Georgia Bulletin

Smyrna

• New program to fight abuse of vulnerable people underway in archdiocese

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published April 14, 2016

  SMYRNA—Thousands of teachers, clergy, religious women and men, parish staff and volunteers and employees of the Atlanta Archdiocese will be trained under a new program to prevent and combat child abuse. A national program is being rolled out in the 69-county archdiocese to ensure adults can identify and report abuse of children and vulnerable people, […] Full Story

• Vigil at Jackson prison March 31 for inmate Joshua Bishop

  Published March 17, 2016

  SMYRNA—The execution of death row inmate Joshua Bishop is scheduled for Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. As part of an effort to increase the Catholic presence at death penalty prayer vigils, organizers have scheduled a bus trip that day for those who want to participate in a prayer vigil on the grounds of the […] Full Story

• Winners of the Archdiocesan Spelling Bee

  Published February 5, 2016

  SMYRNA—The following students were honored at the 2016 Archdiocesan Spelling Bee, held Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Chancery, Smyrna. The bee is held each year as one of the annual events for Catholic Schools Week. Organizers said the bee is held to promote the love of spelling, language and grammar. Third place: Julian Ogbonna, eighth […] Full Story

• Atlanta Archdiocese team featured on social justice website

  Published January 8, 2016

  SMYRNA—The Catholics Confront Global Poverty website featured two archdiocesan employees for their efforts on behalf the poor. Kat Doyle and Kathy Montag are members of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Office of Life, Dignity and Justice. Doyle is the director of Justice and Peace Ministries, while Montag focuses on Catholic Relief Services’ work. Part of their […] Full Story

• Parish ministers get training in mental health ‘first aid’ for teens

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published January 7, 2016

  SMYRNA—More than 20 parishes took advantage of special training offered in December that will help staff support young people with mental health problems and their families. Youth ministry directors and volunteers, deacons and others attended Youth Mental Health First Aid USA training programs Dec. 10 and 14 at the Chancery of the archdiocese. The archdiocesan […] Full Story

• Catholic school students get a jumpstart on the 2016 CRS Rice Bowl program

  

  Published January 7, 2016

  SMYRNA—The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl program will soon begin on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10—and area Catholic school students will be ready. Justice and Peace Ministries, in partnership with CRS, held an early kickoff for the annual CRS Rice Bowl Lenten Faith Formation program with students and faculty from Catholic schools on Friday, Dec. […] Full Story

• School superintendent at Vatican congress ‘renewing passion’ for Catholic education

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published December 10, 2015

  SMYRNA—Diane Starkovich, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, is mulling over the experience of attending the World Congress on Catholic Education Nov. 18-21 in Rome and looking forward to sharing lessons learned with educators at home. More than 2,000 educators and administrators took part in the congress, sponsored by the Congregation for […] Full Story

• Study group to address intellectual disabilities in Georgia’s death penalty cases

  Published October 30, 2015

  SMYRNA—A “teach-in” session on the standard of proof for intellectual disability in death penalty cases in Georgia will be offered on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 7-9 p.m. The event, sponsored by the archdiocesan Disabilities Ministry and the PAPE (Proof to a Preponderance of the Evidence) Project, will be held at the Chancery, 2401 Lake Park […]

• Training to help serve young people with mental health problems

  Published October 15, 2015

  SMYRNA—The archdiocesan Disabilities Ministry, in partnership with the Georgia State Center for Leadership in Disability, is offering Youth Mental Health First Aid USA training in response to the increasing episodes of violence associated with mental illness. The one-day training will be offered on Thursday, Dec. 10, and Monday, Dec. 14, at the Chancery in Smyrna, beginning […] Full Story

• Chancery Fair Trade sale brings gifts from and to developing communities

  Published October 15, 2015

  SMYRNA—The annual archdiocesan Fair Trade sale at the Chancery will feature handcrafted goods and jewelry, as well as shade-grown organic coffees and delicious chocolates, olive oil from the Holy Land and jams from Africa. The sale, through the initiative of Catholic Relief Services, is to be held Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 7 […] Full Story

• New staffer to serve adult, young adult, campus ministry leaders

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published September 4, 2015

  SMYRNA—Damellys Sacriste recently began in her new role to facilitate parish outreach to young adults through the archdiocesan Office of Formation and Discipleship. A native of Venezuela, Sacriste, 45, has previously served the multicultural community at St. Patrick Church, Norcross, as the director of faith formation. A certified master catechist of the Atlanta Archdiocese, she […] Full Story

• New Office of Life, Dignity and Justice formed

  Published August 20, 2015

  SMYRNA—Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory has announced the formation of a new Office of Life, Dignity and Justice, comprised of the existing four ministries of Respect Life, Disabilities, Prison and Jail, and Justice and Peace. In a letter to pastors and staff, Archbishop Gregory said, “These ministries, for that is what they truly are, have been […] Full Story

• New Respect Life Ministry director named

  Published July 9, 2015

  SMYRNA—Brendan Dudley is the new director of Respect Life Ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Mary Boyert, who has served in the post for more than 15 years, retired July 1. A native of Detroit, Dudley spent the past three years in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the director of faith formation at St. Cecilia Church. His […]

• Smyrna Catholic leads Georgia Knights of Columbus

  By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
  Published July 9, 2015

  SMYRNA—Mark McMullen felt in awe standing in St. Mary Church, the founding parish of the Knights of Columbus. “Who wouldn’t want to be here?” he remembers thinking about the historic church in New Haven, Connecticut, with its vaulted ceiling. He sat in the wooden pew marked with a plaque noting the establishment in 1903 of […] Full Story

• St. Thomas the Apostle rededicates revitalized sanctuary, commons

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published July 9, 2015

  SMYRNA—The parishioners and clergy of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna know that any worthwhile endeavor comes with sacrifice. Since the beginning of the year, parishioners have been celebrating Mass in the social hall, while Holy Week and Easter Masses were held at Jim Miller Park in Marietta. As many as 14 weekend Masses […] Full Story

• Seminarian from Decatur parish admitted to candidacy as he leaves for Rome

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published June 25, 2015

  SMYRNA—Seminarian Avery Daniel leaves for Rome, Italy, on July 12 to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University for the next five years. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory celebrated Mass and admitted Daniel to candidacy to Holy Orders June 8 at the Chancery of the archdiocese in Smyrna. Daniel, whose home parish is Sts. Peter and Paul […] Full Story

• Chancery staffer to attend Georgia Archives Institute

  Published May 14, 2015

  SMYRNA—Kevin Brown, a records analyst in the Archives Office of the Atlanta Archdiocese, was accepted into the competitive Georgia Archives Institute for its Class of 2015. The institute offers a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and practices of managing all formats of documentary materials in archives. Brown will be learning more about records’ management, a […] Full Story

• Parents with special needs children bring common concerns to first conference

  

  By ERIKA ANDERSON, Special to the Bulletin
  Published April 16, 2015

  SMYRNA—It took dozens of doctors appointments, tests and evaluations—not to mention prayers and tears—for Maria and Ben Vigil to finally discover what was causing their son Abraham’s developmental delays. Abraham was diagnosed with hypotonic cerebral palsy and epilepsy when he was in kindergarten. Today, the 13-year-old takes medication to control his seizures. He is unable […] Full Story

• Conference March 29 for parents, grandparents of those with disabilities

  Published March 19, 2015

  SMYRNA—All parents and grandparents of children and adults living with disabilities are invited to join together for faith, family and friendship in a parent conference hosted by the Disability Ministry of the Atlanta Archdiocese. On Sunday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the conference will offer specialized topics that address spiritual, parenting, educational, […] Full Story

• CRS Rice Bowl kicks off, provides a means to give to the world

  

  By MARY ANNE CASTRANIO, Staff Writer
  Published February 19, 2015

  SMYRNA—Justice and Peace Ministries of the Atlanta Archdiocese joined with Catholic Relief Services to host a kickoff for Rice Bowl on Friday, Feb. 13. The lunchtime program included Mass, followed by a sharing of a meal of rice and beans, and a talk by Thomas Awiapo, a senior program officer for CRS Ghana. It took […] Full Story