Newspaper Page Text
a
The
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 28 No. 7
Thursday, February 15, 1990
$15.00 Per Year
Covenant House CEO
Says Work Goes On
pletes its investigation.
In an interview with
Catholic News Service at
the agency’s headquarters
in New York, Pfeiffer, a
retired IBM executive who
still serves on the boards of
some business corpora
tions, said he was in Japan
on a business trip when the
news came.
He said that by phone he
had helped arrange for
another board member,
Frank J. Macchiarola, to
step in as president, but did
not get back to New York
until the evening of Feb. 8.
“The need for Covenant
House is so great and so
manifestly clear, we’re
going to find a way to
continue,” he said. “It has
to be. There are kids who
need our help, and the
number is increasing by
the day.”
Pfeiffer, a Catholic and a
resident of Greenwich,
Conn., expressed a firm
belief that Father Ritter
would be vindicated. “I
cannot overstate my faith
and trust in the guy,” he
said. “I absolutely do not
(Continued on page 7)
BY PAULA DAY
A ground level, win
dowless office in the
Catholic Center is the hub
of programs that may af
fect many Catholics in the
archdiocese throughout
their-lifetime. The Office of
Family Concerns can touch
Catholics when they are
preparing to marry, plan
ning a family, struggling as
a single parent, working
through difficult periods in
their marriage.
“What we hope to do in
our ministry is be a voice
for families in the Church
and to serve families at
significant developmental
stages,” explained Mary
Ellen Hughes, director of
the Office of Family Con
cerns. “We are certainly
particularly interested in
joining with folks who are
just beginning to form their
families so there is a
Church presence and con
cern at the marriage
preparation stage.”
Marriage preparation in
the archdiocese is the
responsibility of the pastor
helping the couple or of a
priest assigned the respon
sibility by him, Ms. Hughes
explained. Couples plan-
Family Office Touches Many Lives
ning to marry, after con
sultation with him, decide
which of several marriage
programs is best for them.
In the archdiocese
couples have four basic
choices, three of which the
Office of Family Concerns
directly implements as a
service to pastors. They
are the Pre-Cana program,
Remarriage program and
the Sponsor Couple pro
gram. This latter program
is carried out at the parish
level but lead couples for it
are prepared by the Office
of Family Concerns. The
fourth choice, Engaged En
counter, received its seed
money from the arch
diocese but is conducted by
volunteers.
PRE-CANA
Pre-Cana is a one-day
workshop for engaged
(Continued on page 12)
Donnellan Award Established
BY TRACY EARLY
MOUNTAIN CELEBRATION — Glenmary Father Edward Gorny,
pastor, and Sister Rosemary Wickham, pastoral assistant, at St. Fran
cis of Assisi in Blairsville, share a light moment at the reception honor
ing the Franciscan sister on her golden jubilee. See article on page 5.
NEW YORK (CNS) -
Ralph A. Pfeiffer Jr.,
board chairman of the
Covenant House ministry
to homeless youngsters,
said Feb. 9 that he was
committed to keeping the
ministry alive even if
its founder, Franciscan
Father Bruce Ritter, did
not return.
Three days earlier, after
2 revelations that a third
n
z former Covenant House
■o resident had accused
| Father Ritter of initiating a
< sexual relationship, the
priest’s superior. Father
Conall McHugh of the Con
ventual Franciscans of
Union City, N.J., had
directed the priest to take a
leave until the order com-
Christian Council Honors Two CSJ
Sisters
Sister Roberta
Sutton, CSJ
who was a president of Church Women
United and active in efforts to advance in
terfaith relations.
After many years teaching in Catholic
schools, the two sisters went to work in
Sister Teresa Termini’s services to the
elderly program at Catholic Social Ser
vices in 1977. They continued with CSS un
til retiring in 1985. Since then they have
continued their ministry on a personal
volunteer basis, spending many hours
helping the needy.
Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, in
his letter nominating the sisters, told of
their unflagging efforts for the poor and
elderly and concluded by saying “Long
after many of their contemporaries have
retired to the motherhouses for well-
(Continued on page 7)
Sister Marcella
Meyer, CSJ
BY RITA McINERNEY
The “exceptional personal ministry” of
two Religious of the archdiocese will be
recognized at the 20th annual Community
Breakfast of the Christian Council of
Metropolitan Atlanta on Saturday, March
10.
Sisters Marcella Meyer and Roberta
Joseph Sutton, both Sisters of St. Joseph of
Carondelet, will receive the Mrs. Fred W.
Patterson Award during the 8:30 a.m.
breakfast at the Atlanta Hilton and
Towers, 255 Courtland St.
They are being recognized for their com
passionate dedication to the elderly poor,
lonely and sick in Atlanta’s varied
neighborhoods. The award is given annual
ly in memory of the late Mrs. Patterson,
INSIDE
Aging U.S. Church
workshop topic
for Fordham expert page 2
National Team
will scrutinize
permanent diaconate page 3
Parish Lay Ministers
need more support
from pastors, bishops page 13