By Paula Day

The first black U.S. archbishop in the Catholic Church, Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, came to the west Georgia community of Cedartown, population 8,800, September 26, and received a welcome that showed Southern hospitality at its best -- warm enthusiastic, at times exuberant.

For two days before the visit, local media "ran the story" of the coming of the leader of the Catholic archdiocese of North Georgia to this predominantly Protestant rural community.

"I don't think we've ever had an archbishop in our county before," retired chief of police W. M. Moss said. "This is a first and quite an honor." Following the visit, a city official remarked, "I've never seen a turnout for a reception in Polk County like this for any one person before!"

"All over town, people have been talking about how warm he is," Father Pat Bishop, pastor of St. Bernadette's Catholic Church, said later.

"I didn't know he would be so young and good looking," commented Mrs. Frank Lott, mother of the county commissioner.

An estimated 400 people took part in the various activities scheduled for the afternoon and evening of Archbishop Marino's visit.

Members of the Cedartown Ministerial Association joined the archbishop, Father Bishop, Deacon Dick Machan and his wife, Marge, and Sister Elizabeth Racko, DC, in a prayer service.

Invited Polk County business and civic leaders met the archbishop at a reception. Non-Catholic friends of the parish enjoyed a private, more intimate meeting. In the evening parishioners and their spiritual leader celebrated the Eucharist together and met informally afterward.

"Oh Father," parishioner Betty Morris exclaimed to Father Bishop after Mass, "I was so excited to see him walk down our aisle!"

An elderly black woman in the receiving line was overheard to say, "My Lord, I never thought I would meet a bishop and certainly not a black archbishop!"

The visit was a two-way street. It offered Archbishop Marino the chance to meet members of his flock whom he doesn't touch on a regular basis. He acknowledged during a television interview, "I am very favorably impressed ... I see a young, very friendly, very dynamic priest who serves here. My biggest impression is of what the community is like -- what the parish is like." During the reception the archbishop autographed programs and checked his calendar to see if he could fulfill a request to speak at a local event.

The idea to invite Archbishop Marino to Cedartown came after 30 parishioners from St. Bernadette's attended the May 5 installation ceremonies at the Civic Center in Atlanta.

"They brought back the good news" of what the new leader of the Catholic archdiocese was like, Father Bishop recalled. "His coming to Cedartown is a reminder to our parish that it is part of a larger Church."

"Isolation works both ways," Father Bishop pointed out. "Atlanta is an hour-and-a-half away and the archdiocese doesn't seem to reach up here that often. And as a distant rural community, we can't participate in a lot of the activities in Atlanta."

Two months of planning and preparation went into the day's events. The visit gave final impetus for installing needed new carpeting in the church and rectory. Detailed plans to provide food for four different receptions gave women's guild president, Peggy Ruppert, "sleepless nights wondering if all the food would get here. It did," she added. "Everyone came through and it was wonderful."

As parish secretaries, Jan Timms and Mrs. Ruppert prepared three different booklets for the day's events. They sent out 300 invitations and kept track of the responses.

And there was spiritual preparation as well, Sister Elizabeth Racko, pastoral assistant, pointed out. The parish community remembered the archbishop, his intentions, and the upcoming visit, at the Prayers of the Faithful in the weeks and months before the visit.

The visit "was much more of a spiritual blessing -- it had a spiritual meaning for the parish," Sister Elizabeth said.

"Any family that's going to have a visitor prepares in many ways the visitor doesn't know about, and St. Bernadette's is a very special family and the archbishop is a very special person."

The parish community was aware of the possible impact the visit could have on its predominantly Protestant town. "Many (of those invited to the activities) have never been in a Catholic church," Father Bishop pointed out.

For black parishioners it was a moment of special pride. "They've taken a lot of grief from their black Protestant friends," commented Father Bishop. "'Why do you belong to a white man's church?' they'd be asked. Now they can say, 'The head of our church is one of us!'"

Approximately 12 ministers, members of the Cedartown Ministerial Association representing nine Protestant church congregations, joined Archbishop Marino and the pastoral staff of St. Bernadette's in a prayer service at the beginning of the archbishop's visit.

Reverend Jerry Mahan, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Cedartown, offered a reflection on the reading from St. Mark's gospel where John the Apostle complains to Jesus that a man not of their company was using Jesus' name to cast out demons. Jesus tells John not to stop him because "Anyone who is not against us is with us."

Using literary irony, Reverend Mahan agreed with John, observing, "It just won't work."

"You just can't let anybody go around casting out demons in the name of Christ. There have to be standards. There would be some questions I would ask."

"I would ask about this man's baptism. I'm a Baptist -- a deep water Baptist. I don't go for a few sprinkles ... I would want to know his views of Communion. I would ask if he had a sacramental view, or a spiritual view, or a symbolic view in order to determine if I would sit down with him at table. I would want to know his theological views. Are they Calvinistic? Are they Arminian? You just can't have anybody going around casting out demons. It won't work!"

Reverend Mahan concluded, "May God forgive us for agreeing with John and failing to follow Jesus!"

In his greeting to the ministers at the close of the prayer service, Archbishop Marino agreed that all too often the pragmatic question, "Will it work?" rather than a faith response, is also his first response to a suggestion or situation. He commended the ministers on their cooperative efforts in Cedartown. The Ministerial Association churches staff and financially support Samaritan House which helps feed and clothe the needy of Cedartown and the surrounding area.

After the service, the Reverend Clifford Chandler, pastor of Worldview Baptist Church, commented, "There's good fellowship here. I've seen a great difference. We have a great spirit." County Commissioner Frank Lott, Jr., a Baptist, agreed, crediting Father Bishop for advancing ecumenical efforts.

"Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists and Catholics all are working together on common goals and that's a first for our community." In his televised interview with local reporter Dian Hill, Archbishop Marino remarked, "I am particularly impressed with the interfaith cooperation. Their (the ministers') presence speaks volumes to me."

Ron Thomas, a parishioner who came to Cedartown eight years ago from St. Thomas the Apostle parish in Smyrna, commented, "This is kind of a Protestant stronghold. When I came there were only 70 or 80 families in the parish. Now there are 107. I've seen a lot of change. The attitude toward the Church is a lot different -- it's much more accepting. There's a better understanding of where we're coming from and what we are -- a better understanding that we believe in God just as they do."

The day's activities culminated in the archbishop celebrating mass with the St. Bernadette parish family who filled the tiny church to overflowing.

Summing up the day's experiences, Archbishop Marino said, "What a joy it is for me to be here. I'm particularly grateful for the few short hours in which I've had the opportunity to pray with some leaders of other churches, the opportunity to meet some of the elected officials, members of the civic community and the business community and in the context of the Eucharist, to celebrate what we have in common."

"As your bishop, I come to this parish community, not with any new message. I come to confirm you in the faith you have already received. I urge you to stand together in that faith."

At the close of the liturgy, Mrs. Pat Miranda, president of the parish council, came forward and handed Archbishop Marino the brightly wrapped gift that had been presented during the Offertory procession, urging him to open it. Pastor and parishioners waited expectantly. When the archbishop raised the framed sketch of the parish church, spontaneous "oohs" and "ahs" from the congregation told parish planners they had made the right choice for a gift.

"My favorite part of the day," Father Bishop admitted later, "was the congregation's reaction when he opened the gift. They approved. I like to make the parish happy."

For Father Bishop, the day "was a delight."

"As they (the parish) pulled together, I felt unity with our local Church," he commented. Regarding the archbishop, "I feel that I've got a pastor -- one who supports us, cares about us, loves us."