|
BY KATHI STEARNS
Staff Writer
ROSWELL--The spotlight is not normally the place for to be, but
the retired president and chief executive officer of Laing Properties was
brought into it briefly Nov. 27 as he received a papal honor from Archbishop
John F. Donoghue at St. Andrew’s Church.
Aulbach was invested as a Knight Commander of St. Gregory the
Great, in recognition of his service to the archdiocese, particularly on the
project to establish new Catholic schools.
The knighthood, given by Pope John Paul II at the request of
Archbishop Donoghue, is the highest papal honor that a lay person can be given
and recognizes notable accomplishments and personal character and reputation.
Aulbach has most recently served as chairman of the Catholic schools
implementation committee, after many years of work on other archdiocesan
committees and projects.
During his homily Archbishop Donoghue saluted Aulbach for the
generous sharing of his gifts and talents over many years throughout the
archdiocese as well as at St. Andrew’s.
“It takes only a matter of minutes to realize his virtue, his
kindness, and his willingness to be involved, to work, to help so long as the
project is worthy,” he said. “After so many years of honoring the
local Church with his dedication and work, I am the fortunate archbishop who
has been able to seek, from the Holy Father Pope John Paul II permission to
honor George on behalf of the Universal Church.”
“What greater gift can we give our children, and the
generations yet to come, than the living example of good men and women, who
excel in virtue, while retaining their modesty and humility before God. Such an
exemplar is George Aulbach, and we are all elevated, because we are his
friends, in this degree of Knighthood we are about to confer.”
The archbishop told the approximately 100 people in attendance
that faith is not simply the confession of belief, rather it is belief in
action.
“This is one of the great differences between the fullness of
the Catholic Faith and all other professions of Christianity--and that
difference must be seen clearly in the lives of good Catholics.”
“George is not the only one to have heard these words, and to
have built his life upon their fulfillment--but he is the one we know, the one
we respect, the one we love, and the one whose honoring now gives us so much
joy.”
Aulbach, 73, has been involved in the complex planning process for
the new Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, from the site selection
phase to the later stages of designing the buildings. Aulbach, who attended
Catholic schools from elementary school through his college years at Villanova
University in Pennsylvania, believes students in parochial schools are
“head and shoulders” above other students.
While at Laing Properties, a property investment company, Aulbach
worked on projects totaling over $2 billion. In addition to his success in the
business world, Aulbach was a moving force in getting the Straight Adolescent
Drug Rehabilitation program, which is based in St. Petersburg, Fla., to
Atlanta, by raising over $1 million through golf tournaments and
fund-raisers.
His wife of 49 years, Gertrude, and his five daughters and seven
grandchildren joined Aulbach at the celebration.
“It was a wonderful celebration for a remarkable man,”
said Anno Hardage, chancellor for development and operations for the
Archdiocese of Atlanta. “George truly deserves this honor. He has been the
driving force behind the Catholic schools implementation committee. His time
and effort continue to be priceless gifts which he so generously shares with
the people of the archdiocese.” |
