By Karina Fabian

Tony Duvernay and his wife, Vicki, have been active in the Church most of their adult lives, usually in the area of religious education. They have served in several dioceses across the western United States – often, it seemed, depending on where their children attended college. They settled into Montana in 1999, after the last of their children graduated, and have enjoyed a fruitful career in the Helena diocese.

Tony and Vicki married in 1963. They had six children, Laura, Jeff, Jennie, Nicole, Aimee and Stephen. Tony worked for 15 years as a real estate appraiser in California, before moving to Alaska in 1975. He became a deacon there in 1979.

While still working as the managing partner of his real estate appraisal firm, he also assisted in religious education, coordinated the charismatic prayer community and developed a cooperative ecumenical ministry for the homeless in Juneau. With two children already in college, they moved to Helena with the rest from 1983-1988 in order to attend Carroll College themselves. They graduated in 1986 along with their oldest daughter – Vicki – with a degree in religious education and social work, and Tony with a degree in theology and religious education.

They worked full time in church ministry for the next two years – Tony as the pastoral associate of the Cathedral of St. Helena and Vicki in pastoral ministry at St. Mary Catholic Community. While working full time at the Cathedral from 1986-88 as pastoral associate, Tony helped develop a cooperative food bank with both civic and religious leaders in Helena. The result: Helena Food Share.

However, kids heading to college necessitated a return to his “civilian career,” and they went back to California, where Tony again took up real estate appraisal for 12 more years, while also attending college at Loyola University, where he earned a master’s degree in pastoral studies. Naturally, he continued his work in the Church and assisting the needy. He also worked part-time as pastoral associate at the Newman Center at Chico State University, assisting with campus ministry with a team of student ministers. Vicki worked as director of religious education at that time.

In August 1999, with their last child off to college, they returned to Montana, where Tony became director of the Pastoral and Renewal Office for the Diocese of Helena. He worked there until 2006, when he became pastoral administrator for St. Mary Catholic Community. He plans to retire from that this summer and spend time visiting his children and ten grandchildren.

Deacon Tony said he became a deacon to be of service, and because he keenly felt the blessings God had given him in his life. “To whom so much is given, much is expected,” he said. He added that the one thing he hopes people know most about him is that he was a humble servant of Christ.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 25, No. 3, March 20, 2009.