Ties of faith and charity between Philadelphia and Georgia showed themselves again last week in the observance of Monsignor Michael J. Regan's silver sacerdotal jubilee.

Philadelphia has been related to Georgia repeatedly since November, 1850, when Francis X. Gartland, a Philadelphian, was appointed first Bishop of Georgia.

In December, 1949, Msgr. Francis E. Hyland, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Philadelphia, was consecrated auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Gerald O'Hara in Savannah. In March, 1950, Father Michael J. Regan, member of the faculty of Southeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, was asked to accept assignment "for a year and a half" as secretary to Bishop Hyland and also as notary on Matrimonial Tribunal in Savannah.

In 1952, Father Regan was given charge of a mission station located in Richmond Hill in Bryan County. In the beginning, the liturgy was celebrated in the county building adjacent to a wide complex of structures erected as part of Henry Ford's Richmond Hill Plantation. Two years later, the Catholic community moved into the exquisite church structure, the Martha-Mary Chapel, which Henry Ford built in memory of his grandmothers. The chapel was blessed by the late Archbishop William O'Brien of Chicago and named St. Anne's Chapel.

In 1956, the diocese of Savannah-Atlanta was separated into distinct sees, and Bishop Hyland was appointed first bishop of Atlanta. Father Regan accompanied Bishop Hyland to Atlanta, and in 1958, he was released completely from his canonical obligations to the See of Philadelphia and was formerly incardinated as priest of Atlanta.

In Atlanta, Father Regan was appointed officialis of the Matrimonial Tribunal. He was also assigned by Bishop Hyland to serve the Catholic community in Roswell, where Mass was offered for the first time at the Women's Club building. In May, 1959, he was designated domestic prelate. Less than a year later, the diocese suffered a painful loss in the death of Monsignor Cornelius L. Maloney, then diocesan superintendent of schools and also pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish. Monsignor died on February 17, 1960. On March 17, Monsignor Regan came to IHM as successor to Monsignor Maloney. The only assistant at the parish at that time was Father Edward O'Connor, currently pastor at St. Mary's Church in Rome.

During the past eleven years, IHM parish has grown in proportion to the growth of Atlanta. At present, there are over 1,200 families within the community. In June, 1964, a daughter parish was founded in Chamblee -- Holy Cross, which is now larger in size than IHM. In 1965, the new convent for the Gray Nuns, who served the parish school from the beginning, was dedicated by the late Archbishop Hallinan. Also, the school structure has been extended in two separate building projects. In 1970, the excellent school annex was opened, containing six new classrooms, a library, activities center, school of religion offices, and other facilities.

Within the past month, IHM parish school qualified for accreditation with the Southern Association. The present enrollment of the school is 460 students.

The Silver Jubilee of Monsignor Regan was celebrated in Philadelphia last Tuesday, May 18, with a concelebrated liturgy at St. Charles Seminary, Philadelphia, at which 14 members of his ordination class of 1946 and seven members of the class of '21 (the Golden Jubilarians of Philadelphia) joined John Cardinal Krol, the archbishop of Philadelphia, in offering a Mass of Thanksgiving. The liturgy was followed by dinner at the seminary.

On Wednesday, Monsignor Regan concelebrated with six priests of the Philadelphia area a liturgy of thanksgiving at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Philadelphia. One of the priests was Father Louis Wheeler, SJ, who served at the Cathedral in Savannah and who is now in ill health and is retired in Baltimore.

The Atlantans who went to Philadelphia for the celebration are the following: Sister Mary Loyola, Mrs. David R. Inman, Mrs. Michael Grogan, Mrs. Tommy Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Kingery, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Moore, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mueller.

A large reception followed in the Nativity Activities Center. The "Irish Ramblers" orchestra furnished the music.

Monsignor's parish community celebrated the jubilee on Saturday. Twelve of the priests who served within IHM during the past ten years joined Archbishop Donnellan in a joyous liturgy of thanks. Monsignor Joseph Pollack, an Air Force chaplain currently assigned to Eglin AFB, who was a boyhood chum of Monsignor Regan, was also one of the concelebrants.

Msgr. Regan's three sisters and their husbands: Hugh and Anne Sharkey, Bill and Mary Fitzgerald, and Frank and Ruth Buchy came here for the celebration. Sister Anita Gertrude and Sister Vincent Agnes, both of Philadelphia, were also there.

At the reception, which was held in IHM Activities Center, Bill Kingery spoke on behalf of the community and presented Monsignor with a gift of money and also a round-trip airline ticket to Ireland. Monsignor responded with an expression of thanksgiving for the past and present favors in his life. He also received a special gift of feather drawings of each of his parents by artist Dick Inman. Archbishop Donnellan gave a final blessing with an exhortation that Monsignor Regan make ready use of the trip to the land of his parents' birth.