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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Vol. 26 No. 32 Thursday, September 22, 1988 $15.00 Per Year SATURDAY’S HUNGRY — In a drizzling rain, dozens of men line up outside the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on a recent Saturday for the soup and comfort provided at St. Francis Table. Panel Debates Use Of Aborted Fetuses BY JULIE ASHER BETHESDA, Md. (NO — Recognizing the “moral relevance” in decisions to use human fetal tissue in research, a federal panel in a tentative vote said Sept. 16 the practice was acceptable but called it “imperative” that safeguards be developed to respect “the principled view points of all affected parties.” The 21-member panel, charged with studying the scien tific, ethical and legal questions surrounding the uses of tissue obtained from aborted fetuses, met at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Sept. 14-16. The first two days were opened to public testimony, most of which focused on the abortion issue. The U.S. bishops, the Knights of Columbus and other abortion foes condemned the practice of using fetal tissue from deliberate abortions and said the abortion and fetal tissue questions were morally linked and could not be discussed independently of each other. (Continued on page 15) Parishes Rally To Help Jamaica BY GRETCHEN REISER St. Francis Table At The Shrine Feeds 600-750 Men Weekly BY RITA McINERNEY Sept. 5, 1988, Labor Day, St. Francis Table fed 750 of Atlanta’s hungry and homeless people. The following Saturday, Sept. 10, more than 620 people were served at the Table in the large downstairs space at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 48 Martin Luther King Jr., Drive, in the shadow of the golden-domed Georgia capitol. The increase in the number of people fed exceeds by 200 New Shelter At The Shrine Gainesville Chickens Make Soup Stories on page 7 percent those served when the Saturday meal center open ed April 10, Holy Saturday, 1982. Then, anywhere from 85 to 200 men, women and children gathered at the Table for nourishing food each Saturday. Holiday openings were added a year ago to ease the gnawing hunger of people faced with the long weekend on empty downtown streets while luckier brothers and sisters relaxed at family picnics and barbecues. The Table serves on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, all Mon day and government holidays. The funding for this ever expanding corporal work of mercy is catholic. The food is hearty. The volunteers are faithful and hardworking. The Table has a number of dependable donors. Tithes are given by students from the Catholic Center directed by Father Mario DiLella, O.F.M., at Georgia Tech. The alms committee of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers sends a monthly check and weekly supplies bread from its bakery. The Particular Council of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of the archdiocese has voted to give support monthly, as one of several regular contributions supported through the Five For Food fund. The archdiocese of Atlanta is a contributor. Women’s, men’s, singles groups, SVDP conferences from the parishes give time and money. Approximately 70 individuals send monthly checks. Marilyn Smith, one of the core volunteers and keeper of the books, is optimistic that the Table will benefit substan tially from the Metro Atlanta Hunger Walk on Sunday, Sept. 25. Everyone at the Table has been signing up walkers and sponsors for the 6.2 mile trek. The budget expands according to the need, Brenda Grif fin knows. “You can figure spending one dollar for every person served,” she said. In the early years the soup kit chen operated on about $12,000 annually. Now, $35,000 is needed to keep it going. Back in the winter of 1981-82, Brenda and Buck Griffin, Shrine members, dreamed of broadening the “ritission of mercy and justice” begun the year before when the neighboring church, Central Presbyterian, opened a night shelter for homeless men. ( Continued on page 6.) Several Catholic parishes and a Miami charity with a history of involvement in the Caribbean are trying to re spond to the drastic effects of Hurricane Gilbert on the island of Jamaica. Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur, St. Paul of the Cross in Atlanta, and the Catholic Center of the University of Georgia in Athens, all of whom have personal connections to the devastated island, are trying to help stricken Jamaicans. All Saints parish in Dunwoody and St. Helena’s in Clayton were also involved. Father Bob Menard, O.F.M., who had been campus minister at the University of Georgia in Athens until June, was believed to have flown into Jamaica two days before Gilbert struck to begin a year of work with his order on the island. Sts. Peter and Paul parish has a covenant relationship with a Kingston, Jamaica parish, St. Pius X, and has hosted Jamaicans in Decatur and sent groups of parishioners to Kingston to build ties between the two. St. Paul of the Cross parish recently welcomed four Jamaican sisters, member^ of a native Jamaican order, to serve in the parish. Pastor Father Thomas Brislin, C.P. has also served as a mis sionary on the island with the Passionist order. Barbara Lee Hing, a Sts. Peter and Paul parishioner, said the parish was collecting canned food and clothing to send to the island. The University of Georgia campus center was also encouraging donations, according to Father Tony Gigliello, O.F.M. St. Paul of the Cross parishioners were advised to give donations to the Jamaican sisters, who would be able to channel it, Father Brislin said. Through All Saints parish in Dunwoody, over 1000 cans of baby formula and 4000 jars of baby food, plus 30 cases of canned food were collected over the Sept. 17-18 weekend. Joyce Hall said the plight of babies shown on television touched her, and the parish concentrated its efforts on col- . (Continued on page 8)