Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, February 15,1990
Sisters Marcella And Roberta
(Continued from page 6)
told her she would take her,
Mrs. Crabtree cried.
“Sister, would you really
do that for me?” she asked
through tears. A hug from
the older woman assured
her she wasn’t being a
“bother.”
Occasionally, people
disappoint them. One
woman sold the “nice fur
niture” they managed to
collect for her and bought
whiskey with the money.
Another sold good used
clothing they brought her.
The people they see are
“not all poor,” Sister
Roberta says. Some are
housebound and lonely.
Some are dying. The tran
quil oasis on Washington
Street, Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Home, is a
frequent stop.
Their reward comes in
smiles and warm greet
ings, hugs and kisses re
turned, hands grasped in
gratitude. They don’t plan
to give these up.
Sometimes, Sister Mar
cella says, she thinks she’d
“like to do street work”
with the homeless, “Then I
think you’d better be
satisfied with what you’re
able to do. I’d rather be
able to continue than give
out.”
Although both have had
physical problems recent
ly, they’re doing fine now.
Sister Marcella fell on a
spot of ice the day before
Christmas. She was in the
hospital for about a week
with internal bleeding and
a low blood count. Now she
wears a temporary brace
for her back and the doctor
has given her a clean bill of
health.
Sister Roberta also is do
ing well. But she wasn’t for
a time after having a
pacemaker implanted last
July 9. The doctors never
told her how horrible she
would feel afterward, she
says.
“I wasn’t myself. Felt
terrible, didn’t go
anywhere.” Finally, one in
cident made her face her
depression. “One of my
elderly friends asked Sister
Marcella ‘Where’s my
sister who used to laugh
and cut up?’ And I was
standing right there! ”
A Christmas visit to
Green Bay helped. Old
friends who had been
through the same pro
cedure reassured her that
the low period wasn’t
unusual.
Now she’s back, travel
ing, as always, with her
constant companion affec
tionately called “Tony.”
St. Anthony, her favorite in
the galaxy of saints, is
always her intercessor. He
never fails her. He pro
duces lost keys, gives her
immeasurable help with
the sick and lonely. She has
even named a former
residence for him, “Tony’s
House.”
Steve Brazen, executive
director of Catholic Social
Services, said of the lively
pair, “They knew every
elderly person in the city"
who was in need. "Because
they were so well-known,
they created a caring
presence for the Church
with people, especially the
elderly.”
"They’ll never retire.
They’ll be on their way
some place and the good
Lord will take them with
their boots on,’’ he
predicted.
AN OLD SWEET HYMN — Mattye Jett plays for her friend, Sister
Marcella, in the community room at the high-rise.
Christian Council
GOOD FRIENDS —
friend, Dorothy Moss,
Sister Roberta shares a laugh with a longtime
another resident of the West End apartment.
Covenant House
(Continued from page 1)
believe any of these allega
tions.”
The chairman said he
hoped Father Ritter would
return to the leadership of
Covenant House. But he
said he could not make a
prediction because “public
perception is a big prob
lem” and the public had
seen so many damaging
headlines.
Peiffer, a board mem
ber since 1986, said he
became Covenant House
chairman Nov. 26, just
before the Dec. 12 front
page story in the New York
Post reporting that Father
Ritter was accused of
carrying on a sexual
relationship with a young
man in a Covenant House
program and using agency
funds to support him.
Pfeiffer said he thought
Macchiarola fit the “pro
file” of the leader Covenant
House needed because of
his experience on the
board, his professional
education and experience,
his family life and his
general high reputation.
Macchiarola, a native of
New York who will be 49 on
April 7, has a law degree
and a doctorate in public
law and government, both
from Columbia University.
He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
and belongs to Our Lady
Help of Christians Parish,
where his wife, Mary, is
director of religious educa
tion. They have three sons.
Chancellor of the New
York City public school
system from 1978 to 1983,
Macchiarola has been ex
ecutive director of the
Academy of Political
Science since 1984 and a
professor in the Columbia
University Business School
since 1987.
In an interview Feb. 9,
Macchiarola said he would
continue teaching for the
current semester, but give
Covenant House as much
time as he could.
He declined to speculate
on the prospects for Father
Ritter’s return, but said, “I
am committed to staying
as long as I am needed
here.”
The problems facing the
acting president are
“substantial,” Macchi
arola said.
“The integrity of this in
stitution is at stake,” he
said. “If you don’t see that
you’re Pollyanna.”
James Harnett, who
served as chief officer
responsible for daily opera
tions under Father Ritter,
is continuing in that role.
For the fiscal year end
ing last June 30, Covenant
House reported total in
come of $88.2 million, up
from $68.4 million the year
before. Last year’s receipts
included $3.5 million in
government grants and
$1.9 million from in
vestments but 94 percent,
or $82.8 million, from con
tributions.
Macchiarola said Cove
nant House would continue
to use Father Ritter’s
name and words, but had
not decided whether it
would keep mailing the let
ters he wrote in his per
sonal style for fund raising.
Harnett has acknowl
edged that agency officials
secured a baptismal cer
tificate under the name of a
deceased child for the
young man who later ac
cused Father Ritter of in
itiating a sexual relation
ship with him.
In an interview with
Catholic News Service Feb.
(Continued from page 1)
earned rest from their
years of labor, these two
‘young at heart’ sisters
continue an energetic and
effective ministry to the
elderly. For these reasons,
I recommend them with no
reservations.”
Also, for the first time,
the Archbishop Thomas A.
Donnellan award will be
presented to a congrega
tion for outstanding com
munity service. Arch
bishop Donnellan, during
his 19 years in Atlanta, was
among church leaders
working for ecumenism.
The award in memory of
Archbishop Donnellan will
be presented to St. Luke’s
Episcopal .Church in
downtown Atlanta. Among
its numerous activities for
the homeless are a com
munity kitchen which feeds
more than 550 people each
weekday, a street academy
for students not doing well
in traditional educational
settings, medical services
9 at his office in New York,
Harnett said Covenant
House regretted the pain
caused the deceased child’s
family.
But he said he thought
moral theologians would
consider the act justifiable
under a “higher good” con
cept because the people
securing the baptismal cer
tificate believed a life was
at stake.
He said the agency would
not repeat the procedure in
the future without con
sulting the bishop of the
diocese or other au
thorities.
The baptismal certificate
was from St. James Church
in Jamestown, N.Y., and
was in the name of Timothy
Michael Warner, a James
town child who died of
leukemia at Children’s
Hospital in Buffalo Nov. 13,
1980, at age 10.
to over 16,000 people each
year through its clinics
operated by the Georgia
Nurses Association.
In addition, the con
gregation offers job place
ment and counseling for
the homeless through the
St. Luke’s Economic
Development Corporation.
The Rev. Charles C. Ben-
nison, Jr., is rector of the
church.
Father Richard Kieran,
rector of the Cathedral of
Christ the King, a member
of the breakfast commit
tee, proposed the council
add an award for a con
gregation in honor of Arch
bishop Donnellan.
This will be an annual
award, Father Kieran said.
It will go to a metropolitan
Atlanta church for out
standing community ser
vice in promoting justice
and peace.
"I believe it is a fitting
tribute to the archbishop,”
Father Kieran said. “He
was very committed to
ecumenism and promoting
justice and peace.”
Others to be honored at
the breakfast are Mary
Blackman Sanford, an ac
tivist who worked for a bet
ter quality of life in Atlan
ta’s housing projects, and
the Rev. Dr. W. Craig
Taylor, neighborhood de
veloper for Wesley Com
munity Center and an ad
vocate for the homeless
and poorly housed in Atlan
ta.
Mrs. Sanford will receive
the Charles M. Watt, Jr.,
Exceptional Personal
Ministry award. She was
president of the Perry
Homes Tenants’ Associa
tion for 23 years.
Dr. Taylor will receive
the Exceptional Service to
the Community award. He
was a co-founder and board
member of Habitat for
Humanity, Atlanta, has
served on the staff of the
American Civil Liberties
Union of Georgia and was a
founder and former ex
ecutive director of the
South Atlanta Land Trust.