By Julia Murphy

Special To the Bulletin

JASPER--The Serra Clubs of Atlanta held their 16th annual day of recreation for priests and Religious Sept. 17 at Bent Tree Country Club.

Over 100 participants including Archbishop John F. Donoghue, and Msgr. Peter Dora, vicar general, spent the day playing golf, tennis and swimming.

Father John Farrelly, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Carrollton, Father Jim Harrison, parochial vicar at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kennesaw, Father John Anderson, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, Father Tim Gadziala, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, Blairsville, Father Frank Richardson, pastor of Our Lady of the Mount, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Father Scott Reilly, LC, and Sister Mary Beth Beres, OP, ruled the golf course.

Father Bill Hoffman, pastor of St. Michael's Church, Gainesville, Father Victor Galier, parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, Father Darragh Griffith, parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Church and Father Kevin Peek, parochial vicar at Holy Trinity Church, Peachtree City, were winners on the tennis court.

The friendly competition was followed by a social hour, dinner and awards.

During the dinner Archbishop Donoghue expressed his gratitude to the Serrans for their vital contributions to the archdiocese.

"I am always so impressed with what Serra does to promote vocations and the priest's life," the archbishop said. "They work closely with the clergy and I am confident that the success of the vocation program in our archdiocese is to due to the Serrans."

Ed de St. Aubin, said the archbishop is responsible for the unique partnership between the archdiocese and the Serra Clubs.

"He (Archbishop Donoghue) has really supported Serra. It is directly because of his presence and leadership that we have really succeeded."

Three Serra Clubs, the Metro, North Metro and Greater NE Atlanta, work to support and foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The groups sponsor numerous vocation affirmation programs, prayer programs and dinners, receptions, luncheons, days of recreation and appreciation events for seminarians, members of the clergy and religious.

Members are lay Catholics, both women and men. The organization is named in honor of Blessed Junipero Serra, a Franciscan missionary in the 1700s in California.