A Mass of Christian Burial for Father William R. Dulaney, parochial vicar at St. Gregory the Great, Bellerose, and a part-time chaplain at St. Edmund’s H.S., Sheepshead Bay, was celebrated Feb. 16 at St. Gregory the Great Church.

He died Feb. 10 in his sleep at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset. He would have been 69 years old on Feb. 15.

Father Dulaney had been hospitalized a week prior, after falling and breaking two knees, requiring surgery.

Born in Jackson Heights, he attended Blessed Sacrament School; Cathedral Prep, Brooklyn and Elmhurst; Cathedral College, Douglaston, and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington. He was ordained May 26, 1973 by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero at St. James Pro-Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn.

He served as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands, 1973-80; St. Sebastian, Woodside, 1980-84; St. Margaret, Middle Village, 1984-93, and was a part-time member of the faculty at Cathedral Prep, Elmhurst, while living at St. Margaret’s, 1993-98. At Cathedral, he served as a teacher, spiritual director and vice principal. He continued to serve as an adjunct spiritual director there until his death.

He also was an assistant at St. Anselm’s Bay Ridge, 1998-99, before being named pastor of Mary, Queen of Heaven, Mill Basin.

He served as an assistant at St. Mel’s, Flushing, 2002-07, and at St. Gregory the Great since 2007.

He has been helping at St. Edmund Prep H.S. since 2001. He also was a Sunday’s Scriptures columnist for The Tablet.

Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto was the main celebrant of the funeral Mass. Special concelebrants included Msgr. John Mahoney, who preached the homily, and Msgrs. Edward A. Ryan, Joseph P. Nagle, John A. McGuirl and Fathers Joseph L. Cunningham, Johnson Nedungaden and John J. Fullum.

Father Joseph Fonti, president of Cathedral Prep and Seminary, applauded Father Dulaney’s long term of service.

“He was serving the boys here as an adjunct spiritual director up till his operation,” said Father Fonti. “He really enjoyed helping us form them. He was very attentive and dedicated. He understood them and took their formation in faith seriously.”

Father John Cush, academic dean at North American College in Rome, said Father Dulaney “was one of my priest-heroes since my days at Cathedral Prep and one of the people who most inspired me to become a priest. He vested me to priesthood. I will not be able to come home for the funeral, but I will offer Mass for him here in Rome.”

“It was a very sad day for our St. Edmund’s Prep family when we heard our chaplain had gone home to heaven so suddenly! Father Dulaney was a good and compassionate priest! He will be missed,” said Deacon Ron Rizzuto, a faculty member at St. Edmund’s.

Father Dulaney is survived by his brother, Robert, of Holtsville.

Burial was in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, L.I.