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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 22 No. 30
Thursday, September 6,1984
$10.00 Per Year
MARKING
HISTORY - Mayor
Andrew Young, above,
takes part in the
dedication of the
Shrine of the
Immaculate
Conception as an
historic site Aug. 26,
while Archbishop
Thomas Donnellan
unveils the plaque. The
historic moment was
deferred, but,
fortunately, not
denied by the recent
fire at the church. See
story page 11.
Bishop Steib:
Keep Up The March
For Peace, Justice
BY THEA JARVIS
Calling Martin Luther King, Jr. a modem day “drum
major for justice,” Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD recently
called upon superiors of men’s religious orders to identify
with the slain civil rights leader’s belief that “whatever
you see or however it appears, whatever you do in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not forgotten.”
Steib, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis
and one of 10 black U.S. bishops, was the chief celebrant
of an evening liturgy held at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Center for Non-Violent Social Change in Atlanta Aug. 21.
The Mass drew close to 200 participants from the 28th
National Assembly of the Conference of Major Superiors
of Men whose five-day meeting ran through Aug. 24.
Also in attendance were Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young,
who welcomed the guest clergy to the King Center, Mrs.
Coretta Scott King and Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr.,
honorary president of the center.
Like Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought his own
battle for racial equality, contemporary Christians must
continue the struggle for peace and justice, Bishop Steib
said, strengthened by their faith that “it is a cruel world,
but its history is in the hands of a just God. Its history is
in our hands, we who profess to be instruments of this
just God.”
Though Martin Luther King, Jr. did not live to see the
full fruit of his labor, he was confident that, despite
setbacks, despite violence and hostility, “he knew he
would see the goodness of God in the land of the living,”
Bishop Steib said. Others who serve in the quest for
justice must have that same certainty, he continued,
bolstered by the “many times we were delivered in the
face of injustice and how many times we helped to deliver
others in the face of unjust attitudes and acts.”
Attired in colorful black, green and red vestments, the
bishop said that for King, immediate results were not the
goal. “He wanted to leave a committed life behind. He
wanted people to be able to say that he did try to feed the
hungry, to clothe those who were naked, to love and serve
humanity.”
And even though it is only human nature to want to see
the justice of God, Steib told his listeners, for Christians
such fulfillment may only come “after we leave this
spaceship we call earth.”
Recalling Dr. King’s words, Bishop Steib quoted: “I
(Continued on page 12)
Bishop Howze Keynote Speaker At AACCW Convention
BY MARY BETH MARINO
The Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women
will hold its twenty-eighth convention on September 21
and 22 at the Northwest Atlanta Hilton Inn in Marietta.
The theme is “The Call To Be Peacemakers.”
The keynote speaker will be Bishop Joseph Howze of
Biloxi, Miss. Bishop Howze is a member of the Education
Committee of the United States Catholic Conference,
NCCB Liaison Committee to the National Office of Black
Catholics and board member of the Biloxi Regional
Medical Center.
A capsulized overview of th» agenda for the convention
promises a worthwhile two days.
On Friday, following registration from 4-7 p.m. a
business meeting will be conducted after an open Peace
Prayer Service. A reception will follow.
On Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Leslie Withers from Atlanta
Clergy and Laity Concerned will moderate a movie
entitled, “In the Nuclear Shadow-What Can Our Children
Tell Us.”
Various workshops will be held on Saturday including
discussions on family affairs, community affairs and
international affairs.
Sister Kathleen Tomlin of the Christian Council of
Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc., will be guest speaker at the
luncheon. Displays and exhibits of the archdiocese and
community organizations will be viewed in the late
afternoon and additional workshops will be held.
On Saturday evening at 6 p.m. a liturgy will be
concelebrated by the priests of the Atlanta archdiocese
with Archbishop Thomas Donnellan as the principal
celebrant. Installation of the 1984-85 officers will take
place prior to the 8 p.m. banquet and closing ceremonies.
Bishop Howze will give his keynote address at the
banquet
Joan Lucas, convention chairman this year, is excited
about the upcoming convention. She is particularly
enthused about a resolution passed by the National
Council of Catholic Women to be integrated into a
candlelight Peace Prayer Service on Friday night. The
resolution urges continued study of the U.S. bishops’
pastoral on peace and resolves “to actively promote
devotions to Our Lady of Peace at every level of meetings,
workshops, conferences and conventions ...”
Other resolutions initiate a study on the pope’s
apostolic exhortation on the role of the Christian family
(Continued on page 12)