By Father Ray Horan, Rural Life Director

A landmark in Atlanta went the way of dust and ashes. The Loew's Grand burned, and then was demolished. The end of an era. But also a reminder of its heyday and Gone With the Wind.

The story of Gone With the Wind is a story that has been repeated time and again in Georgia. Small settlements of Catholics dotted the countryside of North Georgia -- in Sharon, Hartwell, Milledgeville, Dalton, Elberton, etc. But there were no priests. So, the Scarletts of days gone by said their rosary each night and joined the free Church that was the only Church in their area in order that they could worship on Sunday.

Some made the transfer complete, for it was better to be churched than to simply wait for the day when the Catholic priest could be a part of their community. Others, especially at the turn of the century, kept their identity as Catholic Christians, even though the sacraments were great distances away, and travel one a month was their only nourishment in their faith as Catholics.

I remember well when a Glenmary priest came to Dahlonega, bought a small home and began to show the presence of Catholic Christianity in Lumpkin County. It was not too long ago. And when we were strapped for priestly presence in Washington, Elberton, Sharon and Thompson, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate offered to be priests in that area.

And the LaSalette Fathers came to the needs of the Church in Bartow and Cherokee counties, and so many others who realized the need and responded, exerted themselves, because the love of Christ urged them. Religious men and women, volunteers and couples, people excited about being Catholic Christians and seeking to share, in whatever way that they could, their own talents and gifts.

The small Catholic Communities are simply that: they are small. As small -- but vibrant and vital Catholic Churches -- their needs are greater and their resources are fewer. They know that they are a part of the whole excitement of Catholic Christianity by the signs and the care that all of us together bring to them. The distances they travel are great, and you will recall Father Tom Scanlon's letter to the editor a few weeks ago that honestly communicated that the travel is still not always easy.

Our annual Charities Drive is an important sign to the small parishes that are outside metro Atlanta that we care. Just as their gift in the Drive supports programs for the Atlanta metro area, out gift in the Drive supports their programs in the towns and in the country.