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National Team To Evaluate
Atlanta Deacons' Program
BY GRETCHEN REISER
The growing permanent
diaconate in the arch
diocese of Atlanta will be
scrutinized for three and a
half days next week by a
national evaluation team
invited by Archbishop
Eugene A. Marino, SSJ.
Between Friday, Feb. 23,
and Monday, Feb. 26, a
team of five people,
chaired by Detroit Aux
iliary Bishop Dale
Melczek, will meet with
deacons and their wives,
pastors and lay leaders
working with deacons,
members of the Council of
Priests, diaconate can
didates and their instruc
tors to review the arch
diocesan program.
A preliminary report will
be given to the archbishop
before the team leaves,
with a final report due to
come from the National
Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ permanent dia
conate committee approxi
mately May 1, said Deacon
Richard Narey of Atlanta.
The team, in addition to
Bishop Melczek, will in
clude John Byrne, a deacon
who is director of perma
nent diaconate formation
for the archdiocese of
Spokane, Wash.; Father
Robert O’Grady, vicar for
permanent deacons in the
archdiocese of Hartford,
Conn.; and Deacon Ray
Ortega and his wife,
Rosemery, from the arch
diocese of Miami,
The archbishop, who
worked with the permanent
diaconate for 20 years in
Washington, D.C., asked
for the evaluation last
year; saying it would bring
to Atlanta “people with
wide experience” to
evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the arch
diocesan program.
An enthusiastic sup
porter of the ministry that
was restored by the Second
Vatican Council following
centuries of disuse, the
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archbishop said that his
backing of the permanent
diaconate was not a denial
of problems that others
may encounter with the
ministry.
“My enthusiasm may be
interpreted as something
that cannot be chal
lenged,” he said in an inter
view. “This is still a
relatively new ministry in
the Church. The purpose of
the evaluation is not to
whitewash, but to tie up the
loose ends, discover and
correct the mistakes.”
“Today we have more
permanent deacons (in the
archdiocese) than diocesan
priests. That is a reality,”
the archbishop observed.
“My concern is to find out
what the Holy Spirit is say
ing. What does that mean
to the Church of Atlanta as
we look toward the third
millenium?”
Narey, who is part-time
director of the permanent
diaconate and lay ministry
for the archdiocese of
Atlanta, said the host group
has already unearthed con
cerns to be shared with the
evaluation team and that
he fully expects to receive
recommendations for
change in the way the pro
gram is now carried out.
The concern is to be in line
with the guidelines that
have been developed by the
NCCB’s permanent dia
conate committe, he said.
At this time, there are 98
permanent deacons in the
archdiocese, some of whom
were formed and ordained
in other dioceses before
moving to Georgia. Ap
proximately 30 candidates
are in preparation to be or
dained either in 1990 or
1991, Narey said.
The schedule for the
evaluation team begins
Feb. 23 with a meeting be
tween Archbishop Marino
and Bishop Melczek. That
evening the team will meet
with the eight-member
Atlanta diaconate board
composed of Deacons Sam
Anzalone, Walt Bedard, A1
Gallagher. Arturo Jim
enez, A1 Mitchell, Narey
and Deacon Ray Shaw and
his wife. Sue.
On Feb. 24, the team will
visit lay ministry and dia
conate formation classes
at the Cathedral of Christ
the King, meet with
members of the Council of
Priests and have lunch
with those teaching the
deacons and lay ministers.
That afternoon they will
meet with deacon can
didates and their wives and
with the chairpersons of
parish councils in parishes
served by deacons. Every
parish with deacons was in
vited to send its chair
person, Narey said. A
discussion is also schedul
ed with representatives of
the Aquinas Center of
Theology on possible use of
its faculty for the forma
tion program.
On Sunday, individual
team members will visit
four parishes and hear
deacons preach and lunch
with the pastor and parish
leaders. Bishop Melczek
will celebrate the 10:30
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PAGE 3 — The Georgia Bulletin, February 15, 1990
GROUNDBREAKING — Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, St. Pius
X pastor Father John Walsh, building committee chairman Frank
McGovern and parish council president Gerry Ciciora (from right)
break ground Feb. 4 for the addition of 15 classrooms and new parish
center in the Conyers parish.
a.m. Mass at the
Cathedral. Father O’Grady
will celebrate the 9 a.m.
Mass at Holy Cross parish
in Atlanta. Deacon John
Byrne will be at St. An
thony’s Church in
southwest Atlanta and
Deacon and Mrs. Ortega
will be at Immaculate
Heart of Mary parish with
the Hispanic community.
The visits are intended to
give the team “a flavor of
how the diaconate is work
ing” in these parishes,
which include parishes ser
ving the black and
Hispanic communities,
Narey said.
Sunday afternoon they
will meet with deacons and
their wives and again with
the diaconate board. On
Feb. 26, there will be final
meetings between the arch
bishop and Bishop Melczek
and between the team and
the diaconate board. In ad
dition to meetings, the
team gathers alone nightly
to clarify its observations,
Narey said.
A preliminary report will
be given Feb. 26, Narey
said. Team members will
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provide Bishop Melczek
their individual reports in
two weeks and he will send
a final team report to the
NCCB in Washington, D.C.
“We receive a report back
from the bishops’ commit
tee about May 1,” Narey
said.
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