Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 3—The Georgia Bulletin, May 8,1980
/ _
Vocations: Priestly Influence
v /
(This article, the second of
four dealing with religious
vocations, features the views
of two A tlanta pastors -
Fathers Joseph Beltran and
Henry Gracz. They reflect on
the role of the pastor in the
development of vocations.
BY JAMES TARBOX
The parish priest, is the
first vocation director.
That sentence, simple
as it sounds, is actually
quite important. It is, in
most cases, the parish
priest rather than the
Archdiocese Vocations
Director who inspires and
develops vocations in
young men. In so many
cases all concepts of the
priesthood and the church
are associated with the
priests of an individuals
parish - quite often the
pastor.
“I know that the priests
in my parish when I was
growing up had a great
deal to do with my early
consideration of the
priesthood,” said Father
Henry Gracz, pastor of
Decatur’s Saints Peter and
Paul Church. “The
availability and closeness
of the pastor and all the
priests when I was young
was very important, very
pastoral.”
Prior to the Second
Vatican Council it would
probably be fair to say
that the pastors and parish
priests in general were
associated with the
church. Many young men,
indeed many Catholics in
general, associated the
Church with their priests.
Since the Council the
renewal and changes that
have swept the church
have also swept the
priesthood and the
functions of the
priesthood . . . Priests are a
more diverse lot, their jobs
and functions are more
diverse as are the problems
they face. Developing a
sense of vocations in this
changing atmosphere is a
challenge.
“The priest must be a
mirror of God,” Father
Gracz continued, “a
powerful obligation, of
course, but a mirror of
God none the less.”
With a strong interest in
the liturgy, Father Gracz
has placed himself at the
forefront of the liturgical
changes that have effected
all of Catholicism.
However, he strongly
believes that the changes
that the Church has
undergone - both in its
liturgy and its attitudes --
have and will continue to
have a good, positive
effect on religious
vocations.
“The renewal in the
church has produced a real
awakening, a real response
within a lot of young
people. We see -- and
continue to see on a more
widespread basis -- a true
u n i versal sense of
vocations,” said Father
Gracz. “We’re cutting
through a lot of the non
essentials and getting to
the heart of the matter.
We’re developing a genuine
sense of our own tradition
NOW.”
This new tradition that
Father Gracz speaks of
includes a total synthesis
of the Vatican Council’s
Declarations. “We’re at a
strange point, I don’t
think that it is any more
difficult for a fellow to
make a decision for the
seminary, however we (the
faithful) sometimes make
it more difficult by not
responding to the call of
the Spirit,” the Decatur
pastor said.
“We are at a crucial
point in our history,”
Father Gracz continued,
will we synthesis or will
we reject the challenges
open to us. A decision to
do that would make it
very hard for seminarians
to understand the
direction of their church.
The new liturgy is our
liturgy and is a warm call
to serve.”
Just as Father Gracz
has specialized himself in
the new liturgy, Father
Joseph Beltran has become
something of an expert in
another form of change in
the Atlanta church - the
growth of the
Archdiocese.
In the past years Father
Beltran has built churches
in Stone Mountain and
Dun woody. These new
parishes signal a rise in the
number of Catholics
moving into the area from
the north. They also give
him a unique view of
vocation work.
“I think that the
mobility of our society
keeps a lot of young
people from thinking
about the possibility of
religious vocations,” the
pastor of All Saints
commented.
“In the past people
grew up in one parish,
where the priest made a
real difference in people’s
lives. Now people move
from parish to parish and
from diocese to diocese at
the drop of a hat, there is
no continuity.”-
Father Beltran firmly
believes that religious
vocations are nourished in
the early years -- “by the
time they are in high
school its just too late” —
and emphasizes the
vocational aspect of every
Christian life in the parish
religious education
programs.
“In the past ten years
we have seen a drop in
young people interested in
vocations ... it might not
be a true drop in interest,
but a lack of awareness,”
Father Beltran reflected.
This lack of awareness
can be blamed partially on
the home where Father
Beltran believes that
parental influence is most
important. “Many parents
are honored when a child
feels called to the religious
life,” Father Beltran said,
“however many are not
very positive about the
idea either.”
Lack of awareness.
This is the dominant
theme that runs through
“We only plant the seed, the rest is in God’s hands.”
$5°° OFF
WHOLE
BAKED HAMS
OR *2°° OFF HALF HAMS
These delicious fully cooked hams are
smoked to perfection, spiral sliced,
table ready and glazed with our own
special recipe. Our regular low price is
'2.59 per lb. Whole hams average 12-14
lbs., half hams 6-8 lbs.
Coupon expires May 10.
634-1266
Northeast Plaza)
'Aafifey TftoAwi 6 ‘Day
1480 CHATTAHOOCHEE AVENUE, N.W.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 30318
355-1480
Nurses Are People Too:
“Thank You Nurse”
‘The priest must be a mirror of God.’
any discussion of religious
vocations. The parish
priest, and his influence, is
going through a subtle and
lasting change. As Father
Henry Gracz put it, “We
only plant the seed, the
rest of the work is in
God’s hands.” Father
Beltran agreed -- “We can
talk to kids but we don’t
have all the answers, we
can help them find them.”
It is not just the
seminarian that has
changed and the
seminaries - it is the priest
as well. The emerging
church is one that puts the
priest in the position of
guide rather than oracle.
“Vocations haven’t
become any harder to
find, or more difficult to
define,” said Father Gracz,
“they are just developing
in different ways, just as
the Church is.”
Young Named Boss
Father Terry W. Young,
principal of St . Pius X
High School was named
the “Boss of the Year” by
the Gwinnett Charter
Chapter of the American
Business Women’s
Association at their
Annual Boss Night Awards
Dinner. Father Young’s
selection was based upon
his tireless efforts on
behalf of the family of St.
Pius and his community
action, most particularly
in the area of support to
single parents in the
diocese. On hand to
observe the presentation
were Mrs. Elizabeth
Fodor, Dean of Studies;
Mrs. Martha Gaynoe,
English Teacher; and Mrs.
Madeline Estafen,
Financial Administrator.
In addition to all of this
adulation, Father Young
was guest of honor at a
surprise 40th birthday
party hosted by Mr. and
Mrs. John Gaynoe. In
addition to the
appropriate gifts presented
to the good Father, the
biggest surprise of all was
that his mother, Mrs. Jean
Smith, came in from
Maryland unannounced
for the festivities.
Fr. Terry W. Young
BY JOAN CASSELS, R.N.
Part Three
Florence Nightingale
would not recognize the
nursing profession of
today. She would
probably feel that nurses
have it made compared to
her own plight. But there
is one thing that has not
changed since Flo nursed
the soldiers of the Crimean
War. Personal gratification,
a prized and often elusive
entity, is the nurse’s main
benefit.
In spite of low pay,
horrendous hours, hard
work, schools are still
graduating nurses. Ask any
little girl who was a
post-war baby what she
wanted to be and she
would most likely say a
teacher or a nurse. While
the child of the sixties and
seventies may opt for a
less traditional female role,
nursing is still considered
an admirable and
interesting career choice.
Nurses who have that
special feeling and
empathy for their fellow
man are to be respected
and admired. It is not easy
to watch someone die, but
imagine the satisfaction
one must feel in helping
that patient’s last days and
hours to be less painful
and hopeless. To be
effective in this, the nurse
must be in touch with her
own feelings about death.
When I was working on a
unit for the terminally ill,
the family of one of our
deceased patients brought
a floral arrangement from
the funeral to the nurse’s
station. It was her way of
thanking us for “giving my
Mother the courage and
dignity she had known all
her life.” Events such as
these make the nurse
realize her vital
importance.
Not all areas of nursing
are so bleak. The delivery
Jewelry Appraisals
W hile You Wait
Cali. .231-1225
Hyman’s
Diamonds - Fine Jewelry j
Tower Place Mall
3340 Peachtree Road J
VOCATIONS ..
After Forty
Why not a more meaningful life
in Church Ministry or service as a
Marianist Priest or Brother?
The best years of your life may lie ahead.
MARIANIST
Second-Careers
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469
ariar)
INC.
FOR EXPERT
CARPET CLEANING
AND
RUG CLEANING
• SALES SPECIALISTS IN ORIENTAL RUGS
• WALL-TO-WALL CLEANING IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE
• HOST DO-IT-YOURSELF DEALER. Buy only the cleaning
compound you need; Sharian will rent you the equipment.
• EXPERTS IN CLEANING HOOKED, BRAIDED & ORIENTAL
RUGS
• ONE OF THE SOUTH'S LARGEST, MOST MODERN PLANTS
ariar),
368 W. PONCE DE LEON AVE., DEC.
373-2274
room nurse works in a
generally happy
atmosphere as does she
who works in the newborn
nursery. Giving a tiny,
wiggling newborn his first
bath while the proud
father and grandparents
look on makes one feel
immensely liked. Watching
a life come into the world
is a unique and
breathtaking experience. It
is at this time that one
tends to believe in
miracles. In the high risk
nursery babies stay for an
extended period of time.
Most of them are
premature. All the nurses
watch with pride as their
tiny charges grow and
respond. It is a joyful
moment when the nurse
hands over the baby, once
thought too small to
survive, to his mother for
eternal safekeeping.
In an area like
Psychiatry it is an often
long and difficult struggle
to help a patient respond.
The human mind, ever so
complicated and
sometimes unknown,
cannot be X-rayed.
Therefore it is doubly
gratifying to see a
psychiatric patient emerge
from his suffering to lead a
healthy, productive life.
Since many of these
people are repeat
admissions, it is more
challenging than ever to
begin again the long road
to recovery. Many patients
are alcoholics who have
denied their problem. In
getting the patient to say
the words, “I am an
alcoholic,” the nurse has
elicited an important
lifesaving tool which will
forever aid the patient in
his climb to sobriety.
Working as an
emergency room nurse,
one sees a continuous
human drama with all its
joys and sorrows. The
nurse here has to be alert.
skillful, compassionate and
organized. Many nurses
thrive on the hectic pace
and eventful happenings of
a large hospital emergency
room. In one night an
emergency room nurse
may be called upon to do
almost every procedure
done in other nursing
areas: Cardio-Pulmonary
Recusitation, starting IV
fluids, assisting in suturing
wounds, comforting
family members, coping
with agitated patients, and
even delivering babies. It is
a gratifying job for those
who have stamina.
One of the most critical
and demanding jobs in the
medical field is held by the
operating room nurse. She
is an invaluable treasure to
the surgeon who greatly
depends on her accuracy
and skill. The OR nurse
should be proud of the
service she performs, for if
it were not for her critical
sense of timing and her
calm behavior, many
irrevocable mishaps could
occur.
Whether she works in a
hospital, office, public
health center, school or
private home, the nurse
sees life as no one else
outside the medical
profession. With it she
may endure many
heartaches personally and
professionally. But there is
great satisfaction in
knowing that because of
her someone’s pain is
eased, someone’s burden is
lightened, someone’s face
reflects joy. When a nurse
hears those too infrequent
words, “Thank you,
Nurse,” somehow it all
seems worthwhile. Even
Florence Nightingale, that
gallant heroine of nursing,
would have to agree that
time does not dim the
need to touch the human
heart.
END OF A SERIES
D
IHJ
1
i
i
i
m
i
i
I
I
i
i
I
I
i
i
j
fi
1
i
1
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
a
i
i
i
I
I
i
i
i
I
i
I
I
i
I
i
1
a
i
i
i
I
1
1
1
i
1
1
m
a
1
'He<cfan, &
featuring authentic Greek recipes
and traditional American dishes
by Bill Agnos, certified
executive chef
Pastitslo
Musaka
Lamb
Shishkabob
Combinations
Spinich Pie
Rabbit
Steaks
Chops
Vea!
Seafoods
Cheese Pie
Special Desserts
Every Friday & Sat. Night
Featuring
Live Greek Band & Dancers.
— A 'Idea *pasi
“satisfaction guaranteed”
Complimentary cake for any
occasion furnished to parties of
six or more
Banquet facilities for 25 to 300
persons • Catering
serving breakfast, lunch and
dinner seven days a week
6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
1708 Clairmont Road
633-8863