Father Paul Kelley, principal at St. Joseph High School and director of the seminarians’ summer work last year in the archdiocese, has written an article in the April 29 issue of Ave Maria, national Catholic weekly.

The priest said the Church has not found a way to effectively identify itself with the poor in Atlanta. “We are sometimes heard, but we seldom hear; we are sometimes seen, but we seldom see; we are not really known, because we do not really want to know.”

The article by Father Kelley follows:

Last summer the nation got a glimpse of Atlanta’s slums. They were filled with angry people, sick in their frustrations at seeing prosperity all around them but never able to reach it themselves, uncertain in their fear that this growing metropolis would leave them homeless and jobless in its ruthless wake. This frustration and fear erupted in a series of violent demonstrations.

What was the result of this angry outburst, this anguished cry? It appears that our city has increased its efforts to remove the problem without really solving it. If there is a plan at city hall it has not reached the people most seriously affected by it. We read of multibillion-dollar investments in our city from the federal government and private enterprise, but the new city doesn’t seem to have much room for the poor. Our programs and urban development do not seem to be related. Community agencies in the areas of health, education and welfare continue to probe beneath the surface, but they cannot cover the wound of human destitution. The total community continues to be concerned.

The work of the churches must be seen from two sides. The Negroe churchmen supply the dominant leadership in their communities, gaining respect and power through elected positions in both city and state government. This continues to be the saving feature as we face the problem here. This factor alone is perhaps the only one that distinguishes our problem from its counterpart in Northern cities. The people from the predominately white suburban churches and the white shrines of the city are showing some concern through an association of ministerial volunteers. This effort has been most beneficial to those involved, both Negro and white, but it has accomplished nothing more than one recreational center and no real contact between the people in need, both the slums and the suburbs.

The Catholic community continues to approach the problem through its traditional means: the parochial apostolate, the revitalized efforts of the saint Vincent de Paul Society and an increased number of lay volunteers-but these efforts are at best superficial. Experimental projects are planned and directed to the poor, but as yet we must admit that the Church has not found a way to effectively identify itself with the poor of our city. We are sometimes heard, but we seldom hear; we are sometimes seen, but we seldom see; we are not really known, because we do not really want to know.