By Monsignor Noel C. Burtenshaw

"When I attended Marist we did not need to have the different buildings described to us," said Larry Melear as he directed the crowds to the workshop building. "There was only one building in those days."

Melear, who is chairman of the Archdiocesan Evangelization Committee, should have also said that a large campus was most necessary to house the many people who were present. And many were there. Over 300 anxious and excited parish evangelizers had come together on Saturday to talk and learn about a movement that seems to be spreading in every direction throughout the nation.

It was the annual Evangelization Workshop for the parishes of North Georgia. Experts from far and near were present to give leadership on the topics and offer individual workshops, morning and afternoon.

Leading with a main address and a workshop was Father Eugene LaVerdiere, the well-known New Testament scholar and Scripture teacher. In his address to the 300 North Georgians in the Marist auditorium, Father LaVerdiere challenged the parish lay evangelizers to a personal knowledge of Jesus through the pages of Scripture.

The response to the much-traveled lecturer was very great in all sessions of his workshop.

Most workshops received the same overflow treatment. Nine different workshops were offered, some even in Spanish.

Father Jim O'Bryan came from Orange, CA, to speak on proper interpretation of Scripture. Father Mario Vizcaino, from Miami, discussed basic Christian communities and Mary Graham, from the Word of God Institute in Washington, spoke on the Sunday Homily and lectors in the liturgy.

Workshops were also led by local experts on many other topics. Betti Knott, Cece Reimer, Sister Marie Leonard and Fathers Richard Kieran and Tom Leclerc all made presentations.

Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan welcomed the evangelizers from the four corners of the archdiocese.

A workshop held in the afternoon was presented by Dorothy and Bob Beck on the outreach of the Cathedral of Christ the King parish to senior citizens.

In one of his presentations with a small group, Father LaVerdiere summed up the experience of the day of evangelization when he said, "The evangelizer keeps his eyes on Jesus even as he contemplates his mission and goes into action."

Many had that feeling as they left this successful day.