Funeral Mass will be celebrated Jan. 17, 11 a.m. at St. Casimir Lithuanian Church, Los Angeles, for Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jonas (John) A. Kucingis, pastor emeritus, who died Jan. 6, two weeks after turning 100 on Dec. 23.

Msgr. Kucingis recently celebrated 71 years of priesthood, most of which were spent at St. Casimir in the Los Feliz area, which he is credited with establishing after World War II.

Born in Sveksna, Lithuania on Dec. 23, 1908, Msgr. Kucingis entered the seminary of Telsiai, Lithuania, and finished his studies at the Catholic University in Milan. From 1940 to 1944 he served as a chaplain for Telsiai High School as well as the Lithuanian army.

He endured the German and Russian occupations of Lithuania, fleeing Lithuania after World War II due to communist repression. He lived for some time in refugee camps in Germany before arriving in America, coming to Los Angeles in 1946 to help his spiritual mentor, Msgr. Julius Maciejauskas. After only a year Msgr. Maciejauskas passed away leaving Msgr. Kucingis with the immense task of ministering to the growing Lithuanian community.

With an abundance of energy and an iron will, Msgr. Kucingis and his fellow Lithuanians built up St. Casimir parish and school, and were instrumental in its organization and growth. The parish continues to be the spiritual, cultural and social center for the post World War II Lithuanian immigrants, their children, grandchildren and many generations to follow.

Msgr. Kucingis established the Lithuanian Language Saturday School and encouraged many organizations including the Lithuanian folk ensemble "Spindulys," Lithuanian Scouts, Lithuanian Catholic Youth "Ateitis," the church choir, the Los Angeles Lithuanian American Community, Knights of Lithuania, Holy Name Society, Daughters of Lithuania, the Lithuanian press and other charity groups to work in a Catholic Lithuanian environment.

He relentlessly aided the persecuted Church in Catholic Lithuania during its 50 years of Soviet annexation. He helped publicize the plight of dissidents, aided prisoners of conscience deported to Siberia, and sheltered Lithuanian refugees and immigrants in Los Angeles.

When Lithuania emerged as a free country in 1991 after half a century of communist oppression, Msgr. Kucingis helped renew the strength of the Catholic Church in Lithuania and the faith of its people by spiritually and financially supporting the Seminary of Telsiai, Lithuania.

After almost 50 years of priesthood and long service, Kucingis retired in 1984. He continued to reside and serve as pastor emeritus at St. Casimir until his death.

He authored a biography entitled "Along the Paths of My Life" in 1997. Two books of his homilies were published in Lithuania. The President of Lithuania awarded him the Grand Duke Gediminas medal in recognition of his exemplary contribution to the Lithuanian people.

He is survived by his niece and caretaker, Irena Mizeikiene; nephew, John Strupes and his wife, Diana; and cousins, Leonard Petras and Dennis Petras, his wife Alicija and family.

A rosary and vigil service will be held Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at St. Casimir, 2718 St. George St., Los Angeles. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church building fund.

Fr. Eugene Duffy; Sacred Heart, Altadena pastor emeritus
Funeral Mass was held Jan. 5 in Louisburgh, County Mayo, Ireland, for Father Eugene John Duffy, who died Jan. 2 in Ireland at age 90. Father Duffy, a retired priest of the archdiocese, was pastor emeritus of Sacred Heart in Altadena. He served as a priest in the archdiocese for 59 years in a variety of assignments.

Born in Askelane, Louisburgh, County Mayo, Ireland, he entered Mt. Mellerey Major Seminary in 1944, and in 1946 transferred to St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. He was ordained April 26, 1950 and severed as an associate pastor at several parishes including Our Lady of Victory, Compton; St. Brendan, Los Angeles; St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood; and St. Rose of Lima, Maywood.

From 1954-59, Father Duffy taught at Pius X-St. Matthias High School in Downey. He received a master's in education at Immaculate Heart College, and later did post-graduate study in psychology and content analysis at the University of Southern California. Besides his pastoral duties, he wrote for a number of Catholic publications, including "Twin Circle" and "Our Sunday Visitor."

After leaving his faculty post at Pius X, Father Duffy served again as an associate pastor for several churches, including St. Bernard, Los Angeles; Immaculate Conception, Monrovia; St. Gertrude, Bell Gardens; and St. Barbara, Santa Ana. In 1972, he became pastor of Sacred Heart in Altadena, a position he held until becoming pastor emeritus in 1988.

Burial was in Ireland. Condolences may be sent to his sister-in-law, Mrs. Evelyn Duffy, Bridge Street, Louisburgh, County Mayo, Ireland.

Sr. Eugenia Phan, CSJ
Funeral Mass was held recently for Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Eugenia Phan, who died Jan. 5. A Vietnamese boat person rescued at sea by an American ship, Sister Phan became a U.S. citizen in 1984, and, along with her brother, the late Msgr. James Phan, spent many years in ministry in the Archdiocese.

Born in Vietnam in 1923, she joined the Vietnamese Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate at a young age and taught elementary and junior high school from 1943-1965. She was then sent to Paris to study theology for three years, after which she returned to the Motherhouse in Hue, Vietnam to serve as the Director of Temporary Professed and, later, as General Assistant Superior.

In 1975, she fled Saigon in a leaky boat with her parents and some members of her religious congregation following the Communist takeover. Surviving harrowing experiences at sea, they managed to climb a U.S. ship's rope ladder two stories high to safety. They were eventually take to Camp Pendleton where Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Evelyn Joseph Flynn met them and got approval from her congregation to sponsor them.

From 1977-1984, Sister Phan served at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank while living with her parents. Her brother, Msgr. Phan, who died in 1992, was an associate priest at St. Finbar Church in Burbank at the time. In 1984, after the death of both her parents, Sister Phan moved to Our Lady of Grace Convent in Inglewood and worked in several departments at Daniel Freeman Hospital. She proudly became a U.S. citizen the same year.

Her desire to transfer into the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet was granted in 1985, and she made final vows along with three other religious on Sept. 3, 1988. She served at Daniel Freeman hospital for 12 years and, for a brief time, ministered in the Medical Records Department at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tucson. Returning to Carondelet Center in 2001, she served as a kind and loving volunteer visiting the sick and infirm Sisters in the retirement community.

Sr. Mary Gardner, OP
Funeral Mass was held Jan. 6 at Queen of the Rosary Chapel at Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, for Dominican Sister Mary Gardner (Marie David), who died Jan. 1.

Born in Milwaukee, she entered the Sinsinawa Dominican congregation in 1939 and made her final profession in 1942. Sister Gardner ministered as a teacher for 35 years. Locally, she taught at All Saints in Los Angeles (1970-73). Memorials may be mailed to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI, 53824-9701 or placed online at www.sinsinawa.org.