A memorial mass will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus of Church to commemorate the death of longtime Religious studies professor Stephen Duffy who died of cancer March 29. He was 76.

Father David Boileau, philosophy professor and friend of Duffy, said about three weeks ago, Duffy went to Tulane University Hospital to undergo chemotherapy.

Boileau said Duffy knew he was not in good health and began preparing for whatever the outcome of the procedure might be.

“He knew what was happening. He got all his papers and work in order,” Boileau said.

Duffy was a well-known theologian both at Loyola and abroad, having served as a visiting professor and a visiting scholar at Trinity College in Dublin. In 1999 Loyola named him the recipient of the Dux Academicus award, the highest honor a professor can receive at Loyola for teaching and scholarship.

“He was a first-class theologian,” Boileau said.

Andy Morgan, philosophy junior, said Duffy was “a man who was wise, authentic, and clear in a way that is rarely found anymore.”

“He was certainly one of the best professors here, a top notch theologian and a true master,” Morgan said, adding that Duffy’s death was a great loss for the university.

Duffy served as chairman of the religious studies department for 13 years and was a professor and the director of graduate studies at the time of his death.

Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].