Francis Patrick Duffy

Born in Cobourg, Ontario, in 1871, he was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1896 after studying at the Catholic University of America. He later taught psychology and ethics at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York, building a reputation as both a thoughtful teacher and a gifted speaker.

He is best remembered for his service as chaplain to the 69th Infantry Regiment, the famous "Fighting 69th," during World War I. His steady presence with soldiers at the front made him widely admired, and he later told that story in Father Duffy’s Story, a firsthand account of the regiment’s wartime experience.

After the war, he served at Holy Cross Church in Times Square and remained a well-known figure in New York until his death in 1932. Duffy Square, at the north end of Times Square, was named in his honor, a sign of how deeply he was woven into the city’s public memory.