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Dear Friends in Christ,

It was only last September, that we celebrated the retirement of Father Tom Carroll, from his service to the Church in Atlanta - a long service, of almost thirty years.

I cannot list here, the hundreds, the thousands of people on whom he had a profound effect. I can only say that there are countless people in my Archdiocese, who are today, happy in their Faith, firm in their commitment to doing good, and confident as they look forward to eternal life, because of the kindness, the patience, the persistence, and the goodness - the goodness of Father Tom Carroll. I can also say that those countless people, are one today in their sorrow, that so soon after his retirement, the Lord has taken him home, and away from us. It is very difficult to realize - to believe - that he is gone.

I must also add a word about Father Tom and his fellow priests. I know of no one ordained, who enjoyed more friendships with his brother priests. I am sure that this is felt deeply today, within his own religious community, as well as among the priests of Georgia. It is amazing, that one man, for almost fifty years, lived as a brother to his fellow LaSallettes, and simultaneously, maintained the strongest possible ties with the diocesan clergy in Georgia. It is amazing - until one remembers how hard Father Tom Carroll worked, and worked for other people. He once told a reporter during the course of an interview, "I never really heard a voice saying 'Come, follow me. But I did hear a voice say, 'Come, and work with me.'" And that's what he did - he worked - for the Lord, for the Church, for his order, for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and for the countless souls he touched with his goodness - and with the goodness of the Lord. It flowed through him - and it abides with the many he served. That is how we shall remember him - for we can see him in the lives of so many that he knew - in those lives, that through him - through his humility, his kindness, and above all, through his unshakeable faith - were changed forever.

May God have mercy on his soul, and give him rest now, from the labors of his life. And may the Holy Spirit, who loves us, give us comfort in our sorrow, as we say good-bye, for a time, to our brother in Jesus Christ, Father Tom Carroll.

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