BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Msgr. Terry W. Young, principal of St. Pius X High School from 1976-1991, was honored for his 15 years of leadership March 18 when the school's Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated in his honor.

The dedication was attended by Archbishop John F. Donoghue, Chancellors Father Mark Lacey and Anno Hardage, Bertha Martin, secretary for education, Sandra Smith, superintendent of schools, Donald T. Sasso, principal of St. Pius, and approximately 300 invited guests.

Other special guests included Father Greg Goolsby and Father Dan Fleming, parochial vicars at St. Benedict, Duluth, where Msgr. Young is the pastor; Father Anthony Curran, pastor of St. Lawrence Church, Lawrenceville; Betsy Fodor, former dean of studies; Sister Rita Marie Raffaele, GNSH, former dean of students; Sister Dawn Gear, GNSH, former assistant dean of students, present and former faculty and staff members, parents, benefactors, former students and friends of St. Pius.

Msgr. Young individually greeted his guests at a special reception that was held in the Flannery O'Connor library where computers displayed his photo and the dedication news story as well as computer-generated banners.

During the dedication ceremony which followed, Sasso explained that the imprint Msgr. Young's principalship left on St. Pius is enduring and represents an unequaled portion of the history and tradition of the school.

"We are here this evening to, in a sense, say ?thank you' for a job well done and to mark our gratitude to you indelibly on this school with the dedication of this Center for the Performing Arts in your name," Sasso said. "We feel this is especially appropriate for it was your vision which conceived and guided the construction of Hallinan Hall, this part of our school facility. It was your vision which saw the performing arts as such an essential part of our school program, and it was your vision that guided development of this arts program toward the extent to which we and our students now benefit from and enjoy it."

"Msgr. Young, when you reflected on your 15 years of ministry here at St. Pius you felt that the beautiful words of St. Teresa of Avila, ?Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo' best summarized your ministry. Translated they say, ?I shall sing forever of the mercies of the Lord.' How appropriate that this Center for the Performing Arts where the ?voices' of our students are raised in song and other artistic expressions will bear your name. Msgr. Young, thank you for what you have been and remain for St. Pius and may you continue to ?sing forever of the mercies of the Lord' in your priestly ministry."

Sasso also announced that the school has endowed a scholarship in Msgr. Young's name. "Annually a gift of financial assistance will be given to a deserving student in your name, as further recognition of your accomplishments here at St. Pius," he said.

Archbishop Donoghue expressed his personal gratitude for Msgr. Young's 15 years of ministry and leadership at the archdiocesan high school.

"Your influence here at St. Pius and the ripple effect of that influence in the lives of thousands of students now in their adult lives is indeed a legacy which is unmatched in this school's history," the archbishop said. "So many of us are here this evening to bear witness to your influence and that legacy and to participate in the dedication of this Center for the Performing Arts as a permanent testimony to your place in the history and culture of St. Pius X Catholic High School. Therefore, as Archbishop of Atlanta, I hereby announce that from this evening of March 18, 1997, this school facility will be called the Msgr. Terry W. Young Center for the Performing Arts."

Sasso unveiled the plaque over the entrance to the Center for the Performing Arts bearing Msgr. Young's name as those in attendance applauded. In addition, Msgr. Young's portrait was displayed in the entrance foyer of the theatre. The archbishop then sprinkled holy water on the new plaque, portrait and entrance to the theatre as he blessed the newly dedicated facility.

After the dedication Msgr. Young took the podium and expressed his gratitude to the late Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan for his support of the arts at St. Pius, and to the talented students at St. Pius who, he said, "were the guiding force behind the success of the arts program."

He also thanked the people throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta who believed so much in Catholic education and the arts to give so generously to the first capital campaign of the archdiocese from which St. Pius received a portion of the funds for the construction of the performing arts center.

Archbishop Donnellan broke ground for the new building at St. Pius on May 24, 1984 and the extensive renovation projects began in September of that year. Archbishop Donnellan dedicated the 400-seat performing arts center, a 36,000-volume library, a renovated chapel, computer labs, additional classrooms and a renovated cafeteria and gymnasium Oct. 26, 1985. In the spring of 1986 a new outdoor track was constructed.

After the formal ceremonies were completed guests were invited into the newly dedicated theatre for a special performance of "Godspell" presented by the Pius Players.

Seven members of the original St. Pius "Godspell" cast who had performed the musical in the school gymnasium in 1983 returned to the newly dedicated Performing Arts Center to watch the performance of the play in which they had taken part 14 years ago and to show their support of and admiration for their former principal.

At the conclusion of the play St. Pius drama director Bonnie Spark sang "Hello, Terry" a parody of "Hello, Dolly" with special lyrics written to fit the occasion. Spark credited the former principal with making the St. Pius arts program what it is today. She told the invited guests that without Msgr. Young's vision and love of the arts the program would not have grown to achieve its current level of success. "Msgr. Young had a wonderful vision that the arts would enhance the educational experience of all of the students at St. Pius," Spark said.

Msgr. Young was named principal of St. Pius in 1976 and guided the school through a period of restructuring. He reorganized a program that had been developed around the open classroom. During his tenure as principal he introduced programs designed to meet the needs of underachieving students and students with learning problems. He was also the guiding force behind a pastoral ministry program which was begun to meet the spiritual needs of the students.

St. Pius faculty members praised the many contributions Msgr. Young made to the school over his 15-year tenure.

"I think of Msgr. Young as an educator, and an educator of vision," said Janet Marsden, a member of the St. Pius faculty for the last 19 years. "That vision is what drives the whole educational machine for both the long term and the short term. He is a decision maker, a man of compassion, a mentor and a friend. His love of the arts was a part of the whole man who is very international and not at all provincial."

"Terry Young did an awful lot to move St. Pius to a place where the school was admired for its academic excellence," said Tony Stephens, a member of the St. Pius community since 1974. "He moved the school back to a traditional classroom model and made teachers' salaries competitive. And he had a great devotion to the arts."

"He fostered order and learning, gave encouragement to special students, and established an arts program which still flourishes--all with an unequaled intelligence and wit," said Ann Guscio, head of the St. Pius English department.

At the end of the 1989-90 school year, Msgr. Young announced his resignation as principal effective June 30, 1991. He followed his tenure at St. Pius with a one-year educational sabbatical. On July 1, 1993 he was appointed Secretary for Education for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, a post he held until his resignation Feb. 1, 1996. He was elevated to the rank of monsignor in 1994 and will celebrate his 25th anniversary as a priest May 6.