Newspaper Page Text
Newspaper Of The Diocese Of Savannah
Vol. 65 No. 32 Thursday, September 19, 1985 ^ er ^ ear
Solemn Re-opening Of Cathedral
Re-Opening Mass - September 15
Jesup • Hinesville
Conventual Franciscan Friars In Diocese
Under a formal agreement which has recently been an
nounced by Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, the Conventual
Franciscan Friars will take over the responsibility for St.
Joseph’s parish, Jesup, and its mission of St. Stephen,
Hinesville, for a period of three years.
, Father Gabriel Fox, OFM Conv., has taken up his posi
tion as pastor, replacing Father Thomas Campbell, the
Diocesan priest who has been assigned to Jesup and
Hinesville for the past four years.
Two more Friars are expected to arrive at a later date, to
minister to Catholics in the area of Wayne, Liberty and
Long Counties.
In accepting the new responsibility, the Conventual
Friars hope to become active in evangelization, making the
Church present in the rural and coastal areas. Father
Juniper Cummings, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial, Pro
vince of Our Lady of Consolation, has indicated that the
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OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS
The following clergy appointments have been announced
by Bishop Raymond W. Lessard:
REV. THOMAS E. CAMPBELL, Pastor, St. Joseph s,
Jesup and the Mission Church of St. Stephen, Hinesville, is
appointed Associate Pastor of St. Anne’s Church, in Colum
bus, and Christ the King Mission, Hamilton, effective
September 15, 1985.
REV. GABRIEL FOX, OFM, CONV. is appointed Pastor
of St. Joseph Church, Jesup, and St. Stephen’s Mission,
Hinesville, effective September 15, 1985. This appointment
is made in association with Rev. Juniper Cummings, OFM,
Conv., Minister Provincial, Province of Our Lady of Con
solation, Conventual Franciscan Friars.
BY JOHN E. MARKWALTER
Catholics from the city of Savannah and throughout the
diocese were joined by friends and civic and religious
dignitaries at the Mass, September 15, marking the Solemn
Re-opening of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The
Cathedral had been closed since May 1984 for major struc
tural repairs.
Archbishop Pio Laghi, Papal Pronuncio in the United
States, was the principal concelebrant of the Mass being
joined by the archbishops, bishops and priests attending the
ceremonies. Archbishop Laghi also blessed the Cathedral’s
new altar and delivered the homily.
In his homily, Archbishop Laghi said, “Beauty seems to
bridge the gap between the infinite and the finite. That is
why the mysteries of faith are best expressed in the sym
bolism of the fine arts. That is the reason church architec
ture and the ecclesiastical arts, from the first markings on
the walls of the catacombs, from the great cathedrals and
shrines of Europe to contemporary church art, are so im
portant to Christian culture and Christian civilization.”
The pronuncio said that some people nurture the feeling
that it is not proper to build an impressive church because
God is not impressed whether His Faithful gather to wor
ship Him in a stable, in a barn, or in the Basilica of Saint
Peter in Rome. “But,” he said, “we must not lose sight of
the fact that churches are built to satisfy man’s needs not
God’s. Creating beauty is the concrete expression of man’s
spiritual aspirations. The beauty created by man provides
a unique devotional setting in which man can worship the
beauty of God. Man needs beauty and art to inspire him to
worship in a manner worthy of the creativity God has given
him.”
“Saint John the Baptist Cathedral, refurbished and eager
to welcome all into its midst, becomes a total expression of
the unique community of Christians who have made Savan
nah and its environs their home. It is their Church. It is a
memorial to those who came before, and a testimonial to
the people of today,” the pronuncio said.
Archbishop Laghi said:
—The Cathedral of a diocese can be called a Chair of
Faith, for it is from this seat that the head of the diocese,
the bishop, exercises his ministry.
—The Cathedral can also be referred to as the Chair of
Ministry. This church is the center, the “Mother Church” of
the diocese.
—The Cathedral is also the Chair of Service. It is the
heart and head of the diocese as well as the nerve center
through which the church serves the community.
—The Cathedral is a Chair of Unity—a unity of faith, a
unity of love, a unity of brotherhood—an undivided source
I of grace which reaches beyond race, creed, color.
| —The Cathedral is the Chair of Peace. It is a place where
§ both the devout parishioner and the casual passerby may
o pause to contemplate a thing of beauty and find a brief
■< respite from the cares and distractions of today’s hectic
l life.
1. “Saint John the Baptist Cathedral takes its place once
* again in the heart of Savannah—a chair of faith, love, ser-
o (Continued on Page i>)