BY GRETCHEN KEISER

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Carroll Sterne, the head of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, will leave his post at the end of 1997 and be succeeded by Betti Knott, past executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Atlanta.

Knott, who will take over the position in March, is currently the general secretary of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria, Australia, where she has worked since 1988.

The appointment was announced by Msgr. Peter Dora, vicar general of the archdiocese. Knott, who served prominently in Atlanta for nine years before being recruited by the Australian branch of the Society, was sought out by the archdiocese to succeed Sterne.

Sterne will be relocating to Tennessee where his wife, the Rev. Martha Sterne, has been called to be rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew in Maryville. Formerly on the staff of All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta, she began her new ministry Dec. 1.

Sterne said he will serve in a transitional role at Catholic Charities until his successor arrives, although he will be living in Tennessee beginning in January. He expects to return to the office for a limited time each week.

Being called as rector of an Episcopal church "is a great opportunity" for his wife which was never available to her in Atlanta, Sterne said, and their children have recently graduated from college. "We figure we are embarking on an adventure," he said, adding, "It is a beautiful part of the country in the foothills of the Smokies."

Catholic Charities, which Sterne has headed since September 1993, administers the corporations of Catholic Social Services (CSS), Catholic Personal Care Homes, Catholic Housing Initiatives and the Village of St. Joseph. It also oversees the Office of Family Concerns.

Sterne said that the most important accomplishment of his four years was to strengthen the administrative connections between the archdiocese and that of the social service corporations, which were created as independent entities. In addition, he said, the direction of some of the agencies has evolved and changed. CSS, for example, is focusing more on parish-based initiatives, and the Village of St. Joseph is changing to an intermediate level child care facility.

Knott, interviewed by telephone, said that the opportunity to return to work for the archdiocese had come at the right time after serving the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Melbourne for almost 10 years. Although she has returned to Atlanta periodically to visit friends and family, "I am very excited about coming home," she said. "This is a wonderful opportunity."

She added that she will begin by meeting with the staff of the agencies, talking to them and becoming familiar with their work. "It is going to be a learning exercise for me to try to find out where they are and where do they want to go," Knott said.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Australia is extensively involved in social services as well as one-to-one ministry to the poor, she noted. The area is predominantly Catholic. Her work there has included overseeing eight homes for the aged, including a nursing home and seven assisted living facilities, 87 thrift stores, shelters and other services for the homeless, a community center and centers for youth. She is in the process of completing a master's degree in business administration.

While serving the Society in Atlanta she received an award from the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta for exceptional personal ministry in serving the homeless.