Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 64 No. 38
Thursday, November 1,1984
$10 Per Year
Macon Renewal Conference
Some Challenged ... Some Affirmed ...Others Jolted
BY TETHEL BROWN
Some were challenged, some affirmed and still others
jolted.
Few if any of the 400 participants attending the annual
Spiritual Renewal Conference held last weekend in Macon
left Mount de Sales High School untouched by the stirring
presentations of Abbot David Geraets, or the uplifting
prayer sessions of the Rev. Liam Collins, or the speical
Reconciliation service, or the Mass led by Bishop
Raymond Lessard.
“I came more or less for inner healing and spiritual
renewal of my soul,” said Virginia Scharhag, a member of
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Brunswick. “It’s
very uplifting for me.”
She was not the only one traveling great distances.
Besides the Diocese of Savannah, participants came
from several neighboring dioceses including ones in
Atlanta, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina,
according to Sister Mercedes Sullivan, conference
coordinator.
For more than eight hours, spread over an evening and
one day, the group heard assessments of a Christian’s
approach to a healthy spiritual life. Presentations were
made by Abbot Geraets and leaders of four workshops.
A Christian’s quest for inner healing and inner strength
must be sought daily, speakers said. It is an on going
process - sometimes requiring struggle and always
requiring clear thinking and an open heart.
“In order for us to be Christians, to be viable in our
journey into the kingdom, we need two things,” Abbot
Geraets said. “We must have a vision, a reason to live, a
reason to stay alive. We must have some idea of where
we’re going. And, we need to have someone to love us
while we’re on our way.”
AUGUSTA
' STATESBORO \
BRUNSWICK lQ
To meet the urgent need posed by the
emergency repairs to Cathedral of St.
John the Baptist k lah, this year’s
Confraternity of Laity Appeal is
combined with the Cathedral Fund drive, for
a total target of $2 million.
To remind Catholics of the work that is
carried out by the Diocese year round, with
assistance from the Confraternity collection,
THE SOUTHERN CROSS is running a series
of articles on four top priorities: Spiritual
Renewal, Religious Education, Social
Ministry and Youth Ministry.
See page 2 of this issue for our Special
Report on Youth Ministry.
That vision and that reason for being - introduced in
Friday night’s opening session by the abbot -- was a point
raised throughout three other presentations by him.
For more than 10 years, Abbot Geraets has served as
abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of
Guadalupe in Pecos, New Mexico. It is a unique
monastery where religious and lay men and women serve.
The monastery is known for its renewal programs, and
Abbot Geraets is known throughout the world for his
retreats, counseling, spiritual direction programs and
evagelization.
“As I travel the country one of the biggest problems I
find among people is depression,” he told the group
Friday night. “People don’t know where they come from.
They don’t know where they are nor do they know where
they’re going. They don’t have a vision.”
Too many people lead routine lives that center on going
to work, going to lunch, going home and having sex, he
said.
“If that’s all there is to your life, then you ought to be
depressed. If that’s all, then we’re nothing but beasts.
That’s why charismatic renewal programs can be
embraced. They can give you meaning, give you a vision. ”
With urgency in his voice, he later added, “If you don’t
have a vision, get on your knees and pray until you get
one. Get a purpose for living. I mean something more than
a job, more than a profession - something that you can
take out of life.
“Secondly, move into your vision . . .Because if you
(Continued on page 3)
Georgia Pastor
Father W. Francis Korzinek, a member of the Glenmary
Home Missioners of Cincinnati, died Mondy, October 29
at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer. He was
pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Vidalia-Lyons, until he
returned to Cincinnati several weeks ago. He was also
pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption, Sylvania, from
1976 - 1982.
Father Korzinek was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on
September 26, 1924. After attending St. Francis Seminary
in Milwaukee, Mt. St. Mary of the West Seminary in
Norwood, Ohio, and Our Lady of the Fields Seminary in
Glendale, Ohio, he was ordained to the priesthood on May
17, 1953.
Glenmary, established in 1939, is a religious society of
priests and Brothers dedicated to serving the Catholic
minority, the unchurched, and the poor of rural and
small-town America. During his 31 years as a priest,
Father Frank served in a variety of positions integral to
the development, support, and continuance of the
Glenmary apostolate.
His major assignments included the following:
Novice master 1953-’66; pastor of St. Francis Church in
Franklin, North Carolina, 1966-’68; Assistant Director of
the Glenmary Mission Office in Fairfield, Connecticut,
196 8-’70; pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Big Stone
Gap, Virginia, 1970-’76; and pastor of Our Lady of
Assumption Church in Sylvania, Georgia, 1976-82. After
completing a Year of Renewal in July 1983, he was
named pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Vidalia-Lyons, a
post Father Frank held until this past autumn when his
health necessitated his return to Glenmary headquarters in
Ohio.
The wake service will be at 8 p.m. on Monday,
November 5 at Our Lady of the Fields Chapel, located on
the grounds of Glenmary headquarters. Mass of Christian
Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 6 at 10
a.m. at Our Lady of the Rdsary Church in Greenhills,
Ohio. Father Frank will lie in state at the church for one
CONFERENCE SPEAKER ~ Abbot David
Geraets was the principal speaker at the Savannah
Diocese’s Spiritual Renewal Conference held last
weekend in Macon. See Story and photos on page
3. (Photo by Kevin Dockrell)
hour before the Mass. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven
Cemetery in Montgomery, Ohio.
Father Frank was the son of Theadora (Kroes) and
Frank Korzinek. One of five children, he is survived by his
brother, Father Richard of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; a sister,
Mrs. Robert (Geraldine) Bottling; and another sister, Mrs.
Peter (Mary) Donahue, both of Racine, Wisconsin.
Another brother, Eugene, also of Racine, died in 1979.
Fr. W. Francis Korzinek
Father W. Francis Korzinek Dies