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CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
catholicnewsherald.com | November 18, 2011
IN MEMORIAM
Archbishop Emeritus John F. Donoghue, 1928-2011 SECOND BISHOP OF CHARLOTTE 1984-1993
May we all ‘live in Christ Jesus’ as you taught us
Archbishop Donoghue laid to rest Nov. 17 in Georgia In announcing the funeral arrangements for Archbishop John F. Donoghue, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta asked for prayers for the repose of the soul of Archbishop Donoghue and for the comfort and consolation of his family members. Archbishop Donoghue’s remains lay in repose at Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta from Nov. 16 to Nov. 17, when there was a funeral procession from the basilica to the Cathedral of Christ the King, also in Atlanta. The funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 17 at the Cathedral of Christ the King by Archbishop Gregory, with concelebrating bishops and priests from Georgia and the Carolinas. Bishop Peter Jugis, Bishop Emeritus William Curlin, Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey and several diocesan priests including Judicial Vicar Father John Putnam and Education Vicar Father Roger Arnsparger were scheduled to attend the funeral Mass. Burial followed that afternoon at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Ga. From his death on Nov. 11 to his funeral and burial on Nov. 17, the Archdiocese of Atlanta arranged a series of commemorations for the late Archbishop Donoghue. Parishes, missions and schools flew their flags at half-mast, they rang their bells to coincide with the start of his funeral Mass on Nov. 17, priests offered Masses for the repose of his soul, and parishes included him in the Prayers of the Faithful last week. Parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte also included a special prayer for him during the Prayers of the Faithful, and besides local churches offering memorial Masses for him, there was a memorial Mass celebrated at Belmont Abbey on Nov. 17. Archbishop Donoghue was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Daniel Donoghue and Patrick Donoghue. He is survived by a brother, Edward Donoghue; sister-in-law Vickie Donoghue; and 20 nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, 760 Pollard Blvd., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30315; Missionaries of Charity, Gift of Grace House, 995 St. Charles Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306; Visitation Monastery, 2055 Ridgedale Drive, Snellville, GA 30278; or Little Sisters of the Poor, 4200 Harewood Road, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017. Condolences may be sent to the family c/o Mary Elkins, Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2401 Lake Park Drive SE, Smyrna, GA 30080. — David Hains
Archbishop Donoghue, former Charlotte bishop, dies at 83 ATLANTA — Archbishop Emeritus John Francis Donoghue, the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the second bishop of Charlotte from 1984 to 1993, died Nov. 11 following a lengthy illness. He was 83. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta Nov. 17, following a funeral procession from where his body lay in state at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta earlier in the week. Archbishop Gregory described Archbishop Donoghue as “a much beloved figure, a dear friend, a brother bishop.” He said his predecessor responded to the growth of the archdiocese by opening new Catholic schools and he also placed respect for life as a central part of his ministry. “The death of a beloved figure like John F. Donoghue is a moment of sadness. But we are a people of hope,” he said. “There is also the spirit of hope that he is at peace with the Lord and he will be rewarded for his extraordinary, long and generous service to the Church.” Archbishop Donoghue was born in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 9, 1928. One of four sons of Irish immigrants, Daniel and Rose Ryan Donoghue, he said he knew in high school that he wanted to become a Catholic priest. All of his studies were in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland areas. He attended Park View School in Washington, Sacred Heart School in Washington; Gonzaga High School in Washington; St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md.; and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Following study at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and Roland Park, Md., where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a graduate degree in theology, he was ordained a priest of the Washington Archdiocese on June 4, 1955, by then-Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle. While he often said that he expected to serve all his life as a parish priest, he was asked in 1964 to study for a licentiate in canon law and then assigned to the archbishop’s office. For the next 18 years, he served on the staffs of three successive Washington cardinals: Cardinal O’Boyle, Cardinal William Baum and Cardinal James Hickey.
In 1970, he was given the papal rank of Chaplain to His Holiness with the title “Monsignor.” A year later, he was further honored to be named a Prelate of Honor. From 1972 until 1983, he was the chancellor, vicar general and secretary for support services of the Archdiocese of Washington. In 1984, he was also named moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of Washington, where he served until he was appointed Bishop of Charlotte by Pope John Paul II. Archbishop Donoghue was ordained the second Bishop of Charlotte on Dec. 18, 1984, succeeding Bishop Michael Begley. He served as Bishop of Charlotte for nine years. Among the accomplishments in his tenure in Charlotte were the first synod of the diocese, which held three sessions from 1986 to 1987; the reorganization of the Catholic schools into a regional structure; an emphasis on evangelization directed toward inactive Catholics and the unchurched; and the opening of the diocese’s first Catholic newspaper separate from the Diocese of Raleigh, the Catholic News & Herald, in 1991. He played a leading role in the development of the North Carolina Lutheran-Catholic Covenant signed in 1991 by the Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh and the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He was named by Pope John Paul II to head the Archdiocese of Atlanta in 1993, and he was installed as archbishop on Aug. 19, 1993. Each bishop has a coat-of-arms and a motto. As his motto, Archbishop Donoghue chose “To live in Christ Jesus.” In the Atlanta Archdiocese, he succeeded Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, who died Dec. 27, 1992, of cancer after only two years in office. Archbishop Donoghue said the day of his Atlanta appointment, “I hope that I’m going to be here for a very long time ... that I will be here until I retire.” Pope John Paul II spoke to him and told him to “be very kind” to the people of the archdiocese and “to try and bring peace and reconciliation.” In Atlanta, Archbishop Donoghue made the center of his pastoral work
among Catholics to renew understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ. He initiated a Eucharistic Renewal, which inspired renewed teaching on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, including lay seminars where people shared their faith stories. He also initiated chapels for Adoration of the Eucharist, opening the first at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta in June 1994. The chapel has had perpetual Donoghue Adoration there for more than 17 years. More than 70 parishes of the Atlanta archdiocese now have prayer before the Eucharist regularly, eight with perpetual Adoration chapels. Archbishop Donoghue expressed the hope in 1994 that these perpetual Adoration chapels would bring “a grace hitherto unfelt in the archdiocese.” Flowing from this renewal, a Eucharistic Congress is held in Atlanta yearly that provides multilingual and multicultural faith teaching to gatherings of 20,000 to 30,000 Catholics. It is the longest continually running Eucharistic Congress in the U.S. and believed to be the largest in attendance. Following his example, the Diocese of Charlotte initiated its own Eucharistic Congress seven years ago, with the most recent congress in September attracting more than 11,000 faithful. Archbishop Donoghue also believed deeply in the importance of Catholic schools and fostered efforts to build new Catholic schools – including two archdiocesan high schools and three archdiocesan elementary schools in the Atlanta archdiocese, and two diocesan schools in the Charlotte diocese. Archbishop Donoghue also was devoted to the pro-life cause, frequently speaking on the teaching of the Church on the dignity of human life from conception until natural death and participating in prayer vigils and marches. He retired as archbishop on Dec. 9, 2004, when Pope John Paul II accepted his retirement due to age. — Gretchen Keiser, The Georgia Bulletin