By Gretchen Keiser

A new staff member at the Catholic Center, Raymond Lavoie, has been given responsibility for overseeing the sale and purchase of land in the archdiocese as growth occurs and new parishes are built and older ones expanded. Lavoie, 35, moved to Atlanta 10 years ago from Rhode Island as part of his work as a supervisor at a textile factory and, in addition to his management experience, is completing studies in real estate at Georgia State University. A first task will be to make a complete inventory of all land currently owned by the archdiocese. Lavoie will work in conjunction with Father Peter Ludden, chancellor, the archdiocesan Property Commission and parishes to inspect and acquire sites for building and to expedite the sale or lease of unneeded property. The new position was created in response to the growth of the archdiocese and the need for a person to have particular responsibility for this task. The archdiocese owns many acres of land throughout north Georgia—in small parcels of 10 acres, 20 acres and the like—where parishes are built or planned. In the metropolitan area, land acquisitions seem to have kept pace with growth, Lavoie said, but in the rural areas where the church has, at most, a mission, more land will be needed. He began working at the Catholic Center in July.