The Archdiocesan Expansion Campaign has gone over the top, passing the $2,100,000 mark in time for last Sunday’s Ceremony of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral of Christ the King and a Victory Report Meeting in the Cathedral Center.

The Cathedral Center gymnasium was filled to capacity with campaign leaders, workers, parish secretaries, honored guests, and the boys of St. Joseph’s Home, Washington, and the girls of St. Mary’s Home, Savannah.

A highlight of the afternoon was the announcement by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan that plans for the breaking of the ground for the Village of St. Joseph for dependent children is anticipated to occur September 15th. This will be the first of the three building projects included in the four-part expansion program announced in January by Archbishop Hallinan to be place in construction.

The other projects include the Catholic Center for Lay Action located on Ivy Street in downtown Atlanta adjacent to Sacred Heart Church; a new student chapel and Newman Center at the University of Georgia in Athens. The fourth feature of the expansion program is the beginning of a high school development fund.

The thanksgiving service began with a procession of priests and Archbishop Hallinan from the sacristy to the sanctuary. Archbishop Hallinan then proceeded to the pulpit where he conducted a Bible reading based on passages which were selected at the outset of the campaign as themes, for the four projects included in the expansion program. Beginning with a reading from Psalm 40, which had been reproduced in part in campaign literature as a theme for the first project - the Village of St. Joseph for dependent children, Archbishop Hallinan read the complete psalm from which each of the four excerpts had been taken. Following each, the congregation was asked to kneel as the Archbishop read a special prayer of thanksgiving and petition for the successful completion of the four projects.

The thanksgiving service concluded with Benediction celebrated by Rev. John F. McDonough, rector of the Cathedral. The gymnasium drew an overflow crowd which filled all the chairs on the floor and part of the bleachers on both sides. A viewing machine with large projection screen flashed totals as parish chairmen reported their figures. Attendees included campaign workers, wives and families, volunteer women who had served as parish secretaries, a number of honored guests and seated in the front four rows the boys of St. Joseph’s Home, Washington, and the girls of St. Mary’s Home, Savannah.

Archbishop Hallinan, acting as master of ceremonies, opened the program with acknowledgements to all present and expressed his gratitude and thanks to all who had served in any one of the many different posts in the campaign organization. “This is your day, I salute you,” he said, “and I urge you to bring my thanks back to your parishes to the many other men, women and children who have worked so hard and could not be here with us today.”

In thanking the campaign leaders, Archbishop Hallinan expressed particular gratitude to Mr. Hughes Spalding, Sr., who has served as honorary chairman. He explained that Mr. Spalding has given many hours of advice and consultation not only on financial matters but on the planning of many aspects of the four projects that comprise the expansion program.

Short talks were then given by Mr. G. Albert Lawton, general chairman, acting as spokesman for the lay people who had participated and Very Rev. Harold J. Rainey, chancellor and archdiocesan coordinator. Mr. Lawton reviewed campaign results and quoted a number of statistics which he cited as outstanding and declared were far above average exemplifying the cooperation, interest and enthusiasm of the laity.

Father Rainey in his remarks thanked all of the priests for their cooperation which began with their initial meeting on January 4th. He cited the many meetings regionally and in their own parishes which they conducted as they organized and developed their parish units. He expressed special thanks to his assistant coordinators -- Rev. Noel C. Burtenshaw and Rev. Eusebius Beltran, for their work on the campaign.

The first portion of the program concluded with a song recital by the boys’ choir of St. Joseph’s Home. Following their renditions, one of the youngsters presented Archbishop Hallinan with a Spiritual Bouquet from the boys and girls for the intentions of all the men and women who worked in the campaign and in appreciation of their efforts to help build the new home on Butner Road in Southwest Atlanta.

At this point the archbishop called upon the chairmen of regions 1, 2, and 3 for parish reports. As each parish was flashed upon the large tally board the chairman announced the latest figure. Regional chairmen were Herbert Farnsworth of Region 1; Marshall Wellborn of Region 2 and Robert K. McLellan of Region 3.

Here Archbishop Hallinan held off further reports for some additional acknowledgements. He extended particular thanks to Mr. Michael J. Egan, Jr., assistant general chairman, echoing the earlier expressions of Mr. Lawton, whom Mr. Egan directly aided in the planning and execution of the campaign. Particular mention was also made of the Special Gifts Committee and its chairmen -- Msgr. Joseph G. Cassidy, Father John F. McDonough, Alex W. Smith, Jr., Rawson Haverty, Furman Smith and Hughes Spalding, Jr.

Archbishop Hallinan also had special words of praise for the Priest Speakers Committee which had been organized under the direction of Rt. Rev. Monsignor Patrick J. O’Connor, secretary for education and pastor of St. Thomas More Church, Decatur. Mr. Lewis F. Gordon, Jr., and Mr. Gerard E. Sherry, co-chairmen of the Public Relations Committee were also cited for their service to the campaign.

It was announced that a priests committee had been formed and Father Michael Manning, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur, came to the rostrum to report that clergy gifts amounted to $19,462.

Archbishop then called upon Mr. Francis R. Clines, Jr., development consultant who has worked with the committee of priests and laymen in the planning and active stages of the campaign since the fall of 1963. Mr. Clines expressed his thanks to the many persons with whom he had worked for their cooperation, and extended his congratulations to the archbishop, the priests and laity, on the outstanding results.

Before proceeding to the call of reports from the three remaining regions, Archbishop Hallinan halted the formal proceedings momentarily to ask the youngest boy and girl from St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s to pose for a photograph with Mr. James L. Dickey, who was an honored guest of the afternoon. The youngsters, aged 4 and 5, beamed as they posed with Mr. Dickey, who will soon celebrate his 90th birthday.

Archbishop Hallinan reported the gratitude of the archdiocese expressed some weeks ago to Mr. Dickey for his gift of $25,000, which will make possible the Ecumenical Library in the new Catholic Center for Lay Action. Long active in church and community affairs, Mr. Dickey is a member of the board of St. Joseph’s Infirmary, the Cancer Home and other institutions. The library will be dedicated as a gift from Mr. Dickey, and in commemoration of his wife who, before her death, was an active member of many parish and archdiocesan lay organizations.

Before the reading of the reports from the final three regions, there was a pause as the girls from St. Mary’s Home in Savannah were excused and departed because of a pressing timetable, and plans to return to Savannah that evening on the “Nancy Hanks.” They were reminded by the archbishop to “be sure and stop for a moment of refreshments as you leave.” Proceeding with reports, Father John T. Mulroy called for parish figures from Region 4 in the absence of chairman Edward T. Fechtel, Jr., chairmen James Callison of Region 5, and James J. Hedderman of Region 6, then called on each of their parish chairmen.

As Father Eusebius Beltran and his staff at the electronic computer double checked reports, Archbishop Hallinan called upon Mr. Lewis F. Gordon, Jr., of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Men, and Mrs. E. P. Faust, Jr., president of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women for brief remarks. Each commented upon the great spirit that had been evident in the campaign and both noted the great future for development of extensive programs for lay organizations in the new Catholic Center for Lay Action. On behalf of all the lay organization of the archdiocese, they thanked the campaign workers and secretaries for their efforts.

Before calling for the grand totals, Archbishop Hallinan reminded all present that an informal reception would take place in the assembly hall on the lower floor right after the report. He also gave special thanks to Mrs. Lucille Hartridge, president of the Parish Council of Cathedral of Christ the King, and the women of her committee who had prepared the refreshments for the afternoon.

With the final figures verified it was announced that reports from the parishes of all six regions amount to $2,061,542.95. Added to that was $40,995 in gifts from other sources bringing the grand total as of Sunday afternoon to$2,102,497.95. The operator of the viewing machine, who stenciled a large “WOW” under the total, seemed to sum up the feeling of the audience whose applause rang out for minutes.