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Gejorgia
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 15 No. 7
Thursday, February 17,1977
$5 Per Year.
FIRST FOR ATLANTA
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This Archdiocese
Everyone thinks that the
Archdiocese is downtown. They
think it’s a building with a parking
lot around it, an office complex
that stores the complexities of a
Catholic Church system.
The Archdiocese, they believe,
can be pinpointed. And when the
going gets rough on a local level,
that’s the place to go. It will
provide the latest information on
the Pope’s most recent influenza
attack, Notre Dame’s gridiron
hopes for next year, a new
principal for the local school shy
of one, and the marginal
difference, money-wise, between
the finished and unfinished plant
extension. The Archdiocese,
they’ll tell you is that magic mine
where all Catholics go, or should
be able to go, when all other
avenues close down.
The Archdiocese, they
supremely believe, is that place
housing a Bishop who is there to
disseminate any and all answers,
cures, and the where-with-all for
existance. It is that marvelous
mecca of unending hope where
dreams come through when all
else fails.
Of course nothing could be
further from the truth. The
Archdiocese is a big piece of
ground AND the human touch. It
is a designated area where people
come together, not just to live,
but to live as brothers and sisters
inspired. The Church maps the
real estate, gives it a name and
appoints a Father to tend the
precious commodity. We call him
the Bishop. He in turn appoints
helpers, extensions of himself and
so parishes are bom. The process
continues and expands and the
Archdiocese soon bulges with
human activity, a brotherhood
unsurpassed and a chain of
support with hardly a weak link.
So, the Archdiocese is a
brotherhood. It goes and grows
every day. The strong help the
weak. The old give birth to the
young. The young become the
new. The process of help goes on.
More and more parishes growing
together, support groups all,
reaching into each others lives.
And not just into each other.
This massive mound of charity
injects pulsating life into other
heart-beat needs. It creates the
orphanage, the high school, social
services, family help organizations,
hospitals, mission activity,
educational know-how. All, are
direct offspring of the parish
system which, bunched together
using their resourcefulness, is
called the Archdiocese. It is all
around us wherever the Catholic
eye can see.
So the Archdiocese is not
downtown or uptown or across
town or any one other place. It is
all of us, working with our Bishop,
helping each other, to make the
Gospel message heard.
That’s what this Archdiocese
is!
PREPARING THE ASHES - In preparation for Ash Wednesday,
February 23, last year’s palms are burned. The priest blesses the ashes and
with the words “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.” or
“Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return,” he places a
cross on the forehead of each of the faithful.
LENTEN SERIES
‘Where Your Treasure Is’
Each of us, every day, makes decisions and choices which stem from the values we
hold and the standards we set ourselves in life. The Archdiocesan Lenten Program,
“Where Your Treasure Is .. .” makes use of the Lenten period to study some of the
values held by people in our society today.
Dr. Sidney Simon and other experts interested in value-clarification have come up
with many ways to help us identify our own values. The following two simple
exercises have been designed to deepen understanding of the notion of what a value
really is:
HIGHWAY SPEED: In the seventies we are all becoming more aware of the value of
our fuel resources and the need to conserve gas. The nationwide 55 mph speed limit
has been imposed to cut down on gas consumption. To see how much we value this
law in practice, check the following statements “yes” or “no.”
I freely choose to drive at or below 55 mph on the highways - it is not just fear of
punishment which governs me. YES NO
I know what the alternatives are. (Getting there faster, exceeding limit, possibly
being caught.) YES NO
I have thought carefully about my reasons for keeping within the limit and the
consequences of my action. YES NO
I really think it is important to keep within the limit. I am proud of it. YES
NO
I am willing to speak up, in public, about the need to keep to the speed limit.
YES NO
I always keep within the limit, and this has become a regular habit with me.
YES NO
According to the experts, something one values has to be FREELY CHOSEN,
among ALTERNATIVES, with thought given to the REASONS for the choice and its
CONSEQUENCES. It has to be something PARTICULARLY PRIZED OR
CHERISHED. And it is something which one ACTS UPON, in a CONSISTENT
manner.
If most of your answers to the exercise no. 1 were in the “no” column, it can be
assumed that you do not value highly the practice of driving at or below 55 mph on
the highways in order to save gas!
ASH WEDNESDAY: On Ash Wednesday Catholics all over the world will go to
church to receive the ashes on their foreheads. Their participation in this solemn ritual
represents the value they place on the practice of Penance and the importance they
place on their identity as Catholics. To identify your own values in connection with
this practice, mark each statement “yes” or “no.”
I have considered all the options involved (these might include not going to church
on Ash Wednesday, going only because “everyone else does,” going to give good
example, etc.). YES NO
I freely choose to participate and I am not doing so only because of encouragement
by family and friends. YES NO
I am proud of this particular ritual; it means a great deal to me. YES
NO
I intend to keep the Ashes on my forehead all day, in public affirmation of my
faith. YES NO
I always receive the Ashes on Ash Wednesday; this is a repeated practice for me.
YES NO
If most of your answers to this section were in the “yes” column, it can be assumed
that you place a high value on this traditional Catholic practice.
The Lenten Program takes five major areas of human experience - homes and
possessions, jobs and education, families, the world, and personality -- and makes some
observations about the value-judgements made in each. These values are then viewed in
the light of the Sunday scripture readings, and an attempt is made to place them in
Christian perspective.
Permanent Deacons Named
Archbishop Donnellan has named three candidates for the
Permanent Diaconate. The new Deacons will be ordained at the
Cathedral of Christ the King on Saturday, March 19, at 12
noon. They will serve in different capacities in the archdiocese.
The three named are Charles Moore of Immaculate Heart of
Mary; George Angelich of the Cathedral, and Thomas Zaworski
of St. Philip Benizi. All three candidates are married.
The new Diaconate program has been in the hands of the
Monsignor Beltran states that the Deacon “is an ordained
cleric who shares the order of the Priesthood. His ordination
commits him to serve in Word, Liturgy and Charity.”
The Vicar General further states that the Deacon “must not
become a mini-priest, a sub-curate or a well-honored layman.
His status lies in his call of service.”
The three candidates have been studying for this service for
three years. Some of their courses were taken at the Monastery
“Permanent Deacons” Is The Subject Of “Focal Point” In This Issue.
Monsignor Eusebius J. Beltran, V.G., Is The Author Of The First Of Two Articles.
Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Monsignor
Eusebius J. Beltran, pastor of St. Anthony’s in Atlanta.
Monsignor Beltran has written two articles on the new program,
the first of which appears in this week’s GEORGIA BULLETIN.
It is our “Focal Point” article in this issue.
in Conyers. The program, initiated by Archbishop Donnellan,
has been in existance in other dioceses throughout the country.
Permanent Deacons serve in parishes, hospitals and other
institutions served by the Church.
Catechetical Directory Work Progressing
Religious Educators and Youth
Ministers met at Corpus Christi in Stone
Mountain on Feb. 16 for the “COOL”
(Coordinating Our Leadership) meeting
held monthly for all persons in
Religious Education/Youth Ministry in
the archdiocese. This meeting focused
on the consultation process for the
National Catechetical Directory (NCD).
The staff of the Office of Religious
Education led the discussions in small
groups. Each group considered a
particular chapter of the NCD.
Suggestions and comments were
collected to be considered for part of
the final report that will come from the
archdiocese in March.
The Directory will provide
comprehensive guidelines for religious
education at all levels, in light of the
principles contained in the Vatican’s
General Directory. It is intended for all
who are involved in religious education,
including teachers, parents, and the
authors and publishers of catechetical
texts and materials.
In a report to the Bishops’ meeting
last November in Washington, D.C.,
Archbishop John Whealon of Hartford,
chairman of the Bishops’ committee
working on the document sketched a
timetable for completion of the project.
According to this plan, the latest
draft of the Directory was to be sent
out for consultation in the dioceses by
mid-December, with responses due by
the end of March. The document is then
to be revised further and sent to the
bishops for their comments in
September. Finally, the bishops will
vote on it at their November meeting. If
accepted, it will be sent to the Vatican
for approval before it is officially
published.
Archbishop Whealon said the current
round of consultation is intended to
emphasize the views of “the local
diocesan Church.”
“We are asking that the diocese work
as a unit and that the bishop be
specially involved,” he said. He urged
local meetings to collect
recommendations and data for diocesan
reports to be submitted by the local
Inside This Issue:
- Running for Congress
- New Church In Canton
- A New Brand Of Deacons
bishop along with the bishops’
comments.
The development of the Directory
has from the start been marked by a
consultative process extraordinary for
its breadth and intensity. Although the
consultation has slowed down the
preparation of the document, the
project’s planners feel the effort to
obtain the widest possible range of
suggestions has been worth the delay.
Three years ago more than 60,000
people around the country participated
in meetings on the Directory and
submitted their suggestions. These were
reflected in the first draft, published in
December, 1974.
That draft in turn was submitted to
an extensive review process culminating
in the spring of 1975 with 12 regional
meetings of the National Conference of
(Continued on page 8)
BviLLtf-ilv;
Mass For Slain Missionaries
Archbishop Donnellan will be the principal celebrant and the homilist at an 11 a.m.
Mass at the Cathedral on Sunday, February 20, for the seven missionaries slain in
Rhodesia.
Fourth Degree Exemplification
The annual Exemplification, of the Fourth Degree of the Order of the Knights of
Columbus will be held Saturday, February 26, in the grand ballroom of Atlanta’s
Century Center Motor Hotel commencing at 1 p.m. A formal banquet will be held in
conjunction with the Exemplification of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of
Columbus, whereby some 55 members of the Order throughout Georgia will be
inducted into the highest degree of that Catholic fraternal society. The Class is being
named in honor of the late Sir Knight John E. Hartken, who was a member of the
Archbishop Gerald P. O’Hara General Assembly of Atlanta for some 35 years.
$371 Billion For Arms
WASHINGTON (NC) - The nations of the world spent $371.26 billion on arms in
1975, according to a government report. This was fairly close to the amount reported
spent in 1974. But it marked a large increase over a 10-year period beginning in 1966.
That year, arms expenditures came to $183.99 billion. Even allowing for inflation
during that period, arms expenditures rose from the equivalent of $278.98 billion in
“constant 1974 dollars” in 1966 to $339.76 in “constant 1974 dollars” in 1975.
Editorial
Missionary
Martyrs
Priest Sentenced
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Vatican Radip reported here Feb. 8 that a Salesian priest
in Czechoslovakia has been sentenced to two years in prison for urging students to
listen to Vatican Radio broadcasts and for carrying out an active youth ministry.
Father Stefan Javorsky, 52, recently lost an appeal on an earlier court ruling which
condemned him to 13 months in prison and suspension from priestly functions for
two years. He now must undergo two years in the “reeducation section” of a
Czechoslovakian prison.
Asks Violence End
MADRID (NC) - Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Tarancon of Madrid has appealed for
an end to the recent rightist-leftist violence that has marred Spanish attempts at
democratization. “We call on all to join our prayers and commitment toward achieving
peace and unity among all Spanish citizens,” the cardinal said. He said attempts to
revive holdovers from the old regime under Gen. Francisco Franco, who died 15
months ago, “cannot be backed by the force of arms.” He added that no blueprint for
the future “can be established on blood.”