For the past two weeks, there has been one “top event” of the day, to be given special priority in the midst of correspondence, phone calls, informal conference and those “drop-in” visits that brighten an archbishop’s life every time. For example, one afternoon last week, as I was going over some financial reports, a young lady aged 5½, red-haired and freckled, stopped in—just to see if I was “doing O.K.’. After her pleasant visit even the financial report seemed cheerful.

The “top events” went something like this:

SUN., JULY 21: open-air Mass at Ignatius House, facing a congregation of people who have learned the meaning of the phrase, “the life of the Spirit.” Father Hein, in a brief report, appraised the past, present and future of the Retreat House—and, to me, all three looked very good.

MON., JULY 22: appointment with a group of mothers, apostles all, who want to expand the scope of Our Lady’s Day School work. This, of course, is for children unable to do regular schoolwork. Some call them “retarded,” some “exceptional”. Another fine term for such a child—“a genius of the heart.” Sister M. Vernard, R.S.M., has done wonderful work for a class of about fifteen. Can we help more?

TUES., JULY 23: conference and lunch with members of the Atlanta Housing Authority. These helpful men know the city and its future, and their advice is indispensable. We are blessed in Atlanta with courteous, well-informed officials.

WED., JULY 24: to Philadelphia to attend the funeral of our own beloved Archbishop O’Hara. In a beautiful sermon, Bishop Hyland carefully and eloquently outline the far-flung labors of this great prelate. His heart was always in Georgia, and it was good to have our archdiocese represented by Abbot Augustine Moore, Msgr. Moyland, Msgr. O’Connor, and Fr. Stapleton. May the archbishop have eternal rest; may perpetual life shine upon him.

THURS., JULY 25: lunch with our three deacons, the Reverend Messrs. Scherer, Danneker and Morris as their seven-week “apprenticeship” came to a close. They compared baptisms, sermons, pastoral visits, and so on, and agreed that it gave them many an insight into parish work.

FRI., JULY 26: meeting with the Protestant and Jewish clergymen of the Greater Atlanta area. “Religion and Race” is the objective of our council. The hope is to bring a greater religious impact to bear on our community so that the basic element in racial settlement will be the moral one.

SAT., JULY 27: the ordination of a sub-deacon, (Fr. Hilary), at the Trappist Monastery. Holy Orders is a bishop’s favorite sacrament because he sees the hands of Mother Church being multiplied.

In between were a hundred other details of local Catholic life: a convent being built at Our lady of Lourdes’ parish; appointments with Catholic hospital administration; looking over property for various parochial and archdiocesan projects; an occasional “marriage case”, and getting a lecture ready for the World Conference of Methodists, Aug. 5, at Lake Janaluska, N.C.

Oh-oh, here comes another visitor! Freckled and red-haired too, only this one is a boy. “How’s everything, Archbishop!” “Fine, just fine.”

Paul J. Hallinan

Archbishop of Atlanta