Photo By Cindy Connell Palmer/Archdiocese of Atlanta

DUNWOODY—Sixty women and 54 high school students were honored for their service in their parish and community at the 36th annual Recognition Day of the Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women.

Mass was celebrated Saturday, Feb. 23, by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, with principal concelebrants Msgr. Hugh Marren, pastor of All Saints Church, Dunwoody, and Father Bill Williams, spiritual moderator of the AACCW and pastor of Queen of Angels Church, Thomson. Thirty priests and deacons assisted at the Mass, held at All Saints. The choir from St. Anthony of Padua Church, Atlanta, directed by John Beal, provided music.

Recognition Day was initiated by an AACCW past president, the late Genevieve Jones-Geising, in 1977 as a time to recognize outstanding women and youth of the archdiocese for their important contributions to their parish and community. Each church is invited to select an outstanding woman and high school student.

The 114 people being recognized exemplify the theme “Your light must shine before others,” said Dana Willis, AACCW president. “They have taken their talents and given of their time for the greater good of our society.”

Leslie Carney is surrounded by the support of her husband, Tom, and daughter, Katie, at the Mass. She was chosen by Holy Cross Church, Atlanta, the same parish where she was the outstanding youth in the 1980s. Photo By Cindy Connell Palmer/Archdiocese of Atlanta

Members of the Council of Catholic Women hope to encourage and empower the women of the archdiocese “to use their unique talents in service to their parishes, as well as being a common voice in the teachings of the church, especially in this Year of Faith,” she said.

Archbishop Gregory based his homily on Jesus’ command “love your enemies, pray for your persecutors.”

“Today’s Gospel demands we change our own hearts and the very ways that we may think about people,” he said. “Love and hate are emotions that can all but define us. Who can change one into the other without a long and deeply felt conversion of heart?”

“The entire season of Lent is about moving the heart from hatred to love, from indifference to caring, from apathy to compassion,” Archbishop Gregory said.

He continued by saying that crossing the great divide between love and hate takes practice and time. “We must all be schooled in the delicate art of Christian compassion.”

“One of the things that the AACCW does with exquisite grace is to practice compassion and to help others to become more compassionate,” Archbishop Gregory said.

“I know that every priest here can recall with deep gratitude the generosity of the women that they have met in our parishes,” he said. “Quite literally, the work of the church would come to a sudden halt were it not for the countless acts of kindness and dedication that the women of AACCW and, indeed, all women provide in every pastoral setting.”

The AACCW leadership committee comes to him each year to ask what project they can do for the archdiocese, he said.

Archbishop Gregory also recognized the high school youth.

“These young men and women inspire their parishes and their peers with their selflessness and generosity of spirit. They make us believe that Jesus’ admonition is not only do-able, but that it is being done with great effectiveness throughout these 69 North Georgia counties,” he said.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory congratulates Eric Lee, of Korean Martyrs Catholic Church in Doraville, chosen the outstanding youth from his parish. Fifty-four teens were honored. Photo By Cindy Connell Palmer/Archdiocese of Atlanta

After Communion Father Williams blessed the women and youth. Then they came to the altar individually, where they were greeted by Archbishop Gregory and Father Williams and presented with a certificate and book.

St. Benedict Church, Johns Creek, was represented by a mother and daughter team, Elena and Rachel Cannata, who were chosen as the parish honorees.

“I felt honored, pleased and humbled. Also very surprised,” Elena Cannata said. “It’s also very special to have mother and daughter honored together.”

“We are in our fifth year feeding the homeless. I started this project along with Rachel and my son, Jamieson,” she said. “It started with a gas leak at the teen Mass. Father (Roy) Lee had us evacuate the church and the food for the teens’ meeting was taken to downtown Atlanta. We met the homeless and fed them from our car.”

Hope Eze, left, is the honoree from Christ Our Hope Church, Lithonia, at the Feb. 23 Mass. She is shown with Florence Okafor. Photo By Cindy Connell Palmer/Archdiocese of Atlanta

Cannata said the teens since then have made fleece blankets and have gathered tube socks filled with toiletries to give to the homeless. They distribute the food, blankets and socks every week in Lent and once a month the rest of the year. The number of homeless people is sobering, she said.

“It’s also humbling to see that with today’s economy we can also be in that position,” she said.

Rachel Cannata is also a peer minister in Life Teen, an altar server and extraordinary minister of holy Communion. She recently went on a mission trip to Nicaragua with Mustard Seed Communities, a trip her mother helped chaperone.

“We helped to construct a chapel for an orphanage for disabled and abandoned children,” Rachel said. “During our free time we would play with the children. They have nothing but love to give. It’s so rewarding to see the joy in their eyes when they see complete strangers come to help them.”

Holy Cross Church Woman of the Year Leslie Carney was once Youth of the Year in the 1980s from the same parish.

“I thought it was a wonderful honor to represent the women of Holy Cross,” Carney said. “My mom, Gwen Stewart, was Woman of the Year in 2005. I feel honored to be following in her footsteps.”

Carney is an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, an usher for the children’s liturgy, helps coordinate speakers and hospitality for adult religious education, helps with funeral receptions and is in the choir.

Parishioners from St. Mary Magdalene Church, Newnan, show their support for Marilyn Kemeza, third from left, who was the parish honoree. With her, left to right, are Dorothy Rogala, Helen Passantino, Shirley Towle, Midge Beals and Judy Williams. Photo By Cindy Connell Palmer/Archdiocese of Atlanta

“I have always felt like I have grown up with the women of the church. I’m appreciative of the role models they have been,” Carney said.

Carolyn Watts, of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur, said, “I felt this is an honor and privilege to represent my parish. This is also especially significant for me because my son, Brinton, was Youth of the Year in 1988, 25 years ago.”

Active in the parish Women’s Council, she was council vice president and has been circle leader and secretary with St. Elizabeth’s Circle, one of the longstanding women’s circles in the parish. She also volunteers on the parish evangelization committee and has a “cake ministry” where she bakes cakes for parish functions.

“It’s an honor to be chosen as teen of the year from my church,” said Christian Griffith, of Sts. Peter and Paul. “It’s a blessing and I’ll continue to serve.”

Griffith has volunteered with Gregg’s Food Pantry at the parish, is a religious education teacher’s assistant and an altar server. For the people of Haiti, he went to a special church service and then went door-to-door and collected $300 for Catholic Charities’ Haitian Relief Fund.

He also volunteers in the yearly Walk for Lupus Now, Samaritan Feet Project, Hands on Atlanta, Atlanta Humane Society Pet Parade, tutors fellow students, and has helped with voter registration.

“I’m happy, very happy. I feel good. I’m Spanish and being recognized in my church is very important,” said Claudia Lira, of Corpus Christi Church, Stone Mountain. She helps with the yearly Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration, with Spanish Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, and is a lector.

“I’m ecstatic and honored to be picked as Youth of the Year,” said Kamilya Hunter, of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Atlanta.

“I have volunteered at Grady Hospital in the cardio clinic and the oncology clinic where I do receptionist duties and help nurses get supplies. This is through HOSA, a program for those interested in health care careers. I hope to be a surgeon or an ER doctor,” she said.

“I’m surprised and certainly honored,” Patricia Hesse, of St. Vincent de Paul Church, Dallas, said. “I love our women’s Altar and Rosary Guild. We do many projects for our church. Right now we are finishing a project to furnish our kitchen in the new social hall. We’ve been having bake sales and we say we are furnishing the hall one muffin at a time.”

She is also a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, sacristan, and helps to take care of the altar linens.