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PAGE 5 - The Southern Cross, May 7, 1987
Archbishop Donnellan Improves
Following Stroke
BY GRETCHEN REISER
ATLANTA — Archbishop Thomas Donnellan was in
stable condition and improving this week, following a
stroke he suffered at his residence Friday afternoon, May 1.
He is in intensive care at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta.
“There’s been a remarkable improvement in him in the
last few days,” said Monsignor John McDonough, vicar
general of the archdiocese, on Monday. Monsignor
McDonough is overseeing the ongoing work of the arch
diocese during the archbishop’s illness.
During a visit with him Monday, Archbishop Donnellan
assented to the appointment of Monsignor McDonough and
Monsignor Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints parish in
Dunwoody, as extraordinary ministers of Confirmation to
carry on, as normally as possible, the schedule of Confir
mation services in parishes, the vicar general said.
News of the archbishop’s illness spread throughout the
parishes last weekend as people gathered for Mass and
were asked to pray for the archbishop, who is 73 years old.
In the midst of a busy spring schedule, which included
many Confirmation ceremonies, the upcoming celebration
of the Cathedral’s 50th anniversary and participation in the
ecumenical National Workshop on Christian Unity, Arch
bishop Donnellan was principal celebrant last Thursday
night at the Mass dedicating the new St. Andrew’s Church
in Roswell. On Friday he had already cancelled weekend
and daily appointments and was resting at his residence. In
mid-afternoon he was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph’s
Hospital accompanied by Father James Schillinger, the
secretary to the archbishop. He was admitted at about 3
p.m.
Nancy Wood, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said
Wednesday that the archbishop had shown continued im
provement.
The archbishop’s attending physician described it as a
small stroke, Ms. Wood said.
Father Peter Ludden, chancellor, said that the stroke af
fected the right side, but that improvement in movement
was taking place. “There is speech impairment right now,
but that is improving,” he said.
Meeting with the archbishop on Monday, Father Ludden
said, “he does understand what is happening and is re
sponding very positively. We’re very pleased.”
Monsignor McDonough said his role as vicar general
would be to continue “the ordinary things in the absence of
the archbishop.”
“The things that have to be done will be done and we’ll
take it day after day,” he said.
Preliminary plans were being made Monday to take care
of the immediate needs, including the planned ordinations
on two Saturdays in May of 51 permanent deacons for the
archdiocese who are at the end of three years of prepara
tion for ministry. Bishop Raymond Lessard of Savannah
will be asked to ordain the deacons, if his schedule permits.
Monsignor McDonough said. Other bishops will be asked if
Bishop Lessard is unable to ordain the deacons as schedul
ed. “We decided not to postpone the ordination unless it is
absolutely necessary,” he said, adding that this was one of
the matters brought to the archbishop at the hospital.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the Cathedral was
Monday night with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago
as principal celebrant and Cardinal Jan Willebrands from
the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and
Bishop Lessard as concelebrants.
A native of New York City who was ordained to the
priesthood at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in June,
1939, Archbishop Donnellan will celebrate his 19th anniver
sary as archbishop of Atlanta this year. He was installed as
archbishop on July 16, 1968, after serving for four years as
bishop of Ogdensburg in upstate New York. A former
treasurer of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops,
he most recently served on a committee of five bishops
drafting a pastoral letter for the U.S. bishops on Catholic
social teaching and the U.S. economy. His sister, Nancy
Donnellan, also lives in Atlanta.
Among those briefly visiting the archbishop were Car
dinal Bernardin on May 5 and Cardinal Willebrands and
Bishop Lessard on May 6. Cardinal Willebrands and those
with him “offered a blessing” to the archbishop and “pro
mised to remember him in their prayers,” Father Ludden
said.
The archbishop received the Sacrament of Anointing of
the Sick when he was admitted to the hospital on May 1 by
hospital chaplain Father James Cummings, S.M.
The archbishop’s attending physician said Tuesday that
the archbishop was “alert” and “slowly improving,” Ms.
Wood said.
New York
Mass To Close Marist
Centennial
More than 360 Marist Brothers assembl
ed at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
last August 15-18 to open the celebration of
the 100th anniversary of their settling in
the United States. The centenary celebra
tion included special liturgies, panel
presentations, addresses by renowned lec
turers and social gatherings. Featured
guests were Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of
Chicago who presided over the opening
liturgy, and Brother Charles Howard,
Superior General of the Marist Brothers.
There are currently more than 7,000
BY BETTY FREE
“What Watt Are You?”
The other day I found myself replacing a
burnt out kitchen bulb. I smiled to myself
as I recalled a Retreat Master’s talk given
over 30 years ago. The title of the morning
conference was, ‘What Watt are You?” I
answered that question feeling I was at
least a 150 watt bulb As you can see I
didn’t lack self-confidence.
Since that time I’ve grown older and
hopefully somewhat wiser I have come to
the conclusion that the events surrounding
our lives require a variation of light bulbs
and wattages.
In our youth everything was a disco light
- colorful, alluring, free of fear and respon-
siblity.
As we matured and settled down in
perhaps a marriage and family, the disco
lights vanished. Our children viewed us as
a beacon guiding them through infancy
and childhood. Then came their teen years
filled with turbulence, temptations and
questions and they looked to U« for the
answers.
From time to time people ia flUr com
munity viewed us as a soft Fgttt, Through
our soothing and calming actions, perhaps
we were able to walk them through a per
sonal crisis in a loving compassionate
Christlike way.
Shakespear once said, “...all the world is
a stage.” We all know that stage lights are
Marist Brothers working in 70 Countries
throughout the world. The Congregation
was founded by Marcellin Champagnat in
1817. Dedicated to serving the Church, the
Brothers work primarily in education. The
Marist Brothers arrived in Canada in 1885.
A year later they opened their first school
in the United States in Lewiston, Maine.
Today the Marist Brothers have two-
United States provinces, one headquarted
in Esopus, N.Y. and the other across the
Hudson River in Poughkeepsie. The
Brothers of Aquinas High School, Augusta,
flood lights. Now this type of bulb is
anything but complimentary to our ego. In
this situation we have had to draw atten
tion to the virtues and good deeds of others
while we stood on the sidelines.
Let us not forget the small exit light
above doors. We have, or will be asked
through our sacrifices, prayers and ex
amples to lead someone down the dark cor
ridor of sin and despair reaching out to one
who has left the Church and feels God has
ceased to a part of his or her life only to
find by using the exit they will find Christ
waiting on the other side.
Last but not least is the flashlight bulb
used during a power failure. How often are
we called upon to be just that. A com
munication failure within our own family
may be disolved by shedding one ray of
light on the subject.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is
that sometime during our life span we will
assume the role from a beacon to a
flashlight. It’s not the size of the bulb, but
being willing to act within the “now mo
ment.”
Each type of bulb serves a specific need,
yet in itself is never the center of attention
but only an instrument.
In the first book of the Bible and
throughout, the importance of light is men
tioned. Let each day be for each of us a
Christogensis.
(Betty is President of Holy Family Court
cil of Catholic Women, Columbus.)
Ga. belong to the former. Last March that
povince opened a new mission in Liberia,
Africa.
The centenary celebrations which have
continued throughout this year will be
brought to a close on June 6th, 1987 when
John Cardinal O’Connor of New York will
preside at a Pontifical Mass in St.
Patrick’s Cathedral in that city. The Mass
will include a Departure Ceremony for
Brother Patrick McNulty, Assistant Prin
cipal of Aquinas H.S., and Brother Paul
Ambrose who will leave for Liberia in
September to join the four Brothers
presently in that new Mission.
Two boys from the first 1st grade (1919)
of the Marist School for Boys, Savannah,
are now retired as Brothers William
Gleason in Roselle, N.J. and Richard
Michel at Aquinas H.S., Augusta. Most
newsworthy, their first grade teacher,
Brother Joseph Abel, who also served as
principal of the school (31-33), and taught
at Aquinas H.S. (’57-61) will be honored on
the occasion of his 70th year as a Marist
Brother at a jubilee celebration this com
ing May 9th at Mount St. Michael H.S.
(4300 Murdock Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10466) On
the same day Brothers Mark and Regis
James who also taught at the Savannah
school will celebrate their 60th anniver
sary.
Other graduates of the Marist School,
BY CATHERINE FAGGELLA
MERCURY, Nev. (NC) — In an un
precedented action, two U.S. Catholic
bishops were arrested May 5 in an act of
civil disobedience protesting U.S. nuclear
weapons testing.
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of
Detroit and retired Bishop Charles
Buswell of Pueblo, Colo., concelebrated
Mass for some 250 anti-nuclear
demonstrators just outside the Nevada
nuclear test site near Mercury, then led 98
of the demonstrators across the police line
Savannah are Brother John Robertson
teaching in New York City and Brother
Joseph Teston, pastoral assistant at St.
Mary’s on-the-Hill, Augusta.
Preeminent among the graduates is
Bishop Andrew McDonald of Little Rock,
Ark. Also Father Thomas Payne of St.
Michael’s, Tybee.
All Marist graduates of the various
schools throughout the United States and
their families and friends are invited to at
tend the closing Mass in St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, N.Y.C., June 6th at 2:00 p.m.
News has been received at the Provin
cial House that a contingent of fifty
Japanese from Kobe and Kumomotto,
Japan will attend the Mass in St. Patrick’s.
The American Marist Brothers have
schools in both these cities. At Present
Brother Vincent Doughty of Augusta, Ga.,
and Old Boys Catholic is teaching at the
school in Kobe.
Anyone who wishes to receive a personal
invitation to the closing ceremonies in New
York should contact: The Marist Brothers,
Centennial Coordinator, 1920 Highland
Avenue, Augusta, Ga., or Call:
404-736-6486.
Tickets are needed - but available - for
anyone wishing to attend the Cocktail
Reception following the Mass. (4:30-7:00
p.m.) at The Catholic Center, 1011 First
Avenue, New York City.
to be arrested.
Joining the two bishops at the head of the
line was Benedictine Sister Mary Lou
Kownacki, executive director of Pax
Christi USA. She was also arrested.
At Mass Sister Kownacki read a
message from retired Bishop Maurice
Dingman of Des Moines, Iowa, expressing
his sorrow that he could not physically
cross the line and be arrested with them.
Bishop Dingman, confined to a wheelchair
because of a stroke last year, originally
planned to join the demonstration but was
told not to travel because of his health.
DCCW NOTES
Two Bishops Arrested
At Nuclear Test Site