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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 15 No. 27
Thursday, August 4,1977
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ARCHBISHOP THOMAS A. DONNELLAN Joseph J. Beltran, Pastor of All Saints, is in the
congratulates James Biesenberger of Doraville. Father background.
First Lay Ministers At All Saints
BY VATICAN^
Communion In Hand Approved
Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan has
deputized 29 Extraordinary Ministers of
the Holy Eucharist to serve the All
Saints Catholic Parish in Dunwoody.
The day, July 16, marked special
significance to Archbishop Donnellan
because he was celebrating his ninth
anniversary as Archbishop of Atlanta.
He approved the lay ministers appointed
from one of the newest parishes in the
archdiocese and welcomed them to
accept their spiritual responsibilities.
The archbishop read appropriate
passages which proclaimed that after
being duly instructed in the reverence of
the Sacrament, the Extraordinary
Minister should distinguish himse.lf by
his Christian life, faith, and morals. “Let
him strive to be worthy of this great
office; let him cultivate devotion to the
Holy Eucharist and show himself as an
example to the other faithful by his
piety and reverence for this most holy
Sacrament of the altar.”
He asked the newly-deputed ministers
to dedicate themselves to the spiritual
good of the faithful and to realize that
their ministry is a service to the
congregation. The first group to be
deputized at All Saints Parish consists of
James and Pat Biesenberger, William
Cody, Carol and Gregory DeLucca,
Joseph and Roseanne DiBenedetto,
Kathleen Dirr, Jo Ann Doyle, Edward
Eurek, Kenneth and Mary Goryn, John
Hennick, James Hunt, Donald and
Geraldine Kopp, Ronald Kurtzer,
Richard Lockert, Richard Lucey, Irma
Matson, Deonne Pleggenkuhle, Barbara
Shanahan, Betty Spencer, Raymond and
Janet Stuermer, Rene Thompson, Fran
Waller, and Robert and Dolores
Zabroske.
July marked the beginning of several
other facets of the All Saints Parish. A
Singles Club was organized to include
everyone from age 18 through 30,
including college students home for the
summer. Plans are underway to establish
their program of activities.
The Youth Group, whose program
was outlined this month, is well on its
way. The teenagers have already had an
outing to the Theatre of the Stars and
have become organized enough to start
building up their club’s treasury by
having a bake sale. Their activities for
August include outings to Six Flags and
a baseball game and involvement in the
Parish Picnic at the site of the new
church on Mt. Vernon Ro&d.
The Women’s Guild celebrated a
“first” for its organization in July.
Approximately 85 ladies of the parish
participated in a Pot-Luck Luncheon
where they feasted on the culinary
talents of all who attended. Carol
DeLucca, President of the Guild,
introduced the officers and committee
chairmen and welcomed the ladies into
the Guild. Mrs. DeLucca advised all who
were present that each lady of the
parish becomes a member of the Guild
automatically, and she encouraged
active participation on the various
committees.
Also on the social side of All Saints
activities was the annual choir party
when the All Saints Choir hosted choir
members from Corpus Christi in Stone
Mountain. Over 75 people enjoyed the
hospitality at the Parish Center on
Sandell Drive. After a buffet dinner, the
two groups became “One” in song.
WASHINGTON (NC) - The Vatican
has granted permission for U.S.
Catholics to receive Holy Communion
in the hand if they want to do so.
Local bishops will have to decide
whether to put the practice into effect
in their dioceses after a period of
instruction. Archbishop Joseph L.
Bernardin, president of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops
(NCCB), said in a letter to U.S. bishops
that instruction materials are being
prepared by the NCCB Committee on
the liturgy, chaired by Archbishop John
Quinn of San Francisco, and would be
available in August.
The archbishop said that the optional
practice could begin on Nov. 20, the
Solemnity of Christ the King, but that
local bishops may choose to introduce it
earlier or later - or not at all.
The Vatican response came in an
“indult” from the Sacred Congregation
for the Sacraments and Divine Worship,
which was forwarded to the U.S.
bishops by Archbishop Bernardin.
“After consultation with the
Committee on the Liturgy, it is
suggested that the optional practice of
receiving Communion in the hand be
introduced on Nov. 20, 1977, the
Solemnity of Christ the King,” the
archbishop wrote.
“It is understood, of course, that
each Ordinary is free to introduce this
practice or not,” he added. “Moreover,
the suggested date is only a target date.
Another date - either earlier or later -
may be established by an Ordinary who
wishes to do so.
“However, given the complexity of
distributing the materials in the United
States and the fact that any effective
catechesis can hardly begin until after
Labor Day, November 20 would appear
to be an appropriate date for the
majority of dioceses,” Archbishop
Bernardin said.
The U.S. bishops requested
permission for Communion in the hand
in June following a lengthy debate on
the issue at their spring meeting in
Chicago. More than two-thirds of the
bishops eventually voted in favor of the
proposal, which had been introduced by
the NCCB liturgy committee. The
deciding votes were cast by mail.
Since 1969, the Vatican has granted
such permission on request to nearly 50
countries or episcopal conferences
throughout the world, including those
of Canada, Mexico, England and
Ireland.
The vote at the bishops’ spring
meeting this year in Chicago was so
close that eligible voting members who
did not attend the meeting were asked
to vote by mail. At least 183 affirmative
votes were needed for the required
two-thirds majority, and eventually 190
bishops favored allowing Communion in
the hand.
The vote in Chicago followed a long
debate, with bishops on both sides of
the issue arguing that respect for the
Blessed Sacrament would be enhanced
by adoption of their views.
Foes of Communion in the hand
argued that any change would diminish
reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and
would give in to those who have already
been using Communion in the hand in
defiance of Church law in the United
States.
Backers of the change said, however,
that when a law is regularly violated
disrespect is engendered for law in
general. They said that confusion exists
because Communion in the hand has
been introduced in about 50 countries.
Two earlier proposals for
Communion in the hand - in 1970 and
1973 - had failed to gain the necessary
two-thirds vote. The bishops had
declined to discuss the issue at meetings
in 1972 and 1976. The defeats,
however, did not stop the practice from
becoming widespread in some parts of
the country.
World Charismatics Gather
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NC) - Thousands of Catholics, Protestants, Pentacostals and
Messianic Jews met in Kansas City July 20-24 for the 1977 Conference on Charismatic
Renewal in the Christian Churches. It was the first meeting of its kind, and conference
organizers called it “a major step forward on the road to Christian unity.” A message
from President Jimmy Carter climaxed the conference.
An estimated 50,000 persons, about half of them Catholics, gathered for the unique
event.
During each day, denominational activities were held for Catholics, Baptists,
Episcopalians, Lutherans, Mennonites, Pentacostals, Presbyterians, United Methodists,
Messianic Jews and nondenominational Protestants.
Each night, the participants came together for general sessions in Arrowhead
Stadium, where cheers for football players are normally heard, and filled the air
instead with waving arms and shouts of praise to God.
At the closing general session July 23, a telegram from President Carter was read in
which Carter asked for prayers.
“I ask for prayer for me,” the telegram read, “that I may make the right decisions
toward bringing about world peace and better understanding among the different
nations and different beliefs. Please pray for human freedom and that liberty may be
enhanced by the teachings of Christ. Please remember that I need you and your
support of prayer in the days to come.”
The reading of the telegram brought cheers and applause, followed by several
minutes of prayer in response to the President’s request.
Catholics concluded their activities Sunday, July 24, with a Mass in Arrowhead
Stadium while other denominations held separate worship services in other locations.
Miami Archbishop Dies
MIAMI (NC) - Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll of Miami, 72, died during the early
morning hours of July 26 at his home in Miami of complications due to a vascular
disease. He will be succeeded by Archbishop Edward McCarthy.
‘Not Serious’
BERLIN (NC) - Cardinal Franz Koenig of Vienna said in an interview with a Berlin
radio station that Communist governments in Eastern Europe are not serious about
removing obstacles to practicing Catholicism in their countries.
Official
Arckkiskop’s Office
756 Weil Peachtree Street, N. W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
The Holy See, on June 17,1977, granted to the Bishops of Dioceses in the
United States the faculty permitting the distribution of Holy Communion in
the hand. In accordance with this permission, all Catholics receiving
Communion in the Archdiocese of Atlanta may choose to receive
Communion in the hand, or in the traditional manner in which the Host is
placed on the tongue. The new faculty will take effect in this Archdiocese on
November 20,1977 ... the Solemnity of Christ, the King.
Theological and liturgical instruction on this matter will be given in each
parish of the Archdiocese prior to the introduction of the new method of
administering Communion. A Catechesis is being prepared by the Committee
on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and materials
for this catechesis will be made available in August. They will be distributed
with appropriate directives by the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission.
It is important to note that the new method will be optional .. . and the
choice will be made by the person receiving Communion.
OFFICIAL
Cumming Is New Parish
The continued growth in the number of Catholic families in an area north of
metropolitan Atlanta, makes it appropriate to elevate to full parish status a
community that has until now been a mission. The Church of the Good Shepherd in
Cumming has been serving the Catholic faithful, first in small numbers since its
opening in January 1975. Both the numerical size and the active presence of the
Church in the Cumming area have increased markedly since that time.
Opening on a site purchased in late 1974, the Cumming Mission was first led by
Father Thomas Kenny as pastor of Saint Michael’s Church in Gainesville, the mother
parish which Catholics of the area had attended for so many years. On May 13,1975,
Father Alan Dillmann was named Priest-in-Charge of the Cumming Mission and its
sister community in nearby Buford where the Church of the Prince of Peace was also
recently dedicated. In Juiy 1975, four Adrian Dominican Sisters began work in the
area as an outreach service of Catholic Social Services.
If view of these factors, the appropriate consultations with neighboring parishes
were completed and a recommendation was made by the Archdiocesan Board of
Consultors that the mission in Cumming, known as the Church of the Good Shepherd,
become a full parish with Father Alan Dillmann as pastor, retaining the Buford mission
of Prince of Peace.
Having had the benefit of these deliberations regarding the spiritual good of the
area, I hereby decree that the Cumming Mission is, by virtue of this document,
established as the Parish of the Good Shepherd. The effective date of this decree is
August 1, 1977.
The boundaries of the parish area are as follows:
EASTERN BOUNDARY: 1-85 from the Gwinnett-Barrow line to Old Peachtree
Road;
SOUTHERN BOUNDARY: Old Peachtree Road from 1-85 to Scales Road to the
Chattahoochee River;
NORTHERN BOUNDARY: Friendship Road from Lake Lanier to 1-85;
WESTERN BOUNDARY: Includes all of Forsyth County.
Those members of the faithful living within this area are members of the Parish of
the Good Shepherd. They face the challenge of continuing to work to complete their
already substantial beginnings and impressive accomplishments, giving the Church in
this area an increasingly more visible and viable presence as the Servant of all of God’s
People. To them I extend my congratulations, best wishes, and prayers that the Lord
will continue to bless what together with them, He has begun.
Given this 1st day of August, 1977.
The principal celebrant at the closing Mass was Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens of
Malines-Brussels, Belgium. With him at the altar were four other bishops - Bishop
Joseph McKinney, auxiliary of Grand Rapids, Mich., episcopal adviser to the National
Service Committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the United States; Bishop
Maurice Dingman of Des Moines, Iowa; Bishop Kenneth J. Povish of Crookston, Minn.;
and Bishop Nicholas D’Antonio, in exile from Honduras.
In a message beginning the final celebration, Ralph Martin, director of the
international communications office of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Brussels,
called on Catholics to be “fully Catholic and fully ecumenical.”
He said the ecumenical unity of the charismatic renewal, as demonstrated in Kansas
City, “is going to have reverberations” in official ecumenical dialogues.
(Continued on page 3)
Missionary Denied Visa
RECIFE, Brazil (NC) - Thomas Capuano, a lay Catholic missionary from the United
States working for a Mennonite mission in Recife, left for New York after the
Brazilian Ministry of Justice denied him a renewal of his visa, saying his “presence is
inconvenient to the country.”
‘Administrative Confusion’ Blamed
BOSTON (NC) - A Boston archdiocesan school official blamed “administrative
confusion” for a federal decision to withhold $10.8 million from Boston schools since,
according to the government, the city has not submitted proof that Boston’s Catholic
schools do not discriminate against blacks. Albert Leigh, archdiocesan grants
administrator, also hit press treatment of the story as misleading.
Most Reverend Thomas A. Donnellan
Archbishop of Atlanta
Inside This Issue:
French Choir at SS. Peter & Paul Farmworkers March To Atlanta
Hispano Nacional De Pastoral Vatican Statement On School Aid
Youth Ministry Seminar Planned
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