Bishop Nolan dies, 73

Two funeral Masses were offered for him, one at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Nov. 24 and another at Assumption/St. Paul Church in his home town on Nov. 25. He was buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, Stillwater.

In his assignments, Bishop Nolan followed in the footsteps of a brother priest from the Albany Diocese: Archbishop Joseph Ryan. Bishop Nolan succeeded him in 1966 as head of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and president of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine. In 1988, Bishop Nolan was named auxiliary bishop for the Military Ordinariate; Archbishop Ryan held the same position.

Prior to entering the international arena, Father Nolan, who was ordained in 1949, served as an assistant pastor at St. Vincent de Paul in Albany and Annunciation in Ilion. After graduate studies at Fordham and Catholic University of America, he returned to the Diocese as professor of history at Mater Christi Seminary, and as a faculty member at The College of Saint Rose and Maria College, all in Albany. He held master's degrees in history and library science, and doctorates in sacred theology and history.

In 1962, Father Nolan was named assistant secretary of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). Four years later, he became its national secretary and president of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine (PMP). The CNEWA distributed funds to Catholic missions in such countries as Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Jordan and the Holy Land. The PMP is the papal agency for relief of Palestinian refugees.

His work with CNEWA and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine brought him frequently to Rome and trouble spots in the Middle East. In 1980, for example, he made a pastoral visit to the U.S. hostages who were then entering their fourth month of captivity at the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, Iran.

A recipient of numerous decorations and awards, Bishop Nolan was the first Catholic to receive the Gold Cross of the Council of Rhodes, bestowed on him by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople.

In 1988, Father Nolan was ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II and appointed auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for Military Services. That meant he had a "diocese" of two million people: military and diplomatic personnel, and their families around the globe. Bishop Nolan spent four years in Europe as episcopal vicar for the military and was then made archdiocesan vicar for development and worked out of New York City.

He is survived by a brother, Michael, and a sister, Sister Kathleen Nolan, RSM.

(11-27-97) [[In-content Ad]]