By Harry Murphy and Eve Silver

The Atlanta Archdiocese’s greatest efforts in the future will be toward helping the poor, especially the black, whose “human rights have not been recognized by decent housing, employment and education,” Archbishop Thomas A Donnellan has pledged.

Speaking Saturday to the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women’s (ACCW) 13th annual convention, he said he hoped interest would continue in “the brothers and sisters in Christ whose skin is black and who have not had the opportunity to share fully in the American heritage.

“You and I should do all we can so they may have the opportunity to lead a decent Christian life. This will be the direction of the future.”

The archbishop spoke briefly to the convention’s dinner meeting ahead of his longtime friend Stephen A. Leven, auxiliary bishop of San Antonio.

“God created us without our cooperation, but he won’t redeem us without it,” Bishop Leven said. He said that men must have tools for their redemption and the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) provides Catholic women with such tools.

The NCCW commissions are the tools, he added, and with them there is no need to “make the mistakes of the past.” “They are the best tools for apostolic work in the Church,” he said.

“Be women, be Catholic women and give to God your gifts in union with your priests and archbishop,” he urged.

Mrs. Joseph Meyer was chosen new ACCW president to succeed Mrs. Herb Mallon. Other officers chosen were Mrs. Ira Driskell, executive vice president; Mrs. Alex Smith, third vice president; Mrs. Millard Norris, second vice president; Mrs. James P. Groover, first vice president; Mrs. William Dennon, recording secretary; Mrs. John Kesler, treasurer; Mrs. George Ettel, corresponding secretary, Mrs. John Flack, parliamentarian and Mary Wells, historian.

Resolutions were adopted to organize help for the victims of Hurricane Camille, study and support the Fair Housing Act, the tobacco and marijuana research efforts, and support and observe the World Day of Peace. In addition, the members of the organization voted to pledge help and support for the poor and to fight all forms of intolerance.

Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen was commended and the delegates pledged full support for his leadership.

Father Henry Gracz alerted the delegates to the need for help in housing and hospitality for the 4,800 delegates that will arrive in Atlanta in April 1970 for a four-day southeastern congress on the liturgy.

Public relations counselor Joe Sheethan, the luncheon speaker, laid the erosion of morals in society today to the lack of personal commitment.

He asked the members assembled for the meeting: “Are you willing to get involved and not consider this organization as a social outlet only? If you don’t give this organization all you can, society will decay from within!”

Sheehan also reminded the women what Jesus Christ did: “Do for my fellow man what you would do for me” and asked them to apply this to their daily lives.

Members of the council spent two hours in workshops concerned with organizational services, church communities, family affairs, community affairs and international affairs.

At each workshops two or more speakers instructed the members and films and visual aids were used. Leadership training, methods of helping the March of Dimes organization in its current activities, and involvement in politics and social services were discussed. Father Simon Slattery of LaGrange told the women at the International Affairs workshop of the project “Papal volunteers for Latin America.”