Delegates to St. Anthony’s Parish Congress have voted to establish a parish board of education, called for the election of some members of the budget and finance committee and changes in the liturgy.

The congress, the first held in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and possibly the first in the nation, debated resolutions concerning the spiritual, educational, social and organizational nature of the parish in an eight hour session Sunday at the parish hall.

George Werner, chairman of the congress, said the Lay Congress and the Synod have recommended that a parish board of education be established. He said the Lay Congress called for the board to consist of the pastor, the school principal and five elected laymen.

The budget and finance committee, headed by Edgar Schukraft, submitted a budget of $138,000 for 1967, but action was tabled until the budget could be explained at a meeting of parishioners. The meeting will be held after the first of the year. The budget and finance committee now consists of members appointed by the pastor.

Resolutions on education were delayed until a board of education is established. Delegates did defeat a motion that St. Anthony’s recommend to the archbishop and synod that a Catholic high school be built in the southwest area of Atlanta.

On the spiritual life of the parish, delegates favored establishment of an education and information class on the liturgy, changing the prayer of the faithful more frequently to include the deceased of the parish, the sick and dying and changing the selection of hymns periodically.

Delegates also favored a motion calling for the sermons to contain more of ecumenism, the Constitution on the Church, the idea of a Christian community and duty to one’s neighbors as drawn from the gospel of the day. A motion that an offertory procession be introduced at some of or all the Masses, including the placing of hosts in the ciborium at the rear of the church, was defeated. Also defeated was a motion to have daily Mass for the school children. Representatives supported a motion calling for persons to stand rather than kneel while receiving the Holy Communion.

In the social field, the formation of a parish welcoming committee was approved. It was also recommended that the pastor’s annual August party and St. Patrick’s Day party become annual affairs.

Delegates designated the St. Vincent de Paul Society as the official parish organization through which all charity and welfare be channeled and called for the appointment of a parish publicity chairman. The delegates passed a motion that all organizations be consolidated into a Parish Council with each organization and circle becoming units of the council.

In his opening address to the congress, Father R. Donald Kiernan, pastor, said voting was nothing new to members of the parish. He said in June, 1902, women met at the home of Mrs. Joel Chandler Harris to ask that the West End be broken off from Immaculate Conception and a new parish be established.

Dr. James Wesberry, pastor of Morningside Baptist Church, said in the principal address that members of the parish should hold up their pastor with prayer.

“If I were a layman I would show my pastor just how much I could pray for him,” the Baptist minister said in discussing the power of prayer.

He said parishioners should have a deep sense of responsibility and should love Christ better than anyone or anything else. “They should surrender all they are to Jesus.” In the keynote address, Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan said that he felt relieved that in the era of the emerging layman he still had a job.

He told delegates, “You have gone into action in keeping with Vatican II and the Synod. The council said laymen should assume tasks on their own initiative and it is essential that every parish have structures for the laymen -- a parish council to inform the pastor of the needs of the parish.” The archbishop said, “You have asked Dr. Wesberry here because all of us feel the need of knowing and loving those separated from us. We are united in one God, one baptism and the Lord’s Prayer. We pledge to Dr. Wesberry our willingness to know Protestants better and to work with them against poverty, complacency, for peace and against the ugly wall of segregation.”

Officers of the congress were Mrs. Ruth Smith, president; Paul Zwicknagel, president of the ad hoc committee; Mrs. Dennis Bain, secretary; Mrs. Kenneth Barnes, publicity; Mrs. W. Jan Keller, Mrs. Thomas Digby, ex-officio officers.

Werner, the chairman, was also appointed to head a committee to carry out the recommendations.