By Glynnis Grainger
Close friend of Maida Vale Parish Priest Fr Stephen Durkin, Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, celebrated the Vigil Mass for the repose of Fr Durkin’s soul at Maida Vale church on Monday, 19 July.
Fr Durkin, Parish Priest of St Francis of Assisi parish Maida Vale, passed away on 13 July after a long battle with cancer, two weeks short of his 54th birthday.
Bishop Sproxton also concelebrated a Pontifical Requiem Mass at the Cathedral the following day, together with Archbishop Barry Hickey and many priests of the Archdiocese.
Fr Durkin’s younger brother Bernie delivered the eulogy at the Requiem Mass.
Stephen Edward Durkin was born on 28 July 1956 at Wagga Wagga NSW, the first child of his parents, Grahame and Moira. His father was in the Air Force, and the family made many moves because of this. His mother was from Sydney, where his sister Helen and brother Bernie were born.
In 1961, his father was posted back to Perth and the family moved to Nollamara where Steve commenced school at Our Lady of Lourdes.
After a two-year stint in Penang, the family moved back to Koongamia and then Dianella, where Steve attended CBC Bedford, which later became St Mark’s and is now known as Chisholm College. He left school at the end of third year in 1972 as the school did not go beyond that, but he wanted to return to school and went briefly to CBC Highgate, after telling the Headmaster that he wanted to be a priest.
He became a trainee chef at a city hotel and his parents talked him into an apprenticeship at Royal Perth Hospital, where he hated the work.
Steve then had a variety of jobs, including working for a mining company at Shay Gap, and some taxi-driving in Perth.
After 18 months in Sydney, where he moved in 1978, he returned to Perth and worked for the Salamone family in their tile business, and eventually managed a couple of their stores.
Early in 1980, Steve moved to St Charles Seminary in Guildford for 12 months, keeping his job in Midland with Tiles Expo.
The next year, aged 25, Steve attended the Rostrevor Seminary in Adelaide, but returned to Perth after 18 months and started working with Tiles Expo again.
Steve worked for a further three years, then met with the Archbishop and asked to attend St Paul’s Seminary in Sydney, which at that time was for mature-aged seminarians. Also, he had many close relatives in Sydney, which alleviated his homesickness.
He returned to Perth and was ordained a Deacon in 1991, spending 12 months at the Whitfords parish.
Steve was ordained a priest on 15 February 1992 at St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth, where he spent a few months and was chaplain for both Trinity and Mercedes Colleges.
He then moved to Mirrabooka parish, where he was assistant to the-then Fr Don Sproxton, now Auxiliary Bishop of Perth.
In April 1995 he was appointed assistant Parish Priest of Kalgoorlie and 12 months later took over as the parish priest where he spent six years.
Fr Vinh Dong was an assistant to Fr Durkin and a close friend who concelebrated at both funeral Masses for him last Monday and Tuesday.
At Easter 2000, Fr Durkin moved to St Francis of Assisi parish in Maida Vale where he remained until his death 10 years later.
Bernie said in the eulogy: “Steve was very popular wherever he went and also made many lifelong friends, but he was never happier than when at Maida Vale.”
His interests included travel, motorbikes, fishing, his dogs – golden Labradors – red wine and whisky.
Prior to his death, he told Bernie that he was a bit disappointed that he was going so young but had had a great life and would not change anything. He was, his brother said, a bit excited about dying as he would get the chance to meet his God and all of his friends and relatives who had gone before him.