By Georgia Bulletin Staff

In the tradition of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, members who came to Atlanta gathered the night before the installation Mass to pray with Archbishop Lyke, to recall his past ministry and to intercede for him and the archdiocese.

Father Charles Burns, SVD, a Los Angeles pastor and longtime friend of the archbishop, gave “a moving, stirring prayer” particularly recalling three people, Sister Thea Bowman, Father Joe Nearon and Father Bede Abram, all deceased, who had influenced the archbishop and shared a commitment to black Catholic studies.

“It’s a great day for the Atlanta archdiocese. Archbishop Lyke brings a wealth of skills and talents… all giving him tremendous gifts to share here in Atlanta…”

--Bishop Moses Anderson

Father Paul Marshal, SM, of Cleveland, who planned the prayer service, said the prayer “recreated the image about the rejoicing in heaven, especially of these three who would be friends and significant influences on Bishop Lyke.”

Scripture readings were followed by three testimonials given by Father Ford, Father Joe Davis, first director of the National Office of Black Catholics, and Father Edward Braxton.

“Each expressed deep affection,” particularly for the way Archbishop Lyke “has been a brother to them,” Father Marshall said. He recalled that Father Braxton cited the danger within the Church of describing individuals as “minority” Catholics or bishops. Archbishop Lyke, he said, is a “majority Christian and that’s what matters.”

On the day of installation, members of the black Catholic clergy were enthusiastic in their praise for Archbishop Lyke and the contribution he could make to the Church of North Georgia.

A close friend of about a dozen years, Father John Ford, novice master for the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, came from Boston for the installation. He and the archbishop first met, Father Ford recalled, in 1968, in the early years of the NBCC.

He believes his friend will bring to the Catholics of North Georgia “the gifts of sensitivity and understanding, a quality of competence and the ability to challenge people in ways that make them grow, to know what they’re supposed to be. People will be served with his pastoral sensitivity and honesty” and will feel called to accountability to what they are sworn to do.

Father Ford said the friendship of the two has been “a long process” in which they have “really tried to help and encourage each other,” making sure that each was “doing what we should be doing” both in the way we should be doing” and in resting from those labors.

A good friend of Sister Thea Bowman, Father Ford said the archbishop encouraged the Franciscan sister to bring her gifts to the public and even now is working to make sure “she won’t be forgotten.”

“It’s a great day for the Atlanta archdiocese,” commented Bishop Moses Anderson, SSE, auxiliary bishop of Detroit. “Archbishop Lyke brings a wealth of skills and talents, both academically and pastorally and as a liturgist, all giving him tremendous gifts to share here in Atlanta, as he shared nationally and internationally. He’s a very able leader, something he’s demonstrated in Cleveland and other places.”

Bishop Anderson believes Archbishop Lyke will be able to help many “relate more positively” in the areas of human rights and justice. “It’s a day of rejoicing throughout the universal Church, that the Holy Father has so honored him.”

Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD, auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, said Archbishop Lyke’s Franciscan spiritually will be a special gift to the archdiocese. In addition to his Franciscan concern for the poor and outcast, the new archbishop has proven capable of organizing people who can use their gifts and talents for the benefit of the Church, Bishop Steib explained.

“His role as a healer is most effective,” he said. “He is able to pull parishes together. He is a great person to be that bridge between what has happened and what will happen in the future.”

Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston, has known Archbishop Lyke for more than 10 years and finds him “a very pastoral person. He’s a people person. There are already indications he’s capable of dealing with the situation, the ways he answered questions concerning Archbishop Marino. He’s working at healing the diocese.”

“It’s a great day for the Atlanta archdiocese. Archbishop Lyke brings a wealth of skills and talents… all giving him tremendous gifts to share here in Atlanta…”

--Bishop Moses Anderson

While Archbishop Lyke was auxiliary bishop in Cleveland he coordinated the preparation and publication of the first hymnal in the Catholic Church for U.S. black Catholics.

“Lead Me, Guide Me” was conceived to meet the needs and aspirations of black Catholics for music which reflects both their African American heritage and their Catholic faith.

The hymnal takes into account black Catholics’ desire for music lending itself to the variety of styles and expression characteristic of their culture. To do this “Lead Me, Guide Me” also draws upon music from the broad Roman Catholic tradition as well as from black Protestant hymnology. In these respects it is both universal and particular as well as ecumenical in its makeup.

The work was authorized in April, 1983, by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. Under Bishop Lyke’s coordination the Black Catholic Hymnal Committee, representing a variety of national black Catholic organizations, as well as individuals with particular expertise, completed the project by 1987.

According to a spokesman for G.I.A. Publications, over 110,000 copies have been sold, an “excellent” record for a publication with specialized use.

--Paula Day