ROCKFORD—Bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity gathered Friday morning, Sept. 9, to pay respects and pray for Bishop Thomas G. Doran during a wake and funeral Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter.
Others gathered the evening prior for evening prayer and a wake service, also at the Cathedral.
On Friday, Bishop David Malloy served as homilist and, along with Diocese of Rockford native Bishop Timothy Doherty of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, commended Bishop Doran to God at a small gathering of family and co-workers at the gravesite in Calvary Cemetery. Archbishop Blaise Cupich of Chicago celebrated the Mass. He was joined by more than a dozen bishops from near and far, including another Rockford Diocesan native, Bishop David Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck.
“The passing of Bishop Doran concludes a part of our spiritual history, Bishop Malloy said in his homily. “Last night and this morning, many came to pay their respect to Bishop Doran, and, most importantly, to pray for him.”
He noted that the gathering was a “sign of our deep sense of loss and our sharing that loss with Bishop Doran’s family,” and also made a point of thanking diocesan staff and priests who supported Bishop Doran “in special ways, not only recently but throughout his ministry,” and also “the many doctors and nurses who cared for Bishop Doran, especially in his final weeks and days.”
But also, Bishop Malloy added, “most of all, we give thanks to God. Thank you God for this servant.”
Bishop Malloy spoke of the loves of Bishop Doran, beginning with how he “loved his Catholic faith. It defined his person … He loved Christ personally and he knew Him through the Gospels, and he believed to his core that Jesus was the Son of God who died for us and that the human race is saved in the name of no other.”
Even as Bishop Doran “knew well the humanity of the Church,” Bishop Malloy said, “his faith, unwavering even unto his final days and hours, stood as an example, a challenge and an encouragement.”
In addition to his love for Jesus and His Church, Bishop Doran loved the priesthood, Bishop Malloy said. In particular, he noted that Bishop Doran’s priesthood “imitated Jesus the teacher.” He said that Bishop Doran “knew that his faith had been explained to him, had been formed and honed in Catholic schools, and he deeply wished that all our young people could have the blessing of Catholic education that he had.”
Another “deep love … that benefitted us … was (Bishop Doran’s) love of his native place, of the Diocese of Rockford,” Bishop Malloy said. “It was in his DNA … he knew the histories and families and places … the personalities. … He knew the ears that would hear the message of Christ, and knowing them, he knew how to deliver it – how to inspire, encourage and correct, and perhaps in turn to be encouraged and even corrected …
“In a special way he bore the cross and the service for his own — for the people, the places and the local Church from which he came.”
Bishop Malloy drew laughter from those gathered when he noted that “joined to all of his gifts was an expressive sense of humor. (Bishop Doran) could soften or sharpen his observations with wry and original observations, and, yes, periodically, it got him into trouble.”
A final trait that marked Bishop Doran’s life was his “ability to foster deep and lasting friendships and relationships,” Bishop Malloy said, pointing to the presence of three priests who worked with Bishop Doran during his time in Rome as evidence, noting that “the loyalty of friendship, both given and received, was deeply important to him.”
Bishop Malloy concluded his homily by noting that the principal purpose of the funeral Mass was to fulfill the spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead.
“For all of his service to us – all of the prayers he offered – all of the Masses he celebrated – all of the homilies he preached – the sins he forgave – the charity he fostered – the faith that he strengthened – it is our task now, especially in this Mass, to pray for him,” Bishop Malloy said.
“We pray for his soul. We pray for the final purification from all faults. We pray for his eternal union with Christ who called him. Perhaps we pray and ask him from before God’s throne to intercede for us.
“The memory of Bishop Doran will recall his wisdom and his life-long efforts as priest and bishop to lead us to justice in Christ. May his soul now shine like the stars forever, before Jesus who long ago said, ‘Thomas, come – follow me.’”
The complete text of Bishop Malloy’s homily is available on the Diocese of Rockford website: www.rockforddiocese.org.