[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MONSIGNOR JOHN DUCETTE

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 2016

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a great 
spiritual leader from Western New York, the Reverend Monsignor John I. 
Ducette, who passed away last week at the age of 79.
   Msgr. Ducette was a native of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, educated in 
those cities and later at St. Bonaventure University and Christ the 
King Seminary, both in Olean, NY, and later at Seton Hall University, 
The New York Province Priests' Institute and the National Institute for 
Clergy Formation.
   Ordained a priest on St. Patrick's Day 1962, Msgr. Ducette accepted 
diocesan assignments and ministered to congregants throughout Western 
New York, from East Otto to Niagara Falls before finally earning 
assistant pastor positions at two parishes in the town of Tonawanda.
   In 1985, Msgr. Ducette was appointed Pastor of St. Timothy's Parish 
in the town of Tonawanda, and it is at this parish where he made his 
most lasting mark. As Pastor for more than 23 years, he established St. 
Tim's as a warm and inviting--and prospering--parish within the nearby 
Sheridan-Parkside community. Msgr. Ducette often spoke of St. Tim's as 
``an intentional parish.'' He told his congregants that, ``the people 
that come to St. Tim's don't necessarily live in the community, but 
they long for the type of services that we provide to the people.''
   The response he received to his work demonstrated that fact. Msgr. 
Ducette was a master at attracting retired priests to St. Tim's, where 
each might say one or two masses per weekend. In so doing, he managed a 
robust schedule of masses and attracted the followers of these retired 
priests to come and worship at St. Tim's, thereby growing the size of 
the parish and enhancing the parish's ability to provide services to a 
local community often beset by economic and social challenges.
   Msgr. Ducette was known to run a tight ship. He liked to celebrate a 
well-organized and efficient Sunday mass. But within that efficiency 
was an innate ability to deliver a cogent and thoughtful message. While 
few of Msgr. Ducette's homilies during mass would exceed two or three 
minutes of length, all were memorable, and most if not all would end 
with a question, usually one that would cause his congregants to 
examine their respective faith and allow them throughout the ensuing 
week to consider what they were doing in their lives to do a greater 
good within their own communities.
   In addition to having been named a prelate of honor by Pope St. John 
Paul II and his service as Chaplain of the Town of Tonawanda Police 
Department, Msrg. Ducette was a great lover of the sea. He served as 
Chaplain of the Port of Buffalo and for 35 years served as diocesan 
director of the Apostleship of the Sea, praying for the safety of all 
seafarers and blessing sailing vessels. He delivered blessings at the 
dedication of the USS Little Rock and USS The Sullivans at the Buffalo 
& Erie County Naval & Military Park. I was proud to invite Msgr. to 
participate in a nautical ceremony at the Buffalo Yacht Club several 
years ago.
   I was proud to have known Msgr. Ducette and to have been in his 
presence when he offered prayers. He was a kind soul, loved by all who 
had the privilege of knowing him. It is certain that his many friends 
and followers mourn his loss and will look to his great legacy--the 
successful St. Timothy's parish--for comfort at this time of sadness.

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