Georgia Bulletin

Atlanta

• Preschool teacher of the year, ‘Ms. Jerry’ just loves her OLA kids

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—Jaroslava Patak, known as “Ms. Jerry” to her students at Our Lady of the Assumption Church preschool, is the 2016 Distinguished Teacher of the Year of the Georgia Preschool Association. Patak received the award at the association’s annual meeting Feb. 26 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. She has served on the OLA preschool […] Full Story

• Archdiocese responds to victims group’s protest

  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—A small group of members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) held signs as part of a press conference outside the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, April 4. The group asked that the Archdiocese of Atlanta publish on its website a list of those priests, deacons and religious who were […] Full Story

• Cathedral homily traces recent popes’ great emphasis on God’s mercy

  By JEAN DRISKELL, Special to the Bulletin
  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—Eucharistic exposition and Benediction for Divine Mercy Sunday were presented at the Cathedral of Christ the King April 3 by Deacon Gerald Zukauckas, spiritual director of the Divine Mercy Apostolate. The celebration began after the 7:15 p.m. Mass and was in conjunction with the Divine Mercy celebration held earlier that day at St. Marguerite d’Youville […] Full Story

• St. Joseph’s Tables honor beloved saint

  

  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—Immaculate Heart of Mary School and St. Anthony of Padua Church, both in Atlanta, celebrated the feast of St. Joseph on March 18 and 19 with a St. Joseph’s Table. The table at the school was filled with wonderful food of Italian and Polish heritage, prayer cards, carpenter tools, turnips from the IHM garden, prayers […] Full Story

• Boys round up items for children in foster care

  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—Joseph Miller, a seventh-grader at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Atlanta, and neighborhood friend Alex Matullo, a seventh-grader at St. Thomas More School, Decatur, collected new and gently used luggage, backpacks and duffel bags for children in foster care. The boys learned that many children in foster care do not have luggage and are forced […] Full Story

• First-graders build model to get a handle on anatomy

  Published April 14, 2016

  ATLANTA—At Our Lady of the Assumption School, students participate in a STREAM program focused on Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics. It’s an interdisciplinary and applied educational philosophy founded on hands-on, problem-based learning. John Lamarca heads the STREAM program. First-grade students built models of the thoracic cavity to end a science unit focused […] Full Story

• Georgia governor vetoes state RFRA measure; bishops respond

  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA (CNS)—Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory and Savannah Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer said that like all of the U.S. Catholic bishops, they support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act but “do not support any implementation of RFRA in a way that will discriminate against any individual.” “Indeed, the dignity of each individual is the basis for […] Full Story

• Maria Boylan will speak at May 7 Magnificat

  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA—All women are invited to the Magnificat gathering on Saturday, May 7, when the guest speaker will be Maria Boylan, coordinator of the newly formed Magnificat chapter in South Carolina. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maria grew up in Canada, where her family emigrated when she was a child. Now she and her […]

• For eighth year, Holy Week walk focuses on immigrants’ detention

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA—A Holy Week pilgrimage focusing on those being held in immigration detention centers and on their families crossed through the Archdiocese of Atlanta and stopped at several Catholic churches on March 23 and 25. Nearly 40 people, some joining mid-route, participated March 23 in one segment of the eighth annual Holy Week Pilgrimage for Immigrants […]

• Praying at city sites, Good Friday pilgrims seek deeper concern for poor

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA—More than 300 people walked a two-mile route along Atlanta’s busy city streets March 25 for the 36th annual Good Friday pilgrimage, an ecumenical journey from the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to the Reflection Pool of the King Center. The Archdiocese of Atlanta Justice and Peace Ministries sponsors the program of prayer and reflection, […] Full Story

• Six priests celebrate golden, silver jubilees

  

  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA—Six priest jubilarians were recognized at the Archdiocese of Atlanta Chrism Mass on March 22. Msgr. Francis Pham Van Phuong, pastor of Our Lady of Vietnam Church, Riverdale, is celebrating 50 years of priesthood. A native of Vietnam, he was ordained April 29, 1966, in Saigon. He came to the United States as an exchange […]

• Priests told to be icons of Christ, seeing the ‘forgotten’

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published March 31, 2016

  ATLANTA—Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory encouraged hundreds of priests at the annual Chrism Mass to be “ministers of compassion and mercy.” The Chrism Mass for the Archdiocese of Atlanta was a key event in Holy Week as clergymen gathered for a day of prayer and reflection leading up to Easter. Archbishop Gregory spoke on Tuesday evening, […] Full Story

• Irish priest’s Civil War heroism remembered

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published March 18, 2016

  ATLANTA—The Hibernian Benevolent Society of Atlanta and Atlanta civic leaders remembered and celebrated the life of Father Thomas O’Reilly whose heroics during the Civil War left an imprint on the current city of Atlanta. The civic honor of the wartime Irish pastor of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is one of the celebrations associated […]

• Restoring mind, body and community are goals of shelter yoga class

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published March 18, 2016

  ATLANTA—John McVay directs the dozen men sitting on mats in the downtown Atlanta gym to cross their legs. And when that’s done, he has them alternate their leg position. For these men who call Atlanta streets their home, it’s a deep stretch. Then he tells the men to slow their breath and encourages them to […] Full Story

• Pilgrimage for Immigrants to be held in Holy Week

  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—The eighth annual Holy Week Pilgrimage for Immigrants on Wednesday, March 23, is an act of faith, solidarity and hospitality. “2 Miles of Solidarity and Love” will start at Plaza Fiesta, 4166 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, with prayer and fellowship at 1 p.m. The walk begins with a police escort at 1:30 p.m. Walkers should […] Full Story

• Ecumenical pilgrimage offers Good Friday challenge

  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—The 36th annual Ecumenical Good Friday Pilgrimage (Urban Way of the Cross), sponsored by the Archdiocese of Atlanta Justice and Peace Ministries, will be held Good Friday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. All are welcome to participate The pilgrimage will begin at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, located at 48 Martin […] Full Story

• Father Joseph M. Peek died March 14

  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—Father Joseph M. Peek passed away on Monday, March 14, surrounded by his parents and siblings in prayer. Father Peek was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in February 2002, the year of his ordination to the priesthood, and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2003. He suffered severe complications during the remaining years of his […] Full Story

• Sister says lonely work of building bridges affirmed by pope’s words

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—Although she doesn’t keep a daily journal, when it comes to important events Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, the Catholic social justice lobby, takes copious notes. Pope Francis’ address to America’s senators and representatives in Congress last September was one of those important occasions. Sister Simone, a member of the Sisters of Social […] Full Story

• St. Jude student to dance at World Irish Dance Championships

  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—Georgia Stephens, a sixth-grader at St. Jude the Apostle School, will compete as a soloist at the 2016 World Irish Dance Championships, in Glasgow, Scotland, March 21-27. She prepared for months for the international contest that combines strength, athleticism, musicality and artistry. Georgia qualified by placing in the top 10 percent of her age group […] Full Story

• Nancy Creek is centerpiece for new Marist campus trail

  Published March 17, 2016

  ATLANTA—Marist School received a donation of 200 tree saplings from Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to replacing trees and protecting green space in the Atlanta area. The saplings were planted along Nancy Creek, where Marist School has been doing extensive work to remove invasive species. “The trees we received will grow into the banks, helping […] Full Story