Archives for November 2024

November 18, 2024 by Colin Rahill

Deacon Timothy J. Harris, a deacon of the Archdiocese, died on November 8, 2024 at the age of 81. Deacon Tim was ordained by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on September 26, 1998. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for twenty-six years.

Upon his ordination, Deacon Tim was assigned to St. Peter Parish, Huber Heights. He remained assigned to the parish throughout his twenty-six years of ministry. He was also closely associated with the Maria-Joseph Living Care Center in Dayton for many years.

Deacon Tim leaves his wife, Kathryn, to whom he was married for 60 years. He also leaves two daughters, Veronica and Sarah (Jason), 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, 6161 Chambersburg Rd, Huber Heights, OH, 45424. Visitation will be one hour prior in the church foyer.

Arrangements are being handled by Morton & Whetstone Funeral Home, Vandalia.

Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon Timothy Harris in your prayers, as well as peace and consolation for his entire family.

November 14, 2024 by Colin Rahill

Reverend Patrick P. Duffy died on Sunday, November 10, 2024, in Fairfield, Ohio. He was born on March 17, 1941, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and baptized at St. Peter Church, Worcester. He studied Philosophy at St. Joseph College in Indiana and Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Cincinnati. He was ordained on May 25, 1974, by Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati.

Father Duffy received his first assignment on June 19, 1974, as associate of St. Teresa Parish, Springfield, and to serve part-time at Catholic Charities in the Springfield office. On December 15, 1975, he was appointed associate director at Catholic Charities, Springfield. On July 1, 1976, he ceased as director and was appointed as advisor to Springfield Catholic Charities, continuing as associate at St. Teresa Parish. On April 14, 1977, Father Duffy was appointed chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital, Dayton, and remained as chaplain until September 1980. On January 29, 1981, he was appointed pastor of St. John Neumann Parish, Cincinnati. On February 14, 1989, he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish, Delhi, and re-appointed as pastor for another six year term, commencing on February 15, 1995. On July 8, 1998, Father Duffy was appointed resident associate at Our Lord, Christ the King Parish, Cincinnati, and also appointed chaplain at The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati. Father Duffy was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, McCartyville on July 6, 1999. He was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Cincinnati for a period of six years, effective July 1, 2003. On February 22, 2006, he was appointed chaplain of Mercy Franciscan at Schroder in Hamilton. Father Duffy retired from active ministry on June 30, 2012.

Reception at the Church: Friday, November 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John Neumann Church, 12191 Mill Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240; (513-742-0953.) Celebrant and Homilist: Reverend Peter T. St. George. Visitation: continuing until Mass at 11:00 a.m.

Mass of Christian Burial: Friday, November 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Neumann Church. Celebrant: Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr. Homilist: Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer

May God welcome Father Duffy, His servant and priest, into the glory of heaven. May he rest in peace.

November 1, 2024 by Colin Rahill

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In our archdiocesan “Prayer for Vocations,” we acknowledge that God has created each of us for some definite purpose. At the same time, we ask Him to bless the Church with women and men who faithfully live out their respective vocations with holiness, whether they be single, married, religious or clerics. In a unique way, the various forms of consecrated life which have developed and evolved over the centuries form a beautiful mosaic and are a great gift to the Church.

While we likely are most familiar with Sisters serving in education or healthcare, there are many other ways in which the Holy Spirit has inspired both women and men to consecrate themselves entirely to God’s service. Pope St. John Paul II described the many different forms of consecrated life in the Church as “a plant with many branches which sinks its roots into the Gospel and brings forth abundant fruit in every season of the Church’s life” (Vita Consecrata, 5).

This rich diversity was born out of the experience of early Church members who chose to separate themselves from human society in order to dedicate themselves solely to God. To this day, the Holy Spirit continues to inspire women and men to join monastic communities or to live as hermits or members of other contemplative religious institutes. Still others are called to more actively engage with the world and strive to bring the Gospel into all the dimensions of human life as members of religious orders or even as individuals, such as consecrated virgins or members of secular institutes. In societies of apostolic life, groups of men or women come together to work toward a shared apostolic or missionary goal.

Whatever form it takes, consecrated life is marked by adherence to the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience – “the characteristic features of Jesus” (VC, 1). As with every vocation, the call to consecrated life is an initiative of God the Father. In this case, though, “in response to this call and the interior attraction which accompanies it, those who are called entrust themselves to the love of God who wishes them to be exclusively at his service, and they consecrate themselves totally to him and to his plan of salvation” (VC, 17). Such total commitment to God reveals, even in this world, something of the mystery of divine perfection and love which we all hope to experience fully in heaven.

The commitment of consecrating oneself to God is deeply personal, yet it holds the potential to benefit the entire Body of Christ. Men and women who faithfully live out their consecration receive daily the graces they need for their own sanctification. In doing so, they also make tangible in the Church the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to their respective charisms.

We are blessed in this archdiocese to have hundreds of women and men living out their consecration in a multitude of ways. May our Lord sustain them in the commitments they have made so that they may be witnesses to all of us of God’s infinite love.