By Rita McInerney

The “exceptional personal ministry” of two Religious of the archdiocese will be recognized at the 20th annual Community Breakfast of the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta on Saturday, March 10.

Sisters Marcella Meyer and Roberta Joseph Sutton, both Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, will receive the Mrs. Fred W. Patterson Award during 8:30 a.m. breakfast at the Atlanta Hilton and Towers, 255 Courtland St.

They are being recognized for their compassionate dedication to the elderly poor, lonely and sick in Atlanta’s varied neighborhoods. The award is given annually in memory of the late Mrs. Patterson, who was a president of Church Women United and active in efforts to advance interfaith relations.

After many years teaching in Catholic schools, the two sisters went to work in Sister Teresa Termini’s services to the elderly program at Catholic Social Services in 1977. They continued with CSS until retiring in 1985. Since then they have continued their ministry on a personal volunteer basis, spending many hours helping the needy.

Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, in his letter nominating the sisters, told of their unflagging efforts for the poor and elderly and concluded by saying “Long after many of their contemporaries have retired to the motherhouses for well-earned rest from their years of labor, these two ‘young at heart’ sisters continue an energetic and effective ministry to the elderly. For these reasons, I recommend them with no reservations.”

Also, for the first time, the Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan award will be presented to a congregation for outstanding community service. Archbishop Donnellan, during his 19 years in Atlanta, was among church leaders working for ecumenism.

The award in memory of Archbishop Donnellan will be presented to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta. Among its numerous activities for the homeless are a community kitchen which feeds more then 550 people each weekday, a street academy for students not doing well in traditional educational settings, medical services to over 16,000 people each year through its clinic operated by the Georgia Nurses Association.

In addition, the congregation offers job placement and counseling for the homeless through the St. Luke’s Economic Development Corporation. The Rev. Charles C. Bennison, Jr., is rector of the church.

Father Richard Kieran, rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King, a member of the breakfast committee, proposed the council add an award for a congregation in honor of Archbishop Donnellan.

This will be an annual award, Father Kieran said. It will go to a metropolitan Atlanta church for outstanding community service in promoting justice and peace.

“I believe it is a fitting tribute to the archbishop,” Father Kieran said. “He was very committed to ecumenism and promoting justice and peace.”

Others to be honored at the breakfast are Mary Blackman Sanford, an activist who worked for a better quality of life in Atlanta’s housing projects, and the Rev. Dr. W. Craig Taylor, neighborhood developer for Wesley Community Center and an advocate for the homeless and poorly housed in Atlanta.

Mrs. Sanford will receive the Charles M. Watt, Jr., Exceptional Personal Ministry award. She was president of the Perry Homes Tenants’ Association for 23 years.

Dr. Taylor will receive the Exceptional Service to the Community award. He was a co-founder and board member of Habitat for Humanity, Atlanta, has served on the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and was a founder and former executive director of the South Atlanta Land Trust.