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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1987)
The Vol. 25 No. 28 Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Thursday, August 6, 1987 $12.00 Per Year 27 Christian Leaders To Meet Pope In S.C. BY BARB FRAZE ECUMENICAL PROJECT — Georgia Phillips shepherds a morning for children twice a week at Sacred Heart parish in Hartwell wmcn draws upon the resources ot various churches and volunteers to help over 40 two-to- five-years-olds from the surrounding area. Children Welcome At Hartwell Parish J.J. Biello Concern Lifts Up Policeman's Family hay bales to climb and a miniature chapel to hide in. There's even a friendly dog on the scene, a white German shepherd that answers to “Simon.” Two mornings a week, Monday and Thursday, the green space behind Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hartwell is alive with children. This is Children’s Morning, an ecumenical program begun about four years ago by Georgia Phillips at the First Baptist Church. It happened when she agreed to look after two young children whose mothers were.attending a parenting class at that church. As the program grew, “Miss Georgia,” as the children fondly call her, discovered that she wanted to give youngsters from low- income families an opportunity to in teract through play and other activities with other children, and introduce them to activities to develop character and skills. For her it’s a program of love, based on the words of Jesus in St. Mark’s Gospel: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” “So many of these children don’t have a day of fun and laughter,” she says while skillfully wheeling the van pro vided by First Baptist Church around the roads in the Rome section of town. Waiting children hop into the bus as mothers or grandmothers wave them off. Each child is warmly greeted by name. Twin boys usually joining the Thursday group won’t be coming this morning. Their grandfather is being buried that day. But “Miss Georgia” swings by anyway, to express her condolences to the fami ly- The van loaded with 19 small children and two older children who are helping this morning arrives back at the church around 9:30. Its lively passengers spill out and run to the sturdy play gym, a maze of parallel bars, slide, lad der and chinning bars built by Terry Phillips, Georgia’s husband. She calls them to assemble around the tall flagpole in (Continued on page 6) BY PAULA DAY Barbara Biello is slow ly rebuilding a family life after a robber’s bullets last April left her husband, an Atlanta police officer, paralyzed. With faith and courage she is doing it, supported by caring people — from her parish and other churches, and the metro Atlanta community. Mrs. Biello, her hus band J.J. Biello, and their two sons, Alex, 11, and Ross, 8, are members of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Kennesaw. A July 19 benefit held in Piedmont Park in Atlanta that drew crowds estimated at 35,000 is one example of the support she has received. Dona tions from the benefit for her husband and another paralyzed Atlanta officer, Richard Williams, are in excess of $275,000, ac cording to John Bogino, one of the organizers. The 36-year-old Biello was shot three times by a robber April 15 as he worked an off-duty job as security guard at Pro- vino’s Restaurant on Roswell Road. The high cervical injury left him paralyzed from the neck down. Surgical damage to his vocal chords left him able to speak only in a whisper. Barbara Biello admits she prayed that the Pied- “I want to tell them - Barbara Biello BY RITA McINERNEY There’s a wide lawn for running, an intricate play gym for sliding and swinging. There are wild flowers to gather. mont Park benefit would be a success. She recognized that the people who were working on it were “unsung heroes.” “You know, God,” she recalls praying, “these people have worked so hard. Don’t let their good work be for nothing. Let it be a success for them. Show them what they can do so they can feel good about their effort.” This concern for and ap- preciation of the un numbered and unrecog nized persons who have given moral and mate rial support to the family permeates Barbara Biel- lo’s conversation. > < Q encourage them — those who say to themselves, ‘Gee, that (the paralyzed officers' condition) really makes me feel bad — I wish I could help but I (Continued on page 8) WASHINGTON (NC) — Twenty-seven Christian leaders — including two women — will meet with Pope John Paul II when he travels to Columbia, S.C., Sept. 11. Among the leaders will be Archbishop Iakovos, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America; the Rev. Arie R. Brouwer, a minister of the (Dutch) Reformed Church in America and general secretary of the National Council of Churches; two Or thodox metropolitans; and bishops of four Lutheran denominations. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the names of the leaders July 28 in Washington and Charleston, S.C. Columbia is in the Charleston Diocese. (Continued on page 10) Archbishop's Care > z 3S Although released from intensive care. Archbishop § Thomas Donneilan continued to be hospitalized this g week and in fair condition. St. Joseph’s Hospital spokeswoman Nancy Wood said the archbishop's attending physician described his progress as slow, but that a urinary tract infection that led to his hospitalization had been brought under control. Except for one week at home in July, the archbishop has been hospitalized since early May when he suffered a stroke. Concern for the archbishop was expressed by Pope John Paul II during a brief private audience in early July, according to an Atlanta attorney Roger Plichta. The pope expressed concern and extended a blessing to the archbishop, Plichta said.
