BY GRETCHEN KEISER

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The archdiocese has announced that Msgr. Terry W. Young will step down Feb. 1, 1996 as archdiocesan Secretary for Education and be succeeded by an administrator with a background in finance and accounting.

At the same time Msgr. Edward J. Dillon, vicar general, met with principals of Catholic elementary schools and St. Pius X High School and told them that regionalization is being examined as a way of approaching the future of archdiocesan schools.

The meeting with school principals on Sept. 29 was preceded by a meeting with pastors Sept. 20 at which the regionalization concept was also discussed. Msgr. Dillon told principals that no specific plan for school regionalization is on the table. It is unrealistic to expect one to be ready as soon as the fall of 1996, he said.

The model and experience of the Charlotte, N.C., Diocese, which regionalized schools while Archbishop John F. Donoghue was bishop, is being reviewed in relation to this archdiocese, Msgr. Dillon said.

Msgr. Young, formerly principal of St. Pius X High School, has served as Secretary for Education on a part-time basis for the last two years, while also serving as pastor of St. Benedict's Parish, Duluth. The Secretary for Education currently oversees Catholic schools, the Office of Religious Education and Catholic campus ministry.

The significant new archdiocesan initiative regarding schools prompted him to ask to be relieved of the education post, he said.

"When I agreed to take the job it was (in 1993) when we did not have an archbishop," Msgr. Young said. "I was asked to try and help out and I tried to do that."

St. Benedict's Parish is embarking on a $5 million program in 1996 to build a church and religious education facility, he said.

"I think in fairness to everybody, in fairness to the education system, as well as my parish, both of these jobs need someone's full-time focus and attention."

His successor as Secretary for Education will be Bertha Martin, currently on the staff of the archdiocesan Finance Office, who was introduced to the principals at their meeting.

A member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Mrs. Martin began working for the archdiocese in January 1990 as an internal auditor and was promoted to assistant director of finance one year later.

She has worked on a number of special projects for the archdiocese, including the 1991-92 shift of the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal from a primarily parish-based fund drive to one coordinated by the archdiocese, but accountable to the parishes. Mrs. Martin said the project has produced a workable system of accounting back to parishes for appeal pledges and donations by their members.

Most recently she has been working extensively with the pastors of St. Anthony's Parish in the West End and Our Lady of Lourdes in Atlanta on the financial aspects of their parish schools. Both schools have had turnover and vacancies in the principal's position in recent years. This fall one principal is administering both schools while some consolidation of specialized faculty is put in place.

Mrs. Martin's appointment as Secretary for Education will become effective Feb. 1, but she will begin a transition period immediately and work with Msgr. Young over the coming months. One aspect will be the delineation of roles, Msgr. Young said, since Mrs. Martin's background is in finance.

A graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., she holds a bachelor's of business administration in accounting. Mrs. Martin recently successfully completed examinations to become a certified public accountant.

Msgr. Dillon said that Mrs. Martin "will be Secretary for Education with the understanding that her expertise is in the area of finance and administration. In matters of education she is going to have to rely totally on the experts who work with her in the office."

In matters relating to Catholic schools, he said, that person is the superintendent of Catholic schools, Maureen Kane.

Other professional staff in the department include consultants for adult faith formation, children's catechesis and youth ministry, positions held respectively by Carol Hamill, Annette Kulasa and Kathy Wolf.

Msgr. Dillon said that Msgr. Young will continue to be active in the future development of Catholic education in the archdiocese and thanked him for serving in dual roles since 1993.

"We all have to be eternally grateful to him for being willing to step in and take over that position (Secretary for Education) while being pastor of a parish with 2,000 families and a mission."

Several studies of the current and future funding of Catholic schools have been undertaken in the archdiocese. Most recently a major survey of Catholic households analyzed the interest in and support for future schools and raised additional questions about levels of tuition in the present and the future. These topics will be addressed in future issues of The Georgia Bulletin.