John Francis Donoghue


John Francis Donoghue served as the second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and then as the fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta in the United States of America.

Early life and education

Donoghue was born and raised in Washington, D.C., the second of four brothers born to Irish immigrant parents, Daniel and Rose Donoghue. On June 4, 1955, after receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and a graduate degree in Sacred Theology from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland and Roland Park, Maryland, and after ordination to the transitional diaconate, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, by the then-Archbishop of Washington, Patrick O'Boyle, who was later a Cardinal.

Service within the Church

While originally planning to remain a parish priest, Donoghue was asked in 1964 to study for a Licentiate in Canon Law, and was then assigned to the Archbishop of Washington's Office.
For the next 18 years, he served on the staff under three successive Cardinals, all now deceased, who were Archbishops of Washington: Cardinals Patrick O'Boyle, William Wakefield Baum, and James Aloysius Hickey. From 1972 until 1983, he also filled the offices of Chancellor and Vicar General for that Archdiocese; in 1984 he also became Moderator of the Archdiocesan Curia, serving in that capacity until his episcopal consecration. He was consecrated and installed as a Bishop on December 18, 1984, following his appointment by Pope John Paul II, as the second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte.
In June 1993, he was appointed as the sixth Metropolitan Archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia by John Paul II, replacing the Most Reverend James P. Lyke, O.F.M., who had died of cancer on December 27, 1992, after only two years in office. He led the Archdiocese for over ten years. Donoghue retired as Archbishop on December 9, 2004, and was succeeded by Wilton D. Gregory, who had served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

Death

Donoghue died, on November 11, 2011, aged 83. His body lay in state at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus until his Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM on November 17 at the Cathedral of Christ the King.
Donoghue's episcopal motto was: "To Live In Christ Jesus".