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Thomas Andrew Donnellan

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Thomas Andrew Donnellan
Archbishop of Atlanta
SeeArchdiocese of Atlanta
InstalledJuly 16, 1968
Term endedOctober 15, 1987
PredecessorPaul John Hallinan
SuccessorEugene Antonio Marino
Other post(s)Bishop of Ogdensburg (1964–1968)
Orders
OrdinationJune 3, 1939
by Francis Spellman
ConsecrationApril 9, 1964
by Francis Spellman
Personal details
Born(1914-01-24)January 24, 1914
Bronx, New York, US
DiedOctober 15, 1987(1987-10-15) (aged 73)
Atlanta, Georgia, US
BuriedArlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Georgia
EducationSt. Joseph's Seminary
The Catholic University of America
MottoMinistrare non ministrari
(To serve, not to be served)
Styles of
Thomas Andrew Donnellan
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleArchbishop
Posthumous stylenot applicable

Thomas Andrew Donnellan (January 24, 1914 – October 15, 1987) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg in New York from 1964 to 1968, and as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta in Georgia from 1968 until his death.

Biography

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Early life

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St. Joseph's Seminary, Yonkers, New York

The eldest of two children, Thomas Donnellan was born on January 24, 1914, in Bronx, New York, to Andrew and Margaret (née Egan) Donnellan. After graduating from Regis High School in the Bronx in 1931, Donnellan entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, in 1933.[1]

Priesthood

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Donnellan was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan by Archbishop Francis Spellman on June 3, 1939. In 1942, Donnellan received a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.[citation needed]

Upon graduation, Donnellan was appointed as assistant pastor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, becoming Spellman's secretary in 1954.[2] Donnellan was named chancellor in 1958.[3] In 1962, Donnellan became the rector of St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York.[4]

In June 1954, Pope Pius XII named Donnellan as papal chamberlain. He was elevated in March 1958 to domestic prelate. In December 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated Donnellan to the rank of prothonotary apostolic.[citation needed]

Bishop of Ogdensburg

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On February 28, 1964, Pope Paul VI appointed Donnellan as bishop of Ogdensburg. He was consecrated on April 9, 1964, by Cardinal Francis Spellman in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, and installed on April 13.[5][6]

Archbishop of Atlanta

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On May 29, 1968, following the death of Archbishop Paul Hallinan, Bishop Donnellan was appointed by Paul VI as the second archbishop of Atlanta; he was installed on July 16, 1968. During his 19-year tenure, Donnellan guided the archdiocese through extensive growth, with the number of Catholics in North Georgia nearly tripling from 50,000 in 1968 to over 133,000.[1]

In 1968, Donnellan suspended Reverend Conald Foust, the pastor of an African-American parish in Atlanta, from his pastoral duties. An activist priest with prior problems with the archdiocese, Foust was suspended from not wearing vestments during mass and giving communion to non-Catholics. There were reports that Foust later married.[7]

In January 1970, Donnellan barred new enrollments in the archdiocese's Catholic schools as a gesture of support to the integration of local public school systems.

Death and legacy

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In May 1987, Donnellan suffered a stroke.[2] He died on October 15, 1987, in Atlanta. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. It was attended by over 1,000 mourners, with the apostolic pro-nuncio in the United States, Archbishop Pio Laghi, serving as the principal celebrant.[8]

Donnellan is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The Archbishop Donnellan School in Atlanta opened in 1996.[9]

Viewpoints

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Poverty

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In 1984, Donnellan was one of the co-authors of Economic Justice For All: Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, which was unveiled at a meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The document urged a moral perspective in viewing the economy from the vantage point of the nation's poor.[10][2]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b "Archbishop and Bishops | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA". Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Archbishop Donnellan Of Atlanta Dies at 73". The New York Times. 1987-10-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. ^ "THOMAS DONNELLAN, ATLANTA ARCHBISHOP". Sun Sentinel. 1987-10-17. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  4. ^ "PLANT DEDICATED FOR PAULIST PRESS; Archbishop Boland Blesses Building at Glen Rock, N.J." The New York Times. 1964-02-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  5. ^ "Archbishop's Biography", Georgia Bulletin, July 16, 1968.
  6. ^ "Archbishop Thomas Andrew Donnellan [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  7. ^ Moore, Andrew S. (2006). "The Beloved Community and the People of God: The Community of Christ Our Brother in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, 1967-1969". U.S. Catholic Historian. 24 (4): 105–123. ISSN 0735-8318.
  8. ^ "Archbishop Thomas A Donnellan -- 1914 - 1987", Georgia Bulletin, October 22, 1987 [1]
  9. ^ "The Archbishop Donnellan School". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. 1996-10-29. Archived from the original on 1996-10-29. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  10. ^ "Archbishop Guided Extraordinary Church Growth", Georgia Bulletin, October 22, 1987 [2]
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Atlanta
1968–1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Ogdensburg
1964–1968 		Succeeded by
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