By Gretchen Keiser

Archbishop Thomas Andrew Donnellan, eulogized as a bishop and a priest who "understood clearly the true dimension of priesthood as a life of service," has ended his years of earthly service to the archdiocese of Atlanta and the Church he loved.

"He spent his life as a servant pastor leading God's people to fullness of life in Christ," Bishop George Guilfoyle, a boyhood friend of over 60 years said in his homily at the Mass of the Resurrection Oct. 20. The archbishop, who served the archdiocese for 19 years, died Oct. 15 at the age of 73.

"Archbishop Thomas Donnellan was true father, pastor and shepherd, remaining near his flock in all its needs, and above all in its need for God," Bishop Guilfoyle said.

The Mass brought to a culmination four days of services for Archbishop Donnellan, which began Friday night, Oct. 16 with Vespers and ended with the Mass concelebrated by many bishops and all the priests of the archdiocese. The archbishop was buried at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs.

The Mass procession and gathering, as did other services, showed the great diversity of people in his flock and their growing numbers. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. under a blue autumn sky, the procession extended more than the length of the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Behind the acolytes and lectors, sisters representing 21 of the more than 30 religious communities serving in the archdiocese stood in procession, followed by over 50 permanent deacons in white, and about 180 priests. The principal celebrant of the Mass, Archbishop Pio Laghi, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in the U.S., was joined by over 30 other bishops from around the country, walking in procession behind the priests.

The Cathedral was also filled with people from all walks of life, parish groups, many other Religious, workers from the offices at the Catholic Center, and students. Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta was seated in the section with family members, friends and special guests. Dr. Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Episcopal Bishop Charles J. Child, Jr., of Atlanta joined the procession of clergymen.

The archbishop who came to Atlanta in 1968 as its second archbishop, had as his motto, "To serve, not to be served," and his friend and fellow bishop said that the motto "was not chosen lightly."

"From the beginning of his priestly ministry, Thomas Donnellan grasped uniquely the genuine meaning that his priestly vocation had both for himself and for people… With the eyes of a courageous faith, he understood clearly the true dimension of priesthood as a life of service as well as the priceless nature of his calling by the Lord," Bishop Guilfoyle said.

"Initially, a loving heart responded to the invitation, 'Follow me,' and throughout his life, he reflected the light and compassion of Christ, radiating His love. As priest and bishop he always remained close to the one source of all light, and I am certain that the people of New York, Ogdensburg, and Atlanta recognized his intimacy with Christ by his great capacity to bring light and hope to so many who suffered from darkness and despair."

The bishop touched upon many facets of Archbishop Donnellan's concern for others, as a friend, a fellow priest and a bishop called upon to be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and encourage others in faithfulness.

A priest for 48 years, and a bishop 23 of those years, he served the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in many ways, including as treasurer for two terms and a member of the executive committee. But, the bishop observed, he was also a priest who remained "extraordinarily close" to his seminary classmates from St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, New York; who "truly loved them and his other brothers in the clergy" and who helped others, including young women seeking life as Religious. A number of seminary classmates were among those concelebrating the Mass.

One sign of the depth of friendship in his life was the steadfast presence of his sister, Nancy Donnellan. "I offer special sympathy to his beloved sister on the loss of his presence in a beautiful and loving brother-sister relationship which was always there," Bishop Guilfoyle said.

Two redheaded young men who carried the gifts to the altar at the Offertory were Christopher and Timothy Lynch, 18, twin sons of a former classmate at Catholic University of America, a family friendship sustained for over 40 years.

"Archbishop Donnellan's priestly ministry was marked with joy and enthusiasm, with love, patience and kindness," Bishop Guilfoyle said, and an elderly woman seated in a front pew said quietly, "yes, yes" as she listened.

Bishop Guilfoyle also touched upon the archbishop's roots, drawing a moment of deep laughter as he said, "We grew up as boys in the Bronx… You've heard of the Bronx. Some of us graduated." But he added that the archbishop, most of his life a Northerner, "came to love Atlanta" and had planned to stay here when he retired.

He closed his eulogy emphasizing the archbishop's understanding and acceptance of fidelity to the Church. "His unswerving orthodoxy to the truth of the Gospel and his devotion to the Holy See were outstanding and worthy example to all of us who profess faith in the Lord," the Camden, NJ, bishop said.

"As a sign of the love of Jesus, he sympathized compassionately with human weakness and zealously advanced human dignity and social justice. As a sign of fidelity to the doctrine of the Church and as a sign of the unity of the universal church, he stood with his brother bishops and the Roman Pontiff communicating the certainty of the Catholic faith…"

Having carried out this life of service, the bishop said, "May his valiant soul rest in peace."

The body of the archbishop had rested in state in the Cathedral Monday night. A Mass for the faithful was celebrated Monday, by Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler of Charleston, SC, with other bishops and priests as concelebrants and Monsignor John F. McDonough, administrator, as homilist. The gathering filled the Cathedral to capacity.

When the Mass ended, a line of people slowly filed by the casket to pray quietly and then were greeted by Bishop Unterkoefler, seated at the altar, who spoke to them individually and blessed the people.

Archbishop Donnellan "really did do wonders for Atlanta" commented Gussie Hannah from Our Lady of Lourdes parish. "He put a lot of churches in these suburban, small places. We didn't have that until he came." Mrs. Hannah, a Legion of Mary member, said, ""I liked him very much. I loved him."

Vietnamese Catholics gathered in front pews Monday night to chant prayers for the dead, following their tradition. Mr. Tam Van Bui said the archbishop, who had visited Vietnam during the war, had always been supportive of Vietnamese Catholics here.

Among the priest concelebrants at the Resurrection Mass Tuesday was Father Mario Vizcaino, national Hispanic leader from Miami, who stepped forward to say, "He was like a father to me," strongly supportive of Father Vizcaino's work with Hispanics in Atlanta and the Southeast. He was so gracious to me. I felt I had to come."

Two bishops noted their special connections with the archbishop. Bishop Raymond Lessard of Savannah was ordained a bishop by him and Bishop Eusebius Beltran of Tulsa, OK, a priest of the archdiocese of Atlanta, said, "He has certainly given the archdiocese of Atlanta tremendous stability and growth in faith."

The reverent and rich services began Friday evening, the day after the archbishop's death, when his body was received at the Cathedral at Solemn Vespers. Clothed in priestly vestments and wearing the episcopal miter, he lay in a simple, white-draped open coffin.

Monsignor McDonough met the body at the door of the Cathedral. In words used throughout the Church for all the faithful when they are brought to the church for burial, Monsignor McDonough blessed the body "with the holy water that recalls his baptism of which Saint Paul writes: 'All of us who are baptized unto Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. By baptism into His death we were buried together with Him, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with Him by likeness to His death, so shall we be united with Him by likeness to His resurrection.'"

Approximately 30 priests of the archdiocese formed an honor guard as the body was brought to lie in state at the Cathedral's transept. The Cathedral choir sang a choral arrangement of "the Lord Is My Shepherd" during the procession, a theme which would be repeated in hymns and psalms in the following days.

The readings at the Resurrection Mass included passages from Isaiah, reminding that "the Lord will wipe away the tears of his people forever;" the 23^rd Psalm; and the reassurance of 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 that "death is swallowed up in victory … through Jesus Christ." The gospel passage told of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

The priests of the archdiocese in full numbers were the honor guard as the casket left the Cathedral Tuesday morning. In a final commendation and farewell, Archbishop Joseph Ryan, archbishop for military service in the U.S. sprinkled the body with holy water and led prayers of the congregation on behalf of the archbishop.

The prayers ended with only the priests of the archdiocese praying together, "May Thomas be at peace. May he be with God. May he be with the living God … May Thomas live forever in peace with God."

Then the bishops and priests and deacons processed out of the Cathedral, forming a double line in white vestments that extended from the steps of the cathedral along the sidewalk and out onto Peachtree Street, as the archbishop's casket, followed by his family and friends, was escorted out of the Cathedral for burial at Arlington Memorial Park.