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THE BULLETIN, April 30, 1960—PAGE 11
DIOCESE MARKED CENTENIAL IN 1950
Cardinal Tisserant
Proclamation @n Observance
*
Of iocesan Centennial
SAVANNAH, Ga.—The following proclamation was is
sued by the Honorable Olin F. Fulmer, Mayor of Savannah,
in connection with the observance here on October 16, 1950
of the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Dio
cese of Savannah.
A PROCLAMATION
The Catholic Diocese of Savannah, now known as the
Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta, has reached its centennial.
More than a hundred years before the establishment of
the colony of Georgia, Catholic priests and communicants
had settled along the Georgia coast, maintaining their faith,
building missions, struggling to instill their belief in God
among the inhabitants.
When the English settled Georgia it was decreed that
no Catholics should be admitted to the colony. But Catholics
did come and some rose to eminence in the affairs of the
new venture.
A Catholic parish was established in Savannah in the
eighteenth century, and in 1820 the Catholics in Georgia came
under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Charleston. It was
in 1850 that Pope Pius IX decreed that the Diocese of Savan
nah be created, which embraced not only the State of Geor
gia but that portion of Florida, east of the Appalachicola
River. Since 1870, when the Diocese of St. Augustine was
established, the Diocese of Savannah—later that of Savannah-
Atlanta—has had its jurisdiction solely within the State of
Georgia.
In honor of a century of existence of this Catholic dio
cese, I, Olin F. Fulmer, Mayor of the City of Savannah, ask
that the people of Savannah of all faiths join with their
Catholic friends in its observance on Monday, October 16.
We ask that the whole people of Savannah acknowledge
this century of service in advancing the belief in and the
reliance on God for the betterment of mankind and the im
provement of conscience and morality.
OLIN F. FULMER,
Mayor of Savannah.
A . «... tided Gen moni ?s
The impressive climax of the
two day celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of the
founding of the diocese of Sav
annah, was the Solemn Pon
tifical Mass offered at the
Cathedral of St. John the Bap
tist on October 16, 1950 by His
Eminence Eugene Cardinal Tis
serant, Secretary of the Sacred
Congregation for the Oriental
Church.
At the invitation of His Ex
cellency, the Most Reverend
Gerald P. O’Hara, D.D., J.U.D.,
Bishop-Archbishop of Savannah-
Atlanta, Cardinal Tisserant,
th ethird ranking Prelate of
the Catholic Church, agreed to
delay his return to Rome from a
tour of the United States to hon
or by his presence the celebra
tion of the Diocesan centennial
in Savannah.
Gathered in Savannah for the
occasion were Prelates, priests,
religious and members of the
laity in large numbers from
within and without the Diocese
of Savannah-Atlanta.
His Eminence was assisted in
the celebration of the Mass by
Father Dan J. McCarthy, of Port
Wentworth, Vicar General for
Religious of the Diocese of Sav
annah-Atlanta, as assistant
priest, by Father Harold J. Barr,
of Augusta, and Father Thomas
A. Brennan, Savannah, as dea
cons of honor, Father Norbert
McGowan, O.S.B., of Savannah
as deacon of the Mass and Fa
ther Adolph Gall, S.M.A., of
Augusta, as subdeacon.
The masters of ceremonies
were Monsignor Joseph M. Corr,
of Philadelphia; Father Joseph
W. Kavanagh, of Philadelphia;
Father Felix Donnelly, Father
Michael Regan and-Father Tho
mas H. Payne.
The sermon at the Mass was
delivered by the Most Reverend
Emmet M. Walsh, D.D., Coadju
tor Bishop of Youngstown, for
merly Bishop of Charleston, who
was a priest of the Diocese of
Savannah at the time he was el
evated to the Episcopacy.
Present in the sanctuary were
Archbishop O’Hara, Bishop John
J. Russell, of Charleston; Bishop
Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh;
Auxiliary Bishop John M. Mc
Namara of Washington; Auxili
ary Bishop Thomas J. McDon
ough of St. Augustine; Auxili
ary Bishop Francis E. Hyland
of Savannah-Atlanta, Abbot-
Ordinary Vincent G. Taylor,
O.S.B., of Belmont; and Abbot
Francis Sadlier, O.S.B., of St.
Leo’s Abbey, Florida.
Attending Archbishop O’Hara
as chaplains were, Father Jos
eph R. Smith, Atlanta, Father
John Mercer, S.M., of Bruns
wick; Bishop Russell, Father
John Kelioe, Savannah Beach,
and Father John Galvin, S.M.A.,
Savannah, Bishop Walsh, Father
James H. Grady, Rome; and Fa
ther Michael Manning, Gaines
ville; Bishop Waters, Father
John J. Kennedy, Valdosta; and
Father Thomas I. Sheehan, De
catur; Bishop McDonough, Fa
ther John O’Shea, Thomasville;
and Father Walter Donovan,
Athens; Bishop McNamara, Fa
ther J. Robert Brennan, Dublin
and Father Cornelius E. Malo
ney, Ph.D., Atlanta; Bishop Hy
land, Father Edward Smith and
Father Joseph E. Nagele, States
boro; Abbot Vincent Taylor,
AT CENTENNIAL MASS—His Eminence Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, who celebrated the Solemn Pontifical Mass in con
nection with the observance of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Savannah is pictured descending the steps
of the main altar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, surrounded by officers of the Mass. Left to right are shown
Father Adolph Gall, S.M.A., sub-deason; Father Harold Barr, deacon of honor; His Eminence; Father Dan J. McCarthy, assistant
priest; Msgr. Thomas A. Brennan, deacon of honor. To the rear left to right are Larry Lucree, altar boy; Rev. Mr. John O’Grady,
trainbearer, and Monsignor Joseph M. Corr, master of ceremonies.—(Photo G. C. Hopkins Studio.)
Father Robert Brenna, O.S.B.,
and Father Alcuin Bauderman,
O.S.B., of Savannah; Abbot
Francis, Father Raymond Geyer,
O.S.G., and Father Hugh Hag-
erty, O.S.B., Savannah.
Also present in the sanctuary
were Hughes Spalding and Cla
rence Haverty, of Atlanta, Papal
Chamberlains of the Sword and
Cape; Judge James P. Houlihan,
K.S.G., Savannah, K.S.G., John
W. Gleason, K.S.G., Hugh H.
Grady, K.S.G., Savannah; Rich
ard Reid, K.S.G., New York
City; Hugh Kinchley, K.S.G.,
Augusta; Bernard J. Kane,
K.S.S., Atlanta; and Robert E. |
McCormack, K.S.S., Albany.
Minor officers of the Mass
were seminarians of the Diocese
from St. Mary’s Seminary, Balti
more and St. Bernard’s College,
Alabama.
Members of the Savannah As
sembly, Fourth Degree Knights
of Columbus, acted as a guard
of honor. William J. Sullivan,
Thomas Gilmore, James Galvan
and Dr. Julius Pierotti, members
of Atlanta Assembmly Fourth
Degree Knights of Columbus in
full regalia, stood at the altar
rail with presented swords at
the Consecration of the Mass.
Among the assisting clergy
were Monsignor Francis J. Fu-
rey, rector of St. Charles Bor-
romeo Seminary, Overbrook,
Philadelphia; Monsignor James
J. May, VicarVGeneral of the
Diocese of Charleston; Monsig
nor Joseph E. Moylan, Vicar
General of the Diocese of Savan
nah-Atlanta; Monsignor George
"Lewis Smith, Aiken, S. C.; Mon- .
signor Joseph F. Croke, Mon
signor Edward J. Dodwell, Mon
signor Joseph G. Cassidy, At
lanta; Monsignor Martin C,
Murphy, Columbia, S. C.; Mon
signor J. Lennox Federal, Ral
eigh; Monsignor William F. O’
Brien, Durham, N. C.; Monsignor
Michael A. Irvin, New Bern, N.
,C.; Monsignor Hubert Cartright,
Monsignor John J. McKenna,
Philadelphia; Monsignor James
J. Meehan, St. Augustine, Fla.;
Monsignor P. J. McGill, Lake
land, Fla.; Monsignor P. J. O’
Connor, Monsignor Maurice
Sheedy, Washington, D. C.; and
Monsignor James J. Grady, Au
gusta.
Practically all of the secular
priests of the Diocese of Savan
nah-Atlanta attended the Mass
along with representatives of the
Jesuits, Redemptorists, Benedic
tines, Clerics of St. Viator, Or
der of Friers Minor, Oblates of
Mary Immaculate, Marist Fath
ers, Trappists, Society of African
Missions, and Glendale Mission
ed serving in the Diocese, with
Marist Brothers from Augusta.
Among the visiting priests
present were, Father Edward M.
McGrath, S.M., Provincial of the
Washington Province of the
Marist Fathers, Washington,
D. C.; Father A. W. Crandell,
S.J., Provincial of the New Or
leans Province of the Society of
Jesus; Father Cornelius Hoff
man, C.SS.R., Vice-Provincial of
the Redemptorist Vice-Province
of Richmond; Father Peter Har
rington, S.M.A., Provincial of
the American Province of the
Society of African Missions; Fa
ther Joseph P. O’Donnell, rector
of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary,
Emmitsburg, Md., Father James
A. Laubacher, S.S., rector St.
Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore;
(Continued on Page 12)