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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1987)
♦:». i ^ Cathedral (Continued from page 6) staffing St. Anthony’s and Sacred Heart schools, while three Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament taught 114 boys and 132 girls at Our Lady of Lourdes. In addition, the Marist Fathers were in charge of the Marist College, a military classical school, according to the Catholic Directory, where 160 boys were enrolled. The Sisters of Mercy also staffed the St. Joseph’s In firmary and Training School for Nurses on Courtland St. There were 17 nuns here, and 48 nursing students. A total of 2,222 pa tients were treated in 1935, according to the directory. • •••• To the prudent men guiding the finances of the new Christ the King parish, the “Lynch bequest” was the key to success in fund ing the buildings of the parish. Mrs. Hannah M Lynch had left $25,000 in trust to the diocese of Savannah for the building of a new church. Bishop O’Hara had intended to use this fund to establish a new parish somewhere in the Druid Hills section near Decatur. The Catholics there, he said, “are not strong either numerically or financially, I felt that they would need no little help in getting the parish started.. However, with trust in God for the means necessary to put the future Druid Hills-Decatur parish on its feet, I am quite will ing in view of the position taken by the committee, to yield regarding the Mrs. Lynch bequest and make it available for the Christ the King parish..." He went on to explain, in the letter sent to Hughes Spalding in December, 1936. that “I want the church there to be truly worthy of the Catholic Church and of the capital city of the state...” (The bishop established the parish of St. Thomas More in Decatur at Easter 1941.) Because he had to leave the diocese for a few months he appointed the earlier mentioned committee of five to “assume full charge of the building project with HONOR — Bishop Joseph Bernardin pre sents diploma to Mar garet Nerney during graduation exercises for St. Joseph’s Hos pital School of Nursing students in 1966. They Served The Parish Msgr. Joseph E. Moylan — serving as pastor of Im maculate Conception when new parish of Christ the King was established and he was named first pastor. He served until 1945. Msgr. Joseph P. Cassidy — held the post for 19 years until 1964. Father John F. McDonough — served from 1964 un til 1966. Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin — 1966 - 1968. Father John Stapleton — administrator from 1968 until his death Aug. 26, 1972. Msgr. McDonough — administrator since September, 1972. full powers of agency until my return to accept plans, award contracts, make payments, etc...Now let us see what kind of school and church builders you are!” Not only did Bishop O’Hara and the other parishioners see what a fine job they could do, the entire city was made aware of their achievement in early 1939 when news stories an ticipated and reported the dedication of the co cathedral of Christ the King. The ceremony in troduced the population to the splendor and pomp of the hierarchy and was described in one Journal report as “the greatest assemblage of Catholic leaders in Georgia.” As the cathedral was dedicated on Jan. 18, 1939. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his second term; a civil war raged in Spain, and the free world had not yet fully awakened to the slaughter of the Jewish peo ple by Adolph Hitler. The true life love story of the king and the commoner. England’s King Edward and Baltimore’s Mrs. Simp son, still fascinated Ameri cans as did a fictional tale written by Atlanta's own Margaret Mitchell. “Gone With The Wind” sold over a million copies in 1938. While Catholics in Atlan ta made preparations for the dedication of the cathedral, the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics, Pope Pius XI, was in the last weeks of his life. He died at the Vatican on Feb. 10. The pontiff, aged 79, had been consecrated pope in 1922. In Atlanta newspapers. segregation extended to the obituary page, with death notices separated by race. In its issue reporting the dedication. The Bulletin of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, termed the occasion “one of the most impressive and historically significant ceremonies in the history of the Church in the entire south Atlantic states.” The solemn high Mass was celebrated by Arch bishop Michael J. Curley of Baltimore, metropolitan of the Province of Baltimore which included Georgia, while the sermon was delivered by Monsignor Joseph M. Corrigan, rector of Catholic University. Car dinal Dennis Dougherty presided at the solemn ceremony. In closing remarks. Bishop O’Hara paid tribute to the priests and laity: “...to them I express heart felt gratitude for the truly marvelous spirit that they have shown for all that per tains to the welfare of the Church in this state. My priests and people, laboring together for the common cause to the honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls, have achieved great things.” “The dedication of this co-cathedral is a kind of climax to their many ac complishments., made possible by the sacri fices The work has not been easy. Catholics of this state have suffered for their faith and it is precisely because of these sacrifices and sufferings that God blesses them now.” The Atlanta Journal gave front-page photo coverage to the presence of Dr. Hiram Wesley Evans, im PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, April 16, 1987 PRE-SYNOD — Mass is celebrated at the altar of the cathedral before changes of the Second Vatican Council turned the altar around so the celebrant faced the congregation. perial wizard of the KKK, and Mrs. Evans, among the invited guests. Evans, an Atlanta dentist, was quoted as saying he was “just a spectator.” Dinner at the Piedmont Driving Club followed the cathedral dedication. A- mong the honored guests were Mayor and Mrs. William Hartsfield and Gov. and Mrs. E.R. Rivers. The day before the dedication. Journal head lines announced “Catholic Great Arrive,” and “New $400,000 Church Replaces Modest Chapel.” Cardinal Dougherty, the press reported, had been greeted by a large crowd at Ter minal Station including hun dreds of Catholic school children and Marist College cadets. Among priests in the welcoming throng were Father Moylan and Father Harold J. Barr, pastor of St. Joseph’s in Athens. Prelates were booked in to the Atlanta Biltmore while priests stayed at the Ansley Hotel. At each hotel altars had been set up in one room so that daily Mass could be celebrated. The Journal described the new cathedral as “like ly to rival Notre Dame in Paris for lasting qualities. ” In the lengthy article in the Jan. 28issueofThe Bulletin, the structure designed by Philadelphia architects Henry D. Dagit and Sons, is said to recall the cathedrals of the 13th century in its form ; “yet its detail creates an interest which satisfies and is adapted to the sur roundings and the people who will attend it.” In the half century since the dedication, this im pressive limestone cathe dral has been the scene of momentous events in the life of the archdiocese. So it will be again next month with the culmination of the anniversary celebrations. On Sunday, May 3 at 9 a m., the school children’s liturgical celebration of 50 years of Christ the King School will be held. Open house and reunion of former students will follow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hyland Center and the school. Another event plan ned for Sunday is a talk on the handsome stained glass windows in the cathedral to be given by Patricia Garner and Irma Matson. The anniversary Mass on Monday, May 4 at 6 p.m. will include special music by the Cathedral Choir. It will be shown over closed circuit television to the overflow crowd in the gym nasium at the Hyland Center. An outdoor recep tion, memorabilia display and slide show will follow at 7:30 p.m. Admission to the Mass will be by ticket only. (Next week: Reminiscences) JUSTICE — Archbishop Thomas Donnellan is shown a service held at the gravesite of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in August, 1984, with Mrs. Christine King Farris, Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Father Ronald Carignan, O.M.I., president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men which was meeting in the city.
