Newspaper Page Text
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PAGE 2— The Souther*
;, August 2,1973
DAILY MASS for the community was held each
evening. This picture was taken when Monsignor
Marvin J. LeFrois, pastor of Augusta’s St. Mary’s
on-the-Hill was visiting. He is flanked by Sr. Rose Ann
O.S.F. (1) and Fr. Michael Burke, Community
Chaplain-Coordinator. Also present for this Mass were
members of the Folk Choir of St. Joseph’s parish.
Other members of Deodato Community pictured
include Bob Backis, Ann Galvin, Leo Pujak, Gene
Doda, Bob Cushing, Sister Jane Hartman, (photos by
Howell Joyner)
VISITORS AT LITURGY - Most of the young people pictured here are
members of St. Joseph’s Parish Folk Choir who were visiting the
Community. Deodato members shown are Bob Backis, Ann Galvin and
Sister Monica Von Plinsky.
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MEMBERS OF DEODATO COMMUNITY SHARE Tom Charters, Gene Doda, Ann Galvin, Leo Pujdak
SUPPER with visitors from St. Joseph’s and Msgr. Pat Driscoll, Madeline Deutsch, Carlan Hinnant, Bill
Marvin J. LeFrois, pastor of Augusta’s St. Mary’s Medley, Sister Monica Von Plinsky.
on-the-Hill parish (r.) Community members shown are:
Deodato Community... a Gift of God
BY JOHN E. MARKWALTER
Deodato (a gift of God) is the name
chosen by 16 youthful volunteers who
have come together, for the summer, to
live in community and to be of service
to the people of Augusta.
The old Sacred Heart Rectory (the
church closed last year) is headquarters
for the college students and several nuns
who are spending two months (June
15 - August 15) learning about
community life and service. They come
from as far away as Brooklyn, Chicago
and St. Louis.
The men are living at the rectory,
while the women are housed at St.
Benedict’s Convent. The
group assembles every morning for
prayer, before departing for their work.
They meet again, for Community Mass
and supper, at 5:15 p.m. A community
meeting, or rap session, is held each
Monday following the evening meal.
Sponsored by the parishes of
Augusta, the pilot program is the
outgrowth of the Savannah Diocesan
Vocation Committee’s desire to
familiarize young people with the
Church in Georgia-to benefit from their
works, prayers and ideas-while giving
them the opportunity of experiencing a
summer of community life and service.
It was also the feeling of the committee
that the experience would be a help to
the young people in deciding their
vocation in life, or help them make a
stronger committment to the vocation
they had already chosen.
Bob Cushing, a seminarian studying
for the Savannah Diocese, did most of
the planning for the program and visited
many college campuses throughout the
country recruiting volunteers. Father
Michael Burke, of Augusta’s Holy
Trinity parish, is the
chaplain-coordinator. Living with the
group are Sister Rose Ann, O.S.F.,
Sister Rose Philippine C.S.J. and Sister
Camille Collini, C.S.J.
The volunteers are doing various
types of work. Some have participated
in area bible schools. Some take part in
the “Meals on Wheels” program
providing a hot meal for shut-ins on
Tuesday and Thursday. Local people
have been encouraged to participate in
this project, so the program will
continue after the group leaves Augusta.
Workers report that the shut-ins, while
appreciative of the meals, seem to be
more grateful for the visit-having
someone take time to think and care
about them.
Others work in a recreational
program in the black community of
Hyde Park. One of the students
Community Members
Bill Archambault — North Adams, Mass.
Bob Backis — Chicago, Ill.
Tom Charters — Dayton, Ohio
Madeleine Deutsch — St. Louis, Mo.
Gene Doda — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Patrick Driscoll — Erie, Penn,
Ann Galvin — Virginia Beach, Va.
Sr. Jane Hartman — St. Louis, Mo.
Carlan Hinnant — Augusta, Ga.
Mary Meurisse Keenan — Albany, Ga.
Mark Malley — Shadyside, Ohio
Bill Medley — Loretta, Kentucky
Leo Pujdak — Brooklyn, N. Y.
Sr. Monica Von Plinsky — Augusta, Ga.
Matt Wilch — Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Bob Cushing — Meridian, Mississippi
%*******
Fr. Michael Burke — Holy Trinity, Augusta
Sr. Rose Philippine, CSJ — St. Joseph Hospital, Augusta
Sr. Camille Collins, CSJ — St. Mary’s, Augusta
Sr. Rose Ann, OSF — St. Benedicts Convent, Augusta
described the recreational facility there
as “a struggling Center-struggling to get
on its feet.” Another said, “The kids are
very creative, they keep you hopping,
really we just go out and be friendly.”
Most of the community’s members
visit patients in nursing homes and the
sick in their own homes. They also
spend a great deal of their time visiting
patients at nearby Georgia Regional
Hospital. There they work with
emotionally disturbed children and in
the “detoxification” unit. One of the
visitors said, “these people desparately
need someone to talk to-to take up
time with them, as they can’t leave the
unit during “detox.”
An example of Deodato’s community
spirit was evidenced by a recent “Little
Olympics” sponsored by St. Teresa’s
Bible School. One of the Comrminity
members described it as follows:
“The idea originated in a discussion
on sharing. The students came to the
realization that St. Teresa’s had many
facilities to share with others. After two
weeks of poster making, advertising,
planning events, collecting equipment,
etc., more than two-hundred children
came together from St. Teresa’s, the
neighborhood, St. Mary’s Bible School,
and Hyde Park to participate in an
afternoon of competition, Hot Dogs and
fun. Many persons, including adults
from St. Teresa’s, teenagers from the
parish and Hyde Park and all the
members of Deodato shared in the work
of organizing and executing the events.”
Children attending the bible schools;
came up with their own idea of sharing.
They gave toys (some old, some fairly
new) to the Deodato group for
distribution to other children who
weren’t as richly blessed as they were.
Community members have also
struck-up friendships with people of the
Augusta area and have been guests in
their homes. Augustans have also
participated in the Evening Liturgy with
them and joined the group at their
evening meal. This has provided an
opportunity for the visitors to meet and
mingle with Georgians and it has given
the local people the chance to meet
these young people from other parts of
the country.
While the benefits to the Augusta
community are visible to the eye and
ear, the benefits to Deodato members
are of a personal nature. Following are
some of their reactions to the program:
-“I really do like it a lot. There’s a
great deal of growth experience
involved-it’s a real growing summer for
me.”
-“I’ve really enjoyed it. . .it’s a lot of
fun . . .sometimes it gets pretty hard,
but basically it’s a lot of fun.”
-“I’m very much interested in
Christian Community. The biggest
attraction to me was the opportunity
for shared prayer.”
-“I like the community aspect of the
program. It’s really a struggle to live in a
community.”
-“Extremely worthwhile. I like the
development of Prayer life. I think I’m
defining lay apostolate a little mpre as it,
fits into the church and how it shoula
fit into my life and the idea of
community . .. .how I fit into
community . . . how my personality
blends into it. It’s a Struggle, daily, to
work it out through prayer. Everything
seems to be coming together.
-“It’s my first opportunity to work
with people-it’s really an enjoyable
change.”
-“The program provides a chance to
see the whole, broader dimension of
vocation in each Christian’s calling to
conversion, and that doesn’t necessarily
mean a person going into the priesthood
or going into the convent. An
opportunity for all to work at the most
basic call that each of us experiences
and work that out in some kind of
community context, some kind of
service context.”
One of the summer volunteers put
her finger on the purpose of the
program when she described it as, “a
coming together to give witness; to give
witness in prayer and action; to give
witness to the transforming power of
God’s love for men; to give witness to
the good news that we are all
DEODATO-gifts of God to and for
each other.”
Deodato Community House will soon
be closing its doors, but thoughts of it
will long remain in the minds of those
who spent their summer there. It will
also long remain in the minds of many
Augustans who will recall a smile, a
kindness, a service, or maybe just having
someone to talk to.
“LITTLE OLYMPICS” -- Participants in “Little Olympics” held at St.
Teresa’s are shown doing sit-ups (top) and just resting (below).
SISTER ROSE ANN O.S.F. who volunteered to cook for the >
Community is pictured as she prepared supper one evening.