Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan presided at groundbreaking ceremonies for the now under construction Newman Center and Spalding Chapel being built at the University of Georgia, Athens, at a cost of about $282,000. He spoke at the event stressing the joining of general knowledge and the knowledge of God.

The beginning of construction on the chapel and center marked another milestone in the Archdiocesan Expansion Program with Mathis Construction Company, Athens, doing the work.

The archbishop in his address said, “The union here of general knowledge and the knowledge of God becomes possible because the University of Georgia welcomes as partner the Spiritual resources and insights made possible by its religious institutes. In the early days of American education, at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and many other colleges, the things of God, of men and of earth were studied together. But the secularization of the 19th century ended this, and God was relegated to ‘Religious Life and Week.’”

“This will never serve the American public; it will not do for a Christian-Jewish community. We are not geared to a secularized society. The meaning of our meeting this afternoon is to build not only a place of worship, but a place of religious education.”

“The chapel will be named for Bishop John Lancaster Spalding, one of the chief architects of the American educational and cultural tradition. A very generous gift helped to make this building possible. It came from Mr. Hughes Spalding, of Atlanta, a descendant, like Bishop Spalding, of the early Kentucky Spaldings.”

“The student center will house classrooms, a library, lounge and quarters for chaplains. In close proximity to the other religious centers, it will serve the ecumenical as well as theological needs of the students. We are indebted to the Franciscan Order for a generous gift that helped to provide this much needed facility.”