When the Diocese of Atlanta was established in 1956, Monsignor Walter J. Donovan was one of the priests serving and ministering to people of the Catholic faith. During his career as a cleric, which lasted nearly 70 years and started in 1944 when he was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, Monsignor Donovan was highly regarded among fellow priests and beloved by former parishioners.
"There are people still talking about him in Athens, like he's just left there," said Monsignor Hugh Marren, of the cleric who left the area decades ago. "He had a tremendous impact on so many people."
Walter James Donovan, of Roswell, died July 22, at the age of 96. A funeral Mass is planned for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at All Saints Catholic Church, Dunwoody. Burial will follow at Arlington Cemetery, Sandy Springs. H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Little Falls, N.Y., Monsignor Donovan attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester, N.Y. After his ordination, he spent his early years in the Savannah area, where his first pastoral assignment was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. He also served Blessed Sacrament Church in Savannah; Immaculate Conception Church in Dublin; and in 1948 he was sent to St. Joseph Church in Athens as pastor, where he was for 13 years, before moving to the Atlanta area. Once here, he served Blessed Sacrament Church in Atlanta for 11 years, where he was the founding pastor; St. Thomas More Church in Decatur; and Good Shepherd Church in Cumming.
Monsignor Donovan was not only adored by many former parishioners he was appreciated by his colleagues for his vast knowledge of different subjects.
"He was very well informed, and he used the information very well," said Father Dan McCormick. "You couldn't argue with him, not because of his persistence, but because of his knowledge."
During his ministry, Monsignor Donovan also served on and led a number of councils, boards and groups within the church, including the Catholic Social Services of Metropolitan Atlanta, the Council on Latin-American Resettlement, and the St. Martin's Human Relations Council, which was an interracial group of Catholics that visited parishes and talked about civil rights issues in the '60s.
Over the years he faithfully served the church, with a "true devotion to the priesthood," Father McCormick said. In 1994, then-Father Donovan was bestowed the title Monsignor by Pope John Paul II. In 2003, a school in Athens was named for him, the Monsignor Walter J. Donovan High School. The school is four miles from St. Joseph's School, an elementary school the cleric started in 1949.
Monsignor Donovan retired twice, once in 1998 and again in 2006. After his first retirement he lived at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, where he continued to perform many priestly duties for more than 18 years. The second time he retired, he move to St. George Village in Roswell.
Monsignor Donovan is survived by a number of nieces and nephews.
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