Thomas Andrew Donnellan

Thomas Andrew Donnellan (January 24, 1914 – October 15, 1987) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg in New York from 1964 to 1968, and as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta in Georgia from 1968 until his death.

Early life
The eldest of two children, Thomas Donnellan was born on January 24, 1914, in Bronx, New York, to Andrew and Margaret (née Egan) Donnellan. After graduating from Regis High School in the Bronx in 1931, Donnellan entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, in 1933.

Priesthood
Donnellan was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan by Archbishop Francis Spellman on June 3, 1939. In 1942, Donnellan received a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Upon graduation, Donnellan was appointed as assistant pastor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, becoming Spellman's secretary in 1954. Donnellan was named chancelor in 1958. In 1962, Donnellan became the rector of St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York.

In June 1954, Pope Pius XII named Donnellan as papal chamberlain. He was elevated in March 1958 to domestic prelate. In December 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated Donnellan to the rank of prothonotary apostolic.

Bishop of Ogdensburg
On February 28, 1964, Pope Paul VI appointed Donnellan as bishop of Ogdensburg. He was consecrated on April 9, 1964, by Cardinal Francis Spellman in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, and installed on April 13.

Archbishop of Atlanta
On May 29, 1968, following the death of Archbishop Paul Hallinan, Bishop Donnellan was appointed by Paul VI as the second archbishop of Atlanta; he was installed on July 16, 1968. During his 19-year tenure, Donnellan guided the archdiocese through extensive growth, with the number of Catholics in North Georgia nearly tripling from 50,000 in 1968 to over 133,000.

In 1968, Donnellan suspended Reverend Conald Foust, the pastor of an African-American parish in Atlanta, from his pastoral duties. An activist priest with prior problems with the archdiocese, Foust was suspended from not wearing vestments during mass and giving communion to non-Catholics. There were reports that Foust later married.

In January 1970, Donnellan barred new enrollments in the archdiocese's Catholic schools as a gesture of support to the integration of local public school systems.

Death and legacy
In May 1987, Donnellan suffered a stroke. He died on October 15, 1987, in Atlanta. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. It was attended by over 1,000 mourners, with the apostolic pro-nuncio in the United States, Archbishop Pio Laghi, serving as the principal celebrant.

Donnellan is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The Archbishop Donnellan School in Atlanta opened in 1996.

Poverty
In 1984, Donnellan was one of the co-authors of Economic Justice For All: Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, which was unveiled at a meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The document urged a moral perspective in viewing the economy from the vantage point of the nation's poor.