Newspaper Page Text
OCTOBER 25 IS CONFRATERNITY SUNDAY
Newspaper Of The Diocese Of Savannah
Vol. 67 No. 37 Thursday, October 22, 1987 $ 10 Per Year
Archbishop Spent Lite "As Servant Pastor"
BY GRETCHEN REISER
ATLANTA — Archbishop Thomas An
drew Donnellan, eulogized as a bishop and
priest who “understood clearly the true
dimension of priesthood as a life of ser
vice,” has ended his years of earthly ser-
Catholic church deanery social service
agencies and their volunteers in south
Georgia helped 19,564 people during the
past year.
629 volunteers in different cities and
towns supplied clothes, paid utility and
rent bills, served in soup kitchens, made
food deliveries, provided medical
assistance and transportation, made home
visits and prison visitations, ran thrift
shops and provided programs for the
elderly.
They made home repairs, offered
English classes, translated mail, provided
gas for travelers, wrote letters for those
unable to read and write, and worked in
legalization efforts for aliens.
Their support provided scholarships to
allow children to attend Camp Villa Marie,
and took care of emergency hospital costs
for a family in difficulties.
The results are impressive, according to
Sr. Patricia Brown, SSMN, who is Director
of Social Ministry for the Diocese of Savan
nah. The efforts of groups of people in each
Deanery have made a real difference to
the lives of the poor.
vice to the archdiocese of Atlanta and the
Church he loved.
“He spent his life as a servant pastor
leading God’s people to fullness of life in
Christ,” Bishop George Guilfoyle, a
boyhood friend of over 60 years said in his
homily at the Mass of the Resurrection
At the same time, much remains to be
done. In fact, the problems faced by many
in our society seem to be growing, rather
than going away, Sr.Pat said in preparing
this article for The Southern Cross.
“There is a projection that the homeless
will number 18 million in the year 2,000,”
she told us.
“Problems seem to keep getting bigger
and the little bit of effort you put into
things never seems to be enough.”
“Last month all of our social service
centers have had a 100 to 300 per cent in
crease in calls for service. In a four-week
period the Catholic Social Services office
in Augusta gave away $1,000 in utility help
- that was before the cold weather came.”
“We have some compassionate
volunteers who are trying to feed the
hungry and clothe the poor and who don’t
understand where the problem is coming
from and have no way to combat it, or to
make tomorrow different from today.”
Root causes include problems such as
unemployment and the fact that the
welfare system in Georgia does not seem
to cover the needs of those who depend on
Oct. 20. The archbishop, who has served
the archdiocese for 19 years, died Oct. 15 at
the age of 73.
“Archbishop Thomas Donnellan was a
true father pastor and shepherd, remain
ing near his flock in all its needs, and
above all in its need for God,” Bishop
Guilfoyle said.
The Mass brought to a culmination four
days of services for Archbishop Donnellan,
which began Friday night, Oct. 16, with
Vespers and ended with the Mass con-
celebrated by many bishops and all the
priests of the archdiocese. The archbishop
was buried at Arlington Memorial Park in
Sandy Springs.
The Mass procession and gathering, as
did other services, showed the great diver
sity of people in his flock and their growing
numbers. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. under a
blue autumn sky, the procession extended
more than the length of the Cathedral of
Christ the King.
Behind the acolytes and lectors, sisters
representing 21 of the more than 30
religious communities serving in the arch
diocese stood in procession, followed by
over 50 permanent deacons in white, and
about 180 priests. The principal celebrant
of the Mass, Archbishop Pio Laghi,
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in the U.S., was join
ed by over 30 other bishops from around
the country, walking in procession behind
the priests.
The Cathedral was also filled with peo-
19,554 In S.
it. “In Georgia, AFDC is 71 per cent of
what a family needs to live on, and now
some are talking about taxing that,” she
said.
Archbishop Donnellan
pie from all walks of life, parish groups,
many other Religious, workers from the
offices at the Catholic Center, and
students. Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta
was seated in the section with family
members, friends and special guests. Dr.
Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference and Episcopal
Bishop Charles J. Child, Jr. of Atlanta join-
(Continued on page 2)
Georgia
“In the Atlanta area there is an increase
in the homeless families and I think that
family break up is one of the most signifi-
(Continued on page 2)
Appointments
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard has announced the following appointments:
Reverend J. Kevin Boland has been appointed Vicar Forane (Dean) of the Col
umbus Deanery for a period of three years, effective September 1, 1987.
Reverend Edward R. Frank has been appointed Vicar Forane (Dean) of the
Albany Deanery for a period of three years, effective September 1,1987.
Reverend Michael J. Cerrone has been appointed Administrator of Holy
Redeemer parish in McRae, effective October 1, 1987. Father Cerrone has also
been named Diocesan Director of the Spanish-speaking Apostolate.
Mr. Monserrate Ortiz of Augusta, has been appointed Lay Director of the
Spanish-speaking Apostolate in the Diocese of Savannah. He will work in col
laboration with Father Michael Cerrone.
Bishop Lessard, on presentation by Father Frank Ruff, President of Glenmary
Home Missions, assigns Brother Charles Kennedy, Glenmary, as pastoral
associate to Father Edward C. Haggerty of Claxton, with residence in Glennville,
effective October 18,1987.
'A Heart Renewed"
Week Two:
Faith And Human Differences
People, and how we relate to them, are certainly one of the basic building
blocks of everyone’s daily life both at home and on the job. They are real dif
ferences in people. We have different educations and different kinds of jobs. We
come from small families and large ones, from big cities, small towns and farms.
We are different races, and different religions and different nationalities.
These differences can cause tension and division, even violence. We have seen
much of this in our century. But God has made us all “In His Image.” All are call
ed to be His family in the world. How do we deal with people different from
ourselves? This is the focus of our second week. Bishop Lessard has constantly
said that in his judgment “racism” is the most pervasive sin in our diocese, so we
give this special attention.
Social Ministry Serves
