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i
YOUR
PRIZEWINNING
NEWSPAPER
SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
diocese of Atlanta
VOL. IV, NO. 15
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1966
55.00 PER YEAR
APRIL MEETING
Synod Committee
Reports Listed
In Five Areas [/
ON APRIL 4 a group of priests
met with Archbishop Hallinan at
the Cathedral Center, This was
a regular meeting of the Area
Chairmen and those who act as
liaison for the Sisters and Lay
Congresses. Those who were
present, therefore, represented
a cross-section of the Clergy as
well as the Laity and Sisters of
the Archdiocese of Atlanta,
Five months ago on December
6, 1965, Archbishop Hallinan
read and published a document
convoking an Archdiocese Syn
od for November of 1966, A
synod in a diocese is a consul
tative body which is called into
existence by the Bishop. Church
law directs that every diocese
should have such a synod every
ten years. Inasmuch as Atlanta
was established as a separate
diocese on November 8, 1956,
the time is now at hand for our
first synod. In addition to the
law, Vatican II has urged fre
quent dialogue and open com
munication between all mem
bers of the Church. Our Synod
of 1966 will therefore be a re
sponse to both the Church Law
and the Spirit of Vatican II,
In effect, a synod sets the tone
for the growth of the Church in
a given diocese. It does this by
examining local needs and re
sources; by recognizing oppor
tunities and looking to the fu
ture with courage and vision.
It stands to reason therefore
that such an important event as
a synod requires great prepara
tion. The agenda must be read
ied in advance by committees
that study and expound particu
lar topics. These committees
were formed last December and
have been meeting regularly.
Their efforts have resulted in
very fruitful and practical sug
gestions and norms. This was
evident at the meeting of April
4th at which time the Area
Chairmen gave full reports of
the various committees and the
work they have done.
FOR THE sake of clarity, the
reports are made under five
general headings or areas:
AREA I - THE ARCHDIOCESE
0 F ATLANTA: Monsignor Moy-
lan, chairman of this Area gave
a detailed account of the five
committees in this grouping.
These committees pointed out
that the Church of Atlanta, as
a part of the Universal Church
and image of the ecclesial com
munity, participates in the
growing process of the entire
Church. The Church is the ex
tension of Christ in the world.
Its Clergy, Sisters and Laity
must realize their role as am
bassadors of Christ. Where the
people are, where the problems
of society are, there the Church
must be. Catholics are a min
ority in the North Georgia com
munity. This has many advant
ages because it throws us into
the community. Because of it
we must cooperate with others
to accomplish the work of Christ
today especially with other
Christian Churches. We do not
have by ourselves the potential
to do all the work that needs
to be done, therefore we must
work through existing institu
tions.
AREA II - THE PARISH, THE
LIVING CELL - is under the
chairmanship of Monsignor
Michael J. Regan. Monsignor
Regan's committees explained
that the Parish is a family; the
Pastor serves the role as Fath
er and head. As in a free
family relationship, not only
are advice and counsel, discip
line and firmness present, but
also responsibilities are dis
tributed with maturity. Thus the
parishioners should be fully
informed on the state and af
fairs of the Parish. School
boards and finance committees
should be established on a ro
tating system. United in their
love of the Eucharist, pastors
and lay people are called to
make continual efforts to renew
the Parish in charity, so that it
shines more brightly as the sign
of Christ, attracting all men.
The overall aim, then, of each
parish in the Archdiocese of
Atlanta should be: a shared
mission of priests and laymen
of spreading die "good news"
to the community.
AREA III - PRIESTS AND
PEOPLE: MonsignorJosephG.
Cassidy, Chairman. The com
mittees of this area are con
cerned with the liturgy and the
sacraments of the Chruch.
Through an exposition of the
ministry of the priests and the
nature of the sacraments, it is
hoped that we shall help each
other share in God’s gifts. Each
committee is seeking to arouse
in their fellow Christians - es
pecially in the Archdiocese of
Atlanta - a fuller awareness of
the reality of Christ's presence
and action in and through the
sacraments.
AREA IV - CHRISTIAN FOR
MAT ION: Father Vincent Bren
nan of Marist College, Chair-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
FATHER EUSEBIUS Beltran discusses synod committee reports with Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan.
CHRISTIAN BROTHER
Calls Catechetic Revival
‘Half Of A Revolution’
CHICAGO (NCy—A Christian
Brother said here the cateche
tical movement in the U.S. is
half way toward a revolution.
Unless it goes all the way, it will
die of self-strangulation, he
warned.
The movement is inurgent
need of more, notless, theology,
Brother Gabriel Moran, F.S.C.,
of Manhattan College, New
York, told a session of elemen
tary school teachers at the Na
tional Catholic Educational As
sociation convention at McCor
mick Place here (April 12).
He said that the catechetical
movement needs an internal
principle of self-criticism.
That principle must be theolog
ical. Without it there will be
"newer and more attractive
textbooks, more and more mys
terious catechetical language,
bigger and better national con
ferences," but the opportunity
for a.major breakthrough in re
ligious education will have
passed.
‘THERE IS nothing so stale,
nothing that weighs so heavily
upon human life and progress,
as a half-perfected revolution,”
he stated.
He told the educators they
should not be surprised if many
persons are unenthusiastic
about catechetical develop
ments which "we have already
begun to cake in a new eso
teric language.
"Instead of criticizing our
new ideas, we try simply to de
fend and to implement them.
Thus we settle for something
less than real revolution,"
Brother Gabriel said.
THE EDUCATOR acknowled
ged that the U.S. catechetical
movement has made great
strides. He said that the influx
of Scripture and liturgy into re
ligious teaching was a real gain.
But he warned against "mis
taking these first steps for the
whole revolution."
'The widespread assumption
today that it is the use of scrip
tural and liturgical material
that will improve religion
teaching is not quite accurate
...Religious education in which
children are inserted into a
tradition of scriptural-liturgi
cal symbolism is..inadequate
for our age.
"Teachers should not aim to
acquire a knowledge of Scrip
ture and liturgy but aim to at
tain an integrated theological
understanding,” Brother Gab
riel stated.
HAVE THEY not heard that
the theologians made a contri
bution to the Second Vatican
Council?" he asked.
"Much of what is going on in
catechetics today is while
professing not to be—highly an
ti-theological and thereby an
ti-intellectual," he stated.
The Christian Brother told
first-grade teachers who say
they don’t need theology that
they are fooling themselves at
the children’s expense. ‘The
only way you will avoid teach
ing them a lot of bad and water
ed-down theology is to know
some good theology yourself,’’
he said.
"rr IS A fallacy to suppose
that the lower the level of in
struction the less the theologi
cal preparation needed. If it
were up to me, I would have
the most theologically compe
tent people teaching the little
children," he asserted.
Brother Gabriel acknowled
ged that some religious orders
apparently would disagree with
him on this point.
IN THE ARCHDIOCESE
Lay Congress Unit
Preliminary Report
Asks 6 Departments
ORGANIZING the Archdio
cese of Atlanta into six depart
ments is part of the program
recommended in a preliminary
report of the Lay Congress
Committee on Administration.
E ach department would be head
ed by a policy making board
consisting of lay and clergy
members and in some cases
sisters as well. It is proposed
that lay members be in the ma
jority on most of the Boards.
The committee has also rec
ommended extensive lay partic
ipation in parish administra
tion.
G. Albert Lawton, Chairman
of the Committee, stressed that
this was a preliminary report
of the Ad Hoc members which
is now under study by the full
committee consisting of about
one-third of the delegates and
alternates elected to the Con
gress by the parishes. The
report is also being studied in
parish meetings and is subject
to revision before it is sub-
rrfitted to the full Lay Congress
membership on May 20-22.
Under the proposal, financial
matters would clear through a
proposed Department of Ad
ministration made up of seven
members, with a majority se
lected from the laity. The Chan
cellor of the Archdiocese would
be secretary of the Department
of Administration, which would
coordinate and in some respects
supervise the financial affairs
of all parishes as well as all
other proposed Archdipcesan
Departments. The Committee
also recommended that the
Archdiocese hire a lay comp
troller to work under this De
partment.
THE OTHER proposed depart
ments would include Social
Services, Development and
Planning, Pastoral care. Com
munications, and Education and
Youth. The committee recom
mends that each parish have a
somewhat similar organization,
using laymen of experience and
ability, and providing an or
ganized means for all the laity
in each parish to make their
thoughts known concerning par
ish administration and life.
The Lay Congress Commit
tee on Education, headed by
Samuel McQuaid, has also sub
mitted a study by its Ad Hoc
members to all elected dele
gates and alternates. Like the
others, this report is being
studied by a full committee and
at parish meetings, and will be
revised by April 19. The Com
mittee recommends the Arch
diocesan Board of Education,
'“having the purpose of estab
lishing policy subject to the ap
proval ofthe Archbishop." Par
ish school boards are also rec
ommended. The Committee
cites the need for a Secretary
for Education to devote his full
time to administration of the
Archdiocesan and parish edu
cational programs, including
not only primary and secondary
schools but adult education and
CCD courses.
In a detailed discussion, the
Committee on Education sug
gested a review of teachers’
salaries, incentives to qualified
lay teachers, training programs
for teachers, and an adequate
hospital and ' income protection
insurance program. Consid
erable attention was given to
strengthening the program of
the Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine, and emphasis was
placed on adult education, es
pecially education of parents.
The third report was submit
ted by the Committee on Future
Expansion and Development,
headed by Henry L. DeGive. The
first recommendation of its Ad
Hoc report is to "section" at
least larger parishes into man
ageable units of the parish map.
"Units would be developed
which could live, work and wor
ship together.’ A committee
of laymen in each paish would
draw the lines for the sections,
and then a plan would be estab
lished for sectional meetings
in private homes - to include
weekday Masses, Scripture
services and social events.
THE COMMITTEE on Future
Expansion and Development
recommended to the Committee
on Administration that it ‘Tree
the priests from all adminis
trative responsibilities so that
they may exercise their priest
hood in teaching the word of
God, administering the sacra
ments, and in spiritual guid
ance."
A fourth committee, called
Steering, is working up pro
cedures for consideration of
these reports in the parishes
and at other committee meet
ings, and for operation of the
Congress itself on May 20-22.
James W. Callison, President
of the Lay Congress, comment
ed on these three reports by
observing that they represented
many hundreds of hours of
study, and that they contained
many more details than men
tioned in the summary above.
He urged all Catholics in the
Archdiocese to speak to their
parish delegates about the pre
liminary reports.
All suggestions should be
signed, or course.
Mr. Callison particularly
stressed the importance of the
parish meetings, however, be
cause the object is to obtain a
consensus of parish thinking,
not just a number of individual
thoughts.
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FATHER ARTHUR, O.F.M.,
Pastor of the Shrine of the Immn-
culate Conception is pictured at blessing the New Entrance Ramp.
This long desired no-steps entrance, executed by James Giglio,
Architect, and Parishioners and Friends of the Shrine, is now
a reality.
AD ALT ARE DEI UPDATED
Archbishop To Get
At Scout Conference
THE MOST REVEREND Paul
J. Hallinan, archbishop of At
lanta, will be honored at the
closing dinner of the 19th Na
tional Conference of Diocesan
Scout Chaplains and Diocesan
Lay Chairmen that is being held
this week at the Dinkier Motor
Hotel here in Atlanta. Arch
bishop Hallinan will receive a
special Ad Altare Dei emblem
in gold, bearing his coat of
arms.
. More than 150 priests and
Catholic laymen from all parts
of the nation are taking part in
the conference presided over by
by the Most Reverend William
G. Connare, bishop of Greens-
burg, Pennsylvania, the epis
copal moderator for Boy Scout
ing. He will give the invoca
tion at the dinner and make
presentations.
A major portion of the con
ference was devoted to the total
revision of the program leading
to the Ad Altare Dei emblem.
This is the recognition available
to Boy Scouts of Catholic faith
for their knowledge of and ser
vice to the Church.
THE CATHOLIC Scouter De
velopment—a program of spir
itual formation of Scout lead
ers—will also be reviewed and
updated.
Arrangements for the con
clave were made by Rt. Rev.
Msgr. Gregory L. Mooney of
New York, chairman Qf the
Chaplains’ Commitee. He was
aided by Rev. Richard B. Mor
row, archdiocesan Scout chap
lain for the archdiocese of At
lanta.
The opening session Monday
saw three orientation meetings.
One was for new chaplains,
another for laymen, and the
third for experienced chaplains.
THE FIRST SUBJECT relat
ed to the fourth and fifth chap
ters of the Constitution on the
Church (Second Vatican Coun
cil) to the Work of the Dioce
san Committee.
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Charles
Award
Woods, archdiocese of Phila
delphia, spoke on this topic be
fore new chaplains; Joseph P.
Brennan of the archdiocese of
New York spoke to the laymen
and Rt. Rev. Msgr. J.E. Schmit,
diocese of Toledo, addressed
experienced chaplains.
The second subject was the
Decree on the Apostolate of the
Laity (Second Vatican Council)
and Its Significance to the Dio
cesan Committee on Scouting.
Rev. Francis P. Kenny, arch
diocese of Omaha, spoke on this
before the new chaplains; R. G.
Fournie, archdiocese of St.
Louis, addressed the laymen
and J. J. Nietmann, Jr., diocese
of Rockville Centre (N.Y.) spoke
to experienced chaplains.
G. SAM ZILLY of the arch
diocese of Detroit spoke on
vVhat the Layman Expects of
the Chaplain before new chap
lains; Very Rev. Msgr. L. F.
Meyer, archdiocese of St.
Louis, addressed the laymen
on What Does the Chaplain Ex
pect of the Layman, and Frank
Stewart, diocese of Kansas City
—St. Joseph (Mo.), spoke to ex
perienced chaplains on The
Layman Looks to the Chaplain,
Josef P. Kessler, district
Scout executive at Kansas City,
Mo., spoke to new chaplains on
The Boy Scouts of America
Looks at the Chaplain. William
H. Condon, diocese of Trenton
(N.J.), coordinator of Special
Services in the Relationships
Division, Boy Scouts of Ameri
ca, addressed thelaymenonThe
Boy Scouts of America Looks
at the Diocesan Committee.
Rev. James A. Dirker, diocese
of Steubenville (Ohio), spoke to
experienced chaplains on Is It
Time for a Change?
On Tuesday Rev. Robert E.
Schmidt of San Antonio, Tex.,
spoke on the Ad Altare Dei em
blem that was earned last year
by 11,716 Boy Scouts of Catho
lic faith.
A Concelebration Community
Mass was celebrated Tuesday
through Thursday. Most Rev.
William G. Connare, D.D., bish
op of Greensburg, spoke at the
luncheon Tuesday.
AT A POTPOURRI PANEL
during dinner Tuesday, Rev.
Henry J. Nicolaus, of Newark,
N.J., spoke on Junior Leader
ship; Rev. Daniel Peil of Fort
Wayne-South Bend, bid., talked
on Interracial Dimensions; Rt.
Rev. Msgr. J. E. Schmit, of
Toledo, Ohio, spoke on Voca
tions; and William H. Condon, of
T renton, N.J., talked on Break
through for Youth.
Very Rev. Msgr. Earl Whalen,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, , spoke on
the Catholic Scouter Develop
ment program Wednesday
Here
morning. Workshop sessions
followed.
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Gregory L.
Mooney will chair the business
meeting Thursday morning
(Apr. 14).
AT TODAY’S luncheon, Rev.
John B. Brady of Washington,
D.C., was toastmaster. The Ad
Altare Dei emblem, imbedded
in lucite, was presented to 21
men who have served as dio
cesan Scout chaplains from 10
to 30 years. Seven clergymen
were honored for 15 to 20
years of service. Eleven who
have completed 10 through 14
years as diocesan Scout chap
lains were also honored.