Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, February 22, 2001
One Faith... One Family:
Diocese of Savannah, 1850-2000
Paula, Bridget and Deidre Devlin
peruse One Faith... One Family.
One Faith... One Family: Diocese of Savannah
1850-2000, copyright 2000, Catholic Diocese of
Savannah, with introduction by Bishop J. Kevin
Boland, costs $30.00. and is available from the
parishes and select book stores or by mail from
the Diocese of Savannah.
By Margaret Brown
4 4 /'"'vn behalf of everyone here at SMA, we
V^/thank you for the copy of your most en
joyable history of Savannah Diocese. It is a fine
work, interestingly written and very attractively
compiled. It is also very gratifying to see the work
of SMA, and so many other devoted organizations,
mentioned in this spirit-filled volume.”
This response, sent by Linda Telesco, Media
Director for the Society of African Missions in
Tenafly, New Jersey, reflects the reaction of many
Name:
One Faith ... One Family:
Diocese of Savannah
1850-2000
A 350-page commemorative book NOW IN PRINT
Order form
Address:
City:
State: Zip:
Phone:
Parish:
Please send me
copies of One Faith... One Family @ $30 per copy.
Enclosed is mv check for $ for copies, plus for home delivery ((a) $8.00 per copy, if
desired; otherwise books will be sent to your parish office).
Return form to:
Catholic Pastoral Center
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA 31401
This commemorative book is also on sale at: E. Shaver Booksellers, 326 Bull Street, Hannah Banana
Bookstore, 4515 Habersham Street, and Saints & Shamrocks, 309 Bull Street, all in Savannah.
readers of One Faith... One Family: Diocese of
Savannah 1850-2000. The book, published for the
sesquicentennial, represents a great deal of work
by writers all over the diocese who contributed
articles about the story of Catholicism in south
Georgia.
Beginning with the early colonial days when a
network of Spanish missions stretched southward
to the Florida border, the book works its way
through the Revolutionary days and the Civil war,
and tells the story of events from the Civil war to
the new century.
For the 20th century, the book dips into the tur
bulent days of anti-Catholicism and the Ku Klux
Klan, looks at the work of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association, explores the contributions of Camp
Villa Marie and the heyday of the mission priests
who visited Catholic communities in southwest
Georgia in the early days. The final section exam
ines the expansion of Catholicism since Vatican
II, the role of the church in the civil rights era, the
growth of the permanent diaconate, and today’s
new outreach to the Spanish-speaking. -
Contributing to the information are priests and
people of the different parishes and missions of
the diocese, school principals and faculty, hospital
administrators, experts and non-experts, students
as well as professors.
The result is a useful guide to 150 years of
Catholic experience, giving a patchwork of stories
enlivened by sketches and photographs. Not a
cumbersome work of scholarship, it is a handy
reference, something to stir memories and stimu
late the interest. It is necessarily incomplete—
those who read will be encouraged to fill in the
gaps—but it is a great place to start, for the histo
ry-lover!
Margaret Brown is a graduate of Belmont
Abbey College.
knew the importance of solitude
Jesus
By Ticki Lloyd
ave you ever thought of getting in touch
with yourself? You can do it. It’s simple.
Periods of solitude are important. Being alone
puts us in touch with God and ourselves in a way
not possible when we’re surrounded by others.
It takes courage to go away alone and feel and
see who we are. Henry David Thoreau taught us
at Walden Pond 150 years ago that solitary
times in our lives can enrich our spirituality.
Living in the moment sharpens our perception
of God.
Every Christmas when all the glitter has been
packed away, I get the doldrums. Thumbing
through the Bible for an answer to my feelings,
I came upon the story of Jesus telling his dici-
ples to “go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret”
(Matthew 6:6). I read on, “Come away to a
deserted place all by yourselves and rest a
while” (Mark 6:31).
Jesus knew the importance of being alone. His
ministry was one of prayer, love, action and
serving. While I don’t have a mountain to
climb, I do have an ocean and a beach only
eight miles from my home.
Sometimes we think the spiritual path is only
for bald-headed monks or others in seclusion
constantly chanting prayers for us. On the
beach, I found otherwise. Getting close to God
is for everyone. I found the beach to be a per
fect place for solitude, especially at this time of
the year. I ran, I jogged, I laughed, I cried and I
kicked the waves. As the roaring waves washed
over my shoes, I felt an awareness of joy, and a
sense of mystery connecting myself with God.
In this spiritual place, sacred moments came
alive. I wasn’t bothered by anything that has
been, or will be. I gave myself completely to
God’s presence.
During this period of soul-liberating, I discov
ered what I need and what I can do without. I
believe there’s an intensity in solitude that
brings everything into spiritual focus. When
we’re alone with God, it is easier to go with the
flow of who we really are. Solitude gives us an
opportunity to practice the real presence of God
in each moment. I didn’t pray any formal
prayers—My surroundings were my prayers.
For a change, I didn’t ask God for anything. He
spoke to me in the roaring of the waves in the
flapping of seagull wings. How could I be alone
and not “feel” God? How could I look at fluffy
white clouds overhead and not see angels? How
could I feel the damp sand beneath my feet and
not realize the firmness of the earth?
I watched in wonderment as the magic of the
sun glistened across ocean-washed waves. Baby
sand-crabs wobbled their way to safety in a
non-stop flight. It was then that I realized how
important life is in the eyes of God, not just for
human beings, but for all of his creatures, large
and small.
Ticki Lloyd is a member of Saint Francis
Xavier Parish, Brunswick.