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DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 56 No. 26
Thursday, July 17,1975
Single Copy Price — 15 Cents
WILLIAM E. DILLARD
Presides At Ceremonies
Sr. Comile accepts plaque from Miss Halligan.
St. Joseph’s Celebrates 100 Years
St. Joseph’s Hospital observed its
100th birthday on June 30th. This
historical occasion was highlighted by
the presentation of service awards to
213 employees. This program formally
kicked off St. Joseph’s activities in its
centennial year.
William E. Dillard, a member of St.
Joseph’s Board of Trustees, presided as
Senator John R. Riley, Board Cha-rman,
was unable to attend.
in his short' t pv
said that, “Because of pressing matters
requiring Senator Riley’s presence at the
capital in Atlanta today, he asked me to
express his regrets and bring you his
greetings, and also requested that I
represent him on your program today.
AUGUST 7-9
“On the 100th Birthday of this grand
ole St. Joseph’s Hospital what could be
more appropriate than to give
recognition by service awards to those
of you who have contributed so much
by devoting your best energy, ability,
and personal warmth through so many
years in making St. Joseph’s the most
efficiently operated and the best loved
hospital in the whole Coastal area of
Georgia. It is bound to be a source of
much gratification to every one present
as you realize the important part you
have had in bringing this great
institution to the high state of
prefection it enjoys today.”
Miss Agnes Halligan, who has been
employed at St. Joseph’s since 1938,
presented a special plaque to Sister M.
Cornile, R.S.M., St. Joseph’s
Administrator, on behalf of the
employees for Sister’s years of
dedicated service to St. Joseph’s. The
plaque reads: “The Employees of St.
Joseph’s Hospital present this tribute of
appreciation to Sister M. Cornile
Dulohery, RSM, Administrator, in
recognition of her appointment as the
First Hospital Representative to The
Georgia Board of Human Resources.
Her leadership, dedication and abiding
faith have touched us all, and will
continue to inspire each of us to live our
institutional philosophy: “Whatever is
done to the least of his little ones is
done to Him.”
Father Aloysius, OSB, hospital
chaplain, gave the invocation. Father
(Continued on page 5)
Bicentennial Hearing In Atlanta
Bicentennial public hearings on social
justice, a vital part of the American
Catholic Church’s Bicentennial
Observance program will be held at
Atlanta’s Civic Center August 7th
through 9th. The congressional styled
hearings will be held before a panel of
U.S. Bishops and will focus on the topic
“The Family” with local participants
providing the testimony.
New Rectory for St. Theresa’s, Cordele
Bishop Dedicates Rectory
For St. Theresa’s, Cordele
On Sunday, June 29th, Bishop Raymond W. Lessard presided at the Concelebrated
Mass of Dedication for a new rectory for St. Theresa’s Church, Cordele.
Assisted by Father Cronan Kelly, O.F.M., Vicar Provincial of the Franciscan Province
of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and Fr. Patrick Adams, O.F.M., pastor of the parish
of St. Theresa, the Bishop celebrated the Mass in the presence of a church filled with
parishioners and friends from the local community as well as many out-of-town guests.
Father Kevin Boland, Vicar General of the Diocese of Savannah, was concelebrant
and Master of Ceremonies. A number of diocesan priests, Franciscans and religious
sisters were also present.
The rectory, located on the north side of the church, was constructed during the
50th anniversary year of the organization of the parish. The cornerstone of St.
Theresa’s Church was blessed and set in place in 1930 by the late Bishop Michael J.
Keyes of Savannah.
After the Mass, the rectory was blessed inside and out and a reception was held for
the Bishop. The ladies of the parish provided refreshments and served as guides for all
who wished to inspect the new building. A dinner was later served at the local Holiday
Inn in honor of Bishop Lessard.
Built of red brick, the rectory follows the architectural lines of the church and
features capped buttresses. Built on a concrete slab, the one-story structure is sixty by
thirty feet and includes a large paneled room which serves as a daily chapel, meeting
and class room.
The national program for the
Bicentennial centers around the theme
“Liberty and Justice For All” and seeks
response from the average American on
topics linked to social justice. The
ultimate goal of the hearing process is
an updated plan to promote a more just
and free society through effective and
needed social action.
The three day program in Atlanta has
been broken into several categories for
testimony. Thursday, August 7, the
panel of Bishops will hear speakers
related to “Spanish Speaking and Urban
Blacks.” On Friday, August 8, the panel
will travel to a rural area for an open
“tent” hearing on “Rural and
Appalachian concerns.” The hearings
return to Atlanta for Saturday, August
9, when the subject will be “Middle
Class Americans and other topics.”
Father Jacob A. Bollmer, coordinator
for the Atlanta Hearings, said the local
committee was presently contacting
numerous groups, agencies and
individuals seeking their participation in
the hearings. Father Bollmer said the
Atlanta Hearings are “an honest effort
to reach anyone who might wish to
voice their views or opinions to the
panel and bring to the Bishops the real
down to earth feeling of the average
person.” He termed the hearings “a
really innovative step for the Church
and one which encourages people to
participate fully in the decision making
process of the 1976 conference on
social justice. We’re hopeful large
numbers of people will respond and
relate to their panel their needs and
desires on the ‘Family’ topic.”
Father Bollmer said the local hearings
are open to all people and are not to be
considered merely a process limited to
Catholics. Although the hearings are
national in scope and anyone may
attend, the Atlanta sessions are
expected to draw heavily from the
southeastern states, all of whom have
been invited to participate.
Applications to appear on the hearing
agenda are due July 25 when responses
will be studied and spaces on the agenda
assigned. Applications are available from
the Bicentennial Committee, 756 W.
Peachtree Street, N.W. or by calling
(404) 881-6571.
LOCAL ACTION STRESSED
New Ecumenical Guidelines
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Vatican,
issuing papally approved guidelines for
ecumenical action at the “regional,
national and local levels,” has
emphasized that local needs and
problems determine ecumenical action.
The document; published July 7 by
the Secretariat for Promoting Christian
Unity, also called it “the responsibility
of the regional or national episcopal
conference to decide on the
acceptability and the appropriateness of
all forms of local ecumenical action.”
Such decisions by the bishops should
be made “in cooperation with the
appropriate organ of the Holy See, to
wit the Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity.”
A foreword to the 30-page,
seven-chapter booklet signed by
Cardinal Jan Willebrands, president of
secretariat, states that the Pope had it
“sent to all episcopal conferences as an
aid to them in carrying out their
ecumenical responsibilities.”
Chapter one outlines the “ecumenical
task.” It stresses: “All Christian
communities recognize the
proclamation of the Gospel to the
world, in deed as well as in word, as
their first duty.” It adds: “As the
Catholic Church in each country
becomes more aware of the
manifestations of ecumenism in various
parts of the world, it has to avoid both
isolationism and slavish imitation of
other places.”
It declares: “Ecumenical initiatives
must be adapted to local needs and will
therefore differ from region to region,
while always remaining in harmony with
the bonds of Catholic communion . . .
“Ecumenism is an integral part of the
renewal of the Church, and its
promotion should be the constant
concern of the local church.”
But it warns: “A difficulty is created
if ecumenical initiatives are left solely to
unofficial groups. Then there is an
imbalance in which the full ecumenical
responsibility will not be adequately
and prudently met. Such difficulties will
best be avoided if there is an obvious
and sincere commitment to ecumenism
by the local church.”
The second chapter emphasizes:
“Ecumenism on the local level is a
primary element of the ecumenical
situation as a whole. It is neither
secondary nor merely derivative.”
Chapter three cites various forms of
local ecumenism, including shared
worship, common Bible work and joint
pastoral care.
of religion, especially where this has to
be done in non-denominational schools.
But as long as Christians are not fully at
one in faith, catechesis, which is
formation for profession of faith, must
remain necessarily the proper and
inalienable task of the various churches
and ecclesial communities.”
Chapter four deals with councils of
churches and Christian councils. It
(Continued on page 5)
My dear friends in Christ,
Bishop's Office
Diocese ge Savannah
P. O. Box 6709
Savannah,Geobgia
01402
President Gerald Ford has recently proclaimed the day of July 24,1975, as a
National Day of Prayer. In his official statement, the President explains how, “as
we begin the celebration of our Bicentennial, it is fitting to recall that it was a
profound faith in God which inspired the Founders of our Nation.”
Amid the rhetoric and commemorative celebrations that have already become
commonplace in this Bicentennial year, we should indeed be grateful that
President Ford has reminded us of the spiritual dimensions of our national
history and heritage. Our response as Catholics should certainly be one of willing
and enthusiastic participation in this National Day of Prayer.
Our prayers ought first of all to be in profound thanksgiving to Him “from
whom all blessings flow.” At times, in our legitimate expressions of patriotic
fervor, we might be inclined to think that the precious gifts of freedom and
equality as well as the opportunities afforded us to enjoy them are the product
of mere human reason and effort, when these gifts and opportunities are in fact
the divinely-ordained conditions of the basic God-given dignity of the individual
human being and the human collectivity. To the Lord and Creator of the
universe then must be directed our prayers of thanksgiving.
To this expression of gratitude, however, must be added a pressing plea for
continued divine guidance, if we are to grasp the full implications of the
Founding Fathers’ dream of freedom and equality under God. This prayer will
demand humility and the courage to recognize and admit how we have failed to
realize this dream. As one writer recently suggested, for instance, perhaps now is
the moment to reflect whether to that phrase in the Declaration of
Independence about our inalienable RIGHTS to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness, we should not add a corresponding affirmation of our inescapable
DUTIES of work, learning and the pursuit of responsibility, if we are to
guarantee and safeguard our fundamental rights as well as promote the ideals of
“liberty and justice for all.”
Early this fall, the Diocese of Savannah will take part in a major program
sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Bishops as one feature in the Church’s
contribution to the Bicentennial celebrations. Under the theme of “Liberty and
Justice for All,” the program will consist of a broad parish-based consultation of
our people on the subject of social justice. As the 1974 Synod of Bishops
declared, we are firmly convinced that “while the truths about human dignity
and rights are accessible to all, it is in the Gospel that we find their fullest
expression and our strongest motive for commitment to their preservation and
promotion.” This Catholic Bicentennial activity will give us an opportunity to
reexamine and reaffirm our dedication to such principles.
In the meantime, I invite all the people of the Diocese of Savannah to respond
wholeheartedly to President Ford’s call, by observing “in humiliation, fasting
and prayer,” as did our forebearers two hundred years ago, this Bicentennial
year’s National Day of Prayer, Thursday, July 24.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
U),
Bishop of Savannah
Two Vicars Appointed;
Assignments For Sisters
It cautions, however: “The rule is
that Catholic churches are reserved for
Catholic worship . . . Therefore sharing
them with other Christians or
constructing new churches jointly with
other Christians can be only by way of
exception.”
It cites various possibilities of
collaboration in education, but points
out: “In catechetics local needs have led
at times to collaboration in the teaching
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard has
announced the appointment of three
Sisters to Diocesan posts. At the same
time the bishop named a Vicar for
Education for the Diocese of Savannah.
The appointments and their effective
dates are:
Sr, M, Immaculata Dulohery
Celebrates Golden Jubilee
Sr. M. Immaculata
Sister M. Immaculata Dulohery, a
native of Savannah and a member of the
Sisters of Mercy Independent
Community with their Motherhouse in
Belmont, North Carolina, was one of
seventeen jubilarians who celebrated
their Golden Jubilee on July 5 in
Belmont with a Mass of Thanksgiving
followed by a reception held in their
honor.
Sister Immaculata was Mother
Superior of the Sisters of Mercy in
Belmont from 1946 until 1951. She had
also served on the Community Council.
At the present time she is principal of
Sacred Heart Campus School in
Belmont.
Sister Immaculata is the sister of
Sister M. Comile Dulohery of Saint
Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah.
-- Sister Camille Collini, C.S.J., is
named pastoral associate of St.
Matthew’s Church, Statesboro, with the
specific responsibility of conducting the
Campus Ministry program at the
Newman Center at Georgia Southern
College, effective September 1,1975.
- Sister Michael Joseph Lyons,
R.S.M., is named Diocesan Archivist of
the Diocese of Savannah, effective
September 1,1975.
- Sister Mary Julian Griffin, V.S.C., is
named Vicar for Social Affairs for the
Diocese of Savannah, effective
September 1,1975.
- Father Michael Smith is named
Vicar for Education for the Diocese of
Savannah, effectively immediately.
Sister Camille Collini, C.S.J., is a
member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Carondelet. A native of Savannah, she is
well known in the Diocese, having
worked in Augusta as Religious
Education Coordinator at St. Mary’s on
the Hill, and this past in Savannah as
Auxiliary Parish Minister for the three
(Continued on page 5)