By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Responsibilities held by Msgr. Donald Kenny have been divided so that he will primarily be overseeing clergy and Religious personnel, including priests, sisters and permanent deacons. He remains director of vocations and chancellor.

Anno Hardage, who has been the director of operations for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, has been named vice-chancellor for administration.

In that role she will be responsible for overview of a number of archdiocesan departments formerly overseen by Msgr. Kenny. These include the Archives, the Hispanic Apostolate, Communications and The Georgia Bulletin, the Office for Black Catholic Ministry, and the Pro-Life Office. She continues to oversee building operations, which includes facilities management, personnel and benefits.

Msgr. Kenny will oversee the Archbishop’s Office in addition to his primary responsibility for recruitment, formation and continuing education of clergy and Religious.

The changes took effect June 1.

“I was finding that my job as chancellor was drawing me away from vocations. This realignment will give me much more time for vocations and it seems much more in line with (an emphasis on) vocations. It will also give me much more time to work with the (permanent) deacons,” Msgr. Kenny said in an interview.

Deacon Alfred Mitchell will serve as vicar for deacons and Deacon Loris Sinanian will serve as assistant vicar for deacons. Both will be under the direction of Msgr. Kenny.

The full-time vocations director of the archdiocese, Msgr. Kenny assumed the additional role of chancellor at the request of the late Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, when illness forced the archdiocese to turn over the administration to others. Archbishop John Donoghue reappointed Msgr. Kenny chancellor and also assigned departments to him.

The vocations program for priests currently has over 50 seminarians in formation. There are about 30 more people in the process of discerning vocations to the priesthood or Religious Life, Msgr. Kenny said. The number of seminarians is one of the largest in the country compared per capita with the Catholic population. Msgr. Kenny said the priority placed on priestly vocations by the archdiocese, including the financial support given to underwrite seminary education, has been important in the success of the program.

He hopes to have additional time to visit parishes, schools and youth groups to present the opportunity for a vocation to priesthood or Religious Life to young people. In the current group of 57 seminarians, 31 are American, 13 are Hispanic, five are Irish, three are Vietnamese-American and the remaining four are Korean, Filipino, Haitian and Croatian, he said.

Mrs. Hardage, 36, has been the director of of operations for the archdiocese since October 1989. A graduate of Georgia State University, she has a master’s degree in business administration. Married and the mother of two children, she is a member of Holy Spirit Parish, Atlanta.