By Paula Day

The election of officers and expansion of membership marked the meeting of the Council of Priests during the archdiocesan convocation of priests in the last week of October.

Father Patrick Bishop, pastor of Transfiguration parish in Marietta, was elected chairman of the council; Monsignor R. Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints in Dunwoody, vice chairman; and Father James Miceli, pastor of St. Mary’s in Rome, secretary.

With the addition of the deans from the six archdiocesan deaneries, and the appointment of a representative for the Hispanic community, the Council of Priests expanded to 19 members.

Commenting on issues facing the Council, Father Bishop said the body should be a communications network. “Communication is extremely important. Since the archdiocese has become larger, we cannot deal with issues informally.”

“I’d like the Council to increase opportunities for priests to express their feelings about issues facing the diocese. For one thing, have informal gatherings around issues where the guys could come to a rectory, kick off their shoes and do some brainstorming.”

Father Bishop believes one critical topic is the present Catholic school subsidy program. “I’m really interested in hearing a discussion of this issue because I have served both in Catholic schools and as a spiritual director at St. Pius (high school). I’ve also kept my contact with Catholic schools, and am a Catholic school product. On the other hand, I have been pastor in two parishes where the school subsidy was a very heavy burden on the expenses of the parish.”

In expressing his personal appreciation for the convocation and its results, Father Bishop admitted that he “had a lot of reluctance about it, but it ended up giving me a feeling of togetherness with the priests that I had not experienced since the mid-70s. I think it rekindled my desire to want to be with the priests. It made me realize how many issues that each pastor faces locally are faced by pastors throughout the diocese and getting together gives us a chance to sound each other out and learn from each others’ mistakes and success.”

“If you don’t hang around with priests a lot and are not involved in diocesan functions, you begin to feel everything you experience in your own parish in only unique to you, when in fact, I think the Church throughout the United States is going through some of the same growing pains.”

Father Bishop expects to rely on the other two officers of the Council who have experience he lacks. Monsignor Kiernan, he pointed out, has a history and tradition of knowing “how to bring the guys together to enjoy one another, and Jim Miceli has a sophisticated understanding of the processes involved in facing issues. I think there should be a good, healthy atmosphere for dialogue and getting together.”

Father John Ozarowski, pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cumming, was elected to represent priests ordained 35 years or more. Priests ordained eight to 20 years will be represented by Father Miceli. Father David Talley will represent the most recently ordained men. Those ordained 21 to 35 years will select their representative in the coming weeks.

Father Paul Reynolds and Father Bishop are representatives for pastors who are priests of the archdiocese: Father Jim Caffery, MS, and Father Ed Everitt, OP, for the religious order pastors; and Father Dan McCormick represents the parochial vicars of the archdiocese.

Father Edward Dillon, as vicar general of the archdiocese, Father Henry Gracz, vicar for clergy, and Father Steve Churchwell, judicial vicar, are members of the council by virtue of their office.

Other non-elected members are deans Monsignor Kiernan, Father Tom Kenny, Father Edward O’Connor, Father Ed Thein, and Father John Kiernan. Father Jorge Christancho, appointed by Archbishop Lyke, represents the priests from the Hispanic community.

The appointment of the deans and Father Christancho to the council is a change in the membership.