Newspaper Page Text
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 25 No. 38
Thursday, October 29, 1987
$12.00 Per Year
In Selection Of Archbis
BY FATHER PETER A. DORA
The next archbishop of Atlanta will be appointed per
sonally by Pope John Paul II after a meticulous search has
been conducted to find suitable candidates for the position.
He will be assisted in this process by the Vatican Congrega
tion of Bishops which is entrusted with identifying priests
throughout the world who are suitable to fulfill the office of
bishop. Their work, in turn, is supported by the pontifical
legates in the various nations of the world.
In this case the pontifical legate is Archbishop Pio Laghi.
the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States. Archbishop
Laghi, who visited Archbishop Thomas Donnellan shortly
before his death and who presided at his funeral last week,
will be directing the search in this country for his suc
cessor.
According to Canon 377 of the Code of Canon Law, the
pontifical legate must seek out the suggestions of the
bishops of the province in which the new bishop is to serve.
The Atlanta province includes the dioceses of Charleston.
S.C., Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. and Savannah.
The canon next requires that the president of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops be consulted.
The legate is then directed to hear “some members of the
archdiocesan college of consultors...and if he judges it ex
pedient, he shall also obtain, individually and in secret, the
opinion of other members of the secular and religious
clergy as well as of the laity who are outstanding for their
wisdom.”
The final decision will center both on various qualities of
the candidate as well as the specific needs of the arch
diocese of Atlanta. Specifically, the Church in north
Georgia is characterized by rapid numerical growth which
shows all signs of continuing and even increasing for the
foreseeable future. Other considerations would include the
current condition of the priests, deacons and religious of the
archdiocese as well as the state of parishes, schools and
other institutions. Paramount will be the existing spiritual
and pastoral life of the area.
Areas of importance in the actual candidate will center
on his overall spiritual, personal, doctrinal, pastoral and
administrative qualities.
While the successor to Archbishop Donnellan could be a
priest not presently ordained to the episcopate, precedent
from similar situations would suggest that the candidate
will be chosen from the present bishops of the United
States.
"Special" Families, Parishes
Back Adoption Of Older Kids
BY PAULA DAY
October has been designated Respect Life
Month by the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops. Concern for life can take many forms.
One is concern for children who do not “belong to
anyone” — special children who are available for
adoption.
Over 600 Georgia children are legally free and
waiting for someone to adopt them. These
“special-needs” children may be minority
children or be part of a sibling group or have
physical, emotional or mental handicaps; or just
be too old — over eight years old — to fall into the
category of children families usually consider for
adoption.
In recent months, three parishes of the arch
diocese, Our Lady of Lourdes, Saints Peter and
Paul and St. Anthony have made a special effort to
bring these children to the attention of their
parishioners. The parishes have displayed posters
and an album published by an organization called
My Turn Now, a private, non-profit group formed
in 1980 to facilitate the adoption of special-needs
children. Its loose-leaf publication has pictures
and brief background articles on each of the
featured children.
One inspiration for focusing on special-needs
children has come from Father George Clements,
a Chicago priest who adopted two older boys. His
program, “One Church, One Child,” proposes that
in every parish one family adopt a special-needs
child. The whole parish then supports the family’s
effort. Two Atlanta Catholic families who have
adopted children witness to the value of this sup
port in their lives.
Betty Lee Heislgr Martin and her husband,
David, are members of Saints Peter and Paul
(Continued on page 6)
FAITHFUL SUPPORT — Eva Schnore, 93,
oldest member of the Auxiliary of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Cancer Home, was an honored
guest at the 31st annual champagne luncheon
supporting the work of the home Oct. 23. More
photos on page 7.
Economics Pastoral
Is Workshop Theme
A two-day conference on the bishops’ pastoral on the
economy has been scheduled for Thursday and Friday,
Nov. 12 and 13 for priests, deacons and pastoral staffs at the
Pierremont Plaza Hotel, 590 West Peachtree St., Atlanta.
Father William J. Bryon, S.J., president of the Catholic
University of America, will deliver the keynote address on
Thursday morning; Anthony Ipsaro, Ph.D., Psy. D., will
facilitate the sessions, and Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton,
auxiliary bishop of Detroit, will lead a prayer service
Thursday night and celebrate the Eucharist on Friday
morning.
The conference is the initial phase of a formation pro
gram for the implementation of the pastoral, “Economic
Justice for All: Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S.
Economy.” The program was developed by the Committee
for Continuing Education of the Clergy at the request of
Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan in early 1986. The arch-
(Continued on page 8)
