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PAGE 4 — The Georgia Bulletin, October 22,1987
PAPAL TELEGRAM — The archdiocese received a message from
Pope John Paul II conveying “his prayerful condolences to the
members of Archbishop Donnellan’s family, to Monsignor John F.
McDonough, diocesan administrator, the priests, Religious, and laity
of the diocese. In reflecting upon the 19 years of service which the late
beloved Archbishop Donnellan rendered as the third ordinary of Atlan
ta, the Holy Father acknowledges with gratitude the contribution
which he has made in building up the Church in northern Georgia as
well as the role which he played in furthering the interest of the Church
on the national level. It is the prayer of His Holiness that he might now
rest eternally in the presence of our High Priest, Jesus Christ.” The
archbishop is pictured with the pope in New York City in 1979.
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Servant And Pastor”
Atlanta’s second archbishop, Thomas A. Don
nellan, came to Georgia from New York state in
1$68, and it may have seemed at the time as if a
bishop had been brought from the farthest
reaches of the country to pastor this small
Southern archdiocese.
But his coming preceded the arrival of many
more Catholics, who would follow job oppor
tunities as they shifted from the older urban
areas of the North and Midwest to the South.
And his special graces held us together, in a
Church that is diverse, growing, but still a minori
ty.
Catholics coming to the archdiocese from the
North found it a great change in Church ex
perience; in many ways a breath of fresh air as
they were needed and wanted, and as they pulled
together in an unfamiliar place with the Church
as their new family. But in some ways our com
ing was stressful for the archdiocese; new
desires for Catholic services so available in
older, more heavily populated Catholic cities; for
churches, schools, adoption services, care for
the old, youth programs.
A newcomer to the South, Archbishop Don
nellan could appreciate the desires of other
newcomers for the Church to grow and expand.
But he could also, as an immovable adherent to
the spiritual core of Church life — the parish and
the sacraments — provide stability in the midst
of change and orient rapid growth around new
churches and new parish communities.
He loved the Church as a universal Church and
was deeply faithful to the teachings of the
magisterium and the direction set by the popes.
Serving his Catholic people in an area
shaped by Scripture, but not by Catholic Tradi
tion, the archbishop, by wisdom and personal ex
ample, emphasized Catholic teaching and
perspective. He was willing to stand alone, if
necessary, in his faithfulness.
He also made himself completely available to
his people, traveling throughout the archdiocese
and, by his presence and demeanor, showing no
distinction between large suburban parishes and
small mission churches. Clearly he believed and
lived out his belief that Christ was present in His
people and that Christ was present in and
through His Sacraments and His Church. This is
a tremendous gift given over 19 years and surely
enduring, as Archbishop Donnellan would have
it, in the future of the Church in north Georgia.
May he have his joyful reward.
-GRK
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