Georgia Bulletin

Georgia

• New nonprofit to deliver hope to Puerto Ricans in hurricane recovery

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published August 23, 2018

  ATLANTA—A new ministry aims to knit closer ties between Catholics in Atlanta and those in Puerto Rico as the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria approaches. The island continues rebuilding after the Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017. It took nearly 11 months for electricity to be restored to […]

• Blessed Trinity senior completes teen-oriented Girl Scout Gold Award project

  

  Published August 23, 2018

  MARIETTA—Mattie Riordan, a senior at Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell, completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project this summer by creating a safe outdoor space for teens of St. Ann Church, Marietta. A member of Troop 26214 of St. Joseph School, Marietta, Riordan’s project addresses the issues of juvenile violent crime and the digital divide. […] Full Story

• Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory’s statement in response to the resignation of Theodore McCarrick

  

  Published August 9, 2018

  ATLANTA— “As shepherd of the Catholic Church in Atlanta and united with my brother bishops under Pope Francis in service to Jesus Christ and His Church, I express my profound anger, sadness, and distress concerning sexual abuse by Church leaders of children, young people and those over whom they exercised authority. My anger and disappointment, […]

• AACCW members explore the call to holiness at leadership seminar

  By JEAN DRISKELL, Special to the Bulletin
  Published August 3, 2018

  SMYRNA—The members of the Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (AACCW) learned more about Pope Francis’ teaching on holiness at the group’s annual leadership seminar June 16 at the Chancery of the archdiocese. Guest speaker Kathy Kelly-Huey, director of religious education at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Newnan, highlighted the pope’s apostolic exhortation of 2018—“Gaudete et […]

• New columbarium and memorial garden dedicated at St. Oliver’s

  

  Published August 3, 2018

  SNELLVILLE—Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory blessed the columbarium and memorial garden at St. Oliver Plunkett Church, on May 13, immediately following the 11:15 a.m. Mass at the Snellville church. The project of building the columbarium and the garden started in 2016 with the approval of La Salette Father John Welch, who was then the pastor, and […] Full Story

• Confirmation celebrated in American Sign Language

  

  Published August 3, 2018

  MARIETTA—On April 19, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory celebrated Mass and the sacrament of confirmation for a group on young people, including Nicholas Spacht, at Transfiguration Church, Marietta. Nicholas is unique among his classmates in that he is deaf and fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). During the years of his sacramental preparation, sign language interpreters […] Full Story

• Christ Child members expand garden at Elaine Clark Center

  

  Published August 3, 2018

  CHAMBLEE—Youngsters served by the Elaine Clark Center in Chamblee are making full use of the center’s newly rededicated garden area, redesigned and expanded by members of the Christ Child Society of Atlanta. Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III blessed the garden April 27, named for the late Elizabeth Huffner, who was a president of Christ Child […] Full Story

• Atlanta delegates prepare for national Encuentro

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published August 3, 2018

  ATLANTA—Some two dozen women and men will represent the Archdiocese of Atlanta at the National Fifth Encuentro, as Hispanic Catholics gather to strengthen the Latino presence in the church. Drawing together believers from around the country, V Encuentro (Spanish for meeting) maintains an effort begun more than 40 years ago “to continue our walk as […]

• Muralists enliven their Catholic faith in public with vivid street art

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published August 3, 2018

  ATLANTA—Three months ago, Kathleen Loesel and Alison Mabery used their free hours to stand on a sidewalk with paintbrushes in hand, creating images in color on the concrete wall as trucks and cars hurtled past. Drivers and walkers stopped at the impromptu studio near the Krog Street tunnel as the artists painted the mural of […]

• Catholic schools welcome new administrators as academic year begins

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published August 3, 2018

  ATLANTA—With the start of the new school year, three archdiocesan and two independent schools welcome new administrators. Independent schools Monsignor Donovan High School, Athens, and Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, have new heads of school. Paul Gessner will serve as head of school at Monsignor Donovan High School, and Edward Spurka, Ph.D., will fill the same role […]

• Archdiocesan schools earn AdvancED re-accreditation

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published August 3, 2018

  SMYRNA—The Archdiocese of Atlanta’s 18 Catholic schools have received re-accreditation from AdvancED following a February engagement review by the accrediting agency. The archdiocese received its first district-wide accreditation in 2013. The nonprofit AdvancED follows a five-year term of accreditation. Its platform is based upon continuous improvement and educational quality. Using a set of rigorous research-based […] Full Story

• Office of Catholic Schools announces new staff members

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published August 3, 2018

  SMYRNA—The Office of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Atlanta welcomed a new director of marketing and enrollment and a new controller for three of its schools. Diane Starkovich, Ph.D., superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, announced the hiring of Brian Dooling as director of marketing and enrollment and Brenda Leslie as controller for […]

• David Brown retires as executive director of GRACE Scholars

  

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published July 13, 2018

  SMYRNA—When David Brown took over as executive director of GRACE Scholars in 2011, some 240 students were attending Catholic schools in Georgia with the help of the state tax credit program. Now, as Brown retired July 1, more than 1,000 students pursue a Catholic education through the scholarship program. “It is clear it really did […] Full Story

• Archbishop blesses long-anticipated new parish center for St. Bernadette

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published July 13, 2018

  CEDARTOWN—On the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory celebrated a Mass of dedication and blessing of the new parish center for Cedartown area Catholics. On June 24, parishioners and invited community guests gathered at the just-completed worship and religious education center for St. Bernadette Church on Evergreen Lane […]

• Prince of Peace parishioner ready to return to Chinandega

  

  Published July 5, 2018

  FLOWERY BRANCH—Amigos for Christ board member and mission leader Sue LaFave has participated in mission trips to Nicaragua every year since 2002, most recently leading a team over spring break from her parish, Prince of Peace Church in Flowery Branch. As political strife forced the Buford-based Amigos to cancel summer trips, LaFave eagerly awaits a […] Full Story | En Español

• Archbishop names Savannah native to fill stewardship role

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published July 5, 2018

  ATLANTA—Savannah native Christopher “Kit” Parker is the new executive director of stewardship and development for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Appointed by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory May 21, Parker brings a wealth of management and stewardship experience in nonprofit and diocesan settings “Kit comes to us with a deep understanding of stewardship as a Catholic way […]

• Sister with vocation as hermit will be Magnificat speaker

  Published July 5, 2018

  ATLANTA—The speaker at the Magnificat meal for women on Saturday, Aug. 4, has a unique vocation in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Sister Mary Beatrice Raphael is a canonical hermit, having professed perpetual vows to consecrated life for the Archdiocese of Atlanta last year. How and why does God draw someone from a full and active […]

• Amigos for Christ continues work amidst Nicaragua’s political turmoil

  

  By PRISCILLA GREEAR, Special to the Bulletin
  Published July 5, 2018

  BUFORD—The Buford-based Amigos for Christ nonprofit serving Nicaragua’s poorest has canceled all summer mission trips due to the Central American nation’s recent political unrest, violence and roadblocks. Yet several Nicaraguan churches both Catholic and evangelical near the organization’s Chinandega headquarters have stepped in to serve their neighbors and partner with Amigos to meet its Summer […] Full Story | En Español

• Former director bids farewell as new director of vocations takes over for archdiocese

  

  Published July 5, 2018

  ATLANTA—As the Catholic community in Atlanta grows to reflect the global church with worshippers praying in their native languages and celebrating cultural holidays, an immigrant priest was appointed by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory to accompany men discerning their vocations. Father Tri Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, is stepping into position of director of the Office […]

• A two-fold celebration for Kennesaw parish

  

  By ERIKA ANDERSON REDDING, Special to the Bulletin
  Published July 5, 2018

  KENNESAW—There was a lot to celebrate on a recent summer evening at St. Catherine of Siena Church—and a pastor and his flock came together to rejoice in both the past and the future of a church and a life dedicated to Christ. On May 31, parishioners gathered at St. Catherine’s in Kennesaw to celebrate the […]