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s Y.'VJ'Z’ Sou ☆ Diocese of, Savannah ☆ hem (loss fl rsfci VSTc^ I8SO *& 2000 Diocese of Sswasaft Vol. 80, No. 15 $.50 PER ISSUE Thursday, April 13, 2000 Contents Headline Hopscotch 2 News 3 Commentary 4-5 Youth Ministry 6 DDA 7 Faith Alive! 8-9 Notices 10-11 Last But Not Least 12 South Georgia’s Catholics celebrate 2,000 years of Christianity, 150 years of Diocese of Savannah Although there was just a hint of rain in the air, it didn't dampen the spirits of more than 1,500 Catholic Christians who gathered at Waycross' Saint Joseph Church on March 18. Participants came from as far away as Hinesville and Valdosta as the Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery celebrated the Jubilee Year 2000. A part of the Diocese of Savannah, the Deanery also commemorated the founding of the Diocese 150 years ago and the coming of Catholicism to south Georgia more than 400 years ago as Jesuit priests missioned in the area from Saint Augustine. Saint Joseph Parish was formed in 1871, three years before the city was chartered. Bishop J. Kevin Boland was the principal celebrant at the Jubilee Mass. By Larry Purdom Waycross s the 2000 Census hopes to provide America with a snapshot of the nation, a “snapshot” of Catholicism in south Georgia was provided here Sunday, March 18. With Pope John Paul II declaring the year 2000 as a Jubilee Year for Catholics worldwide, more than 1,500 gathered at Saint Joseph’s Church, Waycross, on that day to celebrate the extended Catholic family in south Georgia. Representatives from 18 parishes and missions heard Bishop J. Kevin Boland issue a call to cele brate 2,000 years of Catholicism. With many people of Hispanic heritage moving into south Georgia, the Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery, of which Saint Joseph Church is a part, is warmly welcoming these new residents, many of whom were baptized and reared as Catholics in their native lands. As part of this welcome, the Mass was celebrated partly in English and partly in Spanish on the grounds of the Waycross church. Special singing was provided for the throng of worshippers by Ms. Mayalu Ortega and Saint Joseph’s Spanish Choir. Saint Francis Xavier’s Life Teen band from Brunswick also offered bilingual music. The large number of African American parish ioners in the Catholic congregations of south Georgia were also welcomed, with special prayers to erase bigotry and racism. Although rain threatened throughout the event, only a couple of small showers sprinkled the crowd, leading Bishop Boland to remark light- heartedly from the temporary lectern that he wouldn’t have to worry about “sprinkling you with Holy Water today. Mother Nature is already doing that.” Of special interest was the return to Saint Jo seph’s of Father Charles Roland, former pastor there, who had spent the last year in Mexico. He is now at Saint Margaret Mary in Adel. The crowd was welcomed by Father Jim Kirch- ner, current pastor of Saint Joseph’s. Mrs. Frankie Baird of Waycross served as overall chairperson for the convocation. (Continued on page 7) Hispanic Catholics carry image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.