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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1987)
PAGE 6 — The Georgia Bulletin, July 16, 1987 LaSalette Priests Serve Eight Parishes In Diocese BY PAULA DAY Approximately 43 per cent of the priests serving in the Atlanta archdiocese belong to religious orders, according to Father Peter Ludden, chancellor of the diocese. “About 80 in number,- they represent 12 different orders and congregations and are engaged in a great variety of ministries,” Father Ludden adds. With a 60 percent growth in the archdiocese’s Catholic population in the past 10 years, the contributions of these men are “enor mous.” For the average Cath olic, perhaps, “a priest is a priest.” However, priests of religious congregations do differ from their diocesan brother priests in that they take a vow of poverty in addition to the vows of obedience and celibacy. They also live a communal lifestyle with members of their religious congregation whenever possible. They may live alone in small parishes which need only one priest. “We have to weigh the needs of the Church and balance them with the needs of the religious con gregation,” says Father Frederick Flaherty, M.S., former provincial of the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette who is present ly pastor of St. Matthew’s, a one-man parish in Fair- burn. Each religious congre gation may also have a special ministry, or charism, which distin guishes it from other religious communities. The Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette are one of 12 religious congrega tions of men serving in the archdiocese. Known as the LaSalettes, the congrega tion came to Georgia in 1969 to staff St. Francis of Assisi parish in Carters- ville. Their ministry has since extended to a total of eight parishes ranging from a small mission church, Our Lady of the Mountains in Jasper, to the 3,000-family parish of St. Ann’s in Marietta. The LaSalette fathers consider working for recon ciliation in today’s society to be their charism. Father Flaherty feels this em phasis is appropriate. “There’s so much divi siveness today — in politics, between conser vatives and liberals — be tween the generations. We need to be brought together — to emphasize what we have in common.” Father Flaherty points out that while everyone who ministers shares in the work of reconciliation, his congregation makes recon ciliation its special focus just as the Maryknoll con gregation focuses on mis sionary work and the Socie ty of Jesus emphasizes the ministry of education. This ministry of recon ciliation takes many forms. “We need to reach out more to inactive Catholics. We need to touch them — find out what they want from the parish, from the Church. Ask them what they can do to make it bet ter,” says Father Michael Flanagan, M.S., pastor of St. Clement’s Church in Calhoun. St. Clement’s parish has grown from 72 registered families to 115 in the five and a half years Father Flanagan has been its pastor. New families have come from the . Midwest, North and Northeast. Several northern com panies have opened plants in Gordon County and the job opportunities have drawn newcomers to the area. “I think the fact that the Church was so small here was a shock to some of them, but I believe it has strengthened their belief in the tradition, in the faith, of the Catholic Church,” Father Flanagan adds. Father Flanagan, 5 himself a “Yankee” from Q Watertown, Mass., seven miles outside of Boston, is the son of Irish immigrants whose mother helped sup port the family of four as an “upstairs maid.” He speaks lovingly of her. He reminds his nephews to “listen to her because there’s more wisdom in that head than you’ll ever find in books.” St. Clement’s church sits alone on a hill overlooking the highway that winds past, below. Its brick bell tower seems to preside over the surrounding coun tryside. The church is small in comparison to city churches, and its size sug- FATHER FREDERICK FLAHERTY, M.S. Pastor of St. Matthew parish, Fairburn. FUTURE HOME OUR LADY OF THE MOUNTAINS Church, a mission church of the parish in Canton, is administered by the LaSalette priests. The April ground breaking for the mission’s new church, which will seat 160 peo ple, is pictured above. gests a kind of intimacy where people who know one another could possibly pray as a family. Father Flanagan’s par ish covers all of Gordon County. Only one percent of the county is Catholic and that one percent is “spread thin.” By contrast, the parish in England where he was stationed before com ing to Georgia had 1,000 families in an area that he could walk across in 45 minutes. “You can’t run it (St. Cle ment’s) like a big parish,” he observed. “Distances and time don’t permit the time very good. Would like to have people drop by. But I don’t have to have lonely moments. I walk down to the recreation area and meet people — always meet someone there to talk to.” In contrast, St. Ann’s in Marietta is the smallest parish, territorially, in the archdiocese. Yet it has 3,000 families. LaSalette Fathers Thomas Carroll and Brian Sheridan’s challenge is to foster a car ing community among so many. St. Ann’s parish began in August, 1978, with 240 sense. Father Carroll’s previ ous assignments include teaching and admin istrative positions in Kis congregation as well as parish work in Louisiana. For 20 years he was the congregation’s director of its shrine in Ipswich, Mass., north of Boston. How did he happen to become a Missionary of Our Lady of LaSalette? “When I was in the 8th grade one of the Mis sionaries gave a mission at our parish. He asked if anyone was interested in becoming a Missionary and FATHER THOMAS CARROLL, M.S., pastor of St. Ann’s parish in Marietta, joins other parishioners in patriotic songs and hymns honor ing Mary as patroness of the United States in a July 3rd Marian Year celebration. many things coming together. I’d like to think these small parishes find their own way. People here can take care of the parish. While I was away on vaca tion they cleaned the Church, set up for Mass, counted and banked the collection money, looked after the house.” Father Flanagan speaks with pride of the 20- member choir who sings every Sunday at the 11:15 Mass, and of the 15 Eucharistic ministers, as well as the five religion teachers and religious education coordinator. A husband and wife team are organizing an adult educa tion program for the fall. The Knights of Columbus, Council 9339, formed only three years ago, has 35 ac tive members. “The base Christian community model like they have in Brazil is what I want to try. Our Knights of Columbus and the tele phone calling committee could be the start,” Father Flanagan points out. “Al ready when someone dies the committee calls and everyone bands together to help out.” How does he feel about working alone? “Most of families. As with St. Cle ment’s, its growth is a result of resettlement from outside Georgia; 98 percent of the parishioners have moved from the upper Mid west and the Northeast. This uprooting has helped them “know now the only thing they have in common is the Church,” observes Father Carroll. “The Church has become the focal point of their lives — educationally, socially. We’ve tried to respond to their needs — make them feel a part of the parish and people appreciate that.” Both Father Carroll and Father Sheridan come from Connecticut. Father Carroll is from Waterbury where his 85-year-old mother lives and actively supports the LaSalette community with fund- rais ing efforts. Father Sheri dan is from East Hartford. They share with their parishioners the ex perience of being trans planted. “Being from the north helps me help them adjust to the area,” points out Father Carroll. “What many of them (parish ioners) didn’t have here was family. The Church became their family, in a I raised my hand.” One pastoral need for St. Ann’s is the Catholic educa tion of its 2,000 children in the religious education pro gram. Throughout the week, 124 volunteers teach no more than 20 children during 11 time tracks. This spring 220 made their First Communion. During the past school year, one of the seven weekend Masses was a children's liturgy where children were ushers, readers, commentators and choir members. Often the homily would be a dialogue between the celebrant and children us ing Annie, a puppet, as a teaching device. The day chapel, located in a wing to the right of the main church, is dedicated to children. With its rever sible pews it can be used as a “cry room.” Its stained glass windows depict the child saints, Agnes and Stanislaus Kostka, as well as Mary at the knees of St. Ann and Jesus teaching children. This special touch was Father Carroll’s sug gestion. Because of St. Ann’s large elementary school- age population, Father (Continued on page 7)
