By Thea Jarvis, Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Parishioners and staff of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will be honored for their commitment to the community during the 25th annual awards breakfast hosted by the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, (CCMA) March 18.

The Shrine will receive the Christian Council Award given to a Congregation for Exemplary Community Outreach, which is given in memory of Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan. The parish, under its pastor, Father John Adamski, was cited for the scope of its ministries, which serve the poor, the homeless and persons with AIDS.

St. Francis Table, which began 12 years ago at the Shrine, provides breakfast and holiday meals to the homeless and offers a foot care ministry for people on the street.

A night shelter that opened five years ago now accommodates some 90 homeless persons and the Shrine’s Transitional Alternative Residence (STAR), begun in 1993, helps settle those who have been living on the street.

The Shrine is also known for its Tuesday evening dinners for people with AIDS and their families, attended by approximately 80 people each week. The parish organizes hospital visits, quarterly healing celebrations and provides material assistance to a sister parish in Haiti.

The Shrine parish was founded in 1848 and escaped destruction during the Civil War through the efforts of the pastor Father Thomas O’Reilly, who is buried in the crypt under the church.

The church sustained extensive damage in a 1982 fire and its restoration earned it a Renovation of the Year Award in 1984.

Other CCMA award recipients include Judge Edward Wheeler, who has presided over the Juvenile Court of DeKalb County for over 20 years. Judge Wheeler will receive the Exceptional Personal Ministry Award for the work with at-risk children.

Rev. Harry F. Peterson, founding director of Villa International Atlanta, will receive the Council’s Award for Outstanding Work in Human Relations. The Villa offers affordable accommodations and a ministry of hospitality to international students and visitors.

The Outstanding Community Service Award will be given to the Atlanta Union Mission, which has provided emergency food, shelter, spiritual support and rehabilitation for those in need for over 50 years.

Dr. Gerald Durley, pastor of Providence Baptist Church and president of Concerned Black Clergy, will be the keynote speaker at the Council breakfast, which will be held from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Hilton and Towers. Tickets are $12 per person and are available through the Christian Council at 662-2235.