By Harry Murphy

Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan received the “Clergyman of the Year” Award Tuesday with a call to destroy islands of prejudice and discrimination in Atlanta by pounding their beaches “by rising tide of a concerned religious community until they are beaches of brotherhood.”

Terence Cardinal Cooke of New York earlier had urged the audience of some 400 persons to battle against “isolationism,” which he termed “unnatural and harmful to the human condition.”

The honor, bestowed on the archbishop by the Georgia Region of the National Council of Christians and Jews, is called the Herman L. Turner Award after a Presbyterian minister who was a founding member of the NCCJ chapter here and who is now seriously ill in a nursing home.

The Harry Dwoskin Award, named after an Atlantan who is a cochairman of the local NCCJ chapter, was also presented to the archbishop. It carried with a 10-day trip to the Holy Land.

Archbishop Donnellan said that he coached his reaction to receiving the awards in the metaphor of the sea or ocean and added:

“First there is a heady wave of pride that lifts him up above the flow to look out over the foaming surf of his achievements.” “But then there is a second, gentler ebb-tide of humility that carries him back down to an awareness of his origins at the base of the breakers where the Master of sea and sand and sky first stirred him to life.” “And then there is a third wave, a strong wave of gratitude and solidarity whose force and energy remind him of the rest of the tide reaching out with him for the shore.” “The reception of this award and the recognition it affords me have caused me to feel all these waves as I stand here tonight, proud, and yet humbled, and perhaps more than anything else, genuinely grateful to all you who are so much a part of this night, this event, this award, this community in which it is given.”

“I have spoken in images of waves and tides, and Atlanta is not a coastal city. My reason for choosing such images is simply this: the tides of the sea move on, relentlessly, toward a landfall, and while Atlanta is not a coastal city, it does have islands - islands of prejudice and discrimination whose beaches must be pounded by the rising tide of a concerned religious community until they are the beaches of brotherhood; it has islands of frustration and despair whose shores must be eroded until they reveal the bedrock of hope that is the spirit of any community; it has islands of cooperation and resourcefulness whose marshes and backwaters must be filled with the living rock of greater efforts at oneness so that all these islands become a solid mainland where black men and white men, Christians and Jews can walk together and work together to do the right thing not for appearance sake, but for God’s sake.”

“I said earlier that the tide moves on, relentlessly -- and so must the man who rides its waves. And therefore in accepting this award tonight, I pledge to you my continued efforts to live up the spirit in which it is given, the spirit of searching for the shoreline of that land promised to us by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a land flowing with the milk of righteousness and the honey of brotherly service among all men.”

Cardinal Cooke said that there is abroad in the nation a sentiment which may threaten “the root spirit” of cooperating brotherhood, which is “the life and soul of groups like ours.”

“If it does not weaken the NCCJ, it may weaken, in the 1970’s, the desire of some Americans to pursue its ideals,” he added. “I refer to what I think of as a new wave of isolationism in our society.”

He continued: “This new isolationism could be an exaggerated interest in one’s own self-fulfillment. It may begin as a healthy spirit of independent judgment by which a man decides to “DO HIS OWN THING.” But it can lead him, if he is not sensitive to the concept of the human family, to speak of love but to be little concerned in a practical way for other people who also need “to do THEIR thing.” It seems that both affluence and poverty can lead people to an over-concentration on their own personal rights. Then, there is always the subtle danger of becoming so selfish and self-centered that we think less and less of our duties and of the rights of others.”

“Other signs of the new isolationism are less subtle. The “drug culture” problem can be understood as an attempt to solve personal problems by a lonely dosage of drugs that will remove a person from contact with anything outside his own psyche. Here is a terrible form of isolation, perhaps the most morbid form of it in our time. Again it crosses every line: children and their parents; rich addicts led to drugs by affluence and indifference and the cruelty deprived driven by apathy and alienation.”

“Other forms of the new isolationism have been born of weariness and the lack of worldwide vision in our pursuit of peace and happiness. I discovered this when I served this year on the President’s Task Force for International Development. We found throughout the country a certain weariness with foreign aid. Apparently, many people expected our international aid programs to work miracles and when they did not, some thought the programs were a total failure. Sometimes sensational stories of mistakes or corruption disfigured large programs that had made great strides for the poor of a distant land. But whatever the cause, the Commission discovered an increased mood of isolationism regarding the development of other nations and this at a time when our foreign aid program is so important for the survival and progress of peoples around the world. Without the human development of peoples in the family of nations, lasting peace is but a dream.”

“At home, there is a danger that the yearning for legitimate group identity can be dissipated in a spirit of group isolationism. The spirit of isolationism is sometimes found among ethnic groups and in the problems or race relations where there is a strong trend toward separatism. This new isolationist feeling frequently appears in educational circles among faculty and students. It also surfaces to some degree in the present lack of confidence in commerce, industry and international trade.” “In the midst of this isolationist attitude we should be mindful that no man is an island. In fact, man by his very nature is very social. He is a member of society and he is a part of the whole of mankind. We are related to all men, we have obligations towards all men, toward our fellow-human beings. Our vocation to self-fulfillment involves not only personal responsibility but also communal responsibility which brings out the natural sense of community and our independence on one another.

“If isolationism is a temptation to step down from a high ideal of brotherly concern, the temptation may serve to remind us that true commitment to the welfare of others demands of us constant reappraisal and rededication.”

“Isolationism is based either on fear, or on forgetfulness of the human condition. If personal fear and insecurity are increasing in our time then the NCCJ and all other groups dedicated to brotherly cooperation are on the right trail in bringing men and women of every origin, position and faith. The spirit of isolationism cannot survive direct human encounter and prejudice shrinks after every honest personal exchange.” “There is no reason for us to expect to fail in our quest for community. Isolationism and alienation are unnatural and harmful to the human condition. Isolationism is so far off the mark that it is very important that we speak openly against it to warn our fellow-human beings of the danger and our efforts are bound to be successful. When we urge men toward social involvement for community betterment it is like returning a river to its natural bed. God made men to live together and work out their lives together. In close association they discover their potential for goodness and evil, for affection and hatred. In brotherly contact, they

will make their decision for good or evil and with the excellent example of men and women like yourselves I have no doubt what the decision will be. It will be a responsible decision for involvement, community and generosity.”

“I am filled with hope and optimism for the future. This NCCJ Brotherhood Dinner encourages each of us to truly be a brother to every man. May we be convinced that the whole future of the earth, as well as the future of religion, depends on our faith in the future. We believe that nothing happens outside of God’s Providence and that for those who love God, all things work together unto good.”

The NCCJ noted Archbishop Donnellan’s expansion of the Archdiocesan Department of Social Services and his active support of the St. Vincent de Paul’s inner city work since he came here two and one half years ago.

It also noted an increased effort to take care of Cuban refugees and his action to close Catholic schools to further enrollments last year rather than allow them to become havens for segregationists fleeing the integrated Atlanta school system.

Dan Sweat, the City of Atlanta’s chief administrative officer, lauded the archbishop for his service on the city’s Community Relations Council and his efforts in mediating city labor disputes.

The late Rev. Sam Williams, who was to have presented the Dwoskin Award to the archbishop, was eulogized at the dinner by the Rev. William Holmes Borders, pastor of the Wheat Street Baptist Church. Rev. Williams died Oct. 10.