By Paula Day

With an incisive homily that spoke directly to his priests, John Francis Donoghue took over the responsibility of shepherding the Catholics of North Georgia Aug. 18.

The Cathedral of Christ the King was filled to capacity as family members, priests, deacons, Religious and laity gathered for the canonical installation of Archbishop Donoghue and evening prayer.

Monsignor Edward J. Dillon, administrator of the archdiocese, the rector of the cathedral, and the consultors of the archdiocese met the new archbishop at the cathedra door and welcomed him to his church. From there he processed to the sanctuary and took his place at the cathedra, the chair from which he will preside as chief shepherd.

As cameras flashed and camcorders rolled, Monsignor Dillon read the apostolic mandate from Pope John Paul II naming him Atlanta's fifth archbishop. Applause from the congregation concluded the rite of installation and the Church's Evening Prayer followed.

With a forceful voice, Archbishop Donoghue spoke directly in his homily of two issues challenging American priests today: the diminishing number of priests and their need for healthy supportive relationships both in their personal lives and in collaborative ministry.

"Never before in our experience has the credibility of the priesthood itself been so shaken by actions of some of our priests," the archbishop said. "Because we live under the shadow of their indiscretions we are forced to take the witness stand of life and demonstrate by our words and our actions that we indeed are men of integrity, men of God."

The archbishop asked his priests to join him in searching for directions to deal with the challenges facing their common priesthood, saying, "I need your support as much as you need mine."

He first addressed the challenge of meeting the increased demands on priests as their number decreased, wondering how they could image themselves and their roles in new ways that were welcoming of the service of lay people in the Church.

He envisioned a group of men, uninvolved in "ego-building" or "ego-polishing" or competition with others and devoid of "perfectionisms" that can lead to chronic fatigue and health problems.

"The expectations that have come from ourselves as well as from others have created images in our own minds of who we are as priests," he commented. "Have some of these images become idols not worthy of the altar at which we minister? I wonder whether we need new images, truer to the person of Jesus Christ, and fewer expectations of ourselves?" he asked.

These newer images, the archbishop went on to say, must include priests' acceptance "of ministries other than our own" and "our understanding of sacramental ministry, especially the Eucharist, as we face the reality of the shortage of priests."

"Our ministry can be all things to all people, but only if other people are included in the ministering," he said.

The archbishop then offered his remedy for healing the "scandals rocking the Church" and society. Rather than reacting and avoiding relationships, he prescribed that priests develop their skills for honest interchange and communication to help them deepen their relationships with lay people and priests.

"We do not need fawning or flattery from others," he said. "We need the truth spoken in love. We need close friends, we need the honest love of the people to whom we minister, and above all, my brothers, we need each other."

The remedy, in the last analysis, according to Archbishop Donoghue, is for priests to grow in holiness. "God calls us to holiness through his people," he said, "and the people that we serve have a right to expect us to be holy and whole human beings. They have a right to expect that we practice what we preach."

Archbishop Donoghue directed the final words of his homily to the laity who were present.

"As priests," he said, "we are called to give service to you ... You need and you have the right to our support and encouragement in this materialistic and hedonistic world ... I would like to add that we very much need your support, as well. I would encourage you, my brothers and sisters, to give that support to your bishop and your priests by your prayers and your love."

Included in the Evening Prayer was the consecration of the Atlanta archdiocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the entrusting of it to her care.

Father Pat Bishop enthusiastically applauded the archbishop's words. "He cut to the chase," the president of the Priests Council said. His remarks "are probably typical of the ministry and guidance he will give to us."

"I am happy he addressed the issue of priest morale. Scandals have cast a shadow over all our ministry. I really sense he knows from real experience what we all feel," knowing some days the simultaneous embarrassment and pride of wearing the Roman collar.

"He is very much in touch with both the problems in the priesthood today," Father Bishop said, as well as having a sense of the "direction the American Catholic priests are going to have to go to resolve these problems."

Father Bishop acknowledged, "We priests tend to burn ourselves out because we don't want to drop our responsibilities as pastors. The archbishop reminded us that a focused and manageable ministry which also utilizes the talents of the people of the Church is our responsibility."

"There is an intangible about Archbishop Donoghue," Father Bishop observed, "that makes you trust his priesthood and establishes a confidence in sitting down and working out what it is to be a priest today."

Father Henry Gracz declared the archbishop's homily "stunning" in its perception of both the problems and challenges facing the priesthood, and the spiritual victory in Christ.

"To me, his homily carried an awareness of the key morale issues of priests," the vicar for priests said, "both that (priests) are hurting and they are faced with overwhelming expectations (placed on them) ... and the victorious experience in Jesus Christ" through which these moral issues can be resolved.

"The archbishop incisively got to the core of where we stand in today's culture and the need we have to support each other," Father Gracz continues. "We as priests are not about power politics. We're about ministry to others and ministry to one another."

"His development on the sacrament of the Eucharist as inclusive of all our gifts of the body, genuinely challenges us to a collaborative ministry in our parishes and with one another." Father Gracz found a similarity between Archbishop Donoghue's vision and that of Atlanta's first archbishop.

"That was the dream of (Archbishop) Paul Hallinan who often spoke about unity in the Eucharist and diversity of our gifts. Atlanta is a multicultural church and we as a Church are Hispanics, African-Americans, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Korean. Using the gifts of this diversity is our challenge as we move ahead."

Alluding to the work done by the second archbishop in the area of ecumenism, Father Gracz said, "Our ministry is challenged in Atlanta by working alongside other Christian communions. We still have to strengthen the Covenants of Cooperation with the Episcopal and Lutheran traditions which were signed by Archbishop (Thomas) Donnellan."

"I think the archbishop's homily was significant for the priests to whom he addressed it and for the whole Church to which we minister," he concluded.

Father John Kieran's first impression of Atlanta's new archbishop was of a "warm and understanding person."

"His homily was impressive in that it spoke to us priests very directly," the dean of the south rural deanery said. "I would have preferred it to be more wholistic, inclusive of the deacons and sisters."

Father Tony Curran was impressed by the archbishop's ability to articulate his thoughts. "This is a man who thinks, who reads, and who can articulate." The words "touched me," he said. "It bodes well for a sense of leading" the archdiocese.

Deacon Jim Easterwood from Our Lady of LaSalette in Canton heard the talk as a challenge to all baptized members of the archdiocese. "Not only did he call the priests, but he called al of us to witness and to proclaim Christ with our lives, which we don't always do," Easterwood mused. "I hope he's with us many years."