St. Mary's mourns longtime priest, the memorable Father Duffy

The former pastor of St. Mary Parish in Buffalo Grove, who led parishioners there for nearly 20 years, has passed away.

The Rev. Donald Duffy, who was retired, died Thursday at 91.

Although it has been more than 20 years since Rev. Duffy served in Buffalo Grove, signs of his ministry remain, from the curve of Lake-Cook Road around the parish, to the present church itself, built during his tenure.

"He was very proud of the fact that when the state wanted to extend Lake-Cook Road west from Milwaukee Avenue, he was able to donate land to get them to bend it (south) of the parish," says parishioner Bill Leahy of Buffalo Grove. "He was able to preserve the integrity of the parish, otherwise it would have been split right down the middle."

Rev. Duffy served as pastor from 1969 to 1988, as the parish and suburb were both experiencing record growth. In order to accommodate the growing number of families, he undertook the building of a new, 1,000-seat worship space, beginning in 1978.

During its building years, parishioners attended Mass in the school's lunchroom.

"While expanding our worship space, he was still able to maintain the integrity of our church that dates back to 1899," says the Rev. Mark Reszel, pastor.

The new space was configured with a unique "see-through" altar to retain the existing beauty of the old church, with its historic chapel and landmark steeple, while accommodating a larger congregation.

Rev. Duffy also felt a strong commitment to the school, Rev. Reszel added, whose enrollment hovered around 900 students during those years.

He helped to institute one of its major fundraisers during the 1970s, the Passport event which brought school families together in staging live entertainment in classrooms and the gymnasium, later named the Duffy Center.

In 1988, Rev. Duffy suffered a stroke, leading to the appointment of his assistant pastor, the Rev. Ken Kiepura, as pastor. Fr. Kiepura is now is the pastor of St. Joseph's in Libertyville.

One of Rev. Duffy's classmates, the Rev. Timothy Lyne, retired bishop of Chicago, describes Rev. Duffy at this time and throughout the ensuing years as a man of courage, optimism and trust for the way he responded to this experience.

"He was a great parish priest and pastor," said Bishop Lyne, "and a very good administrator as well."

Fr. Duffy will lie in state starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, at St. Mary Church, 10 N. Buffalo Grove Road. Visitation will conclude with a wake service at 6 p.m.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, where an honor guard of schoolchildren will participate, as a symbol of Rev. Duffy's dedication to their faith formation.