McCurdy, William J. (Father)

Jesuit Father William J. McCurdy died on February 28, 2016, at Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx, New York. He was 85 years old.

Fr. McCurdy was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 13, 1930. He was the son of Walter and Irene (McDonnell) McCurdy. He attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and graduated from Brooklyn Prep and then St. John’s University in 1947.

Fr. McCurdy entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew on Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1948. He studied philosophy at Bellarmine College in Plattsburg, New York, from 1952-1955. From 1955-1958, Fr. McCurdy was a teacher of Latin, English and speech at Brooklyn Prep. He then studied theology at Woodstock College in Maryland from 1958-1962.

In 1963, Fr. McCurdy became director of vocations for the New York Province and assistant director of JSMB (Jesuit Seminary and Mission Bureau) at Loyola Residence on 83rd Street. He became a student counselor at Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, from 1968-1980, took a year sabbatical, and then resumed his position until 1988.

From 1989-1996, Fr. McCurdy became campus minister at Canisius College in Buffalo. He then became superior at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York, until 2002. After a short sabbatical, Fr. McCurdy became faculty chaplain at Canisius Jesuit Community until 2011 when he became pastoral minister and assistant to the minister through 2013. In 2014, he became house confessor.

He spent the remainder of his life at Murray-Weigel Hall where he continued his community ministry and was missioned to the work of praying for the Church and the Society.