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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 22 No. 42
Thursday, November 29,1984
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NEW EDUCATION BUILDING - Archbishop
Thomas Donnellan, with pastor, Father Paul
Reynolds, at right, reads the blessing of the new
education building at St. John Neumann parish in
Lilbum. The building, dedicated Nov. 17, will be
used for religious education for all groups in this
parish of over 1700 families.
BY MARIANNE COMFORT
NC News Service
Catholic social service programs throughout the
country have been adding emergency shelters and
advocating more low-income housing as a permanent
solution to the problem of homelessness, but they
reported that their actions were not keeping up with the
growing need.
Catholic Community Services in Seattle, concerned
about the area’s 600 “street kids,” runaways and
abandoned youths aged 10 and up, sponsored a benefit
film about the problem and runs a shelter just for
homeless youth.
The Archdiocese of Denver plans a $6.4 million
“Samaritan Shelter” to replace a 175-bed shelter that
could not keep up with the growing ranks of the homeless
and hungry.
2 Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York has
3 established an Office of Ministry Coordination for the
o Homeless to help 21 parishes opening their doors to the
city’s street people and strengthen their volunteer force.
All these programs have been a reaction to the
“burgeoning homeless population,” as Father Don Sakano
of New York’s Catholic Charities termed the problem.
Sharon Daly, health and welfare coordinator for the
U.S. Catholic Conference’s Office of Domestic Social
Development, said the problem is especially serious among
(Continued on page 7)
Homeless Outnumber
Emergency Shelters
Sisters' Spirit Develops
In Washington Foundation
BY MONSIGNOR NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
(Last in a Series)
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Georgia left Savannah on
the morning of January 26,1876 and arrived in their new
home in Washington, Georgia that evening. The Sisters,
numbering 17 in all, and their charges, about 60 orphan
boys, would begin a new chapter in the history of the
Catholic Church in Georgia The Order would grow,
prosper, expand and then suffer great loss in that
northwest Georgia town which was part of an area in the
state which has been called the “Cradle of Catholicity” in
Georgia
The Sisters of St. Joseph had arrived in Savannah in
1867; nine years later, in 1876, they moved to
Washington. They would remain in Washington as a
diocesan community of nuns until 1913.
Washington, in Wilkes County, is part of an area of
Georgia that is steeped in Catholic history. Fourteen miles
east of the city is Sharon, another historic landmark.
However, it all began in a little township just two miles
east of Sharon. It was there, in Locust Grove, that the
first band of Catholics settled in 1790. They were French
for the most part, but soon the community was joined by
Irish immigrants. They came to Locust Grove fleeing
persecution and desiring only to practice their faith in
peace.
A church and school were built. The community at
Locust Grove became a center of learning and was
renowned among priests and scholars throughout the
south. Many vocations to the priesthood and religious life
were bom in the community which consisted of large
plantations.
For over 50 years the colony at Locust Grove
prospered. However, the coming of the railroad changed
the world of the colony. In order to be near the new
mode of transportation, the community moved to Sharon
(Continued on page 10)
Advent Series:
Economic Pastoral Touches Home
BY MARY BETH MARINO
Advent ... the season of giving, sharing and loving.
It is the season when people all over the world reach
the pinnacle of peace and unity.
As the Christmas season approaches, wishes of
“peace on earth, good will, and season’s greetings” are
extended.
It’s the season when people will take that extra step
and reach out to feed the poor or shelter the homeless
or even play Secret Santa to those children who would
have no Christmas otherwise.
It’s the season of preparation for the birth of Christ.
And it’s a season to be reminded of the simple meaning
Part 1: The Unemployed
of Christmas, not the commercialized version of gift
giving.
Though much controversy has been stirred by the
fust draft of the bishops’ pastoral letter on the
economy, “Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S.
Economy,” the purpose and message are perhaps
timely for this holiday season.
The section of the pastoral letter addressing
unemployment offers insights into the growing
dilemma of the unemployed and how it is affecting
many families.
The bishops write that creation of new jobs with
adequate pay and decent working conditions must
become a top priority for economic policy. They
further state that at the end of September 1984 there
were 8.5 million people in the United States looking
for a job.
The Georgia Department of Labor reports that in
September 1983, there were 186,464 (6.8 percent)
unemployed in Georgia. In September 1984, 162,411
(5.8 percent) are unemployed. The statistics do not
indicate much improvement. Presently, there are
2,651,996 who are employed versus 2,547,178 who
were employed in 1983.
Who are the unemployed? The bishops’ letter
indicates that the majority are blacks, Hispanics, the
young and women who are also heads of households.
Many who are jobless are not even counted in Labor
Department statistics because they are still trying to
enter the job market for the first time.
Teenagers fill more positions than in earlier years,
and families now find it necessary to have two incomes
to get by financially. Immigrants have also added to
the size of the labor force. Career changes brought on
by technology and modernization have also
contributed to unemployment.
The pastoral letter states that “these demographic
changes, however, cannot fully explain the higher levels
of unemployment. Increases in population should
generate more jobs if the need for goods and services
they imply could be translated into effective demand.”
The letter further states that failure to invest
sufficiently in certain industries and regions, the
inability to cope with energy-price shocks, and
inadequate educational and training programs as well as
job discrimination against women, all add to the
unemployment rate.
The various reflections on the causes of
unemployment show there is no one major cause, nor
will there be a single cure for unemployment.
In a more practical way, if we look at a
middle-income family that has been affected by the
tragedy of unemployment, perhaps it will shed light on
(Continued on page 6)