Help Us Celebrate the memory of Fr. John
and his impact as a teacher!
Make a donation in his honor, which will be listed online and in our Program Book
Profile of Fr. John Gaffney, O.S.A.
“I spent most of my career at Cascia Hall, about 33 years in teaching, and after that, all together I’ve been over 50 years at Cascia Hall. About 33 of those years were in teaching, and then the ones that were not in teaching were in some contact from time to time with some of the students that were going to Cascia Hall after I had retired.”
— Father John Gaffney, O.S.A.
For this year’s Gala we have chosen to honor posthumously a friar whose decades of teaching have shaped the minds and souls of young men and women at St. Rita High School and Cascia Hall Prep. Fr. John Gaffney, O.S.A. was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in the year 1919. After graduating from St. Leo High School in Ashley, Pennsylvania, in the year 1937, he worked for a short time as a grocery clerk and eventually found his way to entering the Augustinian formation program.
John became an Augustinian Novice in 1938 and professed his first religious vows in the Augustinian Order one year later; he solemnly professed his perpetual vows on September 10, 1942. He proceeded to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from present-day Villanova University in 1942; further theological studies at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C.; and a Master of Arts in English Literature from Catholic University of America in 1946. Amidst these studies, he was also ordained a priest in the year 1945.
Father Gaffney was assigned in 1946 to St. Rita High School in Chicago as a teacher for eight years. He also served as the Director of Novices for two years from 1962 to 1964. However, he devoted the majority of his active ministry to Tulsa's Cascia Hall community.
Fr. Gaffney served at Cascia Hall from both 1954 to 1962 and from 1964 to his retirement in 1989. That means an incredible total of 33 years of service to the Cascia Hall Community! Many of those in the Cascia Hall Community - our students, parents, teachers, and faculty - can tell profound stories of how Fr. Gaffney has impacted their lives. Some of the other students that Father Gaffney has taught went on to become upstanding leaders in society. More importantly, he has brought hundreds (if not thousands) of them closer to knowing God. At our April gala, we look forward to showcasing a few of these testimonials.
His impact on the campus’s of St. Rita and Cascia were not simply felt from the classroom, but also from his fervent reverence for the Mass. Fr. Gaffney often shared with his brothers his favorite quotation, which was posted in a Carmelite convent where he once served:
“Celebrate this Mass as if it were your only Mass, your first Mass, and your last Mass.”
Father Gaffney has lived out this commandment for years, and he shared this spirituality with scores of students that have attended Cascia Hall over the years. He retired from teaching in 2012, but remained a fixture in the Tulsa community. After being transferred to the Montereau Retirement Community, Fr. John passed away in 2019. We look forward to hearing from the many individuals whose souls have been formed by the words and example of this incredible man. If you will not be able to attend out gala, please consider taking out an ad of support in our Program Book or making a donation in his memory by visiting AugusitnianGala.org