Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2—The Georgia Bulletin, January 17,1980
St. John Neumann’s Parish Dedicates Church
St. John Neumann’s
Catholic parish of Lilburn
in Georgia’s Gwinnett
County dedicated its
permanent Church and
parish facility, Sunday,
December 16, at 11:30
a.m.
Archbishop Thomas A.
Don nellan was the
principal celebrant for the
dedication Mass and
performed the prescribed
anointings and liturgically
rich dedication ritual for
the Church and parish
facility.
The parish that was
inaugurated in July in
1977 when over 200
interested Catholics
gathered at the Lilburn
City Hall can take
justifiable pride in the new
Church and educational
fa c i lity of St. John
Neumann.
The ecclesiastical
structure is situated atop a
hill on Tom Smith Road
and the rustic cedar and
natural granite stone gives
the new building a sense of
eternity. Father Connell,
Chaplain of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Cancer
Home, and one of the
con- celebrants,
commented: “Your
Church is so beautiful and
so new - yet it looks like it
has been here forever.”
The contemporary design
is ideally suited to the
topography of the area; it
neither stands out nor
blends in - it is the
prominence. The gradual
ascendency from the
parking area to the roof
peaked over the Sanctuary
was specifically designed
to indicate “man’s upward
climb toward his heavenly
home.”
The Con-celebrated
Mass that marked the
Dedication ceremony was
a memorable and
historically unique
cebbration for the Church
of North Georgia. Father
Paul Reynolds, Pastor of
St. John Neumann, was
able to acquire the actual
Chalice used by the former
Bishop of Philadelphia; St.
John Neumann in his
celebration of the
Eucharist, over a century
and a quarter ago. With
the assistance of Father
Druding, of St. John the
Evangelist in Hapeville,
Mon sign or George
Tomiehek, presently
Apostolic Nuncio in the
Philippines and formerly
of Philadelphia, personally
delivered the saint’s
chalice, together with the
vestments actually used in
the canonization of St.
John Neumann in 1977.
The vestments worn by
Archbishop Donnellan;
Father Paul Reynolds,
Pastor; Dorn Augustine
Moore, O.C.S.O., Abbot
of the Monastery of the
Holy Spirit in Conyers,
Georgia; Monsignor Noel
Burtenshaw of the
GEORGIA BULLETIN
and Father Dominic
Young, St. Pius High
School, were the exact
same vestments worn
during the dual
C a n onization ceremonies
that took place in Rome
and in Philadelphia
simultaneously.
Other priests that
joined in the concelebra-
tion of the dedication.
Eucharist included Father
Methodius Telnack,
O.C.S.O., who designed
the meaningful and
brilliant stained glass
window in the Sanctuary;
Father Fleury, formerly of
St. Patrick’s in Norcross
and present Franciscalian
Provinical; Father Ken
Baer, also formerly of St.
Patrick’s, now stationed in
Washington, D. C.; Father
Richard Lopez, Diocesan
Vocation Director; Father
Terance Kane, Pastor of
St. Oliver Plunkett of
Snellville; Father James
Miceli, Archdiocesan
Master of Ceremonies;
Monsignor George
Tomiehek of the
Philippines; Father
Druding of St. John’s in
Hapeville and Father
Connell of the Cancer
Home.
The Dedication Mass
was proceeded by thirty
minutes of Sacred Music
provided by the combined
Choir (resplendent in their
new Kelly green robes)
and Folk Group of St.
John Neumann, under the
direction of JVlr. James
Kitchens.
After the opening
prayer, Mr. John Sedlak,
on behalf of the Parish
Building Committee, and
before an overflow crowd
of very joyous and proud
parishioners, presented to
the Archbishop “as Pastor
of the Church of Atlanta”
the plans, specifications
and deed to the completed
Parish Church.
The Archbishop noted
in his Homily that this
building “was destined
solely for the gathering of
God’s people and is
dedicated by ancient and
solemn rites to the
purpose.” Father Paul
Reynolds, the skillful
paladin and pastor, given
custody of the territorial
boundaries, two-and-a-half
years ago, had earlier
commented that the men
of the Building Committee
had assured him that “God
was in the design of this
building.’’ Every
traditional, liturgical and
ritual detail considered in
the solemn rubrics of the
FATHER PAUL REYNOLDS. Pastor incenses
the walls of the new Church.
Dedication were
incorporated by that
committee in the interior
design as well as the
overall flow of the
structure.
The strength of the
parish family of St. John
Neumann has been, as the
Archbishop mentioned in
his homily, “ . . . centered
around the Eucharist. . .
and nourished by it.” The
parish has not sat back in
idleness awaiting the
completion of a building -
but has had an ongoing
full parish program from
the beginning, that now,
incidentally, has a building
to utilize.
The Pastor of the
Church of Atlanta told the
joyous congregation that
the “ . . . parish is the
visible sign of Christ in the
world and that the
strength or the feebleness
of Christ in this
community will be judged
by this congregation.” The
parishioners of St. John
Neumann’s have already
heralded much of this
Christo-centric strength,
and as the Archbishop
further stated, will
continue to use this new
Church “ . . . to prod and
disturb” them enough to
continue to display this
strength in Gwinnett
County.
He further stated that
this Church was “ . . . here
to rekindle faith, renew
love and reaffirm hope.”
The new Church of St.
John Neumann is indeed a
magnificent, prayerful
structure that these people
of God can return to again
and again for that
rekindling, renewing and
reaffirming.
After the dedication
ceremonies, a reception
was held for the
Archbishop and the parish
family in the Parish Hall.
That very large social hall
was also dedicated to the
memory of Robert and
Margie Lind, and named
Lind Hall in loving
memory sof two of the
parish’s most respected
and active teenagers, who
died in a tragic auto
accident in June of this
year. Father Reynolds and
Archbishop Donnellan
presented to Bob and
Betty Lind and their
youngest daughter Susan,
the plaque marking the
occasion.
In July of 1977, Father
Paul told the parishioners
that this was a new
beginning; at the reception
the napkins were
emblozened with the
words: ‘ ‘ A New
Beginning”; I wonder what
he has up his sleeve this
time?
THE CONCELEBRATED MASS of Dedication
is offered by Archbishop Donnellan and priests.
The Salty Taste Of Victory
Eds Note - Bill Karabinos, founder parishioner of St. John
Neumann Church. He has been transferred and now lives in
Washington, D. C. He returned to Lilburn for the dedication.
These are his thoughts.
BY BILL KARABINOS
Putting down on paper the facts surrounding the
dedication of St. John Neumann Catholic Church and
the reflections of our gracious Archbishop, just doesn’t
seem enough ... it does not tell the whole story of a
parish gestation; not even part of the story.
As I rock along the somewhat uneven rails of the
AMTRAK Crescent (formerly the Southern Crescent)
through the darkened South Carolina country side — I
know there is so much more I’d like to say. Fear not,
this will not be the whole story either, but only some
reflections on the special spirit and special people who
formed that new parish in Gwinnett County into a
community of believers, that strive each day to become
the People of God.
I wasn’t the only transient member of America’s
nuclear family that returned for this special and
triumphent dedication day; my transfer to the D. C.
area is only of recent vintage, others who returned,
have been gone longer and traveled further.
Susan Candler, who organized and vocalized (is that
the word), St. John Neumann’s first choir returned
from the warmth of the Gulf Coast, radiantly tanned
but with tears brightening her eyes into a special
glistening as she listened to what Jim Kitchens, the
present Choir director said “was her choir,” sing in a
building with acoustics approaching that of Carnegie
Hall.
Jim and Joan Cleary, who worked so hard and
effectively in establishing the parish CCD program and
helped design the modestly efficient and superb
educational facility traveled back from the
Virginia/North Carolina border area to sparkle with
their familiar bouyancy; a bouyancy that had helped
carry the program through some rough waters in the
first 2 years.
Ted Maniatis, who so lovingly and expertly designed
the altar area, and a former member of the Building
Committee returned from the ‘City by the Bay,’ so
famous for its Dungetiers crab and abalone among
other exotic subjects, to take justifiable pride in
viewing his completed handiwork.
There were probably others too that I’ve missed,
and that makes me truly sorry because if they were
one-fourth as delighted as this “sentimental Slovak”,
then tl \ loo were satiated by the Salty Taste of
Victory.
Everyone reaches a milestone or two in their
lifetime: high school graduation, college degree, R.N.
or CPA, your first child, your first home, a significant
anniversary and many others. With each milestone in
life there is a certain sense of triumph, a terrific joy
and a chest-swelling pride that exudes the sweet smell
of success.
At those times, we have probably tasted “a bit of
the bubbly” as Bing Crosby used to croon and
back-slapped, cheered and knew a sense of elation that
is still sweet in our memory.
But seeing a Catholic parish and a Catholic Church
grow from a seed into a completed new building in two
and a half years is a special kind of triumph . . .
especially when you get to know the people who made
it happen. I am reminded of a story, maybe it was the
book “The Cardinal,” of the young priest who was
given a dime by his bishop and told to start a parish.
Father Paul Reynolds at least “carried clou!” when he
arrived in Lilburn, but it was still a terrifying prospect.
How one man, a very spiritual priest, could see to the
building of a physical plant at the same time
guaranteeing the fullest spiritual needs of his people, is
beyond me.
Kinetic worker is not enough - maybe true baliever,
mustard seed grower, mountain mover, water-walker
might better describe the man (if he would dare permit
it). But that’s not fair to the man’s humanity. I believe
that he knew early on that no one priest could do the
job without help. He figured on help from above, that
was guaranteed by his ordination; but he’s need to use
some of the tools or instruments that God made
available to him here on earth, and this he did. He used
his people, and they wanted, yes; yearned to be used,
to build up his people, his parish. He showed unlimited
faith in men and women, he trusted these people of
good will and Catholic tradition and they responded to
his trust. He saw to the spiritual and educational needs
of the parish, and they saw, at the same time to the
building of the parish plant so desperately needed.
The parish quickly grew from 200 to 200 families to
now 650 families and I’ll project 800 families by mid
1980; building slump not withstanding.
With each growth came new problems;
reorganization, more planning, but nothing that slowed
the forward momentum of the parish. I hope that
every parish in the Archdiocese feels this pride in their
parish . . . that same sort of pride that I and the other
parishioners of St. John Neumann feel who were
among the first families. My son, Michael Francis, was
the first child baptized as a member of the new parish,
that is enough to make it special for I’ve watched it
grow with his growth.
But just being a part of the various programs and
committees; planning and teaching adult education
classes; speaking before parish groups, all that too was
something special. No idea was frivolous for this
pastor, each one thoughtfully considered; no
suggestion ignored, each one explored.
As a member of St. John Neumann’s you knew you
had human worth and you knew this priest was as
democratic as any of our Founding Fathers. Oh, I
think he always got his way; but somehow everyone
believed that it was their way . . . and in the final
analysis, it had to be God’s way!
Yes, there were a lot of meetings, lots of classes,
hours of preparation, dozens of cups of coffee, but
then there was the 16th of December and the Salty
Taste of Victory.
My eyes glistened before I reached the lectern to do
the introductory remarks. I looked on to see the
kindest and most familiar faces I have known, in a
magical setting. All colors, all shapes, all shades,
perfectly blended to say: “I want to pray here.” A tear
or two settled on my bifocals, but they seemed only to
make the scene brighter. I listened to Father Paul and
the Archbishop’s remarks with pride and the tears
dried . . . the Consecration was “heaven descending to
earth” and the full impact of being in our own Church
began to hit me.
After joyfully greeting my beautiful Princess (my
wife) and some very familiar parish friends, I knelt in
preparation for the Eucharist. Holding my glasses out
before me, I looked at the dried tears and decided not
to clean them just yet, and that was a good idea.
For in a few minutes, a 210 lb., 6 foot arrogant
“genus egotisticus americanus,” was guided down the
aisle by his wife, for his path was blinded by tears.
Tears rolling down my cheeks and into my mouth, the
Salty Taste of Victory.
Someone asked me Sunday afternoon at the
reception, where I’m planning to live in Northern
Virginia. Well, that is up to the Arlington Diocese
Planning Commission, wherever they are planning to
start a new parish. Because surely, I want to be
nourished once again by the Salty Taste of Victory.
Energy Is Social Issue, Bishop Says
Officials Favor Campbell Boycott
ST. PAUL, Minn. (NC)
- In the last six years
elementary schools across
the nation have collected
and exchanged Campbell
Soup labels for $10
million worth of
educational and athletic
equipment.
But for some schools
the labels soon could
represent a sacrifice for
social justice.
The Farm Labor
Organizing Committee
(FLOC), a farm workers
union, began a boycott of
the Campbell Soup Co.
and Libby, McNeil and
Libby Inc. products last
January with $89,000' in
financial support from the
Campaign for Human
Development, the U.S.
bishops’ anti-poverty
program.
The union says the
companies indirectly
employ 16,000 migrant
workers in Ohio, Indiana
and Michigan without
providing just wages and
fair working conditions.
Two St. Paul-Minnea-
polis archdiocesan officials
have urged Catholic school
principals to support the
boycott by dropping
Campbell’s Labels for
Education Program.
“We recognize the
possible hardship we are
asking of you in urging
your school to support the
boycott,” said Sister Janet
Mathison, Urban Affairs
Commission executive
director, and Dominican
Sister Marian McCarthy,
archdiocesan director of
schools, in a letter sent to
principals.
Sister Mathison, head
of the archdiocesan
Campaign for Human
Development fund-raising
program, said she sent the
letter because the bishops
have supported the
boycott through CHD.
However, she said,
“This has been one of the
more difficult decisions
for me to make because I
was a school teacher for
four years and I know
what it is like not having
equipment when you need
it. But that’s part of
justice.”
She said the Labels for
Education Program is not
essential. “You don’t base
a budget on freebies.
“Some schools will say,
‘we will get into other
justice issues,”’ Sister
Mathison said. But she said
the boycott is an excellent
opportunity to get both
parents and children
involved in social justice.
She said she would like
to see groups of schools
act together on the issue.
For example, six grade
schools in Milwaukee
discontinued the labels
program in October.
James Griesgraber,
president of the
Association of Catholic
School Principals in the St.
Paul-Minneapolis
Archdiocese, said, “It’s
fair for the archdiocese to
present the facts, but I
think it’s important for
each school to make an
individual decision.
“This is an inopportune
time” to raise the issue,
Griesgraber said. “Many
schools are coming up
with 20,000 labels and are
ready to hand them in for
equipment.”
Most archdiocesan
schools participate in the
program, which provides
from $300 to $500 of
equipment for 20,000
labels.
Despite the monetary
value of the program,
Griesgraber said, “It’s part
of our mission” to teach
students and parents about
social justice.”
The boycott has spread
to several Midwestern
cities, but it has not
noticeably affected
Campbell’s sales, a
Campbell’s spokesman
said.
Ignatius House
Retreats Directed
6700 Riverside Dr. N.W. by Jesuit priests
(404) 255 0503
Atlanta, Ga. 30328
From everyday pressures a retreat offers time to advance in more tranquil
living. Week-end Friday evening to Sunday noon - retreats are “open” --
single women, men, and couples are welcomed for prayerful thinking and
consultation. By reservation, please.
Still open up-coming dates: 1-3 February - H; 14-16 March - S;
28 30 March - H.
Other Dates for this period are completely filled
Symbols S and H denote director: Fr. John Schroder, S. J.; Fr Harry Heiter
S.J.
Christ said: Come with me to a quiet place and rest awhile.
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WASHINGTON (NC) -
Energy was called “the
pre-eminent social justice
issue of the 1980s” by
Bishop William M.
Cosgrove of Belleville, Ill.,
during a day-long
Washington conference
Jan. 10 on “Religion and
Energy in the ’80s.”
Signaling a major new
effort by religious groups
to have an impact on the
energy debate in the
United States, the
conference included a
breakfast at the White
House and a 15-minute
address by President
Carter.
“It might seem strange
to some - not to you -
that the conservation of
oil has a religious
connotation,” Carter told
the approximately 125
religious leaders gathered
for the conference.
“But when God created
the earth and gave human
beings dominion over it, it
was with the understand
ing that we are indeed
stewards under God’s
guidance,” he said.
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The president praised a
plan by the religious
groups to promote a
“conservation Sabbath
weekend,” and he linked
freedom of religion to the
availability of energy.
“The right of people to
be free is directly tied to
adequate supplies of
energy in the modern,
fast-changing technological
world,” Carter said.
Bishop Cosgrove, who
is heading a U.S. Catholic
Conference effort to
develop a major policy
statement on energy, made
his remarks about the
pre-eminence of the
energy issue in a statement
to reporters shortly after
the president’s speech.
“The solutions to our
energy problems must not
be cold responses to
statistics and abstract
ions,” he said. “They must
be the kind of solutions
that respect human dignity
and safeguard the security
of all.”
The conference, which
moved to a Capitol Hill
hearing room after the
White House session,
included two interrelated
themes: theological
questions surrounding
church involvement in
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energy issues, and a
discussion of what
religious institutions could
do to ease the energy
pinch.
Elizabeth Betlenhaus-
en, associate professor of
social ethics and theology
at Boston University, said
that religious groups which
try to develop a theology
of energy will face two
competing theologies that
have been prevalent in the
United States.
One is the theology
which holds that people
merely are “passing
through” this life and
therefore need not be
concerned about the
condition in which they
leave the physical world.
The other is the theology
of abundance, the belief
that God has specially
blessed America and that
no matter how much the
earth’s natural resources
are squandered, God will
provide.
“How do you motivate
people to cut back when
their theology promises
abundance?” she said. “We
must take seriously the
fact that middle class
Americans are threatened
when this theology is
challenged.”
But she added that a
new t h o 1 o g y must
emphasize that the quality
of life cannot be attached
to material well-being and
that God still loves his
creation even during a
decline in material
abundance.
Bishop Cosgrove, who
keynoted an afternoon
session on religious
response to the energy
crisis, said the role of the
religious community is
first to educate the public
on the energy situation,
then to advocate
responsible policies.
“The most important
thing religious institutions
can do is to communicate
some of the human reality
of the energy situation and
motivate a human
response to it,” he said.
“We must work for the
day when there is a real,
informed grassroots
constituency for just
energy decisions and
legislation,” he added.
In addition to the
major themes, there also
was an undercurrent of
concern during the
conference for the effect
new energy policies might
have on groups least able
to afford the added
expense of weatherization
or other energy
conservation programs.
Another concern
indicated during
question-and -answer
sessions was that solutions
to the energy crisis not be
found at the expense of
environmental quality.
And Rabbi Marc
Tanenbaurn, interreligious
affairs director of the
American Jewish
Committee, at one point
reminded conference
participants that a
theology which
emphasizes conservation
would be at odds with a
culture that urges, through
advertising, indulgence and
materialism.
“If we are really serious
about the problems of
energy, we will have to
have a fundamental and
radical theological
refutation of materialism,”
he said.