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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
ATLANTA—St. Paul of the Cross Church recognized senior
parishioners who have blazed trails of hope, compassion and social justice for
over 40 years in their African-American parish as well as in the community of
Collier Heights and the city of Atlanta.
Pastor Father Melvin Shorter, CP, presented the 2nd annual
Trailblazer Awards at morning Mass May 21 to eight parishioners for outstanding
service since the parish was founded in 1954.
Honorees were Deacon Leon Allain, who died June 20, and his wife,
Gloria, Bernese Meyer, William Leggett, Clifford and Jacquelyn Chandler, Regina
Sanford and Catherine Goolsby.
The pastor read a congratulatory letter from Gov. Roy Barnes, as
well as proclamations from Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and the Fulton County
Board of Commissioners designating the date as St. Paul of the Cross
Trailblazer Awards Day.
Reflecting the pioneer parishioners’ contributions, the
Gospel reading told of Jesus’ commandment for his followers to remain in
him and to bear fruit. The pastor opened his homily describing his encounter
with a man at a bus stop who said that for his whole life he had been waiting
for something, whether to finish school, get married or die.
“Most of us are like that man. We are never comfortable in
the present moment. There is always something out there, something else that we
want. We never seem to have enough ... I do that all the time. I’m not
comfortable in the present moment, but what is it Jesus says in the Gospel?
‘Remain in me and I will remain in you.’ What Jesus is saying to his
disciples and to all of us is to just be patient in the present moment because
‘I am with you always and there is nothing too big or too difficult for
the two of us to handle,’” he said.
“You don’t need a million dollars to be well off in
Christ Jesus ... You are already well off. Enjoy the moment. When you do sit
back and enjoy the moment just think how wonderful it is ... We do not have to
have all the answers.”
He encouraged parishioners to follow the trailblazers’ lead.
“What is the fruit that Jesus is asking us to bear? It is simply the
Gospel message. Give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked. Give housing to
the homeless; ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ Forgive one
another of their faults, bear one another’s grievances,” he said.
“For parents this means accepting our children as they are, not as what we
want them to be. So what if they’re not Rhodes scholars, but they are
creations of God and they belong to you. Love them as they are. Children,
accept your parents as they are.”
The pastor told how his sister once sought a shoulder on which to
cry and lay her many woes. He responded by “letting her have it”
instead of listening without judgment, in imitation of Christ.
“That’s the fruit that Jesus is asking us to
bear—to love one another as he loved us. There is not one person in this
room that Jesus has judged. God has opened his heart to all of us even though
time and time again we have sinned and gone on. God has always called us by
name and not by sin,” he continued. “Christianity is not impossible.
Yes, it is difficult, but Jesus says, ‘Remain in me and I remain in you
and there will be no difficulty because the two of us will bear much
fruit.’”
Reading from the mayor’s proclamation, the pastor said that
honorees were instrumental in laying the physical and spiritual foundation for
the parish. “They have diligently and unselfishly given of their time,
talent and treasure while working for quality, justice and economic support for
all people, uplifting their parish and enhancing the well-being of the
community through extensive outreach,” he said.
Each honoree received a carved glass block with an inscription.
Parishioners for over 30 years, the Allains helped to plan the
parish 40th anniversary celebration. They have helped beautify the parish and
grounds, have served as case sponsors for the Metropolitan Tribunal in the
annulment process and have served as fund-raisers for the Morehouse School of
Medicine. Mrs. Allain is a member of the women’s society, a lector and
eucharistic minister and the late Deacon Allain was ordained to the permanent
diaconate in 1982, served on the parish council and finance committee and was a
life member of the NAACP.
Clifford and Jacquelyn Chandler, in over 30 years at the parish,
have served on the pastoral council and liturgy committee, directed Passion
Sunday and Good Friday pageants and are ministers of the Eucharist and special
ministers to the sick. Outside the parish they are members of the Highpoint
Community Association.
Mr. Chandler was appointed to the Carnegie Commission on improving
minority education and Mrs. Chandler is past president of the Georgia
Association of Nurse Anesthetists. She received the Rosalie McDonald Award in
1997 as the most outstanding nurse anesthetist in Georgia.
In her 30 years at the church, Regina Sanford has served on the
pastoral care committee, as president of the pastoral council and as a Grand
Lady of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver. She is involved
with the Jolly Bunch, Bible study, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and chairs
the AIDS Walk. Sanford is also a member of the Tribunal Committee for Atlanta
public schools, the archdiocesan social action committee, the implementation
team for the Office for Black Catholic Ministry and chairs the outreach program
at Sadie Mays Home for her community block club.
An over 40-year member, Catherine Goolsby is chair of the pastoral
care ministry, a member of the liturgy committee, women’s society and the
Jolly Bunch. She works with eucharistic ministers and the breakfast committee,
participates in Bible study and is a past Grand Lady of the Ladies Auxiliary of
the Knights of Peter Claver.
Bernese Meyer, a 36-year parishioner, is a member of the
women’s society, hospitality committee, rosary society and pastoral care
committee. A past president of the pastoral council and the altar rosary
society, she was named parish woman of the year in 1978. An active Girl Scout
leader, she received the St. Ann Medal, the highest Catholic Scouting honor.
She has served on the Human Resources Board of Georgia, and volunteers at her
alma mater Morris Brown College, at Habitat for Humanity and the NAACP.
William Leggett is president of the men’s club, serves on the
pastoral care committee and the parking lot watch committee, was a member of
the census committee and helped create the anniversary journal for the
parish’s 40th anniversary celebration. A 44-year member of the parish, he
coached the basketball and track teams at the parish school and has been
treasurer of the Valleydale Community Club and election chairman of
Neighborhood Planning Unit I.
The congregation enjoyed a reception afterwards at which
parishioner Mason Johnson played jazz on the keyboard and parishioners
expressed joy for their awards. Deacon Allain described his love for the
church.
“It’s most rewarding because the work that I do in the
parish I enjoy,” he said. “I accept the honor, but I would do the
work without it because I love my church ... There are two things that I find
(most) rewarding. Number one, I find preaching rewarding because I get more out
of preaching than the parishioners do and I also enjoy working with married
couples. My wife and I conduct marriage preparation. It’s rewarding to see
them come to the church.”
Gloria Allain was deeply honored when recognized for work she
believes in and that her husband motivated her to do. “We believe in our
faith and it’s a way we can repay our church by doing all the things that
we’re doing,” Mrs. Allain said. “We have a wonderful priest and
we don’t mind doing things because he is very nice.”
Meyer was also touched by the recognition. “It’s very
special. I love my church and I love the Lord and I’m just glad to serve.
It motivates me to be of service,” she said, adding that her husband is
her primary support.
She traces her desire to serve back to her childhood when she used
to give away peaches her family got from a nearby farm before members had a
chance to can them. She also ran a neighborhood beauty salon.
“She’s very much concerned about the community, the
church, her school and her sorority and has demonstrated (that) by the time
that she puts into her work in these areas,” her husband, Archie, said.
“It has to be the Spirit of God. You can’t describe it any other way.
When there’s a call, there’s a need (and) she’s involved in
it.”
Alflorence Wadkins, chair of the committee that initiated the
awards, said that honorees had to be at least 30-year parishioners and 60 years
of age.
“We just wanted to honor them so that our young people will
recognize them ... and let the young people know how much we appreciate how
much is being done and what’s being done ... We’d like them to
appreciate the seniors and understand all the work they do and maybe that would
encourage them and make them see some of the things they can do also. It’s
definitely like a family affair to bring the church family together,” she
said.
Michelle Williams, 40, cantor during Mass, agreed. “I think
we need to give them credit for what they do because without them we
wouldn’t have a church. It’s amazing what some of them have
done.” |
