BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The funeral Mass for John Richard Sowa, a policeman who was killed in the line of duty, was held at Holy Spirit Church, Friday, Oct. 17.

Sowa, 28, had been a member of the force for only three years and was the first Atlanta Police Department officer killed by gunfire in more than five years. Sowa is survived by his wife of 16 months, Danielle.

Sowa, and a fellow Zone 2 officer, Patricia Cocciolone, 38, were shot Sunday, Oct. 12 while trying to respond to a domestic call in midtown Atlanta. Cocciolone is in critical, but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. Gregory Paul Lawler, 45, has been accused of shooting Sowa five times with a rifle and has been charged with murder and aggravated battery.

The procession to Holy Spirit Church halted traffic as hundreds of police cars and motorcycles accompanied Sowa's body. Many officers with a piece of black tape over their badges stood by their cars saluting as the procession headed northbound on I-75. Many travelers who were headed southbound pulled off the road and observed the procession out of respect for the slain officer. The officer's hearse was preceded for the last few blocks by a police bagpipe unit from New York, a request he had voiced if he were killed in the line of duty.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue presided at the funeral Mass, which attracted more than 1,100 law enforcement officers from across the country and Canada. Msgr. Edward Dillon, pastor of Holy Spirit and chaplain to the Fulton County Police Department, was the homilist. Other celebrants included Msgr. Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints Church, Dunwoody, and chaplain to the Georgia State Patrol and the DeKalb County Police Department, Father Darragh Griffith, parochial vicar at Holy Spirit, and Father Daniel McCormick, parochial vicar at All Saints.

In his homily Msgr. Dillon said when a tragedy such as this occurs it is hard to understand how this can be a part of God's plan. He compared it to a piece of tapestry. When one looks at the back of a tapestry he sees only stitches and knots and the beauty of the work is hidden. Only when it is turned over can the beauty of the artist's creation be seen in its entirety. He told the congregation that the tragedies make it difficult for one to see the beauty of God's plan and that is why they are asked to turn to their faith.

"Danielle, you and your family and Rick's family, can take some comfort in the realization that the service Rick gave, the work he did, and the ultimate sacrifice he made is appreciated by and has struck a cord in this community," Msgr. Dillon said.

He added that the other family that had been affected by the shooting was that of the police officers.

"The other family that has suffered a horrendous loss this week is the police family," he said. "First and foremost, the officers of Zone 2 and of Atlanta Police Academy Class #156 and all the members of the Atlanta Police Department, from the chief to the newest recruit. And while the pain in the Atlanta Police Department is the deepest, the loss extends to the entire law enforcement community. That is evident from the presence of so many officers, honor guards and special units from departments not just from the Atlanta metropolitan area but from the whole Southeast and even from around the nation."

Atlanta Police Chief Beverly Harvard delivered a five-minute eulogy in which she described herself as a parent watching her children in pain.

"What you are all going through makes me hurt even more," she said. She said Sowa was "a shining example of the department's tradition." Outside the church she presented the folded flag from the service to Danielle Sowa.

In addition to his wife, Sowa is survived by his mother, Christine Roth of Fulton, N.Y.; his father, Jack Sowa, and his sister, Kim Taglereine of Mexico, N.Y. Burial was Monday, Oct. 20 at St. Mary's Cemetery in Randolph, Mass.