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First African-American elected president
Bishop Wilton Gregory
By Patricia Zapor
Washington (CNS)
O n the second day of their fall
general meeting in Washing
ton, the U.S. bishops elected the
first African-American to serve as
president of their conference,
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of
Belleville, Illinois.
They also elected other officers
and committee chairmen and chair-
men-elect, discussed the church’s
role in the world following the
September 11 terrorist attacks and
heard presentations on the Vatican’s
recent instruction on liturgical
translation.
Bishop Gregory, 53, was elected
president for a three-year term on
the bishops’ first ballot at the Hyatt
Regency on Capitol Hill. He has
been vice president for the past three
years, and is the first African-Ameri
can and the first Catholic convert to
be elected president of the U.S. bish
ops in history.
The bishops also elected Bishop
William S. Skylstad, 67, of Spo
kane, Washington, as vice president
and Archbishop James P. Kelleher
of Kansas City, Kansas, as treasur
er-elect. The term of the current
secretary, Bishop William B. Friend
of Shreveport, Louisiana, does not
end until 2003.
Among those elected to commit
tee leadership were Miami Auxili
ary Bishop Thomas G. Wenski to
head the Committee on Migration;
Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of
of U.S.C.C.B.
Washington to head the Committee
on Domestic Policy, which closely
follows congressional actions; Chi
cago’s Cardinal Francis E. George,
as chairman-elect of the Committee
on Liturgy; and Bishop John H.
Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee,
Florida, as chairman-elect of the
Committee on International Policy.
Savannah Bishop J. Kevin Boland
was voted chairman-elect of the
Marriage and Family Life Com
mittee.
The election was held during the
bishops’ November 12-15 fall gen
eral meeting, their first as the
USCCB, operating under new
statutes that call for all officers and
chairmen to be elected a year in
(Continued on page 11)
Catholic education administrators meet in Savannah
T he Chief Administrators of Ca
tholic Education (C.A.C.E.) of
the National Catholic Education As
sociation held their annual meeting
in Savannah from November 4-8.
Educators from across the United
States enjoyed the hospitality of the
Hostess City during their annual
meeting last week at the DeSoto
Hilton Hotel.
Chief Administrators of Catholic
Education (CACE), a branch of the
National Catholic Education As
sociation (NCEA), comprises of
fices of Catholic School leadership,
Total Catholic Education and Direc
tors of Religious Education.
The theme of the annual meeting
was Continuing the Catholic Educa
tion Odyssey: Communicating the
Spirit Connecting the Values
Creating Communities.
Ms. Carole Eipers gave the
keynote address entitled “2001: A
Grace Odyssey.” Eipers addressed
the responsibility of the catechist or
educator to acclimate those they
serve to discipleship and to respon
siveness to God’s grace.
In the wake of the September
tragedy, participants also spent time
reflecting on the responsibility of
the leader to foster attitudes of
peace and justice.
Bishop J. Kevin Boland celebrated
a Mass for Peace and Justice on
Wednesday reminding participants
that as they have been sealed with
the Spirit it is their duty to communi
cate that spirit in word and action.
In his closing remarks, Matt
Hayes, Vice President of CACE,
noted that “the Odyssey contin
ues... on into the mission of educa
tion. It is our prayer that all who
have been sealed with the Spirit will
welcome the challenges of this new
millennium.”
Savannah Catholic Schools super
intendent Sister Rose Mary Collins,
SSJ, assistant superintendent Sister
Joan Felicia O’Reilly, IHM, and
director of religious education Ann
Pinckney hosted the event.
Left: Sister Joan Felicia O’Reilly, IHM, assistant superintendent of
Catholic Schools, enjoys a lighter moment at the homily of closing
Mass of the C.A.C.E. annual meeting at the Cathedral of Saint John the
Baptist, November 7. Right: Keynote speaker Carole Eipers got the
group’s attention for her talk, “2001: A Grace Odyssey” by dressing up
in a NASA flight suit.
A “stewardship parish”
—page 6
Canine Task Force visits
Saint Mary’s Home
-page 7
Vets’ monument
rededicated
—page 12