Bishop Dolan remembered as a man who was much loved

Bishop Cullinane, Bishop Emeritus of Palmerston North, gave the homily before a large congregation at Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on May 6.

He said that Chapter 21 of John’s Gospel, from which the Gospel reading at that Mass came, “paints a picture of the Risen Christ who just so loves being with his disciples”.

“It reveals His style, it reveals the warmth of His presence, it reveals His easy manner, His reassuring friendship – He calls them friends,” he said.

“. . . This love of human company was the special feature of Owen Dolan.”

Bishop Dolan, who was Coadjutor Bishop Emeritus of Palmerston North, died on April 28, aged 96. People had contacted Bishop Cullinane to offer messages that explained why the late bishop was so beloved.

“They all name the same lovely characteristics – his ever-ready openness to other people, whatever the circumstances or time of day, his always being respectful of them, respectful of their situations and respectful of their viewpoints,” Bishop Cullinane said. “His genuine interest in them, it was not a passing thing, it went on.”

“ . . . The emails consistently speak of his faithfulness, his sense of justice, his normality – he was never in danger of allowing his priestly identity to be smudged by clericalism – his naturalness. He allowed the grace of God to flow through the nature that God had given him; he didn’t have to pretend.”

Bishop Cullinane noted Bishop Dolan’s “compassion, his ever-ready good humour, his love of storytelling and his very strong support for refugees, migrants and for missionaries”.

But Bishop Dolan’s life was not without the cross, Bishop Cullinane said. The young Owen Dolan’s mother died a few days after his birth, and he later suffered from rheumatic fever. He had to take time out of his seminary studies because of his health.

Just like Pope Francis, Bishop Dolan continued his priestly ministry right up until his last days, Bishop Cullinane added.

He concluded by with a reference to the words that Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP spoke to his own mother when she was dying, “and what Timothy suggested we say to Pope Francis in our time of mourning, I think is what we will all want to say now to Owen: ‘You can go now, mission accomplished’”.

At the start of the Mass, Palmerston North Bishop John Adams described Bishop Dolan as “a much loved leader in this community of faith and a friend to many”.

Bishop Adams acknowledged and welcomed the bishops from New Zealand’s five other dioceses and clergy who were concelebrating the Mass, members of Bishop Dolan’s family, representatives from other dioceses and from Māori communities, as well as people from other faith traditions.

At the end of the Mass, Bishop Adams read out a letter from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Evangelisation of Peoples expressing heartfelt condolences and giving an assurance of closeness in the time of mourning.

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Solemn Requiem Mass for Bishop Owen Dolan | Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North)