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Memories Of Papal Visit Linger On
BY MICHAEL MOTES
The hypnotic effect of the visit of
Pope John Paul II on all those with
whom he came in contact lingers on.
Recent, at random chats with some
of those from the Archdiocese of
Atlanta who traversed the papal path
revealed a wealth of memories that
will be cherished for years to come.
For a few of the luckier ones,
things to be treasured include more
tangible items than mere memories.
Such is the case of Father Jacking
Druding, assistant at St. John the
Evangelist, who not only had the
honor of kissing the Papal ring, but
was presented a rosary by the Holy
Father himself!
Father Druding received early
Secret Service clearance and was on
hand at St. Peter the Apostle Church
in Philadelphia to help with advance
preparations of the Pope’s visit to the
tomb of St. John Neumann.
“The work of the Secret Service
was fascinating,” he recalled. “No
one was allowed in the church after
10 p.m. the evening before the papal
visit unless they had special
clearance. Along with my friend
Monsignor George Tomichek, a
missionary from the Philippines, I
was priviledged to consecrate the
Host that the Holy Father would
kneel before the next day.
“The day of the Pope’s visit to the
church, Secret Service agents were
everywhere. All those who entered
the church were searched and such
items as handbags were opened.
SWAT teams were positioned on
roofs across from St. Peter the
Apostle two hours before the Pope’s
arrival.”
As the Holy Father was leaving
the church, Father Druding knelt
before him and kissed his ring. It was
then that the Atlanta priest was given
a rosary by Pope John Paul II.
Not only does he have this
cherished momento, but Father
Druding has received a special
invitation to participate in the
pontiff’s visit to the Philippines early
next year. The event will be
significant because planned activities
will include the beatification of the
first Philippino martyr, Lorenzo
Ruiz, and will mark the first time
that beatification has taken place
outside of Rome.
FATHER TERRY KANE says
that his arrival to hear the Pope’s
address to priests in Philadelphia was
“the first time I was ever early for
anything in my life!”
The pastor of St. Oliver Plunkett
in Snellville recalls, “As the Holy
Father came down the aisle in the
Convention Center, I was amazed at
how the priests attending literally
jumped over one another to get close
to him. There’s something about the
man that is almost hypnotic!”
Father Kane had earlier attended
the Mass celebrated by the Pope at
Logan Circle and said, “The City of
Brotherly Love was very evident.
People were sharing everything -
from food to cameras. It was almost
like being at a picnic, everyone was
so happy and the mood was such a
joyous one. The emotion and the
excitement was a fantastic
experience!”
HOLY SPIRIT PASTOR Father
Peter Ludden also attended the Mass
for clergy in Philadelphia and
remembers it as a “most impressive
ceremony.”
“My biggest disappointment,” he
said, “was that the Holy Father did
not seem as outgoing as I had
observed him at other events. He
seemed more somber -- but perhaps
this was in keeping with the event
itself and the topics he touched upon
in his homily. It was a very formal
occasion. The media had focused so
on the lighter moments of the Holy
Father’s trip, that perhaps this type
of standard had been set for me.
Attending this gathering, however, I
saw a very solemn and dignified side
of the Pope. ”
Father Ludden’s trip to see the
Pope was also memorable to him
because on the journey he rode a
train for the first time since coming
to the United States. His trip was
from the outskirts of Philadelphia
into the city.
‘‘This was certainly
unforgettable,” he said, “because the
group of priests I was following got
off at the wrong station and we had
to double back! So much for local
knowledge!”
DURING THE MASS at Logan
Circle, Father Vincent Mulvin
noticed that “the most unexcited
person there was the Pope himself.”
Father Mulvin, who works with
the Metropolitan Marriage Tribunal,
commented, “During this service I
realized that what the Holy Father
was doing is what I am so priviledged
to do as a priest and this was a very
moving experience for me. I was
(Continued on page 6)
Papal Address To Bishops — Page 7
HOME AGAIN -- Pope John Paul II waves as he stands in an
open car at the Rome airport after arrival from his trip to Ireland
and the United States.
Amy And Sam
Pregnant. Dear God what will she
do? She’s 17. She lives in a South
Alabama town. It’s a small town. She
must face her friends. Worse, she
must face her parents. What a
disappointment she has been. How
on earth will they all face this
ferocious calamity?
Abortion. That’s how. That’s
what the authorities tell her. That’s
what the medics recommend. It’s
quick, easy, inexpensive and safe.
They tell her it’s
safer than
having the baby.
And she’s scared
to have the
baby. Abortion,
she doesn’t
mind. Having
the baby, is a
trip not to be
taken.
Amy thought
about it. She
couldn’t. She
just couldn’t. It doesn’t feel right.
It’s ending a life, a life that will
eventually be SOMEONE. Besides,
thinks this little courageous dynamo,
abortion is the easy way out. Heck,
she’ll have the baby. With blinding
determination, she stubbornly makes
the decision.
The Salvation Army tells her to
call the local Catholic agency. Yes,
they can help, they can get her out
of town and away from her
disappointed embarrassed parents.
They will call Atlanta.
Out in Cobb County, Samantha
was taking stock. Just look at how
she has been blessed. A great big Irish
hulk of a husband to love and three
healthy noisy children to put music
into her life. She owed Someone, she
knew who and she knew how to
repay. She was finished thinking and
talking about the sacredness of life
and the callous destructiveness of
abortion. She would act.
Funny how Sam’s call from East
Cobb and Amy’s call from South
Alabama reached Mary Ellen Hughes
in the Pro-Life Office at just the
same moment. The generosity
offered and the generosity sought
was an instant match. Soon Amy was
standing on Sam’s doorstep,
friendship instantly flowing, two
strong, determined women coaxing a
life into existence, and fiercely
defending it against the jaws of a
hungry cowardly contemptious
society.
A month from now Amy will have
her baby. Through the help of the
proper agencies and the Florence
Crittenton Home, weekly counselling
sessions have been set up for her. In
the meantime, Amy has become a
household fixture, one of the family,
wanted and loved as surely and as
passionately as she wanted her baby,
now eight months into life.
Amy made the decision to place
her baby for adoption. A childless
couple, praying for this unexpected
blessing will benefit and this child of
Providence will live and grow in a
society wielding death and
threatening destruction on the life of
all innocent unborn.
As Respect Life Sunday once
again appears this story of decision
and action — Amy and Sam — should
inspire us all.
Thinking and talking pro-life is
not enough.
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 17 No. 36
Thursday, October 18,1979
$6.00 Per Yea
SPORTING GEORGIA CATHOLICS^
Hubie
THIRTY LAY LEADERS from the
spanish-speaking community participated in a
special workshop on Evangelization recently. The
Workshop was conducted by the staff of the
Southeastern Center for the Spanish Apostolate:
Father Mario Vizcaino, Sister Soledad and Alicia
Marill.
BY MONSIGNOR
NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
(Fourth In A Series)
Hubie Brown will tell you, the
Atlanta Hawks Basketball team is
a family. “That’s why we’ve been
so successful,” says the
boyish-looking head coach.
“We’re together, so together we
get it done.”
They may be a family. But
when Hubie walks out onto the
Omni court during practice and
calls for the ball, barking, “Okay,
let’s go,” you instantly know who
the head of this family is. It is
46-year-old Hubert Jude Brown.
Standing like a dwarf among
the mountainous Tree Rollins,
Tom McMillen and Steve Hawes,
Hubie takes command. He loves
coaching basketball now, but
that’s not the way it all began.
Growing up in Elizabeth, New
Jersey, his eyes were not on
baskets but rather on bases.
Baseball was his first love.
“I dreamed of the major
leagues, playing first and then
coaching,” says Hubie. He well
remembers his high school playing
days at St. Mary’s in Elizabeth.
“It was a great school with a great
spirit for sports.” In St. Mary’s
the fiercely competitive Hubie
became All State in baseball and
also in basketball.
Hubie Brown continued to
have dreams of home runs even
At that point, again St. Mary’s
entered his life - not the one in
Elizabeth, however, it was another
in Little Falls, New York. There
Hubie became Athletic Director
and his amazing career in
basketball began. “I loved high
school sports,” says Hubie, “so
after a couple of years in the
army, I stayed with high school
coaching for nine years.”
In 1967 greater things began to
happen. Virginia College, William
and Mary, beckoned him and
opened the big time for this vital
active young man. Only one year
later Duke offered him the
position of top assistant. “Those
were fun years,” recalls this
grinning Alan Alda look-alike,
“and they were the years I began
offering clinics to other coaches,
especially high school coaches.”
The reputation of Hubie
Brown as a coach and keen
handler of men spread like a
forest fire. It wasn’t long till the
Pros beckoned. Larry Costello, a
former teammate of Brown at
Niagara and head coach of the
Milwaukee Bucks, named Hubie
his assistant in 1972. “That’s
when I met the two greatest
basketball players the game has
ever seen,” recalls the coach
excitedly. “Who?” I asked and he
looks at me like I am dumb
indeed. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and
(Continued on page 6)
when he attended college. “When
I graduated from Niagara in ’55,”
remembers the Atlanta coach, “I
had my heart set on beginning a
baseball career, but it was not to
be.”
Hubie Brown
A minor calamity struck that
same year. A freak eye injury
permanently removed the
possibility of playing any of the
sports he loved. But, absolutely
undaunted, Hubie Brown turned
to coaching. He knew involvement
in sports was to be his life.
Local Respect Life Day
Seeks Legal Protection
BY SHEILA MALLON
Respect Life Day, which is
sponsored by the Archdiocesan
Pro-Life Office, will be held
Saturday, October 27, from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. at Mount Vernon Christian
Academy, 4449 Northside Drive,
N.W. Atlanta.
All adults and young people are
invited to participate in a public
educational effort to inform and
deepen understanding of basic life
issues, to share in an effort addressed
to the specific needs of human life,
to join in a public effort directed
toward the legislative, judicial and
administrative areas so as to insure
effective legal protection for the
right to life.
Archbishop Donnellan will open
the day by discussing the Church’s
concern for the Right to Life and
commitment to the Quality of Life.
Patrick Trueman, Executive
Director and General Counsel for
Americans United for Life, Legal
Defense Fund, Inc., Chicago, Illinois,
will be the keynote speaker.
Trueman has been involved in more
than 45 abortion related cases
throughout the United States as
AT ST. PICS
litigant or resource person. He is
co-author of Amicus Curiae (friend
of the court) briefs in the following
cases: Planned Parenthood v.
Danforth, U.S. Supreme Court;
Poelker V. Doe, U.S. Supreme Court;
Colautti v. Franklin, U.S. Supreme
Court and Bellotti v. Baird, U.S.
Supreme Court.
At present he is participating
Respect Life Special
Inside This Week
attorney in several cases before the
Supreme Court which challenge the
Hyde Amendment and an Illinois law
restricting abortions.
His talents are not confined to
practicing law, he is also a
miscellaneous columnist for National
Right To Life News, “The
Defender.” Trueman will also be
participating in a legislative
workshop which will be held at
11:30 a.m.
The workshops will begin at
(Continued on page 6)
Year Of Outreach Rally
Draws 600 Evangelizers
BY MONSIGNOR NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
In living color the Pirates were desperately trying to stay in the World
Series. (They did.)
From Oakland, the Falcons could be seen trying to stop the march of the
rough and tough Raiders. (They did not.)
It was a picture perfect fall afternoon. All of these valid excuses did not
keep over 600 handclapping, wildly enthusiastic North Georgia Catholics from
celebrating the onward march of the Year of Evangelization.
They gathered for over two hours in the gymnasium at St. Pius X High
School. The setting was perfect. Banners, colorful and flamboyantly worded,
gave a flavor and an atmosphere to the afternoon. They each proclaimed a
message, a war cry for the year. “Come See - Come Share” - Doors Are Open”
— “You - Who Do You Say I Am” — “Reach Out Together.”
Led by Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan and the Archdiocesan Committee
on Evangelization, the program marked the growing success of this
Archdiocesan project. Extending from Pentecost 1979 - to Pentecost 1980,
each parish is asked to reach out to the unchurched of our communities.
The response showed, each in its own way is organizing to reach out. Ruth
Maquire from the Archdiocese Committee brought encouragement and
introduced the unique film strip produced for parish use. The film called
“Evangelization: A Splendid Burden” is available to parishes on request.
Archbishop Donnellan expressed his gratitude saying, “The presence of such
an enthusiastic audience ensures, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the success
of the program.”
The speaker for the occasion was Mr. Paul Carlson, who was among the
unchurched for 30 years. “There is no greater work,” he promised his
enthusiastic listeners, “than the work of evangelization. It is a reintroduction
of people to the reality of their faith.”
The exchange of ideas continued after the program had ceased.
Father Richard Kieran, coordinator of the Year of Outreach, was highly
satisfied with the turnout and the determination of the gathering. “It’s a
beginning,” said Father Kieran, “and it’s going to grow. The Spirit is at work.”
No one could doubt his words. No one in St. Pius on Sunday afternoon
would want to. They cared - And they shared.