Newspaper Page Text
A
1'
f-
History Of The Archdiocese
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29)
men were encouraged to pattern
themselves after the Diocesan
Council and organize their spi
ritual and temporal activities
under the committee structure
designated by the Bishop. In
1962 the Archdiocesan Council
was sub-divided into Northwest,
Northeast and South Deanery
Councils, which held organiza
tional meetings in February,
1963 at Rome, Gainesville and
Hapeville, respectively. The
president of each Deanery
Council is a vice-president of
the Archdiocesan Council.
Youth Work
In July 1957 the Atlanta Dio
cesan Council of Catholic Youth
was formed with representa
tives from most of the parishes
of metropolitan Atlanta. Rev.
Leonard F.X. Mayhew was ap
pointed Director of Youth. On
October 27 the Council spon
sored its first public demon
stration, a Youth Holy Hour
at the Cathedral of Christ the
King. Other annual diocese
wide functions of the Youth
Council have been the Vocation
Rally, the summer Fiesta, and
workshops for parish C.Y.O.
officers. A highly successful
athletic league for upper grade
boys and girls, and encourage
ment of scouting by annual pre
sentation of Altare Dei and
Marian awards in a Cathedral
ceremony, are other fields of
activity in the formation of our
youth.
Catholic Schools
Since the education of youth
is always a primary concern of
the Church, the parish schools
have evidenced the same rapid
growth that has characterized
all the activities of the Atlanta
diocese. Marist College, for
over 50 years a landmark in
mid-Atlanta, found it necessary
to relocate and move to ex
panded facilities in the North
east suburbs. In May 1957 the
Bishop announced purchase of
land on the Northeast Express
way for the first diocesan, co
educational high school, and St.
Pius X was opened in Septem
ber, 1958. Thefacultywasmade
up of nuns from four teaching
communities - Notre Dame de
Namur, St. Joseph of Caronde-
let, Sisters of Mercy of the
Union, and Grey Nuns of the
Sacred Heart, as well as lay
teachers.
In December, 1959, the Bis
hop blessed the building and
grounds of a new academy for
girls, D’Youville, to be taught
by the Grey Nuns of the Sacred
Heart. In June, 1963 construc
tion was begun on a new build
ing as an addition to the Aca
demy.
In September 1960 what is
now St. Joseph High School
opened on Courtland Street as
an annex of the first diocesan
high school. The following year
plans were announced for
Drexel High School in St. Paul
of the Cross parish, to be
taught by Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament and of St.
Joseph.
Under the guidance of Msgr.
Cornelius Maloney, then Su
perintendent of Schools, Our
Lady’s Day School for excep
tional children was established
at 44 Hunter St. S.W. Atlanta
to care for those afflicted by
MARTIN WORK (center) of the National Council of Catholic
Men met with the Atlanta officers of the Archdiocesan Council
of Catholic Men. Seated (left to right) with Mr. Work are
Lewis Gordon and the Spiritual Moderator, Father John Staple-
ton. Standing are James Callison and the President, Paul Smith.
mental retardation. In Septem
ber, 1964 this school was mov
ed to facilities at Drexel High
School.
Recognition of-the importance
of the diocesan school system
came when the first principal
of St. Pius X, Rev. James L.
Harrison, was named to the ex
ecutive committee of the Geor
gia Association of Independent
Schools.
School Desegregation
On December 13, 1959, in the
midst of growing tension over
the future of the public school
system of Atlanta in the face
of court orders to desegregate,
Bishop Hyland issued a state
ment urging that the schools, be
kept open. On February 14,
1961, an important pastoral let
ter read simultaneously in all
Catholic pulpits of the dioceses
of Atlanta, Savannah and Char
leston, S.C. attacked the racial
segregation problem by declar
ing that all Catholic schools
would be open to all Catholic
pupils regardless of race not
later than the time that the pub
lic schools were opened to all
pupils. ’’The heart of the race
question is-moral and reli
gious,” the bishops wrote,”...
it concerns the rights of man
and our attitude toward ourfel-
low man.”
On Sunday, August 27, 1961,
shortly before the desegre
gation of the public school sys
tem of Atlanta, the Diocese of
Atlanta observed a Day of Pray
er for Law and Order. The Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass was of
fered in each parish for the
peaceful achievement of de
segregation and special pray
ers were said by all the faith
ful.
The following year, on Pen
tecost Sunday, June 10, a pas
toral letter was read at all
Masses in the churches of north
Georgia announcing complete
desegregation of the Catholic
schools of the Archdiocese as
of September 1, 1962. Shortly
thereafter, Archbishop Hallinan
issued an admission policy af
fecting Catholic hospitals in the
Archdiocese. It stipulated that
assignment of hospital Space to
patients will be made on the
basis of medical and surgical
need and that there would be no
separated section for any racial
group.
Human Relations
Under the St. Martin’s Coun
cil on Human Relations, a panel
set up in 1963 by the Archbishop
to study racial relations and
promote understanding, a 3-day
conference was held at the
Hilton Inn near the Atlanta Air
port beginning September 9,
1965. Keynoting this Southern
Catholic Leaders Conference on
Social Change and Christian Re
sponse, Archbishop Hallinan
said that the Church must bear
the "burden of conscience” if
it is to transform society in
these days of moral indifference
to racial and social justice.
Five bishops and several hun
dred priests, nuns and laymen
in key positions in Southern dio
ceses attended the meeting,
which included clinics and
workshops specializing in the
problems created by the impact
of the Civil Rights Act in Sou
thern communities.
Catholic Hospitals
An important part of the work
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 31)
Saints Peter and Paul Parish
Decatur, Georgia
Wei
corned
IPSKBBraa
■ ip
1
FATHER MICHAEL MANNING is puctured at May rites honoring the Blessed
Mother on the church grounds.
BISHOP JOSEPH L. BERNARDIN