By Marie Mulvenna

“It’s the highest honor you can pay a layman in the Catholic Church.” So stated an enthusiastic John Hanna II of St. John Vianney after attending the archdiocesan training session held last Thursday for delegated extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.

The training session was conducted by the archdiocesan liturgical commission at Christ the King Cathedral center and was attended by 80 persons representing 13 parishes.

Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan welcomed the delegated lay ministers, expressing his gratitude to them for accepting “this additional cost of service to the people of God.” The archbishop said the principal purpose of the archdiocesan program for lay ministers “was to give greater access to the Eucharist for the faithful people of the family of God.” He explained that “the number of communicants is out of proportion to the availability of ministers,” adding “this change is for the spiritual good of God’s holy people.”

Archbishop Donnellan termed the new role of the lay minister as a ministry of service, stating he hoped the program would lead to greater respect and a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist. The archbishop urged the newly delegated lay ministers to frequent the sacrament of Penance “as a means of restoring and increasing the life of grace.”

Parishes taking part in the initial training session, which is required before a delegated lay minister may be installed in his parish, were: Holy Spirit, Holy Cross, St. Thomas More, St. John the Evangelist, Our Lady of the Assumption, St. John Vianney, St. Luke’s (Dahlonega), Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Philip Benizi, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Carrollton) and the Catholic Center, University of Georgia, in Athens.

The program was organized by Father Paul Berny, Carl Middleton and Marie Mulvenna of the archdiocesan liturgical commission. Additional training sessions are planned for future months as other parishes request permission for the use of lay ministers of the Eucharist. Candidates for the role of lay minister must be recommended in writing by their pastor to the archbishop’s office. They are then formally delegated by the archbishop prior to their training and formal installation.

Reactions of the lay persons attending the session were enthusiastic and humble: Charles Smith of Carrollton said: “Monsignor Regan, our pastor, is truly a man of God. He has inspired many people in Carrollton. If I can help him bring God to the people I want to help do so.”

Mrs. Rose Erbs of Holy Cross said “it was certainly quite an honor and I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve in that capacity.” Mrs. Erbs added that she felt the historical background presented during the session had clarified the role of lay minister very well. Jack Wehrle of Carrollton said he felt any person opposing the new role in parishes “would be far less hesitant if they understood the history of the Church.” Bill Zachmeyer of St. John Vianney said he was most anxious to begin this role of service in Atlanta, explaining he had functioned as a lay minister of the Eucharist for several years in Iowa prior to moving to Atlanta.

John Hanna II, also of Austell, said he felt it was a marvelous opportunity “to serve the rest of the parish community,” adding he was delighted to see so many women attending the special formation session. “Gender has nothing whatsoever to do with intelligence,” Hanna added. He explained he travels constantly and had already asked his pastor, Father Peter Ludden, to call him collect wherever he is when the archbishop is slated to come to the parish for installation of the lay ministers.

“That’s eternal and everything else is temporal,” Hanna said, adding “I’ll be there; I wouldn’t miss that for anything.”

Following the program, the archbishop asked the lay ministers to “recognize your position and responsibility and approach your role with a great deal of humility.”

The archbishop stated the new lay ministers must undertake their new position in a spirit of reverence. “We are the people of God on a pilgrim journey and we are building on the experiences of the past. We are to use this new faculty in Atlanta for the benefit of our people. I ask you to approach this ministry with humility, love and a desire to serve; this will bring about great spiritual results.”

The first official installation of lay ministers in the archdiocese will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle in Smyrna on Friday, May 25, at 7 p.m. Additional installations will be held in parishes when pastors arrange with the chancery office for suitable appointments.