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ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA
SERVING GEORGIANS 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
VOL. 6, NO. 46
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1968
New Slant On
Clothing Drive
The Annual Catholic Relief Services Thanksgiving Clothing
Drive will have a new look this year. For the first time, members
of other religions have been invited to participate in and give
support to the Drive, which runs from November 17 - 30. Father
Jerry Hardy, Archdiocesan Chairman for the Drive reported that
he had approached both the Christian Council of Metropolitan
Atlanta and the Atlanta Jewish Welfare Federation and had
received enthusiastic support from both groups. The Christian
Council through its Social Service Division has endorsed the
Drive and has urged member congregations to take part in it. Mr.
James Johnson, Pastor of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church and
Chairman of the Social Service Division of the Council, has been
handling the coordination of the Council’s involvement. Mr.
Mike Gettinger, General Secretary of the Atlanta Jewish Welfare,
has already pledged active support for next year’s effort. Since
many synagogues have been over-extended during November
with the national convention here in Atlanta, they will not be
able to take an active part this year.
Father Hardy explained the development of the new approach
to the twenty year old drive this way: “It just seemed like the
logical approach. So when I was setting up the plans, 1 checked it
out, approached Harmon Moore at the Christian Council and
Mike' Gettinger at the Atlanta Jewish Welfare. They seemed so
enthusiastic and encouraging over the whole idea that it only
took a little time for the details to firm up. I’m deeply grateful
to Jim Johnson who has done a lot to make things click through
the Council’s area meetings.”
The procedure for the clothing collection is the same as in the
past. Any usable clothing, bedding, or shoes is dropped off at the
nearest Catholic Church. There, it will be sorted, packed and
shipped to New York City. From there, the clothing will go to
help needy people of all races and religions in 70 countries. No
distinctions are made on the basis of race, creed, color, or
national origin.
“The need is Ecumenical, so the approach to fill the need
ought to be too,’ Father Hardy said. “Poverty has no respect for
denominational labels. Besides that, here is a concrete
humanitarian opportunity to give practical expression to the
brotherhood we talk about. I’m sure there will be others where
we can take part in “help” programs sponsored by other religious
bodies, like the toy collection drive Father Scherer is setting up
in conjunction with the Christian Council. This year’s
arrangements may entail a little more work as those of other
faiths join their Thanksgiving clothing bundles with ours. But
ecumenism is like that. It will cost us a little something extra as
we work to make it a reality. But the practical good that can
come from our working together will be a bargain at that price.”
Any inquiries or questions should be directed to the Chancery
Office, telephone number 261-1000.
Washington Meeting
Pastoral Defends Life,
Humanae Vitae Doctrine
WASHINGTON-The bishops of the United States have spoken on the
“doctrine and defense of life” in a 14,000-word pastoral letter
prompted by the current “threat to life in certain problems of the
family and of war and peace.”
In a pastoral entitled “Human Life in Our Day,” issued at the
conclusion of their annual meeting here (Nov. 11-15), the bishops
deal first with the family, where “man and life are first united,” and
say “the Christian family is called more now than ever to a prophetic
mission, a witness to the primacy of life and the importance of
whatever preserves life.”
pastoral is “precisely the doctrine
and defense of life.” Their aim,
they add, is to set forth “what
faith has to say in response to the
threat to life in certain problems
of the family and of war and
peace.”
The bishops call Pope Paul Vi’s
encyclical on birth control,
Humanae Vitae, “an obligatory
statement, consistent with moral
convictions rooted in the
traditions of Eastern and Western
The wide-ranging document is
divided into two chapters. The
first, “The Christian Family,”
deals with the issue of
contraception and other
problems facing the family today.
The second, “The Family of
Nations,” takes up questions of
war and peace and international
relations.
In their introduction the
bishops say the purpose of the
On Saturday
Atlanta Serrans
To Host District
St. Mark’s
By Damon J. Swann
1 Archbishop Thomas A.
Donnellan will be the feature
speaker at a Serra Club banquet
on Saturday evening at the 1968
Fall Convention of the 18th
District of Serra International.
The Archbishop will speak oh
priestly vocations and the Serra
club.
As the Serra Club of
Metropolitan Atlanta hosts the
three day convention at the
Atlanta American Motor Hotel it
Clarkesville Church
DedicationOn Sunday
The Most Rev. Thomas A.
Donellan D.D., J.C.D.
Archbishop of Atlanta will
dedicate the new church of Saint
Mark in Clarkesville on Sunday
afternoon, November 24th at 2
p.m.
The Rev Mert McMahon,
pastor of St. Mark’s, in
announcing the dedication
ceremony said that the ceremony
will be a truly civic affair with
invitations given to all of the
residents of Clarkesville, to
attend both the dedication
ceremony and the reception.
Services were first held in
Clarkesville in 1961 through the
generosity of the Clarkesville
Lions Club in the Community
House. In 1964 the catholic
Community of Clarkesville was
established as a parish and the
Rev. Bernard Quinn was named
first pastor.
In 1963 a building fund was
initiated and plans were
Fr. Gigliello
In Hospital
Father Xavier Gigliello C. Ss.
R. (Lt. Col. Ch. C.) Post Chaplain
at Fort McPherson, Atlanta has
been admitted as a patient at
Walter Reid Hospital in
Washington, D.C.
Father Gigliello’s mailing
address is: Detachment of
Patients, Walter Reid Hospital,
Washington, D.C.
formulated for the construction
of a church building. Father
William Ashdown succeeded
Father Quinn in 1965 and
remained as Pastor until 1967.
Under Father Ashdown’s
leadership- construction was
begun on the now completed St.
Mark’s Church.
Through the generosity of the
Habersham Mills Foundation, the
Catholic Church Extension
Society, the Archdioc ■se of
Atlanta, the parishioners of St.
Mark’s and many Clarkesville
residents the latest addition to
the ever growing number of
churches and chapels in the
Archdiocese of Atlanta was made
possible.
Mr. Ralph Hill was contractor
of the building.
See Picture on Page 9
will also be observing its 14th
anniversary as a charter club in
Serra International. At the same
time Serra International, founded
in 1935, is observing its 33rd
anniversary.
The Serra movement had its
inception February 27, 1935 at
an informal luncheon of Seattle,
Washington business and
professional men
It was Archbishop Gerald P.
O’Hara who gave enthusiastic
approval of the organization of
the Serra Club of Metropolitan
Atlanta in 1954, the year seven
Serrans were in the organization
process. 1955 was the year of
chartering of the Atlanta Serra.
Much of the inspiration to
Serrans in their work comes from
the priesthood itself and most
luncheon speakers are priests. In
the club’s 14 years it has had the
inspiration of three priests as
chaplains. The first chaplain was
Monsignor James J. Grady,
deceased. He was succeeded by
Father R. Donald Kiernan, who is
now chaplain emeritus. Father
Jerry Hardy, vice chancellor of
the Archdiocese of Atlanta, is the
present chaplain.
The convention of the 18th
District of Serra International is
scheduled for Friday, Saturday
and Sunday of this week. Other
speakers will include John A.
Donahue of Chicago, assistant
executive director of Serra
International; and Frank C. Byrd
of Memphis, a trustee of Serra
International. Both will present
phases, of Serra’s national and
international programming for
encouraging vocations to the
priesthood.
•Christian faith; it. is an
authoritative statement solemnly
interpreting imperatives which
are divine rather than
ecclesiastical in origin, lt presents
without ambiguity, doubt or
hesitation the authentic teaching
of the Church concerning the
objective evil of that
contraception which closes the
marital act to the transmission of
life, deliberately making it
unfruitful. United in collegial
solidarity with the Successor of
Peter, we proclaim this doctrine.”
“The encyclical reminds us,
“the bishops add, “That the use
of the natural rhythms never
involves a direct positive action
against the possibility of life;
artificial contraception always
involves a direct positive action
against the possibility of life.
Correspondence with the natural
rhythms remains essentially
attuned to the unitive and
procreative intent of the conjugal
act even when the spouses are
aware of the silence of nature to-
life.
“There are certain values which
may not oblige us always to act
on their behalf, but we are
prohibited from ever acting
directly against them by positive
acts. Truth is such a value; life is
surely another. It is one thing to
say that an action against these
values is inculpable, diminished in
guilt, or subjectively defensible; it
is quite another to defend it as
objectively virtuous.”
The pastoral recognizes that
“married couples faced with
conflicting duties are often
caught in agonizing crises of
conscience,” and says the bishops
make their own the
compassionate counsel Pope Paul
VI gave in his encyclical.
“We feel bound,” the bishops
add, “to remind Catholic married
couples, when they are subjected
to the pressures which prompt
the Holy Father’s concern, that
however circumstances may
reduce moral guilt, no one
following the teaching of the
Church can deny the objective
evil of contraception itself. With
pastoral solicitude we urge those
who have resorted to artificial
contraception never to lose heart
but to continue to take full
advantage of the strength which
comes from the Sacrament of
Penance and the grace, healing
and peace in the Eucharist. May
we all ' be mindful of the
invitation of Jesus: ‘The man
who comes to me I will never
turn away’ (John 6, 37).
Humility, awareness of our
pilgrim state, a willingness and
determination to grow in the
likeness of the Risen Christ will
help to restore direction of
purpose and spiritual stability.”
The bishops also point out that
“even responsible dissent does
not excuse one from faithful
presentation of the authentic
doctrine of the Church