John Francis Donoghue (August 9, 1928 – November 11, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina from 1984 to 1993 and as the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta in Georgia from 1993 to 2004.

Biography

Early life and education

Donoghue was born and raised in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the second of four brothers born to Irish immigrant parents, Daniel and Rose (née Ryan) Donoghue. He received a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

degree and a

Master of Sacred Theology The Master of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Magister; abbreviated STM) is a graduate-level, North American, academic degree in theology equivalent to ThM. The Roman Catholic equivalent is the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). An ...

degree from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Priesthood

Donoghue was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington, by Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle on June 4, 1955. After his ordination, Donoghue was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Riverdale Park, Maryland, from 1955 to 1961. He was transferred in 1961 to Holy Face Parish in

Great Mills, Maryland Great Mills is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. Great Mills High School serves the lower end of the county, including the town (census CDP) of Lexington Park. The area is site of some of the oldest agricul ...

, staying there until 1964. While originally planning to remain a parish priest, Donoghue was asked in 1964 to study for a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. On completion of his degree, he was assigned to the archbishop's office. For the next 18 years, Donoghue served on the staff for three cardinals: Patrick O'Boyle, William Baum, and James Hickey. From 1972 until 1983, he also filled the offices of chancellor and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

for that archdiocese. In 1984, Donoghue was appointed moderator of the curia.

Bishop of Charlotte

On November 6, 1984,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Donoghue as the second bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. He was consecrated on December 18, 1984, by Bishop Michael Joseph Begley.

Archbishop of Atlanta

On June 22, 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Donoghue as the sixth metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, replacing Archbishop James P. Lyke.Donoghue was installed on August 19, 1993. On becoming archbishop, Donoghue began a program of school building to accommodate the growing population of the archdiocese. He also worked to provide more Spanish-speaking priests for the increased Hispanic population. In April 2004, Donoghue sent an edict to the priests in the archdiocese forbidding the selection of women to perform the traditional foot washing ceremony on

Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...

Retirement

Pope John Paul accepted Donoghue's resignation as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta on December 9, 2004; he was succeeded by Bishop Wilton D. Gregory. John Donoghue died of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

in Atlanta on November 11, 2011 at age 83. His body lay in state at the

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ( pl, Bazylika Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Krakowie) is a Roman Catholic church of the Jesuits in Kraków. Architecture This monumental Jesuit Church erected from 1909 to 1921 to a design by Franci ...

in Atlanta until his

funeral mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

on November 17, 2011, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.

Viewpoints

Abortion

Donoghue said in 2004 that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights for women should be denied communion.

Sexual abuse scandal

Donoghue made this statement in 1993 about the sexual abuse of minors by priest scandal in the late 20th century:

"Never before in our experience has the credibility of the priesthood itself been so shaken by the actions of some of our priests. Because we live under the shadow of their indiscretions, we are forced to take the witness stand of life and demonstrate by our lives and our actions that we indeed are men of integrity, men of God.”

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of AtlantaRoman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donoghue, John Francis 1928 births 2011 deaths American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States People from Washington, D.C. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops in North Carolina Roman Catholic archbishops of Atlanta