"Where did all the priests go?" This might have been an apt question. Parish bulletins from throughout the archdiocese contained references to changes of schedule on Wednesday and Thursday. The reason for the break in routine was a clergy conference in Suwanee, GA.

Suwanee? Yes. The location is considered remote enough that the priests can get together and get something accomplished without too much interruption. The Senate of Priest has met there before and it has proven to be an appropriate location for such work sessions.

The purpose of this last meeting was the upcoming archdiocesan bicentennial program. The priests were given a presentation on the events which will take place in the parishes during the bicentennial year. They also had the opportunity to try out the program themselves.

The plans for the parishes include the opportunity to study and discuss the Catholic bicentennial theme of "Liberty and Justice for All" and to make comments and observations on the past and present performance of the American Catholic Church in this area.

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops had voted to sponsor a number of commemorative programs this year and next in honor of the nation's bicentennial. The programs seek to involve all Catholics in the United States. Consequently, the local effort is being made to involve all in our own archdiocese.

The national plans call for three types of activities: 1) A discussion-listening program will take place during 1975 called "Liberty and Justice for All." This is to culminate in a national policy-setting conference to be held in Detroit in October 1976. 2) Religious observances are planned on local and national levels. 3) An historical information program will also be developed on several levels. Locally, this is being coordinated by Father Charles Pfab, SM, of Marist School.

Last week's Suwanee clergy conference was concerned primarily with the first of these three areas -- the discussion-listening program. Included in this phase of the observance are the regional hearings, including the Atlanta hearings just completed and reported in the last issue of The Georgia Bulletin.

The goals as expressed by the bishops are to arrive at a Catholic expression of the meaning of liberty and justice for all and to foster a collective commitment to a common course of action in the years ahead.

At the heart of the local discussion-listening activity is the parish program which was presented to the priests at the Suwanee meeting. It was characterized as a process of reflection, discussion and action. People are being asked to "speak up" to help the bishops of the United States formulate a policy for social justice.

The process will involved small groups of adults and young adults who will gather to study the social teachings of the Church and to examine social problems in light of these teachings. They then will be asked to present suggestions as to how action can be taken. These ideas and suggestions then will be forwarded to the national conference in Detroit.

In response to the data, a policy on social justice is to be formulated. From this policy, a five-year study and action program will by designed.

The parish discussion sessions will center around one or more topics included in a discussion guide booklet. These include: Nationhood, The Church, Humankind, Ethnicity and Race, the Neighborhood, Work, Family and Personhood.

At the conclusion of a discussion session, participants will be invited to complete a "feedback sheet" which will be used as "input" at the national conference.

The priests at last week's meeting were invited to participate in discussions of the sort projected for the parishes. This was done in order to give them the chance to experience the program firsthand.

More details on the parish bicentennial observance will be presented in future Georgia Bulletin articles. Individual parishes are expected to announce local plans soon.