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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1990)
o The Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Vol. 28 No. 4 Thursday. January 25, 1990 $15.00 Per Year Record Turnout Marches For Life BY GRETCHEN REISER A mobilized Catholic presence and an awareness that the state legislature is the new battleground for abortion characterized the pro-life rally and march at the Georgia Capitol Jan. 22. Some 600 to 700 Catholics followed Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, to the Capitol steps after an opening Mass in honor of life at the nearby Shrine of the Immaculate Con ception. The one-block walk displayed a variety of parish pro-life signs from Stone Mountain to Newnan as the Catholic contingent merged with thousands of other Georgians already massed on the Capitol steps. Becky Fern, chairperson of the pro-life rally, estimated the crowd ai over 15,000 based on stickers handed out by marshals. Atlanta Police Major W.W. Holley, who was in (Continued on page 141 Appointment Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ has appointed Father Michael A. Woods to the position of Vicar for Clergy in the archdiocese. This appointment becomes effective on Jan. 25,1990. Father Woods will continue to serve as pastor of the Church of St. Jude, Atlanta. Reverend Edward J. Dillon, V.G. Moderator of the Curia SPEAKS FOR UNBORN — Archbishop the 17th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Marino speaks to a sea of upturned faces at the decision legalizing abortion. (Photo by Linda pro-life rally held on the Capitol steps to mark Schaefer) Churches To Help BY GRETCHEN REISER A Houston, Texas initiative on behalf of the homeless is being tried in the archdiocese of Atlanta, and the wider metropolitan Atlanta interfaith community. For several years, the Houston religious community has assigned one weekend as a time to focus on the homeless and also to sponsor a collection to be used for local shelters, housing initiatives, preventive programs and education on the topic. Their second collection raised $1.2 million last year for Houston's homeless programs. This year, the metropolitan Atlanta religious com munity—Christian, Jewish and Muslim—is trying the same approach, both to raise consciousness among its congrega tions and to aid the many church-sponsored initiatives in metropolitan counties already being undertaken for the homeless, and, perhaps, to fund a few more. The archdiocese of Atlanta is an active participant in this precedent setting endeavor, which is being called the “Community Appeal To Address Homelesness.” Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, is one of 14 co-chairs of the appeal, along with the Episcopal bishop of Atlanta, Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal and Lutheran bishops, and representatives of the Georgia Baptist Con vention, the Presbyterian Church, the Jewish community, the Greek Orthodox, United Church of Christ, Assemblies of God and Church of God. Steering committee members include Father John Adamski, Father Henry Gracz and Father Richard Kieran, Metro Homeless and Catholic Social Services executive director Steve Brazen. In the archdiocese, the first weekend in February, Feb. 3 and 4, is the time when the topic of homelessness is to be ad dressed and the collection to be taken. Funds raised in parishes will be given to the Community Appeal, as will collections raised in other participating houses of worship. An allocations subcommittee, which in cludes Father Adamski, pastor of the Shrine of the Im maculate Conception, will recommend how the funds should be allocated. All funds will be used for local projects to help the homeless, since 100 percent of administrative ex penses is being covered by the United Way. The funds are to be distributed in April. Father Adamski, whose parish hosts the only Catholic night shelter in the archdiocese, said he hopes the appeal will be “a consciousness-raising issue” about the severe needs of the homeless and the faith imperative to reach out to them. “It is an opportunity for the faith community to be recognized as reaching out to our sisters and brothers who live in our communities without homes. We have a respon sibility to them. Our responsibility to them grows out of our faith. It is a chance to come together with other churches and make that statement.” The Reverend Charles Bennison, Jr., rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, also worried that public con cern about homelessness is waning, perhaps because it is (Continued on page 15) INSIDE RCIA Seminar D.C. priest urges an accepting attitude page 6 1A Parent’s Choice Catholic Schools take spotlight next week pages 7,8 Book Reviews Immigrants, nonviolence, and personal essays page 13 Chicago Closings Deficit dictates end of parishes, schools page 17
