By Rita McInerney

Archbishop John F. Donoghue visited Sts. Peter and Paul parish, Decatur, on Sunday, Sept. 5, to celebrate Mass with its members, to socialize with them, and to listen to the parish council and finance committee.

He celebrated Mass before an overflow crowd of parishioners, with Father Richard Wise, pastor, concelebrating. Also concelebrating was Father Joseph, a seminary professor from Nigeria who is residing at the parish while studying at Emory for his doctorate in medical ethics. Deacon Al Mitchell assisted on the altar.

In his homily based on the readings of the day, Archbishop Donoghue said, "The importance of this Catholic community, this oneness of feeling and purpose which we experience as committed Christians has been a sign of the Church since the days of the Apostles. And the mission of unity which sent them out into the world to preach the Word is the same mission of unity to which each one of us is still called today."

The archbishop was presented with a gift from the parish, a framed artwork in which mudcloth, a fabric used in West African countries, was stretched and mounted on canvas. A silver rosary was draped on the cloth in the shape of a heart.

The work was intended to symbolize, "Who we are as African-American Catholics," according to Milt Lincoln, who made the presentation. Lincoln is chairman of the parish Knights of St. Peter Claver and vice-president of the parish council.

Selections by the parish choir, under the direction of Jack Tilson, further dramatized the joy of the Eucharistic celebration.

The archbishop sat down with members of the parish council led by Dan Montgomery and the finance committee led by Sylvia Woodruff after the Mass and parish reception.

Here the talk was mostly about growth, "how the parish turned around," Father Wise said. Five years ago, there were 380 families registered and today there are 710.

Father Wise said this growth comes "mostly from RCIA. There are a lot of young, middle class families moving into the area." In the past six years, he said, between 90 and 110 families and singles have come into the Church through the junior and adult RCIAs.

Much of the growth he attributed to the parish school which has 289 children enrolled from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. "The school has been a real tool for evangelization."

Father Wise said Archbishop Donoghue told the council and committee people that he hoped to collect similar data in his visitation to all the parishes of the archdiocese over the next year.

"He listened intently," Father Wise said.

The pastor said he took the archbishop on a tour of the parish plant and grounds. It was dedicated in January, 1961, with Monsignor Michael Manning as founding pastor.

The visit to the Decatur parish was the first of this type for Archbishop Donoghue.