Msgr. Joseph E. Moylan, who served the Church in Georgia as priest, pastor, chancellor and vicar general for nearly 50 years, is dead at age 78.

Death came to the priest, often called a “priest’s priest’ by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan, Tuesday evening at St. Joseph’s Infirmary where he had been a patient for several weeks. The Monsignor’s death came 11 months after he retired as pastor of Sacred heart Church in downtown Atlanta.

During his long career of service to the Church in Georgia, Msgr. Moylan became one of the best know priest in the dioceses of Savannah and Atlanta as he built parishes, initiated fund drives and served as pastor at many churches.

Msgr. Moylan’s body will be at the rectory of the Cathedral of Christ the King until Thursday (today) at 4 p.m. when it will be moved to the cathedral.

The first part of the funeral rite will be held Thursday at 8:30 p.m., followed by a Rosary. Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Knights of Columbus will keep watch at an all-night vigil.

The Office of the Dead will begin Friday at 11 a.m. followed by a Requiem Mass. Then the body will be taken to Savannah.

Taking part in the ceremonies at the funeral mass will be Archbishop Hallinan, concelebrant; first concelebrant, Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin; second concelebrant, Abbot Augustine Moore; concelebrants, Msgr. Joseph Cassidy, Msgr. Patrick J. O’Connor, Msgr. Michael Manning, Fathers John Stapleton, Joseph Ware, John McDonough, R. Donald Kiernan, Richard Morrow, John O’Shea and Philip Dagneau S.M.

Father Jerry Hardy will be deacon and Father Arthur Murray will be subdeacon. Father Noel C. Burtenshaw, chancellor, will be master of ceremonies.

Pallbearers will be Fathers Daniel McCormick, James Harrison, John Cotter, Alan Dillmann, Douglas Edwards, Michael Morris, Paul Kelley, William Calhoun, Philip McArdle and Joseph Kavanagh.

A concelebrate Requiem Mass will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Archbishop John McDonough will be the principal celebrant and the eulogy will be given by Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald, chancellor of the Diocese of Savannah.

Joseph E. Moylan was born Feb. 14, 1889 in Savannah and received his education at Cathedral Public School, Savannah High School, St. Mary’s College, Belmont, N.C. and St. Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, N.Y. He was ordained Oct. 18, 1917 by Bishop Benjamin J. Kelley at the cathedral of Savannah.

His first assignment after ordination was as assistant pastor of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah and as chancellor of the Diocese of Savannah.

He also served as pastor pro-tem of Sacred Heart at Milledgeville, assistant pastor of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, administrator of Holy Family parish at Columbus, pastor of the Co-Cathedral of Christ the King, pastor of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, pastor of Our Lady of Assumption and pastor of Sacred Heart.

While pastor of the Co-Cathedral of Christ the King (1936-1945), he built the church and rectory. The first Mass was held on the rectory porch on the Feast of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 1936. He was also first pastor and built the entire parish plant, church, school, rectory, convent and parish hall at Our Lady of Assumption in 1951.

Following the construction of the co-cathedral and his service as pastor, Bishop Gerald P. O’Hara asked Msgr. Moylan to come to Savannah as vicar general and chancellor of the diocese. He served in this post from 1946 to 1951. When it was announced that the Holy See had appointed Bishop O’Hara as its representative to the Albanian government, Msgr. Moylan took over the actual administration of the diocese.

Bishop O’Hara’s appointment to Albania never materialized because the Communist-controlled government would not allow the Georgia prelate to enter the country. The Holy See then assigned him to Rumania as Msgr. Moylan continued to administer the diocese.

During this time the new parish of St. James was established in Savannah, a rectory and school were built at Tybee Island and the new church and rectory at Thunderbolt were constructed.

The first diocesan wide drive was initiated under Msgr. Moylan’s direction and as a result the diocesan debt was cleared, chapels were built, Camp St. Mary’s in Savannah was renovated, and preliminary work was begun on the parish of St. Thomas More in Decatur and the parish of Our Lady of Assumption.

Msgr. Moylan also served as military vicar for the Armed Forces in the region which covered most of the southern states and some of the most important military installations in the country.

When it became apparent that Bishop O’Hara would continue in the service of the Holy See, Bishop Francis E. Hyland was appointed auxiliary bishop and Msgr. Moylan continued as chancellor. When Georgia was divided into two dioceses, he held a unique position as vicar general in both dioceses for about a year. Bishop Hyland in 1957 also granted Msgr. Moylan power of attorney for the Diocese of Atlanta.

His appointments by Archbishop Hallinan include Archdiocesan Board of Consultors, chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on the Sacred Liturgy, pro-synodal judge of the Metropolitan Tribunal and chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Development. In March, 1966 he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Priests.

In 1939, he received the papal award of domestic prelate and some years later the papal award of Prothonotary Apostolic.

Since his retirement Msgr. Moylan had lived at St. Jude’s parish in Sandy Springs, He is survived by three sisters, Lucille, Helen and Mary; two brothers, John and Richard, all of Savannah, and a niece and nephew.