulness, integrity, humility, gift of story telling, unconditional love and sense of humour will live on in our hearts.
It was his wish to die at home and, in his final weeks, he was given exceptional care by his doctors, palliative care nurses and his parish team who in turn were supported by many parishioners and friends.
He died at home in his presbytery surrounded by his family on January 11.
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