Statue of Father Duffy

As I made my way back to Port Authority Bus Terminal to return back home to my home in New Jersey, I had some time to kill before my bus departed. Rather than sit in a Starbucks or wait on line for the bus well before the departure time, I decided to stroll around the Times Square area.  As I strolled around Times Square, I saw a huge statue, over twice my height, in the center of Times Square at the rear of the TKTS ticket booth. Interested, I walked closer to get a better glance.

When I approached the great bronze statue, I read “Father Duffy” inscribed at its base. At a closer glance, I realized that behind whom I now knew as Father Duffy, there was a huge granite Celtic cross. The cross surrounded Father Duffy and gave him a religious appearance. By the name and the cross, I automatically came to the assumption that he was an important religious figure of New York City. As I continued to examine the statue, I noticed some more significant details. At the feet of Father Duffy, there laid what appeared to be an early 20^th century military helmet. Even more interesting, I noticed a book tightly being grasped. The book was adorned with a Christian cross. I really began to piece this statue together.

As I continued to meticulously inspect every nook and cranny of the statue, I made my way up to the neck of Father Duffy and made yet another astonishing discovery. Under a heavy coat, on the collar of the statue’s shirt, laid the initials ‘U.S.’ with a cross at its side. By now, it was obvious that Father Duffy was a priest. Christian insignia can be seen everywhere on the statue. But as I continued to document the mixture of military insignia as well, Father Duffy had to be more than a priest. There was only one profession that would explain this combination of military and religious symbols: a military Chaplin.

As I finished my inspection of the front of the statue, I decided to check out the back. Sure enough, there lay the description I so desperately needed. While it did not give an in depth biography, it did verify my belief that Father Francis P. Duffy (1871-1932) was a Catholic priest. Even more interesting, he was a distinguished war veteran who served as a Chaplin for the 165^th U.S. Infantry and the Old 69^th N.Y. Alas, it all made sense.

While this may seem like just another dedication statue, I felt that there was a stronger significance. After a quick search online, I was able to learn a little more about Father Duffy. As I began to ponder on the life of Father Duffy, I remembered the difficulties that existed during the time period of his life, especially the anti-Catholicism sentiment. Alas, there was a connection that jumped to the top of my thoughts: Father Duffy compared to Dorothy Day. Although the two had their differences, most notably Day’s anti-war attitude and Duffy serving in multiple U.S. wars including the First World War, they both were leaders of the Catholic faith. Dorothy Day was a leader and she worked to better the lives of the less fortunate. Father Duffy was a leader during his service in the army and was able to lift the morale of lower class Irish Catholics, who made up the majority of his regiment. During the final years of his life, he wrote an article against the belief that Catholics were not loyal Americans who put the Pope above the Constitution. He helped better the name of Catholics as loyal American citizens during a time when anti-Catholicism ran rampant. I believe that Catholics of 2015 owe a lot to both Father Duffy and Dorothy Day. It is because of charismatic leaders like them that helped elevate Catholics in American society.